The Times They Are A-Changin'

Sitting here on my computer, I can not believe that the little countdown widget on my screen is telling me that I'm leaving for Dublin in just a little over 17 days. Maybe it's the nostalgic combination of piano music and the end to a night of reuniting with friends in Tacoma, but I can't believe summer is drawing to a close. From the new students dancing around on Todd Field for Playfair and sitting in their still-tenuous friend groups in the SUB, to seeing my own classmates return and start making plans for first week shenanigans, to the roadside blackberries that have finally ripened into plump juiciness along the route I walk to Starbucks each day, the entire area is coming alive again in anticipation of fall and a new school year.

Having been here all summer, I've grown particularly connected to Tacoma within the past couple of months: I lived off campus, I got a Tacoma library card, and I even made friends with the construction workers on 6th Ave. As such, it's a bit difficult to reconcile all the different countdowns in my head. In two days, I move out of my house; in five, I will see some of my dear friends for the first--and final--time in months; in ten, I leave Washington altogether. With the prospect of the semester beginning and life as usual resuming after the lull of summer, I keep having to remind myself that the Puget Sound home I describe on the campus tours I've given recently is one that I'll be leaving behind me in a very short time. As self-centered as it sounds, it's a difficult realization that life will go on without me while I'm abroad and that things will not necessarily be the same as I left them when I return.

Despite these slight misgivings, I am so wholeheartedly excited for all that lies in store for me this coming term! After an eventful and somewhat tumultuous sophomore year, I feel that I am in a prime position to take advantage of the cultural, academic, and introspective experiences that my time abroad has to offer. Maybe I'll even bring back the Irish husband that I've promised/threatened to my parents on so many occasions! While the majority of my time will be spent in Dublin at Trinity College, I also hope to travel through other parts of Europe as extensively as my schedule and budget will allow. I definitely want to meet up with my friends Shannen and Olivia (in Lancaster and Vienna, respectively). Some other locales currently on my radar include Brussels, Amsterdam, and Geneva, but for the time being just getting over to Dublin smoothly is more than enough for me!

I'm off to bed for now as I prepare for my early shift tomorrow (my attempt to brace my bank account against the ever-more-expensive Euro), but I will keep this blog updated as often as I can. Until next time...

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

--Old Irish Blessing