Happy belated Thanksgiving!
I write having spent a great weekend with people from the Holy Cross community, and feeling particularly grateful for the College I call my own. To be honest, this is the first week I have truly missed being at Holy Cross. Of course a piece of this is simply due to loving the novelty of living in a foreign country; however, I think it is also partly due to the fact that I often felt frustrated at Holy Cross due to the limited space I had on the small campus. Put in other words: social and academic pressures often felt maximized on the tiny hill. While I’ve been abroad, my lifestyle has been completely transformed. For the first time, I have the time to go on long hikes, have a walker’s accessible city five minutes away from me and have the ability to constantly meet new people. I cherish the ways that I am thriving in this new environment.
That said this past week has been a ~Holy Cross takeover~, and I couldn’t have enjoyed it more.
Last weekend, my Holy Cross friends studying at Trinity in Dublin came to visit all of studying in Cork! We all enjoyed each other’s company as we explored Cork, argued about politics and danced to a gig that night. The next few days were spent with my HC friends studying in Cork as we enjoyed the Holiday spirit. We eagerly joined the start of the Christmas season in Cork as we watched the city light up with live Christmas music Sunday night. A few days later, my Holy Cross roommates and I decorated our kitchen from top to bottom with Christmas decorations. Additionally, those of us who will be in Ireland for Christmas, brainstormed how we would make the holiday season magical despite being far from those we love most. Following, the Holy Cross people in Cork for Thanksgiving managed to prelate a massive feast together. With way more food than we were able to eat, munless wine, Irish coffee and lots of smiles – the American holiday spent in Ireland was undeniably a success.
I realized this past week that cherishing my experience abroad and loving Holy Cross do not have to be mutually exclusive. I appreciated for the first time in a while the ways that Holy Cross shaped me into the person I am now just as much as travelling continues to. I smiled thinking about pparties in Loyola 523, team sleepovers and tireless debates in Kimball. I felt nostalgic as I reminisced on mine and my best friends from Holy Cross’ relationships, considering all of the laughs we shared together as well as the ways they had challenged me to be a better person. I felt fortunate as I considered the ways the people do make a place, already exceptional due to its transformative clubs and academics, even better. It was in this series of moments that I realized; I can enjoy every second of my time away from the hill, while still being thrilled by the relationships I have made and all I have learned during my time at Holy Cross.
So here’s to Holy Cross;
To analyzing the identity as a Crusader for 3 hours straight; to dissecting the hookup culture with people of opposite mentalities; to taking up the entire dance floor at a pub as Irish people uncomfortably watch.
To a beautiful and warm holiday season far from home; to eating chicken wings on Thanksgiving Day; to learning from each other how one even cooks Thanksgiving sides.
To people “who wouldn’t otherwise be friends” realizing our commonalities; to allowing one another’s company to comfort us as we explore new, daunting paths
I’m sending lots of love and gratitude to all of those back home during this holiday season! Though I will not be home for Christmas, I look forward to sharing the holiday with three close friends after having spent an amazing semester together 🙂
More pics below!
