I think that travel comes from some deep urge to see the world, like the urge that brings up a worm in an Irish bog to see the moon when it is full. ~Lord Dunsany
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When I changed my clocks for daylight savings last weekend, I think I may have skipped a few weeks instead of just an hour. Somehow, we’re already at April’s doorstep and it seems like we’ve reached the beginning of the end of the semester. We still have five and a half weeks here and plenty left to do, but with final projects and term papers looming, I’ve realized this is my time to squeeze the most I can out of Dublin and Ireland and Europe.
It’s been a group realization for the current Dublin crew that we aren’t tourists any more. We’ve seen the sights that every Dublin visitor has been to, but it doesn’t mean that we are done here. Every week, I’ve been surprised to discover more and more snippets of Ireland than I didn’t know existed. Last weekend, I learned how to play two new sports, hurling and Irish football, and I got an up-close look at that hearty ruggedness that Irish claim to have. When I found myself running into a frenzy of thrashing bodies with hurleys (similar to field hockey sticks) swinging in every direction to scoop up the sliotar (ball), I knew I was turning a little bit Irish.
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| Rachel and Allyson enjoying some gelato together in Nice, France. |
I’ve still got big plans coming up, including a trip to London this weekend, and to Galway the next weekend. So even though I’m getting anxious to go home, see my family, and settle up my summer job, I’m going to push myself to make the most of the time I have here. Once I leave in five weeks, it will be a long time before I have another opportunity to travel like this, so it’s worth the whirlwind atmosphere. Besides, I’m pretty sure riding the London Eye and seeing the Cliffs of Moher are the best cure for homesickness ever!
To all the other study abroaders, if there’s anything at all that you’ve been meaning to do this semester, but just haven’t gotten around to, make it your priority to do it in the next few weeks. It’s easy to put off or just forget about the simplest plans, so put in some effort to do everything you want to do.
A few of my friends and I have started running together twice a week and we’ve been amazed at how much of Dublin we’ve been able to see, just by planning new routes for our runs. Usually the most interesting cultural experiences come from totally unexpected situations, like trying out a new pub or a running to a different park than usual, so no matter how big or small your plans are for the rest of the semester, make the best of them!
For those interested in running with us, we go on Mondays and Thursdays. Meet at 5:30 pm in room 25. Also, you can check out all of the runs we’ve done so far on Facebook and Daily Mile.