Life couldn’t be better after a month back in the States. I
live five minutes from the beach, I love my waitressing job, I've seen concerts with my friends, and I am now a published writer
in the magazine “South Shore Living”. I began my internship there three days
after landing back in Boston; but after five months of blogging, I knew I had
nothing to worry about.
I tell anyone who will listen about my travels through
Europe. Yes—Post Traumatic Study Abroad Disorder is a thing and yes you will
experience it when you are back in the States. It feels so odd not to be taking
off on a tiny Ryanair plane every weekend to go explore a new destination. It
feels even more weird not to be able to go walk down to Shop Street in Galway
and listen to the buskers and street performers whenever I’d like. I miss the
store Penny’s like you wouldn’t believe. It was the most incredible place in
the entire world; the best clothes and accessories and shoes and home goods you
could find for the best price. It was like T.J. Maxx but with the prices of…
well half the price (there’s rumors it is coming to Boston)!
I miss the Irish people. I miss how friendly and welcome I
felt wherever I went. I miss the music in Taffes and hearing the song Galway
Girl played at least once a night despite the band’s protests. I miss The Front
Door, the only pub where you would find just as many Americans as Irish, and I
miss Irish Set dancing at Monroe’s on Tuesday night. I miss the market every
weekend and the delicious doughnuts made by Boychick. I miss sitting in my
bedroom watching Friends on Netflix and listening to the rain spatter against
the windows. I have been home a month
now and the nostalgia hit me probably on day three and still has yet to go
away.
The last week I was in Ireland I could not wait to get home.
I knew that once I was home I would want to turn right back around to the
little green island. But still, I couldn’t wait to see my family and my dog and
be in a queen sized bed again FINALLY (twin beds don’t work too well when you’re
5’10”) and have sunny days more than two days in a row. I couldn’t wait to be
home. But, after those three days I realized that I know had two homes. I had
my home in Plymouth, MA in the USA, and I had a home where I spent five months
of my life learning and growing more than I have in my entire collegiate career.
I know Galway like the back of my hand. It only takes getting lost once at 7:30
in the morning after trying to walk back from the immigration office to learn
that all the major roads will eventually lead you to downtown. Shop Street was
as familiar to me as downtown Plymouth and I have lived here for all 21 years
of my life. No matter where I travelled during my time abroad, Galway was still
the place I couldn’t wait to return home to. Galway was my home.
