The Semester Of A Lifetime Is Going Out With A Bang

For my Christmas present this year, all I wished for was to have a safe and sound trip with those closest to me. Luckily, Santa and Jesus are both granting my wish. Now, as I write this, my family is at the airport, getting ready to get on their plane so they can come pick me up and spend Christmas in Ireland. It is the best Christmas present I could ever receive and it isn't something that fits under a decorated tree, or at least we haven't tried yet.

Anyways, before I get into the icky, goey, mushy details about how excited I am to see my family, I will talk a bit about what I've been doing the past two weeks as well as how sad I am that this amazing semester is coming to an end, but as my title states, it will definitely be going out with a bang. That I can promise you.

Okay, so for starters, this first topic I will be talking about will go pretty quickly. The past few weeks, since getting back from my last trip to Italy and Switzerland, I have had finals and have started packing. That first week of finals, December 10-14 wasn't too bad. Ever since getting back from last trip, I relaxed for a few days then got right to it and studied for the three finals I had in a row that first week. I had Modern Europe Tuesday the 11th, Irish for Beginners Wednesday the 12th and Introduction to Folklore Thursday the 13th. In order to study for these finals, I did the same study techniques that I have used in the U.S., the only difference here is that they really don't do multiple choice exams. They really like essay style exams, so when you are studying the material, you need to pretty much know everything like the back of your hand because those essay questions could be anything throughout the semester. So far though, I have felt pretty confident in my first three exams. I have one more exam tomorrow, Friday the 21st for my Introduction to Celtic Civilisation course, so once I complete that exam, I will be done with school work for about two weeks. It will be a much needed break and I am very exited about it. So besides studying, once my exams ended, I went out to dinner that Thursday night with my roommate Nicole, her mom as well because she was visiting and then our friend Carolyn. I was also able to do a sort of last hoorah that next day, on Friday, with my friend Kevin before he left Ireland that Sunday. It was a good way to end the first final exam week. Going into the second week, since my last final isn't until tomorrow, I was able to relax, start packing and just enjoy being stress free for a few days. I started studying for my last final a few days ago though so today I am taking another break so I can finish packing up my room, do my last load of laundry, clean my room and the common room as well as write this blog. It is such a surreal feeling thinking about sleeping only one more night in this bed. I mean, don't get me wrong, the bed was not the comfiest and I absolutely did not appreciate the shower, but in a weird way, I am going to miss it. I am going to miss the small things, such as midnight talks in the kitchen with my roommates, sitting at my desk with the windows open while listening to music and doing homework, and even showering in my minuscule of a shower.

To bring up a more fun future experience, let's talk about how my semester will be ending with a bang. For starters, tomorrow is the day that I get to see my mom, dad, Erin and Kaelyn. I get to hug them, make fun of them, tell jokes, exchange movie quotes, drink until we drop and just over all enjoy each other's company. I have been waiting four months for my Christmas present to arrive and in just a few hours, they will be on their way here and I will be able to celebrate them getting here safe and sound. It is something I am very excited to talk about because with not physically seeing any of them for four months, I feel like they have missed so much from the past few months of my life. Obviously we FaceTime and text, but I still feel like I have so much to tell them and so much to show them so I am excited to spend a week here where we can all go explore Ireland as a family as well as I can show them what I have been doing in Dublin. See? It's the little things in life that truly make you happy and bring you joy.

Even though my family is coming here, I haven't really been in the Christmas spirit and that is something that is very unlike me. I normally start listening to Christmas music right after Halloween, and yes I understand that a lot of people think I am crazy because of that, but I just sip my tea, listen to Baby It's Cold Outside and not give a crap. Anyways, more on topic, ever since finals started, I have been trying to listen to Christmas music to get me into the spirit, but it just isn't working. I have no Christmas decorations up in my room, none in our common area, but on a happier note, there are decorations in and around downtown Dublin. Of course since I do not live in downtown Dublin, I do not see the decorations as frequently as I would like, but the past few days, I've been listening to Christmas music, been excited to see my family and drive to our little country town where we will be staying, and you can bet that is going to get my spirits up. As well as the little country town we will be staying at, someone I met who lives in Ireland told me that around Christmas time, the little country towns are the best places to be, so that of course got me even more excited and boosted my spirit.

It sounds so stupid, but even something as simple as being able to wake up, go downstairs, make a cup of coffee and talk with my family is something I am really looking forward to. Of course there are also the more adventurous activities that I look forward to as well, such as day trips all around Ireland, but with traveling so much and not seeing them, it will be nice to sit on a couch and just talk late at night before bed. It is something I have always found exciting and lovable. The simple life of just enjoying the people around you and their company, it is something that I value very much and I am so thankful that my parents raised me like that. It really puts into perspective for me that no matter what materialistic things you have, if you have your family by your side, then you will always be happy.

Due to my last few days/week or so haven't been too exciting, I am glad that the end of my time here will be surrounded by family and living life to the fullest. I can't wait to go back home and see everyone that I miss, but not going to lie, I have been looking forward to this upcoming week for the past few months. Ireland, I know you won't disappoint. The only challenging thing now is betting on how frequently Erin, Kaelyn and I fight. Just kidding, but I can't wait to hug my family and start my last week of being in this amazing country. And even though this breathtaking semester is coming to an end, I thank God for giving me the chance to even have this as an opportunity and I welcome with open arms, the rest of the adventures that God and the world throw at me. Tabhair na heachtraí agus Nollaig Shona! (translation: Bring on the adventures and Merry Christmas!)