10 places I’ve been in the past 4 months
-Edinburgh, Scotland
-Madrid, Spain
-Carcassonne, France
-Derry, Northern Ireland
-Geneva, Switzerland
-Rome, Italy
-Split, Croatia
-Zagreb, Croatia
-Paris, France
-Dundee, Scotland
9 places I still want to go to
-Dubrovnik, Croatia
-Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia
-Budapest, Hungary
-Prague, Czech Republic
-Amsterdam, Netherlands
-Brugge, Belgium
-Arles, France
-Barcelona, Spain
-Lisbon, Portugal
8 things I learned how to cook
-Orange teriyaki salmon
-Taco braid
-Garlic roasted potatoes
-Marinated steak
-Lime squares
-Guinness marinated pork & potatoes
-Chicken Marsala
-Penne Carbonara
7 things I learned how to do
-say thank you in Croatian (hvala)
-send mail internationally
-dodge Dublin traffic
-travel on my own (to over 6 different countries)
-decipher the Irish (and Scottish) accent
-budget
-be an adult
6 things I already know I’m going to miss from being abroad in Dublin
-Chips
-The accent
-St. Stephens Green
-Pennys
-Having a bathtub in my apartment
-Come Dine With Me
5 things I am excited to return to back home
-Netflix/Hulu
-Pandora
-My family & my cat
-Cooking with (and for) my family
-Video games
4 people I couldn’t have done this without
-My parents
-My brother
-Josh
-Myra
3 experiences I wouldn’t have traded for the world
-Going to Split, Croatia
-Doing an independent research trip to Derry, Northern Ireland
-Having my parents & my aunt and uncle visit me for my birthday
2 favorite classes
-Writing the City with Stephen Mcmahon
-Ireland, the Celtic Tiger and the European Union with Séamus White
1 days I have left in Dublin, Ireland with Champlain Abroad
-Don’t. Remind me. I’m not okay with this.
Countless: the things I am grateful for, including but not limited to: Ferrero Rocher cheesecake, the Western Ireland trip, sunsets in Howth, sunrises in Split, money in my bank account, extra suitcases, new sweaters, bubble baths, band aids, Lilly, Stephen and Claire, breakfasts, lunches and snacks with Stephen Mcmahon, meeting Katherine from Australia in Derry, truffle ravioli, Glorious Mess, pint glass collections, my Kindle, How I Met Your Mother, tapas in Spain, the health to haul myself all over Europe, the courage to face adventure and adversity on my own, the strength to say goodbye to the best four months of my life, the faith to believe this is only the beginning.
To everyone who has been following me through this journey, thank you for being a part of my story.
To everyone who is or is thinking about studying abroad, I hope you are ready to stand on top of a mountain and feel very small. Honestly, it’s the best thing that has ever happened to me.
And finally, to everyone who has put up with my cat being a noisy, lousy pain in the butt while I’ve been gone: I’m almost home.
Cheers!
-Kathryn Mill
Champlain College Dublin, Fall 2012
Professional Writing Major, Champlain College, Class of 2014