This past week, two of my best friends from elementary school came to visit me in Ireland. I have been extremely lucky with the amount of visitors I’ve had during my time here. My girlfriend was able to come over in November, my mom and sister came over in December. I had some friends come over in early January and I have more friends here now.
Seeing familiar faces from home makes life 3,000 miles away much easier. It gives me a lot to look forward to whenever I get homesick. I’ve always had a close group of friends and I’m very close with my family. So leaving for a whole year has been a lot harder than expected.
I love being able to show my friends and family around Ireland. I’ve gotten to experience so much here and it’s so nice being able to share these experiences with them. I’ve been to the Cliffs of Moher multiple times, Galway, Dublin, and most recently Northern Ireland with my friends and family. We’ve experienced so much and seen so many cool places. We’ve done the Guinness Factory tour, the Jameson Distillery tour, and an all day Game of Thrones tour! Everyone always tells me how jealous they are that I’m living here in Ireland! I can understand why, its great here!
Looking back, accepting the Victory Scholarship and moving to Ireland for 10 months has been one of the best decisions in my life. I have been able to experience so much and more importantly grow individually. Of course I miss my family and friends a lot but this really is a once in a lifetime opportunity that not many people get to experience. I cannot wait to make more memories and continue to experience as much as possible!