June 13th...
2:45pm...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!!! I wanted to let you know I am thinking about you, thousands of feet in the air and on the way to where our ancestors originated from. I'll be sure to drink a pint of "the black stuff" for you!
This is surreal. I am currently flying in a big, green plane with a shamrock on the side, and it is taking me to a place that I have dreamed of seeing since I was a little girl. It's a place that I never thought I'd actually get to see with my own eyes. In two hours, I will be in Dublin, Ireland. This can't really be happening. I would ask the man sitting next to me to pinch my arm so that I wake up, but I don't anticipate that going too well. So to save myself from another strange look (you think I'd be used to them after being in Finland a month), I'll just continue dreaming.
When I made my plans for the summer, this trip was not included even in my wildest dreams. I have about 11 days between my study abroad in Jyvaskyla and Seoul, and I would have been perfectly content staying in Finland during that time. A few weeks ago I had heard some of my friends here talking about how cheap it would be to fly to London from Finland using a discount airline that flies only to and from selective locations. I thought I'd give it a looksie and discovered that it was in fact as cheap as they described. I began to deliberate this idea and talk with others about it. In doing so, I convinced a girl from Canada named Tracey that we should really take advantage of this opportunity together. After all, to fly to the UK from North America is way beyond my financial means. Over a week of going over and over the costs (the Jack Lemmon side of me was coming out again), we decided that we were going to do it! England here we come! We sat down at computers right next to each other, chose our flight, and just as we were getting ready to press "confirm", I told her I wanted to check one thing first. I looked at another site and found that we could fly to Dublin for the same price. I kind of looked at her from the corner of my eye and made this suggestion, hoping she'd feel the same way. She just looked at me with wide eyes and we said, "Let's do it. We're going to Ireland!".
Ever since that moment I have talked endlessly to these people here about how excited I am. My family ancestry is very important to me; an interest that was inspired by my dad. So much research has been done to learn about the Keegan's that originally landed at Ellis Island many years ago, and the fact that I am only moments away from the land they originated from is overwhelming. Ireland is where my roots began and the Irish traditions are what I was raised upon, which is why this trip and this moment holds so much meaning. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world right now and I'm truly grateful for all the people back home who have supported me and continue to support me while I take part in this journey. Even though I don't have you here to share this with, knowing you are all back home and you care is what heightens all of these moments.
3:20pm...
I am completely exhausted, but I can't sleep! I stayed awake with my summer school friends until 3am, and then took a "taksi" at 5am. I am running on pure adrenaline and excitement! Can't this plane go any faster?! I think I'm going to make a request to the pilot...
1:46 (Dublin time)
A thought just occurred to me...I'm going to experience darkness tonight! Woohoo!
2:45pm...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!!! I wanted to let you know I am thinking about you, thousands of feet in the air and on the way to where our ancestors originated from. I'll be sure to drink a pint of "the black stuff" for you!
This is surreal. I am currently flying in a big, green plane with a shamrock on the side, and it is taking me to a place that I have dreamed of seeing since I was a little girl. It's a place that I never thought I'd actually get to see with my own eyes. In two hours, I will be in Dublin, Ireland. This can't really be happening. I would ask the man sitting next to me to pinch my arm so that I wake up, but I don't anticipate that going too well. So to save myself from another strange look (you think I'd be used to them after being in Finland a month), I'll just continue dreaming.
When I made my plans for the summer, this trip was not included even in my wildest dreams. I have about 11 days between my study abroad in Jyvaskyla and Seoul, and I would have been perfectly content staying in Finland during that time. A few weeks ago I had heard some of my friends here talking about how cheap it would be to fly to London from Finland using a discount airline that flies only to and from selective locations. I thought I'd give it a looksie and discovered that it was in fact as cheap as they described. I began to deliberate this idea and talk with others about it. In doing so, I convinced a girl from Canada named Tracey that we should really take advantage of this opportunity together. After all, to fly to the UK from North America is way beyond my financial means. Over a week of going over and over the costs (the Jack Lemmon side of me was coming out again), we decided that we were going to do it! England here we come! We sat down at computers right next to each other, chose our flight, and just as we were getting ready to press "confirm", I told her I wanted to check one thing first. I looked at another site and found that we could fly to Dublin for the same price. I kind of looked at her from the corner of my eye and made this suggestion, hoping she'd feel the same way. She just looked at me with wide eyes and we said, "Let's do it. We're going to Ireland!".
Ever since that moment I have talked endlessly to these people here about how excited I am. My family ancestry is very important to me; an interest that was inspired by my dad. So much research has been done to learn about the Keegan's that originally landed at Ellis Island many years ago, and the fact that I am only moments away from the land they originated from is overwhelming. Ireland is where my roots began and the Irish traditions are what I was raised upon, which is why this trip and this moment holds so much meaning. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world right now and I'm truly grateful for all the people back home who have supported me and continue to support me while I take part in this journey. Even though I don't have you here to share this with, knowing you are all back home and you care is what heightens all of these moments.
3:20pm...
I am completely exhausted, but I can't sleep! I stayed awake with my summer school friends until 3am, and then took a "taksi" at 5am. I am running on pure adrenaline and excitement! Can't this plane go any faster?! I think I'm going to make a request to the pilot...
1:46 (Dublin time)
A thought just occurred to me...I'm going to experience darkness tonight! Woohoo!
No comments:
Post a Comment