Walking through United States customs, looking out of the glass at the gate in Dublin airport terminal two, sitting on the Aer Lingus plane, ready for take off. I can't help but get a little chocked up. Every time I leave Ireland it reminds me of the first time all over again. Although no morning at the airport will be as emotional as the morning we moved, there is still always something that brings back that sinking feeling in my gut. When will I be back in Ireland again? What will change between now and then? When will I see my best friend again? Or my grandparents? Or my cousins? When will I get to eat my next Kearns' sausage?

I always try to fight back the tears because I feel like I should be okay with it all by now. I'm supposed to be "strong" and be excited to head back to good ole 'Merica. But no one ever really, gets over, leaving the place they grew up, do they? Don't get me wrong, it does get some what easier as the years go on, but I'll never be completely numb to that feeling when I look down from the airplane window and see Dublin bay and all the different shades of green fields fade into the distance.

For such a small little country, the impact it can leave on you is big! Maybe I'm being biased, but I truly think Ireland is the best country in the world! The way of life, the culture. Everyone is so down to earth, we definitely know how to have a good time, everyone is always up for a laugh, and there's a homey feeling like everyone had known each other for years or at least acts like it! And don't even get my started on the food! Whether it's a home cooked Sheppard's pie or Sunday roast, or a battered sausage or a 3-in-1, Ireland wins every time! These little things add to just how hard that goodbye is every single time!

And of course there's one main reason that my family and I get that heavy-hearted feeling when making our way through the airport. Family and friends. What can I say? Imagine saying goodbye for months, maybe even years, to the people you used to see every single day. Who all of your life long memories are with and who really shaped you into the person you are today.

It's stressful trying to see everyone, in what's usually a decently short amount of time. But you so desperately try to see them all as much as you possibly can to make up for lost times. So many pictures are taken, you blow up your Snapchat, and your Facebook friends probably want to block you by the end of the holiday! But you're so glad you have all of those pictures and videos to look over on that long plane ride back to the States! They make you laugh for the first time all morning.

With all of this being said, and as hard as the goodbyes are when leaving Ireland, it's something that my family and I have accepted and learned to deal with. My granny always says, right before I leave to head back to America, that at least we aren't living in the times of an American wake. For anyone who doesn't know what an American wake is, I'll explain. In the early and mid 1900's, when people would leave Ireland in search for a better life in the United States, their friends and family would throw a big party for them and call it a wake, comparing it to the wake at a funeral. Most people back then went to America and never came back, and of course it was the early 1900's so you could say goodbye to the idea of phone calls or texts across the Atlantic. Basically moving to America meant you never saw your loved ones ever again. My granny is right though. Things could be so much worse. Alright the goodbyes to Ireland can be, well shit to be honest, we have phones, we have WhatsApp, we have FaceTime, and sometimes all you need is a good long chat with home if you're ever feeling homesick from the lovely fair city of Dublin.