My Galway Girls

It has officially been three months since I returned home from studying abroad in Ireland. I thought my reverse culture shock would have worn off by now, but I still find myself using Irish terms and missing so many things about the Emerald Isle. What do I miss the most about my study abroad experience? The best friends I made.

I was extremely lucky to be paired with an amazing roommate during my time in Galway. My temporary roommate, Annie, is from Boise, Idaho. She is most likely my sister separated at birth because we are the same person. It was scary how much we had in common and how in sync we were. We had long, random conversations about life and always found something fun to do together. It took only days before I found my long lost best friend.

The other friend I found in Ireland (also named Annie) was our next-door neighbor. Annie is from Chicago, Illinois. All three of us were in the same study abroad program, allowing us just over a month to get to know each other and become best friends in a very short period of time. My neighbor Annie was likely my sister separated at birth as well because it was crazy how easy it was to get along with her.

These girls are my best friends, my adventure seekers and my Galway girls. I know I can go to them for anything and they will be there to support me and talk me through whatever I am facing. They know how to make me laugh, how to make me cry and how to make me reminisce on, inarguably, the best time of my entire life. We called it the “Hannah & Annie’s in Ireland”. Making the most of our time there was our mission and all three of us were determined to accomplish exactly this.

There is no doubt in my mind that our time was well spent in Galway. I can’t imagine what this experience would have been like without these girls. Both Annie’s are my best friends and the reason why my study abroad experience was so successful. I can’t imagine life without them. Luckily, I don’t have to. We have a group chat almost every single day and we obsessively plan the next time we will all meet up again. I’m crossing my fingers that someday, we’ll end up meeting in Ireland again.