Mermaid on Land

There is an Irish proverb that says, “Your feet will take you where your heart is.” My feet took me to Ireland and that is where a piece of my heart will remain.  My 10-day break came and went marking the halfway point of my semester abroad. I’ve left my heart in so many places: with the victims of Auschwitz-Birkenau, in the canals of Venice, on the streets of Prague, atop the mountains of Salzburg, and now a huge part of my heart remains on the edge of the Cliffs of Moher, walking along Salthill Promenade, and singing along to Galway Girl in an Irish Pub. There are no words to describe the joy and peace that Ireland brought me. I didn’t think it was possible to feel so at home in a place so foreign. The homey feeling had to do with more than things like the use of ice in water and Coke or being able to read road signs and menus (I’ve never appreciated the English language so much). It’s the affectionate demeanor of the Irish people and the loveliness of the Irish landscape.