La última blog post…
I officially leave Spain in a week and a day. You know how
people tell you that time flies and you nod your head in agreement but don’t
truly believe them? Well, I won’t be doing that again; they are completely
correct. Before I continue my sentimentality, I want to write a bit about my
Ireland adventure…it deserves the time and space.
If I had to describe Ireland in three words, which would I
choose? Hospitable, rugged, and wet. *laughs* Wet might be an understatement.
We arrived in Dublin at 12:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, having caught a plane
with my friend Rebekah’s brother, John. I met Rebekah in church, and when I
asked her where good places to stay in Dublin were (she is from Ireland), she
told me to stay with her family! So Sarah and I get there in the early morning,
and food has been left out for us. Let me tell you, that was our
Wednesday/Thursday/Friday morning; the family fed us breakfast, offered us tea,
and saved us dinner. They were truly the most hospitable family that I’ve met
in my life, and it both floored me and challenged me to live in a similar
manner.
When we woke up Wednesday morning, we officially met Vinny,
a student in his late 20s who is studying for a master’s in chaplaincy. Vinny
has been living with this family on and off for months, because he lives across
the country. Instead of going home each week, they let him live there (wasn’t
kidding about hospitality!). He was heading back to Galway, but he offered to
show us around Dublin and proceeded to do so for the next three hours. And when
he heard that we were bound for Galway during the weekend, he volunteered to
show us around. Irish hospitality=inescapable.
Where does “wet” come in? Wednesday it poured for about 10
hours straight, with winds that turned your umbrella inside out just to laugh
at you. We more or less acclimated to the wet clothes/shoes and visited the
Guinness Factory, did a bit of shopping, drank lots of coffee, and went swing
dancing! So so fun…now I’ve danced in Spain, France, and Ireland. Approve.
After another day of touring, we went down to Galway; Vinny
made good on his promise. What a sweet, sweet man. He took time out of both
Friday and Saturday to show us the cathedrals, take us to coffee, drive us out
to the rugged land of Connemara, dedicate a song to us in an Irish pub, read us
poetry, and just share life with us.
This deserves pages, but I can’t adequately describe it now, so I’ll
leave it at the fact that God truly blessed us through him.
We also went on a day tour of the countryside, and I was
floored. I chose “rugged” because while there are portions of Ireland that are
pastoral, my favorite parts were undoubtedly the coasts, the hills with jagged
rocks, the ocean crashing against my beloved lighthouse…*nods* It was incredible.
Also, I have to give a shoutout to the most PRECIOUS B&B
ever. Roncanalli House, run by a 70+ year old couple, was the cutest little
place with lovely food, cheery rooms, and just a sense of peace surrounding it.
The man would walk around the house singing, and the woman, Carmel, was as
sweet as her name. *smiles*
Everything couldn’t be perfect, though—that’s not fair,
right? *laughs* Sarah and I got SICK—we had a long day of traveling
interspersed with more rain and a bus breaking down at 12:30 a.m….didn’t get
home until 8:00 a.m. By that time, neither of us could hear a thing; when we
went to the doctor, we found out that we both had ear infections. She has
bronchitis, and we both have pink eye. Ha. TOTALLY worth it. I’d do it again in
a heartbeat.
Now I’m leaving Spain…a month ago I thought I was ready for
it. However, now the language is beginning to flow, and I’ve developed in my
character. I’ll risk more, ask more questions, be the fool in order to get
things done. Now I speak Spanish with my dear friend Manu, who is so patient
with me as I ask him countless Spanish grammar questions. I’m realizing that
while I still am yearning to go home, this has become a home to me as well (I
NEVER thought I’d say that—I was a Sevilla hater for the longest time =P). It’s
going to be hard, guys. Really, really hard.
On the bright side, I’m excited to see everyone in a week and a day...