Although my Instagram story would lead you to believe otherwise, the days leading up to my study abroad, and the first day of it, were not great. In fact, they were pretty terrible. Just about everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong. I experienced the wrath of Murphy’s law, jet lag, and dehydration, for a full three days and change before my study abroad started to come together.
I’m finally here in Ballyvaughan now, and it’s stunningly beautiful with vast landscapes of greenery, wildflowers, limestone, and grazing livestock. But it was a helluva journey to get here. With all of these mishaps and obstacles, I wanted to highlight some important reminders and action items for keeping your head on straight against new challenges and high stress levels.
Day 0: The Day Before Traveling
On my last day of preparation before a flight the next day at 11:30am, I had a few last tasks. First, I had to get my Covid PCR test within 72 hours of arrival in the country, a requirement for entry into Ireland. Second, I had to pick up my meds, a thirty day supply right before leaving so they would last me the trip. And of course, I had to check into my flight!
First, I found out my Covid test results wouldn’t be ready in time for my arrival in Ireland because of the weekend and had to get a second test at a rapid testing site, for $50 instead of for free. Then, the pharmacy was out of stock of my medication and wouldn’t let me fill it at a different location without a new prescription.
Don’t: Leave important things like this to the last minute unless strictly necessary. In my case, it was, but as restrictions surrounding Covid lift, hopefully important details can be polished off with a good week of wiggle room.
But then, when I went to check-in to my flight, I got the notification that one of my connecting flights had been cancelled–and they rebooked me on a trip the next day.
To get to Ballyvaughan, I was supposed to take three planes, from Louisville to Chicago to Newark and then to Dublin. From Dublin, I would meet up with the group and take a 3-hour bus to Ballyvaughan. With a full day’s delay, I’d miss the group’s chartered bus and have to instead take three buses from Dublin to Ballyvaughan, on my own, while jet-lagged and lugging around a 50-lb suitcase and a hefty backpack.
In other words, not ideal.
Do: Keep calm. It is not the end of the world. Unfortunately, I didn’t get this memo and had some brief tears about United Airlines “ruining my life.” But ultimately, these things were just small obstacles that worked themselves out in the end.
After a bit of panicky-tears, I called the airline and waited on hold for hours. Fortunately, they were able to get me on the same flight to Ireland if I left Louisville much earlier, at 6:00 am instead of 11:30. But I’d arrive in Dublin in time for the group bus, which was worth it to me.
Day 2: The Day of Departure
I woke up at 3:30 in the morning for my newly scheduled 6am flight, from Louisville to Chicago, then onto Newark for a looong layover before the main event, a six hour flight from Newark to Dublin.
Everything went smoothly until Newark, where my flight was delayed for weather… and then after the weather cleared, it was cancelled. For technical reasons. I found this out at 10pm, and the flight wouldn’t be until 7pm the next day. Meaning I’d have to camp out at the airport for 21 hours. Having already been there for nine hours, I did not take this news well.
Do: Keep all relevant teachers and advisors in the loop. In my case, both the group leaders were on a flight at the moment, but there are a slew of resources and contacts through Northeastern and GEO to help you through the crisis and direct you to the right channels.
Don’t: Panic. It will only scare the children of the airport. Learn from my mistakes, and do some deep breathing instead of having a panic attack. Remember, nothing is the end of the world, and odds are it’ll be worth it.
I finally left the airport around ten when my airline offered me hotel accommodations. I went to the hotel they told me they’d reserved for me–and was told there was no reservation. There were about six other people in the same situation there, and I waited three hours to get in contact with the airline with no response–until I eventually booked a room out of pocket.
Do: Besides spending money, make sure you have extra money for emergencies and incidentals, and all the random things that come up and cause trouble. Things happen: this was the first emergency splurge for this trip, but I’m sure it won’t be the last.
Day 3: Travelling, Take Two
After a less-than-restful night at the hotel my airline sent me to but refused to pay for, I woke up, checked out as late as possible at 11:50, and then returned to the airport for another seven hours of waiting.
Do: Pack well. Have entertainment to last not just through the flight but through any long layovers or overnights that could occur due to delays or cancellations.
I was finally able to reach the teachers of the program, who had safely arrived in Ireland. They reassured me that they would get me to Ballyvaughan as easily as possible, and helped me figure out transportation from Dublin to the Burren. I would take one bus to Galway, and then they would pick me up from there and drive me. Doable, and not worth all my freaking out from the night before.
The flight had a brief twenty-minute delay, but otherwise, it went smoothly. Except, because cancellations and lost reservations were not stressful enough, I arrived in Dublin with the end of my journey just a bus ride and found out: they left my baggage in Newark. They would get it to me the next day, or so they said. At this point–I was just relieved to be in Ireland, and took that development in stride.
Do: Make sure you have the supplies you would need to survive a day or two if needed. An extra change of clothes, etc. to last you a night if you get cancelled. If I hadn’t, I’d have had to wear the same clothes for the four days in total before getting my baggage. Yikes.
Day 4: To Ballyvaughan
From Dublin, I took a three hour bus to Galway, and then an hour car ride to Ballyvaughan. Finally, it seemed like everything was coming together: the landscape was so beautiful, and I was there! I finally relaxed as I arrived at the Lodge, the big, 14-person house where all of the students on the trip would be staying. It was empty, everyone out on their first field trip to the Burren, so I went to the patio and took in the views of the stunning mountain just outside our door. I sat down and enjoyed my first peaceful moment in days.
Except things didn’t immediately turn for the better: I realized that when I arrived in Galway, I was so dehydrated, exhausted, and jetlagged that I ended up forgetting my instrument on the bus. My Epiphone Hummingbird tenor ukulele, which I brought with me because I play it nearly every day and it keeps me sane.
Then, when given the choice to join the group in the Burren or rest, I ignored my body’s exhaustion because I felt bad for having missed the first day already. So I went out to the Burren, an endless, open, limestone landscape without a drop of shade. I joined the class, participated for about half an hour, and then promptly threw up off the edge of a rock.
Don’t: Push yourself too hard. If I had just rested when I got there instead I would have had a much better, more peaceful first day in Ireland.
Finally, I returned to the Lodge to pass out, which I should have done to begin with. I drank a lot of water and then proceeded to sleep from 4pm to 7am and woke up perfectly rested to tackle the next day.
Day 5: The Curse of Murphy’s Law Finally Lifts
Waking up fully rested in Ireland, I went out to the patio with a cup of tea and enjoyed the crisp morning air and the stunning view from just outside our housing. The rock-covered mountains, the green trees, the wildflowers, the sounds of cows and crickets making their noises early morning–it was so peaceful and perfectly what I imagined of an artistic getaway to the Irish countryside.
Now I’m doing better, feeling good, hydrated, my baggage has been returned to me and my ukulele is on the way, and I had two days of exploring that didn’t involve puke or migraines. I’ve been able to be creative, take in the stunning imagery, and meet so many friendly people. It took a long journey to get here, but I can genuinely say that it was worth it already, and it’s only the beginning.
Do: Take any series of unfortunate events with as much humor as you can muster–they’ll make funny travel stories one day.
