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Hi,

I hope that you’re all doing well. Ireland has been great. It’s hard to believe, but I am over halfway through my experience of studying abroad. The first half of this trip has had its ups and downs, but overall, I have had an excellent experience. I have grown accustomed to the different culture and ways of doing things in Ireland. For this blog, I’ll highlight some of the successes of the first half of my trip and discuss my hopes and ways to improve for the future.

The first thing I’d like to highlight is the time difference. No, not the six-hour time difference between here and home, but how time moves in Ireland. It’s unbelievable how fast time flies here. Simultaneously, time feels much slower, too. Time is distorted– when I see I’ve been here for eleven weeks, I think, “That’s it?” It feels like I’ve been here for much longer. I believe that my daily morning routine has contributed to this time warp, creating a “rhythm” for my life. Here’s how my routine goes:

1. I wake up at 7:30am (even on weekends).
2. I eat breakfast (the same thing every day). 100 grams of smoked salmon, 200 grams of Greek yogurt, and 75 grams of granola.
3. I shower.
4. I read my morning prayer and Bible reading. I’ve been making my way through a 52-week Bible reading plan.
5. I drink a coffee and write approximately 1,000 words for the novel I’m working on.
6. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I go to the gym and lift weights. I’m currently running a push-legs-pull split.
7. I eat lunch. Usually, I’ve pre-cooked some sort of meal prep. I’ve been eating a lot of beef, rice, and vegetables.

This is the point where each day becomes different. I have classes at varying times, Monday through Thursday, and no day is the same for lecture times. Each day I do at least one chore, usually meal prep, cleaning, laundry, or something similar. I’ve gotten involved in a Christian society on campus, which has led to opportunities to meet fellow Christians and make friends. I’ve also helped lead a Bible study, attend meetings, and evangelize to people. Getting involved with the Christian society on campus has easily been the overarching highlight of my experience.

Here are some of the things that I feel successful with so far (notice how much of it is directly related to my morning routine):

1. Eating. I’ve been eating very well here. I love the freedom to make my own food and accurately measure the portions. This helps a lot with tracking my macros and ensuring I hit my daily goals. I’ve been eating (on average) around 260 grams of protein per day. Unsolicited health tip: eat more protein, and you’ll feel amazing!
2. Bible reading and prayer. I have been incredibly consistent with reading my Bible daily, praying in the morning and at night, writing out prayers, and saying prayers throughout my day. I also read Time of Grace’s daily Spanish email devotion to grow in my faith and Spanish skills. 
3. Writing. I felt I lacked a creative outlet for the past two to three years. Coming to Ireland has shown me that I just needed to write. Since arriving, I’ve kept a daily journal and written weekly reflections. Each day, I jot down what happened, any thoughts I have, and a prayer. Then, every Sunday night, I write a reflection on the previous week, using the daily journal to assist my process. I’ve found this a very beneficial exercise and hope to continue doing it when I return home. I also didn’t expect to start writing fiction for fun, but I have. I wrote a 20,000-word novella, and now I’m working on a novel. 
4. Reading. I have done much more reading than I thought I could. As of today, March 17th, I’ve read twenty-seven books. This means I’ve absolutely smashed my humble eight-book goal from the start of the semester. My new goal is to have read at least thirty-five books by the time I get home in May.
5. Weightlifting. I’ve been perfectly consistent with going to the gym three days a week, MWF. I’ve been integrating more drop sets and training to absolute failure into my workouts. I’m finally getting progressive overload figured out for myself. I’m delighted with my progress on my bench press and back squat, but I’m a bit disappointed with my Romanian deadlifts (these are my three core lifts). Additionally, all of the walking I do in Galway helps me to get my cardio in, so I don’t need to spend time on it in the gym!
6. Academics. While I have been slightly disappointed with the Irish academic system, I still have learned some things. I have really enjoyed the readings for my classes, especially “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” “The Canterbury Tales,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and “The Man of Feeling.” I am also really enjoying my final project for my art history class– I’m writing a 3,000-word paper and delivering a twenty-five-minute presentation on the polyvalent symbolism of statues of David from the Italian Renaissance.
7. Social Life. Before I came to Ireland, I made the goal of making at least two friends from countries outside of the US. It’s safe to say that I’ve smashed that goal. I’ve made friends with people from Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Portugal, Nigeria, India, Pakistan, Thailand, Germany, Canada, and many more. Additionally, I started dating a girl named Anna from Turin, Italy. She’s very tranquil and compassionate, with a face that never stops smiling. I also think she’s really cool because she can speak five languages: English, Italian, German, French, and Spanish.
8. Travel. Before I left for Ireland, I set a goal of traveling to at least four European countries. I’ve decided to visit three different countries instead. I have decided to alter this goal slightly for two reasons. 1) I didn’t consider traveling within Ireland. I’ve enjoyed many day trips to the Aran Islands, Limerick, Dublin, Cork, Kilkenny, and the Cliffs of Moher. Surprisingly, Limerick was probably my favorite trip. 2) Traveling outside of Ireland is a lot of work, and those trips are exhausting. I’ll be visiting London over Easter– all of the MLC study abroad students are meeting up to celebrate Easter at the WELS mission church there. After that, I’ll visit Madrid, Spain, the weekend after, and Rome, Italy, the next. I’m excited to be able to break out my Spanish in Spain and have Anna translate for me when we visit Rome together!

If you read my first blog, you would also be familiar with the expectations that I set for myself. I’d like to highlight just a couple of them:

1. I will become more self-aware and strengthen my ability to self-reflect.
   • As I mentioned, I have been doing loads of self-reflection through my journaling and writing practices. I’ve also spent much time pondering and thinking about who I am, where I’ve come from, and where I’m going. I can confidently say that I’ve grown in my ability to self-reflect.
2. I will learn more about the history and culture of Ireland, potentially altering my worldview and the way I think.
   • I have learned loads about Irish history and culture. When it comes to history, I didn’t realize how much of a bloody history this island has. Specifically, I’ve learned a lot about Oliver Cromwell’s religiously motivated genocide of Ireland and how that still has lasting effects to this day. When it comes to Irish culture, I was surprised by how many similarities there are to my Midwestern culture. 1) Everyone talks about who they’re related to, and it seems everyone is related somehow. It can feel a lot like the WELS at times! 2) The standard of cleanliness and orderliness is lower than that of my home. While I miss people caring about the small details, I’ve been able to live and let live. 3) The Irish accent is hard to discern if I’m not actively listening. More often than not, I have to have Irish natives repeat themselves because their accents are so thick. The good news is that I’m starting to pick up on the different accents from within Ireland– I can tell the difference between someone from Dublin, Belfast, and Galway.
3. I will be ready to witness my Christian faith to those I develop relationships within Ireland.
   • It’s unbelievable how many opportunities I’ve had to witness and evangelize in Ireland. I’ve witnessed to a wide variety of people from various backgrounds. I’ve listened to people trash my faith, and I’ve listened to people praise Jesus. I’ve explained theological concepts to others who didn’t understand them, led Bible studies, and written devotions. I genuinely love to share God’s grace with others; there’s nothing else I’d rather do in life.

Despite all the great experiences that I’ve had, I think it’s also important to reflect on how I can do even better for the last part of my study abroad experience:

1. Writing.
   • While my morning routine has been great for me to write consistently every day, I rarely write outside the allotted time I give myself each morning. In the coming weeks, I’m striving to take more time to write at all times of the day because I want to complete my novel manuscript by the time I arrive back in the US. However, based on my predictions, writing only 1,000 words daily isn’t enough. If anything, I will need to write close to 2,000 words per day to reach my final goal. I’ve been experiencing a strange phenomenon where I struggle to start writing, even though I know I enjoy it– it feels like there’s some sort of “resistance” within me towards writing. I’m hoping to conquer it.
2. Gratitude.
   • In my daily journal, I write at least three things I’m thankful for each day, but I don’t think it’s enough. I don’t know precisely why it’s happening, but I am growing frustrated with little things in my life. I know it’s unfair to expect it from others, but people around me aren’t living up to my “standard of excellence.” I get bothered by all of the litter that I see around Galway. I get bothered by the sidewalks because someone cut corners and didn’t take time to level out the ground underneath the sidewalk, causing large, impassable pools of water to form when it rains. I still get bothered by my roommates not cleaning up after themselves. Many little things bother me, and I must confess that they cause me to lose sight of all the good in my life. Does anyone have any advice on improving my gratitude for the blessings in my life?
3. Living in the moment.
   • As I get closer to the end of my study abroad experience, I find myself looking forward to the future too much and not appreciating the moment. At the trip’s start, I spent more time than I should’ve thinking about the past and what I missed about home. Now, as I get closer to traveling in Europe and going home, I’m not living in the moment of my day-to-day life in Ireland. I’m trying to be more mindful of living in the moment and enjoying each day.

I apologize for this being a bit longer of a blog. I’m beginning to understand why I’ve developed a reputation for being “very thorough.” Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed this blog. Don’t be afraid to send me a text or say hi! Please continue to pray for me.

Sláinte (“Cheers” in Irish),

David

Photos Explained:

1. View from a walk around Blarney Castle.
2. A 5,000 year old burial site.
3. View from the Cliffs of Moher. This cliff was used to film “The Cliffs of Insanity” from the film, “The Princess Bride.”
4. Anna and I on top of the Round Tower in Kilkenny.