I have less than a month left in Northern Ireland. More and more I'm realizing how much I love it here, but also how much I love the comforts of home. I know that the second I'm home I'll be wishing that I could have made more out of my semester here. When else am I going to get to spend 3 months in another country with basically nothing to do but be.

Leaving California I didn't realize how much I'd miss it until I came to Ireland, and now I won't realize how much I'll miss the island until I'm back home. I wish that I could truly appreciate where I am all the time.

Last night we went to an irish art collector's home. It was incredible. He must've had well over a million pounds worth of art in his home. The worth of the artwork wasn't the only thing that made it notable but more so how knowledgeable he was about each piece. He is a well known Belfast journalist who covered a lot of the NI Troubles, and still has time to devote to his hobbies of poetry and art. Last week he guest lectured one of our literature classes and spoke so passionately about poetry. He is such an expert on so many things, but he just passed off his knowledge as a hobby. When I'm around him I feel so ridiculous. I know absolutely nothing besides what's on PerezHilton. But still he recognized all of his success as fleeting.