So it's been about 2.5 weeks since I've returned from Ireland, and I must say life is quite different. When my dad asked me what I did today, I was able to perfectly recite my mundane schedule, right down to what time I woke up and my special trip to buy stamps for a few postcards I'm mailing. This is when I realized it; I'm becoming an old woman.
Since returning from Ireland, it seems I've adopted the lifestyle of an 80 year-old woman without even realizing it. Here's how I know:
My days start at the same time everyday, 9:13 am when my internal clock wakes me up. After washing my face and returning to bed for a few more minutes, our cat, Jack, walks in and I pet him for about 7-9 minutes. Sometimes I talk to him, and yesterday I'm pretty sure I heard him snoring. Clearly, I've become the neighborhood cat lady.
Then, I'll eat a banana and go for a walk around the neighborhood. We have nice trails here in Crowfield so I like to take full advantage.
After, I'll usually come home and eat some cereal while I check my e-mail and pretend to be productive.
Then I'll ususally go to the gym (get there about 11:00 or so, peak time for retired folk) and pretend I know all the regulars. I've been going at the same time for the past two weeks so I'm hoping the retirees will soon begin to accept me.
After an excellent session with my ipod and nike sneakers, I'll get back in my car and crank up the radio. Usually either rap or "easily listening". Depends on the day.
Then I'll run silly errands to keep myself occupied. For example, I purchased stampes today (felt good to be productive) and tomorrow I plan to get gas after the gym. I hope I have time for it all.
Once I return home I'll eat some fruit and wait patiently for my dad and sister to arrive home. In this time I'll usually blog, check my facebook, or think about all the productive things I plan to do later in the day. I also like to update my facebook status to say interesting things like "I think I'm turning into a cat lady" or "Sarah MacDonald likes a nice tax refund check". Gotta keep my loyal followers on their toes.
Lately, this is also about the time when I eat some tuna fish from a can, which I kindly share with the cats. Apparently this makes them stick their nose up at their dry-food dinners, though, so I've been instructed to cut back on the tuna-sharing in the afternoons. Whoops.
When Kelly comes home I'll talk to her about her day and what she learned in English class, then I'll either go for another walk or go to my room and check email until dinnertime.
Dinner is always at 5:00 pm and Dad, Kelly and I will have a salad with either fish, tofu or veggie burgers while we watch Gilmore Girls. During commercials, we discuss the best parts of our day and what Kelly learned at school. At this time, I also pet the cats again, for about 6-8 minutes.
This is probably the best part of all of our days, and I look forward to 5:00 pm more than anything else.
After dinner I'll go for a walk around the neighborhood (I bring my sweet ipod to keep me company) and come home and make tea for Kelly and I.
Then it's time to check my facebook (I'm a pretty dedicated facebooker, I never miss an evening) and watch a movie in my bed. I think it's important to establish a strict bedtime regimen.
The next day I'll wake up at 9:13 and do it all over again. This is, of course, until I start working at Chick-fil-A, which I'm sure will open up a whole new portal of blog-worthy happenings.
Stay tuned for those, folks, but in the mean time keep checking my blog. I hope to post some looong overdue blogs about some traveling I did while in Ireland. Should be interesting :)
Until then, Cheers!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Galway; the West of Ireland
So I recently realized I never got the chance to blog about two trips my school took me on (Northern and Western Ireland) as part of the study abroad program.
This blog is about our second trip; Galway.
Galway is in the West of Ireland, and is easily one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. We’ll get to that later.
Galway is also a college town, which means almost everyone is under the age of 30. Quite a contrast to the city-slicking, career-focused inhabitants of Dublin (aka-“Little Manhattan”).
Our first hour in Galway was spent in Eyre Square, a common meeting spot among the college kids. Students were strewn out on the lawn, basking in the sun (another rarity in Dublin), and a guy was playing his guitar and singing loud enough for everyone to hear. Students tossed their Frisbees and ate their sandwiches, while we took pictures and raved about how much we had missed the sun.
Then, our friend Kellie Herson (from Wisconsin) who attends the university in Galway, picked us up and took us on a walk to her residence at the college. She lived in what can only be described as a colorful, private living community, with each house painted a crazy different color (peach, teal, canary yellow, etc.) and a guard standing outside the gate ready to check our I.D.’s. Oh, and of course the ground was littered with beer cans galore, since the week prior had been “Rag Week”, a week full of partying and crazy outfits. That’s really all I know about the celebration, haha, but it seems like they had a good time!
After, we made our way back to the bus and checked into our hotel.
The hotel was NICE (we were lucky with our program-they always put us up in a swanky hotel), complete with a swimming pool, Jacuzzi, workout facility and two restaurants! Our second night was spent in the Jacuzzi/swimming pool area. Naturally.
That evening we all went to dinner at the hotel, provided by our program (again) where we had three courses and got to choose our appetizer, entrée and dessert. I had salad, fish, and chocolate cake for dessert. Can’t complain! :)
That night we went to a bar we’d been to for lunch earlier in the day with Kellie. I think it was called the Cellar or the Attic, or something like that?
Anyway, they had mixed drink specials that night, so I tried my first “Sex on the Beach” and a sip of my friend’s Cosmopolitan. Both delicious! And both very affordable.
A bunch of us went to the Cellar/Attic (including Julie’s parents) so we sat at one long table and shared sips of one another’s mixed drinks. It was fabulous!
Then, we went to a place called Quay’s, where they had balconies where one could wave like a queen. You better believe we did it. haha.
After such a fun night, we were all incredibly tired so we returned to our hotel for a long, glorious night of slumber.
The next day we ventured to Kylemore Abbey, an old monastery in Connemara. The ride to the Abbey was glorious, full of Irish countryside, amazing hills, valleys, and lakes. We were all asleep on the bus (the ride was rather windy so we didn’t want to get sick) and when we woke up it felt like we were in another world! SO beautiful! See pictures below.
After exploring the Abbey and taking a ton of pictures, we ventured to the old church on the grounds, then to the Kylemore Abbey “gardens”. I use quotations because the gardens looked like they hadn’t grown anything in over a century. But we pretended to smell the nonexistent flowers and had a good time traipsing around the grounds.
After, we boarded the bus and made our way back to the hotel for yet another night of banter (Irish slang for “fun”).
That night was spent in the Jacuzzi/steam room, where we sweat every toxin out of our bodies until we almost passed out from heat stroke. Hahaha.
Then we jumped back in the Jacuzzi and chatted for a while, before retiring to our rooms. I went to Lara and Jacque’s room for a middle school sleepover type of party, where we ate digestives (try them! they are delicious cookies!) and painted our nails. We also watched television, something we’d been without for far too long.
The next day we ate breakfast and boarded the bus to meet our ferry, which was to take us to the Aran Islands.
The ferry ride wasn’t too bad. Smelled of fish (surprised?) and I foolishly decided to get a coffee and attempt to drink it outside on the boat. Bad idea, but luckily the coffee didn’t spill and I was rewarded with a burst of energy for our bus tour of the Aran Isle.
Our buses were actually large minivans that took us to Dun Aengus, an old fort (actually it’s an archaeological gold mine) at the top of a very, very steep and rocky hill.
The view was spectacular, though (pictures below) and the trek up the hill in my Penney’s boots was well worth the walk. We (Ashley, Deven, and I) also got to talk a lot about our futures, where we’re headed and what we’ve enjoyed about college so far. It was a nice walk :)
Once we got to the top, I couldn’t believe how steep and dangerous it was! There are literally cliffs over the water, with no fences, allowing silly tourists (like ourselves) to sit and dangle our feet over the edge while taking pictures to show our friends. (If my mom were there she would have had a heart attack.)
After, we went to the gift shop and I got some yarn for Kelly so she can knit me a sweater, like the ones sold on the Aran Islands, haha. They’re famous for their wool sweaters, which are beautiful.
Then, our bus took us back to “town” and we walked around and enjoyed the island a little bit. Of course, we went to lunch (I got soup!) and had to visit the Centra to get candy and top-up our cell phones, but mostly we walked around and took pictures. There wasn’t much time for anything else.
Our ferry then took us back to the real world, where we went to our hotels and freshened up for the night.
That evening, we went out dancing to a night club called Cuba, where the handstamp they give you says “Castro” and pictures of the man line the walls as you enter. I’m not even joking. I wasn’t sure what to think.
But, the music was bumpin’ and they had different musical themes on each floor. Not too shabby and I’m pretty sure the entrance was free.
After a long, long night of dancing, we headed back to our hotel in a taxi cab and fell asleep for our journey home the next day.
After four days away from Dublin, it was sure nice to be home, but nothing can compare to the beautiful countryside of Galway. The West of Ireland is absolutely beautiful and hopefully the pictures can do it justice…
This blog is about our second trip; Galway.
Galway is in the West of Ireland, and is easily one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. We’ll get to that later.
Galway is also a college town, which means almost everyone is under the age of 30. Quite a contrast to the city-slicking, career-focused inhabitants of Dublin (aka-“Little Manhattan”).
Our first hour in Galway was spent in Eyre Square, a common meeting spot among the college kids. Students were strewn out on the lawn, basking in the sun (another rarity in Dublin), and a guy was playing his guitar and singing loud enough for everyone to hear. Students tossed their Frisbees and ate their sandwiches, while we took pictures and raved about how much we had missed the sun.
Then, our friend Kellie Herson (from Wisconsin) who attends the university in Galway, picked us up and took us on a walk to her residence at the college. She lived in what can only be described as a colorful, private living community, with each house painted a crazy different color (peach, teal, canary yellow, etc.) and a guard standing outside the gate ready to check our I.D.’s. Oh, and of course the ground was littered with beer cans galore, since the week prior had been “Rag Week”, a week full of partying and crazy outfits. That’s really all I know about the celebration, haha, but it seems like they had a good time!
After, we made our way back to the bus and checked into our hotel.
The hotel was NICE (we were lucky with our program-they always put us up in a swanky hotel), complete with a swimming pool, Jacuzzi, workout facility and two restaurants! Our second night was spent in the Jacuzzi/swimming pool area. Naturally.
That evening we all went to dinner at the hotel, provided by our program (again) where we had three courses and got to choose our appetizer, entrée and dessert. I had salad, fish, and chocolate cake for dessert. Can’t complain! :)
That night we went to a bar we’d been to for lunch earlier in the day with Kellie. I think it was called the Cellar or the Attic, or something like that?
Anyway, they had mixed drink specials that night, so I tried my first “Sex on the Beach” and a sip of my friend’s Cosmopolitan. Both delicious! And both very affordable.
A bunch of us went to the Cellar/Attic (including Julie’s parents) so we sat at one long table and shared sips of one another’s mixed drinks. It was fabulous!
Then, we went to a place called Quay’s, where they had balconies where one could wave like a queen. You better believe we did it. haha.
After such a fun night, we were all incredibly tired so we returned to our hotel for a long, glorious night of slumber.
The next day we ventured to Kylemore Abbey, an old monastery in Connemara. The ride to the Abbey was glorious, full of Irish countryside, amazing hills, valleys, and lakes. We were all asleep on the bus (the ride was rather windy so we didn’t want to get sick) and when we woke up it felt like we were in another world! SO beautiful! See pictures below.
After exploring the Abbey and taking a ton of pictures, we ventured to the old church on the grounds, then to the Kylemore Abbey “gardens”. I use quotations because the gardens looked like they hadn’t grown anything in over a century. But we pretended to smell the nonexistent flowers and had a good time traipsing around the grounds.
After, we boarded the bus and made our way back to the hotel for yet another night of banter (Irish slang for “fun”).
That night was spent in the Jacuzzi/steam room, where we sweat every toxin out of our bodies until we almost passed out from heat stroke. Hahaha.
Then we jumped back in the Jacuzzi and chatted for a while, before retiring to our rooms. I went to Lara and Jacque’s room for a middle school sleepover type of party, where we ate digestives (try them! they are delicious cookies!) and painted our nails. We also watched television, something we’d been without for far too long.
The next day we ate breakfast and boarded the bus to meet our ferry, which was to take us to the Aran Islands.
The ferry ride wasn’t too bad. Smelled of fish (surprised?) and I foolishly decided to get a coffee and attempt to drink it outside on the boat. Bad idea, but luckily the coffee didn’t spill and I was rewarded with a burst of energy for our bus tour of the Aran Isle.
Our buses were actually large minivans that took us to Dun Aengus, an old fort (actually it’s an archaeological gold mine) at the top of a very, very steep and rocky hill.
The view was spectacular, though (pictures below) and the trek up the hill in my Penney’s boots was well worth the walk. We (Ashley, Deven, and I) also got to talk a lot about our futures, where we’re headed and what we’ve enjoyed about college so far. It was a nice walk :)
Once we got to the top, I couldn’t believe how steep and dangerous it was! There are literally cliffs over the water, with no fences, allowing silly tourists (like ourselves) to sit and dangle our feet over the edge while taking pictures to show our friends. (If my mom were there she would have had a heart attack.)
After, we went to the gift shop and I got some yarn for Kelly so she can knit me a sweater, like the ones sold on the Aran Islands, haha. They’re famous for their wool sweaters, which are beautiful.
Then, our bus took us back to “town” and we walked around and enjoyed the island a little bit. Of course, we went to lunch (I got soup!) and had to visit the Centra to get candy and top-up our cell phones, but mostly we walked around and took pictures. There wasn’t much time for anything else.
Our ferry then took us back to the real world, where we went to our hotels and freshened up for the night.
That evening, we went out dancing to a night club called Cuba, where the handstamp they give you says “Castro” and pictures of the man line the walls as you enter. I’m not even joking. I wasn’t sure what to think.
But, the music was bumpin’ and they had different musical themes on each floor. Not too shabby and I’m pretty sure the entrance was free.
After a long, long night of dancing, we headed back to our hotel in a taxi cab and fell asleep for our journey home the next day.
After four days away from Dublin, it was sure nice to be home, but nothing can compare to the beautiful countryside of Galway. The West of Ireland is absolutely beautiful and hopefully the pictures can do it justice…
Saturday, May 1, 2010
What I'll miss...
Over the past few days I've compiled a list of all the things I’ll miss about my time in Ireland...
1) Ease of traveling (the DART, the Luas, Ryanair, etc.)
2) The historic parts of Dublin, mixed with the newer, more modern parts, like Temple Bar next to the Parliament building.
3) The lady’s voice on the Luas. So musical! hahaha
4) Howth.
5) The Howth market on Sundays!
6) Fresh fruits and vegetables from Moore street (10 bananas for one euro!)
7)DICEY’S on a Wednesday :)
8)Strawberry beer at The Porterhouse. Also, mixing strawberry beer with chocolate beer. It’s quite the delicacy :)
9)The Smithfield hooligans!
10) Lord Chauncy’s marketing class
11) All the wonderful French, German, and Spanish friends I made.
12) Crunchie bars (luckily, Kelly said they sell them at World Market, so I won’t be totally out of luck!)
13) Walking everywhere in the city. Especially with my ipod!
14) BULMERS.
15) Living in one apartment building with our gigantic study abroad family
16) Writing and receiving letters/postcards. I think I’ll continue this in the States, and probably for the rest of my life.
17)Running through Phoenix Park on a nice, sunny Dublin day. Those sunny days were rare toward the beginning, but the last couple weeks were absolutely beautiful.
18) The pub culture.
19) The Dublin girls/Dublin fashion
20) Seeing signs in Gaelic
21) The insane amount of café’s. It’s so easy to find a place to sit and talk, or just read a book.
22) Lack of homework, leaving more time to get to know people, travel, and focus on the other things.
23) Seeing everything for the first time. I’ve lived in Charleston for a while, so I have to make myself take a step back and really look at how beautiful something is.
24) The excellent dance music in all the dance clubs (specifically, “Bulletproof” “Rude Boy”, “Ego” and anything by Cheryl Cole.)
25) Hearing people say curse words on the street like it’s no big deal.
26) The sound of the traffic lights telling pedestrians to walk.
27) My Dublin family :)
1) Ease of traveling (the DART, the Luas, Ryanair, etc.)
2) The historic parts of Dublin, mixed with the newer, more modern parts, like Temple Bar next to the Parliament building.
3) The lady’s voice on the Luas. So musical! hahaha
4) Howth.
5) The Howth market on Sundays!
6) Fresh fruits and vegetables from Moore street (10 bananas for one euro!)
7)DICEY’S on a Wednesday :)
8)Strawberry beer at The Porterhouse. Also, mixing strawberry beer with chocolate beer. It’s quite the delicacy :)
9)The Smithfield hooligans!
10) Lord Chauncy’s marketing class
11) All the wonderful French, German, and Spanish friends I made.
12) Crunchie bars (luckily, Kelly said they sell them at World Market, so I won’t be totally out of luck!)
13) Walking everywhere in the city. Especially with my ipod!
14) BULMERS.
15) Living in one apartment building with our gigantic study abroad family
16) Writing and receiving letters/postcards. I think I’ll continue this in the States, and probably for the rest of my life.
17)Running through Phoenix Park on a nice, sunny Dublin day. Those sunny days were rare toward the beginning, but the last couple weeks were absolutely beautiful.
18) The pub culture.
19) The Dublin girls/Dublin fashion
20) Seeing signs in Gaelic
21) The insane amount of café’s. It’s so easy to find a place to sit and talk, or just read a book.
22) Lack of homework, leaving more time to get to know people, travel, and focus on the other things.
23) Seeing everything for the first time. I’ve lived in Charleston for a while, so I have to make myself take a step back and really look at how beautiful something is.
24) The excellent dance music in all the dance clubs (specifically, “Bulletproof” “Rude Boy”, “Ego” and anything by Cheryl Cole.)
25) Hearing people say curse words on the street like it’s no big deal.
26) The sound of the traffic lights telling pedestrians to walk.
27) My Dublin family :)
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Chinese takeout.
So we went for Chinese takeout the other night and before catching myself, I tried to convert the dollar amount into euro. I've been doing this alot lately, haha, and am always pleasantly surprised when I realize a coffee is actually $1.99 and not 2 euro. Life's cheap!
Also Kelly and I illegally loaded up on Sushi (sushi is NOT part of the takeout menu) but Kelly is pretty stealthy and I was rather determined, so we made it work. Not going to lie, it was pretty thrilling!
I forgot how much I missed sushi...and my sister :)
Also Kelly and I illegally loaded up on Sushi (sushi is NOT part of the takeout menu) but Kelly is pretty stealthy and I was rather determined, so we made it work. Not going to lie, it was pretty thrilling!
I forgot how much I missed sushi...and my sister :)
4 months later and the "check engine" light is still on-driving again.
While in Dublin, I forgot all about driving. I forgot what it felt like to drive, how my car operated, and most importantly, that it’s okay to turn right on a red light. hahaha...
When I returned, I was actually quite concerned I would not remember how to function behind the wheel of a car, but after a slow exit from my cul-de-sac, and a cautious look both ways before pulling out, it was like I had never stopped driving. Hands on the wheel (ten and two, of course) and radio turned slightly lower than usual (for fear of crashing after four months of not driving), I cautiously rolled down my windows and the confidence slowly started to return. It was really nice to drive through the streets of Goose Creek and say hello to my original stomping grounds.
I said hello to my local Bi-Lo, Publix, and Blockbuster, all the while feeling like I was looking at everything with a fresh pair of eyes. I’d been gone so long I was just trying to take everything in and see what had changed! Turns out, for example, a local church near my house has been completed after 5 months of renovation, and the thing looks amazing!
Also, I forgot how distracing a good billboard can be. Darn advertisers ;)
On my journey home, a particular song came on that really reminded me of my friends in Dublin. It was Rihanna’s “Rude Boy, one of our favorite songs to dance to in Ireland, and I actually started to tear up while listening to it. Not safe while driving, I know, but I just couldn’t help myself! I made such great friends in Ireland, and we had such a great time together, that it makes me so upset to have to leave that behind. After I composed myself, Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” came on and I lost it all over again, haha. It’s probably not best to drive when one is so emotional :)
Despite my wildly emotional state and the lack of recent driving experience, I made it safely home and immediately began to write down all the details of my driving adventure. It was a wonderful trip, and can only be compared to flexing a weak muscle after months of not working out. Kind of crazy, I know, but it really did take a few minutes for everything to come flooding back.
I will say, though, I am going to miss the 30-minute walk to and from school everyday. When the weather was nice and my ipod was charged, that walk to and from school could sometimes be the best part of my day! I plan to do much more walking now that I’m back, especially when it’s just a quick trip to the store to buy cookie mix for Kelly and I, haha :)
Keep reading for more about my re-introduction back into American life!
When I returned, I was actually quite concerned I would not remember how to function behind the wheel of a car, but after a slow exit from my cul-de-sac, and a cautious look both ways before pulling out, it was like I had never stopped driving. Hands on the wheel (ten and two, of course) and radio turned slightly lower than usual (for fear of crashing after four months of not driving), I cautiously rolled down my windows and the confidence slowly started to return. It was really nice to drive through the streets of Goose Creek and say hello to my original stomping grounds.
I said hello to my local Bi-Lo, Publix, and Blockbuster, all the while feeling like I was looking at everything with a fresh pair of eyes. I’d been gone so long I was just trying to take everything in and see what had changed! Turns out, for example, a local church near my house has been completed after 5 months of renovation, and the thing looks amazing!
Also, I forgot how distracing a good billboard can be. Darn advertisers ;)
On my journey home, a particular song came on that really reminded me of my friends in Dublin. It was Rihanna’s “Rude Boy, one of our favorite songs to dance to in Ireland, and I actually started to tear up while listening to it. Not safe while driving, I know, but I just couldn’t help myself! I made such great friends in Ireland, and we had such a great time together, that it makes me so upset to have to leave that behind. After I composed myself, Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” came on and I lost it all over again, haha. It’s probably not best to drive when one is so emotional :)
Despite my wildly emotional state and the lack of recent driving experience, I made it safely home and immediately began to write down all the details of my driving adventure. It was a wonderful trip, and can only be compared to flexing a weak muscle after months of not working out. Kind of crazy, I know, but it really did take a few minutes for everything to come flooding back.
I will say, though, I am going to miss the 30-minute walk to and from school everyday. When the weather was nice and my ipod was charged, that walk to and from school could sometimes be the best part of my day! I plan to do much more walking now that I’m back, especially when it’s just a quick trip to the store to buy cookie mix for Kelly and I, haha :)
Keep reading for more about my re-introduction back into American life!
I'm baaaack!
So I’ve been back in the States for almost three days now, and a few things are really starting to make me aware how far away I’ve been. And realize that I actually lived in another country, on my own, for a solid four months.
This blog covers the first 24 hours of my assimilation back into my previous, American life…
When I first got here, I was greeted at the airport by just my dad, standing at the security gate with his khaki pants and bright yellow shirt. I seriously wanted to drop all my luggage and race up to hug him, but I contained myself for the awkwardly long walk down the ramp and picked up my pace to a fast-paced gallop. Mall walker style. haha.
I then gave my dad the biggest, most epic hug of my life. I was overcome with emotion. I had missed him so much! I hadn’t had a dad hug in a whole semester and even a skype chat is nothing compared to a good dad hug.
I then turned around to find my mother and sister sitting in the terminal, staring out the window waiting for me to arrive. They hadn’t realized my plane had come in yet :)
So, I snuck up behind them and we shared a three-way hug incomparable to any other. It’s like being reunited with my best friends. Perhaps because they are, haha.
We hugged about four more times, then I wasn’t quite sure what to say/do. Mostly because mom was crying like a crazy fool (in the best way) and my sister and I could do nothing except for exchange glances that read “oh mom, typical”. I could have told you that would happen, though :)
After collecting my baggage and leaving the airport, I was overwhelmed and confused and felt a little out of place. Where do I begin? Do I tell them about the crazy friends I’d made in the airport that day? Do I talk in more detail of my travels through Europe? Do I start with Day 1 and tell them everything?
We had been facebooking/skyping throughout my entire journey, but it felt so different to tell them everything in person.
Then again, it felt sort of like I’d never left. It was much easier to slip into my family role, even easier than coming back to visit after my first month in college.
Perhaps it was because I had left and returned so many times before. Or because I’m much more sure of myself now, and I have a firmer grasp on who I am in and out of my family, that I’m able to stay constant whether I am with my family or not. I don’t know if that makes sense, but this whole experience is rather difficult to describe.
Kelly and Dad and I chatted on the way home about all the things I hadn’t had the chance to catch them up on yet. We went into detail about the friends I’d made, my trip to Scotland, and all the “everyday” sorts of things about Ireland that I really didn’t notice until I was talking to people who had never been there before.
We came home and I just couldn’t stop talking. I was so excited to be back (it canceled out the jet-lag until about 8:00 pm when I wanted to DIE) and it was so nice to be in our own home. We ordered pizza and made salads and I got to ride in Kelly’s car with her. Gaah I missed that girl! She’s grown up so much since I left, it seems, and she’s got so much more of her life figured out. It’s crazy! I’m so proud and excited for her!
We spent the rest of the evening talking about Ireland and all the funny things that happened with my friends and I. It’s so different to be back and not have anyone know the full details of all the happenings of our Dublin spring semester. So bizarre.
We then baked cookies (a favorite sisterly bonding activity between Kelly and I) and drank tea and chatted some more about Ireland.
By about 10:00 pm I was beyond tired (the kind of tired where you slur your words and say things that don’t make sense) so I retired to my bed for a long, epic night of sleep.
I forgot how comfortable my bed was! And I had cleaned and re-arranged my room before I left so it was a nice little treat to conk out and go to bed.
Oh, and did I mention? Kelly left me a number of Charleston travel brochures on my bed, along with a praline from downtown, as a welcome home present! She’s so cute!
I hope she and I will get to do some traveling together! We live in such a beautiful, historic city, and we’ve never been tourists in our own hometown.
That’s something I’ll really miss about Europe is the ease of traveling and the unlimited sights to see! I plan to do much more traveling now that I’m home, even if that means a day trip to Charlotte, or a weekend in Myrtle Beach. Something to keep it interesting, and to make me realize how beautiful any place can be!
That sort of leads in to another blog post: all the things I’m going to miss about Ireland.
Stay tuned for that one, it'll be up soon :)
That's all for now!
Cheers!
This blog covers the first 24 hours of my assimilation back into my previous, American life…
When I first got here, I was greeted at the airport by just my dad, standing at the security gate with his khaki pants and bright yellow shirt. I seriously wanted to drop all my luggage and race up to hug him, but I contained myself for the awkwardly long walk down the ramp and picked up my pace to a fast-paced gallop. Mall walker style. haha.
I then gave my dad the biggest, most epic hug of my life. I was overcome with emotion. I had missed him so much! I hadn’t had a dad hug in a whole semester and even a skype chat is nothing compared to a good dad hug.
I then turned around to find my mother and sister sitting in the terminal, staring out the window waiting for me to arrive. They hadn’t realized my plane had come in yet :)
So, I snuck up behind them and we shared a three-way hug incomparable to any other. It’s like being reunited with my best friends. Perhaps because they are, haha.
We hugged about four more times, then I wasn’t quite sure what to say/do. Mostly because mom was crying like a crazy fool (in the best way) and my sister and I could do nothing except for exchange glances that read “oh mom, typical”. I could have told you that would happen, though :)
After collecting my baggage and leaving the airport, I was overwhelmed and confused and felt a little out of place. Where do I begin? Do I tell them about the crazy friends I’d made in the airport that day? Do I talk in more detail of my travels through Europe? Do I start with Day 1 and tell them everything?
We had been facebooking/skyping throughout my entire journey, but it felt so different to tell them everything in person.
Then again, it felt sort of like I’d never left. It was much easier to slip into my family role, even easier than coming back to visit after my first month in college.
Perhaps it was because I had left and returned so many times before. Or because I’m much more sure of myself now, and I have a firmer grasp on who I am in and out of my family, that I’m able to stay constant whether I am with my family or not. I don’t know if that makes sense, but this whole experience is rather difficult to describe.
Kelly and Dad and I chatted on the way home about all the things I hadn’t had the chance to catch them up on yet. We went into detail about the friends I’d made, my trip to Scotland, and all the “everyday” sorts of things about Ireland that I really didn’t notice until I was talking to people who had never been there before.
We came home and I just couldn’t stop talking. I was so excited to be back (it canceled out the jet-lag until about 8:00 pm when I wanted to DIE) and it was so nice to be in our own home. We ordered pizza and made salads and I got to ride in Kelly’s car with her. Gaah I missed that girl! She’s grown up so much since I left, it seems, and she’s got so much more of her life figured out. It’s crazy! I’m so proud and excited for her!
We spent the rest of the evening talking about Ireland and all the funny things that happened with my friends and I. It’s so different to be back and not have anyone know the full details of all the happenings of our Dublin spring semester. So bizarre.
We then baked cookies (a favorite sisterly bonding activity between Kelly and I) and drank tea and chatted some more about Ireland.
By about 10:00 pm I was beyond tired (the kind of tired where you slur your words and say things that don’t make sense) so I retired to my bed for a long, epic night of sleep.
I forgot how comfortable my bed was! And I had cleaned and re-arranged my room before I left so it was a nice little treat to conk out and go to bed.
Oh, and did I mention? Kelly left me a number of Charleston travel brochures on my bed, along with a praline from downtown, as a welcome home present! She’s so cute!
I hope she and I will get to do some traveling together! We live in such a beautiful, historic city, and we’ve never been tourists in our own hometown.
That’s something I’ll really miss about Europe is the ease of traveling and the unlimited sights to see! I plan to do much more traveling now that I’m home, even if that means a day trip to Charlotte, or a weekend in Myrtle Beach. Something to keep it interesting, and to make me realize how beautiful any place can be!
That sort of leads in to another blog post: all the things I’m going to miss about Ireland.
Stay tuned for that one, it'll be up soon :)
That's all for now!
Cheers!
The Smithfield Hooligans.
So here it is, the long-awaited blog about the “13 and unders” romping around Smithfield with no parental supervision, and empty bottles of Lucozade, just ready to chuck at an unaware American.
These, my friends, are the Smithfield Hooligans, and this is their story…
The hooligans’ age range is from about 8-13 years of age, just old enough to be let out of the house without parental supervision, and just young enough to look harmless. The majority of them also have freckles, which helps them look even more innocent.
They run around Smithfield wearing “trackie bottoms” (sweat pants), Adidas shoes, hoodies, and occasionally their favorite rugby jersey. They also like to gel their hair in spikes atop their hoodlum heads. It’s a mystery as to how it stays spiked during all their hooligan antics, but they manage to keep their hair perfectly stiff the entire day.
Their favorite activities include: hanging outside of SPAR and Centra (Irish convenience stores) for no apparent reason, drinking Lucozade (Orange Powerade mixed with caffeine), consuming Tayto Chips and Crunchie Bars (Google it), running into Americans with their scooters, and chasing people down the street.
My friend, Julie, was actually attacked by some Hooligans in Phoenix park. They hit her with sticks and threw rocks at her, all the while calling her names and yelling she was a “stupid American.” These are the most extreme hooligans of all, since most of them seem to be rather harmless. From a distance, anyway, haha.
The Hooligans also like to play a game I call “Throw an empty soda bottle in the road and watch cars run over it for enjoyment.” It'd take hours to explain, so I won't do that here.
Many of the Hooligans have to find games like this to play, since they do not have access to a local playground. These city-slicking kids live in a strictly residential area (Smithfield) and Phoenix Park is the closest semblance to a kid’s playground. However, the park is a solid 15-20 minute walk away and contains nothing more than bronze statues and jogging trails.
Once, I saw a gang of hooligans running around Smithfield with a horse they (or their parents) must have purchased at the Smithfield horse market. They were literally romping up and down the streets, with no real purpose other than to show off their new horse to the entire community. Now that, my friends, is an epic Smithfield moment.
(For more info, go here: http://hubpages.com/hub/Smithfield-Horse-Market-Dublin)
And let's not forget the ladies...
There is also the less-recognized female Hooligan, who likes to wear pajamas or an entire matching trackie suit. She also likes to straighten her hair, dye it one solid color (see “Dublin Women” blog) and walk around causing trouble with the hooligan boys. She’s typically the more innocent of the group, but no hooligan pack is complete without one of these hooligan girls. Typically, though, they grow up quicker than the boys and move onto shopping and, eventually, clubbing (again, see “Dublin Women” blog).
So, there you go. An in-depth look at the lifestyles and habits of the infamous Smithfield Hooligans. Luckily, I was never personally attacked by any of them, but I exercised great caution and was sure to never make eye contact. They are pretty harmless, really, unless you’re hanging outside SPAR after 9:00 pm. Then I wish you the best of luck.
To paint a clearer picture, I’ve added a few pictures of the Hooligans in their natural habitat:
These, my friends, are the Smithfield Hooligans, and this is their story…
The hooligans’ age range is from about 8-13 years of age, just old enough to be let out of the house without parental supervision, and just young enough to look harmless. The majority of them also have freckles, which helps them look even more innocent.
They run around Smithfield wearing “trackie bottoms” (sweat pants), Adidas shoes, hoodies, and occasionally their favorite rugby jersey. They also like to gel their hair in spikes atop their hoodlum heads. It’s a mystery as to how it stays spiked during all their hooligan antics, but they manage to keep their hair perfectly stiff the entire day.
Their favorite activities include: hanging outside of SPAR and Centra (Irish convenience stores) for no apparent reason, drinking Lucozade (Orange Powerade mixed with caffeine), consuming Tayto Chips and Crunchie Bars (Google it), running into Americans with their scooters, and chasing people down the street.
My friend, Julie, was actually attacked by some Hooligans in Phoenix park. They hit her with sticks and threw rocks at her, all the while calling her names and yelling she was a “stupid American.” These are the most extreme hooligans of all, since most of them seem to be rather harmless. From a distance, anyway, haha.
The Hooligans also like to play a game I call “Throw an empty soda bottle in the road and watch cars run over it for enjoyment.” It'd take hours to explain, so I won't do that here.
Many of the Hooligans have to find games like this to play, since they do not have access to a local playground. These city-slicking kids live in a strictly residential area (Smithfield) and Phoenix Park is the closest semblance to a kid’s playground. However, the park is a solid 15-20 minute walk away and contains nothing more than bronze statues and jogging trails.
Once, I saw a gang of hooligans running around Smithfield with a horse they (or their parents) must have purchased at the Smithfield horse market. They were literally romping up and down the streets, with no real purpose other than to show off their new horse to the entire community. Now that, my friends, is an epic Smithfield moment.
(For more info, go here: http://hubpages.com/hub/Smithfield-Horse-Market-Dublin)
And let's not forget the ladies...
There is also the less-recognized female Hooligan, who likes to wear pajamas or an entire matching trackie suit. She also likes to straighten her hair, dye it one solid color (see “Dublin Women” blog) and walk around causing trouble with the hooligan boys. She’s typically the more innocent of the group, but no hooligan pack is complete without one of these hooligan girls. Typically, though, they grow up quicker than the boys and move onto shopping and, eventually, clubbing (again, see “Dublin Women” blog).
So, there you go. An in-depth look at the lifestyles and habits of the infamous Smithfield Hooligans. Luckily, I was never personally attacked by any of them, but I exercised great caution and was sure to never make eye contact. They are pretty harmless, really, unless you’re hanging outside SPAR after 9:00 pm. Then I wish you the best of luck.
To paint a clearer picture, I’ve added a few pictures of the Hooligans in their natural habitat:
Smithfield
So we live in a place called Smithfield. I don’t know what I’ve told you all about this place, but it’s a rather “up and coming” sort of area. More like “still on its way,” hahaha, but we love it.
Anyway, Smithfield is located North of the River Liffey, which has a connotation all its own when mentioned during conversation in Ireland.
North of the Liffey, namely Smithfield, is the "less-posh" part of Dublin, more “rough around the edges” when compared to the chic areas near Harcourt street in South Dublin. The young, urban professionals live on Harcourt street, if that gives you any idea, and this is also the location of a club called “Krystle” where the strict dress code requires prom dresses and tuxedos. On a Wednesday.
North Dublin, however, (mostly Smithfield in this blog) can be characterized by a few other things:
1) Girls in pajamas. Midday, going to the grocery store.
2) Bargaintown! A massive discount store selling couches, lamps, mirrors, and carpet.
3) LUCOZADE An orange-flavored energy drink consumed mostly by the Smithfield Hooligans-more on them later.
4) Horse droppings on the ground.
Smithfield is famous for its monthly horse market (held the first Sunday of every month), where horses are brought and traded in the main square of Smithfield. Apparently, the dealers still spit on their handshakes to secure a deal, and the horses are traded like Pokemon cards. It’s a pretty big deal, actually, but nevertheless the horses leave little “presents” on the sidewalks for weeks to come. It’s lovely.
(For more info, go here: http://hubpages.com/hub/Smithfield-Horse-Market-Dublin)
5) The notorious Smithfield Hooligans (see next blog).
6) The Dublin Doors.
I’m sure you guys have seen/heard about the colorful doors in Dublin, found mostly in residential areas such as Smithfield. The doors are all brightly colored (blue, yellow, red, purple, etc) and unlike any others I’ve ever seen. There is an old Irish story that explains the doors were painted different colors so the drunken Irishmen coming home from the pubs at night would easily recognize their houses’ door, and not stumble into the wrong residence. We’re not quite sure how true this story is, but Smithfield is loaded with these beautifully painted doors. My favorite is a set of doors located behind Blackhall, a few blocks away. It’s a maroon door next door to a lime green door. So fashion-forward :)
In addition, Smithfield is also home to, what I consider to be, the best Centra around.
Centra is like a gas station convenience store, only better. They sell everything from fruits, vegetables, and brown bread, to kinder eggs, bottles of wine/Bulmers cans, taco seasoning, etc. All one’s basic necessities in one little store!
Smithfield has two Centras, actually, both within 20 seconds of each other (why, I will never know) as well as a SPAR (the more expensive version of Centra) on the corner near the Liffey. Now, Centra and SPAR are not ideal places to buy all one’s groceries (we have Tesco for that!) but it’s nice to have three stores so close when we’re in a pinch.
Finally, Smithfield is home to a number of pubs and restaurants. Nice restaurants, actually, like an Indian place called “Green Chili” and a fancy Italian restaurant on the way to Tesco. We also have the Glimmer Man, a popular pub for us college kids, and the jukebox is pretty inexpensive so we get to play D.J. when we go :)
**Tourist alert-Smithfield is home to the Jameson Distillery, and only a five minute walk from the Guinness Storehouse, so it’s a pretty cool place to live if you’re looking for something touristy to do!
Hokay, that is all! Enjoy the next few blogs, hopefully they'll be a re-cap of my everyday life in Dublin, we shall see!
Cheers!
And thank you all for reading/following my blogs. I hope they are as fun and entertaining to read as they are to write/experience! I appreciate you all :)
Anyway, Smithfield is located North of the River Liffey, which has a connotation all its own when mentioned during conversation in Ireland.
North of the Liffey, namely Smithfield, is the "less-posh" part of Dublin, more “rough around the edges” when compared to the chic areas near Harcourt street in South Dublin. The young, urban professionals live on Harcourt street, if that gives you any idea, and this is also the location of a club called “Krystle” where the strict dress code requires prom dresses and tuxedos. On a Wednesday.
North Dublin, however, (mostly Smithfield in this blog) can be characterized by a few other things:
1) Girls in pajamas. Midday, going to the grocery store.
2) Bargaintown! A massive discount store selling couches, lamps, mirrors, and carpet.
3) LUCOZADE An orange-flavored energy drink consumed mostly by the Smithfield Hooligans-more on them later.
4) Horse droppings on the ground.
Smithfield is famous for its monthly horse market (held the first Sunday of every month), where horses are brought and traded in the main square of Smithfield. Apparently, the dealers still spit on their handshakes to secure a deal, and the horses are traded like Pokemon cards. It’s a pretty big deal, actually, but nevertheless the horses leave little “presents” on the sidewalks for weeks to come. It’s lovely.
(For more info, go here: http://hubpages.com/hub/Smithfield-Horse-Market-Dublin)
5) The notorious Smithfield Hooligans (see next blog).
6) The Dublin Doors.
I’m sure you guys have seen/heard about the colorful doors in Dublin, found mostly in residential areas such as Smithfield. The doors are all brightly colored (blue, yellow, red, purple, etc) and unlike any others I’ve ever seen. There is an old Irish story that explains the doors were painted different colors so the drunken Irishmen coming home from the pubs at night would easily recognize their houses’ door, and not stumble into the wrong residence. We’re not quite sure how true this story is, but Smithfield is loaded with these beautifully painted doors. My favorite is a set of doors located behind Blackhall, a few blocks away. It’s a maroon door next door to a lime green door. So fashion-forward :)
In addition, Smithfield is also home to, what I consider to be, the best Centra around.
Centra is like a gas station convenience store, only better. They sell everything from fruits, vegetables, and brown bread, to kinder eggs, bottles of wine/Bulmers cans, taco seasoning, etc. All one’s basic necessities in one little store!
Smithfield has two Centras, actually, both within 20 seconds of each other (why, I will never know) as well as a SPAR (the more expensive version of Centra) on the corner near the Liffey. Now, Centra and SPAR are not ideal places to buy all one’s groceries (we have Tesco for that!) but it’s nice to have three stores so close when we’re in a pinch.
Finally, Smithfield is home to a number of pubs and restaurants. Nice restaurants, actually, like an Indian place called “Green Chili” and a fancy Italian restaurant on the way to Tesco. We also have the Glimmer Man, a popular pub for us college kids, and the jukebox is pretty inexpensive so we get to play D.J. when we go :)
**Tourist alert-Smithfield is home to the Jameson Distillery, and only a five minute walk from the Guinness Storehouse, so it’s a pretty cool place to live if you’re looking for something touristy to do!
Hokay, that is all! Enjoy the next few blogs, hopefully they'll be a re-cap of my everyday life in Dublin, we shall see!
Cheers!
And thank you all for reading/following my blogs. I hope they are as fun and entertaining to read as they are to write/experience! I appreciate you all :)
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Laundry.
So I realized I never really blogged about the “experience” of doing laundry as a study abroad student in Dublin, Ireland.
When we first moved in, they told us we’d be doing laundry in the sink, which I don’t think any of us really believed.
But when we realized that one load would cost about six euro in our Blackhall accommodation, many of us quickly became comfortable with the fact that the bulk of our laundry would be done old-school; in the sink, bent over like an old Hungarian woman (to quote Lara’s blog, “I’m A Stranger in a Strange Land”), hoping the hot water would not run out before the last towel was clean.
This was fine at first, and I actually had a pretty good time the first few weeks.
I would turn up my music, bust out the powdered detergent, and get to scrubbing. I did it in the kitchen sink the first time, then realized how silly that was since I had my own sink in my room.
I must say, I felt like Charlie’s mom in “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” but it didn’t matter-I was having fun! It was de-stressing and a good time for me to reflect, while also being productive! Meg even bought us a rope to line-dry our wet clothes and we had a good system going for a while.
Then, things started to get complicated. Annoying even, especially when my knuckles were sore from scrubbing my socks, or when my dress wouldn’t air-dry in time for the next day of school.
I became so inconvenienced with waiting that I eventually took to blow-drying my clothes with my dad’s travel-sized blowdryer (thanks again, dad!) in a frantic effort to expedite the process.
A couple weeks in, I realized I hadn’t washed any big-ticket items, like towels or my north face, so I was without any real outfits for a good solid days.
I realized this would just not do, and I gave in to the Laundromat down the street, Mr. Tubbs.
Ohhhhhh Mr. Tubbs!
Mr. Tubbs (or just “Tubbs” as it became affectionately known) was about a five minute walk outside of Smithfield, and the study abroad students could be seen camping out inside with their laptops or a deck of cards, waiting patiently for their laundry to finish.
I could personally be seen trekking down the River Liffey sporting my sweatpants and hoodie (looking like a legit Smithfield Hooligan) with a mesh laundry bag slung over my shoulder like Santa Claus.
Tubbs cost us about 8 euro for a load of laundry, so I tried to avoid that place like the plague. Plus, the woman who owns and operates the business was VERY anti-american, and VERY vocal about it. In short, she hated us, and has been quoted as saying so.
I often went to Tubbs with a book, or my journal, and would listen to the angry lady become hostile with some of her customers. She despised ignorant customers, or those who had never been to Tubbs before and did not know the Laws of the Land. She also could not stand anyone over the age of eleven.
After a few visits I learned, though, and she seemed to despise me less. I even tried to play down my “Amercan-ness” by wearing my Dublin Business School hoodie a few times.
It really puts my American life into perspective, especially how convenient everything is. It's so easy to multi-task in the States, and life is so hurried. But simple things, like doing laundry in the sink, or walking instead of driving, can really force one to slow down and smell the roses. I guess I have laundry to thank for re-teaching me that lesson, and I'm so grateful it has!
Thankfully, we all got through the Dublin laundry experience alive, and managed to wear semi-clean clothes the entire semester, haha. I won’t say I never wore a cardigan four times in a row without washing it, but it's all part of the experience.
Cheers!
When we first moved in, they told us we’d be doing laundry in the sink, which I don’t think any of us really believed.
But when we realized that one load would cost about six euro in our Blackhall accommodation, many of us quickly became comfortable with the fact that the bulk of our laundry would be done old-school; in the sink, bent over like an old Hungarian woman (to quote Lara’s blog, “I’m A Stranger in a Strange Land”), hoping the hot water would not run out before the last towel was clean.
This was fine at first, and I actually had a pretty good time the first few weeks.
I would turn up my music, bust out the powdered detergent, and get to scrubbing. I did it in the kitchen sink the first time, then realized how silly that was since I had my own sink in my room.
I must say, I felt like Charlie’s mom in “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” but it didn’t matter-I was having fun! It was de-stressing and a good time for me to reflect, while also being productive! Meg even bought us a rope to line-dry our wet clothes and we had a good system going for a while.
Then, things started to get complicated. Annoying even, especially when my knuckles were sore from scrubbing my socks, or when my dress wouldn’t air-dry in time for the next day of school.
I became so inconvenienced with waiting that I eventually took to blow-drying my clothes with my dad’s travel-sized blowdryer (thanks again, dad!) in a frantic effort to expedite the process.
A couple weeks in, I realized I hadn’t washed any big-ticket items, like towels or my north face, so I was without any real outfits for a good solid days.
I realized this would just not do, and I gave in to the Laundromat down the street, Mr. Tubbs.
Ohhhhhh Mr. Tubbs!
Mr. Tubbs (or just “Tubbs” as it became affectionately known) was about a five minute walk outside of Smithfield, and the study abroad students could be seen camping out inside with their laptops or a deck of cards, waiting patiently for their laundry to finish.
I could personally be seen trekking down the River Liffey sporting my sweatpants and hoodie (looking like a legit Smithfield Hooligan) with a mesh laundry bag slung over my shoulder like Santa Claus.
Tubbs cost us about 8 euro for a load of laundry, so I tried to avoid that place like the plague. Plus, the woman who owns and operates the business was VERY anti-american, and VERY vocal about it. In short, she hated us, and has been quoted as saying so.
I often went to Tubbs with a book, or my journal, and would listen to the angry lady become hostile with some of her customers. She despised ignorant customers, or those who had never been to Tubbs before and did not know the Laws of the Land. She also could not stand anyone over the age of eleven.
After a few visits I learned, though, and she seemed to despise me less. I even tried to play down my “Amercan-ness” by wearing my Dublin Business School hoodie a few times.
It really puts my American life into perspective, especially how convenient everything is. It's so easy to multi-task in the States, and life is so hurried. But simple things, like doing laundry in the sink, or walking instead of driving, can really force one to slow down and smell the roses. I guess I have laundry to thank for re-teaching me that lesson, and I'm so grateful it has!
Thankfully, we all got through the Dublin laundry experience alive, and managed to wear semi-clean clothes the entire semester, haha. I won’t say I never wore a cardigan four times in a row without washing it, but it's all part of the experience.
Cheers!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Scotland-Part three!
We were quite excited for our “Loch Ness and Legends” tour, especially since we were promised a kilted tour guide!
So after running to meet our bus, we were happy to meet Andy, our tour guide in a kilt and fleece pullover!
I must mention that in Scotland, the kilt thing is really no big deal. Men wear kilts on their way to the grocery store, to the office, or while walking the dog. Some of the kilts are incredibly nice and worn only for special occasions. But others, like the one Andy was wearing, are for everyday use. Like giving tours of Loch Ness, of course :)
The tour left around 8:15, and for the next four hours we were driven through the highlands of Scotland, being told stories and legends of the places we saw. I hate to say it, but we were all drifting in and out of sleep during the four hour drive.
Could have been the lack of sleep for the past three days, or the fact that we were all stuffed from the breakfast we bagged from our Holiday Inn (stuffed it ALL in my backpack and feasted on the way to Loch Ness, haha!) but the four of us conked out for the majority of the drive.
We were all in it for Loch Ness, though, so as long as we were awake for that it was fine. PLUS, we awoke just in time to see one of the sights where the MacDonald clan kept their cows, and another sight where they were slaughtered by the Campbell clan in their sleep. Sneaky, sneaky!
We stopped for lunch at a beautiful lake, took some pictures, and continued on our journey. Aka-we all took another loooong nap.
When we awoke, we were finally at Loch Ness! AH!
We got off the bus and boarded our Loch Ness “cruise”. The boat was equipped with a sonar system, funded by MIT, to search for Nessie while carting tourists around the lake. They’ve got quite the system going, especially since they are making money (costs 10 pounds per tourist) while conducting scientific research.
Apparently, quite a few photos have been taken of a possible monster in the lake, leading one to believe that Nessie is somewhere in there. MIT just hasn’t found her yet.
The cruise also had a little Nessie sticker on the windows of the boat, so if one’s camera is positioned correctly, it looks like Nessie is sitting there right on the water! Pretty clever, actually, and my dad actually fell for it when he looked at the pictures on f/b. :)
After returning to shore, we bought some postcards, (which apparently held up the tour, since they allotted no time for tourist-like activity after the cruise. What were they thinking? haha) and boarded the bus again.
This time, Andy took a break from telling stories, and turned on the relaxing Scottish tunes. It was nice for all the tired tourists on the bus (those who had been awake the whole trip) and we took the opportunity to sleep a little more, and play the Question Game! Learned a lot about Shannon as we ate bananas and asked each other random life questions, and the view from the bus was incredible as we drove!
We had two more stops on the way home; one at a little town in Scotland, known for their great cafes and restaurants (so says Andy), and another at some magical forest where we snapped a few photos and left. I don’t think he ever told us the significance of that place, but it sure was beautiful!
After, we boarded the bus and returned to Edinburgh about 7:00 pm. Ash and Shannon had a flight to catch that night (we had to split the return flights into two, since Ryanair only had 2 seats left on the Monday return flight) so we booked it back to the hotel. After frantically packing up Shannon and Ashley’s belongings, the two caught a cab to the airport and left that night.
After seeing Ash and Shannon off, Julie and I decided to get dinner in the city. It was so windy that night that Julie and I could NOT WALK properly hahahaha! It was so funny! But we ended up at a cute little pub with local elderly man watching the football match on T.V. I got a tomato and cheese sandwich and crisps, and Julie and I just relaxed and talked for a while. Julie is a great conversationalist, so we chatted for a good hour or so.
After, we decided to hit up McDonalds and get a couple of Cadbury Egg McFlurry’s-a glorious fusion of American and European desserts. Quite a cultural experience, really.
We then braved the strong Scottish winds and walked home to our Holiday Inn hotel. We conked out immediately (after watching a little T.V., of course) and woke up in the morning to catch our flight.
Our flight out of Edinburgh was incredibly smooth, and we caught the airlink bus back to O’Connell Street once we arrived back in Dublin.
Julie and I walked home, reflecting on the trip, our lives in Ireland, and the young women living in Dublin (see earlier post-inspired by our conversation).
All in all it was a great trip (probably one of the best!) and I am so happy I got to share it with such amazing people! I learned a lot about myself on that trip; how I like to travel, what my priorities are, and a little more about how the world works. Also, we learned the origin of the term Sh**-faced on our FREE Sandeman’s walking tour. I’m telling you-that is a hidden gem of Europe!
Side note-I had Lord Chauncy’s marketing class later that day, where I was surprised to find KATE (Lara’s friend from Wisconsin) sitting in my seat! She had come to visit for the week and I was so excited to meet her! She also brought us Easter chocolate, which we shared while Lord Chauncy was using Cadbury chocolate as a marketing example-he had a tendency to use chocolate as an example at least once per class, haha. Torture!
Anyways, it was truly a GREAT weekend and I hope you check out the facebook pictures (under the Album entitled “Hey guys, I think I’ve been Poltergeisted!”) and many of the stories I’ve just told will come to life! Check out part 4 of the Scotland blog series for a few pictures...
Cheers!
So after running to meet our bus, we were happy to meet Andy, our tour guide in a kilt and fleece pullover!
I must mention that in Scotland, the kilt thing is really no big deal. Men wear kilts on their way to the grocery store, to the office, or while walking the dog. Some of the kilts are incredibly nice and worn only for special occasions. But others, like the one Andy was wearing, are for everyday use. Like giving tours of Loch Ness, of course :)
The tour left around 8:15, and for the next four hours we were driven through the highlands of Scotland, being told stories and legends of the places we saw. I hate to say it, but we were all drifting in and out of sleep during the four hour drive.
Could have been the lack of sleep for the past three days, or the fact that we were all stuffed from the breakfast we bagged from our Holiday Inn (stuffed it ALL in my backpack and feasted on the way to Loch Ness, haha!) but the four of us conked out for the majority of the drive.
We were all in it for Loch Ness, though, so as long as we were awake for that it was fine. PLUS, we awoke just in time to see one of the sights where the MacDonald clan kept their cows, and another sight where they were slaughtered by the Campbell clan in their sleep. Sneaky, sneaky!
We stopped for lunch at a beautiful lake, took some pictures, and continued on our journey. Aka-we all took another loooong nap.
When we awoke, we were finally at Loch Ness! AH!
We got off the bus and boarded our Loch Ness “cruise”. The boat was equipped with a sonar system, funded by MIT, to search for Nessie while carting tourists around the lake. They’ve got quite the system going, especially since they are making money (costs 10 pounds per tourist) while conducting scientific research.
Apparently, quite a few photos have been taken of a possible monster in the lake, leading one to believe that Nessie is somewhere in there. MIT just hasn’t found her yet.
The cruise also had a little Nessie sticker on the windows of the boat, so if one’s camera is positioned correctly, it looks like Nessie is sitting there right on the water! Pretty clever, actually, and my dad actually fell for it when he looked at the pictures on f/b. :)
After returning to shore, we bought some postcards, (which apparently held up the tour, since they allotted no time for tourist-like activity after the cruise. What were they thinking? haha) and boarded the bus again.
This time, Andy took a break from telling stories, and turned on the relaxing Scottish tunes. It was nice for all the tired tourists on the bus (those who had been awake the whole trip) and we took the opportunity to sleep a little more, and play the Question Game! Learned a lot about Shannon as we ate bananas and asked each other random life questions, and the view from the bus was incredible as we drove!
We had two more stops on the way home; one at a little town in Scotland, known for their great cafes and restaurants (so says Andy), and another at some magical forest where we snapped a few photos and left. I don’t think he ever told us the significance of that place, but it sure was beautiful!
After, we boarded the bus and returned to Edinburgh about 7:00 pm. Ash and Shannon had a flight to catch that night (we had to split the return flights into two, since Ryanair only had 2 seats left on the Monday return flight) so we booked it back to the hotel. After frantically packing up Shannon and Ashley’s belongings, the two caught a cab to the airport and left that night.
After seeing Ash and Shannon off, Julie and I decided to get dinner in the city. It was so windy that night that Julie and I could NOT WALK properly hahahaha! It was so funny! But we ended up at a cute little pub with local elderly man watching the football match on T.V. I got a tomato and cheese sandwich and crisps, and Julie and I just relaxed and talked for a while. Julie is a great conversationalist, so we chatted for a good hour or so.
After, we decided to hit up McDonalds and get a couple of Cadbury Egg McFlurry’s-a glorious fusion of American and European desserts. Quite a cultural experience, really.
We then braved the strong Scottish winds and walked home to our Holiday Inn hotel. We conked out immediately (after watching a little T.V., of course) and woke up in the morning to catch our flight.
Our flight out of Edinburgh was incredibly smooth, and we caught the airlink bus back to O’Connell Street once we arrived back in Dublin.
Julie and I walked home, reflecting on the trip, our lives in Ireland, and the young women living in Dublin (see earlier post-inspired by our conversation).
All in all it was a great trip (probably one of the best!) and I am so happy I got to share it with such amazing people! I learned a lot about myself on that trip; how I like to travel, what my priorities are, and a little more about how the world works. Also, we learned the origin of the term Sh**-faced on our FREE Sandeman’s walking tour. I’m telling you-that is a hidden gem of Europe!
Side note-I had Lord Chauncy’s marketing class later that day, where I was surprised to find KATE (Lara’s friend from Wisconsin) sitting in my seat! She had come to visit for the week and I was so excited to meet her! She also brought us Easter chocolate, which we shared while Lord Chauncy was using Cadbury chocolate as a marketing example-he had a tendency to use chocolate as an example at least once per class, haha. Torture!
Anyways, it was truly a GREAT weekend and I hope you check out the facebook pictures (under the Album entitled “Hey guys, I think I’ve been Poltergeisted!”) and many of the stories I’ve just told will come to life! Check out part 4 of the Scotland blog series for a few pictures...
Cheers!
Scotland-Part Deux
The next morning was Easter Sunday, so we went to a nearby church called St. Mary's Cathedral. The service was beautiful, and the interior was so immaculate. Also, there was a Cardinal in attendance, so a ton of news cameras were everywhere. Who would have thought? How lucky! I thought of my mom and Gramma the whole service-I miss them so much, especially when I go to church!
After, we walked to the indoor mall and got crepes and a few other things. Life's pretty inexpensive in Edinburgh, especially compared to Dublin, so we took advantage
We then went back to the hotel to plan the rest of our day and our tour to Loch Ness that Monday!
We decided on a couple activities for Sunday, the first of which being souvenir shopping. I got my grandpa a MacDonald clan scarf (he’s very much into our family history/ancestral tree) as well as a magnet for my dad.
After, we had planned to visit a place called St. Mary's Close, but it was booked the whole day, so we went to a cool visual/science museum called Camera Obscura.
Camera Obscura can only be described as a visual “experience”, with about five floors of very cool pictures, kaleidoscopes, and a "Big Brother" type camera at the top of the museum. It's a camera that literally zooms in on the streets of Edinburgh, and you can sit in a room and watch the people walking around the Royal Mile.
Also, the top of the museum offers a beautiful view of Edinburgh (see facebook for pictures) where you could see the most amazing view of the city!
After, we decided shop for more souvenirs and get dinner at a pub called Deacon Brodies, named for a con artist we learned about on our walking tour (http://www.bestpubs.co.uk/layout0.asp?pub=105887)-smart man, actually.
We ordered our food (another veggie burger for me!) and started to chit-chat. We ended up staying at Deacon Brodies for over two hours, just talking about things like where we saw ourselves in 5 years, how we feel about divorce and marriage, and what sort of relationship we'd all like to end up in (if any). It was really a great bonding experience, and was one of the best conversations I’d had in a long while. We even ordered dessert to prolong the dinner, hahaha :)
By the time we left, it was about 9;00 pm and we headed to the Starbucks (again) for our ghost tour!
We were led through the streets of Edinburgh by a man (I forget his name) with a scruffy beard and a knack for telling stories. Luckily, he was a comedian and professional actor, who loved giving tours in the after hours, so we were entertained the whole time.
The first stop was a graveyard, housing Hume’s mausoleum (one of Scotland’s greatest thinkers) and a number of other graves/ghosts. I literally got chills during some of the guide’s stories.
One was about a woman who was buried alive (she had fallen into a coma and no one knew) and she began to scream as two men tried to saw off her fingers after she’d been buried. They were trying to steal her jewelry after she had been buried, but were taken aback when she started screaming and left her there! Ah!
The tour also took us up Calton Hill, where Scotland’s “National Disgrace” stands proudly at the top. Scotland tried to build their own acropolis, modeled after ancient Greece, but it was never finished due to dwindling funds. Glasgow offered to help fund the project but, according to our tour guide, Edinburgh would rather “have an unfinished acropolis than accept anything from Glasgow”.
Bitter much? Haha.
So the acropolis remains unfinished, and has for 180 years, which is why it is referred to Scotland’s “National Disgrace” instead of their “National Monument”.
(The Acropolis’ most recent use is as the sight of an annual pagan celebration, in which witches run around nude and consume a ton of alcohol.)
The tour ended with a complimentary pint at the Bank Bar (popular spot!) and the four of us sat at a table near a group of 15 year-olds who looked at us strangely whenever we started laughing or talking too loudly. Must not be used to our craaazy American ways! hahaha. Juuuust kidding.
That’s the thing about Europe, though,-it’s not uncommon for kids as young as 14 to be relaxing in a bar or pub. Europeans look at alcohol and pub life in a completely different way, and children are exposed to the drinking culture (that’s right, I said culture. See Lara’s blog --http://theverydramaticblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/irish-love-jesus-but-they-do-drink.html-- for more information) at a very young age. It’s really no big deal to them.
Fun fact: When we lived in Germany in 4-6th grade, Kelly and I took Irish Dancing lessons in a pub. Sometimes, there were a few customers sipping on a pint while we were practicing, but the place was mostly shut down for the lessons. For some reason, I just don’t think that would fly in the States, haha.
After our pints, we bought some peanuts (Cajun flavored!) and headed back to the hotel. We were dead tired (that ghost tour took it out of us!) so we crashed immediately. Plus, we knew we had to wake up early for our Loch Ness tour the next morning, so we wanted to be well-rested for that.
Next morning was Monday and our bus tour left at 8:00 am. Early for us college kids :)
After, we walked to the indoor mall and got crepes and a few other things. Life's pretty inexpensive in Edinburgh, especially compared to Dublin, so we took advantage
We then went back to the hotel to plan the rest of our day and our tour to Loch Ness that Monday!
We decided on a couple activities for Sunday, the first of which being souvenir shopping. I got my grandpa a MacDonald clan scarf (he’s very much into our family history/ancestral tree) as well as a magnet for my dad.
After, we had planned to visit a place called St. Mary's Close, but it was booked the whole day, so we went to a cool visual/science museum called Camera Obscura.
Camera Obscura can only be described as a visual “experience”, with about five floors of very cool pictures, kaleidoscopes, and a "Big Brother" type camera at the top of the museum. It's a camera that literally zooms in on the streets of Edinburgh, and you can sit in a room and watch the people walking around the Royal Mile.
Also, the top of the museum offers a beautiful view of Edinburgh (see facebook for pictures) where you could see the most amazing view of the city!
After, we decided shop for more souvenirs and get dinner at a pub called Deacon Brodies, named for a con artist we learned about on our walking tour (http://www.bestpubs.co.uk/layout0.asp?pub=105887)-smart man, actually.
We ordered our food (another veggie burger for me!) and started to chit-chat. We ended up staying at Deacon Brodies for over two hours, just talking about things like where we saw ourselves in 5 years, how we feel about divorce and marriage, and what sort of relationship we'd all like to end up in (if any). It was really a great bonding experience, and was one of the best conversations I’d had in a long while. We even ordered dessert to prolong the dinner, hahaha :)
By the time we left, it was about 9;00 pm and we headed to the Starbucks (again) for our ghost tour!
We were led through the streets of Edinburgh by a man (I forget his name) with a scruffy beard and a knack for telling stories. Luckily, he was a comedian and professional actor, who loved giving tours in the after hours, so we were entertained the whole time.
The first stop was a graveyard, housing Hume’s mausoleum (one of Scotland’s greatest thinkers) and a number of other graves/ghosts. I literally got chills during some of the guide’s stories.
One was about a woman who was buried alive (she had fallen into a coma and no one knew) and she began to scream as two men tried to saw off her fingers after she’d been buried. They were trying to steal her jewelry after she had been buried, but were taken aback when she started screaming and left her there! Ah!
The tour also took us up Calton Hill, where Scotland’s “National Disgrace” stands proudly at the top. Scotland tried to build their own acropolis, modeled after ancient Greece, but it was never finished due to dwindling funds. Glasgow offered to help fund the project but, according to our tour guide, Edinburgh would rather “have an unfinished acropolis than accept anything from Glasgow”.
Bitter much? Haha.
So the acropolis remains unfinished, and has for 180 years, which is why it is referred to Scotland’s “National Disgrace” instead of their “National Monument”.
(The Acropolis’ most recent use is as the sight of an annual pagan celebration, in which witches run around nude and consume a ton of alcohol.)
The tour ended with a complimentary pint at the Bank Bar (popular spot!) and the four of us sat at a table near a group of 15 year-olds who looked at us strangely whenever we started laughing or talking too loudly. Must not be used to our craaazy American ways! hahaha. Juuuust kidding.
That’s the thing about Europe, though,-it’s not uncommon for kids as young as 14 to be relaxing in a bar or pub. Europeans look at alcohol and pub life in a completely different way, and children are exposed to the drinking culture (that’s right, I said culture. See Lara’s blog --http://theverydramaticblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/irish-love-jesus-but-they-do-drink.html-- for more information) at a very young age. It’s really no big deal to them.
Fun fact: When we lived in Germany in 4-6th grade, Kelly and I took Irish Dancing lessons in a pub. Sometimes, there were a few customers sipping on a pint while we were practicing, but the place was mostly shut down for the lessons. For some reason, I just don’t think that would fly in the States, haha.
After our pints, we bought some peanuts (Cajun flavored!) and headed back to the hotel. We were dead tired (that ghost tour took it out of us!) so we crashed immediately. Plus, we knew we had to wake up early for our Loch Ness tour the next morning, so we wanted to be well-rested for that.
Next morning was Monday and our bus tour left at 8:00 am. Early for us college kids :)
Scotland-Part 1
So, a few weeks ago a few friends (Ashley, Julie and Shannon) and I went to visit my ancestors in the beautiful country of Scotland! I was hoping to find a few members of the MacDonald clan, haha, but we ended up finding so much more!
We flew Ryanair (naturally) and arrived in Edinburgh around 8:00 am on Saturday. We took a bus from the airport to City Centre and as soon as we entered the city, we looked to our right and saw Edinburgh castle. Seriously one of the most breath-taking castles I've ever seen in my life! It’s perched atop volcanic rock, so it’s literally sitting on a cliff in the distance. Incredible.
After marveling in the beauty of the castle and the cleanliness and charm of the city (it’s like a miniature London, but cleaner and friendlier) we checked into our hotel –Holiday Inn, very nice!- and walked around the city a bit. It was still rather early in the morning so the sun was just rising and the morning dew was still glistening-perfect for pictures!
We then walked to the Starbucks on the Royal Mile (one of the two main streets in Edinburgh) for our free Sandeman's New Europe walking tour!
Sandemans is a great company that offers free walking tours, as well as pub crawls and ghost tours, in some of the most popular cities in Europe (a few of us actually did the one in Dublin a couple weeks after the Scotland trip, haha!)
*** If you ever go to Dublin, Edinburgh, London, etc, check them out! They’ll usually meet at 11:00 and 2:00 at a notable point in the city, and the tour will start from there. Like I said, it’s completely free and the tour guides work for tips only. They are enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and genuinely interested in the city! It’s a great deal, and I plan to do many more!
We also got a free drink upgrade for participating in the tour :)
Our tour guide was Mark, a hilarious and very animated college student who told us great stories at each place we visited. They were the kinds of stories/interesting facts you wouldn’t learn from any ol’ guidebook (like the pub who was named after the first woman to be the beneficiary of double jeopardy).
Mark also told us about a particular statue in Edinburgh that experienced a stream of unfortunate luck. The horse looked like a drunk donkey, and holes had been drilled in the “donkey” so when it rained…well, just take a guess, hahaha. Just take a look on facebook for a photo.
We saw the entire city in just three short hours, including the Edinburgh castle (up close), the old Edinburgh market place, a heart on the ground which everyone spits on, and the cafe where J.K. Rowling wrote the first two Harry Potter books!
Funny story-when we were walking through a graveyard on the way to the school that was the inspiration for Hogwarts, I slipped and fell in a muddy patch of the graveyard. I had mud all down the left side of my body, including on my jacket, my tights, and my sweet walking shoes. It was fine, though, my friends and I all thought it was hilarious. That was until Mark began telling us stories of people who had mysteriously been "tripped" or "hit" by ghosts in this particular haunted graveyard.
I'd been "Poltergeisted!" as we liked to call it. (In case you were wondering, this is where the facebook album name "Hey guys, I think I've been Poltergeisted" came from, hahaha.)
So, we then went to a pub for lunch (got a veggie burger!) and went to the national museum to see Dolly, the first cloned mammal! It was in the middle of a kid's zone type of area, just spinning around in her glass case (she had been stuffed in 2006). We thought this was a little odd, but we took some pictures and left, went to the hotel, napped, and prepared for our pub crawl that night!
The pub crawl was through Sandeman's New Europe tours again, and cost us only 10 pounds for 5 pubs and free entry into a nightclub at the end! We started at the Bank Bar, an old bank they turned into a bar, and visited a number of other pubs (a new one about every 30 minutes). My favorite was a mixture between a pub/dance club called Frankenstein, which had a haunted house-type theme. I felt like I was in a Halloween haunted house, rather than a nightclub, and clubs with very noticeable themes are quite rare from what I’ve seen. Needless to say, it was awesome.
The pub crawl then took us to a dance club called Espionage, where we danced the night away on four different levels (all with different music). We also found 10 pounds and a “Bride to Be” pin on the ground, which we immediately pinned on Julie. Ha!
Altogether, it was a great, great night and a wonderful start to our trip! :)
We flew Ryanair (naturally) and arrived in Edinburgh around 8:00 am on Saturday. We took a bus from the airport to City Centre and as soon as we entered the city, we looked to our right and saw Edinburgh castle. Seriously one of the most breath-taking castles I've ever seen in my life! It’s perched atop volcanic rock, so it’s literally sitting on a cliff in the distance. Incredible.
After marveling in the beauty of the castle and the cleanliness and charm of the city (it’s like a miniature London, but cleaner and friendlier) we checked into our hotel –Holiday Inn, very nice!- and walked around the city a bit. It was still rather early in the morning so the sun was just rising and the morning dew was still glistening-perfect for pictures!
We then walked to the Starbucks on the Royal Mile (one of the two main streets in Edinburgh) for our free Sandeman's New Europe walking tour!
Sandemans is a great company that offers free walking tours, as well as pub crawls and ghost tours, in some of the most popular cities in Europe (a few of us actually did the one in Dublin a couple weeks after the Scotland trip, haha!)
*** If you ever go to Dublin, Edinburgh, London, etc, check them out! They’ll usually meet at 11:00 and 2:00 at a notable point in the city, and the tour will start from there. Like I said, it’s completely free and the tour guides work for tips only. They are enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and genuinely interested in the city! It’s a great deal, and I plan to do many more!
We also got a free drink upgrade for participating in the tour :)
Our tour guide was Mark, a hilarious and very animated college student who told us great stories at each place we visited. They were the kinds of stories/interesting facts you wouldn’t learn from any ol’ guidebook (like the pub who was named after the first woman to be the beneficiary of double jeopardy).
Mark also told us about a particular statue in Edinburgh that experienced a stream of unfortunate luck. The horse looked like a drunk donkey, and holes had been drilled in the “donkey” so when it rained…well, just take a guess, hahaha. Just take a look on facebook for a photo.
We saw the entire city in just three short hours, including the Edinburgh castle (up close), the old Edinburgh market place, a heart on the ground which everyone spits on, and the cafe where J.K. Rowling wrote the first two Harry Potter books!
Funny story-when we were walking through a graveyard on the way to the school that was the inspiration for Hogwarts, I slipped and fell in a muddy patch of the graveyard. I had mud all down the left side of my body, including on my jacket, my tights, and my sweet walking shoes. It was fine, though, my friends and I all thought it was hilarious. That was until Mark began telling us stories of people who had mysteriously been "tripped" or "hit" by ghosts in this particular haunted graveyard.
I'd been "Poltergeisted!" as we liked to call it. (In case you were wondering, this is where the facebook album name "Hey guys, I think I've been Poltergeisted" came from, hahaha.)
So, we then went to a pub for lunch (got a veggie burger!) and went to the national museum to see Dolly, the first cloned mammal! It was in the middle of a kid's zone type of area, just spinning around in her glass case (she had been stuffed in 2006). We thought this was a little odd, but we took some pictures and left, went to the hotel, napped, and prepared for our pub crawl that night!
The pub crawl was through Sandeman's New Europe tours again, and cost us only 10 pounds for 5 pubs and free entry into a nightclub at the end! We started at the Bank Bar, an old bank they turned into a bar, and visited a number of other pubs (a new one about every 30 minutes). My favorite was a mixture between a pub/dance club called Frankenstein, which had a haunted house-type theme. I felt like I was in a Halloween haunted house, rather than a nightclub, and clubs with very noticeable themes are quite rare from what I’ve seen. Needless to say, it was awesome.
The pub crawl then took us to a dance club called Espionage, where we danced the night away on four different levels (all with different music). We also found 10 pounds and a “Bride to Be” pin on the ground, which we immediately pinned on Julie. Ha!
Altogether, it was a great, great night and a wonderful start to our trip! :)
Friday, April 16, 2010
The Dublin Women: An Observation.
So, I’m sitting here in a café with half a pot of tea left and nothing to do with myself. I’d like to take this opportunity to blog about the young women of Dublin, ranging from ages 12-mid twenties. They are all quite different and I’ve been quietly observing their lifestyles/habits since day one:
We’ll start with the youngest; ages 12-14- These adolescent females are living examples of premature independence and early maturation. They typically take the bus to and from school, but will stay in City Centre as long as possible after school lets out. They do this to maximize their shopping/BFF bonding time. They travel in groups of 4 or more (often with a few male hooligans to keep them company/give them street cred) and can be spotted shopping in their school uniforms from 3:00-5:30 pm (must make it home in time for dinner) on Grafton and O’Connell Street. They are big fans of text messaging (SMS), fast food, shopping for accessories, and straightening their hair. A number of them are also into colored nail polish (at a private, Catholic school, mind you! Risky!). Just wait till they grow up…
15-17: They have now begun to discover alcohol and childhood has begun to diminish. They have shed their school uniforms for leather jackets, calf-high boots, and dramatic eyeliner. They are quite ahead of the U.S. as far as fashion goes, so be expecting to see black tights paired with cut-off shorts and floral prints walking down the American runways soon! Additionally, this age group is also known for dying their hair one solid, dramatic color. They will then straighten it and wear it down, or messily put it in a bun/ponytail to communicate the “rocker”/”I don’t even care what I look like” look. I’ve tried it, but the curly hair just doesn’t scream “I don’t give a darn” like the Dublin girls’ can. Shoot :/
18-21: When Dublin girls hit about 17 or 18 they can legally drink in public dance clubs and pubs around town. Serious nights out begin on Wednesday here, and run clear till Sunday. No breaks, no nights off, there are literally well-dressed, high-heeled young women dancing around town until 3:30 am on almost every night of the week. Popular Wednesday spot; Dicey Reily’s. We typically go to Dicey’s about once per week and hit up the dance floor with scores of fashionable young Irish women. They also play Jay-Z and Lady Gaga at Dicey Reily’s, as well as have a beautiful beer garden (no rooftop and you can see the stars in the night sky!), so we’re pretty much guaranteed a good time.
22-25: These are the blossoming business professionals. They are incredibly well dressed, have fabulous business suits, and manage to successfully wear high heels while rushing to their next business meeting across the Liffey. They dine at places like the Italian Quarter (an area on the North side of the River Liffey with a number of classy Italian Restaurants) and go grocery shopping after work. They are “up and coming” career women with (what seems to be) incredible drive and professionalism. Many of them also attend the law school next to our accommodation, and they may be the best-dressed of them all. Who knew students could afford such chic fashion? An inspiration to college students everywhere!
So, there you go, a few of my observations. Not all of the girls living here fit each description, but I hope this gives you some insight into everyday life here in Dublin, Ireland! :)
Cheers!
We’ll start with the youngest; ages 12-14- These adolescent females are living examples of premature independence and early maturation. They typically take the bus to and from school, but will stay in City Centre as long as possible after school lets out. They do this to maximize their shopping/BFF bonding time. They travel in groups of 4 or more (often with a few male hooligans to keep them company/give them street cred) and can be spotted shopping in their school uniforms from 3:00-5:30 pm (must make it home in time for dinner) on Grafton and O’Connell Street. They are big fans of text messaging (SMS), fast food, shopping for accessories, and straightening their hair. A number of them are also into colored nail polish (at a private, Catholic school, mind you! Risky!). Just wait till they grow up…
15-17: They have now begun to discover alcohol and childhood has begun to diminish. They have shed their school uniforms for leather jackets, calf-high boots, and dramatic eyeliner. They are quite ahead of the U.S. as far as fashion goes, so be expecting to see black tights paired with cut-off shorts and floral prints walking down the American runways soon! Additionally, this age group is also known for dying their hair one solid, dramatic color. They will then straighten it and wear it down, or messily put it in a bun/ponytail to communicate the “rocker”/”I don’t even care what I look like” look. I’ve tried it, but the curly hair just doesn’t scream “I don’t give a darn” like the Dublin girls’ can. Shoot :/
18-21: When Dublin girls hit about 17 or 18 they can legally drink in public dance clubs and pubs around town. Serious nights out begin on Wednesday here, and run clear till Sunday. No breaks, no nights off, there are literally well-dressed, high-heeled young women dancing around town until 3:30 am on almost every night of the week. Popular Wednesday spot; Dicey Reily’s. We typically go to Dicey’s about once per week and hit up the dance floor with scores of fashionable young Irish women. They also play Jay-Z and Lady Gaga at Dicey Reily’s, as well as have a beautiful beer garden (no rooftop and you can see the stars in the night sky!), so we’re pretty much guaranteed a good time.
22-25: These are the blossoming business professionals. They are incredibly well dressed, have fabulous business suits, and manage to successfully wear high heels while rushing to their next business meeting across the Liffey. They dine at places like the Italian Quarter (an area on the North side of the River Liffey with a number of classy Italian Restaurants) and go grocery shopping after work. They are “up and coming” career women with (what seems to be) incredible drive and professionalism. Many of them also attend the law school next to our accommodation, and they may be the best-dressed of them all. Who knew students could afford such chic fashion? An inspiration to college students everywhere!
So, there you go, a few of my observations. Not all of the girls living here fit each description, but I hope this gives you some insight into everyday life here in Dublin, Ireland! :)
Cheers!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
The Library.
So I'm sitting in the DBS library, unable to concentrate on my Media and Ireland paper, and slowly turning my head to observe my surroundings. So now I'm going to blog about it. This will be called...
You know you're in the DBS library when...
First of all: Massive DVD collection. They range from obscure european films (Berman's Persona-check it out, it's crazy!) to recent blockbusters such like Saving Private Ryan and Kill Bill.
Second: People live in here. More than people do at Winthrop, I'd estimate. Students come to the library, camp out and often take naps during study breaks. Now, I can't say I haven't done things like this before, but I've never seen it quite like this. Perhaps because the library is smack dab in the middle of the city, conveniently placed far, far away from anyone's home, so students have resorted to bringing all study materials and homework and camping out here for hours. No shame, I'm doing the same thing, haha.
Third: It's always snacktime. Look to your left, and someone is chomping on a pear (there's a blonde kid that eats one EVERYDAY at 1:00 pm). Look to your right and someone has brought a grocery bag full of goodies to munch on while studying for Business Communications. The grocery bag is my favorite, since many asian students often visit asian grocery stores before class and are typically eating foreign snacks I've never seen/heard of before. I'd be curious to try them, though...
Fourth: The new staff members are both about 12 years old. I'm not even kidding, I think their max age is maybe about 14. They are your typical Dublin teens, with very straight hair, fitted clothes, lots of eyeliner and fancy cell phones (they can be seen secretly checking their cell phones while the head librarian is looking away). Their sole duty is to check out the computers to students (you have to book a computer here), and they smile alot and giggle when boys come to the desk. I'm pretty sure they are in middle school. Either way, it's fun to see someone so young working in a college library, and it certainly does bring me back to the days of lipgloss and Seventeen magazines.
Fifth: The aforementioned computer system. If you don't feel like lugging your laptop to the library (I typically don't) you have the option to book one of the library's PCs for up to an hour.
Here's how it works: You walk to the desk, give them your student ID number, and they'll tell you which (if any) of the PC's are free. You then walk to your designated PC and have the awkward pleasure of telling the person using your booked computer that you've booked it for the next hour.
This is typical since many students choose not to book at PC and decide to try their luck at any open computer. (Perhaps they enjoy the thrill of committing a library infraction? Who knows). However, chances are they'll be asked to move in about 10-15minutes. They will then move to another open computer and hope no one books it until they are finished checking their Facebook/Bebo account.
Sixth: A very cool, very up-to-date checkout system. It's completely librarian-free and independent. You just walk up to the checkout station, place your ID card under the scanner, then just plop your book and Saving Private Ryan DVD on the automatic scale. It will then tell you which books you're checking out and print you out a receipt. It's creepy how it the computer just knows, but it does. Straaaaange.
Okay friends, that is all for this installment. Hope you enjoyed my observations from cubicle 6 here in the library and I'll keep you updated on other odd/wonderful/exciting things to happen.
Cheers!
Note: This blog was inspired by Lauren Lathers' popular series "You Know You Go to DBS When..."
You know you're in the DBS library when...
First of all: Massive DVD collection. They range from obscure european films (Berman's Persona-check it out, it's crazy!) to recent blockbusters such like Saving Private Ryan and Kill Bill.
Second: People live in here. More than people do at Winthrop, I'd estimate. Students come to the library, camp out and often take naps during study breaks. Now, I can't say I haven't done things like this before, but I've never seen it quite like this. Perhaps because the library is smack dab in the middle of the city, conveniently placed far, far away from anyone's home, so students have resorted to bringing all study materials and homework and camping out here for hours. No shame, I'm doing the same thing, haha.
Third: It's always snacktime. Look to your left, and someone is chomping on a pear (there's a blonde kid that eats one EVERYDAY at 1:00 pm). Look to your right and someone has brought a grocery bag full of goodies to munch on while studying for Business Communications. The grocery bag is my favorite, since many asian students often visit asian grocery stores before class and are typically eating foreign snacks I've never seen/heard of before. I'd be curious to try them, though...
Fourth: The new staff members are both about 12 years old. I'm not even kidding, I think their max age is maybe about 14. They are your typical Dublin teens, with very straight hair, fitted clothes, lots of eyeliner and fancy cell phones (they can be seen secretly checking their cell phones while the head librarian is looking away). Their sole duty is to check out the computers to students (you have to book a computer here), and they smile alot and giggle when boys come to the desk. I'm pretty sure they are in middle school. Either way, it's fun to see someone so young working in a college library, and it certainly does bring me back to the days of lipgloss and Seventeen magazines.
Fifth: The aforementioned computer system. If you don't feel like lugging your laptop to the library (I typically don't) you have the option to book one of the library's PCs for up to an hour.
Here's how it works: You walk to the desk, give them your student ID number, and they'll tell you which (if any) of the PC's are free. You then walk to your designated PC and have the awkward pleasure of telling the person using your booked computer that you've booked it for the next hour.
This is typical since many students choose not to book at PC and decide to try their luck at any open computer. (Perhaps they enjoy the thrill of committing a library infraction? Who knows). However, chances are they'll be asked to move in about 10-15minutes. They will then move to another open computer and hope no one books it until they are finished checking their Facebook/Bebo account.
Sixth: A very cool, very up-to-date checkout system. It's completely librarian-free and independent. You just walk up to the checkout station, place your ID card under the scanner, then just plop your book and Saving Private Ryan DVD on the automatic scale. It will then tell you which books you're checking out and print you out a receipt. It's creepy how it the computer just knows, but it does. Straaaaange.
Okay friends, that is all for this installment. Hope you enjoyed my observations from cubicle 6 here in the library and I'll keep you updated on other odd/wonderful/exciting things to happen.
Cheers!
Note: This blog was inspired by Lauren Lathers' popular series "You Know You Go to DBS When..."
Monday, March 29, 2010
Today.
So today I woke up and had the feeling that the world was going to go wrong. All day. And for a while, it really seemed to. Those specific details aren't important so we'll just leave it at that.
However, on my walk home from the DBS library I was reflecting on all the good things that happened to me today and I've come up with a list of my top 5:
1. Woke up early (8:00 am, early for me!) and went on a good run. It was raining a little (you get what you pay for here in Ireland) but it was more like a refreshing mist than a torrential downpour.
2. Irish economics was very interesting today (always is). We talked about immigration/emmigration, as well as the "profile" of a typical immigrant in Ireland. All very interesting and very relevant, especially since I see a number of immigrants everywhere in Dublin. Love that class :)
3. Raisins were on sale at Dunnes grocery store. I stocked up.
4. Got quite a bit done in the library so I felt pretty good about myself during my walk home. I was quite exhausted, but in the good, "I've accomplished something" sort of way.
5. Weather was GORGEOUS during the afternoon/evening.
okay, two more and then I'm done, haha...
6. Went on another run, this time with my friend Shannon and the weather was just too perfect. I then made myself a glorious salad, and Meg came home from Poland with an armful of pastries so we had a pastry party!
7. Booked our flight to Scotland. I seriously cannot WAIT. This may have been the top moment of my week!
So, those are my the best of the best on this memorable March 29. So even when you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, just remember there is always something (maybe as many as seven things) to make you smile :)
Cheers!
However, on my walk home from the DBS library I was reflecting on all the good things that happened to me today and I've come up with a list of my top 5:
1. Woke up early (8:00 am, early for me!) and went on a good run. It was raining a little (you get what you pay for here in Ireland) but it was more like a refreshing mist than a torrential downpour.
2. Irish economics was very interesting today (always is). We talked about immigration/emmigration, as well as the "profile" of a typical immigrant in Ireland. All very interesting and very relevant, especially since I see a number of immigrants everywhere in Dublin. Love that class :)
3. Raisins were on sale at Dunnes grocery store. I stocked up.
4. Got quite a bit done in the library so I felt pretty good about myself during my walk home. I was quite exhausted, but in the good, "I've accomplished something" sort of way.
5. Weather was GORGEOUS during the afternoon/evening.
okay, two more and then I'm done, haha...
6. Went on another run, this time with my friend Shannon and the weather was just too perfect. I then made myself a glorious salad, and Meg came home from Poland with an armful of pastries so we had a pastry party!
7. Booked our flight to Scotland. I seriously cannot WAIT. This may have been the top moment of my week!
So, those are my the best of the best on this memorable March 29. So even when you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, just remember there is always something (maybe as many as seven things) to make you smile :)
Cheers!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
London!
So, I realized I never got the chance to blog about my trip to London (took place Feb. 12-14 I'm ashamed to say). But, better late than never:
Okay so Lauren, Lara, Jacque and I left at 4:00 am to catch the Airlink bus (takes you right to the airport) and on our walk to O'Connell Street, about 7 taxi drivers creepily slowed down and asked if we wanted a ride to the airport for 4 euro. Discount prices from sketchy cab drivers at 4:00 am? Briefly considered it, but re-thought my decision.
So we barely catch the Airlink bus and hurry to the airport where we sit and wait to board the Ryanair flight (my first one!)
Now, Ryanair does not have the reputation for being the classiest airline. We were half expecting to elbow our way to the front of the line and board an "Orville and Wilbur" type aircraft with half a wing and sputtering engine. However, the flight was quite nice (minus the slight turbulence) and they play a little trumpet over the loudspeaker when the flight lands successfully. The flight attendants wear the loudest outfits I've ever seen; cerulean blue trench coats over cerulean blue outfits from head to toe. One woman even had bright blue eyeshadow. Nice :)
Anyway, we arrived safely in London and took the Tube to meet Abbey Vorpagel (goes to school with Lara, Lauren, and Jacque back in Wisconsin). She met us at a Starbucks and from then on it was non-stop touring!
Abbey took us to her "flat" (as Lara loves to say) in Kensington, a very posh part of London.
We purchased 2 euro sandwiches (a steal, especially compared to Dublin prices!) and then were on our way.
Our first stop: the London Eye! We took the tube and as soon as we got off, looked to the right and saw BIG BEN! We all screamed and ran toward it like crazy Americans. 'Twas a beautiful moment :)
We then took a few photos and boarded the London Eye. The view was amazing! You could literally see for miles and miles, and we were higher than Big Ben so we could peer down at all the buildings (and common folk, haha).
Then, Abbey took us to see Big Ben up close, as well as a few other sights. We saw Parliament, Westminster Abbey (beautiful!), took some pictures in a red telephone booth (see f/b), and made our way to Trafalgar Square.
Trafalgar square was lovely and you run smack dab into it. It's great.
Then, we went to Picadilly and took a few jumping photos (a MUST whenever we go somewhere cool) then made our way to a fantastic burrito place famous for their margaritas! Yes people, I had my first margarita and it was delicious!
We then went to our hotel and changed for our first night out!
I ended up bringing a mis-matching outfit, so Lauren let me borrow her black top. I must say, Lauren is a very good friend. In the 2.3 months I have known her, never has she gone back on her word, said anything mean, or done anything a good friend wouldn't do. She is also very loyal and she once traded shoes with Allison when Allison's feet hurt from her high heels. That's what you call a great friend :)
So that night we went to a place called the Green Man. Had cool music, a jukebox (a tad confusing for this place, haha) and a moderately-sized dance floor. Naturally, that was all I needed to have a good time.
So, we set our coats down and danced the night away in our alloted 2 ft X 2 ft dance area. Took lots of pictures, as well!
Next morning we woke up and went to Buckingham! So beautiful, especially with the lighting of mid-morning.
After, we went on a tour of the London Tower. Learned about the scandal of the two princes that died there (very interesting!) and saw the crown jewels. This great, since I've wanted to see them since I was a kid. There were so many of them and they were gorgeous (of course). They also had very ornate silverware and salt and pepper holders.
After, we went to lunch at a place Abbey recommended. SO DELICIOUS. Called the slug and _____? I honestly can't remember but I do remember my chicken wrap, and that's all that really matters. hahaha...
Then, we made our way to the Tate Modern Museum where we spent hours looking at very interesting, sometimes obscure, modern art.
I really enjoyed reading the explanations of the paintings, then imagining exactly what the artist was thinking when they created the work. There was a room full of statements about the Vietnam war, as well as a video showing people engaging in acts with rubber chicken and fish? A little confusing, but you learn as you go! hahaha...
Also, saw my first Claude Monet and Picasso paintings, in real life! I couldn't stop smiling.
There was also a very cool advertising exhibit upstairs, mostly making comments on the consumerism machine, in a very cool way. One involved vaccuums in a display case. There was also an Andy Warhol room, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Never thought I'd see so many great works up close.
Okay, so this is where it gets really cool.
In the Tate Modern, I was hoping to find a piece of work or two by my favorite street artist, Banksy. He's from Liverpool and the street grafitti he crafts is amazing. But, the Tate did not have his works on display, only a Banksy book in the gift shop (which I should have purchased, haha).
So, after thumbing through the book a little, Lara and I started to see places around London where Banksy's work once stood (most of it gets painted over by the city, understandably so).
In a pure moment of genious, we decided to go on a Banksy hunt (at approximately 8:00 pm, mind you) around London to try and find some of his work. We knew it'd be tricky, but we knew it'd be worth it.
We began our adventure with some asian noodles (delicious!) and then asked one of the girls in the London Eye office if she had heard of Oxford Circus (mentioned in the book). She gave us confusing directions, but when we told her we were looking for Banksy art, she knew right where to go! She was an art major, what are the chances?
So we set out, asian noodles in hand, ready to find some Banksy!
We took the Tube to our location (Oxford St. I believe. Sorry, it's been a while, haha) and made our way to what we thought was the correct street.
We were on the hunt for the Postal Delivery Office, but no one seemed to know where it was.
We asked two very friendly bouncers, a string of Starbucks employees (we foolishly thought everyone working there would be from London and very knowledgeable. HA!) and a woman working at the Tube station.
We traipsed around the city for almost four hours, trying to find this particular Banksy art! It was like a treasure hunt!
Finally, after resorting to asking the Garda (the unarmed police), they directed us in the proper direction. Just down some windy streets and behind some trash cans.
After a very confusing 15 minutes, we found our location!
The Banksy art was not there, unfortunately, because it had been painted over by the Postal Delivery Office. However, we could tell the paint was fresh and the trash cans were there, just like the girl from the London Eye told us they'd be!
It was incredible! We were standing where Bansky once stood, under the cover of night, creating a wonderful piece of artwork with stencils and spraypaint.
The guy is amazing, and I hope to do my visual culture presentation on him. I'm a big fan.
Here is a photo of what once stood where we were:
Clever, right?
The next morning we left for Dublin and arrived about 4:00 pm. That night we had a Valentine's Day Wine and Cheese party with all the girls (Allison's mom came, too!) and went to bed at a reasonable hour. We were exhausted!
So that, my friends, was my trip to London and Valentine's Day weekend. Had a blast, and couldn't have spent it with better people! So lucky!
Cheers!
ps: Here's a link to more of Bansky's woork if you're interested:
http://www.banksy.co.uk/outdoors/horizontal_1.htm
Okay so Lauren, Lara, Jacque and I left at 4:00 am to catch the Airlink bus (takes you right to the airport) and on our walk to O'Connell Street, about 7 taxi drivers creepily slowed down and asked if we wanted a ride to the airport for 4 euro. Discount prices from sketchy cab drivers at 4:00 am? Briefly considered it, but re-thought my decision.
So we barely catch the Airlink bus and hurry to the airport where we sit and wait to board the Ryanair flight (my first one!)
Now, Ryanair does not have the reputation for being the classiest airline. We were half expecting to elbow our way to the front of the line and board an "Orville and Wilbur" type aircraft with half a wing and sputtering engine. However, the flight was quite nice (minus the slight turbulence) and they play a little trumpet over the loudspeaker when the flight lands successfully. The flight attendants wear the loudest outfits I've ever seen; cerulean blue trench coats over cerulean blue outfits from head to toe. One woman even had bright blue eyeshadow. Nice :)
Anyway, we arrived safely in London and took the Tube to meet Abbey Vorpagel (goes to school with Lara, Lauren, and Jacque back in Wisconsin). She met us at a Starbucks and from then on it was non-stop touring!
Abbey took us to her "flat" (as Lara loves to say) in Kensington, a very posh part of London.
We purchased 2 euro sandwiches (a steal, especially compared to Dublin prices!) and then were on our way.
Our first stop: the London Eye! We took the tube and as soon as we got off, looked to the right and saw BIG BEN! We all screamed and ran toward it like crazy Americans. 'Twas a beautiful moment :)
We then took a few photos and boarded the London Eye. The view was amazing! You could literally see for miles and miles, and we were higher than Big Ben so we could peer down at all the buildings (and common folk, haha).
Then, Abbey took us to see Big Ben up close, as well as a few other sights. We saw Parliament, Westminster Abbey (beautiful!), took some pictures in a red telephone booth (see f/b), and made our way to Trafalgar Square.
Trafalgar square was lovely and you run smack dab into it. It's great.
Then, we went to Picadilly and took a few jumping photos (a MUST whenever we go somewhere cool) then made our way to a fantastic burrito place famous for their margaritas! Yes people, I had my first margarita and it was delicious!
We then went to our hotel and changed for our first night out!
I ended up bringing a mis-matching outfit, so Lauren let me borrow her black top. I must say, Lauren is a very good friend. In the 2.3 months I have known her, never has she gone back on her word, said anything mean, or done anything a good friend wouldn't do. She is also very loyal and she once traded shoes with Allison when Allison's feet hurt from her high heels. That's what you call a great friend :)
So that night we went to a place called the Green Man. Had cool music, a jukebox (a tad confusing for this place, haha) and a moderately-sized dance floor. Naturally, that was all I needed to have a good time.
So, we set our coats down and danced the night away in our alloted 2 ft X 2 ft dance area. Took lots of pictures, as well!
Next morning we woke up and went to Buckingham! So beautiful, especially with the lighting of mid-morning.
After, we went on a tour of the London Tower. Learned about the scandal of the two princes that died there (very interesting!) and saw the crown jewels. This great, since I've wanted to see them since I was a kid. There were so many of them and they were gorgeous (of course). They also had very ornate silverware and salt and pepper holders.
After, we went to lunch at a place Abbey recommended. SO DELICIOUS. Called the slug and _____? I honestly can't remember but I do remember my chicken wrap, and that's all that really matters. hahaha...
Then, we made our way to the Tate Modern Museum where we spent hours looking at very interesting, sometimes obscure, modern art.
I really enjoyed reading the explanations of the paintings, then imagining exactly what the artist was thinking when they created the work. There was a room full of statements about the Vietnam war, as well as a video showing people engaging in acts with rubber chicken and fish? A little confusing, but you learn as you go! hahaha...
Also, saw my first Claude Monet and Picasso paintings, in real life! I couldn't stop smiling.
There was also a very cool advertising exhibit upstairs, mostly making comments on the consumerism machine, in a very cool way. One involved vaccuums in a display case. There was also an Andy Warhol room, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Never thought I'd see so many great works up close.
Okay, so this is where it gets really cool.
In the Tate Modern, I was hoping to find a piece of work or two by my favorite street artist, Banksy. He's from Liverpool and the street grafitti he crafts is amazing. But, the Tate did not have his works on display, only a Banksy book in the gift shop (which I should have purchased, haha).
So, after thumbing through the book a little, Lara and I started to see places around London where Banksy's work once stood (most of it gets painted over by the city, understandably so).
In a pure moment of genious, we decided to go on a Banksy hunt (at approximately 8:00 pm, mind you) around London to try and find some of his work. We knew it'd be tricky, but we knew it'd be worth it.
We began our adventure with some asian noodles (delicious!) and then asked one of the girls in the London Eye office if she had heard of Oxford Circus (mentioned in the book). She gave us confusing directions, but when we told her we were looking for Banksy art, she knew right where to go! She was an art major, what are the chances?
So we set out, asian noodles in hand, ready to find some Banksy!
We took the Tube to our location (Oxford St. I believe. Sorry, it's been a while, haha) and made our way to what we thought was the correct street.
We were on the hunt for the Postal Delivery Office, but no one seemed to know where it was.
We asked two very friendly bouncers, a string of Starbucks employees (we foolishly thought everyone working there would be from London and very knowledgeable. HA!) and a woman working at the Tube station.
We traipsed around the city for almost four hours, trying to find this particular Banksy art! It was like a treasure hunt!
Finally, after resorting to asking the Garda (the unarmed police), they directed us in the proper direction. Just down some windy streets and behind some trash cans.
After a very confusing 15 minutes, we found our location!
The Banksy art was not there, unfortunately, because it had been painted over by the Postal Delivery Office. However, we could tell the paint was fresh and the trash cans were there, just like the girl from the London Eye told us they'd be!
It was incredible! We were standing where Bansky once stood, under the cover of night, creating a wonderful piece of artwork with stencils and spraypaint.
The guy is amazing, and I hope to do my visual culture presentation on him. I'm a big fan.
Here is a photo of what once stood where we were:
Clever, right?
The next morning we left for Dublin and arrived about 4:00 pm. That night we had a Valentine's Day Wine and Cheese party with all the girls (Allison's mom came, too!) and went to bed at a reasonable hour. We were exhausted!
So that, my friends, was my trip to London and Valentine's Day weekend. Had a blast, and couldn't have spent it with better people! So lucky!
Cheers!
ps: Here's a link to more of Bansky's woork if you're interested:
http://www.banksy.co.uk/outdoors/horizontal_1.htm
Monday, March 8, 2010
An Italian Adventure...Venice!
So, last week was EBS (European Business School) reading week and 3/5 of my classes were canceled. I took this time off to travel to Italy to visit baby Elise! :)
Elise lives in Florence, but my plane landed in Venice. So our ONLY option was to spend the night in a hostel in Venice and spend the entire night/next day traipsing around the wonderful city of Venice! YAY! :)
The first night we both arrived in Venice we were so excited! I met her at the Mestre train station and we walked to find our hostel. It was about 9:30 pm at this point and we were both dead tired from our long day. However, we decided to take the last train into Venice (San Lucia station) to see the Canal at night. What a wonderful idea!
After a few mishaps at the train station and an extensive conversation with the Greek desk attendant at the hostel (he tried to keep our passports and proceeded to draw us a detailed map of where to go in Venice the next day as well as invite us to breakfast at his house?? whaaat?), we were finally on a train to Venice!
Did I mention my credit card got stuck in the train ticket machine? Yes friends, this was only the beginning...
20 short minutes later, Elise and I arrived at the San Lucia station. We didn't realize that once you get off the train and walk into the station you are literally staring right at the Grand Canal! It took us by surprise, it was incredible!
We both literally let out a yelp and scampered like mad women out of the station to the edge of the canal. Such a beautiful sight! Especially at night! I will remember that moment forever!
We then decided to walk around on the bridges and through a few little side streets, since we didn't have much time before the buses stopped running back in to Mestre.
Luckily, we purchased our return bus ticket right when we arrived in Venice.
There was a little catch, however.
Upon purchasing our ticket, we were informed that there was a public transportation strike on all buses back to...guess where?
That's right-Mestre! hahaha...The woman who sold us our tickets said the bus would be there in about 45 minutes so we decided to take our chances and wait.
We walked around a little more, waited around with the locals and ate a couple of sandwiches.
We were a little confused because the locals seemed to have no idea when, or if, the bus to Mestre was coming. They all just stood there, waiting at the bus stop, drinking beer and eating potato chips like it was no big deal. Hahaha...one of the many reasons I love/miss Italy!
Finally, around 11:30 Elise and I began asking questions.
We hopped on every bus that stopped at that bus stop and politely asked the driver if he or she was going to Mestre.
Good thing we did because after about the fourth bus we finally found a driver going in our direction!
We hopped on the bus, not quite sure if the driver understood us correctly, and crowded in with the other approx 800 people needing a ride to Mestre as well.
After riding for a solid 10-15 minutes Elise and I felt confident we knew where we were so we excitedly hurried off the bus once we started to recognize our surroundings.
Turns out the bus windows were foggier than I thought, and we ended up in an unfamiliar part of Mestre, with about ten people up and walking along the street and a total of two apartment lights turned on.
Apparently, Mestre shuts down at 10:00 pm.
(Now, I know this blog is long, but keep reading because it's getting GOOD! :)
At this point, poor Elise was worried that any awkward move or hand signal I made would be mistaken for a gang sign, so we were frantically searching for the first place with a public restroom and nice lobby so we could call a cab.
Then, like the north star lighting up the Mestre sky, we spotted the glowing blue neon lights of a CLASSY Bingo establishment across the street.
We scampered in, like two misplaced Americans, trying not to cause a scene and looking quite confused.
On our way downstairs, we noticed the FINE blue glitter carpets and the tasteful fake marble statues placed carefully along the landing. Luckily, the sound of the slot machines was enough to cover our laughter.
We reached the restrooms, and the bar, which was in a neon-lit room with a floor that looked like it was about to light up at any second. It was ghetto-fabulous, in a word. :)
The local drug dealers and "ladies of the night" were there, ordering their regular drinks at the bar and waiting around for something exciting to happen. I have a feeling we were the highlight of their evening.
We asked the bartender for the number to call a cab, which we did immediately once we got upstairs.
Too bad the entire cab operating system was in Italian.
Luckily, we randomly made friends with the Bingo bouncer, who was from Africa but spoke about 5 different languages, one of them was (ta-da!) Italian!
Did I mention he was an English translator, and spoke all 5 of those languages fluently? Yes, my friends, I speak the truth...not even sure how to respond to that one...
Finally, we got a cab and made our way back to the hostel. Elise skyped her sister and we fell asleep almost immediately.
Was a wonderful start to an exciting adventure! Stay tuned for more postings...they'll be up soon!!
Cheers! :)
Elise lives in Florence, but my plane landed in Venice. So our ONLY option was to spend the night in a hostel in Venice and spend the entire night/next day traipsing around the wonderful city of Venice! YAY! :)
The first night we both arrived in Venice we were so excited! I met her at the Mestre train station and we walked to find our hostel. It was about 9:30 pm at this point and we were both dead tired from our long day. However, we decided to take the last train into Venice (San Lucia station) to see the Canal at night. What a wonderful idea!
After a few mishaps at the train station and an extensive conversation with the Greek desk attendant at the hostel (he tried to keep our passports and proceeded to draw us a detailed map of where to go in Venice the next day as well as invite us to breakfast at his house?? whaaat?), we were finally on a train to Venice!
Did I mention my credit card got stuck in the train ticket machine? Yes friends, this was only the beginning...
20 short minutes later, Elise and I arrived at the San Lucia station. We didn't realize that once you get off the train and walk into the station you are literally staring right at the Grand Canal! It took us by surprise, it was incredible!
We both literally let out a yelp and scampered like mad women out of the station to the edge of the canal. Such a beautiful sight! Especially at night! I will remember that moment forever!
We then decided to walk around on the bridges and through a few little side streets, since we didn't have much time before the buses stopped running back in to Mestre.
Luckily, we purchased our return bus ticket right when we arrived in Venice.
There was a little catch, however.
Upon purchasing our ticket, we were informed that there was a public transportation strike on all buses back to...guess where?
That's right-Mestre! hahaha...The woman who sold us our tickets said the bus would be there in about 45 minutes so we decided to take our chances and wait.
We walked around a little more, waited around with the locals and ate a couple of sandwiches.
We were a little confused because the locals seemed to have no idea when, or if, the bus to Mestre was coming. They all just stood there, waiting at the bus stop, drinking beer and eating potato chips like it was no big deal. Hahaha...one of the many reasons I love/miss Italy!
Finally, around 11:30 Elise and I began asking questions.
We hopped on every bus that stopped at that bus stop and politely asked the driver if he or she was going to Mestre.
Good thing we did because after about the fourth bus we finally found a driver going in our direction!
We hopped on the bus, not quite sure if the driver understood us correctly, and crowded in with the other approx 800 people needing a ride to Mestre as well.
After riding for a solid 10-15 minutes Elise and I felt confident we knew where we were so we excitedly hurried off the bus once we started to recognize our surroundings.
Turns out the bus windows were foggier than I thought, and we ended up in an unfamiliar part of Mestre, with about ten people up and walking along the street and a total of two apartment lights turned on.
Apparently, Mestre shuts down at 10:00 pm.
(Now, I know this blog is long, but keep reading because it's getting GOOD! :)
At this point, poor Elise was worried that any awkward move or hand signal I made would be mistaken for a gang sign, so we were frantically searching for the first place with a public restroom and nice lobby so we could call a cab.
Then, like the north star lighting up the Mestre sky, we spotted the glowing blue neon lights of a CLASSY Bingo establishment across the street.
We scampered in, like two misplaced Americans, trying not to cause a scene and looking quite confused.
On our way downstairs, we noticed the FINE blue glitter carpets and the tasteful fake marble statues placed carefully along the landing. Luckily, the sound of the slot machines was enough to cover our laughter.
We reached the restrooms, and the bar, which was in a neon-lit room with a floor that looked like it was about to light up at any second. It was ghetto-fabulous, in a word. :)
The local drug dealers and "ladies of the night" were there, ordering their regular drinks at the bar and waiting around for something exciting to happen. I have a feeling we were the highlight of their evening.
We asked the bartender for the number to call a cab, which we did immediately once we got upstairs.
Too bad the entire cab operating system was in Italian.
Luckily, we randomly made friends with the Bingo bouncer, who was from Africa but spoke about 5 different languages, one of them was (ta-da!) Italian!
Did I mention he was an English translator, and spoke all 5 of those languages fluently? Yes, my friends, I speak the truth...not even sure how to respond to that one...
Finally, we got a cab and made our way back to the hostel. Elise skyped her sister and we fell asleep almost immediately.
Was a wonderful start to an exciting adventure! Stay tuned for more postings...they'll be up soon!!
Cheers! :)
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
To Market, To Market...
So Lauren and I went to the market today. We were both running low on fresh produce (I was down to my last apple if that's any indication of how desperate I was) so we decided to make our way to Moore St. to visit the local produce vendors.
Moore Street is located right off Henry street near a huge shopping center called Jervis. It's on a side street of sorts, but as soon as one turns the corner there lies a slew of local produce vendors just waiting to sell you their broccoli and bananas (10 for one euro!).
If ever there were a heaven on earth, this place would be it.
The local vendors offer some excellent deals, like 8 apples for 2 euro, or 10 tomatoes for 1 euro, deals that just can't be found anywhere else. And it's all fresh, too.
Lauren and I discovered the warehouse where they store the produce, and say today's shipment being delivered while we were walking to the market. The vendors will buy in bulk from the warehouse, then sell their goods on and around Moore Street.
Lauren and I spent a good 15-20 minutes walking up and down this produce heaven, scoping out the produce and spotting bargains left and right.
The market is filled with vendors yelling out their prices (often identical to the prices of the vendors next to them) and promoting their organic produce.
The vendors are another part of the market I love. They are all such colorful characters (some a little more than others) but they always treat customers like old friends.
There are always the "regulars", too. For example, the lady that always sells boxes of grapes for 1 euro along Henry St. or the guy at the corner who always asks how our school is going. They are all such great people, and I don't think they realize how happy they make me when I see them!
I've been going to this market since week 1 in Ireland, so I can only hope I become a regular to some of the local produce vendors as well. It's such a nice constant to my week, and I really love seeing all the vendors when I go.
Oh, and also on the way home Lauren and I imitated one another's walks, as well as those of our friends and family. It was hilarious and I had to stop and switch my grocery bags from one shoulder to the other while I continued to topple over laughing.
We had a really good time, then I went to marketing communication class and spent the remainder of the afternoon in the library...
Was a very happy, successful and productive day, to say the least.
Now, it's time for bed.
Cheers!
Moore Street is located right off Henry street near a huge shopping center called Jervis. It's on a side street of sorts, but as soon as one turns the corner there lies a slew of local produce vendors just waiting to sell you their broccoli and bananas (10 for one euro!).
If ever there were a heaven on earth, this place would be it.
The local vendors offer some excellent deals, like 8 apples for 2 euro, or 10 tomatoes for 1 euro, deals that just can't be found anywhere else. And it's all fresh, too.
Lauren and I discovered the warehouse where they store the produce, and say today's shipment being delivered while we were walking to the market. The vendors will buy in bulk from the warehouse, then sell their goods on and around Moore Street.
Lauren and I spent a good 15-20 minutes walking up and down this produce heaven, scoping out the produce and spotting bargains left and right.
The market is filled with vendors yelling out their prices (often identical to the prices of the vendors next to them) and promoting their organic produce.
The vendors are another part of the market I love. They are all such colorful characters (some a little more than others) but they always treat customers like old friends.
There are always the "regulars", too. For example, the lady that always sells boxes of grapes for 1 euro along Henry St. or the guy at the corner who always asks how our school is going. They are all such great people, and I don't think they realize how happy they make me when I see them!
I've been going to this market since week 1 in Ireland, so I can only hope I become a regular to some of the local produce vendors as well. It's such a nice constant to my week, and I really love seeing all the vendors when I go.
Oh, and also on the way home Lauren and I imitated one another's walks, as well as those of our friends and family. It was hilarious and I had to stop and switch my grocery bags from one shoulder to the other while I continued to topple over laughing.
We had a really good time, then I went to marketing communication class and spent the remainder of the afternoon in the library...
Was a very happy, successful and productive day, to say the least.
Now, it's time for bed.
Cheers!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
A beautiful moment...
This was taken one day after school while Lara and I were walking home from the library. Speaks for itself, I think...
Malahide
So Lauren and I went to Malahide this weekend!
We jumped on the DART and rode it a few stops and hopped off at Malahide..my goodness do I love Irish transportation!
Once we arrived, we headed left for the beach (ironically one of the coldest places I've been so far) and proceeded to have a beach photoshoot. Our shoot was senior portrait-style, complete with cheesy, posed shots and pensive "staring into the water contemplating existentialism and future career goals" photos.
The results of those can be seen below, hahaha....We then ventured to the Malahide castle (not before a lovely stroll through the quaint town, of course) which was buried in the depths of a beautiful forest. When I say beautiful I really mean it. The place was magical, like something you'd see out of a fairy princess movie. I half expected a troll to pop out.
Unfortunately, we were not so lucky, but it was still one of the most beautiful and magical places I've ever been. Literally, it took my breath away.We then had a magical forest photo shoot (surprise, surprise, hahaha) and continued our walk toward the castle. No less than 10 minutes later, we stumbled upon an adult sized "playground" of sorts. Don't worry, we played in it on the way back from the castle, hahaha...
Once we finally made it to the Malahide castle, we went on the grand tour of the place, which consisted of a number of pre-recorded guided tours that played from speakers as you entered each room. Wizard of Oz style.
We also ventured into the gift shop and tea room. In the gift shop I seriously contemplated buying wool socks made in Donegal, but I rethought the idea since I already own a pair of wool socks. I should have sprung for them, I still might, haha.
After discovering the royal tea room was fresh out of everything except coffee and hot tea (go figure) we left the castle grounds and took our American selves to Starbucks. (Not before playing on the adult playground, of course.)
After Lauren and I ordered a hot chocolate and white hot chocolate, we wandered back to the DART station. We were quite a sight to see, me dressed in my North Face jacket, American Eagle jeans and Nike walking shoes, and Lauren with her Jansport travelin' backpack, both with our fresh Starbucks cups in hand and a day full of photos to upload.
All in all, I think the trip was a huge success. We were freezing cold almost the entire time, but the magical forest and adult playground made it incredibly worth it!
Here are some photos to recap the trip:
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Again, Beautiful Moments...
This day was one to remember. It was one of the first days of school, and I decided to treat myself between classes to some hot tea at Butler's Chocolate Cafe. Not only did I receive a miniature teapot to go along with my teacup and saucer, but I tried an orange-chocolate truffle that day, as well.
Also, I had just received a package from my family (first one while in Ireland, can be see in the background!) so that made this moment even more special. Everything just fell into place in that moment.
Will remember this one for years to come...
Beautiful Moments, part 1
(Left) The walk to school was perfect that day.
(Right) The sun rising over Smithfield. What a perfect way to start the day...
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Glendalough
Friday I woke up early (feeling like P. Diddy, of course) and ventured to Glendalough with a big group of Dublin Business School (DBS) and European Business School (EBS) students. The group was comprised of about 80 German/French students and approximately six Americans. I loved it!
It's been years since I've really gotten to socialize with European students (except for the wonderful French exchange students I've met at Winthrop!) so I was really excited for this opportunity.
Luckily, I'm taking a number of classes through EBS so many of my classes are also filled with both French and German students so I knew a good bit of them before the trip.
Once we boarded the bus, I sat next to my friend Michael (from Germany) and Britta (also from Germany). On the way we chatted about different social scenes in our respective countries, social norms, our courses of study, and the differences/similarities between German and American school systems.
I found the discussion on educational differences the most interesting. Basically, in many European countries, (Germany included) the students pay much less to attend a university as compared to America. About $18,000 less when compared to Winthrop.
For example, Michael pays about 500 euro per semester (about $750) to receive a higher education. Due to the low cost of higher education, many German students choose to stay in school much longer than in America. Some will spend 7-9 years in university trying out different classes and figuring out what career suits them. Costs will increase, however, once the 7-8 year mark hits.
After a bumpy 30 minute bus ride, we arrived at our destination. Many of the students on the trip (myself included) were incredibly car sick from the bus ride to Glendalough so once the bus stopped we rushed out the door and into the fresh air.
We were then taken on a 20-minute introductory tour of the old monastery, the graveyard and a view of the valley.
A little background:
Glendalough was once an old monastery where monks and various families would go for religious solitude or simply as a place escape the throws of everyday life. And I can see why. The place is gorgeous beyond belief, and the monastery is combination of magic and serenity unlike any other place I've been. They say visiting Glengalough 7 times is the religous equivalency of visiting Rome once. I plan to get my money's worth while in Ireland, haha.
After our introduction, a group of us ventured on the color-coded "green" walking path ("green" meaning easy and short) which led to a stunning view of one of the lakes of Wicklow.
I think the walk to the view was the most fun. The whole hour was spent walking uphill and getting to know one another between gasps for air.
The French students were hilarious (my roommate Magali was with our group as well!) and we ended up taking an "alternate route! up a very dangerous and steep part of the mountain.
We are better people for it, haha.
I also had a nice 30 minute conversation getting to know Michael and Britta. They are really great people and I learned alot about their lives within that short amount of time.
Finally, after walking uphill for a solid 45 minutes, we reached the view of the lake, had a photoshoot and made our way back down.
Again, the conversation flowed easily and I had a great conversation with another German student about what classes we are taking, what classes are offered in America, etc.
We then had another photoshoot in front of the lake before boarding the bus to go home.
Naturally, I fell asleep on the bus, but I woke up just as we arrived back in Dublin.
I have to say, I had a really great time on the Glendalough trip and I hope to go back again and spend more time in the area. The view was beautiful, the weather was perfect and the conversation could not have been better!
Will work on getting those pictures soon.
Cheers!
It's been years since I've really gotten to socialize with European students (except for the wonderful French exchange students I've met at Winthrop!) so I was really excited for this opportunity.
Luckily, I'm taking a number of classes through EBS so many of my classes are also filled with both French and German students so I knew a good bit of them before the trip.
Once we boarded the bus, I sat next to my friend Michael (from Germany) and Britta (also from Germany). On the way we chatted about different social scenes in our respective countries, social norms, our courses of study, and the differences/similarities between German and American school systems.
I found the discussion on educational differences the most interesting. Basically, in many European countries, (Germany included) the students pay much less to attend a university as compared to America. About $18,000 less when compared to Winthrop.
For example, Michael pays about 500 euro per semester (about $750) to receive a higher education. Due to the low cost of higher education, many German students choose to stay in school much longer than in America. Some will spend 7-9 years in university trying out different classes and figuring out what career suits them. Costs will increase, however, once the 7-8 year mark hits.
After a bumpy 30 minute bus ride, we arrived at our destination. Many of the students on the trip (myself included) were incredibly car sick from the bus ride to Glendalough so once the bus stopped we rushed out the door and into the fresh air.
We were then taken on a 20-minute introductory tour of the old monastery, the graveyard and a view of the valley.
A little background:
Glendalough was once an old monastery where monks and various families would go for religious solitude or simply as a place escape the throws of everyday life. And I can see why. The place is gorgeous beyond belief, and the monastery is combination of magic and serenity unlike any other place I've been. They say visiting Glengalough 7 times is the religous equivalency of visiting Rome once. I plan to get my money's worth while in Ireland, haha.
After our introduction, a group of us ventured on the color-coded "green" walking path ("green" meaning easy and short) which led to a stunning view of one of the lakes of Wicklow.
I think the walk to the view was the most fun. The whole hour was spent walking uphill and getting to know one another between gasps for air.
The French students were hilarious (my roommate Magali was with our group as well!) and we ended up taking an "alternate route! up a very dangerous and steep part of the mountain.
We are better people for it, haha.
I also had a nice 30 minute conversation getting to know Michael and Britta. They are really great people and I learned alot about their lives within that short amount of time.
Finally, after walking uphill for a solid 45 minutes, we reached the view of the lake, had a photoshoot and made our way back down.
Again, the conversation flowed easily and I had a great conversation with another German student about what classes we are taking, what classes are offered in America, etc.
We then had another photoshoot in front of the lake before boarding the bus to go home.
Naturally, I fell asleep on the bus, but I woke up just as we arrived back in Dublin.
I have to say, I had a really great time on the Glendalough trip and I hope to go back again and spend more time in the area. The view was beautiful, the weather was perfect and the conversation could not have been better!
Will work on getting those pictures soon.
Cheers!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Beautiful Moments
Since arriving in Ireland I have had a string of beautiful and wonderful moments. Like any good American in a foreign country, I am always armed with my pink 'point and shoot" camera so I have been snapping photos like a madwoman in an attempt to document them the second they happen. They often occur in one of the following places:
A) in public
B) in a public dining establishment
C) in a public restroom
D) in a generally awkward public place
Anyhow, I've been capturing all of these wonderful and memorable moments and have decided to share them in my blog. I call them my beautiful moments.
And in case you're interested, here is a little background:
Growing up around the dinner table, my dad would always ask my sister and I to share the best part of our day. This question was almost always the gateway into a string of dinnertime stories straight from the 1st grade playground or the 4th grade lunchroom. By the end of meal, the table would have erupted into a chorus of laughter, or a symphony of "awww's!" and "OH NO SHE DIDN'T's!". We lived crazy lives. You get the idea.
Unfortunately, once adolesence hit, the dinnertime ritual was often met (on my part) with a dramatic sigh or a roll of the eye (just one eye, since I can't manage to roll both). The conversations began to dwindle and the funny stories became few and far between.
Since college, however, I have noticed myself attempting to revive the tradition both at home and with my friends. In almost any conversation I find myself asking the other person "So what was the best part of your day?" or "What are the top three things that happened to you this morning?" Initially I am met with a confused look or a puzzled expression, but they soon break into a detailed explanation of what they did/who they saw throughout the course of their day. It's a great conversation starter, really, and I've learned so much about the people I ask.
Now I am always on the lookout for the best part of my day and will often make a note of these wonderful moments when they occur.
Such are my beautiful moments.
These are the little moments that are often overlooked, but when noticed are those that will make one appreciate the simple beauties in life. The kind that leave you feeling joyful and grateful at the same time.
In the coming months be on the lookout for my blogs with the title "Beautiful Moments" or "My favorite things" and you'll know exactly what I mean. I can't wait to share them with you.
A) in public
B) in a public dining establishment
C) in a public restroom
D) in a generally awkward public place
Anyhow, I've been capturing all of these wonderful and memorable moments and have decided to share them in my blog. I call them my beautiful moments.
And in case you're interested, here is a little background:
Growing up around the dinner table, my dad would always ask my sister and I to share the best part of our day. This question was almost always the gateway into a string of dinnertime stories straight from the 1st grade playground or the 4th grade lunchroom. By the end of meal, the table would have erupted into a chorus of laughter, or a symphony of "awww's!" and "OH NO SHE DIDN'T's!". We lived crazy lives. You get the idea.
Unfortunately, once adolesence hit, the dinnertime ritual was often met (on my part) with a dramatic sigh or a roll of the eye (just one eye, since I can't manage to roll both). The conversations began to dwindle and the funny stories became few and far between.
Since college, however, I have noticed myself attempting to revive the tradition both at home and with my friends. In almost any conversation I find myself asking the other person "So what was the best part of your day?" or "What are the top three things that happened to you this morning?" Initially I am met with a confused look or a puzzled expression, but they soon break into a detailed explanation of what they did/who they saw throughout the course of their day. It's a great conversation starter, really, and I've learned so much about the people I ask.
Now I am always on the lookout for the best part of my day and will often make a note of these wonderful moments when they occur.
Such are my beautiful moments.
These are the little moments that are often overlooked, but when noticed are those that will make one appreciate the simple beauties in life. The kind that leave you feeling joyful and grateful at the same time.
In the coming months be on the lookout for my blogs with the title "Beautiful Moments" or "My favorite things" and you'll know exactly what I mean. I can't wait to share them with you.
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