It's both a blessing and a curse here, and nonetheless something that is unavoidable.
When going somewhere new and strange, it is hard to not resort to seeing everything in terms of how you've seen things before. Each place, each person, each object, being reduced down to familiar things.
So far in Ireland, this rings true.
The curse of it is that familiarity makes it difficult to experience the pure essence of it all. Walking down the streets, houses aren't simply Irish houses, but building which maintain a certain sense of a place I've been before. Classmates aren't simply who they are, but act and look just like someone I know from home.
This approach to things robs it of it's individuality.
At the same time though, it gives a sense of comfort here. When it really hits me that I'm in Ireland, those are the times that familiar images become more numerous.
Yesterday, it really hit me. As I traveled through the countryside of Ireland to visit Dublin, everything could be reduced down. The flat farmland made me think of driving through Ohio with Emily as we traveled up to see Billy. The rolling hills in the background reminded me of traveling through Kentucky and Tennessee to go to Florida on family vacation. As we stood on top of the Guinness Storehouse in Gravity Bar, the city looked like Newport or Covington. Government buildings bear images reminiscent of the State Capitol, the Courthouse, and others. People on the streets look like those I know.
Most things are not seen as they simply are.
It is interesting because I've yet to be reminded of close objects or people. No house makes me think of my house. No person looks or acts like my parents, my siblings, my close friends and family members. Those people maintain their individuality at home and abroad. By knowing their real personalities and looks, both in and out, it makes them irreplaceable and unfindable within these European limits.
At the same time, those are the things and people I miss most from home. If familiarity brings a sense of comfort, why am I not comforted by similar images and experiences of these things? I think it is because no matter how much time I spend here, how many great experiences I have, or how much I learn, this place will never be home to me.
Yesterday Phillip and I had a great time in the city of Dublin, roaming around, finding monuments, churches, and other important places. We had three perfectly poured Guinnesses between the two of us, ate horse at a street market, and stumbled upon a Trad Fest. We ate traditional Irish food for dinner and saw a full moon. It as a wonderful day trip and we want to visit the city again before we go home, but it is good enough at that: a mini-vacation. I'd never want to stay in Dublin, Limerick, or any other part of of Europe. It doesn't keep my family, my friends, even my dog close enough to me.
They say home is where the heart is. Although my heart is here, having the time of my life and living on my own, my heart is also at home too. I plan on enjoying these next four months, but I will most certainly return home.
Phillip and I at Gravity Bar at the Guinness Storehouse overlooking Dublin.
Lovely hat!
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