Friday, June 1, 2018
This is my twelfth Study Abroad Ireland trip and I’ve given up on the idea of packing light. First, since we usually experience all the seasons during an Irish June, we have to pack for sweltering to freezing, soaking to semi-dry. I always tell students to bring one of everything from sleeveless shirts to heavy sweatshirts, from sandals to boots. I bring all of that, and I don’t just bring one. Plus, what if I need to take a meeting or go out to dinner? And even though I store three bins of essentials at the apartment complex – like my own sheets and towels, a decent frying pan, an oscillating fan, and that heavy sweatshirt – I still end up bringing a large suitcase, a carry-on (that I check), and a backpack.
So, it’s a lot.
But I had an insight as I prepared for the trip this year. While it’s true that I must travel to get to Ireland, once I’m there I’m not traveling any more. I’m living. I’m living in Ireland for a month. Clothes in the wardrobe, books on the shelf, food in the fridge, texts from Irish friends.
It’s a privilege that I don’t take for granted.
Everyone arrived, got checked in, and to the gate on Friday morning with no drama. Several parents came to send their travelers off. One mother told me she had cried all night thinking of her daughter being so far away for a month. Her eyes were still red, but she was smiling and ready to let her go.
Other than me directing them to the wrong gate in Newark and a little panic making sure they were all at the right one, our flight was uneventful. There was a couple celebrating their 50th anniversary with a trip to Ireland for themselves and 16 relatives. That got a cheer and a big round of applause. There was another couple heading to Ireland for their honeymoon. The flight attendants served them with two glasses of champagne as we prepared to depart, and that got another round of applause. The man sitting next to me said, “If I was going on my honeymoon, I wouldn’t tell anyone!”
Our program director, Dr. Barry Vaughan, greeted us as we came out with our luggage. As Barry and the participants went off to board the bus, I headed to rent my car and was on the road to Athlone by 10:00 a.m. on Saturday morning, June 2.
The picture at the top of the post: My companion for the month – a brand new Kia Picanto!
Leave a Reply