As the new year begins and I prepare to return to UNC, I hope to hold on to the memories, emotions, and growth that 2017 brought. As the saying goes... new year, new me... or I maybe just - new year, same me but with a new mindset?

It's really happening... The moment I havent stopped talking about for the past three months is finally here. Tomorrow I will be heading to Quito, Ecuador where I will begin my semester abroad. I will be spending the next four months in Ecuador; one month in Quito and the following three in the Galapagos Islands.

I’ve been home for about two weeks now and while I am so happy to be surrounded by my friends and family (and back in 70 degree weather), I sure do miss Dublin! For those of you studying abroad in Dublin, or planning on visiting the country, I thought I would share my ultimate Ireland bucket list!

Heritage Card

Going abroad means meeting new people. You can’t avoid it, even though sometimes you might want to. On my first day in New Zealand, I met over twenty new people because I met all the other American students in my program, plus my flatmates. That was way too much for me and I felt exhausted afterwards. As a result, I ended up pulling back for the next few days.

I had heard a lot about how for a lot of study-abroad students, the real culture shock doesn’t set in until reentry. I didn’t think this would be the case for me; what could possibly shock me about my own country?

Just as they had warned, I really did have an abrupt awakening upon reentry. Perhaps it was just the taxing nature of traveling halfway across the world, but arriving in an American airport was a culture shock and a half.

Everyone told me that going abroad would change me in some profound way. They said that I’d return to the U.S. a completely different person. Well, I’ve been home for a while now, and I still feel like the same person. I don’t think New Zealand changed me as completely and profoundly as they said it would.

By the time I left New Zealand, I felt ready to go home. I’d been out of the country for 5 months- more time away from the U.S. than all my previous international trips combined. I was excited to return home and be in a familiar setting. But it was sad to leave behind my new friends in Auckland. Now that I’m gone, I miss the little things about New Zealand.

I miss the rain.

Right after classes had officially ended, and before exams started, Madison (another IES Abroad Student) and I decided to plan a trip to Australia.  

Before trips like this, I like to give myself overarching goals that I want to accomplish while I’m away, or at least set a direction for myself in what the trip is for. Going to Korea in the summer, my main goal was to become comfortable with traveling by myself, which included being able to handle travel logistics as well as being okay with spending time alone exploring new places.

I haven’t pulled the suitcases out of the closet yet, but I’ve been mentally ‘packing’ for months—debating what to bring, what to leave, and how to make it all fit. Salamanca, where I’ll be studying, will have temperatures from 50-70 during my time there, and I want to travel other places on the weekends. My packing also has to accommodate my eclectic style, which ranges from floor length floral dresses to leather jackets and Dr. Martens. And who knows what clothes and souvenirs I’ll find abroad that will need a way to come home with me!