Across the pond I was ridiculed because of my accent, made foreign by my birthplace, and generally homesick. Headfort used to symbolize the end of vacation for me; a sort of beginning to the end. Every time I thought about Ireland I was filled with dread. Funnily enough, now that I look back upon my experiences there, I am immensely grateful and humbled. Headfort afforded me an incomparable educational foundation in a stunning setting. The very idea of Morning Prayers in that wonderful room makes me long to see the house again. I was immersed in the finest architecture coupled with breathtaking grounds and I didn't even know it at the time. My friends, Emily Braddell (Fraggle), Anthony Brabazon (Brababrat), Kickers, Genevieve, Catherine, Georgina, Ropo, and so many others are too numerous to mention. It is unfortunate that I don't often make it to Ireland because I have lost contact with so many wonderful children who are still bright in my memory. When I try to explain my few years at Headfort to fellow Americans, the effect is somehow lost on most of them. Many who have never ventured to Europe wrestle with the idea of an educational system that is so foreign to their own. I wish that I could convey with more poignancy the respect and love that I have for Headfort. I remember Mr. Goulding shouting ceaselessly at me while we played hockey, cricket, rounders, and various other sports-he always said "Run Kentucky run, go Kentucky Fried Chicken". Yes, it seems silly, but it is only a minute example of how much we were all encouraged and personally nurtured by the Headfort staff.
January Johnson