En-Route (3/2)

After having travelled for nine and a half hours, we are now on the plane to Shannon! It has been a long day, but I am getting more excited with every minute. I have been fortunate enough to be assigned a window seat, but, unfortunately, it is night. With a few stars outside of my window, I am beginning to truly anticipate my arrival in Ireland.

I still don’t know what to expect. I have been told it is beautiful. I have been told that the culture is rich and mysterious. I have read the legends, fairytales, and histories and, for all that I have been waiting for this opportunity, I am emotionally frozen. I’m not sure if it is disbelief or if it simply hasn’t hit me yet, but I AM GOING TO IRELAND! I am only hours away and I know that I am excited, but it hasn’t completely sunk in.

I still have not seen Mikey face to face, so I am unsure of what to expect, not that it will really matter. He has already been a very kind and cooperative partner and I have been glad to do research with him.

The research itself has gone very well. Everyone has been providing good and useful data and I can’t wait to put it to good use in Letterfrack. I have brought a sample of my jewelry along for further data collection and I believe that it will allow for extremely useful and efficient hands-on experience and immediate “trial and error” feedback.

There are so many thoughts running through my head. I can imagine the greenness of the land and the infinite amount of colors in the sky, the towns, and the culture. I can’t wait to see everything. I want to meet people, I want to be immersed in the culture and see how is does and doesn’t differ from my personal vision of Ireland.

[Later]

I can now see that we are over the Atlantic. I can feel that we are getting closer (at the modest speed of 627 mph). I can feel the excitement creeping in from the back of my mind as I slowly realize that I will be there. How can I sleep when I have so much to look forward to?

In traveling today, I have really enjoyed getting to meet and know my fellow travelers. They have all been so kind and I believe that that will make the trip so much better. They are all as excited as I am and such enthusiasm will create a group that is eager to learn, see, and do as much as possible. I am happy to be among such a wonderful group of students, especially when we each bring a unique skill set to the table.

The more that I think about it, the longer I want this flight to be because I know that once we land, it will go by in a blur. I want this to last as long as possible. I want to experience every moment and never forget any of it.

I already miss everyone. I miss my family. I miss my boyfriend. I miss my friends, though I am making new ones. I feel that I will me homesick, but not for very long. I have travelled before for longer periods of time and the initial pang of wanting to be home is soon replaced with the excitement of being somewhere new.

On another note, I have never stayed in a hostel and am very interested to see what that is like. I believe that I will enjoy sharing the room, as it will provide a very casual social environment and will be a good way to bond with the other girls. I have enjoyed all of their company so far and think that we will only grow to like each other more over the next week.

It is now pitch black outside. We have traveled 1194 miles and still have 2043 to go. It is also -66°F outside at an altitude of 36,966 feet, which I simply cannot fathom. We are still over the Atlantic, which I also cannot comprehend. I am still in disbelief. With just a few hours to go, I still cannot believe that I am going to Ireland. It seems too good to be true! I am sure that it will hit me when we land and then the real adventure with begin.