Adventures, Old And New

Hey All,

I'm home in Peekskill now after my weekend in DC. Seeing my friends this weekend was probably the best decision I could have made about coming home. It reminded me in no uncertain terms that I love Washington too, and next semester will be full of new adventures even though my Ireland adventure is over.

I am much more at peace now than I was when I last posted. I was very sad to be leaving Dublin, but when the moment came to to actually walk out the door I was happier than I've felt in a while- at least since Sarah left Dublin. I realised it at the airport- even though I had issues checking my bags (my giant suitcase was ten kilos overweight and I had to throw out a lot and repack a little, and I had to wait on line for over an hour behind a family who were moving to DC and checking 18 suitcases) I was still content and even excited. It occurred to me that if I were not happy to be going home I would be miserable.

The plane ride home was grand- somehow I lucked out again with an empty seat next to me, so I was quite comfortable. There was an undue number of unhappy babies, but even they didn't really bother me- further evidence that I must have been happy about going home. I read Portnoy's Complaint, a hilarious stream-of-consciousness book about a guy who hates his family and thinks that his upbringing ruined him for life.

Getting my suitcases back from the baggage claim was an hour-long adventure, mostly because I could barely life the two big ones. Immigration and customs were surprisingly easy, and I must admit that it was kind of funny to watch the family with the 18 suitcases try to get their things together.

I took a cab from Dulles to AU to see Abby. She was at TTM (the Catholic Women's Group that we're both a part of) so I headed straight for Kay. When I walked in the door all the girls screamed and hugged me. It was the best welcome I could have asked for, and it made me feel like it really is okay to be home. Abby and I had a chance to catch up, then I headed over to Matt's. He, Adam, Paul, and Mark live in the apartment that I will be moving into next semester after Mark graduates and returns to California.

I spent Saturday night regaling Abby with tales of Ireland, and she told me what I'd missed at AU. I was meant to hook up with Kelly at some point. She was in Virginia visiting one of her friends. But alas, we ended up missing each other.

Sunday was a quieter day. Adam, Maggie, Mark, and I went to a bar to watch the Cowboys game. I went to night mass on campus and saw some other friends, though most everyone has gone home by that point.

I almost missed my bus on Monday, but I made it with about 30 seconds to spare thanks to a very nice cab driver. Henry met me in Penn Station, and Mom picked up both of us there.

Next semester I am taking a full load of anthro classes- Intro to Archaeology, Language and Culture, Early America: The Buried Past, a course on the Masala, and one on Middle-East culture. I'm also taking a ballet class, which should be a blast.

I will take a lot of things from my experience in Ireland. Mostly a newfound sense of adulthood and self-sufficiency. Also, many new and wonderful friends that I hope will remain a part of my life for years to come. Most importantly, a new place where I feel at home and know that I can return to any time. I've even got a great souvenir that I will carry with me everywhere for the rest of my life.

Though I've tried my best, I feel as though there's a lot about this experience that I haven't been able to share adequately here. I'm really looking forward to catching up with each of you in person and hearing your news from the past few months. Thank you for sharing this experience with me- you will never know how much your reading this and leaving comments has meant. The comments in particular- they made my days over there. It's a great feeling to know that I have people at home who care and are cheering for me. I hope you've enjoyed reading these posts at least almost as much as I've enjoyed sharing them with you. :-)