While living in Ireland for the year, we have the opportunity to travel to other countries. Although it would have been an awesome experience to travel to some European countries during the holidays, I knew I could not grasp the thought of not being home. As long as I can remember, Christmas has always been my favorite time of the year. I love the whole month of December and doing anything Christmas related. One of the main reasons I love the holiday season is spending time with my family and closest friends! Nothing can replace the time spent with them and to me this time is so valuable.
I left Ireland a few days before Christmas and was able to go to Saint Peter’s (my former college) in New Jersey, and watch one of their games with my parents. It was great to catch up with some of my friends and former teammates! It was bittersweet being in the stands watching and definitely felt strange not putting on a Saint Peter’s uniform to play in the game. I spent a couple days in New Jersey and of course ate some of my favorite foods from the nearby restaurants! I couldn’t resist from getting a Jersey bagel breakfast sandwich and a big New York slice of pizza. After my stay in New Jersey, I headed to my hometown in Connecticut a few hours away.
It was great to be back home. My dog was ecstatic to see me and welcomed me the second I walked in the house. To say I missed him is an understatement! Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are always celebrated with my immediate family along with my grandma, aunts, uncles, and cousins. I was so excited to see everybody and share my experiences of my first four months in Ireland with them! We almost had a white Christmas as there was light snow for most of the morning and afternoon of Christmas Eve. I thought I wouldn’t miss the snow but I actually did especially around Christmas time.
Christmas week I went to Norwich Free Academy (my high school) to watch one of their games. It was great to talk to a few of my former coaches at the game. It was crazy sitting in the bleachers and noticing the little changes, or how it feels like I hadn’t put on a NFA uniform in ages! I was able to catch up with a lot of my friends while home. It was nice to see everyone and just relax at home for the week. It was hard to pack my bags and leave on New Year’s Day but I was also anxious to get back to Ireland to continue basketball season, coaching, and finishing up the last semester of my master’s!
Pictured below is my dog (Benny), my brother’s girlfriend (Rachel), my brother (Nick), and my sister (Gabby).
