For the next few months I'll be living in Ireland as part of a study abroad program, which is sure to be very different from my college experience at home in Minnesota. As part of the curriculum I’ll be regularly blogging, a new experience for me. I’m excited to throw myself into a new culture and new challenges very different from the ones I have encountered in my life so far. I plan to get as much out of my short time here, and share my point of view through this blog. 

Packing was an obstacle as I have never had to pack for several weeks before, let alone several months. My goal was to have my packing reflect the more relaxed style of living in Ireland as opposed to the materialistic culture of the United States (as well as keeping under the weight requirements for the airline). I would like to think that I achieved both goals, but at least I completed the second goal so perhaps that will have to do. 

Since the flight not only have I had to adjust to another country’s culture, but also to the subculture of the other students in the program. I hadn’t met any of my classmates previously and had a heavy feeling of trepidation because of that fact. Despite my anxiety of how I would fit in with the other students I was practically salivating at the truly wonderful opportunity to live Across the Pond. Stepping off the plane in Shannon I noticed a very distinct difference. I just simply felt different. In my dazed and sleep deprived state I cast about trying to determine what it was, and then I realized. The air. It felt lighter, cleaner, and had such a fresh smell. To step off a stale plane into the Irish air lifted my spirits to where my body had been just minutes previously. 

After settling into the cottages and getting a peat fire going (helped immensely by my cottage-mate’s talent for fire building) it started to sink in that this was my home, for three months. Perhaps that doesn’t sound like a long time to anyone reading this but currently it feels like a decent bit of time. That night we experienced the famed hospitality of the Irish at one of the town’s several pubs. A mixture of starting to make connections with the other students, visiting with locals, a nice pint of Guinness, and the perfectly timed arrival of sandwiches from the local grocery left me with a feeling of buoyancy in my soul. After gladly reaching my bed after about 36 hours of being awake I collapsed smiling and thinking to myself, man Ireland is going to fun!