Going the Distance

UK Invasion!!!

2012-05-07T20:35:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm a little late with this post again, but I think it will be worth it. I know that this is going to be a super long post because I had a ridiculously long weekend. It's going to take some time before I regain feeling in my butt from all the travelling I did. However, I would do it all again in a heartbeat, because I got to see so many beautiful things and experience so much history. A couple of times, I looked around and thought "is this really my life?" For the sake of expediency (and so that I have something to do between now and the time that I leave on the 17th), I'm only going to talk about my first day in London in this post. Maybe I'll do Friday's adventures tomorrow.

I'll start out with saying that I left for Dublin Wednesday night, with my flight leaving at 11:00 AM Thursday morning. I arrived at the airport shortly before midnight, and set up my computer to wait for my flight. After about an hour, I decided to take a nap. Luckily, the McDonalds upstairs had some comfortable benches perfect for just such an occasion. I think the security guards thought I was a hobo, because at one point they woke me up to ask if I had a flight in the morning. I looked down at my suitcase before replying, thinking "No, I just carry this heavy luggage around to tone my arms." I didn't say it (mostly because I think they would have kicked me out of the airport), but I really wanted to.

I arrived in England at around 1, and immediately started rushing around, trying to get everything that I wanted done accomplished. My easybus left London Heathrow airport and stopped in Watford Junction, where I picked up a shuttle to Warner Brothers London Studio tour of Harry Potter. I then waited for about 20 minutes for my tour to begin, all the while taking in some of the props and photos they had in the lobby. They had a Ford Anglia suspended in the air over the information desk, some pictures of the cast as they grew up on the walls, and a giant telescope from Dumbledore's office all on display before you even got into the actual studio.

Once in line, the first thing that I saw was the staircase in the Dursley's home, where Harry was forced to sleep at the beginning of the first book. Since it was the actual set where they filmed the scenes, you could see just how tiny Daniel Radcliff was when they first started shooting. It was so tiny! They even had an original pair of Harry's glasses sitting on the floor beside the staircase from the first movie, and they were so little. It amazes me to think just how long it has been since I was in second grade, and my teacher kept yelling at me to put "Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone" down and pay attention in class.

Once they let us into the main studio, they showed us a bunch of the movie posters from around the world, in a number of different languages. They then showed us a movie about how the movies came to be about, followed by an introduction from Daniel Radcliff, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint welcoming us onto the set and telling us more about their time in the studio making the movies. It was a really cool way to start out the tour, which then continued into the Great Hall set. One of the most iconic sets in the movie, it was almost unreal to step inside and be a part of the Hogwarts world in a way that I dreamed about when I was younger.

They had a lot of the costumes from the ghosts and the students on display, including the costumes of the main actors. For example, they had Neville's sweater from the final battle, and Harry's tiny uniform from the first film. They also had the costumes from the main teachers, including Hagrid and Dumbledore, next to the Head Table and Dumbledore's podium. However, my favorite part of the Great Hall was getting to see the House Point counter, which didn't really feature too heavily in the movies. It was so interesting to think of all the work that went into creating the thousands of colored glass beads inside.

From the Great Hall, they led us in one of the main soundstages, where they had little stands that you could walk around and check things out at your own pace. For example, they had an entire section at the beginning dedicated to all the work the production crew put in for the Yule Ball scenes from The Goblet of Fire. They had Hermione's beautiful dress, as well as the costumes of Harry, Krum, Cho and Ron. They also had the crystal punchbowl and all of the fabulous dishes that they created with the "winter" theme in mind. My favorite part was, of course, the chocolate table that they had created for the opening feast of the fourth movie. The entire table looked good enough to eat, though none of it was edible.

From there, they had set up makeup and hair counters, where you could see all of the work that was put into creating the look for each character, particularily those with strange hairstyles, like Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy. They even had Hagrid's beard pinned onto a mannequin so that the vistors could see that every single part was made up of individual components that I'm sure took forever to get just right for filming. It kinda weirded me out seeing all those wigs on the mannequins, though. It's not that I'm afraid of them, like some people. It's just that it looked like some of the characters had been scalped, and their hair placed on the mannequin heads. Though, maybe I've just been watching too much Bones lately. Also, the makeup counter was ridiculous. I have never seen that much makeup outside of the aisles in the store. It was insane to think of how long the actors had to sit in those chairs in order to look the parts they were playing. I certainly don't envy them that experience, though I'm sure they got used to it after a while.

Next to the hair and makeup stands was costumes. Obviously, they couldn't show every single costume worn by each person, but they did show a couple Luna and Lockheart's costumes on the rack like they would be for filming. I had a lot of fun thinking, "hmm...Luna wore that one at the wedding in the sixth movie." or "Ah! This was Fleur's costume during the Triwizard Tournament!" (that one you can just barely see in the background of this shot). Interestingly, the girl who played Luna Lovegood in the movie, Evanna Lynch, helped to design her costumes for the films. Pretty interesting, at least in my opinion.

From there, it was pretty much a free-for-all, where you could move around the enormous soundstage and check out some of the most iconic sets from the movies. Of course, I headed to the Gryffindor tower rooms first, where they had set up the common room and the boys dormitory sets. Interesting little tidbit: The beds in the boy's dorm room were created to fit them when they first started the movie. In other words, for their ten-twelve year old selves. They were never rebuilt, so by the end of their time at Hogwarts, the characters had to curl up in bed so that their legs didn't hang off the ends and appear ridiculous. Next time you're watching the movies, check out their legs to see if it's noticeable! I was weirded out by how small the room looked. In the movies, it seems like a huge room, but it was actually really tiny in person. The magic of cameras, I guess, because I never would have guessed that the actors probably had barely enough room to move around with all of the camera equipment in that tiny little space with them.

Right beside the dormitory was the common room set, which featured not only the lush chairs and cozy fireplaces that I expected, but also had some unexpected features. It had the costumes for Harry, Ron and Hermione from the first, third and seventh movies on display, as well as the Invisibility Cloak, both the green screen version and the exterior, celtic-design inspired exterior. Also, if you look in the upper right hand corner of the picture to the right, you can see the painting of a young woman with her hands behind her back. Turns out this was a young Professor McGonagall. All of the paintings in the dormitory were of former Gryffindor Head of Houses. A tidbit that wasn't in the books, which I found very cool.

One of my two favorite sets on the interior sound stage was the Potions classroom. You can't really capture the magic of this set on film, because a number of the cauldrons were stirring themselves. They were lit up from the inside with green or red lights so that it looked like the potions were phosphorescent. Plus, all of the bottles on the walls actually contain real ingredients, like boiled bones from the local butcher. All of these vials are handmade and hand labeled, which made it truly fascinating. The whole set was coated in dim, green lighting, making it feel like it was underground. Like, say, in the dungeons? (that was sarcasm. I have read the books, and thus know that the potions classroom was, in fact, in the dungeons)

My 2nd favorite set was also probably Harry's 2nd favorite place in the world. I, of course, am talking about the Burrow. From the blanket that was knitting itself, to the carrots that were being chopped by a magicked knife, the entire room had the feeling of home, which I am missing terribly at this point in my trip here. Of course, my family isn't as home-oriented as the Weasley's, but it has its moments. And I'm sure that my mom would envy Mrs. Weasley her wonderful clock. Insider's Info: The Burrow was supposed to look like Mr. Weasley had built it, so the house was first built entirely level, then production pulled it with ropes until nothing was at right angles while still maintaining the safety of the set. So the room looked slightly lopsided.

The sheer amount of props that were used in the movies were truly amazing. They kept almost everything, from the wands, to the Triwizard and Quidditch cups, and Rita Skeeter's Quick Quotes Quill. And most of the important props from the movies were on display. My favorite props to get a closer look at were the Horcruxes. They obviously couldn't put Nagini or (Spoiler Alert for those of you who still haven't read the books or watched the movies) Harry on display, so all they had in the case were Ravenclaw's Diadem, Hufflepuff's cup, Slytherin's Necklace, Marvolo's ring and Riddle's diary. Also, there was another case that had the Rememberall, the Snitch, and the Sorceror's Stone inside that I spent quite a while standing at.

From there, you could go and check out the green screen technology, including getting the opportunity to film yourself playing Quidditch. I wasn't really in the mood to stand around for an hour to wait, so I just looked around the green screen area that was already set up. They had the Gringott's cart, Hagrid's motorbike, and Moody and Harry's brooms on the mechanisms that made them fly against the green screen. The pictures I took of the cart and the brooms were really fuzzy, but this one wasn't too bad. They also showed clips from filming, where Daniel would be on the broomstick, and you could see it moving around. Then, they added the background, and Harry was on the Quidditch pitch, reaching for the Golden Snitch.

There were more sets in this part of the tour, including the Ministry's fireplaces, the Magic is Might statue, and Dolorus Umbridge's office (which looked like someone had thrown up a lot of Pepto Bismol inside). However, the one that drew the largest crowd was Dumbledore's office. The office had the costumes of both Dumbledores (Richard Harris and Michael Gambon), as well as the giant telescope and all of his various textbooks and trinkets that lined the walls. They also had the Griffin statue that led up to his office on display outside the doorway. However, it led to nothing but a wall, as this version wasn't mechanized.

However, the coolest part was tucked away where, strangely, no one was looking. I'm, of course, talking about the Pensieve and all of Dumbledore's collected memories. Each vial in the case on the left was handblown and labeled in spindly handwriting, which must have taken the production team a very long time. The Pensieve, regretably was pushed back on the shelf and not quite as majestic as it appears in the films, but still pretty cool.

The next part of the tour was the outside backlot, which hosted any scenes that were outdoors in the films, including the bridge outside Hogwarts, the exterior of Privet Drive, and the Potter's house in Godric's Hollow. Bet you'd never guess that Harry's very first home was about 10 feet from the house that made him so miserable, would ya? Also outside was one of the two versions of the Knight Bus. The team created one bus that was motorized and able to move, and another that didn't move, but offered access to the inside for shooting.The bus itself is the product of two London tour buses, with the double decker portion of one bus cut off and welded onto the top of the other to create the three-tiered bus. Sadly, no shrunken heads were on the inside of the bus.

Once I was done walking around the outside, taking pictures of giant wizard chess pieces and Tom Riddle Sr.'s gravesite, it was into the creature room I headed. It was here that they created all of the animatronic elements for the movies, including three versions of Fawkes the Pheonix, Grawp, Aragog, Buckbeak and the emaciated, tiny Voldemort. They also had life-size, rubber molds of several of the cast members, including Hermione, George, Harry, Dumbledore and Hagrid. The Hermione mold was most likely used both when she was paralyzed by the basilisk in book 2 and during the scene in the lake in book 4. The Harry and Dumbledore molds were likely used when both characters were supposed to be dead. Perhaps the coolest/creepiest thing in the creature studio was the realistic, animatronic head of Hagrid that was remote controlled to move its lips, create facial expressions, and twist like a normal head. This animatronic version of Hagrid was placed on top of the 6'6" stunt double for Robbie Coltrain when Hagrid was standing beside other characters and had to appear enormous, yet didn't have to talk. It was actually quite convincing.

After the creature studio, we passed by the enormous Aragog and continued on to find Diagon Alley. Easily, the most interesting fixture of the alley was the moving statue of one of the twins at the Weasley Wizarding Weazes shop, but I was determined to wait until I got to the end to truly appreciate it. There were only a couple of shops at Diagon Alley, mostly because they rebuilt the set for each movie, adding and removing shops based on their necessity for the movie. Eeyops Owl Emporium was there, as well as Ollivanders, but Knockturn Alley was missing. Interesting tidbit: each of the wandboxes in Ollivanders (over 17,000) were handmade, individually labelled with different labels, and set up in the shop. That is, until the special effects team got ahold of the shop and blew it up for the 6th movie. Also, each of the wands for the cast and extras were individually serial numbered. They were given their wand at the beginning of the day, then returned them at the end of the night. That way, it was easy to find who had which wand and where they could find them to get it back.

From Diagon Alley, I moved on to easily the most amazing part of the tour: The Hogwarts Model. While it was 1:25 scale, it was still a beautiful model and so intricate that I was reverent just looking at it. As someone who typically moves like a bull in a china shop, I was extremely careful not to get anywhere near it in case I fell and tripped into it or something. Truly a work of art, it featured tiny, fiber optic lights that flickered to simulate torchlight and even had the silhouette of students moving through the halls built in. Every year, each tiny little brick on every tower, turret and wall was handpainted to be fresh. Every little bit of the model was handcarved and so unbelievably detailed that it took my breath away. I can only imagine how much work went into creating it.

The model covered the entire grounds of Hogwarts, including the Forbidden Forest, Hagrid's Hut, and some areas that weren't really covered in any of the movies. According to the information plaques around the room, the model was used for exterior shots of Hogwarts, namely when they were showing scenes of the landscape. They used real materials, such as stones from the nearby village, as often as possible when creating the model, and it was honestly the coolest thing I saw while I was there. I applaud the builders who went into creating this labor of love. They should be incredibly proud of creating Hogwarts in a way that would make J.K. Rowling proud.

Overall, my tour of the Warner Brothers London Harry Potter Studios is an event that I will never forget for the rest of my life, and something that truly made the books and movies more dear to my heart than ever. Since I was very young, about the same age as Harry when his journey began, these books have been a part of my life, and I grew up with their characters. I was extremely sad to see it all end, but at least I have this tour to remind me that Harry Potter is still alive and out there in the generations who still have yet to discover the magic of the series. And it didn't hurt that I got to have the delicious Tom Felton talk in my ear for nearly two hours. ;)

After the tour, I hopped on the bus to Central London, found my hostel, and went straight to sleep. After waking up at five the next morning and finishing my last final paper, I had another adventure through Central London, but I'll save that for next time, as this post is already ridiculously long.

As always, more pictures of my time in the studios is on Facebook!

Much love,
Brooke

Day in Dublin and THE USED!!!!

2012-04-23T22:29:00.001-04:00

Well, I'm going to start off this post with excuses. The reason I haven't updated for nearly a month is because I haven't DONE anything for over a month. Before yesterday, St. Paddy's Day was the last time I did anything exciting. The majority of my life was literally spent in my bedroom writing essays, and will likely be again for the next week/ week and a half. For those who say that college is easy, write one of my essays. I dare you. No, I double dog dare you (*le gasp*). But everything will get more exciting after next week, because I leave for London on the 3rd of May and I have a lot of fun stuffs planned. I won't go into too much detail, so that I don't ruin the surprise. XD

Yesterday (technically two days ago because it's 2:30 AM here), I woke up after only three hours of sleep to trudge my butt to the bus stop for a three hour ride to Dublin. I got to see some of the prettiest scenery around as I looked out the window. One yard even had about 20 baby bunnies chowing down on the grass. I admit it. I AWWWWW'd at the sight of them. I think the other people on the bus thought I was a lunatic. The rest of the animals I saw were sheep. And cows. A whole freaking lot of cows. More than in Lancaster County, PA, and I thought that was impossible.

Once I got into Dublin, it was a matter of finding my way to St. Stephen's Green, where my Viking Splash Tour bus was set to leave. After gaining my bearings in the city, I managed to get there about 15 minutes before the bus was supposed to leave. The tour was led by a really nice guy named Pat, who led us around the city while telling us about the city's history and roaring like a Viking. They provided plastic Viking helmets for us to wear (as you can see in the bottom left of the picture), but I abstained from wearing them, as my hair (which I had to keep down to fit into the helmet) kept getting in my face with the wind blowing it around.

We drove around Dublin for a while, passing by some interesting buildings and statues that were central to Dublin's history, including a museum full of artifacts from when the city was partially inhabited by Vikings. We also got to see town tourist sites like the statue of Molly Malone (infamous from the song), Trinity College and Oscar Wilde's birth home. Aside from the landmarks, the city is filled with beautiful architecture from several different time periods, including an entire mile of preserved Georgian homes. There were also a row of homes that were built for American occupancy during WWII. These homes were built by women and expected to last 6 weeks. They're still standing after nearly 70 years. Did I mention they were built by women? That's right. Female empowerment!

After a while, Pat took us toward a dock, where we all put on lifevests. The bus then drove straight off the dock and onto the river that flows through Dublin. While we didn't get to go very far on the water because of the levies installed to allow barges to travel through the water, we did get to see the Bord Gais Energy Theatre and some boats made of concrete. How they float, I'm not sure, but they were pretty interesting to look at. Apparently, the part of the bay we were on is used to give surfing and windboarding lessons. If it weren't so cold here, I may have signed up to take one. But since it is, the thought didn't even cross my mind.

Building inside Trinity College

Once we were done with the Viking Splash tour, I headed up Westmoreland Street to find Trinity College, where I could get in to see the famous Book of Kells, which was originally created by monks over 1200 years ago. However, once I got to the courtyard of the college, the line to get into the building were the book was held was probably over 500 people long. Rather than waste my time standing out in the rain to see the book, I headed to get something to eat and sit out the rain. Admittedly, I did stop along the way to pick up some souvenirs for my family. I'm a shopoholic like that.

A couple of hours later, I figured that I should at least try to find the building where the concert was being held. So I started walking and found myself standing outside of the Button Factory, where a line was already beginning to form four hours before the doors would even open. There I met a couple of girls from Belfast who were also waiting to see The Used. We talked for a little while, mostly about the differences between Ireland, America and Scotland (where they had just gotten back from). It was then that I found out why everyone had been so early getting to the concert hall.

For anyone who showed up between 5:30 and 6:00, the band held a meet and greet where you could get autographs, hugs and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches from the band. Now, understand that I've been in love with this band since around the 7th grade, so this got me really super excited. As it got closer to the time when they would let us in to meet them, Chloe and I just kept looking at each other like "THIS IS AWESOME!!!" Somehow, we managed to form a group of awesome people that were also waiting for the band to start, including Tommii.

Tommii and Chloe

Now, Tommii was just as ridiculously excited about the concert as the rest of us, and he didn't even know about the meet and greet. Telling him will remain one of the funniest moments of my life. His excitement level went from about an 8 to a 20+. After his heart calmed down, we all started trying to pass the time by singing along to our favorite songs, naming bands we're obsessed with, listening to the band do sound checks, and looking at the time every 20 seconds. The time finally arrived when they let us in to meet the band. I didn't have my ticket yet, so I had them sign an envelope I had in my purse (lame, I know). Chloe and Tommii both got hugs from Quinn and Bert, and I was green with envy.

Jodie Has a Hitlist (Well, half of it)

After the meet and greet, they stuck us back outside to wait another hour and a half. Of course, it started raining like cats and dogs, so we were all soaked when we finally got inside. They had a coat check, but of course I don't carry cash so I couldn't check my purse or coat. I ended up stuffing my coat into my bag and leaving it on a couch with all my valuables in my pocket. Remarkably, nothing was taken. I guess everyone was too busy enjoying to concert to take the opportunity to steal. The opening band, Jodie Has a Hitlist, started playing at around 8 o'clock and the fun times started. They were good, but everyone was just too excited to see The Used.

Bert McCracken

The crowd started screaming ridiculously loud when the band finally came to the stage (myself included). The real moshing started when they played the first song "Take it Away" (one of my personal favorites). At first, Tommii tried to make sure that none of us girls got hurt. Of course, that didn't last long, and I ended up plastered to the back of another one of the guys who joined our band of misfits while we were waiting outside, Paul. We stayed that close for about three songs because neither of us could find the space to separate.

Quinn Allman

We were like sardines in a can, and Chloe kept getting knocked back. Since we were so close to the stage, I guess that's to be expected. After the first few songs, everything calmed down a little bit. We got everyone back into the same little area and prepared to dance the night away. We kept looking at each other and screaming along with the music or just screaming in general. Thankfully, Paul made sure to watch my back so that I didn't get injured from that angle, which was a very distinct possibility with how excited/ridiculously crazy everybody was.

Jeph Howard

Anyway, they played a couple of songs from the new album, but most of them were from the older records, which made me originally fall in love with the band. So, as we were singing, jumping and moshing, I just realized how lucky I am that I got to see my favorite band, especially since the last few months are already going to be engrained in my memory for the rest of my life. The fact that I got to meet them, and actually talk to them, after the last nine years listening to their music, is something that I will likely never again be able to replicate. I am so grateful that I got this opportunity and got to meet some really great new friends in the process. It truly was spectacular.

I actually had to leave the concert about 10 minutes before the end so that I could make my bus, but apparently they allowed to crowd to get pictures with them after the show. Chloe got pictures with Quinn and Jeff, as Bert left early to rest his voice. I am incredibly jealous, but glad that she got the opportunity she was so excited for. After getting some really poor directions from a couple of Dubliners, I finally found my way to the last bus heading to Limerick with about 30 seconds to spare. I managed to get a shower before passing out around 3 AM. I then spent all day in bed today because my feet were like "You're not putting any weight on us today, buddy." I'm just now starting to relax enough to fall asleep, so I'm going to sign off until next time, which will hopefully be May 3rd or 4th.

Until then,

Brooke

As Promised....

2012-04-01T16:08:00.000-04:00

...but a day late. I'm finally getting around to writing up the blog post for my day in Dublin for St. Paddy's. While it was highly entertaining and just a little bit fuzzy in my mind, I don't think I will ever truly forget how interesting it was watching how much pride the Irish have on this holiday, the only real holiday set aside just to honor them. It was a beautiful thing to see.

The day started out with a bunch of us international students either waking up still drunk, slightly hung over, or (for losers like me) too early for comfort. We left the school at 7, which meant that I woke up at 5 in order to get everything packed and ready. We then all boarded the bus for Dublin, decked out in all of our greenest finery and ready to have a blast. Most of us hadn't had breakfast, so we stopped at a gas station to get some food and for a bathroom break. All in all, the trip took about 3 hours with breaks and traffic.

And this was before most people got here

They dropped us off in front of the oldest pub in Ireland, The Brazen Head. We were then instructed on how to get to O'Connell Street, where the parade was due to run, and let loose in our groups to find a spot to watch. Keep in mind that we arrived in Dublin at around 10 o'clock and the parade didn't start until 12:30, so a lot of us just headed to a pub to relax until the parade. However, the group that I hung out with headed straight to O'Connell Street in order to secure a good spot for the parade. I have never seen so much green dotting a street in my life.

Group of girls doing traditional dance

We then proceeded to wait for nearly three hours for the parade to begin, with the heavens opening up once for about five minutes to thoroughly soak all of us spectators. Stupidly, I left my coat on the bus, so I was completely freezing at this point. But the cold and the rain was quickly forgotten as the parade started. We saw all of the traditional parade elements like bands and dancers, even some from the United States. Some acts included an Irish flair, like women doing Irish dance down the street and a flock of bagpiping gentlemen decked out in kilts. There were even a couple of dogs wearing traditional togs.

However, once we got all of the more traditional stuff out of the way, it was time for the strange to begin. Apparently, they gave a lot of creative freedom to some of the art schools around Ireland to make interesting acts of their own. Each school then picked a question around which they would center their theme, such as "If the world is spinning, why don't we fall off?". The props and parade dancers ranged from beautiful, to colorful, to downright strange, but all of them were incredibly well made and very entertaining. Although, a couple of times, the members of my group all looked at each other and speculated about the parade would look if we were high.

One of my favorite acts included a girl riding a beautiful white horse. This was the gravity act, so of course she wasn't just riding the horse with a saddle. No. Instead, she chose to ride either standing on the saddle, in a handstand, or dangling off the side of the horse with one foot in the stirrup and a hand touching the ground. And this was while the horse was moving. As someone who has no sense of balance and can manage to trip walking across a flat surface, this truly astounded me. The sheer amount of courage and training that went into doing these stunts had to have required quite a few painful falls.

Another interesting float, though I completely forget the question they used as their theme, included a giant rhinocerous in a wheel chair. Thinking now, I can't even conceive of what idea would make someone go "Let's build a giant rhino! And I know! Let's make him a parapeligic!" Really strange, but very creative and entertaining. It must have required a lot of work to make a float of that size, let alone one that allowed for the head to turn to look at the crowd. All in all, it was the most interesting parade that I have ever seen, and it was due almost entirely to those art schools who astounded us all with their talent and creativity.

One bar's Irish decor

Once the parade was over, it was time for the drinking to begin. I followed the five or six people that I had been standing with at the parade to several different bars. I really had only ever met two of these people once or twice at orientation, but we seemed to get along all right if a little awkwardly. All of the bars were decorated with an Irish theme of course, and packed to capacity with people just celebrating the day that everyone in the world is Irish. Say anything you want about the Irish, but they sure know how to throw a fantastic party on such an enormous scale.

We hopped from one bar to another for hours, trying to catch a glimpse of the Ireland/England game, which ended in a highly disappointing loss of 9-30. Once the game was over, we headed to one more bar before packing it in for the night. The bar had great live music, but was so crowded that you couldn't stand in one place for more than a minute or two without someone inadvertantly molesting you. At least, I hope it was inadvertant. At least two guys got a little too touchy feely for my comfort....but anyway.

When everyone else headed to the next bar, I attempted to find where the bus would pick us up to take us back to U.L. and my warm, dry bed. However, the bus driver told us the entirely wrong place to pick up the stop, and at least 10 of us were left standing outside City Hall waiting for over an hour for the bus. When someone finally called the head of the International Society, it turns out that we were on the wrong side of the city and would have to wait for the next bus. At this point, I can't feel my legs because I'm so cold. Yet, I somehow still found myself the leader of our little herd back to O'Connell Street to catch the next bus home (probably because I had a map of the city). We finally made it to the warm bus and I was reunited with my coat. The bus filled up quickly, and we were back at the University of Limerick at around 2 AM. Overall, a long, strange, but very satisfying day in Dublin. It is perhaps one of the most memorable experiences that I will have here and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

As always, the rest of the pictures will be added to my Flickr account soon, because today is the first of the month and I have free space again!!!

Best,
Brooke

Finally Catching Up

2012-03-29T19:26:00.000-04:00

Bunratty Castle

I've severly been neglecting this blog....but in my defense, I've written about 25 pages for different assignments in the last three weeks and had two presentations. I've kinda wanted to jump off a tall building. Oh, well. I'm going to update on my weekend trip to Bunratty Castle and the Rock of Cashel, the second half of the trip I talked about in the last post. I will also try to update on just how crazy St. Patrick's Day in Dublin was and how the last few weeks here have been later this week, since I'll be off for Easter Break!

Blacksmith's Forge in the Folk Park

Okay, well think back to Sunday, March 10th. It's a strain, I know. Especially if you were like me, and had a little bit too much to drink once or twice between now and then. Our morning started out at around 8 AM, so another early day for me. The bus took us to Bunratty Castle, which is in County Clare. It's not too far from Limerick, but the bus ride still kind of felt like it took forever. First thing off the bus, they ushered us into the Bunratty Folk Park, which was a collection of cottages that had been built to replicate the homes that the peasants would have lived in when the castle was first used. They even had authentic-looking furniture in the homes! Of course, everyone else stopped to look at these. Not me. I made a beeline right for the castle.

You can see just how narrow and twisting the stairs are.

The castle had just opened, and my tour group was the first one there. So, I had the castle all to myself. It was kind of nice not having to dodge other tourists on the narrow spiral staircases. Speaking of which, if I keep having to climb these staircases, I fully expect my thighs and calves to be completely toned by the end of the semester. At least these stairs had a metal handrail the whole way up and down. Blarney Castle's was kind of on and off. Not fun when you're squeezing two people onto those narrow stairs, but I digress.

The Dungeon. (It was railed off)

I entered the castle and headed up the stairs to find myself in the dining hall, where they still host authentic medieval banquets for the tourists. There was a man lighting candles in the hall, and he let me venture into the dungeon, where apparently they still stick two or three tourists during the banquet for "offenses" against the actor that plays the lord of the castle. I was definitely feeling a little bit claustrophobic, and I wasn't even in the main pit! The floor rushes you see at the bottom are authentic straw grown in the Folk Park to be as authentic as possible. It was seriously impressive, but still kinda chilling to think of how real prisoners must have felt.

Dining Hall, complete with antler chandelier

From the dungeon, I continued up another staircase to find the winch where they would raise and lower the drawbridge. They didn't really have the drawbridge anymore, but it was still fun to imagine. There was a door off this staircase that gave an eagle eye view of the dining hall. I imagine this view was probably either a guard position or for important guests like nobility. You can see the opening to the dungeon in the lower left corner. This was probably torture, as the prisoners could smell the food being served in the mess hall. I'm willing to bet they weren't given the same quality of food as the guests...if they were given food at all.

The High Table, complete with the Lord's chair

Directly over the dining hall was the Great Hall, where the lord of the castle would settle disputes between peasants and hold audiences with anyone who wanted to speak to him. I'm not sure if the chair they had set up in the hall was the authentic one used by the original lord, but it's highly unlikely. The room was absolutely humongous, and there were authentic tapestries from the castle on the walls, as can be seen in the picture. In one corner of the room in a window, there was an image inlaid into the stone of the wall that was from the original walls of the castle. Pretty cool, if I do say so myself.

Parapet where I dropped my camera...

From the Great Hall, I headed up to the battlements of the castle for some landscape viewing. This is where tragedy struck. I was not looking at my feet (because I was looking at the amazing views of the countryside) and thus did not pay attention to the small trench that ran along the edge of the parapet. Thus, when my foot dropped into it, I had a minor heart attack and threw my wrist out to catch my balance. Since my camera was in my hand when my wrist struck the edge of the parapet, it bounced right out of my hand and off the side of the castle. Cue the dramatic "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" from me as I watched it fall off the edge of the 15th century castle and onto the street below. If it had landed on the grass, it might have survived. Instead, it bounced off the concrete and was completely destroyed. I had to climb the whole way down the castle and walk around the grounds to find where it hit so that I could retrieve the battery and memory card.

Slightly depressed about my camera, but overall still in a good mood, I took the rest of the pictures in this post on my cell phone, which is why they may look a little weird. After I got the remains of my camera back, I walked back into the castle and explored some omore of the inside. There were so many different rooms that I can't explain them all, but they were all set up like the inhabitants had just left. They even had a couple of the original garderobes open (though not for use. That would be disgusting.) This is one of the guest apartment bedrooms. The bed would have been considered rather luxurious. Yes, that is a body print in the mattress. Possibly more than one.

Once I was done exploring the castle and the folk park, they shipped us off to the Rock of Cashel. The Rock of Cashel was originally the site of a large manor house, but the lord of the castle gave it and the land it rested on to the Church. They then proceeded to build a large cathedral on the property. This is one of the most beautiful locations I've been to here in Ireland just because it has fallen into ruins. For some reason, it just made everything more special. There were conservation efforts going on to maintain the integrity of the grounds and the structure so that nobody gets hurt, but I'm actually glad to have gone while the cathedral opened up to the sky.

One of my favorite pictures I've taken

When we first got there, it was ridiculously freezing and the winds were enough to blow you off the rock. Luckily, it was possible to find some measure of safety from the elements inside the ruined cathedral. And this is where my breath was taken away. The roof of the cathedral had either collapsed or been blown away, leaving the inside exposed to the elements. Now, this had ruined a lot of the paintings and details on the walls, but I feel like the amount of architecture that was exposed to natural sunlight may have been just as beautiful. Much of the cathdral looks like this, with the tops of the walls sort of crumbling.

Around the outside of the cathedral was a graveyard, with a lot of really antique gravestones marking the passing of their owners. My favorites are those with the celtic cross on top in the background of the picture. I just wish that I had noticed the hose in the bottom left so I could get it out of the picture...
This area was gated off by the conservation crew, and people were trying to get into the main cathedral to see some of the decorative elements they were restoring on the inside of Cormac's Chapel. So I didn't have a lot of time to take pictures here. Inside, however, were some really interesting artifacts from the past.

The first thing I saw when I walked into Cormac's Chapel was a tomb that had been cracked open and cleaned out, so there wasn't anything inside. It would have been interesting to see the original contents, but I guess I'm morbid like that. The sheer detailing on the outside of the tomb was so beautiful. I feel like you could spend hours tracing the intricate knotwork shown on just one side. It was really dark in this room to prevent the growth of organisms on the roof in the other room, so I was glad to catch this bit of sunlight as someone walked in. My cell phone's flash just didn't really cut it.

Once I was done exploring the rooms they were renovating, I ventured back into the cathedral to take some more pictures and try to regain feeling in my hands. Here's another view of the inside of the enormous cathedral. This particular archway is shown in more detail in the picture above, but for some reason, I just kept coming back to this section. A huge piece of the cathedral in the left tophand corner had fallen off and was laying on the ground outside. Of course, this prompted a round of people taking gag pictures of themselves "lifting" the rock. I didn't really desire a picture, but I'm sure you can find them somewhere online.

I continued my exploration of the ruins by heading back inside the reception building, where they had replicas of some of the artifacts they found while excavating the cathedral, including dragons carved into the original castle walls and some Bronze age weapons and tools. Also on display was another tomb, which I presume is also empty. The stone slab on the top is supposedly carved into the relief of the tomb's inhabitant. This sarcophogus was sitting in the back of the museum known as Victor's Hall. It was lying directly beside the original St. Patricks' Cross, which was assumably brought inside to protect it from the elements.

Replica of St. Patrick's Cross

There was a replica cross placed outside, which is the one I got the clearest picture of. For some reason, a lot of the pictures I took with my cell phone came out really fuzzy.

Well, that was my March 10th. Hopefully, either tomorrow or Saturday I'll write about my adventures in Ireland on St. Paddy's Day. I was in Dublin for the holiday, so you can assume that there were some crazy shenanigans going on.

As always, much love from the land of the leprechauns!

Brooke

Crazy Days

2012-03-05T17:48:00.000-05:00

I had the most ridiculously exhausting weekend. For 20 euro, the International Education Division and the International Society managed to keep me competely entertained over the two day period, from the time that I woke up until the time that I stumbled back into my bedroom here in Kilmurry Village. However, I'm only going to tell you about Saturday in this post. Mostly because I don't have most of the pictures from Sunday yet, as they were taken on my cell phone.

So the bus left from the University of Limerick at the ungodly time of 7:30, which meant that I had to be up at 6 in order to get everything ready to go. I was not a happy camper, but I was a hyper one. As the tornadoes ripped through Tennessee this weekend, I was here worrying about my family. Particularily my father, who is a truck driver, as he made his way home. The early hour combined with the lack of sleep to turn me into Miss Talkative, which I'm sure annoyed my roommate Sydney to no end. Once we made it onto the bus and we were on our way, I began to think. I gazed out the window and marveled in the spectacular beauty that is Ireland. Every day, I fall more and more in love with this country. I know deep in my heart that I'm supposed to be here. I could spend every day here for the rest of my life and always find something new to fascinate me. The thought of leaving makes me sad, but I know that if it is right, I will find myself back here in the future. I feel so at peace here, both the land and with myself. I've never felt this way before. After feeling empty for so long, I finally feel like I belong somewhere. It's a great feeling.

The waterfall that the hotel takes its name from.

After that revelation, I finally started to drift off into sleep, only to be woken up when we arrived at our first destination, the Ennistymon Falls Hotel. Here they provided us with some tea (which was fantastic) and raisin scones (which were good once I picked out the raisins) before they made us dance. Yes, we are officially dancing bears. It was difficult to force our feet into the right patterns, but once you got the hang of the steps, you were good. It was a great workout too, which made me really happy that I brought a change of clothes. Once we finished dancing, they stuck us back on the bus and headed off to Lahinch.

As you may remember, Laura, Sydney, Steph and I had already been with to Lahinch with the OPC. Since we had some more time this go around, we ventured away from the sand and the sea to the cliffs in the distance. No matter how many times you see something, the site of such a beautiful place will never fail to take your breath away. Of course, since it rains so freaking much here, the cliffs were kinda muddy. Being the clutz that I am, I of course had to slip in the mud and end up with one leg entirely covered with the brown gook. This made me doubly glad that I packed an extra set of clothes.

After we were done at Lahinch, we all stuffed ourselves back into our coach buses to head back to the hotel, where they plied us with quarter sandwiches, soup, and our dubiously dubbed "yellow drink." None of the people at our table could figure out what it was, but it was delicious. The sandwiches weren't half bad either. Of course, we were one of the few tables who thought so, as almost everyone else still had sandwiches on their plates. Of course, since we couldn't let food go to waste....we brought their plates back to our table where the rest of the sandwiches were quickly devoured. Yes, we are pigs, and we are proud.

The shiny rock in the picture is exposed limestone.

It was then time to get back into the buses and head for the Burren. Which I have also been to before, but we headed to another side. The OPC trip focused mainly on the cliffs, while the International Education department trip headed more inland for a more nature based experience. Each of the four buses got our own guides, who told us more about the history of the area as we drove through. Originally, Ireland was mainly underwater, which left huge deposits of limestone at the bottom of the sea. As time passed and the water receeded, these large fields of limestone were revealed at the Burren, which is the largest collection of limestone rock in the world. Forgive the quality of the picture, it was taken from a moving bus.

At this point, I was thoroughly exhausted, and kept drifting off. However, I did wake up long enough to take pictures of Mary O'Brien's Castle. We had to take pictures from the bus, which explains the random handicapped sticker floating in the frame. Legend has it that, when her first husband died, she married another man the next day because women weren't allowed to hold land. When she birthed her first male heir, she supposedly pushed her husband off of the roof of the castle in order to be able to control the castle as the proxy for her son. Female empowerment at its most violent.

A bear pit and some remains believed to be 2,000 years old.

The trip took us further into the Burren until we arrived at Aillwee Caves. They were discovered in the 1940's by a local farmer when his dog disappeared. He found the dog at the entrance to the caves, which had been covered for millenia. Remains of brown bears and indentations of their nesting sites were discovered close to the entrance, which is understandably exciting, as brown bears have not been seen in Ireland for nearly 2,000 years. They are a third of a mile long and have some really impressive natural cave formations present, including one that looks like a pair of hands in prayer. There are also several waterfalls in the caves.

Once we were all through the tour of the caves and had done a little frivolous shopping, we headed back into the bus for the remainder of our tour of the Burren. We came across the Poulnabrone Dolmen, a portal tomb created 4000 years ago as a grave chamber in a cairn of stacked stones. This dolmen is believed to be the oldest set of stacked stones in the world, even older than the more famous Stonehenge. This picture was taken from Wikipedia, as I was too slow to catch a picture of it from the bus. I wish we could have actually seen it this close, but maybe some other time I'll get the opportunity.

Once we were out of the Burren, we headed back to the Falls Hotel and Spa to eat some dinner. I ordered the chicken in a mushroom sauce, and it was absolutely delicious. Honestly, I think I could have eaten two or three more plates, even though I was completely stuffed by the end of the meal. It was that good. Plus, they served ice cream in a waffle bowl for dessert, which was amazing. By the time we were all back in the bus and headed home, I think we were all in a sort of food coma, as it was very quiet. The majority of people slept, but I just couldn't get comfortable. Overall, it was one of the best 5 euro I've ever spent!

Well, that was my Saturday. Sunday was slightly more exciting and a little more tragic. I'll explain that comment in the next post, however. As always, more pictures of this trip are available on my Facebook page, though quite a few of them are mysteriously blurry for some reason.

Best,
Brooke

A Bunch of Blarney

2012-02-20T13:47:00.000-05:00

Hello! My life has been positively crazy for the last few days as I desperately fought to have the internet repaired in my house. It was finally finished today, nearly a week since I reported the problem. But I guess that is life. I should be glad that it was fixed that quickly, I guess.

Well, this weekend, I travelled about two hours to the illustrious land of Blarney Castle in County Cork, Ireland. Honestly, though the drive was long and the person next to me would not stop talking (even to let me contribute something), I had a great time exploring my second castle since I've been here. I met a couple of really cool people, and I reunited with a couple of people that I met while drunk in a dark bar. They were drunk, not me. I'm too classy. XD For 15 euro, we got the bus to and from the castle, entrance into the grounds, and a trip into Cork for a little shopping (which I really didn't get to do). Everything was worth it, however, when I walked into the grounds and caught my first glimpse of the castle. Absolutely gorgeous.

I wandered around the grounds for a while, until I found the dungeons. There really wasn't a whole lot to see if you weren't willing to crawl on your hands and knees into the actual cell, but it gave you the general idea of how miserable it would have been to be a prisoner. Not fun, and really damp. I ventured back out of the dungeons and finally found the entrance to the castle itself. Of course, once you are inside, the stairways up to the battlements are narrow and spiral, so its kinda scary when you are trying to go up when someone else is coming down. And steep as all get out. When I got to the battlements (where the Blarney Stone is located) by thighs were burning.

But along the way, there were various little nooks and crannies where you could pop in and explore the castle the way that the original inhabitants would walk through it. The rooms were veerrrryyyy small, with narrow hallways and shallow ceilings. They were obviously short and sylph-like in the 14th century (probably from walking up and down those stairs all the time). The decorations on the walls did not survive the centuries because of the open designs of the windows, but you can still almost imagine how the room would look when the lady of the house or a visiting noble would lay their heads at bedtimes.

At the top of the spiral staircase was an open and entirely beautiful view of the grounds of the castle. Luckily, it was a unusually warm and sunny day as there was no covering. You could either look out over the grounds or down into the great hall, which was where the family would go to eat and spend time together in what would be the warmest and most comfortable room in the castle. I did take a picture of the view into the great hall, but I'll put that up a little later. Here is the view out of the battlement on the grounds. I still can't get over how GREEN everything is here. In the middle of February, everything at home would be brown or white.

The Blarney Stone is the long rectangular stone at the bottom

Once I took my pictures of the grounds, I got in line to kiss the infamous Blarney Stone. In order to get access to the stone, you have to lay on your back (luckily on a plastic mat as the stones were still wet), grab two metal bars that were bolted into the wall, then slide your body backwards until you're relying entirely on your arm strength and the Irish guy who was spotting you to keep from breaking your neck. If you can get over your vertigo for a second, you can easily then kiss the stone and the guide will (hopefully) help you get back up. It's a vaguely terrifying experience, but it would have been ridiculous not to do it. It's something I can brag about for years to come. XD

Once I was done kissing the stone and the blood had rushed back from my head, I worked my way away from the opening in the floor and peeped down over a railing to the great hall. Here is the infamous picture I was telling you about. It's a long way down! All of the holes on the upper level were called murder holes. This was because cauldrons with boiling oil were placed in the holes. Should the castle be invaded, the occupants would tip these cauldrons onto the unsuspecting heads of the invaders for a likely rather uncomfortable bath. There were the remains of what would have been a really elaborate fresco on the wall under where I was standing.

Once I was done exploring the castle, I met up with some of the American international students that were staying in the same village as me and we explored the grounds. We wandered around a fern garden for a while, all of us talking about how beautiful and green everything is here. Matt, who is from Alabama, and Meg (Philly area) happened to find a really interesting nature loa in the garden, which was carved out of the trunk of the same species of tree that grew in the area. It was just one example of how the most unexpected things can appear when you aren't really looking for them. We didn't find any leprechauns, though!

After the gardens, we wandered around the grounds until we happened upon a cave located underneath the castle. It is said that this cave was where the owners of the castle fled under threat of an English siege, carrying with them a gold plate that the English lord thought to claim for himself as a prize. However, once the siege was declared useless (as the people were all gone), the lord left and the people came back. It is said that the golden plate, however, has still never been recovered. We didn't happen upon the plate, but we did get a few goose eggs from the low ceilings, and some mud on our jeans from exploring. Their roommate, Johlt, also found another pathway through the caves that Meg and I were too concerned with our clothing to explore.

After Blarney Castle, we headed into Cork for some shopping for a couple of hours, then took all of our thoroughly exhausted bodies back home, where we all crashed. Sunday, as it turned out, was a completely lazy day before my thoroughly exhausting Monday. As always, more pictures of my adventures both in Blarney and in the Cork City Centre are posted on Facebook. Any questions or comments can be added below.

Best,
Brooke

Exploring Edinburgh

2012-02-14T10:56:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!. I'm just really happy because, as of today, I am no longer a teenager! That's right. Today is my 20th birthday! I hope that you all have a fantastic day. I have, and mine has barely even started! But more on that later

I arrived in Edinburgh on Sunday night after a day filled with the stress of finding yourself in a foreign country without any money and with your parents on another continent. On top of that, the bus that we finally managed to secure via telephone and the internet was an hour late, leaving me in the cold for that entire time. I was NOT happy when I first arrived here. However, within a few minutes of arriving, my bad mood disappeared. Edinburgh is the prettiest city that I have ever seen, especially at night. It literally took my breath away (though that may have to do with the fact that all the streets are built on impossibly steep slopes). Here's an example of what I'm talking about.

If you're going to Edinburgh anytime soon, stay at the Edinburgh Backpackers Hostel. It's near the top of one of those impossibly steep inclines I talked about earlier, but it is incredibly close to the Royal Mile, where a lot of the most visited tourist attractions are located, including Edinburgh Castle. Not only that, but the staff are some of the friendliest people I have ever met. When I arrived, the receptionist saw that I was flustered about my financial situation, and gave me a break my letting me stay for the night on just the money in my pocket. Then, when I woke up, the manager let me stay and keep my room until the emergency funds my mom sent me came through. I honestly don't know what I would have done without them, and I will be always grateful to them for cutting me a break when I needed one most. They restored my faith in humanity (for a while at least).

Gates of Edinburgh Castle

Of course, by the time that my money was in my account, it was just after 4:00. I headed up to Edinburgh Castle, which is only a few minutes away from the hostel, but I still made it there at like 4:20 because I stopped in a few souvenier shops along the way, thinking that the castle closed to tourists at 5. Of course, it closed the gates at 4:15. But the day was still young and I had the time to take some pictures before it got too dark. Here's the outside gate. There are more pictures of the inside on my Flickr and Facebook pages. I did get to go inside today, and will talk a little about that later. First, more about my supernatural experience.

First Floor of the Underground Vault

Last night, I took a tour of the haunted Edinburgh Underground Tunnels, which are typically closed to the public. It only lasted an hour and a half, but I will tell you that it was one of the most interesting nights of my life thus far. Before the tour, I believed that ghosts and the supernatural was possible, but now I am almost certainly a believer. I encourage any tourists heading to Edinburgh to take a tour, particularily if you're interested in the darker side of history. Who knows? It may make a believer out of you too. XD The tour guide turned out the lights, so the only thing we could see was her flashlight. Any light in the pictures I took was created by my flash.

Room Where My Pants Were Tugged

It was really cool, and the downstairs was interesting. Upstairs, however was a completely different atmosphere. I was shaking the whole time and my legs kept getting goosebumps. As we were leaving one vault, I felt a tug on my pants at the back of my knee, kinda like a little kid grabbing your leg to get your attention. I thought it was just someone behind me that stepped on my pants, but there was no one else around. Then, as we were standing in another vault, I felt a burning sensation of my leg. I wrote it off and didn't tell anyone about it because I thought I was overreacting. As we were walking out though, I mentioned the pants thing to the guide and she said that a medium told her the room that I was in is supposedly full of the spirits of children who were kidnapped by a pedophile, violated, then sold on the street. When I said something about the burning on my leg, she just brushed it off and said "Oh, more than likely one of the kids saw you as a mother figure and tried to grab ahold of you to get out of there because you were by yourself and not clinging to anyone." I just checked my leg, and it's bright red right in the area I felt burning. I'm really freaking out. So, I may be bringing a kid home with me, and I don't have to wait nine months and deal with labor to get it....but it may have been violated by a man with really long fingernails who prays on young kids. So....it goes without saying that I had a little trouble getting to sleep last night.

War Victim Memorial in the Citadel of Edinburgh Castle

Despite my trouble sleeping last night, I woke up bright and early this morning in order to get the chance to explore Edinburgh Castle. So I hiked my butt back up the Royal Mile (the city limits of Edinburgh) and headed to the castle, only stopping at one or two shops along the way. I got there at around 10:00 and was eagerly set free in the castle courtyards. I chose to forgo the guided tour in order to better experience the castle at my own pace. The highlight of the attraction was probably the opportunity to see the Scottish Crown Jewels, which were hidden underground for a few years to protect them from possible English invaders. I wasn't able to take any pictures, because it may damage them, but it was worth it just to see them. The Stone of Destiny, the stone on which all of the kings and queens of Scotland were crowned, was in the same case as the jewels and was really interesting to see.

Though I couldn't take any pictures of the Crown Jewels, I did take lots of other pictures of the inside of the Castle, all of which are either on my Facebook or my Flickr. Despite a rather lofty entrance fee (14 pounds, or about 22$), it was really worth it just to experience walking around a castle. It is so cool to stand inside a piece of history and imagine the original inhabitants walking its halls. It's not an experience we Americans can replicate very easily without extensive (and expensive) travelling. Plus, there were some truly beautiful views of the city of Edinburgh from the top of the parapet.

Tonight, I'll be headed back to Glasgow on the Megabus to get a flight back to Dublin in the morning. In the meantime, I have to sleep in the airport. You're not truly a hard core traveler until you sleep in the airport. Mostly, I'll be there because my flight leaves at 7 in the morning and buses don't start until like 6. So, I'll find me a nice comfortable corner and daze while I wait for the plane to arrive. I can sleep on the trip back to Dublin. Hopefully I don't die.

Much love and happiness for Valentine's Day!

Brooke <3

A Girl Alone in Glasgow

2012-02-11T14:39:00.000-05:00

Well, I've been in Glasgow for about 36 hours now, and I'm really having a great time. The city is absolutely beautiful, and everything is so easy to walk to. I've put about four miles under my belt just today. And very little of that was because I got lost. XD I'm staying at the BlueSky Hostel, which is a cute little place with graffiti all over the walls (intentionally and good graffiti). There is also a house dog that stays during the day. His name is Sheffield and he's absolutely adorable. It makes me miss my Pig...but I'll get over it.

Yesterday, I pretty much just slept all day after waking up at 3 AM to get to my flight. I took a nap and woke up at 5:30, but I still don't think that it was enough. And it was definitely not enough after the night I had last night. Not only did the guy sleeping in the bed above me snore (have you ever heard someone snore in a Scottish accent before? Hilarious), but I think he was on drugs or something. He fell down the ladder of the bunk bed like three times during the night, both talked and farted in his sleep, and somehow managed to knock his portable DVD player off of the bed, where it bounced off the wall and hit me in the face while I was sleeping. Overall, no one in the room with 10 beds got any real sleep. Well, except for him anyway. It was kinda miserable, and I stopped feeling sorry for him after the DVD player almost broke my nose.

The Bridge of Sighs

Today, I got up bright and early (mostly because I couldn't take the snoring any more) and decided that I would see Glasgow during my last day in the city. I started off walking down Bath Street toward Cathedral Street, where I knew that the Glasgow Cathedral and Necropolis were. Overall, its about 2 miles and I covered it in about a half an hour (with stopping to shop for souveniers). Once I got there, I was completely overwhelmed by how beautiful everything is. I walked around the Cathedral for a while until I found the enterance for the Necropolis, or City of the Dead. You start off going across the Bridge of Sighs, which was funded by the Merchant class in Glasgow as a symbol of their wealth and the devotion that they felt for their dearly departed.

Once over the bridge, I wandered around the base of the Necropolis for a while, looking at dates and names of the people who were buried there. Some of the monuments were very plain at the bottom, but became more and more intricate towards the top of the hill. Just to compare, here are a lower tombstone (left) and one at the top (right).

It was so peaceful and such a beautiful view at the top that you can almost forget that you're at a cemetary, where dead people are buried beneath your feet. It was entirely gorgeous, but still kinda creepy. I felt something slap my leg and kinda vibrate. I freaked out and screamed, thinking that I had stepped on a snake or something while I wasn't paying attention. Here, I stepped on a stick and the curved edge made it vibrate against my leg. I heard a couple of people at the bottom of the Necropolis laugh at me. Oh well...I'm used to people laughing at me after I do something stupid. I'll live (though I may not have if it were actually snake).

After the Necropolis, I walked around Glasgow city centre for a while, exploring side streets and trying to find a bus stop that would take me to the National Science Centre. As I wandered, I found a ferris wheel, kinda similar to the Eye of London, except it was the Eye of Glasgow. Of course, I rushed over for a ride. Luckily, I thought to bring my student ID with me, because it saved me two pounds. Yes, I am cheap. Anyway, I rode this thing to the very tippy top, and it held there for about five minutes. It was kinda windy today, which made the carriage I was in swing (kinda terrifying, let me tell you).

View of the Glasgow City Hall from the Eye

I took the opportunity to take some pictures of the Glasgow skyline while I was up there. It gave a really fantastic view of both the city and George Square, where the Eye was assembled. Here's one of the shots that I took while trying not to rock my pod anymore than it was already doing. After the fifth trip around the Eye, at which I was starting to feel slightly sick, I headed back out into the city. While I ended up not going into the Science Centre, I did take a tour of Glasgow on a double decker bus. They gave you a set of earphones, which you plugged into a radio on the bus to set the language you wanted to hear. The bus played a message telling us about all of the various tourist attractions and historical monuments that surrounded us on our two hour tour.

Of course, like my tour in Limerick, I sat outside the enclosed area of the bus to get better pictures, risking frostbite to my extremities. I couldn't feel my legs by the end of the tour, but it was worth it to get to see more of this entirely beautiful city. It is truly amazing to think that the city of Glasgow was first lived in during the 6th century A.D. Considering that's nearly 13 centuries more than our country was even settled, I was hugely impressed. Very little of the original architecture still remains, though there are still some buildings from the Victorian and Georgian Eras that are still in relatively good shape considering their age. However, they are not all being used for their original purpose anymore. For example, the building above was once a Catholic cathedral, but is now used as a restaurant. Kinda cool, if you think about it.

After the tour dropped me off relatively close to my hostel, I popped by a shop to get a slightly larger bag (on wheels!!) to make my life a little easier for the trip back to Dublin. Exhausted and unable to feel my legs, I walked back to the hostel, greeted Sheffield and the guys at the Reception desk, and headed up to my room to write this post. If you guys want to see more photos of my trip into Glasgow, check out my Facebook profile (www.facebook.com/hopelesswanderer). As always, if you have any questions, leave them in a comment below.

Best,
Brooke

Hatters and Hares

2012-02-06T08:59:00.000-05:00

As the title implies, the last two weeks have been MAD!!! Crazy, that is. The International Society and classes have had us poor exhange students running ourselves what feels like all over Ireland. And there may be some truth to that. We've had signups for trips around the country, signups for clubs, signups for classes and tutorials, and signups for other signups. Well, that last part may be exaggerated, but not by much. The preparation has paid off, however, as we have begun to take trips with our respective clubs and societies.

Yeah, the cliff behind the guy in red.

For example, yesterday was the Outdoor Pursuits Club's journey to The Burren for rock climbing. Being on this trip, I was expecting to make a fool of myself by not being able to make it the whole way up the cliffside. Just to give you an idea, here's a look at the cliff they wanted us to scale.

However, because the rocks were too wet to climb (because this is Ireland and it's always freaking raining), they decided that it was not safe for us poor beginners to attempt to climb this cliff. My thighs and my dignity thanked them.

Instead, we took a hike of the area, a set of cliffs that overlook the Atlantic Ocean called the Burren. While some climbing was involved, it was more like this >>
than the whole fall-to-your-death thing they had planned. Which was also a relief. Overall, we all had a great time slipping on rocks and risking our lives just to get a peep at where the ocean hits the bottom of the cliff. Really, it was a beautiful experience and one I will likely never forget. Because of strong headwinds, the guides had to keep telling us to back up. Actually, the way they phrased it was "We're not fishing Americans out of the ocean today, guys! The water is too cold." -_-

Having more balls than brains, I risked my life to get the perfect picture to summarize how beautiful this experience really was. The Atlantic really is prettier on this side of the pond. The sound of the water hitting the rocks was especially soothing. Particularily since it was like 10 o'clock on a Sunday morning after a Saturday spent out with friends at the bar. One of my new German friends, Thomas, took a picture of me on the edge, but hasn't sent it to me yet. I'll include it on the next post so that you can all applaud me for my bravery. XD

Since we were so unfortunate as to not be able to rock climb at the Burren, the guides decided that we could spend the rest of our day relaxing at the beach. Lahinch Beach in County Clare was the next stop on our fantastic Sunday voyage. However, it didn't really feel like a beach (probably because it was so freaking cold). But we took a walk on the sand and enjoyed each other's company. We picked up shells and skipped rocks as we walked along the shore until we reached a bridge at the end of the beach. As we waited for stragglers, one of the senior members found a balloon in her pack and balloon rugby was founded.
I didn't get any good pictures of some of the fantastic tackles that went on. Suffice to say, more than one person went home with sand in their shorts. Sadly, the balloon did not make it home, as it was tragically killed in the first play of the game. Its remains, however, were passed from one member of the OPC to another for several minutes after its demise. Once all of the stragglers were accounted for and we did a buddy check like good little fifth graders, we all stood by patiently for a group shot before heading back to the other end of the beach, where the town starts and the pub beckoned.

However, because some of the members are completely crazy (like the Thomas I mentioned before) they thought it would be a fantastic idea to strip to their underwear and go for a nice swim in the ice cold ocean. Did I mention that it was 9 degrees Celsius outside? That's about 48 degrees Farenheit. Not nearly warm enough for sane people to go swimming, but as I said before, the first few weeks drove us crazy. Or at least that's my excuse. Once they were done being crazy and were dressed again, we headed back to the bus for our dry clothing and went out to the pub to watch the Ireland v. Wales rugby game, which was lost in the last minute due to a penalty on Ireland's part. It was not a fun bus ride home. XD

Even though it was cold and exhausting, I still had a fantastic time on my first look of Ireland outside of Limerick and UL. And I still had enough energy to finish out the night at the bar with a couple of friends, so all was great. Hope you all had as nice of a weekend as I did, and hope your week promises to be a fantastic as mine. I'm leaving for Scotland on Thursday, so there will most definitely be a new post by Saturday at the latest.

As always,
Brooke

Bus Trip

2012-01-20T14:33:00.000-05:00

AHHHHHH!!!!!

I rode in a double decker bus for the very first time today!!! Of course, it was freezing, but I risked a little bit of frostbite in the name of getting better pictures. The things I do for aesthetics....oh well.

The school paid for the entirety of the International students at University of Limerick to all go on this massive tour bus and take a tour of some of the historical places in Limerick. So cool. The pictures I took are all above this post. Yes, right there ^. If you can't see them very well, you can make them bigger at my flickr account on www.flickr.com/photos/WalktheNight. The architecture is absolutely gorgeous, and it's amazing to think that most of these buildings are older than my country. -_-

But anyway. While the buildings are really cool, it's the history behind them that is truly amazing. One building directly beside the army barracks still had bullet holes from where they fired on the soldiers who had holed up in the barracks next door. Truly one of the coolest things I have ever seen.

Tonight, we foreigners have a "Speed Dating" style event hosted by the International Society of the school that will allow us to meet a bunch of the other international students and maybe make some friends while we're here. That's actually where I'm off to right now, so I'll try to update tomorrow with some new pictures and a tale of how that went.

As always, if you have any comments, questions, concerns or witty commentary, let me know!

Best,
Brooke

Well, I'm here

2012-01-18T10:10:00.000-05:00

God, I am horrible at updating this thing. So much has happened since I last posted. I am now officially in Ireland (Cue applause and fireworks). Trust me, it was not an easy task to get here. Packing is a hassle, the plane ride is tedious, and your luggage gets really heavy really fast. But I'm here and settled in, and that's what really matters.

Packing wise, I tried to keep it as simple as possible. For anyone who is thinking about studying abroad, I recommend checking the internet for the voltages of the outlets in whatever country you are planning to visit, then purchase an appropriate adapter. Most modern charging cords come with a step-down converter box already attached, and you can read the label on the box to find if it is compatible with their voltage. Personally, I found mine on Amazon.com for like 3.00$ and it has worked like a charm thus far. Word to the wise, however. It is not recommended that you plug high output devices like hair driers or straighteners into the adapters, as most will fry either the device, the adapter or both. And no one needs that kind of stress or expense when they are far from home.

Also, make sure that you have at least enough pocket money in the currency of the country you are staying in to get drinks, groceries, and possibly a cell phone of the home country. All and all, the cell phone and prepaid minutes cost me about 70 euros, a few necessary items like milk, cereal and toiletries were about 25 euro, and the drinks cost about 1.50 euro. It is also a good idea to have extra money for bus rides and souveniers in the airport gift shops. I had about 150 US dollars on me, and that got me through until I could get some more money from my paycheck.

Ireland itself is completely gorgeous, with breaktaking views from the airplane and beautiful, plush green grass even in January. It's cliche, but it is just so green here! Some of the buildings look really old world, while most of the ones on campus are really modern. Something that really shocked me on the bus ride here was that there were actual, legitimate CASTLES on the side of the road. That is just something that you don't see in the United States. Well, unless you're taking a run through Central Park in New York City. But that's not the point. Check out some of the pictures I'll attach to this post to show you just how beautiful everything is.

From here on out, I vow to update you on the classes I'm taking, how I'm coping with the accent, as well as adding some more of the pictures that I will be taking in copious amounts from the campus, the trips I take, and some of the friends I make along the way. After all, you can't be an American in a foreign country without being willing to take risks, both in the process of getting here and with trying to keep yourself from being lonely. Honestly, I don't know where I would be if I wouldn't have been accepted to on-campus housing, because I have already had the opportunity to meet some wonderful people and I even have two or three locals who stay in the same house with me! I'll probably also put up some pictures of any crazy antics we get up to.

As always, let me know if you have any advice, questions, or comments for me!

Brooke

P.S. Here are those pictures I was talking about!

Building on Campus

River by Thommond Village

University Club

View of University Club from Bridge

Cobblestone Streets!!!!

Bridge (There are Swans, but You Can't See Them)

View from My Dorm Window

Another Building on Campus

Starting to Sink In

2011-11-21T23:57:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been a while since I've updated you all on my journey to studying abroad. I've officially gotten my acceptance letter to the University of Limerick in Ireland and have begun my preparations to travel overseas. I took care of my passport last Wednesday. I'm hoping that it will be in my hands by the end of December.

After I recieved my acceptance letter, I immediately began trying to find scholarships to help with the cost of airfare, housing and tuition. The financial aid department at my school was able to offer me a scholarship for $1,400 to help ease my burden. This really helped out a lot, because my airfare alone was almost $800. I've been having a hard time trying to wrap my head around all of the various expenses related to studying abroad, and I still am not sure how it will work out. I'm sure it will though.

I get more scared every day. I'm apprehensive as to how this is going to work itself out. I've never been this far away from home with no parental support to guide me. That's the scary part. I'm excited to actually experience the country and the education. It's more expensive than I thought it would be initally, but I guess that's to be expected.

What's ahead of me is just securing a place to live and money to eat over there. I guess I'll have to go through my study abroad coordinator to answer the questions I have. I guess I'll have to just roll with the punches, as cliche as it sounds. Good thing I bouncce back well. It's been proven.

If anyone else is going through this process and either has questions or advice for me, I'd love to hear from you. Well, next time, I'll try to update everyone (the one person who actually reads this) on any extra paperwork I have to fill out. Eventually I'll put up my packing list. And once I'm there for a little while, I'm gonna post some things every American student should know about studying abroad in the United Kingdom. Who knows? I may even write a memoir of my experiences....

Yeah, right. I can barely update this blog on a consistent basis.

As always,
Brooke

I'm Back....

2011-09-21T11:56:00.000-04:00

I have been ridiculously busy trying to find a routine lately that balances school, work and sleep. Ah, college. My semester started on the 29th of August and I have been in a fog ever since. So its not surprising that my blog kind of fell to the wayside. If this were a print journal, it would have already been stuffed in the back corner of my closet, gathering a fine layer of dust. But I'm bringing it out, dusting it off and writing a little bit more in its pages.

Well, my application for studying abroad is officially complete, with a clean bill of health from the doctor after a day of being poked, prodded and bloodied. So now, I'm handing in the paperwork tomorrow, as the letter of reference from my English professor has been successfully received by my study abroad coordinator. It's beginning to seem more real and entirely possible. Life is beginning to fall into place, and it feels really good.

Once the application has been submitted to the university, all I can do is wait to hear a response. If I don't get in, I'm really going to be devastated. But it's probably best to leave the pessimism off until I actually hear from the college.

As for work, we're starting to slow down quite a bit after a ridiculously long spree of high-selling days. However, this lag also means that hours are being cut, so I'm going to have to find a new way to occupy my time. Anyone else up for square-dancing lessons?

Just kidding.
Brooke

Gleek It Out

2011-08-25T16:13:00.001-04:00

So, yesterday was my youngest sister's 14th birthday. Not really a big one, but I don't spend a whole lot of time with her, so I decided to do something special for her birthday. She's been aching to go see the Glee 3D Concert Movie since it came out in theaters, and I was just as anxious to go see it, so I thought it would be a good idea for us to spend some quality time together. Glee is one of the only things that we have in common, as she is more of a social butterfly where I am a book-smart nerd.

Despite our differences, Glee has brought us together, if only for an hour sitting in front of the television. The reason that I love Glee is because it teaches you that you have to accept and love who you are, no matter what you look like, who you love, or what you believe. It's one of the few shows out there that will tell you that you're beautiful, no matter how society looks at you. (She watches it for the hot guys, but who doesn't? lol)

So even if you're not a Gleek like me, I think that you should at least give it a chance, because it may change the way that you look at yourself, give you some more self-confidence. That's why I love being a Gleek. What's your reason? Gleek it out, everybody, cuz in the words of Lady Gaga, you were born this way, baby.

I've Been Working on the....Pizza Oven?

2011-08-18T14:12:00.002-04:00

I've neglected to post any new entries lately, mainly due to the fact that I started work on Tuesday and have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off ever since. I'm officially a hostess and delivery driver for Pizza Plus (hold applause and confetti cannons, please). The job itself is really great. I get to be busy all of the time, which makes the hours go really fast. People will also usually leave a nice tip if you make sure to always be available for requests or refills, so I've made a nice chunk of change in the last two days. I also get paid per delivery on top of my hourly wage, so overall my fast food service job could be a whole lot worse. Anyone who knows me understands that I reasonably hate working at a fast food restaurant. I served my practically mandatory sentence at Wendy's while I was a junior in high school, and it was one of the most disgusting periods of my life. Not only did I come home smelling like grease and onions, my skin was always breaking out and the customers were among some of the most rude people I have ever come across. However, I don't really consider Pizza Plus (which is kind of like a Pizza Hut in Tennessee for all you Ephratians) to be fast food, because it has a salad bar and buffet. Not to mention no malodorous smell.

But anyway, that's why I have neglected my responsibilities lately, both at home (my laundry pile is practically a mountain) and on this blog.

On a more task-oriented note, I still have to write an essay for the application to the University of Limerick and take it into the ETSU office in Johnson City. I have no gas or gas money so far, which make this a difficult proposition. I guess I'll just have to take it in when I go to hand in the first of my payment plan installments. Which is also another thing I'll have to come up with money for in the month between now and when I get my first paycheck. Lovely.

As always,
TTFN or Ta-Ta for now!

Super Cute

2011-08-13T00:21:00.000-04:00

My parents both fell asleep while watching TV on the couch, and they are now snoring in unison. I think it is adorable, but my version of cute differs from that of most people. My mom keeps kicking me, but otherwise it is really cute.

Well, my interview today went pretty well. It was actually pretty well, though it was my first time participating in a group interview. Basically, the interviewer sat down with us in their back room and asked us several questions, giving us each an opportunity to answer each question before moving on to the next one. After the Q and A portion, we were asked to look at a few of the displays in the store and write down what, if applicable, was wrong with the displays. We were then asked to pick out an outfit for a specific client. Mine was a 30 year old woman who was taking her infant daughter and 8 year old son to get pictures taken and needed clothing. I think I picked out a couple of cute outfits for each child and responded well to the questions, but I won't know for sure until next Thursday how it went.

The hiring manager said that he was going to hire one or two people out of our group of 5, so I'm crossing my fingers. I pretty much have a 50/50 chance, as one of the applicants showed up 15 minutes late for the interview. As anyone who has ever had an interview knows, this is a bigggg no-no. Being on time can often be considered to be late at some companies. The other three girls were about as equally qualified as me, so I'm not surehow I stack up. I had a good feeling, but I can't base anything on that.

In other news, I accepted the first job I was offered. I was supposed to go in to do paperwork tonight, but I went to go see my sister's dance recital and it kind of evolved into a minor family emergency. I didn't have any cell phone signal where I was, so I couldn't call in. I just hope the manager there understands. I'm sure she will, but it doesn't exactly look good on my part.

Poop. This stinks. Hope everything goes well tomorrow.
TTFN and Ta-Ta for Now

It Just Gets Better

2011-08-11T22:25:00.000-04:00

And hopefully, it stays that way. I got called for an interview at 5:00 today, and was asked to come to the place in 20 minutes. A little soon, I know, but it was just down the street, so it was all right. I got offered the job (on one hand, YAY!!!) but I still have the interview tomorrow. Whether or not I take the job I was offered will all depend on how tomorrow's interview goes. I would rather have that job, but I'll take whatever I can get. At least I know that I have a job guaranteed, regardless of how tomorrow goes. And that has taken a little bit of weight off of my shoulders. Now I just have to gird my loins and prepare to rock the interview tomorrow. On the bright side, I have never been to an interview where I didn't get the job. Most of the time, a manager for an entry-level position knows whether or not he/she is going to hire you right as you walk through the door. To improve my chances, I'm just going to look as nice as possible and bring my bubbly personality (Don't you dare laugh!) to the table to make sure that the hiring manager knows that I am the best person for the job.

On a somewhat related note that I'm really not going to go into, MEN!!! Listen up. Worship the ground that your girl walks on. She goes through a lot to make sure that she is beautiful for you. Case in point, waxing. It is incredibly painful, even when it is only on your face and not your nether bits. Don't even get me started on that. If you don't believe me on how painful waxing is, have your girl wax you. Arms, legs, eyebrows, it doesn't matter. Just know that she goes through quite a bit of suffering to make sure that she is hair free in all the right places.

Okay, that was awkward. I'm just going to leave it at that.

TTFN and Ta-Ta for Now, Kiddies. My week is looking so much brighter.

Finally

2011-08-10T19:23:00.001-04:00

Good news!!! I finally, after almost two months of putting in 5 applications every single night, got called for a job interview on Friday at 3:00. Now, I'm not totally getting my hopes up, because this in no way means that I have the job. However, my track record is pretty good. So far, I've gotten every job that I've been called into an interview for. Granted, these are entry-level positions, but we've all got to start somewhere, right? I'll just have to continue using my magnetic personality to snag this job! I really need it, especially with yet another problem with my car showing itself. My serpentine belt is slipping. Not an immediate concern, but it should be taken care of ASAP to avoid a costly repair bill.

I'm kind of getting tired of spending so much money on a car in so short a period of time. Of course, it is not NEARLY as bad as my sister's car, but still. Anyone else have a lemon that's cost them more money than they've spent on the car itself?

But enough of my complaining, I really am excited that things are starting to look up. Maybe this means that my streak of bad luck is finally over? Hopefully? Knock on wood for me. I know I will be until they call me back and tell me I have a job.

I am so avoiding black cats and broken mirrors.

Still Shaking

2011-08-09T16:14:00.001-04:00

My car, that is. Not me. Though I have still been doing a little of the finger-shake routine myself. I'm a little sore in my neck from whiplash and in my hips from only-God-knows what. My real problem is my car. And its a minor problem at that. Both my fenders have been popped off just a little bit on the driver's side, but that can easily be fixed with a little epoxy. My real issue is the fact that my car is shaking like a preteen girl at her first make-out party. Thankfully, it only gets really bad if I go over 85 mph, which isn't something I need to do very often. So the issue is not an immediate safety concern, but still needs to be taken care of. I know that the subframe is bent from an accident that the previous owner had, but I'm not sure what I damaged in my little accident yesterday. If anyone happens to know what may be causing my own personal earthquake, please let me know so I can tell the body shop when I get the ungodly amount of money it is probably going to cost to fix it.

On a lighter note, I met with my academic adviser about the classes I am going to take while studying abroad in Ireland. Well, at least the ones with a distinctly English subject. My recommendation to anyone also planning on studying aboard? Get your paperwork done early in case there is some problem you need to run the whole way across campus or back home for. For example, I need to print out a course description of one of the history classes I am going to take, and the chairman of the history department was leaving about 5 minutes after I walked into his office. So I have to run the extra 40 miles each way back into Johnson City sometime later this week to get his signature for that class and several others. Luckily, I still have three weeks before the application for the University is due. Otherwise, I would really be up Sewer Creek with only my hands to propel me.

At least my car insurance is paid off for the month....
TTFN and ta-ta for now, everybody!

Ouch....

2011-08-08T19:56:00.000-04:00

Well, so much for better news today. I was taking my sister to cheerleading practice in Church Hill when I slid off the road and into a ditch. It popped both of my driver's side tires and may have wrecked my steering. Even worse, we were in a cellular dead zone. Thankfully, at least 20 people stopped to see if I was alright and if I needed help. Two men helped me put on the spare and pump air into the one tire that wasn't completely punctured. Both men are my heroes today and have temporarily restored my faith in humanity. I haven't driven the car since Walmart replaced one of the tires, but my dad is saying that it's having problems going over 55 mph. It's always vibrated, since I bought it after it had been repaired after an accident, but never so bad that I worried about flying off of the road. And now I'm concerned, because school starts in three weeks and I don't have a job or the money to pay for the repairs. And my credit card is now maxed out. And I'm really freaking out that my insurance payment is due tomorrow. I have to go into Johnson City tomorrow at 2 for my meeting with my academic adviser, and I'm not sure that I want to push my car that hard.

Essentially, I'm really upset. Not to mention the fact that my hips are currently on fire and I think I may have done something to them in the accident. My week just can't get any worse if it tried. Hopefully bad thing really do come in threes, because I don't think I can handle much more bad news. Someone wanna try to cheer me up? I'd be really grateful.

Currently on bed rest and hoping that I didn't seriously hurt myself or my sister.
TTFN and ta-ta for now

Disappointment and Harsh Realities

2011-08-07T14:34:00.000-04:00

Hey anyone,

I was officially given my pink slip from Demand Studios today as the result of a massive layoff operation. After almost a year and 400 articles, apparently my work was not good enough to meet their standards. Whatever. As anyone who has been fired form a job will know, it's not so much the company you miss as the income. I could take or leave the company, especially after the disrespect they have shown for their employees in the last week. However, this means that I'm currently looking for a job in this screwed-up economy, and my hopes for finding a job are not exactly high. My car insurance payment is due on Tuesday, and I'm about 20$ short. My mom is willing to hire me on for two weeks, but if I haven't found a job by the end of my time with her, I'm still without a means of paying off student loans, cell phone payments, or saving for my study abroad trip. So, essentially, I'm screwed. Royally.

Anyone know of any job openings in the Johnson City/Greeneville area of Tennessee? If so, please PLEASE let me know about them. At this point, I'm desperate.

On to more interesting news, I'm going into Johnson City tomorrow to meet with my adviser to set up my schedule for my semester in Ireland. I also have to meet with financial aid to fill out scholarship information and to set up a payment plan for this semester. I am up to my elbows in paperwork right now, but it will all be worth it when I set foot on Irish soil. At least, I hope it will all be worth it.

Happier news tomorrow (I hope).

Introduction

2011-08-06T00:29:00.000-04:00

Hey. Anyone reading this? Didn't think so. So I'm going to talk to myself and see if it helps "relieve stress" and all that crap psychologists spout. I'm 19 years old, attending college at East Tennessee State University for a degree in English and Communications. I work as a freelance writer for Demand Studios Media...for now. Just found out that I may be losing my job fairly soon, and I'm trying to figure out why everything has to hit me at one time. But I guess everyone has that problem.

I'm attempting to study abroad in Ireland next semester. I'm trying to get some scholarships to be able to pay for the trip and the fact that I'm losing my job really doesn't help that. Getting a job is really hard down here in Tennessee, so I hope that I'm not a part of the culling process. But I'm getting off topic. The whole point of this is to talk about my study abroad trip. I'm going to catalog my application process, my packing lists, and anything else I can think of. Hopefully, I'll get into the University of Limerick (where I'm applying) and will later catalog my adventures in Europe. I'll try to give advice as I go for anyone else who is studying abroad to smooth over any problems they may have.

Well, it's getting kind of late, and my bed is beckoning. Leave me a message below if you actually are reading this, have any questions, or just want to reach out and try to smooth any of the problems I may have with my studying abroad process. I would love any kind of help, and I'm not too proud to beg.

TTFN and Ta-Ta for Now