Allison McCurdy

It was a cloudy yet surprisingly warm day in Dublin. The brick and stone walkways we journeyed had a familiar sound and feel. With the traditional buildings aside the contemporary, my home city of Boston came to mind. We walked the busy streets and hopped from one souvenir shop to another. Continuously we would bop our heads into the open pub windows to check the score of the current World Cup game. The bars and restaurants were busting at the seams with soccer fans, cheering for all different teams. The spirit of the natives was lively and welcoming, allowing us tourists to join in on the fun. I loved seeing the people bond together over sports just as us Bostonians do. Coming from the self-proclaimed “City of Champions”, seeing people bonding and celebrating together through soccer was much alike however different than my norm since soccer is not as prominent in the United States.  As we continued our venture through the city, we found ourselves on the Trinity College campus. Once again a feeling of familiarity came through me. Beautiful traditional buildings were surrounded by greenery, while the busy city life was just around the corner. It all felt familiar; a feeling I had not expected in a foreign country.