It’s hard to believe that I’ve already been back in the states for about 2 weeks now. It’s even harder to believe that this is my last post for the Dublin blog! As nice as it is to be home for the holidays, I can’t help but miss Ireland already. I miss getting off the dart at Connolly Station every morning and stopping to play the piano there whenever I had the extra minute, grabbing coffee from the SPAR near the school before classes, and convincing all the friendly drunk people in bars that Jakob has a fancy yacht. Going around Dublin every day has become such a big part of my routine, so now that I’m back home in Rockville, it honestly feels weirder for me to be here in my own town than it felt to be over there.

I’ve had so many great experiences while in Ireland these past few months, such as travelling all over the country on the weekends and living with the loveliest homestay family during the week. I was really scared at the idea of moving into a homestay at first because I had to move into one so abruptly a few weeks into the semester, after my aunt who I had been staying with passed away, but the family I was placed with was very welcoming and had the cutest, friendliest kids who I miss seeing every day (shout out to 2 year old Evie, my lil best friend).

I loved getting to just explore the city after my classes were done, and I always made a point to try something new every day. Having this opportunity to study abroad again has been amazing and I’m so glad I was able to learn so much more about the country my family came from. From the Potato Famine to the Easter Rising to the Troubles, Ireland has an incredibly rich history that I want to continue learning about. With so many beautiful areas like Howth, Donegal, Glendalough, and so on, I really wanted to make the most of my time and travel to as many of these places as I possibly could. I still have more towns on my list of places I want to visit, so I’m already excited to return to the country sometime in the (hopefully near) future.

There’s so much that I have gained from this semester and I’m so grateful for all the memories I’ve made. This Thanksgiving week, I’m so grateful for my Mount education and the incredible possibilities it has brought me, of which my semester in Dublin easily makes the top of the list. Thanks to everyone who reads the travel blog for keeping up with me this semester as I explored #IrishRoots on #WeldonWednesdays! It’s been great craic! Slán is beannacht (goodbye and blessings)!