My first Week in Limerick
It took three flights and a whole day of travel to get to Limerick, Ireland. As our plane departed Newark airport, I looked back and saw New York City lit up like a Christmas tree and it hit me that this would be my first time being away from America and the farthest I have ever been from home. It was both exciting and terrifying. I am still in a state of disbelief that I actually made it here. I already miss my family so much that all I can think about is them coming to visit me. The first day I was here was rough because the Jet lag hit me hard and my unawareness of how to get around in this new city in this new country was daunting. It’s not hard to stick out like a sore thumb here and feel insecure about being an American, but the people could not be friendlier. Everyone I have met so far has been very kind and talkative with the ever charming Irish wit. I’ve been told that, like the people, the weather in Ireland is lazy and is slow to get going in the morning, which is true. It was still dark at eight in the morning, but it soon faded in to a pleasant blue and refreshing day, quickly followed by a lot of rain.
It feels like I have been awake for 48 hours straight and I am anxious to get past this slump so I can enjoy my surroundings even more and meet new people. I met quite a few at Mary Immaculate’s orientation and everyone is very nice and as excited to be here as I am. Tomorrow is the first Saturday I will be here and to start off the day I am getting up in the morning to go to the Limerick Milk Market which is an annual Limerick festival and I am going with some friends that I met yesterday.
I had my first fish and chips at the Milk market. I’ve heard that Limerick is the best place to get fish and chips and I don’t have any base for comparison, but I can say that it was delicious and made me feel very European. The festival was by a shopping center down town where I found clothes stores, book shops, restaurants, and more pubs. Out of the pubs that I have visited so far, Dolan’s is probably by favorite, but I also loved Fennessey’s. At Dolan’s you can get traditional Irish stew, burgers, and various other kinds of pub grub. I had the delicious seafood chowder and it was fantastic. At each pub, I had a pint of Guinness or “the black stuff” and it was enough to put me to sleep at the end of the day (still suffering from jet lag). Altogether, it was a pretty great first week in Ireland. I still cannot believe I am here and can’t wait to plan trips all over the country and to other countries. Everywhere I want to go in Ireland is only a few hours away from Limerick, which blows me away. I have already mapped out routes to Dublin, Cork, Clare, Mayo, Galway, and Dingle and have promised friends from home in Italy and Germany that I will see them soon. Also, “The Bank” is not a bank. Surprise! It’s a pub.
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