May 14th, 2022

Tumbling out of our overnight flight, a couple other students and I lugged our suitcases through the window-lit busy halls of the Dublin airport. “Save your tears for another day” by the Weekend playing over the speakers added a slight disillusion to the unfamiliar, scurrying, luggage claim.

As a student in college during a global pandemic and someone who has never traveled outside of the United States, this trip was a jump into the unknown.

Stepping outside, we were met by a warm, light, and breezy air. The whipping wind brought a salty sea-like scent along with it. Cars moved smoothly in and out of the road below alongside buses traveling in their designated lanes. Growing green and golden yellow colors flocked my senses as we road one of the buses into the city.

Cobblestone and rivers blurred through my vision as we passed old houses, a giant soccer club, and community colleges. With each building, the worn brick showed its depth and age. People walked everywhere.

Amidst this continuing global pandemic, we have all been isolated disconnected for two years now. How can we still find connectivity and exploration amidst the confines of risk and exposure? Through this travelogue, I will be exploring new tastes, new perspectives and most of all – how we can find connection around food as a sense of place.