Ireland
“May your troubles be less
And your blessings be more.
And nothing but happiness
Come through your door.”
One of my most memorable experiences studying abroad was my second VisionQUEST trip to Ireland. After having spent an unforgettable seven days completing my modern art history course in the remarkable city of London, I took the Gatwick Express to the airport and then hopped on a plane to Dublin, Ireland. There I met my friend Tiffani, who had just finished a history course on the Holocaust in Munich, Germany. We then made our way to our hostel where we met the legendary, Dr. Mary McCay, ready to show us around the city.
We spent five days in Dublin and took a day trip to the west of Ireland in Galway. While we were in Dublin one of the things we did was explore the famous Temple Bar, which I discovered actually references an area of town rather than just the actual bar itself. On Halloween night thousands of people crowded the streets with the most unique costumes I have ever seen in my life.
Tiffani and I really wanted to experience true Irish culture so we scoped out a few places to go that were sure to open our eyes to some of Ireland’s rich culture. One of these things was watching a film called The Lobster at the Irish Film Institute. For a film enthusiast such as myself it was such a great experience to gain insight on how theaters and films are run in a different country. On our last full day in Dublin we took the bus to the breathtaking Phoenix Park and Dublin Zoo, both charming little areas to visit.
We also went made it a goal to experience some genuine Irish food and music. We went on the hunt to taste test some authentic Irish coffee and Bailey’s, as well as some traditional Irish dishes. We found these with success and enjoyed a nice meal in a warm Irish pub in Temple Bar while listening to some sweet Irish tunes. Dr. McCay also led us to this gem of a restaurant called Elephant and Castle. If you ever have the chance to go there, do yourself a favor, make a reservation and go. If you are feeling nostalgic for American food, order the French toast or the chicken wings. Best I’ve ever had. We also took a trip to the Guinness Factory where we learned how to pour the perfect pint.
The highlight of my trip was most definitely the day trip we took to Galway and the Cliffs of Moher. We rose at the crack of dawn and made our trek from one coast of Ireland to the next. During our tour we visited several ancient historic sites such as Dunguaire Castle, Corcomroe Abbey, the Poulnabrone Dolmen, the Cliffs of Moher, and Luogh South. For lunch we stopped in Galway and had some exquisite seafood gumbo at Gus’ and some amazing Irish fudge. Every place we stopped helped me understand Irish culture more and more. Standing atop the Cliffs of Moher and Lough South left me breathless. It was one of the most beautiful scenes I have ever had the pleasure of witnessing. I enjoyed this part of the trip most because I felt like this trip gave us the opportunity to experience the “real” Ireland.
Throughout my time abroad I was in search of “my place,” the place where I felt most at home. While in pursuit of this abroad I was met with some disappointment along the way because I found myself unsure of where “my place” really was. There was a quote I read that someone from The Village 2004 had written in the journal that every Village student has the opportunity to write in. This quote made me realize that I may not ever feel completely at home anywhere because I have become transformed into a traveler. Sometimes it takes traveling the world to realize home can be anywhere you want it to be.
Part of what made this trip so wonderful for me was what I learned from my first VisionQUEST to Italy. My Italy VisionQUEST honestly was not the most pleasant of travel experiences. We began the trip almost missing our flight and then I dealt with some tension with my travel partner. These experiences taught me how to better improve my planning skills and how to better communicate my expectations for travel with my travel partner. Ireland taught me to further perfect some of the skills I began to learn from my trip to Italy. I also learned how to be more bold in my quest for cultural exchange and exploration. I honestly don’t think I would have discovered some of these things had I traveled to these places and experienced some of these challenges with the whole program. Nonetheless, I am so grateful for the opportunity to travel to these incredible places and further my personal growth and independence.
