Traveling isn't about where you go- it's about the people

I've been home for a little over a week and life has been as crazy as ever. This Saturday I fly to Guatemala for a month to take a CentreTerm human rights course. While I'm extremely excited it doesn't leave me with a lot of time at home. Not to mention the three books I have to read and two essays due before I get on the plane. So while I've been running around trying to do everything before I go again I've been thinking about how to sum up the last three months. So I'll start from the beginning...

I picked Ireland for a variety of reasons. Yes for my Irish heritage, yes because it's Europe, yes to travel, yes for the accents, but also and more importantly because I was scared. Because I knew it would be a challenge. Almost to the point where I picked Merida, Mexico over Ireland. And now I couldn't of been more happy with my choice. Not because Ireland is better than Mexico- it actually has nothing to do with the country- but because Mexico was safe- it was easy. To clarify, most Centre study abroad programs are group programs. Meaning that a group of Centre students and professors will travel to a country and essentially do what they would at Centre but in a different country. The Northern Ireland program is one of the few that is an independent program. Meaning I went with no one. I traveled by myself to a foreign country and lived. I was excited but also terrified. I remember calling my mom when I learned I was accepted into both programs. I went through the pros and cons (like I do) of each and still couldn't decide. I had always wanted to go to Ireland but I was terrified. Then my mom said, if the only reason you want to pick Mexico over Ireland is because you're scared, then pick Ireland. I'm usually the kind of person that asks for advice but already knows that I'm going to do but in that instant I knew she was right. I couldn't let my fears prevent me from taking this opportunity. And it was the best decision of my life. So looking back- I would say one of the biggest things I learned from the entire experience was actually choosing to go. Not letting fear stop me from new (potentially amazing) experiences.

This summer, my friend Jacob, and I came up with a bit of a motto for living life: no expectations. I think it is important to live this way (possibly just to an extent) because expectations prevent you from enjoying realities. Expectations disappoint. They cause unnecessary negative feelings. Nothing will ever be how you picture it. There is not much point in expecting something because it will never be exactly how you imagine it. I mean this in regards to everything- experiences, people, even your future husband or wife. Why build up all these expectations that will never come true? Instead I say live in moment. Choose to be happy no matter what. Stop expecting people to be anything they're not. Choose to accept them or move on. Choose to accept your situation or change it. No one can control your happiness besides you. Stop blaming your unhappiness on anything other than yourself. It's not your job, it's not your boyfriend, it's not your mom, it's you. You choose how to accept and change the things in your life. I say all of this because I too had expectations for Ireland. I wanted to travel all over Europe. I wanted to visit all the famous cities, walk the streets, hear the music, eat the food, see the sights. After the first few weeks, I began to get disappointed because I realized I would not get to travel as much as I expected. I had saved up money for years (that's right, years) to come to Europe and travel around like I always imagined. Now I was here and the problem was I had no one to travel with me. All my friends were from Europe and either were from or had already been to the cities I wanted to go. My choices were either go by myself or not at all. I was unbelievably disappointed. After a few more weeks passed I convinced my friends to travel with me to a few new places. So we went to London, Edinburgh, Dublin, Amsterdam. It wasn't until the third or fourth trip that I realized something very important. Traveling isn't about where you go- it's about the people. I was so concerned about going to as many cities and countries as possible that I almost completely missed the point. It doesn't matter how many museums you visit or famous buildings and statues you take pictures with if you're not in the right company. None of the places I went would of been anywhere as amazing if I hadn't gone with some of the best girls I know. In reality, all the famous cities are kinda the same. What makes them special isn't what you see on the post cards but who you meet and who shares the experiences with you. From my incredible housemates, to my Swiss girls, to my other Erasmus friends, to everyone from Maddens Bar, to taxi driver conversations, to the people you meet in pubs, to my housemates' boyfriends, to the Irish girls in the bathrooms, to the street performers, to the old man who tells me about his family history. These people are what make traveling worth it. These people and these conversations are why a person travels. 

Further I've come to realize the importance of people in general. Not just while traveling but appreciating those people in your own life. Realizing that going through life without enough human interaction isn't something I want to do. People make experiences special. They make you laugh, cry, think. People are cool and interesting. They're worth talking to. This may seem like an obvious concept to some but I grew up disliking most of the people in my community. I didn't like what I saw and I knew I wanted to be different. So I lost a lot of faith in people and their ability to contribute good things in the world. So it took time for me to come back to the realization that people are worth it. They're worth the time. Of course not all people but a lot of them. There is something to solitude and having time to yourself (especially coming from an introvert) but also appreciating being around people. Whether it be someone asking where you bought your shoes- the simplest interaction can brighten your day. And it goes the other way too. Realizing that you make other people's lives special too. The simplest of things you do can turn someone's day around. 

So I learned to have no expectations because being disappointed is just wasting time you can spend being happy in reality. To try and live without fears because they inhibit your chances for incredible experiences. And people are important. Not just in a human worth sense but that interaction with other humans can have positive impacts on your life. Also choose to be happy. Choose to make your life what you want it to be. I am choosing to take everything I learned the last three months and make myself a better person. 

Overall it's been an unforgettable three months.

Thanks for reading.

Thanksgiving, Scotland, and Amsterdam

 After we got back from Dublin the next week flew by. On Monday we went food shopping to buy everything we needed for Thanksgiving and our party. We wanted to do a Thanksgiving for the all Erasmus students, then decided that would be too expensive and take too much time. So then we thought maybe just a dinner for our Irish friends but came to the same conclusions. So instead we threw a normal party on Tuesday for our Irish friends with snack type foods, Thanksgiving on Wednesday for our closest Erasmus friends, and we would leave for Edinburgh, Scotland on Thursday.

We made something called canapes for the party. Jenny and Anja had made them before and thought it would be a good idea. Basically you put random stuff together on bread or crackers and hope it tastes good. I was nervous because these are bluegrass banjo playing Irish guys but they thought it would be fine. We made food for about 100 people it all looked really pretty but I wouldn't even eat it. Pesto with salmon and olives... yum haha. The party was good craic though. We had some drinks, our Irish friends came over, they played some music, we tried to eat the food, and had a really good time. 

The next day was our Thanksgiving dinner. We obviously wanted to have a turkey but they didn't have any the day we went to ASDA, so we got chicken instead. We made mashed potatoes, cooked carrots, sweet potatoes, mac and cheese (which turned into a house favorite- courtesy of me), chicken, green beans, and Rahel and Michelle brought the Swiss chocolate dessert. White and milk chocolate Toblerone mousse- we all died from deliciousness. It was the first time Alex or I had made a Thanksgiving dinner on our own but we think it turned out really well. The sweet potatoes were almost a lost cause but Anja saved them in the end. It was so much fun cooking with all my friends and then eating until we couldn't breathe anymore.

After dinner we sat around playing games and listening to music. I can't express enough how much I love these girls and how amazing it has been to spend the last three months with them. I think this was when we decided to have a Christmas dinner and a secret santa presents. Jenny had already made a plan for our house to have an advent calendar and do presents for that as well. I had never done advent before but apparently it's pretty common. Each day someone gives a gift and someone gets one. Just small things that will be reminder of one another and our time together. It was one of my favorite things we did as a house.

Edinburgh, Scotland was the next trip. Jenny, Anja, Alex, Rahel, Michelle, and I all went. Alicia still wasn't feeling well, so she decided to stay home again. This was probably one of my favorite trips though. Edinburgh is an absolutely gorgeous and magical city. The first day we arrived we found our hostel, got settled in, then headed in the city. We walked toward Edinburgh Castle while the sun was setting and it was an incredible sight. This was probably the best castle I saw but maybe the sunset made it seem more magnificent. We came across the Edinburgh Christmas market. We walked around and got some hot wine (gluhwein). Apparently very typical European Christmas drink and I quite enjoyed it. We also saw the gorgeous gluhwein man. He was working the booth and was a mixture of a Scottish/Irish//bearded lumberjack/model/elf. Forever known to us as The gluhwein man. Alex, Jenny, and I saw these great bags and we all decided we needed one. We walked around a bit more and decided to do a thrill ride. It was a giant swing that went up really high and spinned around and things. We were getting hungry after the ride and tried to find this one restaurant that was in our guide book. It was a vegetarian place, so I was excited. We walked around forever trying to find this place. We finally did and it was more like a cafe. We thought it was okay and would try it anyway. Turns out vegetarian restaurants in Europe are reaaaally vegetarian/vegan and not very good. I ordered a bean burrito, all excited because of how much I love burritos and it was so pitiful. Worst burrito of my life. Pretty sure none of us really enjoyed our food. After a disappointing dinner we went back to the hostel to put on more layers of clothes. It had gotten so much colder as night came. We went back into the city for a ghost tour. The tour was actually more funny than scary. Our tour guide kept saying 'small ones in the front' and then pointing to me. It wasn't scary at all until the end when a guy in a mask jumped out and I freaked out. I practically jumped into Anja's arms. We called it a night after the tour and went to the hostel for some sleep. 

The next day we had breakfast at MILK. I got the vegetable quiche, assuming it would be a mixture of vegetables and it turned out to be a mushroom quiche. I do not like mushrooms, so that was sad. I hadn't been having much luck with the food in Edinburgh. After breakfast we walked up Arthur's Seat, a famous hill that over looks the city. We decided to go further to the very top and while it was incredibly windy, it was also the best view imaginable. We came down for a coffee and to rest a bit before heading up a hill on the other side of the city. This one was much lower and not nearly as much of a work out. We did some shopping after the climbing. We went to all these great secondhand stores and cute little shops. We had an amazing Italian dinner at Zizzi's. We went back to the hostel and relaxed for a bit. Anja told us these hilarious stories. And we had snacks and dessert. 

The third day we had breakfast at the Hula cafe, a place we stopped the day before for smoothies. We did some more shopping at all the great shops. We saw a magic act of a guy swallowing a sword and eating fire on the street. We relaxed in a coffee shop and then explored the National Museum of Scotland. We had to catch a bus that afternoon for the airport, so we tried to find lunch then head to the bus stop. It was really crowded and we couldn't find a place that could fit us all. We walked further and finally saw this pub/bar with enough room. We went inside, figured out our orders, but soon realized why it wasn't very crowded. These really obnoxious guys were yelling at the sports games on tv, kept jumping in line for beer, and just being overly male. We were on a time crunch to catch the bus and the bartender seemed more interested in refilling their pints then taking our orders, so we just left. Struggling to find somewhere else to eat but even more hungry now- we had to walk almost all the way back to the hostel before finding somewhere. We finally did and it ended up being the best baked potato I have ever eaten. Cheese and beans was the best combination. Finally we got our stuff, made it in time for the bus, and flew home. 

(see facebook for more pictures- thank you to Anja for some of these)

The next trip was Amsterdam. Alex was suppose to go with Rahel, Michelle, and I but she had some legitimate concerns for her health and decided to stay behind. I won't go through a day by day here but it was a very interesting experience. Obviously Amsterdam is known for weed and sex- culminated mostly in the Red Light District. But I always assumed it looked something like it does in the movies or how I picture prostitution and stripping in the States. Well, I was wrong. Very very wrong. I was absolutely shocked and taken aback when I walked through the RLD at night. First mistake was that we went at night but it was something I will never forget. The women are in windows like zoo animals. There was utterly no respect for women on this street. Not in the windows or those walking by like myself. All three of us got shouted at and completely disrespected by the men on the streets. We couldn't of walked any faster out of there. I was in total shock. It was the lowest form of treatment you could have toward a human being. I might not be totally accurate but I see stripping and prostitution in the US more as a choice made by the women. Obviously it's not true in all cases but in my experience the women choose to strip to make a lot of money or what have you. The biggest difference here was that it did not look or feel like the women's choice in any way. The power and control were completely in the hands of the men. It was probably one of the most horrifying things I have ever experienced. Call me a prude but what I saw was not okay. It was something I needed to see once but never again. The whole rest of the trip I couldn't look at a male on the streets and wonder if he was low enough to partake in such a thing. Amsterdam was definitely a mixture of emotions. I hate that such good has to come with such bad. I'll never look at a man who says he's going to Amsterdam the same way- even if he claims it's just for the smoke. 

On the bright side- Amsterdam had really wonderful canals, architecture, marijuana and weed museum, sex museum, other strange museums we didn't visit, great shopping, and the best coffeeshops in the world :)

                                                                 (floating bed)

After two months, we finally went to Dublin

The housemates and I had been trying to plan a trip to Dublin since about the 3rd weekend. So after over two months, we finally made our way to Dublin. It actually worked out better that all our other Dublin plans fell through because this time our Swiss friends, Rahel, Michelle, and Marina all got to join us!

We left on Thursday after our Anglo-Irish Literature class. We had booked the bus tickets beforehand, so we walked to the station and we're off to Dublin. It was about a two hour ride but I'm pretty sure I slept most of the way. When we arrived in Dublin the first thing on all our minds was to find a bathroom! Luckily, Rahel had lived in Dublin for a few weeks a couple years ago, so she was our unofficial tour guide. After our bathroom stop, Rahel led us to our hostel. We stayed at the Kinlay Hostel, which I would recommend to anyone staying in Dublin. My four housemates and I were in one room and Rahel, Michelle, and Marina were in another because they booked their rooms after us. After we got settled in, Rahel took us for a mini tour around the city. We saw Trinity College and some of the  major streets in Dublin. We stopped to listen to these two guys street preforming by the giant Christmas tree. They were doing some covers and we're actually pretty good. The whole city was covered in gorgeous Christmas lights. One of my favorite things about traveling to all these cities this time of year is the beautiful lights and decorations. It feels so magical wherever we go. It was also freezing, so we went back to the hostel to layer up and get ready for dinner. We went to the Porterhouse and I had the most amazing pasta. It was a bit pricey but completely worth it. While I love traveling with all my friends, one problem we often encounter is finding places that will fit all of us. Especially when eating and bars/pubs. A lot of the places we go have really cute small cafes or pubs but our group would take up half the building and there's never enough seats. The Porterhouse was pretty big but we still couldn't find a table to sit all 7 of us. Luckily, the waiter saw our dilemma and gave free drinks to the table next to us so that they would move and we could all sit together. Another highlight of the Porterhouse was the butterscotch shots. I shouldn't need to say more... but yeah, they were butterscotch shots and they were perfect. After dinner, we headed for the bars. We went to the legendary Temple Bar. Probably the most famous bar in Dublin. Consequently, it was extremely crowded and overpriced. It was about 6 or 7 euros for a beer, which translates to about 11 dollars... for one pint. Needless to say, we didn't buy many drinks at the Temple Bar but it was a cool atmosphere to be in. 

The next morning we got the news that Alicia, one of my German housemates, was going to head back to Belfast. We were sad to see her leave, but she didn't feel well, so we let her go. After saying our goodbyes to her, we went on a free tour of the city. The hostel offered free tours- so we figured why not. They took us to the normal tourist spots but we got to hear some interesting stories along the way. We went to Trinity College again, the Maggie Malone statue (you can rub her left boob for good luck!), Dublin Castle (probably the most unimpressive of the castles I've seen), City Hall, the statue of the guy who ended up as target practice, a bunch of famous old churches, all the cool streets, and our tour guide played the bagpipes and flute/recorder thing and showed us some hurling moves. After the tour we were quite hungry, so we stopped at this restaurant. We didn't know anything about it but we figured we would give it a try. I was really craving some hummus and since it seemed to be a strange Asian chicken place, I got a hummus wrap thing. Sadly, it was disgusting. I couldn't taste any of the hummus. But I could taste the spinach, carrots, and weird spicy sauce. Doesn't sound too bad but trust me, it was. I barely made it through one half of the sandwich and then let everyone else try how bad it was. The sandwich did not get finished. The others seemed to like their food okay but no one was very impressed. To cheer ourselves up (mostly me) we decided it was time for some shopping! Dublin's great because it has a ton of cute little shops all over. Especially some really great secondhand and vintage stores! I bought this really awesome skull ring at a secondhand shop and a few other things. After that, we went for desserts and coffee! I have to say, especially this summer, I was always surrounded by guys, which isn't usually a problem, but I really missed girl time. I love hanging with the guys- not worrying about anything but there's something really special when you have girls you connect with in your life. And I absolutely love all the amazing girls I've became friends with here. The fact that we can go shopping and then for tea/coffee and desserts is not something most guys want to do. And we can sit in cafes for hours talking about everything and anything. And I really love it because we're all from different countries and can teach each other so much. 

So we got cupcakes, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and other yummy treats and talked about life. After which, of course we went shopping more. After it was already dark, so we finally headed back for the hostel. On our way we got some drinks to drink at the hostel before going out. When we got back we met our hostel mates. At first they seemed nice and Alex was excited because one of them was from Buffalo, NY about an hour and a half away from her but turned out they were just really immature, rude American girls. They technically hadn't even started college in the States but were doing a study program at Oxford but clearly hadn't learned how to live with others or respect shared spaces. When we came in the next night- one of the girls clothes were all over my bed, her suitcase was in the middle of the room- so we had to jump over it, they had unplugged Alex's phone and was using her charger- and didn't seem a bit bothered. I had to move the girl's things off my bed because she didn't move them when I came in. I was annoyed but also embarrassed for them. 

Regardless, we had an amazing night. We drank in the room while Alex did all of our makeup and Marina serenaded us with her guitar. By the time Rahel's went to go pick up her two friend's we were all pretty gone. Poor Jenny couldn't quite stand on her own, so mama Anja took care of her. We finally made it out to the club but no one would let Jenny in. She literally got turned down by them all. It was almost cute because she felt so bad about it. Mama Anja took Jenny home and the rest of us spent the rest of the night dancing. 

The next morning we all felt like death- so we slept in and attempted to recover. After finally getting out of bed and ready we needed food. We ate at Eddie Rockets, which looked like an attempt of a Steak N Shake. We carb-ed up with some cheese fries and headed for the city to meet Rahel, Michelle and her friends. We walked around the park and the fresh air made us all feel a lot better. We saw the famous colored doors and then headed for the Guinness Storehouse. It probably wasn't the best idea to go to the Guinness Storehouse after the night we had but we didn't have much time left, so we went anyway. We made our way through the "museum," which was really cool but it was starting to close and we were all really tired- so we got our free pint of Guinness that came with our ticket purchase and went to the Gravity Bar. This was a bar at the top level of the Storehouse which has glass walls, so you have a 360 view of the city. We had to rush, which I didn't like, but it was still a really cool experience. We made our way back to the hostel and got ready for dinner. By this time, I felt absolutely horrible. I think I had some sort of bladder infection because I was in quite a bit of pain. I tried to suck it up and enjoy dinner but it was quite hard. Everyone else had a fabulous Greek dinner with amazing service and all. I could barely taste my food but everyone else told me it was great. After dinner, we went home and I died in my bed until the next morning. 

I was feeling a little bit better the next morning but still wanted to stop at a pharmacy before we went anywhere else. So I got some pills the pharmacist recommended and we were off for the cliffs. We took about a 20 minute bus ride to some cliffs and had a nice walk around. We took some pictures, enjoyed the view, weather, and our wonderful company. We stopped at this little seaside cafe and I had some amazing tomato soup and hummus with pita crackers. Finally it was time to head back to the city to catch the bus to go home. I had about 10 euros left and I really wanted to spend it before I left because I thought I wouldn't have another chance to use euros. So I bought a random pair of wool socks and a shot glass. It wasn't until I walked out of the store with my purchases do they remind me that they use euros in Amsterdam... We find out that there's a Christmas parade on the street where our bus is suppose to pick us up. So we have to go all kinds of crazy ways to find the different stop. We wait there for about an hour asking each bus driver who stops if we're in the right place and it wasn't until the fifth or sixth one that he tells us we actually have to go further up the road. So FINALLY we're in the right stop, the bus comes, the bus driver thinks he's funny by saying our ticket isn't valid anymore because it was for an hour ago, he lets us on, I hit my head, I get a huge bump on it, but we make it home to Belfast. And that was the Dublin adventure. 

Liz Meets London

Today is December 1st and almost every weekend of November I spent traveling. It was hectic and crazy but also wonderful and exciting. My weeks were short. I went to class Monday through Wednesday then jetted off Thursday through Sunday. My first adventure was to London, England.

Alex and I were the only ones to venture to London. She had a friend from her home university studying abroad in London, so we met up with him and her two friends from home studying in Prague and one from outside Belfast all meet in London. Together the five of us explored the beautiful and exciting city of London. The first adventure Alex and I encountered was actually trying to make it to London. Our flight was at 6:35am on Thursday morning, so the night before we called a cab to pick us up at 4:30am. We made it to the airport and met her friend Matt, the one from outside Belfast, because he was taking an earlier flight but from the same airport. We landed at the Gatwick airport, which we learned none of the airports are actually in London. They are all about 30-40 minutes away from the city centre. So from the airport we needed to take a train or bus to the London city centre. We decided on a train because it was faster. We tried at the self-ticketing machines but we couldn't figure out which type of ticket we needed, so we got into another line for the information desk. The information desk guy told us the platform number and another line to buy the ticket. We get into the line, make it to the front, and he tells us it's actually another line. We finally think we're in the right line and just want to buy a ticket. That's when we met this really nice girl studying in Berlin but visiting London for a job interview. We tell her about the trouble we've gone through and she told us at least we didn't lose our luggage. Apparently the airline lost her luggage and she has an interview that day with nothing to wear but her travel clothes. After all of us getting our tickets, we go down to the platform to finally board the train. We're riding along, waiting for our stop, when the train comes to an end. They tell us we have to get off because the train doesn't go any farther but we know we're definitely not at our stop. Confused, tired, and frustrated, we ask another information desk what we need to do. They have us buy another ticket and get on another train. After an absolute mess of transportation we finally make it to London city centre and the train station where we're suppose to meet Alex's friends. To our surprise, they are not there. I'm ready to fall to the ground and give up on London at this point. But we gather ourselves, find the nearest Starbucks with free wifi and Alex gives them a call. 

I'm going to skip parts in the middle because it's basically us trying to locate her friends, getting on more trains, walking the wrong directions, and more non exciting things. I will mention that we got day passes for the underground trains (tube), buses, and trains for 8 pounds per day, which was an amazing deal. Probably the best decision we made in London was getting passes for the tube. It's definitely the best way to travel in London and gets you from one place to another in minutes. It's also pretty easy to understand (and coming from me- that means a lot), so navigating to where to want to go is a breeze. The tube was strangely one of my favorite parts of London. I honestly believe it is the best and most efficient transportation system in the world (at least from the ones I've seen). 

So we finally meet up with her friends and head back to her friend Ciaran's flat, the one studying in London. We chill out there for awhile and meet his housemates. Most of them are Brazilian and one from China (if I recall correctly). They were fun and friendly and it seemed like a great environment to live in. I was exhausted, hungry, thirsty, and was afraid I wasn't making the best of first impressions since I was practically a zombie. Alex and I decided we needed to find our hostel, shower, and relax for a little bit. So we decided to meet up with them that night for the Ice Bar. Alex and I headed back for the tube to find our way home. It was about now when we realized just how far our hostel was from Ciaran's flat. He lived in cool East London while our hostel resided in South London. After walking what seemed like hours, we came upon our hostel. It was actually really cool, clean, and cheap but probably because it was so far from the city centre. We checked in, fell to our beds and didn't move. 

Later we showered and got ready for the Ice Bar. We still hadn't eaten anything, so on our way to the tube again we stopped at Tesco to buy sandwiches and chips. My egg and onion sandwich wasn't the best and I mysteriously lost my chips in the way. Regardless we were off to the Ice Bar. The Ice Bar was actually really cool. The entire room was filled of ice. The walls, tables, cups, bar, signs, everything. We got a drink with our ticket and a big jacket to go over us. It was 16 pounds, which was pretty expensive. It was a cool experience but maybe a bit of a tourist trap. Regardless it was fun and made for some cool pictures! (pictures to come)

After the Ice Bar we went for drinks in a pub. We talked, Ciaran spilled his beer, and then decided to take it easy for the night and go back to his flat. We drank a bit more, chilled out, and had a good night.

The next day we did a bit more tourist things. We met her friends at the city centre. As soon as we got off the tube, it really felt like London. Immediately we saw Big Ben, the Parliament building, and the London eye. The city was magnificent. It had a certain hustle and bustle to it which made it very exciting. I can still remember how it shines in the light of the sun setting. Everything so big and magical. We went to the British Museum but didn't have much time before it closed. So we walked around for a bit, saw the Rosetta Stone, and grabbed a bite to eat. I had half a salad because museum food is terrible. We then went back across town to take the London eye at night. While kind of expensive again, it was a gorgeous view and a cool experience. 

After the London eye, we walked around the Christmas markets then headed back to Ciaran's flat. We decided to pre-drink there, which we certainly did. Since his birthday was in a few days, his housemates threw him a mini birthday party with decorations and a cake and everything. It was very sweet of them and we all celebrated. Later we finally made it out of his flat and to a club called Koko. It was a really cool place with live music, a dance floor, and many other levels. We met some cool people and had a really good time. After leaving the club and trying to head home, somehow it took us two hours. We kept getting on one bus, then off, walking for a bit, looking at maps, on another bus, off again, and just repeating this process for two hours. I obviously didn't know where we were going nor did I notice it was taking such a long time. We just kept meeting people along the way, like these two American girls studying in London, on a bus. It was an adventure but finally we made it back and it was then that I noticed how long it took us to get home. 

The next day we didn't feel quite our best, so we had a slow start in the morning. We met the guys at Abbey Road for the obligatory Abbey Road picture. We walked around the city a bit, going from antique shops, to interesting side streets. We were all hungry, so we stopped in at a place called The Comedy Pub. I had the best vegetarian chili and rice. Afterward, we went to see the London Bridge at night and it was magnificent. Absolutely gorgeous!

We went back to the flat and relaxed for a bit but then decided to call it an early night. We had gone a bit crazy the past few nights, so Alex and I headed for the hostel one last time. On our way, Alex really had to pee and we were both hungry, so we stopped at this falafel side street food shop. The extremely nice man let us use their creepy back room toilet and then I got the most amazing falafel sandwich on Earth. Alex and I sat on the wall outside the side of the shop, demolishing our food, not caring a bit at who walked by staring. This was actually one of my favorite moments of London. Just slowing everything down, enjoying our food, looking out on the wonderful city of London. 

The next morning we got up early to head to the train station to take us to the airport. We made it to our flight and headed for home. As the taxi driver drove us from Belfast airport to Cavendish Street, I couldn't help but think how strange it was to feel so at home in Belfast. I had only been gone four days but I was ready to come home to my girls. 

It was quite funny when we arrived actually. Alex and I walked in and could hear Jenny and Anja talking upstairs so we called "hello" to them. We expected a warm welcome because we had really missed them and assumed they missed us too. All we got back was a simple "hello" and then they continued talking. I was shocked. Alex and I looked at each other like what is going on? So we called again... "um hello, we missed you guy!" Then we got the screams and the running downstairs to be greeted with hugs and questions about our trip. Apparently they thought Alex and I were Alicia and her friend because they didn't expect us home so early. But it was wonderful when they finally realized it was us and we were all so happy to see each other. I feel like I end every blog like this but I just love my housemates and friends I've made here so much. They are the reason I love this experience so much. Yes I could go to London, Paris, Rome, anywhere in the world- but spending it with the people I love is what makes it so special. 

Museum, Maddens, Murals, and Road Trip

I want to start this post with an apology to my mother for not writing more often in my blog. I am so busy and get caught up in everything that it's hard to find time to write everything I've been doing.

I'm not quite sure where to begin but the next pictures on my phone after the last blog post are from the Ulster Museum, so I'll start there. A few of the housemates and I decided to visit the Ulster Museum a few weekends ago on a rainy day. It was a very interesting place. It had three floors: art, nature, and history. We spent a few hours going around but I probably could of stayed even longer. I really do enjoy museums when I have the time to really look and appreciate what's there. I usually end up finding some quite cool things. After the museum, we walked around for a bit and while passing an Arts Center, we noticed a craft market going on inside. The sign said it was only open for another 15 minutes but we figured why not have a look anyway. Turns out, it was really a really neat market. They had loads of stuff made by the local Irish people. I didn't end up getting anything but I wish I had had more time to look because I probably would have. After the market we decided food would be a good plan. We stopped at this Italian restaurant and long story short- I got a free pizza out of it. Apparently if you order a pasta or pizza, you get a free pizza or pasta. So I ended up with a free pizza and it was quite a good day.

We've started a bit of a routine with the housemates and some of our friends. We have Maddens Mondays and Cinema Tuesday. I think I've mentioned Maddens before, it's a small traditional Irish pub where we meet our Irish friends to here them play music and hang out. It's like a folk, bluegrass, rock, Irish jam session. I love listening to them play Bob Dylan with a banjo, guitar, and flute pipe or beautiful Irish tunes about women and the landscape. It's such an amazing combination of young, old, male and female. I love that people can come together- some old enough to be my grandparent and some even younger than me- and play beautiful music we all know and love. Plus it's been really great getting to know some of the people at Maddens really well. We've made some truly good friends there and have had even better times. One evening a few weeks ago our Maddens friends invited us to hear them play at a different venue. Alex, Marina, and I decided to go and it was fantastic. It was at a bar called McHughes and it wasn't until I got there that I recognized it was the same bar Dr. Reigelman from Centre took me to dinner! The bar had three floors- the main pub level, above was restaurant area (where we ate), and below was venue area for shows. It was a really great time listening to our friends play and some other bands. We were having so much fun we ended up standing outside the pub for hours after it had already closed. Once it hit around 2 or 3am we walked over to McDonalds and that's when I saw one of the most surprising things of the night. The McDonalds had a bouncer. Not even just one bouncer but multiple bouncers. I have to admit there might be a problem in the world when McDonalds needs bouncers. Yes, it was a very large McDonalds, late at night, and there were a lot of drunk people about but I never thought I'd see the day.

Another great time was Halloween. St. Mary's Students Union planned a Halloween party at The Fly, the club where we had the UV party. The housemates and I had planned to be skeletons because we found five pound shirts at Primark, so why not. Jenny did my makeup, which turned out into an amazing Mexican inspired sugar skull. Alex did my hair, which made me now want a clamp-less curling wand for Christmas because I loved how it turned out so much. So we all got dressed up and had a great time at the Halloween party. The next few nights we did similar Halloween activities but getting dressed up the first night was probably my favorite.

We've been keeping so busy it's quite hard to remember everything. Anja, Alicia, and Jenny's boyfriends all came to visit and stay with us for about a week. It was quite interesting fitting eight people into a house that barely fits five. It was lovely meeting them though and they were all very nice guys. Everyone here in Belfast kept telling us to take a Black Taxi Tour so we finally did. Alex, Michelle, Rahel, Marina, and I all did a tour of the political murals around Belfast. For those who don't know about Irish history (as I didn't before I came) Ireland, Northern Ireland, and England have had quite the troubled past. There is even a time in history called The Troubles referring to this time in Ireland. There's a lot of history involved but it has basically led to the division of Catholic (Nationalists) and Protestant (Unionists) in Ireland- two groups who have not and do not get along even today. While there are religious labels it is more a division over politics, territory, and a history of unequal power and abuse. Nationalists want all of Ireland to be it's own nation while Unionists want to be part of the United Kingdom- hence why Northern Ireland is called Northern Ireland and not just Ireland. Geographically they are the same but politically two different countries. I won't go too much into it now (but if you're interested- ask me about it because it is interesting and I feel like I know a good bit about it now) but basically even 20 years ago in Ireland it would have been a dangerous place to live. There are still bomb threats every now and then (I've experienced this but surprisingly it's not such a big deal), "peace" walls built around certain areas of Belfast to "protect" one side from the other, and marches going on all the time. As a foreigner, I've been told I'm neutral even though I'm attending a Catholic university here in a Catholic area of Belfast. I've also been told when I'm in certain areas I should say I'm from Queens and not St. Marys just to be safe. It's been very interesting seeing the dynamics of politics and religion play out here especially coming from an outside perspective. Before coming I never pictured Ireland having such deep issues but I suppose every country has it's problems. Honestly though I feel that some people here have almost forgotten why they're fighting and dislike the other side so much. It's almost like they've been told to hate them but aren't sure why anymore. Anyway, we went on a tour of the political murals because almost every wall is covered in them in Belfast. We saw the Unionist and Nationalist murals as well as the peace walls and other landmarks of the city.

One of the absolute best things we've done so far was take a road trip to Donegal, which is the Republic in west Ireland. Michelle and Rahel had been talking about wanting to take a road trip for awhile and when Alicia and Anja's boyfriends came to visit- Alex, Jenny, and I decided to leave them the house for the weekend and go on the road trip. We rented a car and Rahel being amazing like she is offered to drive. She had driven before in Ireland but remember it's on the other side of the road so it's still very stressful for the driver to adjust. We started early Friday morning and set off for Donegal. It was about two hours and a half and we had already made it to the coast. It's so funny because in the US a road trip implies at least five hours or more in the car. Everyone laughs when I say I could easily drive 7 hours and still be in the same state while our friends from Switzerland can drive in circles around Switzerland for 7 hours. Basically, the US is big. Really big. Kentucky is probably the entire size of Ireland if you flipped it around. We didn't have the best weather on Friday, very cold and wet, but we stopped at some beautiful places. We found a castle, lake, lighthouse, almost got stuck going up some abandoned roads, got "lost" quite a few times, and still made it to a great hotel for the night. I was really excited because I got the big bed since at home I got one of the small rooms. We were exhausted from the first day so went out for dinner, watched X Factor, and played these observation games (hard to explain). The next day we got up early, ate an Irish breakfast, and set out for the highest cliffs in Europe. We stopped along the way at a gorgeous national park and another castle. I can still vividly remember how incredible the mountains looked. One of the best parts was pulling over onto the side of the road all the time to take random pictures. We saw something we liked, stopped the car, and took pictures. We got a few strange looks but we didn't really care. We drove under a double rainbow, in Ireland, so we felt extremely lucky that day. Finally, we made it to the cliffs, walked up, and sat on top of Ireland eating our packed lunch. I don't know many people who had a view like mine for lunch that day. Michelle and I chased some sheep to take pictures of them. We marveled at the views some more and finally headed back for Belfast before it got too dark.