The Irish Roots
There is one reason why I first considered Ireland as my initial sojourning.  When I was a child and the many family trips up to Williamsburg to visit Busch Gardens park, I grew very fond of its Irish quarters.  The visuals of Ireland’s landscape pictured and painted on the park walls, the music that made you want to dance, and being able to see a scaled-down version of a Dublin castle as a kid, I could only imagine what Ireland truly looked like. Â
As I grew older and saw the movies filmed and the Google pics of Ireland’s geography, I knew during my international travels Ireland would be on that bucket list.  I look forward to taking photographs of Ireland’s green mountains, its cold, crisp beaches, and touring historical landmarks including the cities of Dublin and Limerick.  I am also a lover of Guinness stout; not a heavy drinker at all but when I am social, a Guinness with its unique hops/coffee flavor and being able to form the foamy mustache over my beard is just awesome.  Many of my friends who have visited its home country have said having a Guinness straight from its brewery or a local pub versus what is imported to America is night and day.  I can not wait to visit these pubs, have a pure Guinness with some Irish cuisine, and engage with the culture and the Irish personalities that will make my pub-hopping experience memorable. Â
I hope to be connected to Trinity College in Dublin where a little of research has shown they have a very good Communications & Technology program.  In addition, I would like to visit any of Ireland’s financial district to learn of its international trade, what may be some of their major exports, and even consider expanding my own portfolio within Ireland.
Most of all, one of my major outcomes of this trip is to translate and demonstrate my experience to my wife and daughter. Â My daughter London is 1 year old. Â As I venture on different international treks, to be able to share and invest into her culture and help paint a picturesque future she can have by limiting stereotypes, willingness to explore, and minimizing fear, to develop and see the woman she will become motivates me to limit my fears and see the world. Â For her.
