Reflection of a Lonely Cloud

"I wandered lonely as a cloud"

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high over vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the starts that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
The stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of the bay:
10,000 saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves besides them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A Poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed- and gazed- but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.


Sometimes, I feel like that lonely cloud. Personally, for me my daffodils has come to be Ireland. Before this trip I kind of felt like I was just going through the motions of everyday life. I was happy but just not the excitement or challenge I was looking for. Being here gave me a whole new look on my abilities and has really given me confidence to do new things. It has made me more of an action taker than I was before, which has been something I really wanted to work on. I have felt a lot of comfort here and although my real home, like the dancing waves beside the daffodils, is great and good company there will be nothing better then my trip here. At the end of the poem, Wordsworth talks about laying on the couch in serious thought thinking about those daffodils and how much much pleasure they brought him. And even though I kind of dread going home, I'm curious to see how things have changed or stayed the same. And even, how I will fit back into the culture or how I will now look at it. This laid back, time doesn't matter vibe totally fits me. Although schedules are nice sometimes, I prefer to just let things happen. I have had no regrets and I really can't wait to plan my next trip to Ireland.

Galway

We only have a few weekends left here in Ireland and really we have seen so much since we've been here but the one place I heard we couldn't miss out on was Galway. So Taylor, Eoin, Melissa, and I booked a hostel and decided to take a road trip out west and see what this place had to offer. Jen ,A friend from home, was actually visiting that weekend too, so she was able to tag along for the ride. The drive up there took about 4 hours and we had great laughs along the way. It was also kind of nice to go on a trip by ourselves with out a huge group or itinerary. Once in the city, we had to navigate to find our hostel. We were staying in a place called Barnacles, which was located in the middle of everything and right across the road from three or four bars.

We got there in about the evening, so we decided to get ready and hit the town. On the way in we saw The Kings Head, which was a bar Dr. Reed had told us about, so we decide to start there first. The place was packed with people and in the back, a band was setting up. Galway is actually pretty know for there excellent live music so I knew the performance was definitely going to be good. So after a while of getting to know the place we settled in and began to jam out with the band. It was a great time, everyone was singing and dancing along to the music. Finally, they played the song Galway Girl and all us girls went nuts. We ended the night with some 2.50 euro pizza and headed back to the hostel. The first night in Galway was a success.

The next morning, we started our day out with the best burritos I've had in a long time. They were huge and really hit the spot. From there, we started to explore the city more and did some shopping. The city center was pretty quaint and had lots of fun shops. The streets looked so different from day into night. During the day the city is pretty calm and good amount of people, but not too overcrowded. But at night the city changes, the streets are packed and most pubs are full wall to wall with people.

At about midday we headed out to Spiddal, which was only a little while outside the city, so we could get a good look at the ocean. We found a spot, where we could stand and look out and see the Aran Islands. We sat there a while sitting on top of a stone wall gazing out into the ocean. There something about the west country that gives me a very peaceful, natural feeling that I really like. After sometimes we decided to head back to get ready for night two in Galway. Just as we were about to get in the car, a rainbow appeared right over the wall we were just sitting on. I think it had to be the first rainbow I had seen in Ireland which was pretty cool. This reminded me of the poem "My heart leaps up when I behold", not just because of the rainbow part. Willian Wordsworth speaks of this rainbow he sees in the sky and everytime he sees it, his heart leaps. He has this feeling no matter how old he gets and says if one day he doesn't get this feeling any more then he midest well just die. I know when I go home and think back of Galway or Ireland in general it will give me a happy feeling in my heart forever as well and if that feeling fades I would be worried.

"My heart leaps up when I behold"
My heart leaps up when I behold
A rainbow in the sky.
So was it when my life began;
So is it now I am a man
So be it when I shall grow old,
Or let me die!
The child is father of the Man;
And I could wish my days to be
Bound each to each by natural pity.