Ireland

things I will miss:

-the accents
-people talk slower, include more details, and expect you to listen-- not so much catering to short attention spans and busy schedules
-life is less fast- paced, in general
-the phraseology, particularly "how's the craic?"
-common courtesy is the norm
-Irish time
-most everything being poorly run
-eating big carrots in my apartment
-people are laid back-- stress is not a way of life
-random castles all over the place, particularly in fields of grazing cattle
-crazy weather
-Saturday market
-the man who makes the doughnuts at the Saturday market
-pints of Bulmer's cider
-a huge selection of Cadbury creations
-my favorite cereal from Tesco
-raiding Tesco's "Reduced to Clear" sections
-the air
-Supermac's: 99s, observing the drunken antics that occur there on a nightly basis
-the people
-good nights in my room, laughing/bemoaning the shitty internet with my roommate
-The Quays
-long walks
-picturing my location, and realizing that I'm a tiny dot on an island
-shitty roads
-nights on the town
-random late- night meetings
-quick friendships that are no less genuine for being made in haste
-the horrible walk to campus
-craziness in Gort na Coiribe
-the way the seasons change; it's different than at home-- so much more sudden and sort of unpredictable
-having to turn on the boost and wait an hour before taking a shower
-trying to make the most out of every last euro
-realizing that I've actually gotten to know a lot of people, both Irish and American-- saying hi to people on the sidewalks
-being asked for directions
-fruit & veg stands, and the man who sells the fruit & veg
-watching the city transform along with the weather
-living in a country so small that it only has zip codes in the biggest city
-free time
-panic is not normalized
-Charlie Byrne's book store
-bakeries
-it being normal/acceptable to have a pint in the afternoon
-Irish stereotypes that ring true (read: old men who live in the pub)
-watching rugby games in pubs
-once again: the people
-the Circle of Death
-enduring shitty lectures
-less daily interaction with technology-- especially phones
-walking everywhere
-feeling good
-not having to explain one's self, not having to always be doing something 'productive', "just havin' a laugh"
-lying in the grass by the Spanish Arch
-the view from my window