The First Day

Well as my first day in Ireland comes to an end I think about the incredible time I've had already. It started off with my flight from Louisville, KY to Newark, NJ where I had a layover. Then boarded my plane for Belfast, Northern Ireland at 9:30pm and arrived at 9am. When we landed in Ireland I literally had to hold back tears because I was so overwhelmed with happiness. I couldn't believe I had finally made it.

To my surprise when I attempted to go through security apparently I did not have my Letter of Acceptance from St. Mary's and I was detained. Interestingly enough as I waited for about an hour to get my information verified I met a man who knew much about Kentucky and Centre College. We talked about the debate and other known things about Centre. It was so refreshing to see even across the globe people still recognize my school for our achievements. After being released I had to wait about another hour for my ride to pick me up. We went from place to place picking up other Erasmus (international) students, their luggage, keys, and even the bank before I finally made it to my apartment. 

When I finally did make it after being worn out and jet lagged, I walked in to a sign my housemates had made saying "Welcome Elizabeth." It was the sweetest thing I could've had happen after such a long day. They also said they had been expecting me in the morning (as I did) and had made me toast for breakfast but it didn't keep all day. I was still shocked and overjoyed by their kindness. I then picked my room, got settled in, met a few other Erasmus students, and relaxed around the apartment with
my housemates for a while. Realizing even more how kind and sweet they all truly are. Plus they figured out how to get us free wifi and how couldn't you love someone for that? Later that evening we explored St. Mary's University and then picked up some beer and went over to another Erasmus students' apartments. One of the highlights of my night was introducing all my international friends to the infamous penis cards. It was a huge success. So as other students stopped by the tiny living room began to fill with people. Before I knew it, everyone was laughing and talking like we've known each other for months already. I knew then that this was going to be an incredible semester getting to know some very wonderful people. So we laughed and played drinking games all night. I taught them American ones and I learned some new Polish ones. It was truly a great night.

Even better I get to do it all again tomorrow at the Pub Crawl but on a larger scale with more amazing people for FREE. I can't believe how quickly we've all been getting along and getting to know each other. I honestly think this is one amazing group of students that I cannot wait to spend the next three months learning and growing with. 

Today has just solidified my excited for the whole semester and I couldn't of asked for a better first day. 

For now it's 1:38am in Belfast and this girl needs a lot of sleep for what tomorrow holds.