I'm baaaack!

So I’ve been back in the States for almost three days now, and a few things are really starting to make me aware how far away I’ve been. And realize that I actually lived in another country, on my own, for a solid four months.
This blog covers the first 24 hours of my assimilation back into my previous, American life…

When I first got here, I was greeted at the airport by just my dad, standing at the security gate with his khaki pants and bright yellow shirt. I seriously wanted to drop all my luggage and race up to hug him, but I contained myself for the awkwardly long walk down the ramp and picked up my pace to a fast-paced gallop. Mall walker style. haha.

I then gave my dad the biggest, most epic hug of my life. I was overcome with emotion. I had missed him so much! I hadn’t had a dad hug in a whole semester and even a skype chat is nothing compared to a good dad hug.

I then turned around to find my mother and sister sitting in the terminal, staring out the window waiting for me to arrive. They hadn’t realized my plane had come in yet :)

So, I snuck up behind them and we shared a three-way hug incomparable to any other. It’s like being reunited with my best friends. Perhaps because they are, haha.
We hugged about four more times, then I wasn’t quite sure what to say/do. Mostly because mom was crying like a crazy fool (in the best way) and my sister and I could do nothing except for exchange glances that read “oh mom, typical”. I could have told you that would happen, though :)

After collecting my baggage and leaving the airport, I was overwhelmed and confused and felt a little out of place. Where do I begin? Do I tell them about the crazy friends I’d made in the airport that day? Do I talk in more detail of my travels through Europe? Do I start with Day 1 and tell them everything?

We had been facebooking/skyping throughout my entire journey, but it felt so different to tell them everything in person.

Then again, it felt sort of like I’d never left. It was much easier to slip into my family role, even easier than coming back to visit after my first month in college.

Perhaps it was because I had left and returned so many times before. Or because I’m much more sure of myself now, and I have a firmer grasp on who I am in and out of my family, that I’m able to stay constant whether I am with my family or not. I don’t know if that makes sense, but this whole experience is rather difficult to describe.

Kelly and Dad and I chatted on the way home about all the things I hadn’t had the chance to catch them up on yet. We went into detail about the friends I’d made, my trip to Scotland, and all the “everyday” sorts of things about Ireland that I really didn’t notice until I was talking to people who had never been there before.

We came home and I just couldn’t stop talking. I was so excited to be back (it canceled out the jet-lag until about 8:00 pm when I wanted to DIE) and it was so nice to be in our own home. We ordered pizza and made salads and I got to ride in Kelly’s car with her. Gaah I missed that girl! She’s grown up so much since I left, it seems, and she’s got so much more of her life figured out. It’s crazy! I’m so proud and excited for her!

We spent the rest of the evening talking about Ireland and all the funny things that happened with my friends and I. It’s so different to be back and not have anyone know the full details of all the happenings of our Dublin spring semester. So bizarre.

We then baked cookies (a favorite sisterly bonding activity between Kelly and I) and drank tea and chatted some more about Ireland.

By about 10:00 pm I was beyond tired (the kind of tired where you slur your words and say things that don’t make sense) so I retired to my bed for a long, epic night of sleep.

I forgot how comfortable my bed was! And I had cleaned and re-arranged my room before I left so it was a nice little treat to conk out and go to bed.

Oh, and did I mention? Kelly left me a number of Charleston travel brochures on my bed, along with a praline from downtown, as a welcome home present! She’s so cute!
I hope she and I will get to do some traveling together! We live in such a beautiful, historic city, and we’ve never been tourists in our own hometown.

That’s something I’ll really miss about Europe is the ease of traveling and the unlimited sights to see! I plan to do much more traveling now that I’m home, even if that means a day trip to Charlotte, or a weekend in Myrtle Beach. Something to keep it interesting, and to make me realize how beautiful any place can be!

That sort of leads in to another blog post: all the things I’m going to miss about Ireland.
Stay tuned for that one, it'll be up soon :)

That's all for now!

Cheers!