It's been about a month now since I wheeled my overstuffed suitcases from the bus stop to my new room. What kinds of things do you imagine would fill your bags for a semester abroad?
Socks and a sweater.
Too many clothes, yet somehow still not enough. Ask me sometime about how I thought my rain jacket would suffice and didn't bring a winter coat to Ireland, oops. Don't worry though, I brought lots of layers!
Body scrub and emergency toilet paper.
A bathroom bag filled with a few months worth of contacts, a toothbrush, some soap, a towel, a new body scrub I got for Christmas, and an emergency roll of toilet paper, as suggested by my sister who did the study abroad thing a few years ago... I figured I should just trust her on that one. (And it came in handy when I was sick and didn't want to walk to the store for tissues, so thanks Lauren.)
Nail polish.
A lot of miscellaneous things: makeup, jewelry, a few decorations, and only five bottles of nail polish. Something you should know about me– I paint my nails almost weekly. I pick them when I'm bored or stressed and then paint them to relax and dedicate some time to myself. Narrowing down which colors I would bring might have been the most methodical part of all of my packing.
Earlier this month I was on the bus going back to campus from the grocery store. An older man sat next to me and smiled. I noticed him looking at my fingers, wrapped around the handles of my reusable bags. He caught my attention and then, softly, said "that is very nice nail garnish." I thanked him.
"Lilac!"he said.
I looked at the soft purple hue on my nails and smiled at him. Soon after that I started to notice lilac all around me: lilac socks and a lilac sweater, lilac packaging on my body scrub and my emergency toilet paper, lilac nail garnish.
Lilac on the duvet cover I bought because it was the cheapest one I could find at the store. Lilac lights on the photo I took of City Hall in Belfast. Even the background to this website has a lilac tint.
Maybe I subconsciously drew the connection between my nails and my bed and that influenced the color I used for my blog. Whatever the cause, I think that lilac seems to be the color of my time in Ireland.
A quick google search told me that lilac is often associated with tranquility, peace, and friendship.
And when I explore I find tranquility in flowing waters. I keep my Live Photos on, I wish I could share that format here - there's something so calming about watching the soft movement of water across a landscape.
I find peace in places of worship. I try to visit a different church each week, there's so many old and ornate churches here I just wish I could see them all.
I find friendship in class and on trips. From international student field trips to group projects, the faces around me are starting to become more familiar, and the kindness of others has made me feel comfortable in a place where, only a month ago, I knew almost no one.
Whether it be the color or the experience, I think lilac is a good theme for my time in Ireland.