This year really has been insane. At least, I think so. I look back and I am blown away by the places I have been able to go and the people I've been able to meet. I think this has been a really pivotal year for me, in so many ways. So, just to share a few highlights... I've never been good at ranking things, so these are in no particular order.
End of Junior Year.
My junior year of high school was easily the most stressful of any I've had. Taking AP courses, as much as I really did enjoy them, did not help with this stress. The feeling of elation you get when walking out of an AP final exam is (I think) one you can only know if you have done it yourself. Those courses and teachers made me learn so much, and for that part I'm grateful- but I'm also grateful not to have to worry over an AP US History DBQ essay or a timed paper in AP English. So the end of Junior year was definitely a sweet one. One of my favorite memories was the day of my final AP exam (English), my mom and grandmother picked up my friend Ashley and I and treated us to lunch at Salsarita's. Of course, Salsarita's being right beside a big toy store, we quickly found an excuse to go inside, and remained there playing with random toys for a lot longer than necessary. (You are jealous of how cool we are. You know it.)
International Chorus
I don't know where to start with this. I can easily pinpoint this trip as one of the most life changing, well, of my entire life. It didn't result in a huge alteration of how I lived or anything, but I grew so much in confidence on those ten days that looking back it blows my mind. Like I said in my trip report, it was like a youth choir tour on steroids, but better. I met 32 amazing young men and women of God from all over the US, all of whom I know will be friends for life. I loved everything about this trip- the people, the music, the ministry and fellowship, the places (especially Quebec City)... everything. I was so incredibly blessed to go... Hopefully this summer I can go again!
Bray's Island
Every year, my dad's side of the family takes a one or two week trip to the beach- the past couple of years it's been to my aunt and uncle's place at Bray's Island. This family vacation is something I look forward to each year, so it kind of just seems natural to have it listed here.
IRELAND
(This is a big enough topic, and certainly the biggest thing to happen to me all year, so I feel like it's necessary to have subheadings as well.)
-The people I have met. They are as different from each other in personalities and backgrounds as you could ever imagine, and just the vast range of people I know from being here is astonishing. For example: Through friendships I have made here, I now have connections to Ireland (obviously), England, Wales, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Nigeria, Ukraine, Austria, Spain, Portugal, Japan, Brazil, Australia, the Philippines, and more. Yeah. It's crazy. Actually, if you think about it, I now have a pretty much direct connection to every continent except Antarctica (don't worry, I'll get there soon- haha). But it's not just the many different places they come from- it's just the idea of meeting so many people that I never would have known even existed if it weren't for coming here. And now not only do I know them, but I've had the opportunity to share everyday life with them for five months. That's been the most eye-opening and wonderful gift.
-The new things I have tried. This includes more than I probably will be able to think of right now... Surfing, for one. I love the sport, and getting to tell people that I surfed in Ireland in the middle of November is going to be great. Sledding down a hill on black plastic bags and surfboards was very fun. I've also been able to explore my artsy side a bit more, especially drawing. It's been really fun to see what I can do with that. Oh, and new foods- not as many as you might expect, but still quite a few. Christmas weekend alone, I tried mussels, white wine, and plum pudding for the first time (The mussels were nice, the wine interesting, and the plum pudding... not my favourite). I've eaten a lot of fish and developed my taste for it here. There have been so many new experiences, I can't really remember them all.
-One-of-a-kind memories in general. I've climbed up into a thousand-year-old ruin of a castle and watched the sunset. I've played capture the flag in an Irish forest with a bunch of teenagers. I've hidden behind a pillow with a friend eating sweets while everyone else watches Nightmare on Elm Street. I've walked along Tramore Beach taking photos and eating greasy chips from Dooley's (ok, not so one-of-a-kind, but still a good memory). I've danced the strangest dance you've ever seen to Poker Face with a French actor on stage. I've played group bonding games with ten other exchange students in a random lot in Wexford County. I've risked death crossing a rain-soaked street with a friend and some hilarious random stranger. So many memories!... I've loved every minute of it.
-The Lord showing up. So much. This entire time in Ireland, though I've tried to tell in a few blog posts about what he's been revealing, it's hard to narrow it down to a couple things, much less put it into words what God has done, because it seems to change or be added to all the time. He's been revealing his tender love, his infinite strength, his faithfulness, his provision, his protection, his goodness. Nearly every day I'm overwhelmed all over again by the sheer size of the Lord, a size I can't even fathom. He has been so sweet to me, so gentle, and yet firm in calling me out on things that keep me distant and keep me apart from Him, calling me into a deeper understanding of what it means to be Christ-like, and helping me to start living in Him in a whole new way. I felt like last summer was preparing me for this time in Ireland... now I feel like this time in Ireland has been preparing me for going home. Probably preparing me for life in general. I can't wait for the future... but I'm learning to just be with Him for now in the present as well.
So... yeah. Those are the big things. I'll probably post this and then immediately think of something else significant that I should have put in here somewhere, but oh well. It's all good. Happy New Year!!
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