Happy New Year!

I'm a fan of fresh starts, of making resolutions and of tricking myself into believing that I will stick to them. Every year for as long as I can remember, I have vowed to stop biting my nails in the new year, and anyone who has seen my stubby fingers can attest to my failure. But this never stops me from wholeheartedly believing that I can stop cold turkey at midnight on January 1. In case you're wondering, not even this new decade could make me keep my resolution.

So instead of resolutions, I'm 10 days away from the greatest fresh start of my life. Preparing for my departure from my friends and family here has been much more difficult than I anticipated. Every time I meet someone for a tea or lunch, the thought runs through my head, Will I see them again before I go or should we say our goodbyes now? A knot of anxiety has been growing steadily over the past few weeks in the pit of my stomach. I'm extremely excited and happy to be going to Ireland, but dreading the airport goodbyes.

But overall, the feeling is a positive one, and the root of a resolution that I will sincerely keep: blogging. I love reading the blogs of students who are studying abroad and I think that I will be just as enthusiastic about maintaining my own. I am going to try to post every day, time permitting, with something about my travels. Already in researching weather and the like on this website, I have discovered that the Irish seemingly have an extensive vocabulary to describe one word: rain. The week that I arrive, it is expected to "sprinkle," "drizzle," be "showery," and experience "light rain." Raise your hand if these all mean exactly the same thing. That's what I thought.

So I'll be coming to you East Coasters from five hours in the future, and I've added a Dublin clock to my blog in case you're curious. I won't have my American cell phone, so the best way to reach me will be commenting on these posts, emailing or Skyping. This may quite possibly be the last post from this side of the Atlantic. I'm only 10 days and a pesky four hour layover in Newark, New Jersey (can't wait!) away from my new adventure.