I've been in Ireland nearly 3 weeks now and have yet to post anything. This is because during these past few weeks I've been so incredibly busy that blogging about it seemed like a daunting task. At first I tried to write blog posts that chronicled each day, but that soon became too difficult as days blended together and my schedule didn't leave any room for writing. Instead of describing each day in detail, I've decided that my first post will be about the people and places who have made Ireland a home for me in just 3 short weeks.
First, I'll thank my parents for understanding my desire to take a semester off from school and for supporting me in this adventure.
Durrow is the village where I am living. Less than 1,000 people call this place home, and it has been a huge change from living in Gainesville but it has been a welcome one. It is located in County Laois (pronounced Leash), which is in the Midlands of Ireland. It is hilly and green, and not nearly as cold as I was expecting but I'm told that will change soon.
Phil (or Philip as the Irish call him) is the man who made it possible for me to come to Ireland this semester. He offered me an internship at Sheppard's, found me a place to live, feeds me, buys me pints, and makes sure I'm having a good time. I'm incredibly grateful to him for giving me this opportunity because there's no way it would've happened without his generosity.
Tara is essentially my host mom. She has opened up her home, Newtown house and mill, to me and I live here with her, Jason, and Anne. The grounds around the house are beautiful, and there's always something going on in the house. Tara is so friendly and interesting to talk to, and she makes the perfect host for anyone coming to Ireland who wants to experience what the real Ireland is about. She also has not made fun of me for not knowing how to cook on an Aga, make tea, or do laundry without a dryer. I'm so happy to be living at Tara's because it's a home where everyone can have fun and feel comfortable, even if it does get a bit crazy sometimes.
Jason is Tara's son. He is 15 and he is the reason that I'm awake every weekday morning between 6:30 and 7:30am because he hates getting up for school. He beats me at Uno, drinks my Diet Cokes, and eats my chocolate but I am quite fond of him even if I do sometimes hit him. He provides me with entertainment, new songs, and the little brother experience I never had being an only child.
Anne is a girl from France who is just a couple years older than me who came to Ireland when she was 21 and has been living back and forth between Durrow and France ever since. We came to Ireland for similar reasons, and it's nice to talk to someone close to my own age about life, boys and makeup.
I've met dozens of other people during my short time here, so I'm just going to leave it at this for now since these are the people that are part of my daily life. Each of these people have helped to make me feel at home here and I can't wait to see what the next few months have in store.
