I woke up this morning after a great weekend getaway to Galway on the West coast of Ireland to realize that it is basically mid-March already. Normally during this time of year I would be begging for Spring break just to get a break from school. I have never been more in love with school than I have been this semester, but I’m sure that taking classes that I would normally never dream of taking, such as Irish Traditional Music, Archaeology and Irish Folklore, has had something to do with it.
My study abroad experience has been nothing but AMAZING so far. Just to back up a bit, because you may be reading this and wondering who I am. My name is Maggie McCool and I am a junior at Otterbein this year. I am currently studying abroad (obviously) at the University of College Cork, in Cork, Ireland. Cork is in the southwest and is the second biggest city besides Dublin. I chose Ireland because I am 100% Irish and still have a lot of family that lives over here. I wanted to give myself the opportunity to live in the country where my ancestors originated and learn a little bit more about myself.
I honestly still can’t believe that I am actually here, which might sound silly as I have been here for two and a half months, but the novelty has not worn off one bit. That is the best word I can think of to describe everything that I have encountered since I have been here. Sure, there have definitely been bumps in the road, especially in the beginning, but isn’t that to be expected? I consider myself quite a quote nerd, and I have been saving all of the quotes I have found so far that talk about travel. My favorite one, from author Bill Bryan, perfectly illustrates the reasons I have loved studying abroad, and traveling in general:
“But that’s the wonderful thing about foreign travel, suddenly you are five years old again. You can’t read anything, you have only the most basic sense of how things work, you can’t even reliably cross the street without endangering your life. Your whole existence becomes a series of interesting guesses.”
That is exactly how I would describe everything I have encountered so far: “a series of interesting guesses”. Having the ability to remove myself from my comfort zone, and tiny bubble at Otterbein, to figure out life on my own has been so rewarding in the two and half months I have lived in Ireland.
Just like in the quote, I have definitely endangered my life several times while crossing the street because I would always forget to look left instead of right… whoops. I have finally become a pro at crossing the street now, which is a small victory that I am nonetheless proud of! I have also been able to look at the price on something and realize that is isn’t in dollars but in fact Euros. That kind of messed up not only me but my bank account in the beginning of my adventure. I have met so many different and amazing people.
While I have learned how big the world is, and some of the different conditions that people come from each, I have also realized just how extremely small the world is. I have met people who not only go to the same places I do with my family (such as summer vacations) but also go at the same time and have even found out that I have mutual friends with some of the people I had never met before studying abroad. I have made numerous Irish friends which has been helpful and has definitely made my experience that much more special. Even my roommates (who I feel I have been friends with for years) and I, share many of the same life experiences, and even have a few mutual friends-even though we area all from different states. It’s almost kind of creepy.
As someone who is 100 percent, Irish it has been awesome to live in the country where my ancestors came from. I still have a large majority of my family that still lives in Ireland and have been so happy to be able to reconnect with them. I have learned so much about myself in the short time I have been here and have realized what I am capable of and how independent I can be. Sure, I was extremely nervous on the day I had my flight from the States to Cork, but that was to be expected. It felt like I was a freshman again, and I was scared of the unknown. Looking back now it seems rather silly.
Having so much time to travel has simply been unreal. This past weekend I ventured off with four of my friends to Galway—a small city consisting of about 30,000 people located on the Western coast of Ireland. I love going from city to city and seeing how different each part of Ireland is, as well as hearing the different Irish “brogues” from county to county.
My friends and I were able to see so much for the three days we spent in Galway, one of my favorite spots being the Cliffs of Moher. The last time I was in Ireland I was eight years old and I came with my family and grandma, who was born in County Mayo on the west coast. We visited many places during that two week trip, but one of my favorite spots was definitely the Cliffs of Moher. Seeing the mighty 724 foot cliffs moved me just as much this past weekend as it did 13 years ago. It’s like the feeling you get when you look out at the expanse of the ocean and suddenly feel so insignificant to the world but with endless ocean AND cliffs.
Looking out past the cliffs onto the ocean horizon and knowing that thousands of miles from the spot you are standing is the country where you live is a pretty awe-provoking feeling. It makes me really appreciate the opportunity I have been given to live in another country for five months, and I can honestly say I am appreciating every single second of it and desperately wishing time would stop for a second so I can savor it as long as I can.
