Dingle 11: Home at last and a celebration of fellowship

 Saturday July 20 Jarret Muzzy - The Journey Home after Time Well Spent

        At last, the day finally came that we had to head home. Many were excited to be going home. Getting to family and friends, going back to work, sleeping in their own beds. Some were a little more reluctant to leave the Irish countryside. At least one wanted to stay and become a sheep farmer. Nevertheless, after two exciting weeks, it was time to leave. So, following a three hour bus ride, a seven hour plane flight, another four hour bus ride, and finally a thirty minute drive crammed in the backseat of a truck, I arrived back at the place I call home.
        Having been home for a couple of days now, I’ve been asked multiple times what my favorite part of the trip was. Some easy answers to give include the planned activities we did like sea kayaking, the Sea Safari, and deep-sea fishing. Though these are the answers I typically give, and yes, they were certainly great, I wouldn’t say they are what I will remember as being the best.
        In fact, the part of the trip I think I will miss the most is just about everything else. When I look back on this trip in 10 years, what I hope to remember are the feelings I had walking down the streets of Dingle, playing guitar on the lawn (though others may have differing opinions on just how memorable that was), those late night games of cards where we had way too many people to play the games right, accidentally making a pretty good Alfredo sauce with no guidance other than “use heavy cream and Parmesan”, watching hurling, Gaelic football, and the Euros in Paul Geaney’s Pub, introducing Grace (a seven year old who’s family stayed a couple nights at the hostel with us) to the game of baseball, and just getting to spend time with the rest of my classmates.
        Hopefully someday I will have the opportunity to return to Ireland. I am certainly going to miss those beautiful views the Irish countryside has to offer, all the kind people we met, Quesa Dave’s, and that cool summer air. But if I am never to return, I can gladly say that Ireland will forever hold a special place in my heart.