If you talk to any of my community members, they will tell you that I have had a lot of visitors in my time spent in Dublin. They will tell you that I have fifteen planned visitors right now from back home. They might even tell you that I have turned our small house in the neighborhood of Dolphin’s Barn, Dublin, into somewhat of a hostel most weekends.

As a result of all the visitors that I’ve had so far, I fall somewhere in between a local and a long-term tourist here in Dublin. If something is listed on Tripadvisor, Ireland, I’ve been there. At this point, I’ve seen more of Ireland than I have of New York! I have lived in Ireland for almost a year now and I have been to the Cliffs of Moher three times and I’ve been to the Book of Kells four times. I’ve kissed the Blarney Stone twice but I’ll let everyone else be the judge of whether or not I have the gift of eloquence just yet. I’ve walked along the Giant’s Causeway, I’ve drank Jameson and Teeling, I’ve rang the bell at Christ Church Cathedral, and I’ve been to the Guinness Storehouse so many times that they should give me a job. Now that I think of it, “Alexa, add ‘tour guide’ to my list of potential jobs post-House of Brigid.”

No matter who the visitor is, whether we went to high school or college together, my family, my boyfriend, or people I haven’t seen in years but now have the chance to reconnect with, the question that I am always asked is, “So Kerry…what do you actually do here in Ireland?”

I thought that by the end of six months here I would have an answer for everyone, but I’m still working on it. To answer the question, the first thing I do is tell everyone about my running list of things to do that I keep in my office. I say, “well…I do a lot of different things.” I tell everyone about Taizé planning, teaching at Loreto Crumlin School, managing social media accounts for House of Brigid and the Notre Dame-Newman Centre for Faith and Reason, organizing lecturers and receptions for the church, and planning retreats. I talk about going to daily mass, singing in two choirs, folding mass programs, and spending hours sifting through liturgical music. But somehow, my to do list never seems to fully explain what it is I do here at House of Brigid.

No matter how important my list is, and how necessary our work here at House of Brigid is to the functionality of the Notre Dame-Newman Centre here in Dublin, that list doesn’t seem as important as the experience of living in Ireland, working with the Catholic Church, and interacting with people in the city through this awesome bond we all share in our love of Christ.

So here is my new list of the experiences I get to share with people here in Ireland:

I live in an intentional community, and for better or worse, living in community is an experience that forms you and allows for growth in yourself and in your relationships.

I start every morning with song and prayer with my colleagues; it has been a gift that I never realized how much I needed. We start every morning by dedicating our days to Christ and asking for the ability to love as He loves.

I interact with people in all different places on their spiritual journey through discussions with people on the streets of Dublin during Soup Run and over tea and biscuits after Taizé.

We share our love of Christ over pints and chips, through our music, in our daily list of things to do, and in every interaction we have here in Ireland. And I have the great joy of sharing my experience here with those back home. Through pictures, stories, and trips, I get to share my love of Christ and the work here with those I love back home in the states.

So if you ask any of my community members, they will tell you that I’ve had a lot of visitors. And they are right, but I have so much love both back home in the states and here in Ireland. Being able to share this experience with all those waiting back home has been one of the greatest joys of this year. Being able to share my love of Christ through my interactions and experiences here in Ireland has been the most life giving item on my ever expanding to do list.

So, here I am, six months into my year in Ireland, and the best answer I have for everyone is that I get to share experiences with people.