Now having lived in Ireland for two months, I have been able to do a good amount of touring this beautiful country. People love to make jokes about tourists, and often it definitely is funny seeing a foreigner adapting to a new culture…I know I personally have had my fair share of “tourist moments”. But to be honest, I am not at all ashamed of it. Rather, I think being a tourist is one of the most special things to be in this world.
So far I have explored Dublin a number of times, officially having experienced my first Guinness accompanied by live Irish music. I was able to witness the Giant’s Causeway and ponder how so many hexagonal basalt columns got there in the first place. I traveled to Belfast and interacted with members of a community that was once, and still somewhat is, so divided. I went to Howth, a fishing town full of more sailboats than I could have even counted. Most recently, and probably what has amazed me most, I visited the Cliffs of Moher and Galway. At the Cliffs I experienced breathtaking views while frightened by the shear drop-off leading to crashing waves below. In Galway, I simply fell in love with everything: the cobblestone streets and their performers, the cozy pubs and shops stalked with wool clothing, and the warm vegetable soup that never fails to hit the spot.
Well now I officially could not sound more like a tourist. However, I am never so tuned into my senses than I am when I’m somewhere I’ve never been before. The little details I typically don’t think twice of suddenly become so noticeable when I am traveling – the Celtic font on pub signs, the extra beauty of an Irish rainbow, the consistent friendliness of everyone I come across here. There is so much to see and experience in this world, whether it is the scenery, the people or the unique culture of a community. And if being a tourist means being in awe of such minuscule features, then I will happily be deemed a tourist…a tourist who takes public transportation as opposed to attempting to drive on the left-hand side.
