After two years of planning, freak-out sessions, and endless fundraising I have made it to Ireland! I didn’t think it would hit me until I walked the streets of the Temple Bar District or grab a pint of Guinness, but I catch myself thinking it may have started as soon as I entered the Chicago O’hare International Airport.
When I boarded the plane to Ireland, I was greeted by our pilot who gave me the first exciting moment to be hearing an accent! He kept making jokes about how my friend and I were not going to be actually interning this summer and probably would be out every night (can’t it be both?)
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| The Spire aka my sense of direction... |
Getting into Dublin, I did my best to blend in and not look immediately like a tourist. For some reason I thought I would be able to blend in easily, but I was insanely wrong. Even though English is the common language in Dublin, I am still struggling to speak like I am afraid they won’t understand me (which in some cases they didn’t). Me and the majority of my classmates packed for this trip like is was summer but to our surprise, summer here is a high of 60 degrees! Needless to say, even if you have travelled before, a new country is a whole new experience.
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| the EUSA gang :) |
I have been in Ireland for two weeks and my transition into a local may have just begun. I am beginning to recognize street names and force myself to use Irish jargon like “Cheers” and “Thank a Mil!” (both are forms of thank you). Just the other day I got so giddy when I got off the bus and said “cheers” to the bus driver. It was that moment when I thought my transition to a Dubliner had begun.
For now I am going to not rush this whole “feeling like a local” thing, because in the end I am a tourists and I love doing touristy things. I am just going to live like a tourist until I feel like a Dubliner!
Cheers!!
