The Week My Parents Come!!

   Well, we started week 11 here at the University of Limerick which just happens to be the week my parents come to visit! My parents have been planning this trip since before I came over so the countdown has been on for a while now. The arrival of my parents is just one more difference I am experiencing from back home. I don't live in the same town as my parents so when they come to visit it's a big deal, sure, but we usually end up going to a college game, out to eat and then just hang out. It's always a casual event and the only big planning I ever do is planning when to clean my house! Since my parents have never been to Ireland before, we have all decided on taking a road trip around Ireland so they can see as much as possible in the time they are here. This has been a stressful event planning, from figuring out accommodations, to decided what town to hit on which day, and even down to buying tickets to different attractions such as the Blarney Castle, Cliffs of Moher, and others. I sat down one day and made an hour to hour itinerary which has all the details of this next week in it. My parents have been a great help with scheduling accommodations, but they asked me to figure out which places to go since I am over here and know the best places around. This has given me an idea of what it is like planning a vacation and even though we have not gone on this road trip yet, it has helped me a lot for other weekend trips!

Blarney Castle

   It amazed me how easy it was to travel here. Back in the states, it's almost four times as expensive going to another state as it is going from Ireland to some country in Europe. I have really taken advantage of being over here and seeing the different countries, but planning a vacation on my own, or with one or two friends, has been slightly stressful and very interesting of an experience. Spain was the only trip where the transportation was very messed up and we had a major delay, but other than that I feel like I've done pretty well! However, I now understand why my parents are so stressed when they plan family vacations!

   One day, while scrolling through Pinterest, I found a quote by Anthony Bourdain; "Travel isn't always pretty. It isn't always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that's okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind." I read this quote about three times before pinning it to my board because I needed to hear it. I came here excited and nervous at the same time, but I had never traveled on my own before. I've been going on family vacations every year since I was 8 years of age, but I never went on my own. Anywhere. I've learned since then that it is hard. Travel is a challenge, but it's a good challenge. Planning trips and traveling on your own is hard, and scary, but it has been the best thing I have ever put myself up to.