Having survived finals week in a completely different testing system, my study abroad experience has come to an end. The past three months in Ireland have been unimaginably fantastic! I have learned so much, met plenty of intriguing people and successfully immersed myself in the Irish way of life. There are so many things I will miss about Ireland and the amazing memories I created here, from the food to the pub culture and the ever-green grass. Ireland has touched my heart and will forever hold piece of it captive. Studying abroad has taught me so much in terms of adaptability, functionality and the importance of curiosity. I cannot think of a better way to have spent my penultimate semester in college.
Leaving Ireland is bittersweet. I am excited to return home and see friends and family, but will miss the climate, scenery and accents of Ireland. I will miss the ability to go into Dublin every weekend, now one of my favorite cities in the world. I will miss the donut shops on every corner and seeing the many unique bridges that straddle the Liffey River. I will miss the calm lifestyle that I had while at Maynooth and the tranquility that accompanies not dying under a pile of homework every evening — a feeling I have become accustomed to at Rollins. I will miss meeting someone new, from somewhere new every day. I will miss not hearing the Irish twang or visiting Aldi daily. However, this is not really the end. I leave Ireland with a heavy heart and a bright intention to return someday for a stroll down memory lane and hopefully make even more memories in the Emerald Isle.
Overall, I am not yet ready to reflect on the time I’ve spent here. It is all still too fresh and needs to settle in, but my initial thought is that learning does not stop here. Every time I have traveled abroad before, I have noticed that upon return to the United States, you see things differently in your own country and culture that you may have overlooked before. I am interested to investigate what has changed for me over the next few weeks of being back at home in Florida.