May 21st, 2018

This experience has stretched me personally in many ways. First, I have been brought out of my comfort zone several times. I was put on a plane with group of twenty-six other people that I did not really know that well. Going to a foreign place with people that I only knew by name was very scary for me. After just a few days of being in Ireland I felt comfortable and knew that this trip was going to require me to be uncomfortable a few more times, but I knew it would be worth it. I learned how to make friends through this experience. It has always been hard for me to open up and speak out, but I was able to overcome that during my first few days which contributed to me being more comfortable in the group settings. I was also thrown out of my comfort zone on my first day in an Irish school. I was unsure of their practices and was nervous that I would be in the way or not wanted by the teacher. The opposite happened. My teacher welcomed me with open arms and was a fantastic resource to me. I believe my communication skills were improved through this trip as well. I have become better at speaking up and contributing my opinion to conversation. When I am not comfortable with people, I fear they will judge me for my opinion and not want to associate with me, but I took chances and risks which paid off in the end. There were times when my opinion differed from others, but that was just another learning experience. We were able to have adult conversations about our opinions and learn about other view points. This ultimately resulted in a mutual respect and friendship between myself and others on the trip. I am not the same person I was when I got on the plane to come to Ireland. I am much more comfortable in my skin and I would like to believe that I will continue to take risks in my everyday life like I have done abroad.