As always i was a little hesitant to take so much time away from work. My mom was always a stickler for instilling a strong work ethic into me. But I was confident in my coworkers that they would be able to rock the claims department while I was on this 30 day adventure.
Being at home drove me a little crazy at first. It took me a few days to realize I didn’t have to cram all the things I wanted or needed to do into the first week. So I took a lot of naps and it was awesome. I also spent a lot of time with my mom. Since we both work two jobs and I have roller derby practice I miss a lot quality time with her. It was really nice.
As the trip to Ireland drew closer I grew more and more nervous. I didn’t know a lot of people that were going and I was essentially going across the world with a lot of strangers. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I really didn’t have anything to worry about. Everyone on the trip was so welcoming I felt I was among a temporary family. Many of them had been on the trip before and didn’t hesitate on filling me in.
Arriving in Ireland was a mix of things I expected and was blown away by. It is just as green as everyone says. They build their architecture into nature. There are also acres of emerald pastures between towns. They have quite a few local dairy and strawberry farms so if you have butter or strawberry jam at the table you can bet it’s local and fresh. Th Irish people also love tourists. They welcome people into their towns with welcoming arms. The food is amazing the really enjoy eating so they take time to make the food and enjoy it. We got explore a few Ireland staples. Hookhead Lighthouse was my favorite. Its right next to the ocean so we were able to take a lot of wonderful shots depicting the countryside and the Irish Sea.
While the touring had been amazing, I was absolutely looking forward to the kids camp we were leading. This was also a little nerve racking. I had been in charge of kids at a camp before but this situation felt a little different. Once again I was worried for nothing. The kids were fantastic. My team was made up of 11-12 year old girls. and not to be biased but our team was the best. The camp was western themed and our team name was Sacajawea. I got a lot of questions about the differences I noticed about Ireland vs America. Most of them were about food; chips and candy ect. Turns out they don’t have Jolly Ranchers over there and I was made to promise to bring some if I return next year. Which I will defiantly think about. The kids really enjoyed the lessons taught throughout the different stations. One of my favorites was the lesson about watching what you say because your words have the power to hurt others. The kids favorite station was silly games. It was hard at first to get them to open up but by the end of the week they were having a ball and making new friends. They also help me realize it’s okay to be a little silly even though I’m technically a ‘grown-up’. I also learned a lot about patience. Wrangling 20 girls to any one place is hard work but they were great kids.