These first days have been quite the experience for me. I am finally in a new country, and I am very excited to be here.
The flights over here were not quite what I had expected. I had never flown before, and so it was weird that my first experience were two flights that were a little bit longer. The first plane was a very small plane, but the flight was good, very little turbulence and no problems at all when we came to land.
The weirdest thing about that flight, however, was in the conversation that I had with the women who sat next to me. Some of the other people who were coming along to Ireland with me for the same thing from UNK were talking about ancestry, and tracking it. They got to talking about how in generations past, there would be families with eleven or more kids, and how crazy that was. Overhearing this, the woman sitting next to me asked if I had any siblings. Bless her, when I told her about what had happened she was very kind and respectful of everything. It was good to hear from someone else other than my family and those close to me about how good it was for me to still come out to Ireland and make the great memories that I am about to embark on.
Many people asked me about how my first flight was, and how I liked it. I thought that, other than landing and taking off, the flight was just a smoother version of a school bus on a longer trip, so I didn't really have any problems with the flight. The descent into Ireland was a little rough, but other than that I was perfectly fine. I didn't really expect the plane rides to be bad, but they were much better than I had anticipated, honestly, though I don't know quite what I was thinking about them. Security and Customs was not even a problem for me, which I am thankful for.
Finally, to Ireland itself! My very first reaction, and one I am still getting, is just how green it is here! We left the airport at around 6:50am, and because of some lighting and stuff we could see the grass and the trees around, and I think there was more green there than Nebraska gets in the middle of spring when everything is flourishing. It is beautiful!
When we got to the cabins, which is shown above, we took a bit of time to unpack and relax. Shortly after, a few of us took off and walked to Spiddal, which is the closest town to where we are staying. It was about a half hour's walk there, and it was a really surprising experience.While we walked there, I was kind of surprised at the lack of definition between town and what could be called country side. In Nebraska, at least, there always seems to be a fairly clear difference between where the city is and isn't, whereas on the walk to Spiddal, there were houses and shops along the road most all of the way to the town from the bed and breakfast. It seemed weird to me how there was not a definite "This is for sure the town of Spiddal" that you get when you are in America.
The town itself, and even the walk there, though, was stunning, Even though I was cold from the rain and the wind, I admired just how green everything was, and this time in actual light! It's January still, and it's greener than Nebraska usually gets!
There is much more to talk about, but these were some of my first thoughts and reactions. I really like Ireland so far, even though I haven't really met any of the local people. I am too tired and exhausted, however, to keep up and show the excitement that I had when I landed in Ireland, although it is still there. I am very excited to spend the next two days exploring Spiddal and Galway!
