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Published: January 4th 2011
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It's hard telling what could happen when you take four Americans, two Irish and one German and put them in a gorgeous coastal town in Ireland for the weekend. Things could get crazy.
This is exactly how I spent "reading week" last semester. "Reading week" on campus, meant that we didn't actually have any classes, so some of my couresemates and I decided to celebrate by spending the weekend in Galway so we could relax, refresh and regroup for the second half of the semester. Though we didn't have classes, we still had hundreds of pages of readings to do and a thesis outline to write, so we were all in the library more than we would've been had we had classes. By Friday, we were ready for a break. And a break we got.
The weekend started with a beautiful bus ride, literally to the other side of the country. Though in Kansas it would take about six hours just to get across the state, it took us less than three to get to the other side of Ireland. The countryside was beautiful! Countless shades of green, even for November. Besides the colors, it reminded me very much
of driving though Kansas. It is still sometimes hard for me to believe how different we think places are, yet how similar they really are.
As soon as we got to Galway, it was food, drinks and fun. While there were only five of us able to go down on Friday, we had a great time together. On Saturday, two more joined us for the day. We went to the city's museum, watched a rugby game at a local pub, walked around to a bunch of little shops, and generally just enjoyed being in each other's company. Then we went for an incredible dinner together at an Italian restaurant, and of course, we hit up the pubs again on Saturday night. We spent the night dancing, laughing and just having a great time.
On Sunday, we woke up early, had breakfast together, visited the town's cathedral and then had to catch a bus back home. When we were in the cathedral, I was reminded of every Sunday I spent in St. Matthew's Cathedral in Washington, D.C. throughout the past year and how much of a different place I am in in my life now than I was then.
When I lived in D.C. I would go to mass at St. Matthew's every Sunday and pray I would get accepted into Trinity. I would pray I'd get to move to Ireland in August and would pray for a happiness I never found in D.C.
As I sat in the cathedral in Galway, I couldn't help but think, I've gotten everything I asked for and more. Few times in my life have I felt as blessed as I did while sitting in that cathedral in Galway. I was surrounded by friends whom I think the world of. I was in Ireland and a student at Trinity. And I was truly happy. I wasn't just happy about being in a new city. Nor was I just happy about being with friends. But I was truly happy in a way I never had been in D.C. In a way that only comes at the moment you realize your prayers have been answered.
It's hard to believe that seven people who just two months before were complete strangers could spend an entire weekend together, even sleeping in the same room, without any problems, any issues or anything even close. Our
group truly is something special. Everyday I become even more aware of how lucky I am to have such incredible people in my life and to be a part of something so wonderful. I truly am blessed.
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