Hello!
I apologize for not writing in… wow, say almost three weeks? I’ve been much, much too distracted by life here in Ireland. Alright, to catch you up…
We recently returned from our first adventure in Ireland as we headed to Galway. It would be a lie not to admit a part of me was hoping to run into a “P.S I Love You”-esque scene involving a pub, a band, and an extremely attractive local singer to serenade me and call me his Galway girl. Alas (Spoiler Alert!!), this didn’t happen. We were lucky enough though to see the cliffs on Aran Island, which are apparently associated with the movie “Leap Year”. Yes, I know this is a movie themed blog but I can’t help that. We also went to the Aran Sweater shops which housed some of the nicest knitted items I have seen in quite some time (they put Tyler Whitney’s knitting skills to shame…sorry Tyler!). The cliffs were immense and generally convinced me that I was on the edge of the world and if I was in a boat, there is no doubt I would have fallen off after the horizon. This led me to seriously question the supposed “spherical earth” theories as presented by Columbus, other so called scientists, and possibly the entire population in the world today. Personally, I don’t buy it. As a side note to continue on our movie mantra, these cliffs also held an cave entrance that we’re pretty sure is the same one Harry Potter find’s Voldemort’s locket in. You know, just in case you wondering. In Galway, we found the origin of the Claddagh ring that has two hands holding a heart with a cross on it. This ring began its fame in a little shop and became a big symbol of Galway when it was presented to President Kennedy in 196something. Now it has become one of the most common purity rings and if the heart faces the ringbearer, it signifies that they are single. Conversely, if it faces away from them, then they are on the prowl. I’ve posted some pictures directly on this blog, but to see the rest just click here.
The latest development of Derry is definitely my dearest best friend Molly’s visit. She arrived on Wednesday and we proceeded to shove as much of Northern Ireland as we could into her short time here. This included shopping at the local Primark (big clothes & small prices), visiting Giant’s Causeway (the most beautiful rock formations that make you truly understand the appeal of Ireland), and of course, catching up with Emma (the foreign exchange student who came to Whitworth our freshman year and currently lives in Coleraine). I shipped Molly back to Maastricht sufficiently exhausted, but it was wonderful to see her and have the quick connection to home again. Her time here possibly just made me more homesick and also wish that other people I care about would come visit (aka Taylor, Casey, Jessica, Kayla, Caitlin, Tyler, Erica, etc.), but we were both ecstatic to so easily return to our old habits and best friend ways as if no time has passed.
On the school front, I look forward to four 10 page papers, two presentations, and another two 5 page papers all due within the next month, but hopefully it will come together somehow. Next week I will be traveling to Strasburg, France for an international conference to join students from all over Europe who will come together to discuss the environmental issues of today. We will see some big wig figures such as Dr. Ronald McMahan, Vincent Carter, and Isabel Hilton. The trip is scheduled from the 10-14th of March, so hopefully I’ll be able to regale you with some new stories from there. On a more terrifying note, I’ll soon be finding out if I have been chosen to intern for USAID. If I receive this internship, I’ll be abroad for the rest of the summer, but will also be learning some of the most relevant work experience to the job I’d someday like to hold. Please be praying for me friends!
Hope you all are safe and happy. You’re all always on my mind.
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- Postcard?
