Aww, she's growing up! Pffff

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I’m sitting… well, laying… in a NYC flat currently. In a matter of 3 hours, I will depart to my final destination: home. It has been over a month since I was last in Rochester, and I am excited to return. At the same time, however, it marks the close of an amazing adventure that took over a year to prepare for, and now seems like has passed in an instant. You know when something has left an impression on you because all you feel the need to do is talk about it. That’s how I have been with Ireland. Everything reminds me of it, even things with no relation. It’s a good thing I think.

I think the biggest thing that I take away from this trip is that it is quite alright to be outside of your comfort zone. That actually became quite the regular as I was there, whether I was confronting fears (i.e. touching chickens) or just learning something new (i.e. driving a tractor). Experiences continued even when I arrived here in NYC. To go from rural Ireland where the nearest town is 15 minutes away, to NYC was almost like culture shock. I also made my way around a metropolis and used the subway system by myself, both which are foreign to me. All and all, minor changes with big impacts I would say. Gives me a lot to reflect on.

It will be interesting to see how differently I approach life when I am home, if I do so at all. I already think that I have made some changes to my thinking and whatnot. Besides the gorgeous sites of Ireland, I think I will miss most the people. If anything, this trip made me realize that I need to do more just like it.

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