We started our journey at the beginning of February in sunny Costa Rica, checking out the accommodations at Selina ahead of iX Summer Costa Rica. After two glorious weeks in paradise, we headed up to the US to start our epic campus-hopping adventure. 

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February 12 saw us in snowy Michigan where Margie got to experience 5°F for the first time (that’s -15°C for our non-Americans). Our three days at the UMich campus were spent hopping from building to building across campus, talking to students, and generally eating our way across campus.

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Our favorite thing about UMich? Hands down Joe’s Pizza, No Thai’s drunken noodles, and the start of our Insomnia Cookie addiction that would follow us from campus to campus…

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With the news of a looming snowstorm, we headed out of Michigan to head to Penn in Philadelphia. There, we were treated to flocks of sophomore girls pledging to their sororities, and the warmer weather made the campus a much more lively place. 

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We followed a crowd drinking beer at 10 am and ended up watching our first-ever lacrosse game. It’s not really known in South Africa, so that was quite an experience. After the game, Margie had her first American food truck experience and we both chowed down on some Philly cheesesteak – neither disappointed! 

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Some highlights included the incredible city street art, the vibrant indoor Reading Terminal Market, and eating some of the best ramen of our lives.

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For the next part of our trip, we hired a car and road tripped down to Charlottesville, Virginia. At UVA we got to experience true Southern hospitality first hand as we were warmly welcomed to one of our favorite campuses.

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We caught a basketball game between UVA and Duke (you should have seen the stream of messages from Duke alum 🤣). We also got to enjoy the student vibe at a campus pub where we ate “American burgers” (yes, that is what they were called on the menu, and they were great) and drank delicious local beers.

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Our road trip podcast playlist included Crime Junkies (unsolved murder mysteries that give Margie nightmares!), the Art of Charm (some time for reflection), and Edge of NFT (we learned something new!).

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Next, we headed to Duke where we got the full blast of school spirit! The Blue Devils were about to play UNC, and it was Coach K’s last game after 42 years as Duke’s basketball coach. What a wild ride! Head over here for a list of his favorite songs, and why he likes them so much.

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That’s it for the first leg of our epic American adventure. We’re taking a break over Spring Break. Hope to see some of you at the Alumni Summit in May, it’s gonna be epic!