When I first came here, there was so much that I wanted to do that I felt directionless. Four years ago, I had a phone that wasn’t WiFi capable and it was my first time traveling without family members. Now, I have Google Maps in my palm and, still, the impossible desire to see absolutely everything (everything accessible by bus route, at least). So my time here will last for a few days extra, and instead of boarding the bus to Dublin in the early morning of July 31st, I’ll head to Belfast.
I’ve learned how to figure it out this month. Where am I sleeping tonight? I’ll figure it out. How do I get to this city? I’ll figure it out.What will I do with myself once I’m there? Let me wander around and figure it out. I’m not so overwhelmed by the directionless-ness this time. Sure, having constant connection to the internet helps, but it also helps that I’m not the total weenie I was four years ago. I can do these things.
And to get sappy, I’m very proud of all the students. They’ve delivered an intense amount of work in a short amount of time. I feel as though every one of them is ready to present in front of an esteemed audience of writers and scholars. I’ll miss those of us who aren’t traveling back to Baltimore, and hope they can visit in November when we do all this again at the Maryland Irish festival. My door is open to y’all.
Armagh Project 2016 