Welcome back to the Ireland Project Tower Blog! In case you weren’t aware…. we ARE the Ireland Project and we’ll be blogging once again about our Irish adventures so that those at home can follow along. Although, I’ll admit, not a lot of adventures are happening yet, unless you include adventures in packing. (AKA how am I going to fit all the sweaters I NEED into this suitcase?!?) Although Pennsylvania is decidedly grey and still covered in a foot of snow (it actually snowed here yesterday) my mind is already in Dublin, thinking endlessly about the (relatively) warm and the abundant green of the emerald isle.

Going to Ireland this year feels very different than it did last year. Instead of a first voyage, it’s a return, a home coming, a reunion. Instead of wondering how it will feel, I am nostalgically looking back on the places we saw last year and looking forward to visiting past haunts with an ache in my heart for the familiar. I almost cried yesterday thinking about Sweny’s Chemist. I think often of the people who I miss in Ireland. I salivate over the idea of Murphy’s ice cream. (On a side note, Murphy’s just got a new flavor…. Chocolate sorbet, made with distilled Irish rainwater…..yeah…..) But before all of the wonders of Ireland, a lot of less than fun preparation lies ahead of me, including a teeth cleaning today….the worst…

It seems also that a lot of us Ireland Project kids are doing Irish type things with our families, who knows why, to prepare for the trip. Is it to lessen the effects of culture shock? To bridge the gap between home and Ireland? I’m not sure, but what I do know is that we are listening to a lot of Irish music and we’re making corned beef, cabbage, and soda bread tomorrow, maybe you should to? Just saying corned beef is fantastic…Anyway, Happy early Saint Patrick’s Day to you all and I hope you’ll join us for the rest of our adventure!