15 hours. That’s how long it takes to fly from Dulles Airport to Dublin, Ireland. Factor in turbulence, cold pasta, and screaming children into the time span.

 

1.5 hours. That’s how long it takes to travel from Dublin Airport to Trinity College. Add an additional 30 minutes when you get off at the wrong bus stop.

 

15 minutes. That’s how long it takes to meet the 13 other students who traveling internationally with you. You feel strangely alone.

 

5 weeks. The amount of time it took to experience an unforgettable adventure, discover more about who you are than you knew before and develop fierce, long-lasting friendships that carry across an ocean.

 

 

This is how five weeks spent studying abroad in Ireland felt. At first, quick, terrifying, and slightly painful. You aren’t familiar with anyone on the trip, you are miles and miles away from home, and you don’t have a clear idea about where you’ll be or what you’ll be doing in this foreign place.

 

But this was strangely short lived. You meet people who have things in common with you, shared values and goals, even shared mutual friends. Our three professors, each from a different discipline, exude excitement and love for you and the opportunity presented. And just like that, the whirlwind of events--Irish plays, dance festivals, Community engagement projects, bog jumping, surfing, hiking--it all zooms by so quickly you find yourself losing track of the hours and minutes.

 

Before you know it, five weeks are up and you’re giving tearful goodbyes to some of your closest friends before parting ways. It remains as the five best weeks of your life and when you reflect on the experience, you feel silly for ever doubting your decision and feeling so scared.