School was finally out and unlike most kids, the next morning she did not get to sleep in.  Her parents surprised her and her siblings with a trip around the world to visit their cousins, most of whom she had not seen since she was a baby.  

For sophomore Abigail Ayemoba, seeing her family required an early eight hour flight around the world.

A majority of her family settled in London after immigrating from Nigeria in the 1990s, and this was the first time she would be spending an extended amount of time with them.

“I was really excited to be spending the whole summer with my cousins because we always have a lot of fun together,” said Ayemoba.  “It was the first time I was seeing them in awhile so we had a lot of catching up to do.”

Ayemoba, then eight years old, was not only excited to see her family, but to tour the city as well.

“My siblings and I visited the major tourist sights, like Buckingham Palace, London Eye, and Big Ben,” said Ayemoba.  “We also wandered around with our cousins getting to know the place a bit more in depth.”

At the top of the London Eye, the “bubble” Ayemoba and her family occupied got stuck for a few minutes.  According to Ayemoba, it was extremely scary, yet breathtaking at the same time because they got to see the entire city.

Besides spending time with her cousins, Ayemoba’s favorite part of the trip was learning all of the cultural differences.

“The weirdest part was driving on the opposite side of the road,” said Ayemoba.  “At one point I thought we were going to crash, but we made it.”

After an entire summer spent together, Ayemoba and her siblings were upset about heading back to the States.
“It was hard leaving because I knew I wouldn’t see my cousins for a long time,” said Ayemoba.  “We are in the process of planning another trip to see them soon…hopefully within the next few years.”