looking backwards- my first week in Ireland

             Travel blogs are fascinating to me because I personally have never been that interested in seeing just pictures of a place. I prefer to have pictures with people in them. But, I would like my Ireland adventures saved in another form besides storage on my phone or computer. So, throwing it back to over two months ago, here's 7 things I learned about traveling to Ireland my first week.

1. I was terribly worried that I had brought too much stuff with me. I brought two full suitcases, a carry-on, and a backpack. I was fine. I'm here for four whole months and now that I'm halfway done, I'm grateful that I brought as much as I did. Even my books and such were definitely needed. Having my own books to read and enough clothes to wear has been a blessing.

2. I had to be a lot more proactive about getting to church than I thought I was going to have to be. I wake up at 9, get on the bus at 10, and get to church via two walks and a bus at 10:45 or so. It costs money to take the bus, and I have yet to fill up my Leap card, but going to church has been a total game changer. It's comforting to have the familiarity of church, as well as the social and spiritual boost I get from going. I feel like a missionary constantly.

3. In regards to the weather that first week- yeesh. I got used to being soaked constantly. That picture of me in front of the River Shannon in Limerick City is an accurate representation of my go-to outfit for the first three weeks of being here. I didn't do my hair, and makeup was sparse, because it would just drip off my face. And it was a black raincoat and brown boots with *everything*. It's gotten better as spring has made itself known.

4. I was grateful of how quickly I made friends. On the flight out from Boston, I sat myself next to some kids who were talking about the University of Limerick (UL), and some of them are my friends now. Just to put names out there, my American friends include: Ally, Rachel, Lizzie, Maggie, Ciara, Jack, and Esteban. My other friends, who I am just as close or closer to, are French. Their names are Justine and Anaelle. The two of them, along with Esteban, live in Troy Village with me, and the girls and I hang out on all trips. They also just show up to my house sometimes and I'm grateful for it.

5.  The Milk Market in Limerick is a dream. The pictures I have of produce and cheese are from there. It's this cute weekend market that has super cheap produce, breads, cheese, and tons more. I can totally see myself being a farmer's market girl after this.

6. Irish accents are very fun. I've gotten used to being the minority, and the accent makes lecturers sound more interesting. I've got four roommates- two boys and two girls- and they're all Irish. They're super nice, and I get along with them, but some of us have drastically different cleanliness standards. I can't say much though since I leave my dishes undone, but I like the trash taken out. Idk.

7. I've gone to maybe half of my classes. Going back to Tech is going to kill me, if just because I am going to have to go to class more than a dozen times over the semester. I only have class Monday-Wednesday, and we don't really have homework. I've done one project, taken one test, and written one essay so far. I have three tests, two essays, and one performance left, and then I don't have any more assignments. Again, coming home will destroy me. But I'm treating this like my sabbatical, so hopefully I'll come back energized and ready to work.

I initially had written 11 things I learned in Ireland, but I cut it back to 7 when I realized I type a lot. So that's it for now. I'm going to cover some of the places I've traveled to in Ireland in subsequent posts. And I hope that by promising more posts I don't jinx myself. Here we go.
Adios.