How long have you been here, like?

Jana asks when I start to turn down the wrong street to get to the Post Office. The answer: two months. I have been in Ireland for two months. It's kinda weird that I can call Ireland my home, but that's what it is, and I love it here. It's grand. Getting to this point is another story though.

Usually, I'm not one to stress until the absolute last minute, I tend to let everyone else stress before me. But preparing for this semester was a whole new affair.

I actually turned in my application October 1, almost a month before the deadline, imagine. Then a month later I knew that i was accepted thanks to a forwarded email from my study abroad advisor, Amy, from UCC saying that they actually sent the packets the 18th. Awesome, I thought but where was it? For the next two weeks I was frantically asking mom every night if it came, worried that it probably did and it just got accidentally shoved someplace (like my governor's scholar information back in high school). I also kept hounding the Center of International Programs to see if another could be mailed to my campus address. Then a few days before leaving for Florida for Thanksgiving I got my acceptance packet! What a relief that was.

So I had tangible evidence that I was going to Ireland. The next thing that I had to focus my attention on was where to live. Basically for the remainder of the semester I was torn between living in an apartment--living with students my own age, tempting my luck with roommates, city location, buying food...-- or a homestay--living with a family, having my own room, commuting to school, having the luxury of breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday. I really wanted to do the home-stay but at the same time, I wanted to be with other students. Also after a study abroad meeting, the student with our group didn't even know what I was talking about, meaning that basically no one did that. However after basically EVERY one I talked to (teachers, family, friends) told me to do the home-stay, that's what I did. That and when I finally made up my mind, I was going to be in Ireland in ten days and by that point the good apartments would definitely no longer be available.

So it was all settled by Christmas. Really all that was left was approving classes, that I would do through email since I didn't get to it when i was at school. And packing, which no matter how much mom bothered me about it, i wouldn't start until the night before my flight.