As of this Friday, I am back in America. Even though I've been wanting to be back for a while it’s been a very bittersweet experience. After a flight to Toronto and a 3-hour delayed flight to Philly, I landed at 7 p.m. Eastern Time (that's 11 p.m. in Dublin). Right after landing I got a taxi to Arcadia University where I go to school. Since I haven't seen some of my friends for almost a whole school year and Arcadia is closer than my home, it was easier to go to Arcadia than to go straight home.

Only a few people knew that I was coming back so I was able to surprise most of my friends especially since a lot of them were performing in the Knight Club show (a dance club performance) the night I got back to campus. It was great to be able to see everyone again and be able to surprise them all but honestly it was, and still is, very bittersweet.

Transitioning back has not been the easiest thing in the world. I'm still trying to get used to everything. I had just gotten used to how things worked in Dublin, and now I have to get used to America all over again.

I didn’t expect to go through culture shock with my own culture but it happened. I never realized the true and total differences between the two countries until I got back and felt like an almost foreigner. Being back feels like I just woke up from a dream and that none of it ever happened. Obviously, it did happen but transitioning so quickly hasn't really allowed me to accept that I am no longer in Dublin. I've lost count of a number of people who have asked me how it was and I've run out of ways to respond too. I haven't had the time to properly adjust back to American life and I really miss Ireland.

Ireland taught me to appreciate the beauty in the world even if it wasn't easy to find. I became more self-confident and proud of myself. I learned a whole new way of life and had so many experiences that can't just be summed up in single words like "fantastic" or "amazing". I appreciate everything so much more, even simple things like being able to buy donuts.

I’m so fortunate to have been able to participate in a study abroad experience and I wouldn’t change a single minute of it. I’m looking forward to the future and the possibilities that lie ahead. I will miss Ireland every day but I know that I will always have a home to go back to if I need it.