The End

This is it, folks. This is my last blog that I will be writing in Ireland. It’s bittersweet. I am super excited to go home and see my family, but I am not quite ready to leave this place. I have learned so much here. I’ve learned more than Irish history and literature though. I have learned more about myself than I thought possible. I have learned how I want to live my life. I have learned to look at things in a different way. When I decided to go on this adventure I knew I would learn different things in the various classes that I took, but I am still in awe of the impact that this experience has made on my life and me as a person. Because of the impact that was given to me, I was supposed to impact Ireland in a positive way in return. This semester, one of the requirements was to take part in a service learning project. It was a little more than difficult to find something that fit the requirements. However, I was able to find something—I was able to help Geraldine in the kitchen for an event that Park Lodge was holding. Geraldine sure knows what she’s doing. I know she and the rest of her assistants appreciated the help that Emily, Sara, and I were able to give in the 4 hours that we spent in the kitchen. While we helped, we were also taught different cooking methods and tricks. I will definitely go home and put then into place as well some of the recipes that she taught us in the process of helping out in the kitchen. I was also able to meet Geraldine’s mother in the kitchen as well. I really enjoyed visiting with her as she told stories of her experiences that she has had. Ireland has changed my life—it’s changed me. I am not ready to leave, but I know that I will be coming back one day.

Field Trip North!

This last weekend we took a trip up to Northern Ireland. I really enjoyed myself—I had been waiting a while for this trip because the Titanic museum is in Belfast. Now folks,  if you know anything about me, you know how much I love the history behind Titanic. Leo hooked me when I was four, what can I say? The group was placing bets on how much money I would spend. That’s the kind of obsession we’re talking about here. This museum is SPECTACULAR. It’s huge and informative. It was opened only 4 years ago for the centennial anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. It takes you behind the scenes—what it took to prepare for it to be built, how and when it was built, passengers of the ship, the sinking of the ship, and the aftermath of the sinking. There’s nine galleries and even a little ride in this building. It was absolutely amazing to be able to have a better, non-Hollywood version of the Titanic. But we did more than just go to the Titanic museum. We visited the Belleek Pottery Company and saw their process with their pieces. We drove through Derry-London-Derry and looked at the murals there. We felt the tension in Belfast between two different and clashing communities. We walked over the Carrick-a-Rede bridge and visited Giant's Causeway. 

 Overall, the field trip was wonderful. Other than the museum, my favorite part of the trip was simply travelling. I love to see the different landscapes that Ireland has. From mountains to the ocean to rolling hills speckled with sheep, there is always something new to look at. I don’t think I could ever get tired of it. I only have a little more than two weeks here, and I am already missing the smell of the ocean and the rain. I do miss  home, but the Emerald Isle is my favorite place in the world.

Social Life

One of the more popular questions people ask me revolves around my social life. I won’t lie to you; I had expectations before coming. All of those expectations have been surpassed but for reasons you may not be expecting. The pubs are crazy fun. The craic is real. But the craic and the pubs were only as fun as the people I surrounded myself with.  So, to the crazy 16 cats that went on this wonderful adventure with me, thank you. Thank you for showing me that whether we are throwing birthday parties in Cabin 4 or hen parties in Taaffes the craic is with you all.  Thank you for learning the tricks of the trade with me. Thank you for making sure I didn’t get lost in Rome (Michael) or stranding myself in the middle of a stream trying to take the perfect picture. Thank you for hanging in the back with me because I don’t like to walk fast and I have to take 200 pictures. Thank you for singing to “Galway Girl” and “She Will Be Loved” on the bus with me. Thank you for watching movies with me and sharing cuddles and eye rolls from the back of the bus. Thank you for supporting me when my dad got sick—you were all hardly more than strangers but you surrounded me with love and comfort. Thank you for the laughs and the memories. Thank you for being the individuals you are because you each brought something unique and special to this trip. The 16 of you have impacted my life in a way no one else ever can. I will look back on this trip for the rest of my life with a smile on my face. The craic is real and the craic is all of you. Cheers to making friends with the most unlikely of people!