These past two weeks, school has become more and more stressful with finals approaching. Basketball and coaching have given me some time away from studying, but that time of the year is quickly approaching. It is nice to only have three exams during finals week, but that also means that I have other assignments to accomplish before then. I am looking forward to getting a break for a few weeks once finals are over.
After a long few months living in Ireland and the stress of school increasing, I finally got a taste of home when my mom visited this past weekend. It was amazing to see my mom especially with the holidays coming up soon. She arrived Thursday morning at 6, so I met her at the airport and we went to my college game in Cork. It was a great feeling for me to play a game with my mom in the stands supporting me. It was also special for her to see because we got a great team win. After the game we went into Limerick for dinner and saw some live music. It was nice to catch up and share a meal together. We left the next morning for Dublin, where we spent the rest of the weekend.
In Dublin, we went to Temple Bar, saw the Book of Kells, and I introduced my mom to the wonder of Penney’s. I am so happy that we were able to enjoy a weekend together because I did not realize how much I missed home. Seeing my mom made me so much more excited for Christmas and spending time with my whole family. While I am so grateful for this opportunity to live abroad for a year, it has also made me appreciate everything I had back at home. Christmas is going to be an exciting week to reconnect with everyone, which I am looking forward to. It also makes me excited for the rest of my family and friends to visit Ireland so that I can show them everything that Ireland has to offer.
