My first impression of Ireland was seated next to me in the form of a young Dublin native. During the seven-hour flight she gave me a brief history about the conflicts in Belfast. A dark humor pulsed through the reality of violence and oppression as she told the tale that plagued the city. I was enchanted by her effortless storytelling and the ability to made this difficult story digestible. I decided that this skill could only belong to a worldly woman such as her self, but since my arrival I have found that the dichotomy between darkness and light exists simultaneously in most aspects of Irish culture. In the few conversations I’ve had with other natives, loaded subjects have also been explained with an air of humor and banter, accepting the good with the bad. This dynamic can even be witnessed in the weather. The brilliance of the sun can be swallowed by an unexpected rain cloud just to return again in the matter of minutes. Today we learned about Irish folklore in Navan Fort, and at the root of all of the tales was the balance between evil and good. Back home in the States we have thick lines drawn between these two elements of humanity and place emphasis on standing on either side of the divide. It has been fascinating to see these elements coexisting within the fiber of a culture and the influence it has had on the people of this country, even during times when we believe we know what is right and wrong.