Attempting Local: A Year Abroad in Galway, Ireland

Ready to experience Barcelona? Explore the city's architecture, tour the mountainside monastery of Montserrat, and join a group of six friends as they take Barcelona by storm.

This is the update you've all been waiting for! Attempting Local: A Year Abroad in Galway, Ireland has finally been published!!

After an old buddy's visit and completing one too many school assignments, I head to Bologna, Italy to realign myself. Three others and I planned a last-minute trip to surprise our Italian friend, Caterina, who returned home after first semester. It was the birthday surprise she loved, but it was the trip I needed. Experience Bologna, Italy with a diverse group of friends made up of five individuals from five different countries.

Journey into the dark, mysterious Diarmuid and Grainne's Cave... if you dare. What you'll discover within might just give you a chill.

Escape Ireland's eerily unpredictable mountains before the weather deteriorates. And get to know the NUI Galway Mountaineering Club through this honest tale of a hike gone wrong.

Hey, everyone! For many reasons, we will be taking a break from releasing new episodes. For now, enjoy previous ones. Share the Attempting Local story with others. And we'll update you when the story picks up again. Thank you SO much for your continued support!

Hiking dangerous cliffs? Surfing off the coast of Ireland... in January? Going out in a sleepy Irish town in the heart of winter? Yeah. This episode has it all, so listen to Episode 15 of Attempting Local now, and experience my epic twenty-fourth birthday.

Though I turn 24 in Ireland, we venture back in time for Episode 14. Now's your chance to explore the American South. Hammock camp near Lake Santeetlah in North Carolina, and whitewater raft the Ocoee River in Tennessee.

Irish dating, the climate, soccer, smoking, university, pubs... this episode covers it all. If you're curious about what Galway, Ireland is really like, you'll want to hear this. 

The Tube. Nando's. Trafalgar Square. The Wobbly Bridge... After a two-week trip to the States, I head back home to Ireland then make my way to London, England. Experience the city as I visit an old friend, stumble between London's attractions, and live the suburban life in the surrounding neighborhoods.

How does life in Galway, Ireland square up to life in Metro Detroit? This episode covers that and other topics, as well as tackling why Europeans walk so much more than Americans. Here's your official welcome to Part Two of Attempting Local... 'Found Outside.'

Final exams. The Galway Market. Lost love. And broken friendships. These elements make up the last days of semester one and the final pages of Part One: Lost Inside.

"When you compromise and you fail, it really hurts. It hurts even worse than failing at what you love." — Jim Carrey, from the film, Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond

Have you ever compromised yet still failed? I discuss how that played out in my own life and what to do about it. I also begin to understand that there's one comprehensive skill that allows me to pursue my passions: storytelling.

A friend visits from the US, and we head to Killarney National Park to see the Gap of Dunloe. Just before my buddy's arrival, I meet a young woman who piques my interest. For the first time in the show, there's an element of romance.

Experience Torc Waterfall, Ross Castle, and the Gap of Dunloe, as well as a wild night of flirtation in Galway City.

As the first semester winds down, I being to realize the importance of my life abroad, though I continue to struggle with emotional instability. A hike to the Mid-Maamturks is exactly what I need. Or... so I thought. I fight up the mountain with the NUI Galway Mountaineering Club, but the weather fights back.

Experience Halloween in Galway as well as some of the most rugged mountains in the West of Ireland.

After a difficult couple of months adjusting to life in Ireland, my housemate Trevor and I escape to Malta. We tour the small, Mediterranean island for two days, just happening to arrive during the biggest party of the year: Notte Bianca. To add to the hype, Valletta, Malta's Capital, was a European Capital of Culture in 2018.

Join Trevor and me on our wild adventure through Valletta, and experience the city during its most exciting festival.

An old friend visits from England. We tour Galway's pubs and hike the Cliffs of Moher; but most importantly, we enjoy much-needed conversations. Follow the journey of An Englishman in Ireland, and learn what great friends are made of.

Moving abroad can be tough. Really tough. Learn about the little differences in Ireland and the US that initially stood out and made the move difficult. Follow as I dive into a rabbit hole of uncertainty, and climb back out with me at the end of the episode.

I immediately head to the pub upon arrival in Galway. A night out at The Quays Bar reminds me why I moved to Ireland:

'Irish music plays in the background, and glasses clink behind me as I write. The Quays is alive and well, thriving, beating in the heart of Galway City. It pumps its charisma through the veins of taps, pouring life into the pints. Laughter engulfs the air, mingling with the scent of aged wood.'

But after a couple weeks of being trapped in the city, regret and realization sink in. The challenges of relocating abroad begin to force the question: do I really want a master’s in Digital Marketing, or did I set out here for something else?

After getting too drunk at my own going away party, I desperately attempt to fend off a hangover and repress my regrettable actions by kayaking the River Raisin. I can only offer broken goodbyes before I depart on my longest journey yet: a year abroad.

Hello! And welcome to the new podcast about my book: Attempting Local: A Year Abroad in Galway, Ireland. Attempting Local follows my journey as I explore Ireland, surf the waves of the North Atlantic, hike the country's rugged mountains, and travel throughout Europe... all while striving toward a master's degree.

It’s an extremely honest account of how tough it can be to leave everything behind and move abroad, though it simultaneously demonstrates the beauty of a life of solo travel.