Fourteen days have passed since I landed at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Fourteen days have elapsed since I’ve seen a mountain or experienced the hospitality that is part of the Irish culture. Fourteen days is how long it has taken me to come to the realization that I am no longer in Ireland.
I suppose that I should tell anyone who is still checking this blog about our last 12 hours in Tully Cross. I went on my final walk down to Tully Beach for one last thought collecting session on the rocks as I watched the sun begin to set across the Irish landscape. With Ken’s camera at the ready, I captured my last moments on the Tully Beach as I sat alone with my thoughts about the past fifteen weeks. I remembered how scared I was as I got on our first plane from Grand Rapids to Cleveland. Scared not only of flying, but also of what lay ahead for me for the next four months. I hardly knew anyone going on the trip, my three cottage mates had all been good friends with each other since freshman year, I had never lived more than half an hour away from my parents, and to top it all off, I was suffering from an “identity crisis” in that, I didn’t know what I wanted for myself in life. Sitting on the rock that I had sat on so many times before simply contemplating life, I realized that I was at peace in Ireland. And even though it had become safe out there, I knew it had to end.
I retreated back to my cottage, taking the walk from Tully one last time very slowly. As I moved, the Sun moved down below Tully Mountain. It was a clear night, and I couldn’t have asked for a better final few hours in Tully Cross. As I returned, cottage six was preparing itself for our final night where we would start in their cottage and make our way over to the pubs. We played the “Never Have I Ever” game in cottage six…which became interesting to play after the past semester. Almost everyone made it over to cottage six with the exception of cottage nine, but I met up with them in Sammons and hung out with them in the back for a while. This was all during the Mussel Festival, so it was extremely crowded in the pubs, something that not many of us enjoyed. We hung out, had Guinness, and kept the conversation light with the locals who kept asking us “So when will you be back?” There was no real way to answer that, except for asserting, “Eventually, I’ll make it back here.”
When we realized that most of our group was over at Coynes, we made the trek over to the other pub and discovered a disco in the back underneath the tent they were using for the Mussel Festival Cooking Competition. Everyone was on the dance floor. They played Leaving on a Jet Plane which tugged hard on our emotions, but we made the best of it. Tears were definitely shed on the dance floor, but so we some pretty epic dance moves. Even Dr. Dawson got into dancing with us (after taking a chug from my beer that she felt entitled to). The dance ended, and we filed out of the tent across the street for what would be our last trek home from the pub. We showered, since we had about 21 hours of traveling ahead of us, and took care of any last minute packing that needed to occur. Some took the time to say goodbye to the locals. I took the time to myself to lie out under the stars one last time and simply gaze at the night sky. I hope it doesn’t come as a shock to anyone, but as I laid there and realized what I was leaving, I started to cry. Tears of joy for being able to go home and see my family and meet my newborn nephew; Tears of relief for actually making it through what in some ways was my most challenging semester not just academically, but socially. Tears of sadness over departing the land and the locals we had gotten to know and my AQ Tully Cross family. Tears.
We gathered in the study cottage for some snacks Dr. Dawson had gotten for us. It was a somber atmosphere. Oddly enough, it reminded me of our first meeting in the Study Cottage on the first day, when none of us knew what to expect and were completely introverted since we didn’t know anyone or anything. Owen came with the bus around 3:15 a.m. and we packed up the bus with our luggage. Everyone was reluctant to leave the Study Cottage, realized that the only place to go was on the bus. Dr. Dawson made us form a line and we set up a “hug assembly line” and said our goodbyes to her, Beth (who was staying in Ireland to travel with her family), Patrick and Brian. I boarded the bus, and turned around and saw Tully Cross fade into the darkness, I again began to cry.
We successfully navigated our way through Newark and Cleveland airports after Jake, Vaughn and I stopped to get burritos since we had been craving Mexican food for about two months. We simply sat there and talked about the semester and reflected on the past four months and how we’ve changed. I began to process Ireland all together, and how it will impact me in the weeks to come.
We landed in Grand Rapids around 7:30 p.m. and after almost an entire day of traveling, I was exhausted both physically and mentally. We came out of the gate and I was greeted by Mom, Dad, Chris, Jenny, and Carson all holding Pope Flags. I finally got my to meet my nephew; suddenly, being home didn’t seem so bad. Our group said our goodbyes to each other and we parted ways…
It’s been just over two weeks. Tully Cross and my entire study abroad experience in Ireland feels like a dream. I know it happened. It DID happen. But there’s something about being home that makes it seem like it was unreal. I saw a lot of my friends on campus the first week back and endured what I was expecting – a major reverse culture shock. I didn’t know how to convey four months of my life to them, and I felt disconnected from them as well. I sought out Ireland people who were on campus that week, thankfully. It makes the nostalgia a little easier to handle, and talking with people who had been on the trip in years past. It’ll just take time…
I’ve changed. In the past four months, my hair has grown significantly longer than it ever has before, my liver has gotten much stronger due to too much time and money spent at the pub, and I’ve realized that I can wear clothes more than once without having to wash them. But I’ve also changed in ways that are less tangible, but more powerful. I am calm and more at peace with life. I went into Ireland in chaos, having little sense of who I was and what I truly wanted in life. I got answers I’d been waiting for and made friends with some of AQ’s finest. I was able to breathe for the first time in what seemed like two years. It had became a safe environment, unplugged from the rest of society, and sometimes even the world.
But all good things must come to an end unfortunately. I have my ups and downs of missing Tully Cross. It hasn’t been easy, but in the end, I know it’s been worth it. I’m still processing the past four months and what I’ve learned about myself and life, but from what I’ve discovered so far, I know that Ireland was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I miss it, and I’ll be going back within the next few years, count on it.
Until that time comes…
Peace. Love. Ireland.
Rob
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Closing Time...
We are about 15 hours away from leaving Ireland. I’m happy, sad, and just about every other emotion you can imagine. Basically, I’m Bi-Polar.
Our last week(end) here has been a memorable one. We finished up our finals and had our Awards Ceremony. I won “Most Likely to Succeed Dr. Dawson as the REAL Dean of Students.” Seems appropriate. The video debuted and everyone loved it. I’m currently trying to get it to load on Facebook, but having bad luck with the internet. After the ceremony, we spent the evening in cottage six celebrating the end of the semester. Some went to the pub, but I stayed in and watched a movie with Rian, Heather and Maggie and then proceeded to fall asleep.
Thursday I woke up to the realization that I had finished my Junior Year of college. It was definitely a bittersweet “epiphanic moment” as Dr. Dawson would say. It was time to start cleaning up and putting things away, so the guys worked on the study cottage and put everything back up in the attic which took up a good portion of the morning. After cleaning out cottage 3, I made hummus with Dr. Dawson for the Thanks party that night. It was SO GOOD. I think I ate more of the hummus than we actually made…whoops. After that I spent the afternoon outside on the picnic tables with Jake, Brittany and Hannah and grilled some chicken for us. That night was our thanks party; I manned the grill with Rian and Heather and Maggie assisted with the burger/hotdog grill assembly line behind Coynes Pub. Not a whole lot of people showed up unfortunately because it was a Thursday night, so we had a lot of food left over that we are still trying to work our way through. After the food, there was some live music and entertainment from us in the form of songs and poetry and then some locals played music for the rest of the night. It was a somber night for most of us, unfortunately.
Friday morning, I woke up at 5:15 a.m. and went down to Tully beach with Rian, Maggie, Heather, Bridget, Bailey, and Sarah to watch the sunrise. It was one of my favorite experiences in Ireland thus far. We all took a rock and sat in solitude for a little while. The sunrise seemed to go on forever, and the colors in the sky were absolutely amazing. I just sat there, not wanting the sun to ever come up, but just hoping that the morning would last a little bit longer. Yet, just as all good things must come to an end, the sun finally broke over the top of the mountain across the ocean close to 7:00 a.m. Sitting on the rocks, the past semester hit me and I really realized how much I’m going to miss it here…
After the sunrise, we got Dr. Dawson to give us a lift down to the Park for one last hike up Diamond Mountain. It was a clear day and the weather was perfect for hiking the mountain. The five of us (Bridget and Sarah opted out of the hike) made it to the top and enjoyed the views one last time. It was so beautiful at the top. We made our way back down the mountain and Dr. Dawson picked us up and brought us back to the cottages where we quick changed because all of us were hiking down to Glasscilun Beach for the day, which was about four or five miles away. We had a picnic on the beach and laid out and got burned by the sun. It was the perfect way to spend one of our last days in Tully Cross.
That evening we had the food that was left over from our party the night before outside on the picnic tables. It was a beautiful, calm, evening. I watched the sun slowly set behind Tully Mountain and then the moon slowly rose over the 12 bens mountains. Topped off with our last disco and a little star gazing, it was the perfect end to the perfect day.
This morning I woke up early and with a significantly large headache, unfortunately. I started cleaning up our cottage and worked on the bathroom and the shower while the guys worked on the kitchen and all of our dishes from the past few days. Today was the start of the Mussel Festival, right across the street at Coynes. Jake and I volunteered to help out at the Festival and I tried mussels for the first time. Tasty! A bunch of us worked the festival and are working tomorrow too. We scored tee-shirts for helping out (they know Aquinas Students too well). After that I worked on packing and cleaning some more and making all of the food that we have left in our cottage, which is a lot actually, and we still have a bunch of food left that I think we’re going to try to donate to the church or an organization. For dinner we had more leftovers from the Party, and there’s still more left. We definitely over estimated that. After dinner, Jake and I joined Hannah and Brittany in their cottage for some Euchre and “sad songs” before hitting up Coynes because Aiden was playing. It was packed because of the Mussel Festival, which was kind of uncomfortable and annoying to have so many people in the pub when we all just wanted it to be us. Beth sang a few songs as always and Jake and I had a few beers. After Coynes, it was a clear night out so Mike and I laid out under the stars for a while and just talked before heading to bed.
This morning I woke up early and did some more cleaning and packing before heading to church where the priest announced that we were leaving and we received a round of applause from the church which was nice and comforting. The plan for the day is to hit up Sammons one last time and then finish cleaning and packing by 7:00 p.m. so we can have the Chipper and then hit up the pubs until they close. Brittany and I are planning to walk to Tully at some point to have a last walk with each other down to the ocean, since that was how we spent our first few days here. (Bringing everything full circle). Our bus leaves Tully Cross at 3:30 a.m. so I’m not planning to go to sleep. We should be back in Grand Rapids by about 7:30 p.m. on Monday if everything is on time.
I’ll post pictures up on Facebook from the past month once I’m home and have better internet access. As of right now, I’m going to live up the last few hours that I have left.
It’s been a crazy, amazing semester and I’ve loved every second of it. Cottage 7 and Tully Cross have been really good for me. I’m going to miss it here.
Thanks for taking the time to read my sometimes awkward and most likely boring updates on life on the Isle. I’ll see you soon. Until then…
Peace. Love. Tully Cross. Ireland.
Rob
Our last week(end) here has been a memorable one. We finished up our finals and had our Awards Ceremony. I won “Most Likely to Succeed Dr. Dawson as the REAL Dean of Students.” Seems appropriate. The video debuted and everyone loved it. I’m currently trying to get it to load on Facebook, but having bad luck with the internet. After the ceremony, we spent the evening in cottage six celebrating the end of the semester. Some went to the pub, but I stayed in and watched a movie with Rian, Heather and Maggie and then proceeded to fall asleep.
Thursday I woke up to the realization that I had finished my Junior Year of college. It was definitely a bittersweet “epiphanic moment” as Dr. Dawson would say. It was time to start cleaning up and putting things away, so the guys worked on the study cottage and put everything back up in the attic which took up a good portion of the morning. After cleaning out cottage 3, I made hummus with Dr. Dawson for the Thanks party that night. It was SO GOOD. I think I ate more of the hummus than we actually made…whoops. After that I spent the afternoon outside on the picnic tables with Jake, Brittany and Hannah and grilled some chicken for us. That night was our thanks party; I manned the grill with Rian and Heather and Maggie assisted with the burger/hotdog grill assembly line behind Coynes Pub. Not a whole lot of people showed up unfortunately because it was a Thursday night, so we had a lot of food left over that we are still trying to work our way through. After the food, there was some live music and entertainment from us in the form of songs and poetry and then some locals played music for the rest of the night. It was a somber night for most of us, unfortunately.
Friday morning, I woke up at 5:15 a.m. and went down to Tully beach with Rian, Maggie, Heather, Bridget, Bailey, and Sarah to watch the sunrise. It was one of my favorite experiences in Ireland thus far. We all took a rock and sat in solitude for a little while. The sunrise seemed to go on forever, and the colors in the sky were absolutely amazing. I just sat there, not wanting the sun to ever come up, but just hoping that the morning would last a little bit longer. Yet, just as all good things must come to an end, the sun finally broke over the top of the mountain across the ocean close to 7:00 a.m. Sitting on the rocks, the past semester hit me and I really realized how much I’m going to miss it here…
After the sunrise, we got Dr. Dawson to give us a lift down to the Park for one last hike up Diamond Mountain. It was a clear day and the weather was perfect for hiking the mountain. The five of us (Bridget and Sarah opted out of the hike) made it to the top and enjoyed the views one last time. It was so beautiful at the top. We made our way back down the mountain and Dr. Dawson picked us up and brought us back to the cottages where we quick changed because all of us were hiking down to Glasscilun Beach for the day, which was about four or five miles away. We had a picnic on the beach and laid out and got burned by the sun. It was the perfect way to spend one of our last days in Tully Cross.
That evening we had the food that was left over from our party the night before outside on the picnic tables. It was a beautiful, calm, evening. I watched the sun slowly set behind Tully Mountain and then the moon slowly rose over the 12 bens mountains. Topped off with our last disco and a little star gazing, it was the perfect end to the perfect day.
This morning I woke up early and with a significantly large headache, unfortunately. I started cleaning up our cottage and worked on the bathroom and the shower while the guys worked on the kitchen and all of our dishes from the past few days. Today was the start of the Mussel Festival, right across the street at Coynes. Jake and I volunteered to help out at the Festival and I tried mussels for the first time. Tasty! A bunch of us worked the festival and are working tomorrow too. We scored tee-shirts for helping out (they know Aquinas Students too well). After that I worked on packing and cleaning some more and making all of the food that we have left in our cottage, which is a lot actually, and we still have a bunch of food left that I think we’re going to try to donate to the church or an organization. For dinner we had more leftovers from the Party, and there’s still more left. We definitely over estimated that. After dinner, Jake and I joined Hannah and Brittany in their cottage for some Euchre and “sad songs” before hitting up Coynes because Aiden was playing. It was packed because of the Mussel Festival, which was kind of uncomfortable and annoying to have so many people in the pub when we all just wanted it to be us. Beth sang a few songs as always and Jake and I had a few beers. After Coynes, it was a clear night out so Mike and I laid out under the stars for a while and just talked before heading to bed.
This morning I woke up early and did some more cleaning and packing before heading to church where the priest announced that we were leaving and we received a round of applause from the church which was nice and comforting. The plan for the day is to hit up Sammons one last time and then finish cleaning and packing by 7:00 p.m. so we can have the Chipper and then hit up the pubs until they close. Brittany and I are planning to walk to Tully at some point to have a last walk with each other down to the ocean, since that was how we spent our first few days here. (Bringing everything full circle). Our bus leaves Tully Cross at 3:30 a.m. so I’m not planning to go to sleep. We should be back in Grand Rapids by about 7:30 p.m. on Monday if everything is on time.
I’ll post pictures up on Facebook from the past month once I’m home and have better internet access. As of right now, I’m going to live up the last few hours that I have left.
It’s been a crazy, amazing semester and I’ve loved every second of it. Cottage 7 and Tully Cross have been really good for me. I’m going to miss it here.
Thanks for taking the time to read my sometimes awkward and most likely boring updates on life on the Isle. I’ll see you soon. Until then…
Peace. Love. Tully Cross. Ireland.
Rob
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