going home

My time here in Ireland is coming to an end as I leave tomorrow morning for home. I can't fully express my gratitude for this entire opportunity and for all my friends and family who helped make it possible and who have endlessly supported me through it all.

It seems impossible to even find the words to sum up this entire experience. I've gotten to see and fall in love with so many beautiful parts of the world. I will deeply miss this people I've met and look back fondly on the experiences I've had. The time away has also been eye opening to just how much I have to be grateful for at home. It's helped me to re- appreciate the little things I love so much about home-- long car rides with friends, bonfires with my family, sushi with Alex, and I could go on forever.

I believe there are different points in our lives that are faced with difficult, important decisions about our futures. Often these decisions force us to choose between the familiar and comfortable or between a new adventure or change that may seem scary at the time. Choosing to go abroad was one of those choices. I have really grown to believe that in these instances, choosing the path that pushes us out of our comfort zones, may be the most rewarding in the end. This experience has taught me so much about myself and about life outside my small world at home, and I couldn't be more happy I choose to do this.

mama

Happy mother's day to the most loving, kind, graceful, wonderful person I know-- a perfect example of what I aspire to be. I love you, mama and can't wait to see you in a few days! XO

And of course, I have my adorable, spunky, loving grandma, Nanabanana to thank for my mom.

b&b's, bulmers, baaa

As many of you know, my mother and aunt came to visit last week for a nine- day girls vacation all over Ireland. It was such a fun trip and so good to spend time with them both. It was just what I needed to get my through the rest of my time here. 

One our first day, knowing that they'd be exhausted, I didn't plan much except to show them around Galway. It was Good Friday so unfortunately many pubs and stores were closed. Everything closes on Good Friday then Easter is considered more of a celebration. All the pubs re-open and people go out with their families. So, we popped into a few shops that were open, grabbed lunch, then walked to my school and the beach. Our bed & breakfast that we stayed in was beautiful! It had a giant sunroom that overlooked the water. I should mention also, that our first day was the only day that it was even overcast. We had incredible weather all week!

The view outside of our first bed & breakfast.

The next day we took a bus tour to see the Cliffs of Moher and an area called the Burren. Of course we took lots of fun photos of pretending to fall off the cliffs! The next day we went to the Aran Islands. We decided it would be fun to take a pony and trap (horse and buggy) around the island rather than bike around. It was such a good way to see the island. A local man who lived on the island his whole life took us around, telling us the history of the area. The ride was a little rough, but oh so fun.

Rebecca & Mom on the top of a mountain on our hike in The Burren.

At the Cliffs of Moher.

Being silly :)

On the Aran Islands.

Aunt Rebecca & Mom sitting in front of the fort on the island.

Rebecca living on the edge.

Pretty cliffs.

On our fourth day we drove to an area called Connemara, which is also part of Galway county. It is known for it's beautiful lakes and mountains. Our first stop was in a small town called Roundstone that the B&B host recommended to us. It was one of my favorite little towns, set on the water and just beautiful. It overlooked a mountain range, known as "the twelve bens," which we thought was fun. We stopped in a coastal town called Clifden for lunch. Then we drove on to Kylemore Abbey, which is still a lived in Abbey, set on the water, surrounded by mountains. It is just beautiful. For dinner we drove even further north to the town of Westport in County Mayo. We drove all along the coast to get to our different destinations, which was just beautiful. Westport was another great coastal town. We had one of our best dinners that night and stayed in another bed & breakfast near the Westport harbor.

The small town of Roundstone, looking across to The Twelve Bens.

 Kylemore Abbey.

Pretty view of Connemara.

The sisters in front of the Abbey.

All the driving got to her head a bit...or maybe it was the Bulmers :)

Westport.

The next (fifth) day we had a long day of driving, and traveled all the way to the south western courner to County Kerry, where we stay in Killarney for two nights. The night we got there we drove around the Dingle Pennisula, and stopped in Dingle Town for dinner. We all laughed at the name Dingle. Dingle was my all time favorite part of Ireland that I've seen. It is just stunning to drive around the Pennisula where you get the pefect combination of ocean, grassy fields, and mountains. Pictures really only can show just how beautiful it is, and even those don't do it enough justice.

Dingle town.

Along the Dingle Peninsula. 

On our sixth day, we rented bikes and rode around the Killarney National Park, stopping at the famous Muckross house and Torc Waterfall. It was so beautiful out and fun to ride our bikes around. We rode around a big, hilly lake. In the afternoon, we did the famous Ring of Kerry Drive. It too, had stunning ocean views and lots of cute, small towns along the way. 

 Killarney National Park.

Riding bikes in the park.

View of the Muckross house in the distance.

 In front of the Torc Waterfall.

 Meeting of the waters.

 Along the Ring of Kerry Drive.

Seriously, Ireland is so beautiful.

Kenmare, where we stopped for dinner.

We enjoyed a yummy dinner & live music.

On our seventh day, we did some shopping in downtown Killarney. My mom finally bought an Aran Sweater like she's always wanted, after looking in many many shops for the perfect one! Then we drove on to Wicklow on the east coast. Although we agreed that Wicklow town wasn't our favorite, the drive through the Wicklow mountains was beautiful. We has fun laughing all night at dinner and stayed at another B&B overlooking the ocean. 

Lots of Aran sweaters.

We just stumbled upon the giant field of the brightest yellow flowers.

On our last full day,  we drove on to Dublin. We decided to stop in Powerscourt, half way between Wicklow and Dublin, which is known for it's beautiful waterfall, house and gardens. The waterfall is actually the largest in Ireland and the United Kingdom. We spent the rest of the day exploring and shopping in Dublin. That night, we found a great pub and heard some of the best live music all week. Some other pubs we went to were very crowded and smokey. On our final night, it was a big pub and we were able to sit at a table so that was nice to sit and relax and enjoy the music. My aunt and mom agreed that Dublin was fun to see, but that they were happy we choose a more nature- filled, scenic vacation for the rest of the week. 

The Powerscourt Waterfall.

Us in front of the falls.

Lots and lots of sheep!

 Mom & Rebecca in front of The Temple Bar.

 The pub we went to on our last night.

Mom & Aunt Becky at John Gogarty's.

We had a lot of laughs and great memories over the course of the week, and I'm so happy I got to share Ireland with them. 

a life changing day

"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Yesterday it was announced that Osama Bin Laden has been killed. It seems impossible to write a blog about my experience abroad, without mentioning this incredibly significant event which will be talked about in history books some day. As many of us do, I remember exactly where I was when I heard the news about 911, and how I felt when watching the horrific event on TV. This man was responsible for one of the worst moments in American history and the deaths of thousands. Now, as president Obama put it, "justice has been done."

I believe that this quote from MLK, Jr. is a good reminder that hate cannot get rid of evil. The bible teaches us to love our enemy, which admittedly, is  a very difficult calling. When I heard the news, I too wanted to rejoice that this evil man was dead.  Instead on focusing on celebrating his death, I think it is important that as Americans we take joy in the peace that is awarded in a world without Osama Bin Laden.  From here, I can only hope and pray that a more peaceful world will come from this. There are still many unknowns for what the future holds and how our world will be different from here. It would be naive to believe that his death ends terrorism, but it is hopefully a step in the right direction.

None the less, it has been incredible to watch videos from here of Americans celebrating. Even at Boston College, there are videos of students joining together singing American songs of freedom. I can feel the incredible sense of unity of our nation even from over seas. As a nation, we came together after we were torn apart on 911. And now, again we come together to celebrate a more peaceful world. It feels like a victory for our nation after all the loss and pain he caused. I'm proud of our country, and so eternally grateful for the military men and women who have give their lives in the past ten years in the war against terrorism.

Students celebrating at Boston College.

the final visitors

Tomorrow, my Mom and Aunt Rebecca leave for Ireland! They will arrive at my doorstep early Friday morning. I can't wait to hug and squeeze them both! If you know how cute my Mom is, you would understand why it's been hard to be away from her for so long. I'm so looking forward to a relaxing, girls vacation through Ireland. We'll be staying in bed & breakfasts every night and traveling to many different parts of Ireland, even several I haven't seen yet! I can't wait to show them Galway and all my favorite nooks and crannies that I've discovered. We'll be sure to take lots of pictures and update everyone from home about our trip. 

I'm scrambling to get my last essay finished before they arrive, so I can just relax when they're here. Wish me luck! :)

aran islands

My most recent adventure was a day trip to the Aran Islands. There are actually three small islands, off the western coast of Ireland. Our coordinator planned this trip as our final hoopla all together. We took a ferry in the morning to the largest of the three islands. When we got there we all rented bikes, then took off exploring. Let me tell you, the island is to die for. It's all green fields, stone walls, small thatch cottages, and cows...lots of cows. We rode on windy, hilly paths around the island. 

Beautiful, blue ocean water.

All of us on the beach.

So many cute cows!

We stopped for lunch at a small place and one of the only restaurants on the island. Then we hiked up a path, which lead us to a giant stone fort on the edge of the island. The fort is built on top of several hundred foot high cliffs. They were almost as high as the Cliffs of Moher, except instead of being walled off, you could go right to the edge. We spent an hour just lying on the cliffs edge looking down to the water. We reminised about how we all took a trip to the Cliffs in the beginning of the semester, and now we were ending our trip together with a trip to cliffs once again. I could have sat there all day, seriously. It was also a perfect, warm, sunny day. 

Walking up to the cliff's edge.

View of the cliffs.

Our group by the cliffs.

Literally lying on the edge.

Everyone, once again. 

After spending some time there, we biked off again to an area called the "seven churches." It is this beautiful cemetery with the ruins of seven small churches overlooking the ocean. The whole island felt so serene and beautiful. We had so much fun just biking around. Although, I must admit, the biking was much harder than we all expected and we were all exhausted by the end of the day! When we got back to Galway, we all went out for a nice dinner with Margaret and her husband, Brian. Margaret has become like a grandmother to us all. She worries about us, gives us speeches before traveling, and stops in for random visits to bring us food. She is truly one of the most special people I've met. She is a true Irish, genuine, hospitable woman. We had a great dinner for our last time together as a group, as one girl already went home today and another leaves tomorrow. I still can't believe how quickly the time has gone by and that soon I'll be heading home too. 

Graves in the seven churches area.

My buddies :)