Why Ireland?

It’s a fair question, but one for which I didn’t always have a ready answer.
Well, I’ve been there, for starters. My family and I travelled around the whole country two summers ago, spending three days in Dublin at the very end of our trip. Compared to the rest of the island, Dublin seemed busy, cosmopolitan, European. Now, having travelled to London, Istanbul, Florence, Barcelona and Paris (among other bustling cities) last year, I’m sure I will have a different take on Ireland’s capital.

Then there’s the language thing. I have not mastered a second tongue. And I love the Irish accent.

But mostly, I just need to get away. I need to get away for the same reasons that James Baldwin had to escape America as his writing gained him fame, “to be a human being again.” After a disappointing year working on my Masters in History, I feel much older than my 24 years. I am tired of living my life through books. I feel as though the most fun times in my life are now years ago, and that is a scary thought. I need to do something to shake things up, to get out of my comfort zone, to meet people who will change my life again. I hope that those experiences await me in Dublin. You can’t know for sure, which is what makes it an adventure in the first place.

Although I’m on schedule for all the official things I need to do (work visas, etc.) finishing up all my school work for my degree, I haven’t had much time to think about the trip. Which is probably best. I won’t fully believe it until I’m on the plane Monday night. If there are any developments before I get going I will update, but otherwise will write again when I’m on the other side of the Atlantic!