Day One: What time is it anyway?

After almost 24 hours of travel, the group made it to Ireland. We landed in the Dublin airport and met up with our driver, John, who took us to Belfast. After some time in the car we made it to Belfast and started our tour of Belfast with Lowell. The group was pretty jet lagged but we had a great time learning about Northern Ireland and the general history of Ireland as a whole.

Followed by the amazing tour by Lowell, we took a break at the hotel and talked for a bit before going to mass at St. Malacky's. The mass was short but sweet - it was just the right amount of time for us because we all were very hungry after our long day. After the mass we looked for a place to eat dinner, starting with a restaurant called Chubby Cherub. Chubby Cherub didn't have the resources needed to accommodate our family of 8 so we went to Tony Macaroni instead. The drinks and food were good and the atmosphere was nice. Coming back to the hotel after a long day is really nice but it is a little trippy that its only 2:45 pm Omaha time.

Although the day felt a little unreal due to the lack of sleep I got, it gave me the opportunity to think for a while. It's interesting the way that people move and form communities. This made me think about how my ancestors moved and found community in another country entirely. Being immersed in Irish culture has made me realize how disconnected I am from my identity. I am really looking forward to learning more and hopefully taking some of these Irish customs and traditions back home with me.

So grateful for this opportunity and more content to come!

Love,

Rowan