We have reached the end. I did not think that this day would come so fast. I am still convincing myself that I have more time in Ireland. Not that Sunday is the flight home. A year ago I had decided to study abroad in a foreign country and chose Ireland. It was a lot of work getting here, but this experience has been such a blessing to me. I believe that it is the people in our lives that define who we are. I have gained many amazing friends during my time here from a variety of backgrounds. Many of the bonds that I have made will continue on even as we have gone our separate ways. I have changed, and will continue to better myself based on this experience.
About a week ago Julia (Austria) and I wanted to have a final get together with the people in the Anime and Manga Society, so we arranged for a dinner at one of the Japanese restaurants in town called Akasaka. It was a beautifully decorated place with a bunch of red lanterns that made the place pretty red. Thirteen of us ended up going, and we all had a great time. I ordered sushi (of course) and it came out looking like a flower. I was very impressed. At the end of the meal we asked the waiter to take a picture of the table, and the chef just happened to get in the background. After the meal I gave goodbye hugs (thankfully with no tears) and promised to attempt a visit in the future. Derek (Irish one) gave me a gift of Kinder chocolate because I had never had it before, which was really unexpected and touching. I will miss this group of nerds who really made my time here special.
Wednesday night my roommates and I went out to the Locke Bar in the City Centre. This was a place that was well like by all of us, so we thought it would be a good choice for our last meal together. Chen was due to leave the following morning. After dinner we all went back to the house to play some cards and then some of us headed to the Stables to enjoy the music and the company of each other. Chen ended up writing a long note addressed to all of us talking about what a great time he has had. He is the only one that is staying in House 6 next semester, and he said that no one could replace us. Honestly it has been such a blessing being assigned to this house and living with these people. We all have completely different personalities and come from different place, but we were all able to become really close and get along great. I am really going to miss all of them. We have become a family, and this is the last time that we will all be together.
Thursday I met with my UL Buddies Zoe and Marion at Scholars. Again this is my last time seeing them. Zoe was the Irish native assigned to Marion and I, and we all got along well and enjoyed spending time together. We just spent our time reminiscing about our time here and talking about our plans once we get home. Zoe asked us what we will miss most about Ireland, and I wasn't entirely sure. My answer was the people, but not everyone is exclusively from here. If I were to study abroad for another semester here it would be an entirely different experience because the people will change. The other thing that I said I would miss was the place itself. Ireland is just a beautiful country and I have loved playing the part of the tourist as well as the resident.
Friday was the last day that I had to spend with most of my friends here. Almost everyone left this day. During the morning I walked around UL for the last time with Julia, Monica, Caroline, and Caitlin. We found the second ruin that was on campus and explored it for a bit. The rest of the day was spent packing and spending time with anyone and everyone. During the evening we all spent some time playing cards and walked over to the last International Party. After the party we came back and sat around talking and trying to forget that everyone was leaving. Of course this was impossible and we all just turned into blubbering messes. I stayed up until the morning to see off my great friends and roommates Stephanie, Vince, Selke, Julia, Jill, and Kaitlyn. As I hugged each of them I just became more and more emotional and ended up sobbing by the time I reached the last one. Goodbyes are always so painful when you have become like a family. The goodbyes at the beginning of the week were much easier, because it had not yet sunk in that it was the end. Now it has become real and I feel a terrible mix of sadness and excitement to be heading home.I am writing this post after a few hours of sleep Saturday afternoon. Tonight I plan on going iceskating with my remaining roommates and friends Wil, Krisztián, Derek, Chandler, and Sami. We will probably stay up most of the night, and in the early hours of the morning I will be taking off with Wil to the airport. I should be arriving home Monday morning if the weather is kind. I really want to thank everyone who helped me to have this experience and who made my time here so incredibly special. I will never forget the people I met here and the lifelong friendships that I have formed.
Final Few Fun Facts:
#1: During my time here my housemate Wil came up with nicknames for everyone. My nickname was Burt and Ernie (It sort of sounds like Brittany). Other names included Wincent (Chen could not pronounce the 'V' in Vince's name, which Wil loved and kept), Stirfry (Stephanie), Boolia (Julia), and Mernicker (Monica).
#2: When writing dates in Ireland the day comes before the month, it should be DD/MM/YY. This gave me a bit of trouble when I applied to go to UL, because I wrote that my birthday was in March instead of July.
