When I Fell in Love...

June 21st will always hold a special place in my heart because of the deep-rooted love which took hold of me on that day. Early in the morning, I touched down at Shannon Airport in western Ireland. I was never to be the same again. I had jumped at the opportunity to study abroad after visiting my sister in Florence the previous spring; the culture, the newness of being in a different country, the challenges that went along with it...I knew it was something I'd have to explore for myself. When the time came, I remember feeling as though I was setting out for a great adventure, a great unknown. The flight across the Atlantic did little to soothe my nerves; had the windows come with the capability of rolling down, I would've had my head poking out like a dog.



 Advisory quad at NUI Galway....or Hogwarts.

For whatever reason, I grinned like an idiot going through customs. I think it was in part to earning a student visa, and part just being thrilled to get another stamp added to the passport, life's international social currency. Every bit of that day was a minor victory for independent me: train schedules, currency exchange, hailing a cab, checking in to my apartment...it was all breathtaking. I recall distinctly my first real interaction with an Irishman, an older gentleman who took me by cab from the bus station to my apartment in Gort na Coiribe.  He was as curious about a new American as I was about the Irish! We got on famously (a recurring trend when in such lovely company) while he took me around Galway city (for no extra charge), pointing out cultural sites and nightlife points. What a sense of relief it was, knowing I was in good hands in this city, in this country.

This reinforced the notion that love requires trust and respect. I trusted Galway to make the experience of studying abroad a turning point in my life, and I respected what she had to offer, and what her people had to offer. It is a widely-known fact that the Irish are among the friendliest people in the world. From the get-go, this concept was validated. It's hard not to fall in love when you are accepted for what you are without any reservations.

My apartment's living room...

I checked in and dragged my luggage into my new accommodations, wondering what my roommates would be like, getting butterflies all the while. Due to excitement, I didn't sleep much on the flight over, and so I napped before going out and exploring the city. As it turns out, the city's heart, my apartment, and NUI Galway made sort of a perfect triangle, with neither leg of the walk taking more than 12 minutes, unless caught in rain.

The things I grew to love about travel include the concepts of walking everywhere, unabashed cultural voyeurism, and immersion. Like all great loves, you come to learn a lot. Galway taught me a lot, and lit a fire inside of me for travel and seeing what the world has to teach me. It's an enduring love, and like all great loves, it only gets stronger every day.

At the Cliffs of Moher, all smiles. What's not to love about a partner who gives you space to explore and lust after independence?