*Written just before leaving for Ireland on May 10th, includes pictures from my departure and arrival
As the days grow nearer for my trip to Ireland, I feel myself becoming both more excited and more nervous. This will not only be my first trip to Ireland, but my first trip abroad, my first time on an international flight, the first stamp I will get in my passport. All of this is nerve racking, my room is already overcrowded with all the things I am trying to cram into my suitcase, and my phone is full of frantically typed notes for what I need to not forget. I’ve spent recent nights going to bed trying to figure out what is just the right amount of clothes to bring for two weeks away.
At the same time though, I’m also incredibly excited. Ireland, for a long time, has occupied the number one spot on the list of places I am desperate to visit. From its rich history to its gorgeous landscape, Ireland has always been somewhere I felt I wanted to be. In recent years, this love has only grown, as this past semester I took an Irish history class and learned so much about the past of this country, and have been encountering various forms of Irish media across many of my classes. I am incredibly thankful to be visiting a country that not only am I incredibly interested in, but that I also have had the pleasure of learning so much about and only wish to continue to learn more.
I envision this trip being a big turning point for me, especially in my experience of travel in general. I’ve traveled many times across the U.S. but never before to a foreign country- so I expect that this trip will provide me valuable travel experience and open my eyes to the world of international travel. Additionally, one of my biggest goals while being a part of this program is to be present, to truly live in the moment and relish every second of it. I want to get as robust an experience as I can in Ireland, and in working to be fully present this can be more fully accomplished. The presentness and attentiveness I bring to this trip is then something that can be reflected back into my own everyday life when I return home. All in all, I’m so excited for what this trip holds and can’t wait to see what’s ahead!
