LOVE. LOVE LOVE LOVE.
then you realise you still have more:
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Back to Reality… Home in the Motherland
It’s been exactly two week since I’ve been back in the US and I have to say I am missing Ireland everyday. I am so lucky to have been able to travel to Ireland and see as much of Ireland as I got to. I saw Galway, the closest thing to “old” Ireland we visited, Dublin, the vibrant city center of the Republic, and Belfast, a city that felt like a spinoff of London. The trip was so diverse and well rounded I feel like I got the most unique trip possible.
I’d like to share with you an experience I had that is so unforgettable and awesome. Something I will remember about the trip for a very long time is the first time I experienced traditional Irish music live. I had heard Irish music before but the scene was almost inappropriate for the genre looking back on those instances after hearing it the way I did in Galway. I believe it was the first night that everyone went out together and we wanted to find traditional Irish music. We ended up at this tiny little pub called Taaffe’s and ended up right next to the Irish band that was playing. We all got our drinks and milled around for a little bit waiting for the music to start, and as soon as it did I was absolutely mesmerized. There’s something about that moment where I was hearing this music, and it filled this musical gap and my foot started tapping and I just wanted to start dancing around the pub. I don’t think I stopped smiling once during the entire time we were there listening to the band play. I don’t even remember the songs they played (except for Galway Girl which I even heard in Northern Ireland at one of the pubs), but I remember how happy I felt that I was in Ireland listening to this beautiful music. I remember thinking to myself “I wish I could just freeze this moment right here”, because it was absolutely spectacular. The band was so great and everyone in the pub seemed to be having such an amazing time listening to the music and being in the company of whomever they were with. Also, everyone in the program was just enjoying each other’s company, laughing, tapping our feet, singing along (to Galway Girl). That was the best night I had in Ireland and I’m so thankful we were able to wander out on the first night or I might not have been able to experience Ireland that way.
That was a cultural experience I’ll never forget. I also had the opportunity to visit both governments of Ireland. To me, the most challenging thing about the trip was trying to grasp how both Irish governments work. Both have an intricate balance of relationships between parties that just isn’t present here in the US. There are only two main parties here that control almost everything, whereas in Ireland, both governments have at least 3 parties and the structures of both were just extremely confusing. In America, the public education system doesn’t try very hard to educate its students on different governments; democratic government is the main focus, but in the real world that’s not always the case. The consociational government was probably the most challenging for me just because the parties work together, which is not something I am familiar with being an American. It also confused me that the two governments of Ireland were quite different and I wondered if secondary school students on the island of Ireland had to learn about both types of government. When I got home, I read up about consociational government a little bit more so I could feel less challenged by the idea that a government with so many parties ruling actually worked.
I like thinking about how this relates to our current government. A fun (to watch) thing from the Dail (Republic of Ireland government) was this thing called Leader’s Questions. Basically, the leaders from other parties get to ask the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) anything they want and he has no prior knowledge of it. It’s basically showboating for the other parties, but it was definitely an interesting experience.
I spent three days on my own in Dublin after everyone left and I would have never been able to do that without this program. Throughout the trip I gained unique experiences that allowed me to become more independent and self-serving. What I got from the program was a feeling of independence. I have only ever traveled out of the country with my parents, and having them is sort of like a security blanket. I knew with my parents I would always be safe, I would always be funded and I would always have someone for support if I needed something while we were away. Being on my own, I knew I wouldn’t have any of this. The night before I left I started getting really nervous because I wasn’t sure what to expect from Ireland or the program or my fellow classmates. Now that I’m home, I am so proud of myself for going to a country on my “own”. Even though I was with classmates, I still had to fend for myself in a way. For example, the first day we were in Ireland in Galway I had a list of things I needed to do before I could actually start my trip. As much as I wanted to just wander around with everyone, I needed to find a bank, breakfast and a restroom. Regardless of what everyone else wanted to do, I knew I had to make sure these things were done before I could do anything else. I was able to find someone who needed to do the same things I did and we went together around Galway to complete our tasks. Usually, if I were with my parents, they would have already had money for me, picked out a place for breakfast and found me a place to use the restroom. These seem like simple things but since it was my first time on my own in a foreign country, it was a big deal for me to do it by myself. I had to figure out a budget for myself so that I still had money at the end of the trip rather than spend it all in the beginning.
I had the best time in Ireland and am so thankful I got the opportunity to spend two weeks in such an amazing country, with an amazing group of people.
Before the ride
ON THE RIDE :
AFTER THE RIDE :
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THE KITTEN <3
