Category Archives: Uncategorized

I landed in a nearly vacant airport with a stern voice warning of the pandemic over the intercom. I had come to Ireland on a nearly vacant plane and had slept on the flight with my mask on. I sat … Continue reading →

I was very nervous about leaving the United States. I had never been outside of the country before. I had never been more than a few hours away from a member of my family. I had never gone so long … Continue reading →

It’s hard to move somewhere new no matter what. Add in an unprecedented global pandemic, and the task of moving to a new continent for a year can sometimes feel like an impossible task. But out of those moments of … Continue reading →

Going on a nice, long run is one of the first things I do when traveling to a new place. To me, running is one of the most exciting ways to discover a new city.  I’ve found that Dublin is … Continue reading →

On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, I sat overlooking the Galway Bay as I listened to a virtual sermon about the importance of having a sense of community. The Pastor, Ryan, pointed out that “happiness doesn’t come from our circumstances. Instead, … Continue reading →

“Wee”—everybody says it here. To quote Derry Girls character James Maguire, “People here use the word wee to describe things that aren’t even actually that small!” “Wee” is a great signal that I am far from my home in Knoxville, … Continue reading →

I finally did it. My (admittedly mild) goal of touching something older than the United States finally came in the form of an Irish castle that had very little in the way of description or formal marking. These enormous stone … Continue reading →

Like all international arrivals, upon arriving in Belfast, I had to complete a two week self isolation. With the exception of accidentally ordering four bags of sweet potatoes instead of four individual sweet potatoes, it went extremely uneventfully.  So instead, … Continue reading →

As an outsider looking in, nothing seems more fundamentally representative of Irish culture than the Irish wake. Ubiquitous in Irish literature, music, theater, and storytelling, the celebratory assembly of the community following a death seems to encapsulate the social, cultural, … Continue reading →

“…you can’t predict the weather,” laments Andre 3000 on OutKast’s classic record, “Ms. Jackson.” Three Stack’s iconic line made me chuckle during one of my runs along the River Lee, a favorite route to lose myself in miles of music … Continue reading →

This term, I had felt like I had found my communities in Ireland. My classmates and I had become much closer, as we helped each other with group work and spent ample time together after class. My suitemates and I … Continue reading →