Apparently, not all colleges have fall break. Lucky for me, Wellesley does. So when I found round-trip flights back to Belfast for $200 during my break, I just went for it. I think that is one of the things I learned during my year abroad: travelling does not have to be something you do only during long vacations. If you can fit the trip into your life, it’s honestly worth it to make it work.
I almost didn’t go through with it though. I believe I mentioned on my last vlog that I had midterms going on. I was not exaggerating. I thought maybe it would be a better idea to stay and work on my midterms, maybe get ahead with some of my readings. But then one of my best friends (who is from Slovenia) told me she booked tickets to Belfast for the same dates. Decision made; I was going to Belfast.
Arriving in Northern Ireland get like coming home. I did not realise just how much I missed this place until I was there. I was expecting to feel slightly uncomfortable since most of my friends graduated or went back to their home countries, but I cannot pinpoint a single time where I did not feel like I was meant to be there. Seeing my friend was incredible, and meeting new people was crazy fun.
I also managed to keep up with midterms. I was pretty nervous about that, but that’s another thing I got really good at during my year abroad: balancing life and school, travels and school. My friends were also really understanding about me spending hours at coffee houses working on papers, sometimes joining me and listening to me read what I had out loud, which I apparently do often when proofreading.
Leaving was sad, but I now understand that distance is not as big a problem as it seems to us. If there is a will, there is a way. I probably won’t be back all that often, but Belfast feels like home, and I can’t imagine not making an effort.
Catch me in Slovenia sometime soon.