Intro #2: Sophia

I have finally arrived in Ireland!

For several years I have dreamed of visiting this country, and as the day has progressed and the clouds have subsided, the reality of it all has begun to sink in.

It’s difficult for me to pin point exactly when and why I set my mind on Ireland– maybe it was all the Irish literature I’ve had to read for school, or maybe the angelic voices of the Celtic Women are to blame. It’s definitely not to reconnect with my roots, for I only wish that I could trace my ancestors back to this land. Thus, it seems fairly clear that my fondness for Ireland started as a something of a whim; for this exact reason, when I first got accepted to this Education Abroad Program, I decided that I would go about this journey with the same capricious attitude. I’ll go wherever the wind takes me (and we all know how windy it gets in these parts).

I’ve had to fight against my natural tendency of meticulous planning. I like to know where I am and where I’m going, but I’ve quickly discovered that Ireland, or at least Dublin, doesn’t quite take to that. The streets aren’t well signaled at all. Foster’s Ave. to Roebuck Rd. and a left on Gledswood, seems straightforward…but it’s not. These were the streets I was suppose to follow to find a Spar Supermarket, but I walked blocks and blocks without ever seeing a single street name. I ended up buying some groceries at a gas station. I’ll try again tomorrow.

But my forty-minute walk was well worth it. I saw houses in the surrounding residential area that look like those you’d find in a storybook; I peered into living room windows to see if I could make out the score of the Ireland-Croatia soccer match flashing on flat-screen TV’s. Is that why the neighborhood was so quiet and deserted? Because of the game? …And this whole time I thought the Irish were at mass.

Needless to say, from making my way through customs, to getting (a little) lost around town, to watching the flamboyant red sun set at nine at night, I’ve had a foolish grin on my face that I haven’t been able to disguise. I’m happy to be here and happy for what’s to come.

–S.

About these ads