The gray water sloshes over the dull slate and sand near the shores of Loughshinny, Ireland, where the stereotypical, traveler’s guide image of clover-green grass and hilly pastures filled with sheep is a nearby reality a few miles inland. A small village of only a thousand residents, Loughshinny, pronounced like “lock-shin-knee”, has a tight-knit community that centers around historic traditions and fishing, a community that senior Kjerstin Berg once was part of.

For four year, Berg lived in Loughshinny with her family. Her parents’ work had brought them there when she was only eight years old. It is not something Berg brings up in conversation unless asked, and many people she sees daily have no idea that her upbringing was anything out of the ordinary. They see a shy, quirky girl who loves alternative music and runs a humorous Twitter account.

It would be easy to assume that moving to Ireland was sort of a culture shock for Berg. Being only eight upon arrival, Berg had already established her daily pattern back in the United States- going to school, seeing the same faces, hearing voices similar to hers everyday- a pattern that was soon flushed down the drain after hopping off the plane in Dublin. Berg said just the opposite was true.

“I was young and super impressionable, so it was super easy,” explained Berg. “Adjusting to life in the US was more difficult. Irish people are more sassy, while Americans are more closed off. I had to adjust my sense of humor and get used to a lot of things I wasn’t used to.”

Childhood in Ireland, a country that draws in tourists with its famous personality, landscapes, castles, and golf courses, was idyllic. Berg attended a small school where she made close bonds with her classmates and was given free roam in the village she described as warm, welcoming and picturesque.

“I could walk on the beach from my house, and there was a castle that I could climb,” said Berg. “I used to steal potatoes from people’s gardens to eat. My friends and I there had a lot more freedom than people here. I use Facebook to keep in touch with my Irish friends- we’re still close.”

Ireland brought another group of people close together, too. Moving to a foreign country meant that they only had themselves as comfort. Minnesota, to the residents of Loughshinny, was a distant, nearly nonexistent place. Kjerstin’s older brother, Frank Berg, spent his early teen years in Ireland, and although he missed out on some junior high experiences, to him, it was worth it.

“It brought us together in an indescribable way,” said Frank. “I’d say my sister is one of my best friends, something a lot of college age males would never do. When we first got there, she was the only one I had close to my age that I could rely on.”

Kjerstin agrees with her brother, noting too that not only did they bond in Ireland, but the rest of Europe as well. Because of how easy it is to travel through Europe once there, they made rounds on trains and short plane rides through the entire continent. Berg has been to almost every major European country but Greece, where she will be visiting this summer. She has also been to Africa, Jamaica and every state.

“Since I’ve experienced traveling to a ton of countries, I’m more wanderlust than I’d be if I’d stayed here all those year,” explained Kjerstin.

That exposure to other cultures at a young age has shaped Kjerstin. She is open-minded towards many ideas, shown in the quirky-yet-stylish clothes she wears that she bought at a thrift shop to her non-conventional taste in music that ranges from Beethoven to Kanye, and her favorite, Vampire Weekend.

“The sense of fashion in Ireland is very different,” said Kjerstin. “It’s both more trendy and homey. They like new clothes, but they stick to old staples, and that was something that really rubbed off on me while I was there.”

Those cultural differences run deeper than clothing however. In Ireland, what Americans consider a peace sign is the equivalent of the middle finger.

“My brother gave on to his teacher to mean ‘two’, but got sent to the principal’s office,” chuckled Kjerstin. “He didn’t know why, and my parents were confused when they called.”

To her closest friends, Kjerstin’s Irish side shows. Senior Sarah Jensen has been friends with Kjerstin since junior high school. Kjerstin has shared with her photos and memories of her time in Ireland.

“She knows how to do an Irish jig,” said Jensen. “She might show you if you ask politely and in private. It’s hard to say how much of an impact Ireland had on her, but she’s quirky with an interesting sense of humor- pretty sarcastic. She’s tough too, and I think she got that from Ireland. It’s not a trait you would probably expect from someone so shy.”

Frank had the ability to see and feel the impact of living in a foreign country firsthand.

“I saw Kjerstin change a lot in those four years,” Frank said. “She has always been sweet- as sweet as a little sister can be to a big brother- but she changed, as did I.”

Kjerstin was a tad bit melancholy upon her return home from Ireland. She had grown to love Ireland and its people, and did not know what to expect upon arrival in the United States. Some of her peers did not know what to expect either, so they treated her like an outsider.

“I was sort of sad to be leaving Ireland, because it had felt like such a natural place to me,” said Kjerstin. “The scenery and people are really nice. When I got back, people who had known me before I’d left probed me with questions and some of my peers were kind of mean, like a ‘you think you’re better than us because you lived in Ireland’ way. It was weird that they’d think that.”

A tourist to Loughshinny sees rolling green hills, gray choppy seas and rocky beaches, along with a rich history. But to Kjerstin Berg, the village represents a second home, fond memories and a place of personal growth that she dreams of returning to someday.