Study Ireland – Stories & Guides from International Students

Join Brantley Aycock, a Study Abroad student from the US, as she explores the power of connection through cherished memories and unexpected friendships, all due to a whimsical inside joke!

In December 2021, I spent a weekend at a condo on Pawleys Island with three of my closest friends. Now I’m on the opposite side of that ocean here at the University of Limerick. With a five-hour time difference and our busy schedules working against us, one thing keeps the four of us connected – a baby fork.  

We found the fork that weekend, left behind in the kitchen drawer. We carried it around on a whim, documenting our adventures with pictures featuring the dull utensil, which we cleverly dubbed Baby Fork.  

Baby Fork has since shaped into a treasured tradition, influenced by The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Flat Stanley, and the TikTok presentation night trend. Exchanged across college campuses, wrapped into birthday gifts, and offered as emotional support in difficult times, Baby Fork has become a horcrux holding our memories and an invisible string tying our little group together.  

This January, I was entrusted with taking Baby Fork on its first international trip. Baby Fork is with me always, and it makes an appearance in many of my pictures and memories of this semester. I post these pictures on a private Snapchat story, and I have organized them onto a PowerPoint as a digital memory album to present to my friends when I return home. Baby Fork reminds me to capture moments I would otherwise let slip by and frequently reach out to those I love back in the US.  

Since arriving in Ireland, I have discovered that Baby Fork not only connects me to my old friends but offers an opportunity to make new friends. If you’re like me, approaching new people can be nerve-wracking, especially in an unfamiliar environment. Baby Fork is a quirky yet effective ice-breaker.  

“Will you take a picture with my fork?” usually receives confused looks, and, in my experience, a “yes.” People often follow up with questions about it, which has led to some of my most unforgettable conversations.  

Next time you’re on the road, take a token of your loved ones back home. By the end of the trip, you’ll have more pictures, more stories, and even more friends, all thanks to a fork.