Tuesday, September 20, 2011
D'oh!
I literally wrote a HUGE blog explaining the insanity of the last couple of days, but I dropped my phone and it turned off without saving. Turns out that doesn't only happen the day before a paper is due in college. Too much to rewrite for now. I'm happy, I'm healthy, I'm having an incredible time. I went ALL around Ireland, back in Dublin now, and I'm pooped. I'll rewrite everything on my plane to Prague tomorrow.
Monday, September 19, 2011
So, Let Me Tell You About The Time I Got Pooped On...
Yes, I got pooped on... By a pigeon in the Dublin train station but let me get there. I met up with Ryan and Charles at about 10 and took them to The Mercantile. On our way, we took a different bridge than I normally take and ended up at a large Church. The name of the church is Gaelic and I don't remember. It starts with an A. it was beautiful- I think I'm enjoying such places because it's so interesting to experience and walk through buildings that date back to 900-1000AD. As Charles would say, it's like jumping into a page of history. At this church, they had tons of old relics on display but but most notably, the gravestone of what is believed to belong to a bishop in the 9th century. This stone has been used to be a source of luck placed next to the town's water well, then a source of luck when rubbed by businessmen, but it has gone through so much. People tried to steal it by carriage but under the weight of the stone, the horses legs broke and it was returned to the church. People tried to smash it but it wouldn't break. It is believed that the ghosts of clergymen protect it and so it will always stay at the church. You're supposed to rub it for good luck.
After this, we made it to breakfast where we met Michael, the waiter I had the previous day. Not going to lie, I have a bit of a crush on Michael. From San Diego, went to Ohio U, lived in Chicago for a while, and moved to Dublin on a whim where he's developed a rather charming Irish accent. (swoon.) Until he moves to Ghana in a few months to teach English. (superswoon.) I had authentic beef stew and, now that Charles and I are Irish soda bread connoisseurs, I believe the best is at this restaurant.
We talked about American football and how great Chicago is until we left. We went to the Dublin castle again to take a chance to see the gardens which commemorate fallen police officers.
Then we went to the Mecca of our journey- the Old Jameson Distillery.
Ryan spoke with the guy at the front desk to let him know who he was and we were able to get discounts and the guy gave us pointers about the tour. We had about a half hour to kill, so we relaxed in the bar there. I had a Brock and Salt- similar to an Irish coffee but more like an Irish latte. Ryan had a warm Jameson and sugar. If these drinks are any indication, it's pretty cold in Ireland. We went on the tour, which is really put together well, and ended up concluding our tour with Jameson and cranberry- delicious.
We decided to not spend the extra night in Dublin and take the train to Galway. Galway is known for being kind of a party town and not too many tourist attractions. There's nothing you 'need' to see in Galway but it's supposed to be a great time. So, we grabbed our bags and headed off. We got to the train station, got our tickets and grabbed some food. With pigeons around us, I suppose I should have been more aware of what was about to happen. I open my sandwich, eat about 1/3 of it when... Plop...
"Oh, my God. That did not just happen."
Right on my head. In an effort to casually transfer his shame to me, the pigeon kindly made sure he got it on the hood of my jacket an my backpack too.
As you can probably assume, I loved my life at that moment. We had 15 min until the train. With my tiger-ninja like reflexes, I grabbed my shampoo and towel and ran to the train station bathroom where I proceeded to take on the role of "that girl" and washed my hair in the sink during rush hour. Soooo gross but my other option was traveling with poop in my hair. Ryan has a picture. Pros of backpacking: always being prepared to be shit on in a train station.
So, when the guys were able to stop laughing, we got on the train and left for Galway. Our train ended up being extraordinarily late but we were able to get settled and make our way to a little restaurant named McSwiggin's where I ate chicken curry with rice (Manisha, of course I had to have Indian food. ;)) and the guys had their meat and potatoes stuff. It was great. Walking down the main strip of bars on our way back was interesting- college town: to the extreme. Loud, drunk, fighting guys and nearly-naked, wasted girls (I swear, I rarely saw girls wearing pants. Just short skirts or jumpers that cut off at their upper thigh.) As long as you're ok with that situation, it was actually kind of great to see Galway in full swing. We ducked into a less crowded bar than the ones we were recommended. It was a lot of fun. I'm on a Guinness kick this week- I don't even prefer it ever but when in Ireland do as the Irish do and grab a pint, I guess. It was a lot of fun. There were tons of hen and stag parties (bachelor and bachelorette). I was lucky enough to meet a (wasted) 21-yr-old guy when I was getting drinks. It was his brother's stag party and he was the youngest of the group but made it the longest. He kept assuring me that it was a pleasure to meet me and that he's extremely faithful and would love to visit Chicago... His name was Darrough, though- that was the only cool thing about him. We left shortly after that.
The next day, we went to the Aran Islands. We rented bikes and went around the island. I'd say the ring around the island is about 8 mi, give or take. It was stunning. Every little detail- the people, the bikes, the trails, the experience- was perfect. I'm so fortunate to be traveling with two great guys. They're very different but they compliment each other very well. It makes the whole situation easier for me. Charles is a very kind-hearted person, easy-going, encouraging and always smiling. The only time he looks distressed is when he talks about his wife and kids. It's obvious that he misses them and this is a two week trip for the guys but he's still able to have a good time. Ryan is well-planned, put together, sometimes funny and very much a great guy to travel with.
We were able to get to the other side of the ring, including exploring, in about 2 hours, I think? However, we realized we were running out of time when we needed to get to these amazing cliffs and back to the ferry in about an 1:15. The walk to the cliffs was about 15 min from the bike dock. So, we booked it. We ended up running up the hill to make good time. (Ryan B- if you thought 30min level 20 on the stairmaster was hard- woah, boy.) Luckily it went by quickly and we were able to get to the cliff's edge in 7 min, give or take. It was spectacular. These views that I can only compare to something out of a CGI heavy movie, like Harry Potter or Pirates of the Caribbean, were so expansive and beautiful, it's too hard to put into words. Ryan made the comment that if this were in America, there would be guard rails and protections everywhere. Here we were about 200m above the ground with nothing separating us from a ride down the smooth face of the cliff to the jagged, crashing mess below us; it was amazing. I have about a million pictures which don't nearly do it justice.
We booked it back, grabbed some celebratory beers for the ferry back and enjoyed it. The ferry and bus through Connemara were also stunning. Especially after watching some sort of sailing regatta pass us. That night, we went to dinner at The Western Bar where we were all so tired and done for the day- but wow. Great day, indeed.
This morning, we met for breakfast and to plan our day. Even though I've been doing research for weeks, it's refreshing to have someone as perfect as Ryan who has all of the answers that you don't even need to talk. So, I'm on a bus to Limerick with them now finishing some writing and being quiet for a bit. It's nice. I'm on vacation and just going with the flow. If I learned anything from yesterday, it's that I can deal with stepping to the edge of a cliff, look at the angry sea, see the beauty of it and still have an extraordinary day.
Banquet at Bunratty castle tonight and hopefully a bit of exploring the streets of Limerick. Staying at the Best Western - Pery. Update again soon.
After this, we made it to breakfast where we met Michael, the waiter I had the previous day. Not going to lie, I have a bit of a crush on Michael. From San Diego, went to Ohio U, lived in Chicago for a while, and moved to Dublin on a whim where he's developed a rather charming Irish accent. (swoon.) Until he moves to Ghana in a few months to teach English. (superswoon.) I had authentic beef stew and, now that Charles and I are Irish soda bread connoisseurs, I believe the best is at this restaurant.
We talked about American football and how great Chicago is until we left. We went to the Dublin castle again to take a chance to see the gardens which commemorate fallen police officers.
Then we went to the Mecca of our journey- the Old Jameson Distillery.
Ryan spoke with the guy at the front desk to let him know who he was and we were able to get discounts and the guy gave us pointers about the tour. We had about a half hour to kill, so we relaxed in the bar there. I had a Brock and Salt- similar to an Irish coffee but more like an Irish latte. Ryan had a warm Jameson and sugar. If these drinks are any indication, it's pretty cold in Ireland. We went on the tour, which is really put together well, and ended up concluding our tour with Jameson and cranberry- delicious.
We decided to not spend the extra night in Dublin and take the train to Galway. Galway is known for being kind of a party town and not too many tourist attractions. There's nothing you 'need' to see in Galway but it's supposed to be a great time. So, we grabbed our bags and headed off. We got to the train station, got our tickets and grabbed some food. With pigeons around us, I suppose I should have been more aware of what was about to happen. I open my sandwich, eat about 1/3 of it when... Plop...
"Oh, my God. That did not just happen."
Right on my head. In an effort to casually transfer his shame to me, the pigeon kindly made sure he got it on the hood of my jacket an my backpack too.
As you can probably assume, I loved my life at that moment. We had 15 min until the train. With my tiger-ninja like reflexes, I grabbed my shampoo and towel and ran to the train station bathroom where I proceeded to take on the role of "that girl" and washed my hair in the sink during rush hour. Soooo gross but my other option was traveling with poop in my hair. Ryan has a picture. Pros of backpacking: always being prepared to be shit on in a train station.
So, when the guys were able to stop laughing, we got on the train and left for Galway. Our train ended up being extraordinarily late but we were able to get settled and make our way to a little restaurant named McSwiggin's where I ate chicken curry with rice (Manisha, of course I had to have Indian food. ;)) and the guys had their meat and potatoes stuff. It was great. Walking down the main strip of bars on our way back was interesting- college town: to the extreme. Loud, drunk, fighting guys and nearly-naked, wasted girls (I swear, I rarely saw girls wearing pants. Just short skirts or jumpers that cut off at their upper thigh.) As long as you're ok with that situation, it was actually kind of great to see Galway in full swing. We ducked into a less crowded bar than the ones we were recommended. It was a lot of fun. I'm on a Guinness kick this week- I don't even prefer it ever but when in Ireland do as the Irish do and grab a pint, I guess. It was a lot of fun. There were tons of hen and stag parties (bachelor and bachelorette). I was lucky enough to meet a (wasted) 21-yr-old guy when I was getting drinks. It was his brother's stag party and he was the youngest of the group but made it the longest. He kept assuring me that it was a pleasure to meet me and that he's extremely faithful and would love to visit Chicago... His name was Darrough, though- that was the only cool thing about him. We left shortly after that.
The next day, we went to the Aran Islands. We rented bikes and went around the island. I'd say the ring around the island is about 8 mi, give or take. It was stunning. Every little detail- the people, the bikes, the trails, the experience- was perfect. I'm so fortunate to be traveling with two great guys. They're very different but they compliment each other very well. It makes the whole situation easier for me. Charles is a very kind-hearted person, easy-going, encouraging and always smiling. The only time he looks distressed is when he talks about his wife and kids. It's obvious that he misses them and this is a two week trip for the guys but he's still able to have a good time. Ryan is well-planned, put together, sometimes funny and very much a great guy to travel with.
We were able to get to the other side of the ring, including exploring, in about 2 hours, I think? However, we realized we were running out of time when we needed to get to these amazing cliffs and back to the ferry in about an 1:15. The walk to the cliffs was about 15 min from the bike dock. So, we booked it. We ended up running up the hill to make good time. (Ryan B- if you thought 30min level 20 on the stairmaster was hard- woah, boy.) Luckily it went by quickly and we were able to get to the cliff's edge in 7 min, give or take. It was spectacular. These views that I can only compare to something out of a CGI heavy movie, like Harry Potter or Pirates of the Caribbean, were so expansive and beautiful, it's too hard to put into words. Ryan made the comment that if this were in America, there would be guard rails and protections everywhere. Here we were about 200m above the ground with nothing separating us from a ride down the smooth face of the cliff to the jagged, crashing mess below us; it was amazing. I have about a million pictures which don't nearly do it justice.
We booked it back, grabbed some celebratory beers for the ferry back and enjoyed it. The ferry and bus through Connemara were also stunning. Especially after watching some sort of sailing regatta pass us. That night, we went to dinner at The Western Bar where we were all so tired and done for the day- but wow. Great day, indeed.
This morning, we met for breakfast and to plan our day. Even though I've been doing research for weeks, it's refreshing to have someone as perfect as Ryan who has all of the answers that you don't even need to talk. So, I'm on a bus to Limerick with them now finishing some writing and being quiet for a bit. It's nice. I'm on vacation and just going with the flow. If I learned anything from yesterday, it's that I can deal with stepping to the edge of a cliff, look at the angry sea, see the beauty of it and still have an extraordinary day.
Banquet at Bunratty castle tonight and hopefully a bit of exploring the streets of Limerick. Staying at the Best Western - Pery. Update again soon.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Trinity College, The Book of Kells, and Yo-Yo's
After my last post, I decided to tough it out and endure sleep deprivation as long as I could. If my Middle Eastern Women's Literature class in college was any indication of how much 'awake' I can take, I could easily predict success- as long as I'm jam packed with caffeine. However, when people discuss true sleep deprivation they're like, "Day 12 - Hallucinations." I'm more like, "Day 1 - Irritated". And all of it is curable seeing as though all things espresso are delicious here. Lattes don't even need to be pumpkin spiced to earn my love.
So, I made my way to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells. The line may have been long but the teenage guy I stood behind had a wise persistence and focus about him- better known as 'the nicest way I could think of to describe the annoying ability to Yo-Yo'. And Yo-Yo he did. He made all of the older people in front of him nervous and completely ignored their discomfort- all to my inner-child's pleasure. Ah, personal entertainment.
Quick tangent: I also saw a seemingly-important street fountain by the Bank of Ireland in which someone felt they should take it upon themselves to add dish soap, which made me laugh.
Moral of that story: It's really all about the little things.
Here I am, about to see a monumental literary relic, and I'm giggling about fountain suds and awkward string object magic. Oh, me.
Update: Turns out, there was a foam party on the Trinity College campus tonight. (Big devastation: I wasn't invited.)
But to be honest, the Book of Kells is breathtaking. It's basically Christian scripture made pretty by some of the world's best monk artists/calligraphers, all in one location. The media they used was incredible- drawings of saints had this crazy affect of floating on the page by use of different inks on vellum and the entire process of the art followed biblical beliefs. Past the Book of Kells exhibit was the, "when I'm a billionaire, this is the first room I'm building in my house."- The Long Room. This was an enormously grand and beautiful part of the Trinity College Library. Cathedral ceilings, bookshelves after bookshelves for what looked like a mile; Each one had their own statue and pair of ladders/stairs lined with exhibits of very cool artifacts such as early literature, the oldest human giant skeleton display, and the oldest Irish harp known in existence. I just metaphorically pushed up my taped glasses and snorted shamelessly. Geeking out to this was definitely a highlight of my day.
Past this, I hopped into an Apple store to charge my phone where I sat and talked to the people working there about what I should or shouldn't do for the rest of my stay. More and more people have told me to avoid Cork. Does anyone have input or a reason beside the Blarney Stone to go there?
Let me know.
It was starting to get into the afternoon so I made my way toward the Guinness Storehouse to meet Ryan. On my way, I walked through parts of Dublin Castle and the courtyards of the Dublin Cathedral (St. Mary's? Need to check).
Anyway, after my long walk to the Guinness Storehouse, Ryan ended up not making it so I took the tour with a large group of college guys from England. They were hilarious and made the self-guided tour of the museum a lot of fun. The 7th floor of the Storehouse is a bar and the equivalent to the Sears Tower in Chicago; expansive 360 degree views of the city. The weather was beautiful in the afternoon so I got some great pictures. I just sat there with my free end-of-tour Guinness and took it all in for a while. On my walk back to the hostel, I walked through a small, lower-middle class neighborhood just to see how life is outside of the tourist areas. Just pretty standard; kids playing, people walking their dogs, everyone seemed to know each other. There was a really old man struggling to cross the street so, of course, I offered to help. In the most kind-hearted way, he turned me down saying he only had to go to the building in front of us. So, as I crossed I kept an eye on him as he tottered and slowly made his way but this woman, also kind but stern, was like, "Shove off now, dear. He'll be fine. He lives in this building." She saw my hesitation and was like, "he loves his walks to the store. It keeps him going." the whole thing was so innocent like I had accidentally walked in on a-day-in-the-life of Dublin suburbia, like I shouldn't have disrupted. Cool moment.
I finally got a chance to nap after this. I made plans with Ryan to meet up with him and his friend, Charles, and go to Temple Bar. They came and we walked through town again on a mini-tour of the things I had seen that day on the main strip. My inner-mom came out and made them walk through the Trinity College campus and explained Dublin Castle as we passed for their own good (as if I gave them medicine or something but I knew they wouldn't go themselves. :) ) We finally arrived on the main strip of the Temple Bar area, walked the streets, and Ryan picked a bar called, of course, Temple Bar (I admire his simplicity). It was a bit touristy but the craic singers were actually incredible and we got a nice little nook in the back of the bar where we drank reasonable amounts of Guinness and Jameson/gingers. Besides how much they made fun of my "I've only gotten 5 hours of sleep since Wednesday morning- lay off me" abilities to speak French, I had a really great time out.
I came back to an empty room as one girl from Mexico was out celebrating their Independence Day and the other three girls from Portugal are very to themselves (though, they were great to help me pick out my outfit for the evening.)
Ah, well. Today, I think I'm going to make my way to the James Joyce museum, take Ryan and Charles to the Mercantile, tour Jameson with them and head off to Galway. Sounds like a plan. Ok, more updates later.
So, I made my way to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells. The line may have been long but the teenage guy I stood behind had a wise persistence and focus about him- better known as 'the nicest way I could think of to describe the annoying ability to Yo-Yo'. And Yo-Yo he did. He made all of the older people in front of him nervous and completely ignored their discomfort- all to my inner-child's pleasure. Ah, personal entertainment.
Quick tangent: I also saw a seemingly-important street fountain by the Bank of Ireland in which someone felt they should take it upon themselves to add dish soap, which made me laugh.
Moral of that story: It's really all about the little things.
Here I am, about to see a monumental literary relic, and I'm giggling about fountain suds and awkward string object magic. Oh, me.
Update: Turns out, there was a foam party on the Trinity College campus tonight. (Big devastation: I wasn't invited.)
But to be honest, the Book of Kells is breathtaking. It's basically Christian scripture made pretty by some of the world's best monk artists/calligraphers, all in one location. The media they used was incredible- drawings of saints had this crazy affect of floating on the page by use of different inks on vellum and the entire process of the art followed biblical beliefs. Past the Book of Kells exhibit was the, "when I'm a billionaire, this is the first room I'm building in my house."- The Long Room. This was an enormously grand and beautiful part of the Trinity College Library. Cathedral ceilings, bookshelves after bookshelves for what looked like a mile; Each one had their own statue and pair of ladders/stairs lined with exhibits of very cool artifacts such as early literature, the oldest human giant skeleton display, and the oldest Irish harp known in existence. I just metaphorically pushed up my taped glasses and snorted shamelessly. Geeking out to this was definitely a highlight of my day.
Past this, I hopped into an Apple store to charge my phone where I sat and talked to the people working there about what I should or shouldn't do for the rest of my stay. More and more people have told me to avoid Cork. Does anyone have input or a reason beside the Blarney Stone to go there?
Let me know.
It was starting to get into the afternoon so I made my way toward the Guinness Storehouse to meet Ryan. On my way, I walked through parts of Dublin Castle and the courtyards of the Dublin Cathedral (St. Mary's? Need to check).
Anyway, after my long walk to the Guinness Storehouse, Ryan ended up not making it so I took the tour with a large group of college guys from England. They were hilarious and made the self-guided tour of the museum a lot of fun. The 7th floor of the Storehouse is a bar and the equivalent to the Sears Tower in Chicago; expansive 360 degree views of the city. The weather was beautiful in the afternoon so I got some great pictures. I just sat there with my free end-of-tour Guinness and took it all in for a while. On my walk back to the hostel, I walked through a small, lower-middle class neighborhood just to see how life is outside of the tourist areas. Just pretty standard; kids playing, people walking their dogs, everyone seemed to know each other. There was a really old man struggling to cross the street so, of course, I offered to help. In the most kind-hearted way, he turned me down saying he only had to go to the building in front of us. So, as I crossed I kept an eye on him as he tottered and slowly made his way but this woman, also kind but stern, was like, "Shove off now, dear. He'll be fine. He lives in this building." She saw my hesitation and was like, "he loves his walks to the store. It keeps him going." the whole thing was so innocent like I had accidentally walked in on a-day-in-the-life of Dublin suburbia, like I shouldn't have disrupted. Cool moment.
I finally got a chance to nap after this. I made plans with Ryan to meet up with him and his friend, Charles, and go to Temple Bar. They came and we walked through town again on a mini-tour of the things I had seen that day on the main strip. My inner-mom came out and made them walk through the Trinity College campus and explained Dublin Castle as we passed for their own good (as if I gave them medicine or something but I knew they wouldn't go themselves. :) ) We finally arrived on the main strip of the Temple Bar area, walked the streets, and Ryan picked a bar called, of course, Temple Bar (I admire his simplicity). It was a bit touristy but the craic singers were actually incredible and we got a nice little nook in the back of the bar where we drank reasonable amounts of Guinness and Jameson/gingers. Besides how much they made fun of my "I've only gotten 5 hours of sleep since Wednesday morning- lay off me" abilities to speak French, I had a really great time out.
I came back to an empty room as one girl from Mexico was out celebrating their Independence Day and the other three girls from Portugal are very to themselves (though, they were great to help me pick out my outfit for the evening.)
Ah, well. Today, I think I'm going to make my way to the James Joyce museum, take Ryan and Charles to the Mercantile, tour Jameson with them and head off to Galway. Sounds like a plan. Ok, more updates later.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Capt. Turbo the Leadfooted Was My Pilot
So, I made it! Landed safely in Ireland- perhaps a little windblown since my 7h40min flight was cut down to 6h30min. Didn't sleep a wink. But here I am! It's raining and around 55F degrees. I left my luggage at my Hostel- the Generator. It's the Dublin version of where I stayed in London. It just so happens that it's right next door to the Jameson Distillery- go figure. I ended up going for a walk in the rain, ended up lost and just ducked into a little cafe for a (vegetarian) Irish breakfast. Real Irish breakfast comes with all sorts of meat that I just can't even think about eating right now. But this place is great- The Mercantile. A bit pricey, but I have Internet and I'm watching New Zealand play Japan in World Cup rugby. It's about 4:30am in Chicago, give or take? Too tired to do basic subtraction but I'm going to enjoy my latte and cheer on the All Blacks (that's a Rugby team).
I'm safe and well. A little soaked but not melting yet.
I met a girl on the bus that I said I'd go to the James Joyce Museum with and I'm meeting up with my friend Ryan at 2 and I'm relatively sure I won't sleep anytime soon. What does a girl have to do to get some coffee around here? Sheesh!
More updates later. I'm safe and physically on hard ground.
Mentally? I'll have to let you know later. :)
I'm safe and well. A little soaked but not melting yet.
I met a girl on the bus that I said I'd go to the James Joyce Museum with and I'm meeting up with my friend Ryan at 2 and I'm relatively sure I won't sleep anytime soon. What does a girl have to do to get some coffee around here? Sheesh!
More updates later. I'm safe and physically on hard ground.
Mentally? I'll have to let you know later. :)
Thursday, September 15, 2011
On my way!
So, I think that it was in the cab on the way to the airport that it actually all hit me like a sack of stereotypical-4-leaf-clovers in the head. I'm on my way to Ireland. On my own. With a great trajectory but no real destination.
Awesome. Great.
Terrifying.
To give a bit of relief to those worried, I do have a friend I met on my recent trip to Boston who works for a distributor of Jameson. He conveniently will be in Dublin at the same time I am acting as a Canadian Ambassador for Jameson (because that's a real thing, if you were curious. Makes you want to rethink your career path, doesn't it?)
So, at least I'll have a familiar face.
Due to my nerves, there's a part of me that thinks I'll either break out in a non-contagious case of happy Tourettes (which probably isn't as real as whiskey ambassadors) or vomit on unsuspecting Irish persons around me.
So, I'm pre-occupying myself with a fun new game I made up for my Aer Lingus flight: Irish or American?
Person #1 - Orange hair: probably Irish (duh)
Person #2 - Sleek businessman who looks oddly terrified for no reason: probably American
Person #3 - Burly, white man in a form-fitting, button-up shirt that may or may not be sporting a touch of chest hair sprouting from the top, open button and a gold chain necklace: the world may never know
People watching makes everything better and oddly familiar.
Ah, well. Time to board. I can only hope #3 is sitting next to me so I can put my curiosity to rest.
I also hope me and my recently consumed McNuggets make it through the flight together. I predict 50/50 odds.
Place your bets.
-----
Quick note, for those who know my college roommate, Veronique, her and her boyfriend left today on a 4-month backpacking trip to Asia. To see her blog, go to:
http://robb-vero.blogspot.com
Bon voyage, V!
Awesome. Great.
Terrifying.
To give a bit of relief to those worried, I do have a friend I met on my recent trip to Boston who works for a distributor of Jameson. He conveniently will be in Dublin at the same time I am acting as a Canadian Ambassador for Jameson (because that's a real thing, if you were curious. Makes you want to rethink your career path, doesn't it?)
So, at least I'll have a familiar face.
Due to my nerves, there's a part of me that thinks I'll either break out in a non-contagious case of happy Tourettes (which probably isn't as real as whiskey ambassadors) or vomit on unsuspecting Irish persons around me.
So, I'm pre-occupying myself with a fun new game I made up for my Aer Lingus flight: Irish or American?
Person #1 - Orange hair: probably Irish (duh)
Person #2 - Sleek businessman who looks oddly terrified for no reason: probably American
Person #3 - Burly, white man in a form-fitting, button-up shirt that may or may not be sporting a touch of chest hair sprouting from the top, open button and a gold chain necklace: the world may never know
People watching makes everything better and oddly familiar.
Ah, well. Time to board. I can only hope #3 is sitting next to me so I can put my curiosity to rest.
I also hope me and my recently consumed McNuggets make it through the flight together. I predict 50/50 odds.
Place your bets.
-----
Quick note, for those who know my college roommate, Veronique, her and her boyfriend left today on a 4-month backpacking trip to Asia. To see her blog, go to:
http://robb-vero.blogspot.com
Bon voyage, V!
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Packing. Kind of. (Not really.)
So, I wanted to start off my blog with a few thoughts. Tonight is the night before I take off and I have a lot to get ready and go through to make sure that I'm good to go. But let's be real- I've so far watched How I Met Your Mother re-runs and started a blog. Go figure.
There are a lot of things to lay out there before I leave.
There are a lot of things to lay out there before I leave.
- I rarely like blogging. It takes a certain person of a certain caliber to do it right. Most of the time, it's usually some overly-pretentious, arrogant, 'everyone needs to hear what I have to say but I can't say it to their face' type of person writing about stuff they could never get published in normal circumstances because they either:
- Aren't any good at writing
- Have no purpose
- Are all 'Ron Burgundy' about it ("Hey everyone! Come see how good I look!")
- Are not credible sources of their subject matter
- They're too soapbox-y
- I'm going to be real in this effort. If you don't want to see me on a personal level, then you'd probably want to navigate yourself to not-this-page. I called this blog, "Anna's Wandering Again," because, well, that's what I do. Some of my best ideas have come from tangents and not limiting myself to what others are thinking. Some of my worst ideas have come from tangents and not limiting myself to what others are thinking. And I'm ok with that as long as I am never stagnant and always contributing/producing/helping/growing. I can only hope that you be ok with that, too.
- Deepest secret revealed #1: Most of you know, I'm a huge writer. I love it and it's my deepest passion. And, to be real, I haven't been doing a whole lot of it lately. Writing is a mental battle with yourself. There's a whole lot of blame I could put here or there for why I haven't but that just full-circles back to me. Writing is who I am and if it all needs to restart with a blog, so be it.
- I didn't write on my last big trip to Trinidad and Tobago and I regret it so much. The fact that I can't look back and read through the 2 hour long motorcycle ride where we almost died three times and might have taken out a school girl or two, or staying with Rastafarians, or surfing, or the beaches, or accepting cockroaches on a social level, or the stray dogs and their fleas that I fell in love with, or one of my best friends and her boyfriend having some of the most incredible adventures with me- at the most basic level - sucks. I had an unforgettable time and all I have are pictures and the stories in my head. Someday, I'll write all of that out but I should have done it at the beginning.
- So, on that personal note I was talking about (while sparing a lot of details), the past couple of years have been kind of a tornado with me standing in the eye watching it happen. As soon as I graduated in December, 2008, I went through a cluster of life events that, in summary, I wouldn't wish on anyone. Take my word for it as I refer to this point in life as 'the Dark Ages'. Emotionally and mentally flabbergasted, by the middle of 2010, I felt like I was getting my bearings again. Preparing for even more change, now that we're in 2011, I am currently in the middle of buying/furnishing a townhouse, selling my family home, getting my mom into a facility to take care of her (she has MS), getting her/my finances in order, having a garage sale, exploring grad school options, keeping everyone calm, carrying on, etc. etc. etc. I have learned so much about who to appreciate, who to love, who to cut out of my life now, who I should have cut out a long time ago, and, in an effort to be entirely inner-Bridget-Jones-esque, I think I'm finally getting it right. Believe me when I say that all of this is for good and me and the people I love are in a good place. Juggling all of that with my career, my dog, my 20-something-year-old-so-called-life, being 'fine' all the time, and aspirations to travel/write/take over the world, I'm taking this opportunity, grabbing it by the mane, and taking off. So many people have said, "You're really doing this?" - "You're going alone?" - "Are you *&%#$ crazy?" --- Yes. Resounding Yes. Expletive Yes.
I feel like I've been scraping by lately with so much happening. To fix this, I require whiskey/drunken singing in Ireland, much-anticipated Mexican boatrides with great old friends in Prague, Czech Republic, and Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. I really can't find any other way. - I have to thank a ridiculous amount of people in my life for being so ungodly supportive and helping me to become the person I am and for leading me to this trip. I also need to thank a few not-so-great people also for helping me to figure out what type of person I'm not. This leads me to a tangent on people. I fully subscribe to the idea that the world isn't necessarily split into good and bad, but more into creators and destroyers. I also fully subscribe to the idea that the split I just identified (via Kurt Vonnegut) has nothing to do with skin color, worshipped God, gender loved, clothes worn, hair shade, etc. This is why I love traveling. It allows you to get out of your bubble, see more details, meet others without your usual guards up. It also allows you to see how basically dumb other people are for having any sort of prejudice or hate against people they've never really met but 'heard about'. I hope this inspires other people to travel, too.
- Which leads me to how I'm feeling right now- summarized in one word. scaredhappysappyexcitednervousgiddystupidsmartreadyunpreparedpumpedexpialidocious.
hum diddle diddle diddle hum diddle eye - Please don't take offense to anything I write. If you question something I say, I assure you that you can confidently not take me seriously. And I love talking so feel free to ask me anything.
Pictures, Etc.
If you're more of a visual learner, can't read, or if you look at my blog and think, "TLDR," feel free to check out my pictures of all things pretty, shiny, yummy, drunken, stupid, inspiring, funny, and/or awesome HERE.
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