Returning Home

Towards the middle of my semester abroad, it really hit me that I didn't really notice any Irish accents anymore. It was funny because of course I didn't have an accent and with living in America for 21 years, you think I would still find it different, but I guess I became pretty accustomed to it. I became so used to it that the accent was just normal, it was like I was talking to someone from back home, and it does make sense because to a certain extent, Ireland was my home for a few months. Admittedly though, when I did arrive to Ireland, when I would talk to people of Ireland, it wasn't too difficult to understand them, but with people who had very thick accents, it was more interesting. By the time I left though, it was something I am proud to say that I became accustomed to.

Some habits that I have picked up from Ireland that I didn't think I was going to pick up was the opposite side of the road mind set. Of course I didn't drive on the opposite side of the road while I was there, but I was in multiple cars on the other side of the road, as well as buses almost every day and it was just something I wasn't expecting coming back home. It was even to the extent that when I first drove again, I think it was the next day after arriving back home, I accidentally drove on the wrong side of the road, which luckily there was no one coming from the opposite way, but I had to double think what side of the road I had to be on. Sometimes I admit that still does happen, like when I am just driving and thinking about the road, I will notice that it is obviously the opposite from Ireland and then I will remember what it was like being on the opposite side of the road. One other habit that I think I have picked up from being abroad and brought back home to America has been to try and continue to explore and get out of my comfort zone. Before I left, I was the type of person who liked to adventure, but only when I was comfortable with the situation. Now I like to think that has improved because I have open arms and I'm ready for life to throw whatever it wants at me.

In regards to recreating local dishes from Ireland, there really aren't many that I would need to recreate just because their food choice can be pretty similar to pub restaurants here in America. Also something going off of that, is I am not the best cook, but I can cook some pretty good breakfast meals so I would have to say a few things that I have tried to recreate has been how they make their fried eggs and I have not been super successful, but I am still trying! I miss their breakfast over there so that is something I do hope to recreate one day and make one big Irish breakfast with fried eggs, hash browns, sausage, beans, black and white pudding, pancakes, tea, Irish coffee, smoothies, etc.

A few tips I do want to give in regards to packing is buy vacuum seal bags! Or if you do not want vacuum seal bags, buy organizers. I was able to bring over so many more things than I ever would have with just a normal suitcase because of the vacuum seal bags. Although of course if you pack more, then your suitcase weighs more, so just be specific with where you put shoes, clothes, accessories, etc. One small tip that I suggest is because shoes are more heavy objects, put those in your carry on that way the weight won't matter as much as a checked bag, then you can save that room for items to bring home after your study abroad experience. One regret I do have is even though I was somewhat smart with how I packed, I could have prioritized better. I probably only wore 50% of the clothing that I brought with me so I could have used that space for other things, but honestly, I really only brought things that I would use everyday. Besides clothes, shoes and everything else, I only brought one thing to decorate my room with and it was small lights and photos that fit in a zip lock bag. Do not bring any decorations besides small things or anything unnecessary, it really will help you to take the time to write things out that you know you will need as well as taking the time to prioritize so when you are only a day away from leaving, you aren't stressing last minute because you don't have enough room or because your one suitcase is over weight. As well as that, I am a huge reader and movie person so I told myself that I would not bring any of my books or any of my DVDs because I knew myself too well and I knew that if I brought one book or one movie, then I would want them all and I wouldn't be able to narrow them down. I was completely correct. I mean don't get me wrong, there were multiple moments when I wanted to be locked in my room reading a book for pleasure or watching one of my favorite movies, aka Harry Potter, but it really helped me get out, hangout with my roommates and really enjoy my time abroad. It forced me to get out of my comfort zone by doing new things.

Now something I brought that I couldn't live without was both of my journals. I was given a journal from my sister Erin for Christmas 2017 and then my friend Ailish got me a journal for my birthday this past August. I used the one my sister got me as my emotional or my feeling journal so to speak. It was perfect because it was smaller and more compact so I could bring it with me where ever I went as well as whenever I needed to vent and was unable to call my parents or my sisters, I could write in that and feel 100 times better. It really helped me destress while I was abroad and it also helped me realize that I needed to stop complaining and live life. I then used my other journal as my travel journal. It was a bigger journal, it had lined pages and a spiral as a side so I could flip the cover and write easier so that was nice. Now what I did was every week or after one of my trips I would write about what I did that way when I look back on it in multiple years, I can remember what I did and see it as well. I mean see it because something I really wanted to do was to write about my experiences, but also print the photos out and tape them into the journal and that is exactly what I did. I asked my sisters for an HP Sprocket for my birthday because it was small, compact, and it was a laser printer that connected to bluetooth and wifi so it was perfect for what I wanted to do with it. It also had sticky backed paper so whenever I printed out a photo, I could just peel off the back and stick it onto the journal paper and there was the photo I would remember and look back on in a few years. I highly recommend buying one of the printers, whether it be HP, Canon, or whatever, but they are such amazing little things that can really brighten up a craft or anything you want to use it for. It made writing in my journal so much more fun because once I got home, I was able to show my family what I wrote about while also showing them where I was writing about.

Something I think I have learned that really stuck out to me was always be yourself, be proud of yourself and experience life to find out who you are. Never shy away from learning more about yourself and try and live life to the fullest to really find out who you are and what you want in life. It was such an amazing experience learning different things about myself that I never knew and would have probably never figured out if I didn't study abroad. I was able to really throw myself out into the real world, whether I wanted to or not and I do not regret it one bit. Of course I also learned the obvious with it being the different classes I took such as my favorite two, Irish language and Irish Folklore. Those two classes were such fun classes to take and I really learned to appreciate Ireland's culture and story. I would have not learned any of that information living in America. I learned a lot of different things that are considered Irish, but we have Americanized it and that I would have never learned without going to Ireland, so there are different things that I appreciate now that I learned while I was there that I would have never known while being back home.

100% after I graduate and find a steady job, I would go back to Ireland in a heartbeat. Of course since I was able to go to some of my top countries I've always wanted to go, I can cross a few off my list, but I will always want to go back to Ireland. It was the experience of a lifetime and I would recommend it to everyone. I do know that so many people when they come back from study abroad they say "it changed my life" and "I'm a new person" and believe me, I did not believe that before I left. I thought "yeah you had an amazing time, but no one can change that much by just going to a different country", but let me tell you, I was wrong. Four months in a different country can really change you. Not in the aspect of changing someone completely, but it can influence you that's for sure. I can say whole heartedly that I am not the same person that I was when I left for Ireland and I am so grateful for that. I am so much more confident in regards to putting myself out there and I'm not as afraid of the real world. Yes, I still have fears, and four months can't completely change me, but I love the effect it has had on me. I have to admit though, I didn't really realize the change it had on me until I get home and got back into my normal daily routine again, but I'm glad I noticed it and I'm glad it happened. I look forward to my next adventure and I hope Ireland doesn't miss me too much because I know I am already missing it like crazy.