I can't believe my time here has flown by so fast... Five months feels like five days. It has been really hard for me to realize that when I leave for the states I won't be coming back for school in the fall. In such a short time, Ireland has felt like a second home to me and one that I definitely don't want to leave. I decided to tack on two more weeks at the end of my semester so that my friend and my sister could come visit me and we could explore Ireland and London. Our last few days before our flight home were spent in the wonderful city of Dublin staying with family friends of ours. For a little background information, Matt and Tess Dodd are the most welcoming friendly Irish people I have ever met. Matt, his son, and their Irish soccer team came and stayed with my family when my mom was pregnant with me in 1996 so that the Irish team could play in a soccer tournament in Cincinnati alongside American teams. I grew up hearing the stories about all the fun they had while they stayed with us and I was excited to finally be able to meet them and spend time with them! They graciously opened their home to the three of us and offered to take us around Dublin. After spending 3 days with them, I truly felt Irish; we attended a birthday party for Tess's sister (they sure know how to throw a party), heard Matt sing at a First Communion (SO COOL because in '96 when he visited he sang on the steps of City Hall downtown and was presented with a key to Cincinnati), and learned more than I thought possible about Dublin. I know that I will forever look back on these days and cherish them in my heart. But, here are some photos of all the fun things we did in Dublin! Slainte! I didn't take as many photos as I usually do because I was too busy living in the moment and experiencing my last few days in this beautiful country. But, I do have to discuss how AWESOME the Guinness storehouse tour is. We were incredibly lucky and received free tickets from the Dodd's to go on the tour but I still would have paid for a ticket. It takes quite a while to get through but it is definitely worth it to take it slow and read all the little tidbits they have available. I may be quite biased because Guinness is my favorite beer but learning about the brewing process from start to finish is a really fun time especially when it is such an iconic beer. The Sky Bar at the top of the storehouse is also a must-see because the view of Dublin is uncanny and worth going all the way to the top!
As I'm still trying to come to terms with leaving and what my study abroad really meant to me, I may write one more post saying good-bye to this second home of mine but currently if I try to decipher how I feel I just get really sad so with that I'll just say thanks a million, Ireland for the best craic of my life!
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AuthorThe rambling thoughts of a millennial's adventures abroad Archives
May 2017
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