(Final)ly coming to a close.

To be blunt, I have fallen in love with Ireland. I have spent my last few days in Dublin wandering the city streets by myself, with my ipod picking up last minute gifts for people back home. I can honestly say I know Dublin pretty well, and when I was walking alone I felt content with my time spent here in Ireland. I think some of the best times are the ones when I'm alone. Not to say I don't need my friends, cause they have definitely been the center of my good times here in Dublin. But, when I walked alone across O'Connel bridge, over the Liffey River, through Trintiy College, up and down Grafton Street, through St. Steven's Green, or to the grocery store I was amazed with how comfortable I was with being my surroundings and I thought about the past four months here. I loved having time to think about where I was this semester and how lucky I was to be able to just walk around the streets of Dublin by myself.

As I sit here, procrastinating a necessary study session for my Political Sociology exam tomorrow, I can't help but let my mind wander off and reflect on everything that I have done, and that has happened to me over the past four months. I have made incredible friends, I have seen incredible places, I have become more independent than I ever thought was possible, I learned how to actually cook a meal, all while attempting to do well in a school system that is about as organized as my room on a good day. I won't forget stepping off the plane for the first time, to a downpour without an umbrella wondering why in my right mind would I choose to come study in a place like this. But as the days went on, the skies cleared, and even when they didn't, I realized the beauty of this island, and have come to terms with its most times unfavorable weather. I have seen the better side of bad situations, not just with the weather, and have learned to cope with more homesickness than I ever thought was humanly possible for me to feel. But besides the weather and homesickness, I have learned valuable lessons about being on my own. I have learned how to navigate a city, and felt confident and excited when I could finally tell someone how to get to a specific street or tourist attraction. I have come to find this city as my home, and as much as I don't like the school I attended, Dublin has had a profound impact on my life. Coming from a suburban town, where I am privileged enough to have a car to get me from place to place, it was humbling to rely on actual public transportation, and not even have the option of driving (also, I may have crashed if I did drive anyways) no matter how unreliable the bus system is here. I have eliminated all doubts in my mind that I could not survive on my own, with my dreams firmly set in place that I do want to live in a city after graduation. It has been a complete change in scenery, from Ridgefield to UConn, placed firmly in a suburban area with no real diversity in either. And while there isn't much more diversity here in Ireland, I have learned how to interact with new people and even understand what different dialects are and the slangs that come with each part of the country.

To say that I am Irish is something I would be criticized for here. I have always thought of myself as Irish back home, but upon coming here I find that I am not Irish at all, and saying that to someone from Dublin is borderline offensive. I don't think that I reject the idea of being Irish all together, but upon talking to tons of people I realize that I was never Irish, but only American. I find my ancestry fascinating, yet after studying here for months, I don't find I identify to it quite the same as I did before. I think, if anything, this semester has taught me more about who I am than anything I've learned at University College Dublin. The knowledge I've gained is personal rather than textual and more influential on my life than any book or lecture could ever be. I have become cultured with other people's beliefs and cultures, even trying to assimilate with the use of languages when I've traveled from place to place (4 years of Spanish was not much help in Spain). Not to say I've changed completely, but I feel much more comfortable in my own skin, and realize I can always be accepted for who I am not for what someone wants me to become.

The privileges I have had go far beyond studying in a different country. I have been places I never dreamed I'd ever get to go to. To say that I've been two four different countries in Europe is more than I can say for most of the people I know. I will never forget the trips I've taken with my friends over here. I have explored countries on my own, created itineraries, even correctly read a map - which is something I have epically failed at due to the invention of MapQuest - and successfully executed the planning of three trips since being here. I have become much more organized and appreciative of what I have. I know that each day is a blessing, and though it may not be a great day, it is a day in Ireland that I won't get back. I've learned to live to the fullest, with proof being my bank account is relatively empty, but I have no regrets.

I will never forget the trips I have taken. I won't forget the memories from every single day I've been here. I won't forget the scenery of Ireland, and its gorgeous hills, green parks, and infinite number of castles. I won't forget still being ecstatic to see another church despite seeing about three or four the day before on any of my trips. I won't forget my new found appreciation for architecture, and the beauty of intricacy that lies in every church, castle, or building I have visited. I won't forget the friends I've made here, as we have gotten closer everyday and I'm truly blessed to have met people I get along with so well. I won't ever forget my apartment, and the daily mishaps that seem to occur while living there. I won't forget every single pub I went to, and how many euros I spent paying for a cover charge to get into a club. I won't forget my first Guinness, and how it was revolting, but embodied the Irish culture. I won't forget how I've become so much more thankful for my belongings, family and friends, and how much I actually missed them compared to how much I didn't think I would. I won't forget successfully cooking my first Thanksgiving away from home. I won't forget the euro to dollar conversion rate, that has completely been the pitfall of my bank account. I won't forget Dublin on a sunny day, or a rainy day. I won't forget the loss of three umbrellas due to the gale force winds outside. I won't forget kissing the Blarney stone. I won't forget seeing the Eiffel Tower light up and sparkle at 7pm in Paris. I won't forget standing on the edge of the Cliffs of Moher and being speechless. I won't forget sitting on the beach in Barcelona, in mid-October, in shorts. I won't forget the Colosseum in Rome, the never ending 463 steps to the top of the Duomo in Florence, or the beaches and canal in Venice. I won't forget the views of any scenery, and how pictures don't do them justice. I won't forget the sunsets I've seen in every country I've been to.

Like I said before, I have no regrets. This semester has honestly been one of the best in my life. I didn't necessarily spend all my time studying, but I think being over here, I embodied the Irish lifestyle and didn't take a single day for granted. As excited as I am to come home, I can't even describe how much I will miss this place. It has come to be a second home to me. I am eternally grateful that my parents were willing to give me the opportunity to come abroad. I have been completely humbled by Ireland, Paris, Barcelona, Venice, Florence and Rome. The time I have spent in each of these places has transformed my views on material objects and technology. I had some of the best times virtually cut off from all technology, and has made me re-assess my need for a computer, television and especially cell phone with me at all times. Not to say I'm totally willing to give those things up, but I just know I can live without them and still enjoy my time. I have been hesitant to write this last entry because it means that this chapter in my life is finally closing. So with that said, I'd like to just thank my parents for giving me this opportunity. My friends I've made here, for putting up with my sarcasm and pessimism. My friends at home, for reassuring me that I wasn't missed too much and my return is just as exciting for you guys as it is for me. My grandparents, for being utterly and completely supportive of my travels, blogs and endeavors since I've been here. I will see you all soon, I love you all and thanks for following the most fantastic experience I've had to date.

Love,
Meg

Venice : Not for people who cannot swim.

From Florence to Venice, it takes about three hours by train. We got up early and took the 8:30am train to Venice and arrived ahead of schedule around 11am. We had gathered that there wasn't much to see in Venice, other than the grand canal, so we decided it was going to be a lazy kind of just walk around day and see what we could. We paid for a 24 bus pass (which actually their busses are boats) that would give us unlimited rides around the city. We first walked through a meat, fish, and fruit market then passed through some merchant booths selling miscellaneous toys, gifts and other essentials anyone would need to bring home as a souvenir. Venice is famous for its hand-blown glass, so there were tons of booth dedicated to glass sculptures and projects specifically made by glass-blowers in Venice. We emerged out of the market mayhem and crossed over a beautiful white bridge that overlooked the Grand Canal. Underneath us, a gondolier passed with a husband and wife, telling them some history of the city built on water.




We hopped on a water taxi, or the city boats and we took a tour from one end of the river to another. It was a gorgeous day out, about 55 degrees and sunny, so we took the opportunity to sit up front on the boats so we were able to see all the buildings better. The entire city was so cool to me, it amazed me how they build all these houses, museums, and churches on water. The doors literally came right up to the waters edge, and instead of a sidewalk to your door, you had a dock. I also found out that Venice is sinking, with the water rising about one centimeter per year. It made me sad to think of a place as beautiful and calming as this could soon disappear underwater. The river is gorgeous, and with a no-wake policy we got to pass by gondolas (a ride costs 60-80 euro, no thanks!) and people in their own privately owned boats. People were overall friendly to us, except the elderly, who seemed to have a superiority complex against us foreigners not knowing how to work the public transportation system.




After the ride from the start of one boat line to the end, we hopped on another one after lunch and headed over to a beautiful beach town called Lido. After locating the whereabouts of the elusive gorgeous beach, we walked the width of the small island and found ourselves in boots walking along the sandy coast of a Venice island. We had come around 4pm, so the sun was starting to set, painting a picturesque memory instilled in my mind forever. The suns colors seemed unusually bright, and for some reason I could actually distinguish the difference between each fading color in the sunset. Looking back, I think this is one of the only times I've seen the sun set that I can remember. We strolled along the beach, collecting shells and snapping a countless number of pictures showing the sunset and the water. I couldn't get over how beautiful it was. The beach scene ended with my friend Sarah aptly carving "Dublin 2009" into the sandy shore and us taking a picture with it. As the words washed away we walked off the beach, completely content with our entirely successful and relaxing trip to Italy.





For my first time in Europe in my life, I have to say I am blown away with the entire continents beauty. Each place, regardless of the country was more interesting than the next. I am completely blessed to have had this time and opportunity most importantly to explore a few countries I've always wanted to visit. I hope sometime soon I can come back and see more of the countries and places on my 'to-do' list, but I assume that will be on my dime, and not my parents. Italy was a blast, and with just the four of us girls, it was a perfect, stress free way to wrap up a completely unforgettable semester.

Friends in Firenze!

After Rome, we had an early train to Florence the next morning. We only had one day, so we immediately got some lunch and headed out to see the sights. It was unfortunately raining, so we didn't get to do as much as we had hoped, but we got two main attractions down. First off, we went to see the David statue by Michaelangelo. This statue is modeled after David and Goliath, and is extremely famous, and to be honest, I don't know why. We paid ten euro, to see a thirty foot statue of a naked dude with a sash. I mean yes, the craftsmanship is fantastic and extremely detailed. But I could have spared the ten euro, and seen the decoy and recreated one in a piazza not far away, and not even known the difference. Regardless I tried to make the ten euro ticket worth my while, so I strolled around the museum seeing a lot of Roman 'busts' and a moderately entertaining photography exhibit at the end of the museum.

After the museum, we opened our umbrellas and made our way over to the Duomo, a famous church. I swear, I have seen more churches than people since being here, yet I still find the need to go inside each one and take a picture of the altars and mosaic work. I think it some how makes me justify the fact that there are so many, so at least if I have pictures, I can differentiate between them when I am asked. I don't know? Anyways, we saw it, and it's gawky, tacky, and kind of ugly. On the outside, it's white with green, red, and other various colored boxes painted on the outside, extremely hard to miss. But on the inside, it's calm, and the only architectural echo is in the floor tiles, which match the colored panels of the exterior. We were told to climb to the top of the bell tower, to get a complete view of Florence. It is 463 steps exactly. I thought it was no big deal. I thought wrong. It literally took us about half an hour to climb the never ending staircase to the balcony of death. Just when we thought the stairs were done, it was just a small platform to another staircase until finally we had reached the precipice of an insane amount of stairs I never want to climb again. We climbed up a steep ladder and out on to a platform balcony caged in by railings, and the view of the entire city was upon me. I could see the Tuscan hills, and basically every house in the city. It was gorgeous. Even on a cloudy, misting day like it was, I could see the beauty of the rustic red rooftops and the contrast to the green Tuscan hills in the distance. I was at peace with the amount of stairs I just hiked to get this view and realized the eight euro was totally worth it.




Florence was gorgeous, and had weather permitted we could have seen a lot more. We had to travel by foot, and I was cranky due to the weather and our early train ride, so we all decided it was enough for the day. We went back to our hotel and talked with some Italian men, who spoke broken english. It was fun to try and decipher the language barrier between us and them, and we even learned some new italian phrases. They were curious about American life, and asked if it really is like what's on television. I found it extremely fun listening to them talk to each other in Italian, with full knowledge of the fact that I had no idea what any of them were saying. I loved listening to the language and realize how beautiful it was compared to English. New goal, learn to speak Italian. CIAO.

When in Rome... Literally.

Over the course of this semester I have been truly blessed with the various opportunities to travel to different countries across Europe. With France and Spain under my belt, it felt fitting to complete my semester with a big trip spanning the magnificent country of Italy. I had planned for three big trips, with small ones planned around Ireland that would consume most of my weekends here. We planned to travel to Rome, Florence and Venice, spanning 5 days on our week off from classes before finals. The trip sprung up quickly after Thanksgiving passed and all of the sudden I was cramming as many outfits as I could into my small, rolly suitcase. Another 3am wakeup call and an extremely early trek to the airport landed us in Rome around 11 am, but not before waking up from my semi-napping state to see an amazing view of the Swiss Alps we passed over on our flight from Dublin.

After finding our hotel, we changed and ate a quick lunch before eagerly rushing off to see as many sites as we could in just a day and a half. Our first stop was the Ancient City ruins of Rome. There are only remnants of buildings and strong standing pillars that once held up large monumental buildings, leading the way to the stoic and mesmerizing Colosseum. After taking a look at what was once the greatest Empire of all time, we headed to our next stop, the Trevi Fountain. The fountain was awesome to see up close, and from what I had seen in pictures, I had pictured it quite differently than what I actually saw. In reality it is slammed in between buildings, in a small plaza. I had thought it would be in a wide open area, not surrounded by so many modern buildings. The plaza was extremely crowded with tourists, and with our group, four more were added. We were told by our hotel receptionist to throw coins in the fountain for wishes. One coin to return to Rome, two for love, three for divorce. Why anyone would throw three coins of any value to wish for a divorce is beyond my realm of thinking anyways, so I did the cliche, even amount of two, and wished for love.
(Pictured: ruins, throwing wishes, trevi fountain)




With four wishes made, we made our way over to the infamous Spanish Steps. We walked along a couple side streets until finally passing through a giant open plaza and seeing masses of people seated on the spacious stairs leading up to a church. This was the kind of openness and proper representation I thought the Trevi Fountain deserved. My friends and I found this place the perfect spot for a photo-op, and after sitting on the steps for a couple minutes resting our feet, we realized we had a time constraint of only a day and a half and pressed on to our final tourist destination of the night: the Pantheon. The Pantheon is free to the public, something I was ecstatic about seeing as I am completely flat broke. The large pillars that hold up the triangular roof leads the eyes to the big doors underneath the greek etchings in the forefront of the monument. It was dark at night, so the inside of the Pantheon illuminated a pathway of light through the columns and into the inside where the famous holed dome is. The inside is beautifully crafted, with such attention to detail it always makes me wonder how it was constructed in the time period it was, with such minimal materials and machines to do so. The dome, famous for its hole in the middle led me to wonder about when it rains. The pressure from the dome is so immense that when it rains, it actually repels the rain from coming in through the hole, and instead actually just mists inside. This is the one time I actually wanted it to be raining, because that entire concept was fascinating to me. The night ended with some gelato, to which I learned I appreciate the taste of real, American ice cream better, and we headed back to our hotel to sleep off the jet lag and get ready for the next morning.




After a good night's sleep, we woke up and were headed off to the famed Vatican City for a tour of St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. We took a bus and walked around the perimeter of Vatican City for what seemed to be forever, before finding the entrance through a myriad of pillars, into a gorgeous cobble stone courtyard. The courtyard is beautiful, with a fountain in the middle and tons of Greek-esque sculptures of probably really important people lining the tops of St. Peters Basilica's limb-like column supports. We walked into St. Peters Basilica and I was even more amazed at the detail in every aspect of this church. It seemed as though not one single inch of stone had been installed or created without some reference to something important or relevant to the time. Architecture simply amazes me with everything I see, because I realize and maybe not even grasp the amount of time it took for someone to build such a monumental building. Following the Basilica, we moved onto the Sistine Chapel. I have seen pictures, and I even snapped one illegally (photos were not allowed to be taken inside) but pictures don't do it justice. To fathom the amount of time, energy and strength that Michaelangeo had to have to hand paint this entire chapel is something I can't even imagine. I can't even finish a paint-by-numbers puzzle my dad gave me when I was six, let alone think about an entire chapel. The proportions of the people on the curved ceiling were phenomenal and I sat there for a good 10 minutes just observing the elegance of the entire mural, I was for once truly speechless.
PICTURED: The Vatican, The pillars, St. Peters Basilica, inside the Basilica, Sistine Chapel ceiling.





After the Vatican, we made our last stop at the Colosseum. There are people lining the streets dressed as Gladiators, willing to pose with you for pictures and a tip. I obliged, being a typical tourist. There was an entrance fee to the Colosseum, but it was totally worth it. I can't really imagine what it was like to see the amphitheater completely whole and new, but from the ruins I saw it was magnificent. Though there was complete barbarism ensuing on the ground level, the brilliance of the construction of this place was insane. We walked around the edge, snapping tons of pictures. You can't see the ground floor anymore, just the underneath where they kept the lions, and the gladiators who fought to their deaths for sport and cheers. It was crazy to even think that someone would put their life on the line just to be loved by the public, when in reality they didn't care if you died or not in the end. The ruins of the stadium gave a taste of what the empire used to be, and how powerful it was to install such a large place for sporting events, regardless of their place on anyone's moral compass. It was a great experience to see the sites, and be engulfed in the historical city of Rome, it's given me a new appreciation for ancient history, and actually inspired me to watch Gladiator upon my return to Dublin.





CIAO!

PS - I love you.

My friends from George Mason had been visiting this entire week and Friday was their last full day in Ireland before an early flight departing Saturday morning. I thought it would be fun to see the country side and some of the infamous spots used in films like PS-I love you. For 22 euro, we took a tour of the Wicklow Mountains and Glendalough National Park. We got picked up at 9:30 am and hopped on the bus. Our first stop was Wicklow Mountains. This is where the movie PS- I love you was filmed. We stopped first at Guinness Lake. It gets the name from the water being black and the white sand at it's edge, making it look like a pint of Guinness. Atop the hill it was extremely breezy and frigid. A quick photo-op and a gaze into the gorgeous scenery ensued. I felt guilty just taking a picture then getting back on the bus. The views were incredible and minus the wind it was a perfect day. I tried to muster up enough strength to stay outside in the bitter cold but the wind and chill got the best of me and I headed back to the bus.



Next we stopped at the bridge in PS- I love you where Gerard Butler meets a young Hilary Swank. Hoping we too would meet the Irish man of our dreams, we hopped off the bus anxiously to recreate the monumental minute in the film. The next stop was a mans house that was in a valley. It was a cute farm house that had a rushing waterfall leading down into some trees. We got a complimentary shot of whiskey at the stop, because well who doesn't want a shot at 12pm? It is places like these that make me want to seriously pick up and move out here after college. I can't get over the sheer beauty of this country, and each day I find something more I love about it.





After a pit stop for lunch we were headed to Glendalough National Park. The weather was getting iffy, with overcast skies quickly darkening and finally resulting in a short drizzle. Regardless we had two hours at this park. We started by walking through an old monastery, which was just ruins, completed with a cemetery and a church at the entrance. It was so windy and cold, but the aging gravestones were a good distraction. I find cemeteries peaceful. Slightly morbid, but I enjoyed reading through the names of these people who had an impact large enough to be buried in this special cemetery. The watch tower of the monastery is the second tallest in Ireland, built to watch for impeding attacks by the Vikings. The church, called Kevin's Church, was named after Saint Kevin and marks the entry to the monastery grounds.



After the monastery, we walked around the park for a couple hours. We saw the twin lakes located at the center of the valley. The park was beautiful, and even in the rain I managed to be completely at peace with the weather. It was humbling to be surrounded by such gorgeous natural forestry. The park had gorgeous waterfalls, so much greenery it made my eyes hurt and a large tree that took us about 25 minutes to scale and take a picture in. After a two hour jaunt around the park, we headed back to the bus and were back in Dublin by 5pm. The nature in this country is absolutely gorgeous. I'm not trying to be all nature child or anything, but it really makes me appreciate the beauty of naturally made structures like mountains and lakes.

Holi-daze.

This year is the first year I have not been present for Thanksgiving at home in my life. While abroad, my friends and I had been determined to do Thanksgiving justice with all of us not being able to be home for the holidays. Wednesday night shopping brought home a frozen turkey (7.99 euro) veggies, 2 bags of potatoes, asparagus, squash, and various dessert ingredients. I took my friends souvenir shopping early on Thursday morning, and promptly returned to campus around 12pm to help with the cooking. The turkey was frozen and needed to thaw out, so it was sitting in a bathtub full of cool water since 6am that morning. I went over prepared to help with cooking, not for what I had to endure. The turkey was almost thawed so we decided to get to work on stuffing it and baking it in order to eat at a reasonable hour. We pulled out the plastic bag with all it's guts in it and threw it away. After that was out the turkey still seemed like it needed more to come out so we could stuff it properly. The neck was in the way of that. I had to grab this poor dead turkey's neck and rip it out. It seems like an easy task, but it was utterly disgusting and completely daunting. The turkey was still partly frozen in the center so I had to use my sheer brute strength, and after a few tugs, the neck flew out and on to the kitchen floor. I screamed. Gross. After stuffing the turkey, we put it in the oven to cook for about 5 hours. Periodically I basted the sucker but mostly left it alone in order to help make the accompanying dishes. For dessert Sarah had made this delicious apple pie, as well as pumpkin pie. I contributed with some magic bars, which were amazing. The turkey finally came out of the oven around 6:45pm and it looked fantastic. I had the job of carving it. I have no personal carving experience, and have only witnessed how to cut one while watching my dad do it at my house. I tried as hard as possible to mimic the carving technique that I think my dad used. I got as much turkey off the bones and started passing the plate around. My pseudo family and I enjoyed Thanksgiving together. It went off without a hitch, and I couldn't have asked for a better holiday in a foreign country away from home. Now that I know I can cook and actually not burn and ruin things, I will possibly contribute some food and maybe even learn how to properly carve a turkey next year.