Dear Ireland,

I miss you.

I miss you more than I could have ever imagined missing anything or anyone before in my whole life. I miss you everyday and you often cross my mind. I remember the first time I ever stepped foot on your ground, I was 19 and it was a dream come true.

My whole life has been revolved around you. Since I could remember you were all I ever thought about. You were the topic of every family event and many family dinners. I knew that my life wouldn’t be complete until I came to you and finally figured what you were all about.

Ireland, you did not disappoint me.

The summer of 2014 was when I first saw how beautiful and pure the color green could be. I traveled around and got to know you. I saw your fair city, the Rebel County, the wondrous beauty of the Cliffs of Moher and much, much more.

It wasn’t what I saw or what I did; it was how you made me feel. You made me feel alive. You made me feel as if dreams coming true were possible. You made my family feel connected and answered so many questions about relatives I never knew. I knew that I had to go back and I made certain that it would happen. I knew I had to do everything in my power to get back as soon as possible.

I did come back for you. And you became even more special and even more important to me; something that I had always dreamed of but never really expected to happen.

The summer of 2015 changed my life. You were my home for three months and once again, you did not disappoint me.

Ireland, you gave me more confidence than I thought I could have. You taught me to love myself. You taught me to grow. You showed me sides of life that I didn’t know existed. You saw the best of me and you saw the worst of me. You gave me the greatest times of my life. You made me become an adult. It is because of you I learned many life lessons and boy am I glad I learned them while I wasn’t at home.

You gave me friends from all around the world. You showed me that people that are so different could still come together to be friends. You showed me that just because someone's first language isn't the same as yours doesn't mean you can't become friends and bond over things. You showed me that change is good. You made me happier than I could have ever imagined. You made me feel as if I could conquer the world and anything that was thrown at me.

Ireland, because of you, I am the person I am today. It is because of you I have my love for Guinness, love for chips (aka french fries), the love for my family and our history. You gave me a confidence that I will never lose. You gave me happiness that will always be a part of my life and my heart.

I miss you, all the time.

Whenever I am sad or lonely, I often think of your beautiful landscape. I close my eyes and imagine walking through St. Stephens Green with all the hustle and bustle going on. I think of the luscious green landscape, so vibrant in the dead of summer and the kind people greeting me as I walked. I think of getting tea on a Sunday morning with my roommate and walking down Grafton Street. I close my eyes to believe that I am still there. I can close my eyes and hear the rain on the roof of my apartment. I can smell the Liffey and the picturesque sunset just over it.

You give céad míle fáilte a whole new meaning. I still miss you, but I will be back again. I will call you my home so, so soon.

But until then, I will continue to dream about you and think about you.

Sláinte, my dear Ireland.