My weekend on the "tube"

I spent this past weekend exploring London with three other Ball State students. We left Dublin on Friday but not until seven o'clock, therefore we didn't get to do much exploring Friday night. When we got there we focused on finding our way around the "tube," otherwise known as the subway, and getting food, which we did get from subway (see what I did there?).

After eating dinner we went to a few pubs. We just wanted to get a few drinks and explore the area of London we were staying in, it was called Camden. Camden was busy during this time of night. We went to a pub that was playing Jamaican music. One thing we noticed the first night out was that people in London weren't as open to talking to foreigners. I felt as if we socialized more in the other countries than in London. But for the people who did talk to us Friday night, I fell in love with their accents.

So, finally at two in the morning, we made our way back to the hostel. The hostel was pretty clean, for a hostel that is. We had our own bathroom and it was just the four of us in the room which was nice. We didn't have to lock our belongings up in a locker, just had to make sure the room was locked when we left.

On Saturday we did a lot. We started our day off with seeing the guard change at Buckingham Palace. This was probably one of my favorite things. First off, it was packed. I didn't realize how many people come to watch these things. Second, I didn't realize how much there was to it. I expected us to go there, watch them march in and out then be gone in 10 minutes. Instead, they march in, with bands, and play a few songs for the crowd. I absolutely loved it. Especially because the first song played was from Pirates of the Caribbean.

We were lucky enough to get a pretty close spot to watch. We were second row, right next to the gate opening where the old guards and the bands marched out of at the end.

Once we saw the guard change we then made our way to the London Tower. This tower was filled with history. The coolest thing that we saw in there were the Crown Jewels. I loved going through the Crown Jewels museum because it taught so much history about the ceremonies and who was chosen when and also that the jewels had to be remade after the Civil War in the 1600's, when everything was destroyed. The jewels were beautiful. I can't believe that they are used by the queen herself, not often, but she has used them for specific ceremonies. I would be too afraid that I would break them.

After the tower, we made our way back to the London Eye. This was located near Big Ben, which has been one of London's landmarks that I have always wanted to see. This clock is astonishing. It is large and defined. Even though we didn't do any tour of Big Ben, I still enjoyed gazing at it like a typical tourist.

 After we walked a bit we went to the London Eye. This is basically a Ferris wheel looking contraption. It has rooms that you can stand in that take you around this large Ferris wheel where you see almost all of London's skyline. This event made me realize just how big London is. We could see far and wide for miles and yet we still did not see all of London. London is a enormously beautiful city. I enjoyed the London Eye, but I do think it would have been better in the dusk or even night time to see all the lights around the city.

Finally, after a long day of walking and tourism, we made it back to the hostel. The hostel, did not have any towels, so when I showered for the night, I dried off with one of my bed sheets. They were definitely not as absorbent as regular towels, but it got the job done. If I wanted a towel I was going to have to pay 7 pounds for one, which is about 10 dollars. I didn't think one towel was worth it.

That night we went out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant called Wahaca. It was DELICIOUS! It was a Tapas restaurant but I actually got a big burrito meal that was exceptional. My favorite part may have been the two tequila shots we took at the end of our dinner. It was like a little bonding moment because one of the guys with us had never had a tequila shot before, so we had to teach him all the tricks, like the salt, shot, lime.

After dinner one of the girls and I went out to a club downtown London. It was fun for the most part but the music was EXTREMELY loud. Louder than any club I have been to. The club was cool though because it had several rooms you could go into and dance. But the dancing is what got me. I don't know if it's just me but I feel a bit awkward just swaying in the middle of the dance floor. But this is what people in Europe do. I wasn't sure if boys were dancing with me or not because they would look at Laura and I, continue swaying, get a bit closer, but not say a single thing! I wasn't sure if this counted as dancing or not. In the end, Laura and I just ended up walking away each time to go to the bathroom, so we will never know!

On Sunday we wanted to go see West Minister Abbey buttttttt it's closed on Sunday's for service. We should have known that. We were able to walk around it and it is still a beautiful building. The outside is so stunning that I can't imagine what the inside looks like.

After looking around the building we decided to go to the Tower Bridge. This was on another side of the city so we had to take the "tube" to get to it. The tube is the subway (as I mentioned before) and we probably rode it 10 or more times this past weekend. I enjoyed it because I have never rode a subway before. Supposedly, London has an impeccable underground system. It was pretty simple to get around, which I liked.

So, we got to the Tower Bridge and walked across it. It was beautiful. I enjoyed the view from the Tower Bridge but I mainly enjoyed the view once we were across it looking back at the Tower Bridge. It truly is a remarkable bridge that I understand why it is used as a main landmark in London.

Once we were done at the Tower Bridge, we then did not do any more touristy things. We went to Picadilly Circus and found a place to eat. This place was delicious. It was like a Dinosaur Diner that served DELICIOUS burgers. I got mine with cheese, bacon and guacamole on it. Guacamole makes anything and everything better.

After lunch we made our way back to the airport and back to Dublin in general. The weekend was great, yet exhausting. London is a huge city that trying to fit in a lot of it in one weekend just can't happen. Especially when the weekend is one of their hottest of the summer. But nonetheless, I enjoyed every thing we did, no matter how much my feet hurt or how bad my shoulders are peeling right now. This trip had so much history in it and I'm glad I got to witness at least a third of the city. I plan to be back in the future, maybe to live there or maybe just to visit, who knows.

OH! One last thing. On Saturday we were walking down Brick Lane. Here we found a Vintage Market which I fell in love with. It was in the basement of a building and it just had a ton of racks filled with vintage clothing. There were over-sized sweaters, my favorite, high waisted shorts, my favorite, an abundance of flannels, my favorite and much more. I purchased two things from this store, they were SUPER high waisted shorts that have been bleached and designed very cool as well as a awesome Chicago flatbill hat.

The only thing that I will keep in mind for the next time I make it to London is how expensive it is. First off, they use sterling, which is like a 1.6 conversion rate for the dollar. Second, they are a city, so of course everything is a bit more expensive than usual. So, when I come back, I am going to either have to have a solid job to live there or been saving up for a few years to be able to afford what I will want to do.

Sorry this blog is like all over the place, I'm just not too focused because I'm too excited that my family gets here TOMORROW! It's all I can think about and I can't wait. It's been seven weeks too long without them.

I also can't believe that my summer across the pond is coming to an end so soon. Thank you to everyone who has supported me! I can't wait to be back with you all. Love each and every one of you.

Barce-freakin'-lona

First off, I apologize for not blogging for almost a full week, it has been hectic but phenomenal. Second, let me apologize because this is about to be a pretty long blog post. Enjoy :)

This past weekend Laura, Sara and I took our trip to Barcelona and let me tell you, it was the best weekend I have had in Europe. Why? Everything.

I have been told my multiple people that I needed to visit Barcelona while I was over here. I personally thought they were just exaggerating how awesome it was but to my surprise, IT WAS THAT AWESOME!

Let's start with Friday. Our flight was at about seven p.m. Friday night, we took Ryan Air for the first time. Many people have told me stories about Ryan Air and how it is pretty run down but they are cheap flights. So, I didn't have that high of expectations for this plane, but to my surprise it was not as near as bad as I expected. The only big difference I noticed from some of the flights I've been on throughout the states, is that they don't provide free refreshments or snacks. They offer food but you have to pay for it all. I also heard that you have to pay to use the bathroom, luckily, I never had to find this out because our flight was only two hours so I was able to hold my pee. The only thing that got me on the way there was when we were descending into the Barcelona airport. For some reason the pilot decided he wanted to descend faster than any other plane I've been on. This caused my face to get a sharp pain in it and it also felt as if my teeth wanted to pop out of the gums. I know this sounds incredibly painful but it only lasted for 10 minutes. Once we were landed I felt 100% better and SUPER EXCITED to be in Barcelona.

Since Barcelona is an hour ahead we didn't get there until about 10 p.m. their time. Once we got off the plane we made our way to our hostel, which was not as bad as I expected either, more about that later. On the bus to the hostel we were just looking out the windows at the magnificent city and architecture when this taxi pulled up next to us. There were two boys in the taxi that began to wave to us, we waved back and thought that was that. But then, we got dropped off and turned the corner and saw the same two guy walking the direction we were, so we decided to start up conversation with them (mind you, they were cute!). These two boys were from Australia and had been in Barcelona for about 10 days now. They ended up walking us to our hostel, waited for us to get changed to go out to eat with them and possibly out to a club. Once we were changed we walked on the beach to an area that had restaurants and clubs. It was 1 a.m. by the time we found a place to eat. At this restaurant we got to know the Australians better while Sara and I shared our first jug of Sangria (it was DELICIOUS).

After dinner we got in the line for one of the most popular clubs in Barcelona called Opium. The line was incredibly long and we probably wouldn't have gotten in their until it was about to close. The crazy thing about Barcelona though, is that their clubs don't get crowded until one a.m. or later and stay open until six or seven in the morning. Their nightlife is a lot later than any I am used to. We wanted to go to Opium but it was already three something in the morning so us five (the Australians, Sara, Laura and I) decided we would go back to the boys hostel and play some drinking games and just hang out. So we did. It was a blast getting to know people from another country. We didn't leave their hostel until about 5:30 in the morning because they had to actually catch a 7:30 flight to Portugal. So, after a fun night of bonding with Australians, we kissed them goodbye and headed back to our hostel.

Once we got back to our hostel, which was on the beach, it was about six in the morning so we decided to stay up a bit longer and watch the sunrise over the sea. This was stunning. We sat on a set of rocks that were sitting between the beach and the water and took in the scenery. It was incredibly stunning and peaceful. As you can see in the following picture:

Finally, we went to sleep, at about seven in the morning. We slept until about 10:30 and decided it was time to get up and go to the beach. Laura and I stopped at one of the restaurants on the beach for some sort of breakfast. Her breakfast consisted of a ham and cheese sandwich while I just had Sangria. We then spent the next few hours on the beach, getting burnt to crisps. The most shocking thing about the beach though, was that it was a nude beach, so we saw A LOT of boobs just hanging out. I was not warned of this so this caught me incredibly off guard. I was not uncomfortable, I was just unprepared. It was definitely a culture shock because in America that would not be okay, which is why we don't have nude beaches in our country. It did make me think a lot though, like how do you explain this to the kids that are on the beach? Or what do people's significant others think of them just showing off their goodies? Who knows. Definitely something that I would have to get used to if I ever moved there.

While at the beach we met a group of guys. One of them was American while the other eight or so were from France. The most ironic thing to happen all weekend was the fact that the American in this group was from Wheaton, Illinois, which is a town only 30 minutes from me. What a small world? Who would have thought I'd be all the way in Barcelona yet meeting people from the same area code as me.

This group of guys was a great time. We decided we were going to meet up later and get dinner and go out. So, after us girls went for a walk around Barcelona and took a nap, we met these guys on the beach. A few of them spoke English quite well, while a few others were hilarious to listen to try and speak it. Instead of getting dinner, we all just sat on the beach, drank some booze and got to know one another. It was a spectacular time. Once I told them my name they continued to say it about 100 more times that night. One of the boys kept on saying "Maggie girrrrrrrrrl" 10 times in a row. He would even say it when I wasn't even talking to him.

After some time spent on the beach we ended up going to Razzmatazz, which I guess is the largest club in Europe. It was kind of way in the ghetto of Barcelona. We had to take a subway to get there. But this was fun. I have never been on a Subway myself so that was a new experience I got to enjoy.
We got to the club around midnight but had to wait an hour at a bar near by because the club didn't even open until one a.m. Such a different night life than I am used to. I am used to the clubs being open by like nine p.m. and having to close around three a.m. Therefore, again, I got little sleep that night. We got back from the club and hanging out with the french group of guys at about four a.m.

On Sunday, we woke up around nine a.m. in order to make it to our tour of La Sagrada Familia. This a large church built in Barcelona that has impeccable architecture. It was started by the architect Gaudi, in the year 1883. It is still unfinished and is not planned to be completed until 2028. Even though it is still under construction, it is still one of the most gorgeous buildings and architecture I have ever seen. Both the inside and outside were breathtaking and so much to take in. It is definitely worth a visit if you are ever in Barcelona (which you should be because it's the best place I've ever visited).

As you can tell, we did a lot this weekend with a little sleep. Probably got about seven total hours the entire weekend. But it was all worth it. I loved every single minute we spent in Barcelona. I feel as if I experienced more of a country in this one weekend than I have over these past five weeks. We had to figure our way around the city by reading Spanish. Even though many of the people in Barcelona know a few English words, every sign, every menu and every native to Barcelona, spoke only Spanish. It was my first time in a country that didn't even have some English displayed. I really enjoyed this, because even though I love Ireland and my experience here, it is an English speaking country so I haven't felt too much out of my element. While in Barcelona I was able to feel out of my element and learn how to handle not being able to speak the same language as others.

When we were purchasing the tickets for Barcelona, I was a little stressed. I didn't know if it were worth the amount of money I was about to spend, but honestly, it was more than worth it. Now knowing the type of experience I got to be a part of, I will spend double of what I spent to experience this past weekend all over again, not matter if I get sleep or not.

Now, I get to spend another week in Ireland. I am celebrating the Fourth of July on Thursday with a bunch of Irish people and heading to London on Friday evening. I'm extremely excited for another week in Ireland and another weekend in another country.

I have less than two weeks left here and I'm not ready for it to end. I still have so much to take in. So wish me luck! I hope I get to take it all in within these next few weeks.

My visit to Northern Ireland

There is so much to talk about in regards to this past weekend. To start off, for those of you who don't know, The Republic of Ireland (where Dublin is located) and Northern Ireland are two different countries. Northern Ireland is a UK country.

We did a two day trip to Northern Ireland this past weekend, starting on Saturday. We took the bus up north to Belfast. At Belfast we went to the Titanic Exhibition. At the exhibition I learned more about the Titanic than I thought I would ever know. First off, I had no idea the Titanic was built in Belfast. The exhibition went through the whole reason why Belfast and HW was granted the duty of building the Titanic as well as how it was built. I then learned about how the send off was celebrated as well as the events leading up to the sink of the ship. I got to read the exact messages that were sent between different boats at the time of the iceberg as well as messages from the Titanic captain to these boats and the shore. It tugged at my heart a lot to see actual words from the captain of the ship that said they were sinking... I've only seen such in the movie. Also, hearing the voices of some of the survivors was an incredible feeling. It was sad to think about but also incredible to think what they had survived and lived to tell.

After the Titanic exhibition our group took a "black cab" tour. This tour took us around a part of Belfast that was considered Extreme Protestant. Mind you, the reason for the violence and segregation in Northern Ireland is due to religion, there is tension still today between the Protestants and Catholics. Throughout this part of Belfast there were memorial murals everywhere honoring the assassins and extremists that have passed away. Our cab driver told us there are so many murals in the part of town that it would take over two months to actually show them.

I learned so much while being on the "black cab" tour. They call it a "black cab" tour because large tour buses would not be respected in these areas. I learned that the schools are still segregated by religion and that only 7% of them are integrated in any way. People believe that that is where the island of Ireland needs to start to be able to integrate the land into one country. Also learned that less than 20  years ago we would not have been able to take this tour on account that anyone who came to Northern Ireland had the fear of getting shot or bombed in this part of the city. The thing that baffled me the most about this part of town is the "peace wall" that was built between the extremist Protestant part and the Catholic/Protestant part of town. This peach wall is built between these two sections and is closed off at midnight so that anybody who wants through the wall can only make it through two gates that have security. I had no idea there was still such violence and segregation in this country to be in need of a peace wall. This astonished me. BUT! I did get to sign the peace wall. I wrote "Everybody love everybody."

Later that night we went to the oldest bar in Belfast called "The Crown." This bar was really cool because it had booths with their own doors. We got one of the booths in front and were able to close the door to the rest of the bar and have a more quite visit with the rest of our friends.

On Sunday we got to adventure even further up north. We first visited the Carrik-a-Rede rope bridge. This bridge connects Ireland with a smaller sized island off the coast. There were 37 mph winds when we crossed this bridge, which were kind of strong and blew the bridge as I walked it. I know a rope bridge sounds dangerous and all, because when I heard about it I pictured the scene in Shrek when donkey and Shrek had to cross the bridge to the castle as it was falling apart. But this bridge was much more stable than this and not as high. It still wasn't easy to do, I had to build up the courage. But once I got over I got to take in beautiful (and windy) scenery on an Island in the middle of the ocean. It was a great experience.

Lastly, we visited the spot on the coast called The Giant's Causeway. This is known (in Ireland) as the 8th wonder of the world. It is due to a volcanic eruption over 50 million years ago. There are approximately 40,000 interlocking basalt columns throughout this piece of land that gradually fall beneath the ocean. It was a beautiful sight of mother nature. These columns are mainly four, five, six, and seven sided. There are a few two, three, eight and nine sided ones. It reminded me of a patio that someone had put in professionally, that is why I think it is so magnificent that mother nature developed these shapes.

All in all it was a fantastic weekend exploring Northern Ireland. I think I learned more about the island of Ireland this past weekend than I have the entire time I've been here. I had no idea there was still conflict going on and I do hope that they find true peace and are able to make this divided island into one.

Enjoying Ireland while not being a tourist

A lot of my posts have been about the different places I have visited here in Ireland. These events have been quite touristy but not all of the things that I do here are that way. Let's talk about some week day occurrences that I've come across.

Well first off, we have the greatest Irish roommate possible. Her name is Micah and she is the most genuine person I've met while I've been over here. She is always making "too much" food and sharing it with me. She has already made use two batches of cookies to come home to from work, they were all DELICIOUS. She has her friends over all the time who are just as sweet as her. Her friend Stuart made use an apple pie last week while the rest of us watched Shrek 2, her friend Alienor bought us TWO BOTTLES OF RANCH (thank the lord, I have needed my ranch fix) and all of her other friends are incredibly welcoming and are always recommending things to do and places to go.

Last week Micah and her friends brought us to one of their favorite bars. This was my first gay bar experience ever. It was a good time. The people who brought us out were always introducing us to their other friends, buying us shots and grabbing us to dance. But mind you, the dancing here is completely different than in the US. A lot of time at bars the only type of dancing you see is grinding but here the only time you grind is if you're wanting to go home with that person. Instead of grinding everyone just kind of stands in a circle and dances. So, of course, I start dancing like a weirdo, pulling out the sprinkler and the shopping cart. This was much more of a hit at a gay bar than at any of the other bars we have gone to.

While on the topic of dancing, I have realized that guys are more willing to just go on the dance floor and dance by themselves or with their friends. At home I don't think any guys go to the dance floor unless they have a girl to dance floor. Here all guys just dance. Their dancing is more swaying and talking but they are still on the dance floor and still look like they are having a good time. Even when guys are dancing with girls it is often face to face with distance between them. It is something I have had to get used to seeing here because like I said, in the US this would not be happening. Instead, I would be a little grossed out by how boys and girls are grinding all up on one another.

Lastly, even strangers are extremely open to getting to know you. Last night Sara and I were in our apartment and looked out into the courtyard and saw a group of guys playing with a soccer ball and of course we wanted to join. So, Sara started making conversation with them through the window and they said we could come down and join them. We did. We got to know these four guys, learned about their day jobs, where they live, what they are doing in Dublin and even made plans to go out in Dublin with them so they could show us their favorite places. I know people are nice in the US but I feel as if this type of situation would not occur as much at home as it does here.

Overall, I have enjoyed learning more about the culture over here through these experiences. The dancing is not as weird to me as it was the first night I saw it, the hospitality is something anyone can get used to immediately and I love Micah and her friends.

We are planning to go watch the sunset somewhere tonight and going out tomorrow with our roommate and her friends again. I've had a really good week so far, feeling good each day, being productive and experiencing as much as I can about this place, seeing that I only have three and half weeks left.

Love you all! Cheers :)

Weekend update!

There is so much I want to talk to you all about right now but I don't think I can manage to squeeze it all in one blog post. So, this will be one of many to come in the next few days.

I want to start by talking about the adventures I got to enjoy this weekend, starting with Saturday. On Saturday we had to be up and going by 6:30 a.m. to go get on a bus for a day tour to the Cliffs of Moher. Even though I was extremely exhausted, this may have been my favorite day tour yet. The cliffs are on the other side of the island which took us almost four hours to get to (which baffles me because to get to the other side of America would take days). We had a few stops, saw a few other tourist attractions but the cliffs were by far the most majestic and breathtaking things I have ever seen. They are right on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. They made me fall in love with mother nature. The fact that these ginormous and beautiful things are made from mother nature and the Earth is incredible. The world we live on can do wonders and these are one of them. I don't even know how to describe them to you all because they are just that stunning. There aren't enough words to do them justice. Not even the pictures do them justice. I hope that you all get a chance to see these cliffs in real life. It's worth every single penny.

Today, as in Sunday, we went on a day tour to Wicklow. Wicklow is a town right outside of Dublin that is filled with mountains and everything green. We started off our day with a "bike tour" that was more like a workout than anything. When we signed up for this tour I expected it to be a laid back and simple tour of Wicklow on bikes, not too strenuous, but no. Instead, it was mountain biking through trails, up hills and on the edge of lakes. I enjoyed it and all but I wish I could have got to see more of the scenery than work my butt off trying to get through the dirt and sticks. Our bike tour guide was pretty awesome though. He was a Hungarian man who made an effort to get to know each and every one of us.

After our bike tour we took the bus around Wicklow and through the mountains. They have this old "military road" that was built up in the mountains back in the day. This road is basically a one lane road that is up at the top of the mountains with no railings. While we were on this road we got to see a few really cool things. The first was we got to see the view from above down on to Lake Guinness, which is where Arthur Guinness had his summer home and where Guinness continues to get it's water from. This was a beautiful sight. Then we stopped at a bridge on this military road. This bridge was featured in PS I Love You, so that was exciting to be able to see where part of the movie was shot. Our last stop was to some church ruins and another beautiful lake inside of the mountain. Even though it was rainy most of the day, the views were still gorgeous. I've always wanted to be able to be up in the mountains of Ireland and I got my chance to today. It was well worth it.

So, that is what I got into this weekend. I am falling more and more in love with this country each and every day. It has made me appreciate so much more in life, including more love for the Earth we live on as well as much more respect for the history that brought us to where we are today.

I will be blogging again in the next 24 hours because a lot of other things have occurred since Wednesday that are not as large as the Cliffs of Moher but have made such an impact in my time here. Can't wait to tell you all more about it tomorrow.

Let's chat for a moment

So, I just wanted to take a few minutes to just talk through my realizations and my encounters as I'm making it through my third week in Dublin. There are a handful of things that I have had to get used to or have learned about the Irish culture so let's just talk about a few.

1.) They are very indirect. I have learned this mostly through my work. Some days it is quite difficult to understand what my boss wants me to do because she doesn't come out and directly tell me. She will ask me what I think about a job but then won't tell me what I'm to do or if I am to do it then later ask me how far along I am with it. That is something I have been able to almost master in the past weeks at my internship, understanding that when she brings up any sort of job that I should probably work on it.

2.) I feel as if the Irish are quite sporadic. Sara and I were actually discussing this today via texts. Both of our bosses will tell us to do one thing then another then another then go back to the first thing then talk about the last thing then bring up a new thing all in the span of five minutes. I do not know if they use to-do lists or not but when she tells me what to do I attempt to write a to-do list but I never know what is the top priority.

3.) 1 & 2 have taught me that in the work place many Irish don't ask as many questions. They do what they think is best even if they weren't told to do so. I feel like us Americans like to ask to make sure we are doing what is right, yes we like to go above and beyond, but many of us do not just think up an idea and begin it without discussing it with someone. But as my boss says, that's not how the Irish work and Americans ask too many damn questions (she's pretty blunt).

4.) Aside from the work place I've come to realize that Irish have very small personal bubbles. People on the sidewalk get right next to you while waiting for the bus. They will get in your face and begin conversation, no way of avoiding that. They will sit next to you on the bus even if there are plenty of seats open. Most of the time they are the sweetest people and just want to get to know you, especially when they hear your American accent, but other times they make you feel a bit uncomfortable.

Their are many ideas that have been stirring in my head since I've been here. These are just a few that I have come to solid realization with. I will be sure to update you all on other things that I learn about the Irish and the culture over here.

Love you all! Thanks for reading :)

What a beautiful weekend

First off, I apologize for it being a while since I last posted. I have just been busy taking in the beauty of Ireland for the past few days. And let me tell you, I never want to leave. I know we have been lucky with weather so everything seems that much more beautiful, but I do believe that no matter if it's rain or shine here, this country will always take my breath away.

Let's start with Friday. Well, it was a blast. Sara was lucky enough to get two free tickets to the Republic of Ireland's first World Cup 2014 qualifier match. Thankfully she brought me with her! To our surprise, when we got to the field, we had front row seats! Right on the goal line. It was such an experience, unlike any other. The crowd was full of energy, the team played so well and Sara and I got to experience it first hand. Ireland won that game three to "nil" and we got to see two of the goals scored on our end of the field. That was fantastic. I have not been so passionate or enthused for a game or a goal in some time. It sent chills down my back.

Then Saturday we went on a preplanned trip with EUSA. They took us on a bus tour to New Grange. Before visiting New Grange we visited two other sites. One was of historical ruins in the country side of Ireland. These ruins were over 5,000 years old. The fact that there is still structure and parts of these buildings still standing strong baffles me. I love how old everything is in Ireland, gives me much more of an appreciation for history.

We ended our trip at New Grange which was fantastic. It is this above ground tomb. Basically there is one corridor that leads to the middle of the tomb and all around is land that is filled with the remains of mostly family members of who built this tomb. It's magnificent because when you look at it it just looks like a large hill, with some sort of wall on it. The wall is only recently put up to help preserve the tomb. But this tomb has been in place for thousands of years now. It was built with a roof opening that faces the sunrise and that on the day of the Solstice, December 21, the sun will light up the inside of this tomb for approximately 17 minutes. Once the sun passes this placement the tomb will not be lit inside again for another year. Luckily, they have lights throughout the tomb for tourist accommodation, therefore we got to go inside the tomb and experience it. Everything about this monument was astonishing. How they were able to build such a structure without all the tools we have today is beyond me. I wish everyone could experience this monument, it really makes you wonder and reflect on history itself, what went on before our time. INCREDIBLE.

Sunday we took a trip to Bray. Bray is just a city on the coast outside of Dublin. It is stunning. We were able to take a hike up to the top of a extremely high hill. This hill is on the edge of the coast so when we made it to the top it was beautiful because you were looking out onto the ocean at one side, the town on another and the hills of Ireland on another. It's so hard to describe the beauty of Sunday. My favorite part was getting to the top of the hill, sitting on the edge, looking out over the ocean and just being silent. It was like the world stopped moving and I was at peace with everything. I hope everyone gets to experience that feeling once in their life. I give thanks to mother nature for that feeling. It's crazy how something so constant and always there can make you feel so at peace if you just let it and if you just embrace it. Just through that one day of hiking, I learned more about myself and the world than I have in quite some time.

I am in love with this country. End of story. I have been here for two weeks and I have already learned more about myself than I have in the past three years of college. I hope that everyone gets to experience this feeling and this realization like I have. Thank you to everyone who has supported me so far. You all are making this trip even more worth it.

Becoming a casting director

So, I started my internship yesterday and let me tell you, ITS A BLAST! I've never once thought of being part of the film industry or entertainment world as whole before, but even after just my first two days of working at Gillian Reynolds Casting Agency, I feel like I should add it to my possible professions.

Yesterday we spent our entire time in a hotel conducting casting auditions. These auditions were pretty cool because they were for an American television series based out of Scotland, which you can see why they came to an Irish casting agency for actors. The coolest part was that the role that was being auditioned for was for one of the lead male roles who is supposed to be a dreamy dreamy guy, therefore, I got to see a lot of beautiful Irish actors throughout the day.

My main job for the past two days was to learn how to edit the casting tapes, label them and put them into what ever application is necessary for the specific producer. I also have been doing typical intern duties, such as, getting the coffee, getting lunch, replying to emails and a few other little things. But that's okay because I get to spend my time feeling like I am a celebrity and getting to now local celebrities as well.

When I first interviewed for this position I wasn't sure it was for me. I thought that it was going to be a bunch of information that I had no idea about and different things on the computer that I have yet to learn. But once I got to work yesterday I felt right in place. I knew exactly how to use the application on the mac computer and got along with the assistant very well. I truly thing that I can help this company in a way. It is a great company and they do great work but I do think that I can help them in a public relations aspect. I already began to edit and work with their blog and I hope to implement a social media plan just to get the name out there even more. I also hope to help keep everything more organized.

On that note, one thing I did realize today is that the business life here in Dublin is much different than at home in America. I feel as if it is more hectic because it is less organized and less on a structured plan. I think this is good in some ways because it provides time for relaxing and connecting with coworkers but I also think it takes away from the productivity. I know that the Irish are more about spending time with people than getting work done and that is something I know I will be able to get used to easily. It is just strange going from internships in America where I always had something to work on to this type of business culture. I can't wait to get a feel for it some more throughout the next few weeks.

In the end, I love where I was placed for the summer and I can't wait to see where it could possibly take me in the future. I believe it's already starting to open so many more doors for me! It's just the beginning.

FUTBOL

I know I just posted a blog but I wanted to make one solely for the futbol game I got to enjoy yesterday, seeing that soccer was such a big part of my life.

Soccer (aka FUTBOL) may be one of the biggest reasons I am who I am today. I know the end of my career wasn't the prettiest after two ACL surgeries and a coach that could careless about his players, but I don't regret a day spent on the field or with a soccer ball. That being said, being able to see a European soccer game, aside from one in America, was a blessing.

I know American games are fun to attend and watch but being in the UK and watching a sport that is as popular as if it were American Football in the states, was marvelous. We only attended a "friendly" which means that it was just a regular match, not a qualifier or playoff. But it was just as exciting as if I were watching a playoff game. The city of Dublin is extremely dedicated to their futbol teams and you could feel the excitement and passion through the audience. Being able to experience this high and this enjoyment was remarkable that I can't imagine what it would be like to go to a playoff/qualifier.

The stadium, Aviva, was breathtaking. It was an open stadium with an abundance of seats. The grass was greener than any grass I have ever seen and the people were friendly, as usual here in Ireland.

Being at the stadium though made my heart ache, in a good way though. I realized the passion and love I still have for the sport. I don't regret quitting when I did because I would not be where I am today if I did not, but I hope that one day in the future I get back into it, whether it be an old person league or playing pick up with friends. Soccer taught me so many lessons and so much about myself. I would not have the strength I do, physically, mentally or emotionally if it weren't for the time I spent playing the sport. I thank it for being such a big part of my life and I thank the Republic of Ireland for showing me how much it means to me again.

Here is a shot of me in the stadium and the stadium itself:

My first real night out

I have had such a great past 48 hours, full of new experiences and new friends. On Saturday night I went out with a few of the Ball State crew. We went to two new pubs/bars. The first was the Big Tree where we met a bunch of new Irish folk and got to dance and sing to American classics such as "Don't Stop Believing" and "Stacey's Mom." Laura and I owned the empty stage and just danced.

 Later, we went to another place called the Porterhouse. Here, Laura and I felt a bit out of place. We were dressed pretty casual, in leggings and cute tops. When we got into the pub we realized everyone was wearing skin tight dresses and high heels... um what? Was not ready for that but oh well, we still enjoyed some drinks and had a great time.

At the Porterhouse I made my first Irish friends. A few Irish guys, around our age, approached us and we made friends. I found it funny that I made friends with them by sort of making fun (or slagging as they say in Ireland) them. I was trying to use their lingo and they loved it, thought it was hilarious.

With these Irish guys were two American girls who were such gems. They became our friends right of the bat and we ended up going back to the apartment of one of the guys because that was where the girls were staying. We stayed the night there and they had quite the adventure back to our apartments the next day.

Experiencing my first day without a map and being lost in Dublin was quite interesting. I'm very glad I had Laura with me. Here in Dublin, they don't use a lot of street signs. Even after talking to one of the other BSU students about where we should go and what streets we should take, we still got lost because there was no way of knowing which street was what. This is something that I need to get used to with Dublin, I need to start picking out landmarks to know my way around instead of by streets.

Overall, it was a great first real night out in Dublin and I can't wait to experience more. OH! And I exchanged numbers with a cuuuuuute Irish guy who wants to go get drinks in the near future. 

The past three days

I don't know why I haven't posted in this in the past three days, I haven't been incredibly busy but I have had time to get to know others on the trip as well as travel the city of Dublin.

On Thursday we went to the Guinness Brewery here in Dublin. It was such a great experience. I expected it to be more of a display of the actual brewery but instead it was more like a museum. I enjoyed learning about all the things that went into making Guinness the popular "stout" that it is today. We learned about how to brew, what is in the beer, the advertising and about Arthur Guinness himself. My favorite thing I learned about Guinness was the saying "Guinness is good for you" and also that doctors used to prescribe it for sickness.

Later that evening we decided to go to the Temple Bar District which is an extremely tourist bar joint. I liked being able to experience it but it was SO EXPENSIVE. I met some Norwegian cops though, they were fun to get to know.

Yesterday, Friday, we had more of a chill day and just slept, went to orientation and grocery shopped. But let me tell you about this grocery shopping experience! I think it was the first time I have experience culture shock thus far. First off, we wanted to go to Aldi because it is supposedly the cheapest here. So we were kind of lost getting their, missed our bus stop, had to walk further than we expected. Totally screwed that up. Then when we were there we realized that Irish people do not have the same space bubbles as we do. People were all up in our business whenever we were looking at different groceries but they weren't rude or anything. It is just completely different from what we expect in the United States. I would not expect others to be five centimeters away at almost all times in the grocery store. Then when we were checking out we could only pay with cash because they do not accept cards that "swipe." So, good thing I had some cash on me. And lastly, THEY DON'T BAG. Which I tried to be ready for and brought my backpack but noooooooo, I had to carry half my groceries in my hand on the walk/bus back. It was very flustering and I couldn't wait to get out of there. I hopefully will be more adapted by the next time I go to the store.

Then today we took a tour around Dublin and stopped at the Dublin Castle and St. Patricks Cathedral. Both of these places were beautiful.

I love the buildings and the monuments in Dublin and Ireland in general because they are so old. Compared to the United States, they are hundreds of years older but still just as tall and just as strong. I loved learning about these building on the tour today. It's crazy to think about how they built these beautiful structures back in the day. Like, we think construction takes a long time now? Imagine how long it took back then.

After today I realized that I just want to engulf myself in this culture and this environment. It's completely different from the United States but also the same, if that makes any sense. I've learned so much about myself already and it's only been a week. I can't wait to see who I become at the end of all of this.


Here is a picture of me in front of the Dublin Castle and below is a picture of St. Patricks Cathedral:

Happy Saturday y'all! 

Merry Ploughboy

Day three = complete.

Today was the best day yet. There was so much that happened and I felt better than the past two days. For some reason the past two days I have felt a strange weight on my shoulders, but after the adventures I had today, on my own, traveling through the city, that weight was lifted and I feel fine on my own in many ways.

I spent my morning helping Sara get to her placement interview. It was quite easy. While she was in her interview I sat in this adorable coffee shop below her office just reading my book, The Best of Me, by Nicholas Sparks. Already in love with it. I can't wait to continue to read it.

Later during the day, I had my interview with Gillian Reynolds. It was extremely casual. All we did was chat about what I will be doing, which is a lot of video editing. Mind you, I am not a T-Comm major but I am wide open to new experiences. The one thing I love about this placement so far is that all the castings will be in a different area around Dublin. That way, each day I work I will most likely be visiting a different side of town.

Gillian was great. She seems very laid back but will be depending on me. I hope I can learn fast so I can do the best work possible for her. Another thing she will want me to do is social media, which I have done for other businesses before. That will probably be the most comfortable thing during my internship.

The last thing we did today was go to a EUSA reception at the Merry Ploughboy Pub on the outskirts of Dublin. This place was fantastic. We were fed a three course meal and I enjoyed two more Irish beers. During our meal the Merry Ploughboys played Irish music and got the crowd involved. Along with the Ploughboys were some Irish dancers who were FANTASTIC! Reminded me of Riverdance, which I plan to see when they are here in Dublin. I can't wait to bring my family back to the Merry Ploughboy when they come to visit at the end of this adventure.

One thing I have come to in these past three days, that I want to start implementing in my life, is the way the Irish live. They are all about "being" part of things instead of "doing" things like us Americans. I want to spend my time here being part of the culture, absorbing everything possible that I can from this culture. I'd much rather take in the memory than be distracted by what I am doing. I can't wait to follow through with this for the rest of my time here and I sure hope that I can bring it back to the states, no matter what our culture is like. I want to learn to be more than do and live in the moment with the people around me.

Okay sorry for the sappy-ness. I LOVE IRELAND SO MUCH!

PS here is a photo from today with two of the members of the Ploughboys:

Finally have some time

I have been in Dublin for two full days now and am now just getting around to blogging. I wish I blogged the past few days but I was too busy catching up on sleep, getting to know other Americans or getting to know Dublin and its City Centre.

I am still pretty exhausted from the plane ride. I got to O'Hare at 3:30 p.m. for a 6:30 p.m. flight. I then had difficulty sleeping on the seven hour plane ride and landed in Ireland at 8 a.m. this time. Ireland is a six hour time difference. I then had to stay awake the rest of the day so I didn't mess up my sleep schedule the first day, that was rough. But the roughest part of my first day here in Dublin was... wait for it... finding out that they don't know what... wait for it... RANCH is! This was incredibly shocking and I will be honest, I almost cried. I put ranch on everything and now I have to go two months without it. WHAT WILL I DO?

Later Monday night we went out to a pub close to the apartment complex. Met up with some girls from KU and experienced my first real Guinness. It was delicious. I never thought I'd like such dark beer. I can't wait to drink more of it, aside from the part that it may have the most calories of any drink I will consume during this adventure.

Today was a good day as well. Started off with orientation. Which was very informative. I got to learn about what is expected of us and our internships as well as detailed directions to my office/interview tomorrow. I can't wait to see where I will be working for the next while. It will be in a movie casting agency called Gillian Reynolds. I am very excited because during my interview I actually get to interact with Gillian Reynolds herself. I was told she has a strong personality, like mine, and I hope that means we will get along well.

After orientation we went downtown Dublin to the City Centre and I fell in love. It is a beautiful city. I can't wait to spend more time down there. There are plenty of pubs and authentic stores. I just can't wait to explore it more. We didn't get to explore too much but we did get dinner at a pub off of the main street. I seem to have forgotten what it was called... whoops, but I do remember that the beer I drank there that is made by Guinness called, Smithwicks (pronounced like "smid-icks"). I may like it more than Guinness... am I allowed to say that? It's still an Irish beer.

Since dinner, I have just been getting ready for bed and showering. I need an early night for some sleep and also to wake up earlier tomorrow to help my girl, Sara, get to her interview by 10 a.m. Seeing that this was a long blog I am planning to talk more about the culture and what I have learned in the next one, which is hopefully tomorrow, because I wont have to include two days in one blog.

Oh by the way, this is my favorite picture of the day: