The moment became real as 23 of us found our way to JFK or Newark airport: we were actually going to Ireland! What felt as if nothing could beat the previous day of meeting Rory and being introduced as this year's Victory Scholars; it was finally time to make our way to the other side of the Pacific. Wishing I could just blink my eye and wake up in Belfast, I knew we had a wee bit of a journey ahead of us. Believe it or not, Ryan, Jasmine, and I started our travels carrying our entire luggage through the streets of NYC to catch a train from Penn station to Newark. You can only imagine how we looked, dragging around 3-5 suitcases, a piece as we zigzagged through traffic of the New Yorkers. Needless to say there were many breaks and questions, “We should’ve just taken an Uber.” “Excuse me, do you know which train goes to Newark airport?” I love you Jas and Ryan but next time I’m picking someone from the East Coast!
As long as it took us to navigate around with those bags, I’m surprised we didn’t miss our flight! äó¿Thankfully, we arrived as planned and finally were situated at our gate. 9:30pm came quicker than expected and I found myself making my last phone calls to my family, boyfriend, and best friends. This is really it! Once we boarded the plane and sat in our seats, I looked over to my right and Ryan is already passed out before we leave! Taking it all in, the first thing I notice are all the wee accents of everyone travelling back to Ireland. (Just an FYI, I’m trying to pick up on the lingo. If I come home with just the slightest tone of Irish I will be the happiest ever!)
Obviously, Ryan was not the only one who slept. I must admit, I slept the entire plane ride. I remember waking up just before we landed. It was 10am and I opened the shade of my window and saw the masses of green fields; but I also saw just how low the clouds were. The sun was hiding a wee bit and a wee lad encouraged me, “Ah don’t worry. You’ll get use to it. Plus, this is a gorgeous day.”
So, this was it! I pulled out my jacket, thankfully made it through customs, and left all my chills on the plane. Alright America, it’s been an adventurous 22 years, but this next one goes to Ireland!
