Thomas Bourne
IFSA-Butler
Dublin, Ireland
Spring 2015

May 4

Now that the semester is over and I have just a few weeks left in Ireland, there are going to be a few things that I will miss a lot. Probably the biggest thing I will miss will be just living here. Yes, it is semi-expensive to live here, but being surrounded with all the history and also the beautiful scenery negates the cost of living. Now if I were studying in Copenhagen, it would be the other way around, Copenhagen is very expensive, and just not nearly as beautiful as Ireland But looking back at Ireland, I have developed a greater love for the country and have been able to do a lot of things that I could have never done in the States. Whenever I would travel around Europe, the best part of my trip was when I landed at Dublin Airport and knew I was home. Personally I have never really felt that way back in the States, and it is kind of hard to explain, Ireland just makes you fell welcomed.

Besides missing Ireland as a whole, I will also miss the food here. Now this might seem strange, but the food here is fresher and better tasting than back in the USA. When I first cooked a meal here it took me a while wondering why this meat tasted better here in Ireland than back in the States, when I have cooked this same meal in the States hundreds of times. The short answer to this whole thing is that the food is fresher here. The meats don’t have to travel far, most of it is locally raised and are not trapped in huge factory farms, but in grass pastures. The same is true for the potatoes, carrots, and apples which are either grown in Ireland or Scotland. But overall, the farmers and government actually care about the quality of the food and look to a higher standard for all of it.

Finally, the last thing I will miss about my time aboard is the opportunity to travel to different countries in Europe. Since I have been here, I was able to see various landmarks and places that I had dreamed of visiting and had seen often in photos. I haven’t been able to see everything I want yet, but I hope that I will be able to visit those places this summer when I am at Oxford. Good luck on your finals H-SC and have a great summer.