I can’t even begin to tell you how incredible this experience has been. Everybody always tells you how much study abroad changes your life, and of course I believed them, but I didn’t think it would be to such a great extent. Every day, we wake up for another action-packed day and it is even better then I could’ve imagined.
We’ve gotten to go on hikes, survey the landscapes, discover farms, learn all about the Irish heritage and culture, explore towns, talk to locals, and so much more! In the left image, we are at Dún Aonghasa which is on the island of Inishmore which is part of the Aran Islands. The Aran Islands experience is incredible. There is so much history on these islands. To get to Dún Aonghasa, we biked around the entire island looking at all of the different views of the sea and hills and rocks, while learning about the farming and landscapes of Inishmore. In the right image, that is the classic Cliffs of Moher! The water is constantly shaping these cliffs, and they continue to have to move the pedestrian path farther and farther back with weathering and erosion that takes place.
As I think about returning home… in all honesty, I don’t want to have to return! So, I’ve just been taking this experience day by day and soaking up all the time that I have in Ireland and not thinking about an end date so that I can get everything I want out of this study abroad. One thing that I do know is that the things I’ve learned, the experiences I’ve had, the people I’ve met, and my memories of this place will last a lifetime. I don’t think I’ll ever stop sharing stories from this trip.