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Homesickness, by definition, is the anxiety or stress one anticipates from being separated from their home. This is a feeling that I have experienced ever since leaving my favorite city, Dublin, Ireland and my school, Griffith College Dublin, as well as all my friends behind this semester. Adjusting back into my life in the states was very difficult and my homesickness for Dublin was starting to grow stronger as the month of April came along. It wasn’t until the day I checked my email from Claire, International Relations Manager at Griffith College Dublin, when I received the wonderful news. Griffith College was going to fly me over to Dublin for the Student Ambassador Award Ceremony for Education in Ireland to meet the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, as well as the Minister of Education, Ruairi Quinn. The Ambassador Program that I represent promotes Education in Ireland and is a great way for me to share my experiences in Dublin through multiple media outlets to prospective students as well as my family and friends. Once I knew that I would be going back to Dublin, I started to cry tears of joy, as I would be returning home.
Anxious to arrive in Ireland, I sat in my seat on the plane on the runway at 6:30 p.m., while chatting away with my seatmate about my plans in Dublin. After two hours of sitting on the runway, the pilot asked us to depart from the plane with our luggage as the air conditioning was not working and needed to be fixed. Sitting in the terminal, the hours rolled pass with no update and all the passengers, including myself, were getting quite frustrated. Finally the flight attendant announced that they were going to have to get a new plane and that it would not be ready till 3:00 a.m. At this point, Ed (my seatmate) and I went to the local pub at the airport with a majority of the passengers and talked to people about their plans in Ireland, once they arrived. It actually turned out to be great craic (Irish slang for fun), and by the time we all got on the plane I knew half the passengers on it, waving at people as I walked down the isle.
Once we arrived in Dublin that afternoon, I felt a thrill of excitement driving through the town, as I passed all my favorite restaurants, streets, and shops. I was finally home, and it felt fantastic to be back.
The next day was the award ceremony for the Education in Ireland Ambassador Program, which was truly an event I will never forget. I received my certificate for representing Griffith College as an Ambassador for Education in Ireland and was honored to be awarded recognition for being apart of such an outstanding program. After we were given our certificates, we met the Minister of Education, Ruairi Quinn, and then headed off in coach buses to Áras an Uachtaráin, the home of the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins. Once reaching the gates, I was in awe over the beauty of the white majestic house that the President lived in and its gorgeous looks moved beyond the exterior and inside where all the ambassadors waited to shake the President’s hand. After our meet and greet, we were presented with a variety of delicious appetizers, and then an incredible speech about education from the President himself. I was then able to discuss with the President his opinion on the time he spent in the states and what he enjoyed most. Afterwards, we left on the buses to go into the city center to celebrate one of the ambassador’s birthdays and speak with international students from around the world. The day was unforgettable and something that I will always remember.
After the Award Ceremony day, I spent the rest of my time in Dublin catching up with old friends and making new ones along the way. I visited my favorite shops on Henry Street; had lunch and dinner at my “go to” restaurants on Camden and Dame Street, and chatted away with all of the people I have missed so dearly in the states. On my taxi ride back to the airport, I was exhausted and sad to leave but knew I would be back soon because if there is one thing I know about home, it’s that you always find a way back to the place where you belong.
The Southern Dubliner 