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After nearly two weeks here in Ireland, the trip is coming to an end. The kids, parents, and chaperones are all waiting for their respective flights back to Louisiana and are eager to see their friends and families again. So am I. It’s been a whirlwind trip, and Karl and I are incredibly lucky to have been a part of it. I genuinely don’t think I could have done this trip without him. His technical know-how is envious, and he’s so natural when interacting with strangers. I’d imagine most of our group was sad to part ways with him.

It’s 7:32 a.m. in Dublin, Ireland. I’m sitting outside gate 417, waiting to board my flight to Newark, New Jersey—by myself. As adventures would have it, Josh ended up on a different flight through Washington, D.C., which is now super delayed, and I feel terrible for him. 

This morning, I rode to the airport on the bus with the group. There were sleepy eyes—some even fully closed for a few extra minutes of rest—as we met in the lobby at 5:10 (though I wandered in at 5:14). On the way, I chatted with a couple of the leaders about how excited we were to get back to our kids, our spouses, and our own beds. Some of the students echoed that same yearning for home, while others were sad to be leaving. 

Louisiana 4-H Goes to Ireland has been a trip filled with budding relationships, blooming flowers, and fresh perspectives. With just the right amount of rain to make the grass and flowers flourish, paired with new experiences, the buds of new knowledge are beginning to blossom within our group. 

Growing up, I’ve always been a big animal lover. Our family always had cats and dogs, and my wife and I have an American Brown Dog™ named Wrigley. In fact, my wife says she fell in love with me because on our first date, I greeted her dog before I said hello to her. The vibrant green Irish countryside is flecked with brown coats of sheep, spotted with black and white patterns of cattle, and streaked with the grays, browns, and blacks of incredibly fast horses. Cows here also ‘moo’ with Irish accents, which is adorable.

When we travel outside of the U.S., it’s typically a vacation and it’s hard not to think of this trip in the same way. With the amount of sightseeing in Dublin and The Cliffs of Moher, it is a reasonable description at times. Then there are visits to places like the Redmond Farm in County Wexford that remind us that this is so much more.