Triumphant Return

The idea of coming back to Dublin was a very strange one indeed, but I will get to that later for we had several stops on our way. The first was to Trim Castle where we received a wonderful tour of the typical medieval castle and the myth of the Boyne River surrounding it. We saw the models of the construction of Trim throughout the years from functional fort to decorative domicile, and we were even able to stand atop the castle walls and gaze over the old kingdom. Within an hour, we were off to our next destination.

In our literature class, we read a lot of stories that took place in Tara, or the Hill of Kings. The High King of Ireland would live in Tara once chosen by his people, and our professor thought it only right to take us their himself. We walked up what would have once been the grand incline up to the castle and once we saw the legendary Stone of Destiny off in the distance, the majority of us burst into a sprint over the looming hills, for if the Stone screams when you hug it, you are chosen as the new High King. Most of us made our own screaming sounds since the Stone did not, and the rain deterred us from hanging around much longer. We spent a good 40 minutes loitering around the gift shop and cafe before being allowed back on the bus to return to Dublin.

When we arrived here way back in March, the romanticized idea of Ireland hung in our heads and the exhilaration of being away from home made us giddy with touristy excitement. After eight weeks in this beautiful country, we felt a bit different on that bus ride back to the city. We felt wiser and surer of the world and Ireland in particular, no longer the squealing students who arrived searching for shamrocks. Instead, we are more proud based on the experiences we faced in the wide variety of cities and towns, and I commend our professors for designing the trip in this fashion, for there is no doubt they knew this is how we would feel.  It was quite the philosophical moment to realize the empowerment that this trip has bestowed upon me, though I may not have noticed it at the time. I am so much more confident and certain of myself, qualities I have yearned for since my freshman year of college, and all of which given to me in the span of eight weeks. I needed Ireland, I needed this trip to prove to myself that I am ready for what life confronts me with, and that there is so much to be seen, wherever you are, if you simply stop and look around. Totally cliche? Perhaps, but sometimes it is the only way to describe the experience with those who haven't truly experienced it.

I hope you all are ready for the new me because I certainly am.