Some Soul Searching

When I first made this blog, I wanted to keep log of my adventures for my friends and family back home. Then, I wouldn't have to try and tell them everything that happened during the semester time and time again. But at some point, I realized that this blog is a bit like my diary, but a public one. So that maybe my troubles and happiness, my ups and my downs, could help someone else. That maybe someone else can grow with me, through me.

I don't want people to think that this is easy and I'm just over here going places and loving life and eating pizza every Wednesday night. While these are all still happening, there's so much struggle and heartbreak accompanying it. While writing a letter home, I poured everything out onto the page. I was in tears as I wrote it. This entry will share some of that suffering, and I will actually quote myself at some points. This won't be an easy post, for me or for you. But please keep reading. As so many points in life, it does get better.

I started out the letter talking about how much I adore the city of Galway (don't worry, pictures and the full tale will be coming within the next week). After five lines of that, the next 3 and 1/2 pages were about myself. "Today, though, I am homesick again. I feel so alone over here, thousands of miles away from my friends and family." Yeah, all of you back in the States are celebrating a small victory, knowing that I'd eventually fall into this inevitable morose state. Thank you, for predicting my misery. "So many of my favorite characters go through this... That's how adventures start and are made. Taking a chance and pushing yourself are the only ways to accomplish (great things) and change...I know all (of) these things, keep telling myself this, yet, it doesn't make it any easier. It's still one of the hardest things I've ever had to do -- maybe the hardest thing I'll ever have to do (although, chemistry was pretty hard too.)" I definitely have a deeper appreciation and acknowledgement of what so many of my favorite characters have gone through. Mulan, Quasimodo, Ariel, Hermione Granger, Hercules (from the movie at least), and so many more. They all went out on adventures, leaving everything they knew behind. They don't always show it, but they all go through what I'm going through now. Yet they persevere, they keep going, push harder. That's what makes them great; they went outside of their comfort zone and accomplished great things because of it. But I'm not going to make this entry into an analysis, even though it would be totally awesome and all of my past teachers/professors would be totally proud.

Then I have this moment, much like in Mulan and the Little Mermaid. Where I question why I'm upset, trying to get to what's really bothering me. "I'm trying to make the most of it, though sometimes I feel like I'm failing (at it)...I'm afraid that I'm not doing this right. That I won't get out of this experience what I'm supposed to...I just don't want to regret this, or regret not doing more...

"Maybe that's why I'm homesick; if I were at home, I'd know I wasn't wasting opportunity. I"m no longer in my comfort zone, and that's a bit much for me. I never imagined it would be this hard; I wanted this so badly, I wanted adventure, I didn't think that I would get homesick. I'm strong, I'm independent, I don't need anyone else. But now I realize how much I relied on other people for support. I thought I knew hoe to be alone -- that's what I do best. But now I realize that I don't really know who to be truly alone with no one to love me. I'm starting to make friends, but not many, and none of them Irish. I am starting to be more open-minded and less judgmental of people, even though I wasn't much so before. Maybe I should start making a list of what this experience has done for me already, because I'm starting to realize that I've changed already."

That list is much longer than I expected it to be, but once I started, the ideas kept coming. I've added a new page (up at the top if you're on a computer; hit the drop-down button if you're on mobile), and that's where I've put the list. I'll keep adding to it as the semester goes on. It's for myself as much as it is for you. If you're reading this, try to learn with me. These lessons aren't specific to being half-way around the world without anyone, they can be for times when you miss a loved one, or for when you don't know how you'll make it to May 21, or the next month, or even the next day. These lessons that I'm learning will help me for the rest of my life. Let them help you too.

Thank you for reading my sob-story. Now go start your own adventure.

Love and Peace.

Gift of the Gab

Last Saturday, a bunch of us went on a trip to Blarney Castle and Cork! Blarney Castle was probably the most beautiful place I'd ever seen - the grounds were breathtaking. Cork was fun, but I'm not the biggest fan of big cities, so my friend Ryan and I just went around a few shops and eventually found a small park to sit in for a few minutes. All of my photos are in my slideshow, but here are a few of my favorites from the day.

Me kissing the Blarney Stone!

Bogey kissing the Blarney S

 

 

 


Week two of the semester went on, classes starting to get into actual content. I joined two clubs: kayaking and outdoor pursuits! I start kayaking (in a pool) next week, but I did start rock climbing (indoors)!! A few of my friends and I went there on Monday and Thursday, and even though we didn't do much, I had a blast. I'm so excited to be able to do some of the more difficult routes as the semester goes on!

I registered with the Garda (the Irish police) on Friday, and went to Galway today! But that's a story for another time. Until then...

Love and Peace!

The Cliffs, the Burren, and the start of a Wednesday tradition!

This past weekend, I went on a trip to the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren. At first, it was windy, foggy, and cold, but after a few hours it cleared up and the view was absolutely breathtaking. The past week had been hard and long, but seeing this view made everything worth it. THIS was what I came to Ireland for. 

 

 

After the long day, I was able to get a good night's rest before the first week of classes started.

Classes have been going well, and I'm quite excited about a few of them. For those of you who are wondering, I'm taking Restoration and Augustan literature (after the Renaissance, before the Romantics), Irish Traditional Music (where I'll hopefully be learning some dance!), Probability and Statistics, and Ireland: Revolution and Independence (a history course!). Thursdays and Fridays I only have one class, so I'm super excited about that part. ;)

Finally, on Wednesday, Ryan, Andrew, Emily, and I went out for our new Wednesday night tradition: pizza!! It's fairly cheap and super close, not to mention fantastic tasting!!


One last note: As some of you may have already noticed, I've added another page to my blog. It has a slideshow of all of my pictures so far, and it will be updated as the semester moves along.

Until next time,

Love and Peace!

A Note about Missing Home.

Homesickness. I was not prepared to deal with it. By Wednesday it had hit me like a Category 5 hurricane. It was miserable. The first night at UL I was skyping my mom and my boyfriend crying, saying I wanted to come home and that I didn't want to be here. By this point, I had been through long days of orientation in a large city. I hate orientations and I hate big cities. The only people I knew were Ryan and Andrew, and while we're close now, we hardly knew each other and each of us were extremely shy. No friends and thousands of miles away from everyone I knew.

The first day of orientation didn't make me feel much better - I flew all the way to Europe to go to a different university? That was not what I really imagined when I dreamed of studying abroad. If all I was going to do was study, then I should be doing it back home, where I know what to expect, where I have all of my friends and family, and where I can take classes that I need, instead of only a few.

I then made some great friends. The following day of orientation I learned about an Irish Traditional Music and Dance class that I could take. The International Society and other clubs and societies made presentations. I realized I could travel Ireland. I could have fun. I could see the Emerald Isle.

Then, I got to see Ireland. I really got to experience it. And though it was cold and damp and windy, for a long moment, the thought of leaving this breathtaking place was unimaginable.

So, to all of my readers who are going to go abroad, I have a few tips. First off, try not to compare new things to how they were back home. It's a different culture, just accept it. Neither way is better, just different. Secondly, homesickness will probably hit. It may hit at different times and at different degrees, but I promise that if you push past it and experience your trip like it's meant to, you'll have the time of your life.

Until next time,

Love and Peace!

Goodbye Dublin, Hello Limerick!

Tuesday 20 January

After some more talks and demonstrations at the IFSA office, the three of us packed up and rode to Limerick in a mini-bus! The trip was about three hours, so to entertain myself I read Pride and Prejudice, and then after about 15 minutes promptly fell asleep (not because of the book; but because I was worn out). When I woke up, it was obvious that we were not in Dublin anymore. All around me was greenery, with fields upon fields of nothing but green, occasionally spotted by a few sheep or cow.

At this point, you're probably wondering why I there aren't any photos of this gorgeous scenery. Well, the mini bus's windows were dirty from the drizzle, and they wouldn't be any good. I'll be taking trips throughout my stay, so there will be pictures of the gorgeous countryside coming soon!

We then got to our village, which is right on campus, and got our apartment and room keys. Ryan and I are in the same apartment and Andrew is on the same floor. My personal room is HUGE! It has a large desk, a twin-sized bed (!!!), and a personal bathroom complete with a shower. As they'd say in Ireland, these accommodations are class. Everyone in the apartment (Ryan, myself, and four others who have yet to arrive) share a common area with a kitchen area, couches, a television, and a balcony! Here are some photos that Ryan took, but our rooms look the same.

The bed

The common area

The apartment hallway

View from the door

I was fairly tired that night, so I just stayed in my room.

Wednesday 21 January

We met up with Ashley from IFSA again at 9AM, where she took us on a tour of the campus and took us to pick up our packets for the University of Limerick (UL) orientation. We said goodbye to her, and then went through some more talks from the university. 

When we finished, Ryan, Andrew, and I went into the city of Limerick to pick up a few things. We hopped on the bus and headed into Ireland's third largest city. Once there, we went into the "Penny's" store, which has often been compared to our Walmart. This is only somewhat true, as they really only have clothes and a small home department, but the prices are really unbeatable. We all bought towels (a shower that morning was miserable without one) and a few other things that we needed. We were all starving, so we decided to grab a bite to eat. Seeing a Burger King up ahead, we chose to eat there (to check out the differences, of course ;) )

After that, we just walked around, getting things like coffee mugs, shampoo, soap, the works. We eventually found a bus stop and decided to head back to UL. While waiting for the bus to arrive, a girl asked us if we were going back to UL, and after we assured her that we were, she told us that she was going there too. Her name is Emily, she's from Canada, and she is my first international friend. We hit it off right there and I can tell that we'll be good friends for the rest of the trip (and probably our lives). 

We parted ways with Emily, dropped off our findings, and then decided to head to the Lidl grocery store. We got a bit lost walking there, making the 20-ish minute walk about 30. We bought a bunch of food and other necessities (like laundry detergent, toilet paper, dish soap, etc) for extremely cheap and headed back home. This was a much harder task now that we were weighed down with all of our new belongings. 

After we put away all of our food, Ryan and I hung out in the main room, watching television while making french toast for dinner. It was quite a successful first meal. We then invited Emily over to watch TV and play cards with us. She left after an hour, and Ryan and I finished our game of Egyptian War and our movie (A Knight's Tale - surprisingly good!) and headed off to bed. 

Thursday 22 January

I awoke this morning to Ryan knocking on my door. I had realized that I had slept in. I was able to get ready quickly, though, and was able to make it to the second day of UL orientation on time. 

After some talks, we broke for lunch and met up at the Concert Hall for a wonderful performance by the Irish Steps group, which played traditional Irish music and dance. We were fed dinner, and then left to our own devices. I used my time to pre-register for a few clubs/societies, and figure out my class schedule. 

 

 


That's all that I have! Until next time...

Love and Peace!

Arrival in Dublin!

((Sorry for not posting last night. Anyway, here's my first blog entry since landing in Dublin!!))

When I got to the airport on Saturday, I was surprisingly calm about it all. My mom drove me to the airport and helped me all the way up to security. Leaving her was the hardest part of the journey, I think, with the exception of sleeping on airplanes.

The flights went well (one to Chicago and then to Ireland), with the first one being relatively uneventful (it was only about an hour and a half). For the trip to Ireland, I flew with Aer Lingus and the trip was fantastic. It's a very large plane, with plenty of leg room and tons of seats. Originally, I was sitting next to a girl about my age, but many of the middle rows by us were empty so she moved to those. It made our 6.5 hour flight much more enjoyable. Every seat had a screen on the back of them, and with the provided earbuds, you could watch movies and play games for free. I chose to watch How to Train Your Dragon 2 and it made the ride much shorter.The airplane food was much better than expected, with beef, potatoes, a salad, roll, brownie, and tea/coffee. With the help of some melatonin, I was able to sleep for a few hours, which I greatly appreciated when I arrived.

In-Flight meal

Once I arrived in Dublin, I took a taxi over to the hotel. Once I had dropped off my luggage, I hit the streets for a few hours while I waited for my orientation to start. I got a bit lost, but I discovered the wondrous Grafton Street, which is this pedestrian street (so, no vehicles) with tons of shops and street performers. It was amazing.

My orientation included some talks, some free stuff, and a trip around the Guinness Storehouse. While I'm not much one for alcohol, the seventh floor had the Gravity Bar - a circular room with all windows and the best view of Dublin. The ticket included a free pint of Guinness, but I was so tired and hungry that I didn't want to be stumbling around an unfamiliar city with unfamiliar people tipsy/drunk. 

Outside the Storehouse

Old Advertisements

View from the Gravity Bar

Dublin City

To end the first day, we ate at the Whitefriar Grill and had the best meal of my life. It was three courses, with a fantastic salad with quinoa and pomegranate, roasted chicken with dauphinoise potatoes and cranberry relish, and the best brownie and ice cream I've ever eaten. If you ever find yourself in Dublin and don't mind spending a bit of Euro, definitely check it out.

Dinner at the Whitefriar Grill

Once I got back to the hotel, I took a bath and completely crashed by 9PM.

Predeparture #4

A week from today, I'll be in Ireland. It seems so surreal and insane. There are so many things that I feel I have to do still. Still, I know what I'm doing for dinner up until I leave. I've made a packing list, but packing is so difficult! I have plenty of weight I'm allowed on the airline, but I don't know how I'll fit it all! Let's just say, I'm real happy that space bags exist. 

There are so many people I need to say good bye to (or so long, since "family doesn't say goodbye). Luckily, my home college starts tomorrow, so all of my friends are gathered in one place. It's hard to leave them all for four months. While it would make leaving easier if I didn't have so many people I care about, I'm so grateful to have them all in my life. I know that I'm one lucky girl to be blessed with all of these wonderful people. 

For now, I'm just trying to spend as much time with my cat and dog before I leave. With my sister gone also, it's going to be rough for them! I hope my parents give them extra loving while I'm away!

The next time I update will probably be from the airport, or even Ireland itselfb until then...

Love and Peace!

Predeparture #3

With the new year upon us, I only have a few weeks until I leave the continent (and until my "free bakery treat" reward from Panera expires). I'm crazy nervous. Just a few days ago it didn't seem real. Then, bam! Like a ton of bricks it hit me. I'm going to IRELAND!! This is a once in a lifetime experience. 

If you know me, you know that I never take risks. Everything is perfectly calculated and thought over. And while I've had plenty of time to think this decision over (four years, actually), I made this decision in a split second. Now I'm diving head first into one of the biggest risks imaginable. 

For my friends back at home reading, or for anyone else really, my best friend sent me this article found below. It's pretty funny and accurate. But there's a quote from it that sums up my feelings right now: 

"Packing up and leaving everything you know has got to be one of the gutsiest things I have ever seen someone do. It’s like breaking up with life as you know it…and being well aware that this trip may change it forever." 

I know that this trip will change me in so many ways. It's such a bittersweet thing; I'll never be the same. We hardly ever get the chance to choose to do something that will change us forever, and here I am, the girl who never takes risks, heading out on an adventure of a lifetime. 

I know I can do it, but it doesn't mean that I'm not scared. This has been my dream for forever. To reach my "one quote too many" mark, this quote from Disney's Tangled also sums up my feelings. 

"Rapunzel: I've been looking out of a window for eighteen years, dreaming about what I might feel like when those lights rise in the sky. What if it's not everything I dreamed it would be? 

Flynn Rider: It will be. 

Rapunzel: And what if it is? What do I do then? 

Flynn Rider: Well,that's the good part I guess. You get to go find a new dream."

Absolutely terrifying. But I hope that everyone gets to experience a feeling like this at some point in their lifetime. Until next time...

Love and Peace!

http://thoughtcatalog.com/nicole-rosenberg/2014/11/5-thoughts-youll-have-when-your-best-friend-studies-abroad/