A Dream Between Europe and the States

      Although I have not been to the Outer Banks, N.C. in quite some time, I still carry the memory of that one vacation with me always. It was such a great time to be with friends and family, even if the time was short. I can still remember the grainy sand between my toes, the sun burning my back to a lobster red (not to mention the awkward white lines that ended up being on my skin because of my friend not rubbing the sunscreen lotion in.) and the soothing sound of the waves hitting the beach. All of this and more make this place in North Carolina a perfect spot for a get-away.

      All of these factors, however, are not the only moments I cherished. There was one afternoon where I sat in the sand, reading or listening to music. I took a long, hard glance at the ocean in front of me. My eyes wanted to penetrate the distance of that great body of water, but no matter how hard I tried, I knew it would never work. My mind still imagined it, though, as I recall thinking in that moment, There is another land, another world out there. Somewhere across this massive ocean, there are places I’ve always wanted to see. Maybe one day, somehow, I will be there, looking out at the ocean from the other side, knowing home is somewhere beyond.

      This is, I’m sure, one of many thoughts that could go through anyone’s minds. How we long to travel! How we wish to see the world! Sometimes, dreaming is the only way to make it real.

      In my case, dreaming was the only way to make it not only real, but actually possible. Yes, I can say this with confidence, because I’ve had the privilege this year of making it all happen (of course, my parents definitely get most of the credit for making it a reality). In the middle of my spring semester, I went on a school trip that headed to Ireland. I know that one of my fantasies has always been to see that place with my own eyes. To be quite frank, I hardly believed that it was happening, but sure enough, I was on that plane and was soon landing in Dublin.

      Now I could go on talking about all the fantastic things I got to do and got to see, but I feel like the most important thing for me to say now is this: I felt at home. Granted, their accents were sometimes a bit too thick for me to know every word they spoke, or that I actually got lost in Dublin. The thing is I have a lot of Irish background in my family. As much as there is all English in me, the Irish is pretty big too; going to that place made me feel like I was discovering a part of my past, a part of my family line. This isn’t to say that I actually found out anything about my family (in fact, one of the Irish names that I know is in my family has probably been long gone from that island for some time). What’s important is that, every time the classic Irish music was played, every time I drank tea in the morning, every time I walked into an old monastery, I became alive.

      Needless to say that eventually, those 10 days ended and I found myself back at school, my whole spring break used up. Whereas a lot of other students came back refreshed, ready to kick the rest of the semester off, I was getting rid of jetlag, not ready to do anymore work, or run around the campus to classes.

      I don’t regret the trip. Even if I was sorely tired when I returned to the States, I wouldn’t change any of my decisions. Going to Ireland was not only a wish come true, but a step out of my comfort zone. We all need those moments in our lives. We need to not be afraid of the ‘what if’s when we are uncertain what making a particular decision will cost us. I had every single ‘what if’ before I signed the papers for that trip. What if I can’t afford it? What if I use up a precious break without my family? What if I lose my passport and Euros before I get there? What if, what if, what if, it doesn’t matter! Just do it! Yes, there will come times where you must consider deeply what it will cost to make a choice like that, but sometimes we miss a big opportunity because of it. I probably won’t be making another big trip for a while, but I’ll be content with what I’ve got. Besides, I still need to work on my giant scrapbook to put all of my pictures from Ireland in and I’ve got to finished eating the Irish Whiskey Fudge I bought!