It seems like a lifetime has passed in the ten days since I left Ireland. For the first few days, nothing felt particularly different. I waited patiently for reality to sink in and it finally did about seven days after my transatlantic crossing. I was scrolling through the hundreds of photographs accrued during my stint in the Emerald Isle and could not help but recall each of the wonderful memories tied to those captured moments. Even the blurred or not as aesthetically pleasing photographs played back memories like a video montage inside my head.
However, my stroll down memory lane also made me realize how much of an effect study abroad has had on me. First and foremost, I feel a sense of independence that I did not before leaving for Ireland. It is as if I was liberated in some way while in Ireland and everything I see or hear or feel has a different perspective than before. Similarly, I feel slightly isolated from the people around me, since they did not share those experiences with me. My family and friends have also had lots of experiences without me, which leaves much to share with each other, but little to relate to. Regardless of the ability to relate to each other, it is such a joy to share my experiences with those closest to me. It also helps that I keep in touch with my friends, who studied abroad with me in Ireland, because they can relate to me and I do not feel so alone in yearning for Ireland, or Europe in general.
Overall, my experience in Ireland has changed me and played an incredible role in making me a better global citizen. I know that moving forward I can use this experience as an innovative way to network as well as to explain my strengths in an interview or application setting. My study abroad experience has taught me that the most impactful experiences are usually found outside of your comfort zone, something that one can only truly learn and deal with when tossed into a completely foreign setting. I hope to keep this lesson with me and apply it to my life as I look forward to graduation and blazing my path in the world.