It's over...

Wow. Four months later...here I am. I have to say honestly that a year and a half ago I would not have seen myself going abroad, but I'm definitely glad I did it. There's a sense of accomplishment when you've realized you've lived in another country, attended a different university, traveled a fair amount, and really stepped out of your comfort zone. Scratch that, there's a HUGE sense of accomplishment for me.
Sure, in the grand scheme of things, Ireland is not that much different from the United States; but baby steps, right? I don't think though that it would be easy for anyone to completely throw themselves into a new setting with a new group of people and no familiar faces, regardless of which country you're in. Maybe I didn't experience as much culture shock this time around, but who said I won't be traveling anymore?
You would think I'd have some big post to sum up all of the life lessons I've learned through my experiences in Europe, but the truth is I don't. (Ironically, I had saved this post as a draft and Miss Critchley decided to tell me she expected a post with, of all things, life lessons. Sorry Sarah!) All I can say is that when I look back through these posts I've written throughout the semester, I can see I've been through a lot. When I think back to the first few days that I was here, it seems like forever ago. I almost can't believe that I made it all the way through. I wish I could explain this better but I feel like you must study abroad yourself in order to understand what I'm trying to convey. To sum up, I've seen a lot of things, met a lot of people, and best of all I had a fantastic time doing it.
These past few days have been filled with packing, cleaning, and saying goodbye to my friends. As excited as I have been for a couple of weeks to go home, I now have mixed feelings about leaving. I never thought that I would be as close as I was with the people in my study abroad group, and I also never thought I would be as sad as I was to see people go.
Some of the people I was abroad with this semester will be lifelong friends. Some I may never see again. But to all of the Butler kids, I love you guys and I wish you all the best. You all are the reason my experience in Ireland was so amazing and I wouldn't want to be here with anyone else. I hope that we are all able to be together again one day. I miss you already.

So with that, I bid the Emerald Isle farewell. USA, here I come!