After Dublin, I headed to Kilkenny, a typical small Irish town southwest of Dublin with a castle and a lot of history. A few people asked me why I was going to Kilkenny. I guess it is expected that if American students are travelling to Ireland, they will spend their time in the big cities (or in the pubs of the big cities). Oh, stereotypes. I did not want that at all. I wanted to get a good overview of Ireland, her people, her landscape, and her history, which seemed to surprise some people (which is a little sad, I think). Anyway, I headed south to Kilkenny, and I think my time there was the highlight of my trip.
After feeling very alone and isolated in the big city of Dublin, the atmosphere of community and family in Kilkenny was very pronounced. The hostel where I stayed was a major part of the feeling of community. At night, everyone sat in the living room sharing stories around the wood stove, and there I met a new friend, Jenn, who will be around in some more stories soon to come.
I suppose I have heard somewhere before that the Irish are some of the friendliest people in the world, and it is definitely not an exaggeration. As I was reading my map at the bus station, a man asked me where I was headed and as he was headed in the same direction for at lest a while, he walked with me and gave me a mini tour of the town. As he pointed out the major sights—the castle, the cathedral, the abbey, the historic pub—he ran into a friend of his and his boss who both asked him if he would be coming out to one of the pubs for a pint later. I have really enjoyed all the opportunities that cities like San Diego and Sevilla offer, but something I realized while in Ireland is that I love living in a small town where you can’t walk down the street without seeing someone you know to stop and talk to. I loved getting to be a part of some of the small towns that really are the foundation of Irish life and culture.
After feeling very alone and isolated in the big city of Dublin, the atmosphere of community and family in Kilkenny was very pronounced. The hostel where I stayed was a major part of the feeling of community. At night, everyone sat in the living room sharing stories around the wood stove, and there I met a new friend, Jenn, who will be around in some more stories soon to come.
I suppose I have heard somewhere before that the Irish are some of the friendliest people in the world, and it is definitely not an exaggeration. As I was reading my map at the bus station, a man asked me where I was headed and as he was headed in the same direction for at lest a while, he walked with me and gave me a mini tour of the town. As he pointed out the major sights—the castle, the cathedral, the abbey, the historic pub—he ran into a friend of his and his boss who both asked him if he would be coming out to one of the pubs for a pint later. I have really enjoyed all the opportunities that cities like San Diego and Sevilla offer, but something I realized while in Ireland is that I love living in a small town where you can’t walk down the street without seeing someone you know to stop and talk to. I loved getting to be a part of some of the small towns that really are the foundation of Irish life and culture.
No comments:
Post a Comment