Hello! Lauren back again with my biggest a-ha moment of my time spent abroad in Ireland! The first 5 days of my trip were spent in Dublin, which although it has stark differences from home–being cleaner and more walkable, still feels very similar to a mid-size American city. The city was still filled with tourists, and it honestly felt like I met more English and American people than Irish citizens. There were still incredibly valuable moments of interacting with Irish culture, but it didn’t quite yet feel like I was having a fully immersive experience. 

The next 9 days in Galway were what would truly take my breath away. From the moment I arrived in Galway, I knew this was different. Galway is Ireland’s fourth largest city, yet the center of it consists of only two main roads that have pedestrian only offshoots. A river flows through the edge of the town and when the weather is nice, people sit along it in the evening, often with drinks, watching high tide come in near the Spanish arch, an activity the locals have termed “sparching.” Galway feels at ease, the pace of life is slower, the people clearly connected to one another, each local person you meet offering you a new restaurant or business recommendation. There is a clear sense of community, commradery, and calm.

There is a better distinction to work life balance in Galway, a greater urge by the people to embrace life wholeheartedly, to pursue what they love and not let work consume them. Everything moves a bit slower, people often beginning their day closer to 8AM rather than 6, and ending the evening in a state of relaxation in the company of family and friends rather than scrambling to get ready for the next day. Galway felt like a breath of fresh air, like a place of rest. Even in the midst of busy marketplaces and packed restaurants, there is still a sense of relaxation, of ease, of embracing each moment rather than a frantic jump to the next. This isn’t something I’m used to, in the hustle and bustle of American culture especially the workplace and college life. But this experience, this understanding, of what rest and productivity can produce together has permanently changed me and the ways in which I approach my life and my relationships for the better.