The Beginning of the End

We had our last mass and dinner of the semester tonight. It's hard to believe that I have already been in Ireland for 4 months. I can remember the anticipation when I found out last February that I'd be heading to Ireland the next spring. For nearly a year I thought and dreamed about living in Ireland. And also, I remember the fear of the unknown--getting on the plane to Dublin and feeling like I had no idea what I was doing. I've learned that sometimes you just have to do things even if you are scared or don't quite know what you are doing. You just have to jump right in.

But these four months have been the most amazing months of my life. I don't think I am quite able to process it yet and might not be able to until I get home. I've learned a lot, seen new countries, done interesting things and met some awesome people. I've learned more about myself. I've gained a new perspective on the world and America.

Up until tonight I really thought I was ready to come home. But as my departure date gets closer and closer, I am finding that I don't want to leave at all. The other ND students in the program and the staff at the O'Connell House have been like family for the last 4 months and it's hard to think of all of us going our separate ways. Also, who knows when I will be back to Ireland? I know I will someday but I've come to love this island and the people who live here. I will miss the pubs, the beauty of the west of Ireland and I just can't bring myself to think about leaving. Dublin has definitely become home.

That's all for now, I guess. My departure is set for this Sunday, May 16. (Of course, barring any disturbances because of the volcano. Pray that it doesn't cause me any problems on the way home!) I'll leave you for now with a few of my favourite photos (and a favourite song) of the semester!

Finally made it to Paris!

Hello everybody! Can't believe I am already blogging about my last trip in Europe! I head back to the States 10 days from now! That is crazy!

Now, my trip to Paris was supposed to be 2 weeks ago. But the whole volcano thing happened and we had to push it back. It actually ended up working really well. I had 2 finals last week so was definitely ready for a break before finishing everything up. The trip was also fun because it was a GIRLS' WEEKEND! Just me and Ashley and Kaitlyn.

We got into Paris Friday morning. Ate crepes for lunch. Yum! And then we went on a free walking tour of the city. After the walking tour we went to Les Invalides and then the Eiffel Tower! That night after dinner we had wine and cheese while sitting by the Eiffel Tower.On Saturday morning we went to the Hotel de Ville, Notre Dame de Paris, and Montparnasse Tower. In the afternoon we went to Montmartre and Sacra Coeur. It was beautiful, on a hill overlooking the rest of the city.Sunday morning we got up early to get to the Louvre when it opened. The Louvre was a lot of fun and only a bit overwhelming. Museums are free the first Sunday of every month so we were fighting the crowds. But we managed to see the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo. I didn't go up close to see the Mona Lisa. The large crowd of people around it scared me off. I liked the Louvre but it was too big to do only in a morning. My real favorite was the Musee d'Orsay which has works of people like Monet and Van Gogh. The paintings were lovely and it was much smaller than the Louvre.
Then it was time for us to leave. I was so glad we made it to Paris though. We ate lots of good food. The weather was lovely even though the forecast had said it was supposed to rain for 2 of our 3 days there.

Now it is back to studying and exams for me! Hopefully I can find the time for one more post before it's time for me to head home!