Student Bloggers

16 January 2015

This weekend, the Arcadia students were each staying in a home with an Irish family in Castlebar, Co. Mayo to truly immerse into the Irish culture. After a day spent in Adrahan with the horses of Forgotten Horses Ireland, I was running behind and had to throw whatever items I thought I might need into my hiking pack and run to the bus. Preoccupied with the exciting day spent with the horses, I didn’t have time to be nervous about the home stay but was much more excited to spend time with an Irish family.

After an hour and a half bus ride, we gathered our belongings and entered a hotel. We were guided to a meeting room to learn about the town of Castlebar and the scavenger hunt we would do tomorrow, then returned to the lobby to be picked up by our hosts. I felt like an orphan awaiting her new family and I watched hosts come in the hotel and walk out with their guests for the weekend. 

Soon, I heard a woman ask for me and my roommate and knew she must be my host for the weekend. I kindly greeted her and introduced myself. She did the same to my roommate and I, then guided us to her car. On the way to her home, she chatted about her family, professional background, and asked us questions about our lives. I instantly felt comfortable in her presence as she talked continuously throughout the short car ride. When we arrived to her home, we pulled up at the same time as her husband and daughter were unloading their car from their travels back from Galway. 

Inside the home, we were warmly welcomed by each family member and led to our rooms. I was ecstatic to see that I would be getting my very own room for the weekend. The home was an old bed and breakfast that now allowed the extra rooms to be used for foreign exchange students and weekend guests. “I will let you two freshen up while I fix dinner. The sitting room is across the hall where you can relax and I’ll bring in some tea,” my host told us.

I took a few minutes to unload my belongings and marvel my new room. The fairy themed girl’s room was just the sense of home I wanted for the weekend. With my things unpacked, I walked into the sitting room hesitantly and greeted the eldest daughter and her friend. It amazes me how welcoming the Irish are, even the younger generation. The daughter quickly engaged me into a conversation as we sipped on tea and warmed up by the fire.

Soon after, we were all called into the dining room for a home cooked meal. The delicious dinner of chicken, carrots, mashed potatoes, and bread was perfectly accompanied by warm conversations from my host family. When dinner was complete, my roommate and I followed the eldest daughter back into the sitting room for more tea and biscuits while we watched several movies until we grew tired and retreated to our rooms. With a warm bed heated up by the electric blanket and a quiet room to my own, I took time to enjoy the luxuries of the weekend until drifting off to sleep.