Drawing to a close.

Unfortunately, I have not kept up with this blog as I would have liked to. It would have been nice to update you all on my experiences on this side of the pond. Nevertheless, I feel it necessary at this time to write down my feelings toward this semester that is rapidly drawing to a close.

Today is December 2. It is exactly 99 days after I arrived in England, 7 days until I depart Harlaxton Manor for good, and 20 days until I arrive home. The whole thing is bittersweet. There is no denying that I miss my family and friends back home. At the same time, my time spent here has been, well, magical. This truly has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I will never again be able to call Harlaxton Manor my home. What will I do when I no longer go to the water closet, but the restroom? When it's no longer a lift, but a ride. When it's no longer cheers, but goodbye.

Saying so long will be tough. The people here have been great. I'm thankful for the friendships that I've made here that I hope will not end. There's something strange and wonderful about this overseas adventure that causes people to bond to such a strong degree. It's something you just know that people can't fully understand without experiencing it for themselves. It's unique.

Things have been moving non-stop since I arrived. I've seen some amazing places: Ireland, The Netherlands, Germany, Austria. Italy now awaits once finals are over. I have been inspired through this to travel my own country. I know that when I return to America, I will have to return to reality. I look forward to this, with the knowledge I've gained throughout this semester abroad. Being transplanted to this place for four months has allowed me to view things from another perspective. Not a superior perspective, not an inferior one either - just a different one. This is where the real value of the experience lies.

There and Back Again: An Account of Ireland

View from the plane

For my whole life, the only place in the world that I had an interest in traveling to was Ireland. However, I never really thought this would happen. If you would have told me a year ago that I would travel all over Europe, I would not have believed it.

My plane touched down in Dublin on Wednesday of this past week. My dream had come true. I almost couldn't believe it. The next question was, "Where do I start?" My friends and I made our way to Paddy's Palace, the hostel in which we would sleep during our short few days in Dublin. Despite the lack of hot water for everday except the day we left, this hostel was decent. It was cheap (appx. 19 dollars per night) and secure and clean. A short, five-minute walk separated this location from the main boulevard in Dublin, O'Connell Street.

On Thursday morning, we made our way across town to City Hall, where we started a very informative, free tour of the city. The tour guide told us a lot about the history of Dublin, including where its name originated. Long ago, the Vikings called the city, Dubh-Linn, which means, "black pool," because the water in the bay was very black.

The beach in Malahide

On Friday, Aaron and I caught a train to a town outside of Dublin, called Malahide. I highly recommend this option, because the round trip train ticket was only 4.20 Euros. I saw the beach for the first time in my life while in Malahide. It was beautiful. Technically it was the Irish Sea, but that counts. I then enjoyed a traditional Irish breakfast at a restaurant called "That's Amore." This place is pricey, but I felt that experiencing a traditional Irish breakfast while in the country was a worthy justification. After our meal, we made our way across the small town to a park that had advertised "Malahide Castle." After trekking two miles into the park (the scenery made the walk better than seeing the castle) we reached the castle.

We finally made our way back to the train station after spending five hours in this nice, little town. Arriving back in Dublin, our next objective was a nap. Each of us probably walked around twenty miles over the course of the weekend. After resting up, we met up with Drew and Megan for the pub crawl tour, convening at the front gates of Trinity College. The pub crawl showed more of an inside look at the culture and what the people are like. I don't know where the idea that all Irishmen are angry drunks came from, because they are all generally nice and willing to help if you ask them.

The Liffey River

On Saturday morning, Drew, Megan, Aaron and I took it easy and slowly strolled down the walk by the Liffey River. We took so many pictures. Dublin is so beautiful. Eventually we split up, and I went to meet with John and Johnny for our tour of the Guiness Storehouse. Although it was in the shady part of town, this was one of the things I just had to do while in Ireland. A free pint and a 360-degree view of Dublin awaited us at the end of the tour. That was the most refreshing pint of Guiness I have ever had.

Now I am on my way home. I finally made it to Ireland, and what an adventure it was. Leaving this place was inevitable, but I will be back.

Catching Up

Where do I start?

Two weeks ago, today, I arrived at my new home for the next few months. The journey to Harlaxton Manor was interesting. We had a good adventure just making our way here. This was my second time flying, and it was my first time doing it independently. It was definitely a learning experience. The airport ended up losing my luggage by the time we arrived in Heathrow. Then we had to switch hostels from the one that we had booked because ours had flooded. At night, we ventured out from our hostel in search for food. We stopped by ASDA (British Walmart), and we also went to a fish and chips take away place. We finally made it to sleep so that we could get up to meet the others at the airport the next day bright and early. The next day, the airport still could not find my luggage. This was a very discouraging situation. It was not until three days later (on Sunday night) that I received my luggage.

At any rate, we proceeded on to Harlaxton Manor in Grantham. It was about a two and a half hour drive by coach to the college. This place is absolutely gorgeous. The beauty of it cannot be expressed by words, and even pictures have a hard time telling the whole story. Side note: this manor was featured in the movie, The Haunting, which is available in the movie room.

We started classes on Monday. British Studies is interesting; however, it is nearly impossible to stay awake through the whole lecture. I am also taking Art 105 and History 111. Classes are slightly more difficult than at Hannibal-LaGrange or University of Hannibal, which ever they are calling it these days. Well, difficult may not be the proper word. Time consuming is really the issue. There is just so much material to read, and as some may know, I read very slowly. It's just a matter of making the time for it (which I do.) I am enjoying the classes overall.

I have found some really awesome people here. We had an great time on the first weekend trip to London. We saw so many things (see my Facebook page for pictures.) I plan to make another trip to London this semester, because despite everything we saw, there were many things I still was not able to make it around to.

I am learning so much about this different culture. I've already made friends with the owner of the cab company in Grantham. British people are very nice. They are always interested in small talk so there is much to be learned from simply sparking a conversation with a local at a pub. They are more than happy to share about their culture and experiences. It's also fun to hear what they think about Americans. Most of the British that I have talked with love Americans.

Well, I have to leave some information for the next time. Until then, Cheers!