I am back to my sweet Michigan home! Four months was a long time to be away, but I’m finally back in my house, my room, and my life. It was missed. The journey on Saturday was long, as my six-hour flight into Toronto, Canada, was followed up by a three-hour drive back to Detroit, Michigan, but it was worth it, as a couple best friends were there to surprise me upon my return. There were a couple of thoughts running through my mind as I stepped through the door of my house, most of them inquisitive as I saw the differences between home and Ireland.
Here are some items I didn’t realize that I missed while I was in Ireland:
- The water pressure. Odd as it may seem, I didn’t realize how intense the water pressure is in the U.S. compared to Ireland. As I took a shower hours after my return, I wasn’t sure what to think. On one hand, I love having a nice intense shower, but on the other, I know that high water pressure has a tendency to waste water. It was a very conflicting shower.
- The smell of home. The unsavory mosh of smells in a city is no comparison to the fresh smell of home and fresh sheets and spaghetti on the stove. Home smells good.
- Birds chirping. The only noises I heard in Dublin were cars rushing past and conversations on the sidewalk. The early sounds of a spring morning were missed dearly, and I only noticed that I was missing them when I woke up yesterday morning to them.
- The community in which I surround myself. I am incredibly attached to my family and friends back at Hope and didn’t know just how much I missed them until I reached American soil. My heart is still aching for them as I haven’t seen many of them yet. This semester has been anything but comfortable, and it will be good to see friends that make me feel comfortable with who I am.
These were just my initial reactions to coming back home. In coming posts, I’ll talk about the program that I went through in Ireland (IES) and some things I learned while there.
Until next time!