Prologue: A journey to Ireland
A journey to Ireland is a series of post I will be writing during my J-term study abroad program in Dublin, Ireland. Spoiler Alert: for the first time these blog posts won’t involve boys, Chicago life or any of my other stresses in life (well let’s hope not)—stay tuned!
(Pictured - flight essentials: DSLR Cannon camera, Dec/Jan Time Magazine, passport, Apple headphones, Kodak film camera, sharpies and reporter's notebook)
“Your feet will bring you to where your heart is.” – Irish Proverb
With my camera and passport in hand, I will be jetting across the Atlantic Ocean to Dublin in a few hours. Since this is the first time I will be leaving the country, it goes without saying, I am very nervous.
My family has always been homebodies in the Midwest. We never really traveled anywhere out of the United States. Of course we’ve made the family trips to Disney World, and we’ve made our way out to the West Coast once or twice.
But this time, I am stepping out of my comfort zone and embarking on a journey of my own to Ireland as part of my school’s J-term study abroad program.
My head is spinning with so many questions like what will Dublin look like? How will I get around? What if I get lost? And most importantly, what kind of beer am I going to order at the pub? (Don’t worry mom and dad, I will be doing a lot of learning too)
When I was little, I wrote a bucket of list of my top travel destinations and of course, Ireland was on it. The thing is, my six-year-old self imagined Ireland as rolling green hills, a lot of leprechauns with pots of gold and that everyone ate Lucky Charms cereal. It seemed like heaven (especially because Lucky Charms was my favorite breakfast back then). My research has proved almost all of these wrong. Yes, there is a lot of green rolling hills, but there is also a lot of city life. And no, there is no leprechauns, just really nice Irish people with cool accents. I haven’t finished my research on the consumption of Lucky Charms, but I will keep you updated. Mostly, I have found that Ireland is magnificently beautiful. It is a photographers dream.
I can’t wait to walk for miles enjoying the city’s hidden treasures. I want to eavesdrop on the accents and conversations happening around me. I want to focus on cultural and literary landmarks such as theatres and museums. I want to explore its wild outskirts from going north to Belfast to the Cliffs of Moher. I want to capture the city’s small details and personalities through my camera lens. Mostly, I want to experience all that Ireland has to offer. I am ready to learn, explore and indulge!
See you in two weeks Chicago, but for now, sláinte!
Follow me on Instagram to see all my adventures in Ireland!
