Ireland

It's days like today that really make me proud to be Irish. To have that kind of a history, that kind of a culture. I'll resolve to learn its langauge like I have so many others.

The language is the real connection to the past. When I learn French, I can feel that connection, and I can imagine the ancestors who decided to leave France for opportunities in Quebec, then once Montreal was filled with Frenchies, to move to Illinois and be among the first settlers in a strange, new land.

I want that connection to the other parts of my ancestry: Ireland especially, but also Germany, Switzerland, and Scotland.

Perhaps I may take German this summer instead of Japanese and see if that German heritage grows in appreciation like my French and Irish.