3,743 miles is the distance from my small, hometown of Dubuque, Iowa with a population of 58,276 to the big city of Dublin, Ireland with a population of 527,612.

Jan. 1, 2019--I began a New Year with a new adventure. This Spring semester I am blessed with the opportunity to study abroad in Dublin, Ireland, work in an internship at the YMCA, and most importantly study at the Institute of Art Design and Technology in Dun Laoghaire. But I wouldn't be boarding a plane at 8:30 p.m., if it wasn't for those back in Dubuque.

Yes, Mom and Dad I have landed, I am safe, and I am happy.

To everyone. Hi. I miss y'all. It's crazy to think that I have so many people supporting me from all over the place. Never have i felt so much love, support, and reassurance. Without all of you, I truly wouldn't be sitting in an apartment in Dublin, Ireland writing this. But I have learned this is an adventure I need to be on. I owe it to myself and all those who got me here to soak up every moment, opportunity, and experience Since landing, we have been on the move exploring our new home away from home and trying to fight off jet lag.

Leaving was the hardest part. Besides trying to fit five months of clothes and shoes into a fifty pound suitcase and carry-on, fear of missing out scared me more than anything. So all y'all back home, I appreciate being in the loop (snaps, texts, Facetimes, updates are loved even with the six hour time difference.) As my bud John Green said in one of my favorite books, Papertowns, "It is so hard to leave until you leave. and then it is the easiest thing in the world." And I am finding that to be true. I mean who wants to leave friends and family for five whole months? A friend of mine told me before I left that this was my time though. I needed to be selfish (crazy right?) and do my own thing. Even with limited communications, I wasn't completely out of communication. My friends, my people, my family would still be there when I returned. I am striving off of that advice. So thank you for the comfort, the reassurance. I don't think you will fully understand what that means to me.

I found this passage before I left and I think it perfectly encompasses how I felt before boarding a plane: leaving everything I knew to experience everything I have yet to know.

" I'm homesick for places I haven't yet been, My eyes crave the beauty of sights I've not seen, Places unpronounceable are calling my name, A fire I can't see warms me with its flame, My feet walk the same path when I leave and come home, Where once there was nothing I've worn down a track, And my ears they get tired of the same tune, Where street lights are so bright I can't see the moon, I'm homesick for places away from my own, Where the people are friendly and my name is not known, You can tell me I'm crazy but I'll never forget, I'm homesick for places I haven't been yet. " -e.h.

Don't get my wrong: I love my hometown, I love my home, my friends, my family, and Loras College. But something was missing, I longed for adventure, curiosity, the opportunity to explore a place that wasn't my own. I longed to be a stranger, try new foods, explore new towns, and grow on my own.

My goal is to leave my mark in this world. Will that mark be made in Dublin, Ireland? Maybe? Maybe not? That, I am not completely sure of. It could be, or it might not. But i do know this adventure is going to give me the courage to find what that mark is.

So Dublin, Ireland and then the world: Maddie is coming for ya.

P.S. To everyone back home in Dubuque, Iowa, I want to say a few things:

-I know it's going to be really tricky, but try not to miss me too much ;)

-I love you and miss you but five months will go by in a blink of an eye.

-Thirdly, go raibh maith agat. This means Thank You!!!! in Gaelic. I am so overwhelmed by all the well wishes I have received. They truly mean the world to me. See you soon!

Slàinte (cheers)! to all the adventures ahead.