I Am Going to Ireland

Allison Harpole. NUI Galway, Ireland

Date

December 16, 2014
Image

I am going to Ireland.

Almost everyday this surreal thought has crossed my mind and come out of my mouth as I giggle to myself. This very thought has been 10+ years in the making. My earliest memory of my love for Ireland began in elementary school when I was lounging on the couch and flipping through the channels on the tv. I was sick that day and happened to flip to a children’s show with a goofy Irish lad acting in front of the most colorful buildings I had ever seen. I can still vividly remember the images from the show and how I became so frustrated with myself after the fact because I did not think to look at the show’s name or the channel I had flipped to. The show may have ended, but my love for Ireland was only beginning. As I became older, friends and family knew me for my love of Ireland almost as much as for my love of horses. Ireland found its way into every aspect of my life: I bought an Irish flag during a trip to Universal Studios, it became a tradition for my family and I to eat at Ragland Road (the upscale Irish pub in Downtown Disney), I planned and hosted a Saint Patrick’s Day party, fell in love with P.S. I Love You thanks to the film’s gorgeous scenes captured in Ireland (which is still my all time favorite movie), and most of all constantly dreamt about seeing the Emerald Isle for myself one day. And now here I am, writing about going to Ireland.

I am going to Ireland. 

I am unbelievably grateful for many people in my life that have contributed to making this dream of mine become a reality (yes, this part of my blog should feel like the annoying introductions to books where the author thanks every single person they know…). Because of you (and you know who you are!), I am making this crazy dream come true. Actually, more than that. I am not only traveling to Ireland, I am study abroad for a full semester. It’s funny how my childhood dream of spending at least two weeks in Ireland has turned into four and a half months…

In the words of P.S. I Love You, “So this is it, the big one.”

I am going to Ireland!