Before the grand departure to head off to Belfast, Northern Ireland where my home will be till May 31st, 2017, it was time for me to say goodbye the family.
I left my two older brothers back in my hometown of Addison, IL. Saying goodbye to them was bittersweet. I've said goodbye to them many times before when I would move away to head off to college every year, but this time was different. We all had that same feeling. Being in Connecticut at Post University for my undergrad was only one and half hour flight from home. But hey, at least I was in the same country! Being on the other side of the world is something totally different. Knowing that I am so far away from my brothers is difficult. Once my younger brother headed off to college, I helped move him and then had to say to goodbye to him. It was hard again saying bye to him. Just they way it was with my older brothers. Saying goodbye to my grandpa was super hard. I've never really seen him cry, and once the day came for me to leave, he started to cry. With the combination of my oldest brother and my younger brother all leaving for school, including me, he broke down and it was a tough to watch that happen. Because I knew he was still in tears as he drove away with my uncle and aunt. Saying goodbye to them was just has hard.
After the launch of the even at Nike, we went back to Crompton’s Ale house. This is where I said goodbye to my parents. Before I even said bye to them, my mother broke down in tears. I reinforced her that everything was going to be okay and that I would see her soon. I gave my dad a big hug, and knew he was feeling emotional that I was leaving. I'm sure he was trying to comfort my mother the entire ride back to their hotel in lower Manhattan.
Without the support of my family, there is no way I would have been mentally ready for such a life altering experience. I can't thank them enough for believing in me and giving me so much support. I am truly blessed to have the family I have.
