I’ve only been studying abroad in Ireland for a little over a week, but I already have routines that come to me as easily as breathing. It feels like just yesterday that I was exploring my town on google earth and now it feels like I’ve lived here forever. Sometimes I think that I’m dreaming, but then I remember that rain doesn’t feel this cool or refreshing in my mind. Five months can seem like an eternity to study abroad, but then it feels like too short a time to experience everything this place has to offer.

Even though my mind is full of contradictions, I can definitely say that these are the top 10 things I love about Castleisland:

1. My host family and how the refer to me as ‘love’
2. The short walk to school that wakes me up in the morning and gives me energy after a long day at school
3. School that starts at 9:00, so I can get 8 hours of sleep even if I go to bed at 11
4. How the grass, in fact all plant life, is a vibrant green
5. The roaring fire in our living room every night
6. The candy shops with old-fashioned wood shelves filled with jars of candy that you can order by weight
7. A 45 minute lunch break with plenty of time to head into town and chat with friends
8. Soaps (the shows, not the cleaning kind) that everyone avidly watches
9. The tea, and the electric kettle that has hot water ready in just a few minutes
10.  The rain! Yes, I even love waking up to and walking through a slight mist almost every day

Read more about Emily’s time in Ireland on her blog…