Coming "Home": 09/09

They tried to warn me that returning to the States would be as difficult as leaving. However, I had no problems moving to Ireland and adjusting to life there. It was a blast! So just thinking it'd be a bit harder than that to adjust back didn't sound so scary. But now I'm here, alone, and it's like the last year of my life never happened.

After Ireland, I moved straight to Chicago, a city I have visited once before, for an internship with Greenpeace. My boyfriend moved there with me, and I knew no one other than him. So I spent the whole post-year-abroad time with very "non-typical," whale saving, protesting, don't mess with us Americans and my English boyfriend. Needless to say, it wasn't that hard to do.

But then Callum went back to England and I spent a week with my entire extended family and realized that they are a bit more of what I should've expected to find in the States. Unfortunately, all the negative qualities stood out and I simply could not handle going through the re-entry process yet so I resorted to my animalistic qualities: I couldn't fight, so I took flight– literally. I flew back to England to spend my last two weeks before my senior year there.

It was a blissful holiday but might've made what came next all the more difficult. I moved straight up to Minneapolis and started classes 3 days later. Again, I wasn't expecting to "go through a process" and I definitely wasn't expecting it to be hard. But then, here I was, with the exact same people in the exact same spot I was a mere 13 months ago, but a completely different person. My friends, of course, wanted to hear about my time abroad but I could tell after about 3 sentences they had tuned out. And it wasn't their fault– I was describing people they'd never met, places they'd never heard of, and experiences they'd never lived through. It was simply impossible to relate. It was strange to find, too, that most things hadn't changed, yet a lot had. It was hard to comprehend that life went on without me here– people had graduated, moved away, made new friends, changed majors, transferred, started new relationships and ended old ones. I thought I would be able to relate and reminisce with a few of my friends who had also studied abroad, but that wasn't really so. First, we all went to different destinations. And second, most of them only went for a semester, and then came back to Minneapolis straight away meaning they were gone for about 4 months, which is 9 months less than me. I can't even begin to describe how much of a difference that makes. I had this whole other life that is now gone and it's a scary feeling.

There were a few times that I just broke down, feeling completely frustrated, left out, and like I don't belong here. I had been gone for so long that it seems people forgot about me. Still, after nearly a month now, friends forget to call and invite me out. Again, it's not their fault. It is so so so hard to keep in touch with people you haven't seen in a year, especially during a time you have drastically different lives. I'd spend a weekend in Scotland, they'd spend it bar-hopping. It is just impossible to relate.

I also hoped to rely on my closest friend in Ireland, Roberta. She and I took most of our trips together and spent the entire year having similar experiences. There were two stark differences in our lives there, however: First, she's Canadian. And second, she really, really wanted to come home. The differences are obvious when it comes to our home countries. Of course we're going to have much different reactions upon returning. But the latter is really the one that matters. I miss Ireland, I miss my friends, I wanted to stay longer because it was simply the best year of my life. By January, Robbie didn't want to be there anymore for many reasons, and did actually go home for about 2 weeks. She repeatedly wished she'd only gone abroad for a semester and contemplated leaving early. So to talk about returning home with Robbie isn't what I emotionally need it to be. She's so happy to be back and maybe in 5/10 years will return to Derry and reminisce. I am reminiscing already.

But Callum is moving to Minneapolis today and that will be the best thing in the world. Someone will actually be here that knows me now, that knows what I went through and how I changed, that can relate to me. All being said and (definitely not) done, I am surprisingly appreciative that I spent the last month going through this process alone. It has helped and is still helping me figure out how to make sense of it all. And that's kind of the point, right?

Newcastle: 21/5 to 29/5

I stayed in Newcastle

Sweden: 4/5 to 10/5

we went to sweden

Things I really miss about NI: 8/1

1. My friends.
2. Having an accent.
3. Sainsbury's.
4. Cheap, local food.
5. Duncreggan.
6. The incredibly low stress levels.
7. Traveling.
8. EasyJet and RyanAir.
9. Chips and gravy!
10. Primark.
11. So. Green.
12. Sheep.

American Surprises; 7/1

So I've been back in the States for a few months and, just like everyone told me, coming back was a lot harder than leaving. Here's a few things I forgot about:

1. Our toilets use SO MUCH WATER!
2. Subway isn't $2.
3. Good supermarkets are hard to find.
4. Our license plates are silly.
5. CHEETOS!
6. People change clothes every day.
7. Dollar bills are incredibly small and all the same size.
8. People actually watch the news.
9. Satellite dishes provide an absurd amount of television channels.
10. Our coins sizes and colors just do not make sense.
11. Lots of people bike!
12. There is an unbelievable amount of chain stores and restaurants.
13. Twitter happened..?
14. Sweet foods are sweeter and portions are bigger.
15. Cheap stuff exists.
16. The overall sense of style is lacking, or maybe just a few years behind.
17. We have AWESOME Chinese food. At unbeatable prices. From people that don't speak English.
18. There's a lot of diversity here.
19. SPICY STUFF EXISTS! And, naturally, is delicious.

London: 25/4 to 27/4

I wouldn't have been happy to have lived in Ireland for 9 months and not have been to London. I've heard many mixed reactions to the city but was determined to go and find my own. With such a short stay, we tried to make full use of our time, going straight from the airport to a bike tour, again with Fat Tire. This tour wasn't as good as Barcelona since we didn't really cover that much of the city and had a massive group, but was still fun and we got really great ideas for what to do with the rest of our time. We saw Big Ben, Hyde Park, Westminster, Westminster Abbey, the Buckingham Palace, the Winston Churchill Museum, Number 10 Downing Street, the London Marathon, the Tower Bridge, London Bridge, and Trafalger Square. Fun fact about Big Ben: Big Ben isn't actually the name of the clock, it's the name of the biggest bell in the clock tower. I know, shocking! The Churchill Museum was in the bomb shelter where Great Britain planned their WWII strategies and was spectacularly done, with most untouched since the War. They had audio guides that explained what each room was used for and so on. Part of the museum that was my favourite was super interactive just about Churchill: there was touch screens everywhere to learn more about him as a person and politician. Another highlight was finding Platform 9 and 3/4 at King's Cross Station (for those not in the know, that's the platform Harry Potter and co use to get to Hogwart's). They had a trolley halfway in the wall- it was very impressive and fun. London served host to fantastic Indian food! Surprisingly, I was incredibly disappointed by their subway system! It was outrageously expensive compared to everywhere else I've lived in and traveled to, didn't have that many stops in the city center, and was poorly marked. But other than that, London was pretty good and about what I was expecting: another big city with sites to see.

Big Ben. Surprise.

Platform 9 and 3/4

Lights on Tower Bridge

Water at the Princess Diana Fountain Memorial

Westminster Abbey, complete with double decker bus

Barcelona: 17/4 to 21/4

The last stop of my almost three week tour was Barcelona and what a stop it was! This was probably my favourite city that I have ever visited and I would love to live there for any amount of time. Gaudi of course is absolutely breathtaking but there was much more to the city than his buildings. The first day, we rented a little three-wheeler/golfcart/most fun ever vehicle from a tour company (www.gocartours.es) and drove around on the busy city roads attempting to follow a set route, giggling all the way. It was so fun- the steering, gas, and brakes were just like a four-wheeler: you twisted the handle to accelerate and had handbrakes and turned the handles to turn. We also got quite amusing helmets so most people that saw us were laughing, taking pictures, or just stariing. When you are on one of the two routes, the car tells you all about what you are seeing, from architecture to history to fun facts. When you're not on the route, which was unintentionally fairly often for us, you're on your own to drive and discover. Much of the time I spent wandering the streets, taking pictures, people watching, and enjoying the weather. We did find time to see the only cathedral in the city, the Sagrada Familia, the Picasso Museum, and do a bike tour! The Sagrada Familia was incredible, they've been building it for about 100 years, with funding strictly from donations only, and they aren't close to being done for good reason- every tiny detail was thoughtfully designed with painstaking precision. There is scaffolding inside and out, plus ladders, machinery, and construction workers at every turn. It was really neat to see it now, when it is still a construction site. I'm planning on coming back once it is completely, which is currently estimated to 2026, the 100 year anniversary of Gaudi's death. I went up to the top of the church and saw all of Barcelona laid out around me and then took hundreds of spiraling stairs down to ground level again. The Picasso Museum was pretty cool, seeing many of his first first attempts of his later famous paintings, sketches, and coursework from school. They also showed the inspiration and starting point to many of his later paintings and explained how he got to the point of it at its finished state. The bike tour with Fat Tire was a highlight of the trip, I met some really awesome people from all over the world and had a blast. We went all around the city, learned some interesting facts, and had some great food on the beach. The weather again for the entire trip was fabulous- sunny and blue skies in every direction. I really can't wait to go back to this city.

Me and Robbie in the Go "Car"

Pretty tree at a pack

Pretty lamp posts by City Hall

Just one I like

Typical street at night

The front of the Sagrada Familia

The spiral steps down


Two of the four towers


Inside the church with tons of scaffolding

Madrid: 14/4 to 17/4

We chose to go to Madrid because we wanted to see more of Spain and because I have a friend, Sarah, studying there for the semester. It turned out to be great, with not so great weather. Sarah and her friends gave us some great tips on what to see in Madrid and when to go. We saw the Palace for only 3 euro on the only day that it's open to the public; visited the stellar collection of contemporary art at the Caxiam Forum for free; saw some beautiful parks; and found some amazing strictly vegetarian restaurants with great food and prices, too! All in all, it was a nice city but incredibly difficult to navigate and not a whole lot to do if you're sick of museums. It did have some great shopping, though!

The Royal Palace

The Palace from afar

Overlooking the city

Rome: 8/4 to 14/4

Italy was incredible! The weather was amazing, we were in t-shirts and shorts everyday; the city was beautiful- we spent about 5 days there and had tons to see and do; and the depth of history was just absolutely unfathomable. The Roman Forum and the Colosseum were the oldest things I have ever seen, being used thousands of years before the white people even knew my home continent existed. It's amazing how good of shape many of the structures were in with minimal repairs considering their age. I also found it so mind-blowing how ingenious their efforts were, when you think they had no electricity, no bulldozers or cranes, no computers... And yet in this day we still have difficulties constructing a building to withstand an earthquake, let alone 5,000 years of earthquakes.

For three days, we had an Italian friend, Ricardo, as a tour guide. He showed us really great, off the beaten track sites- like seeing the Vatican at night through a keyhole from miles away and getting us into parts of churches that most people aren't allowed in and finding unbelievable food for an unbelievably cheap price. Definitely find an Italian friend if you can!

The last two days we spent at a hostel/country club on the coast, taking in the sun on the beach and relaxing before we took off for our week in Spain.

Me at the Colosseum

A nice bridge

Padlocks lovers put on the fence

Trevi Fountain

Me seashell hunting

Inside the Vatican

The Roman Forum

A bridge over the Tiber

Ireland: 4/4 to 8/4

I know I've been living in Ireland the entire time, but not with my family! They all came to visit me this spring and we traveled all around the North and saw a bit of the Republic as well. I met my sisters and parents at the Dublin airport on Saturday morning and we were off! We rented a car and Dad drove most of the time; he was a bit shaky at first, but quickly mastered roundabouts while shifting with a different hand in a car he'd never seen before, and still in opposite world! We had our first night in Larne and slowly made our way there, stopping in Hillsbourgh for food and a stretch of the legs, then visiting the Carrickfergus Castle in the evening. It took a bit to get over the jetlag (Ireland is 6 hours ahead of Wisconsin) but we made up for it the next day by taking advantage of the beautiful weather and conquering the Glenarriff, Carrick-a-Rede bridge, Giant's Causeway and a bit of my stomping ground, Derry. We then spent the night in Derry and moved on to Strabane and further south to find some fishing, stopping at a few castles and the Dark Hedges along the way. We found this great bed and breakfast in the middle of nowhere, kind of near Navan. The owners were spectacular, very hospitable and genuinely great people. Our last day we spent seeing the Hill of Slane, New Grange, and the Guinness Brewery, spending the night near the Dublin airport for our early flights the next morning; off to Rome for myself, Paris for Mom, Madrid for Cali, and back home for Dad and Hattie.

I'm so thankful my family was able to visit me here and see what I've been up to the last 8+ months. I really enjoyed showing them around and sharing my experiences with them. We had a blast and made some great memories and I can't wait for our next family vacation!

Outside the bed and breakfast

Little Cali, Medium Hattie, and Big Tessa

The whole fam at Glenarriff

On the coast

Things I really don't like about Northern Ireland: 20/3

1. People minimally recycle.
2. Recyling is minimally available.
3. The backs of cereal boxes aren't frequently updated.
4. They have separate taps for hot and cold water, meaning you cannot have warm water.
5. The overuse of hair-jel and self-tanner.
6. Everything closes early (bars at 1:30am, shops at 4:30, etc).
7. They don't have Raisin Bran Crunch or Mac & Cheese.
8. The exchange rate. Enough said.
9. EasyJet doesn't fly to or from Dublin. What were they thinking?
10. RyanAir charges me £ 5-10 for not being an EU or EEA citizen. Then another £10 to use a debit card (not as upset about this since they do charge everyone).
11. Alcohol is more expensive (and about to get even more).
12. Bread gets moldy at an ungodly speed (seriously, in 3 days).
13. Postboxes are few and far between.
14. Wireless hasn't quite made it here.

Amsterdam: 13/1 to 16/1

Callum and I wanted to do one more holiday before we had to start up with spring term and decided to go to Amsterdam. We didn't do too much tour-isty activities, but I did drag him on a 3 hour free tour of the city. Our tour guide was an American that had come there to study and just never left. He explained the history of the city, all the laws and customs, and where the city is going in the near future. Since joining the EU, Amsterdam has been under a lot of pressure to basically become like every other city, which is incredibly unfortunate considering it's the only one of its kind in the world. The mindset of the locals is so incredibly tolerant of anything as long as it doesn't negatively affect them. In my opinion, it's a city that must be visited in the next few years before everything is the same as everywhere else.

Callum and I on a canal

Gorgeous sunset

Tourist trap. But so fun!

The Land of the Scots and the Engs: 1/1/09 to 9/1/09

I had the pleasure of showing my younger sister Hattie around the islands when she came over to visit. We stayed in Derry a bit, then stayed in hostels while seeing Glasgow and Edinburgh and stayed with my boyfriend Callum and his family in Newcastle while seeing a bit of England. Glasgow was quite a letdown to be honest, very industrial and gray. The city had no plant life and felt very lacking of culture, too. It was still good to see though! Edinburgh is a gem! We had a blast seeing the Edinburgh Castle, Princes Street, a real Scotch whisky tour, and a hop on hop off bus which brought us all around the city. It had great shopping with great prices, awesome restaurants, and easy pedestrian accessibility. Newcastle was a great place to stay to recover and just relax with a family, while seeing the city with a lifelong resident. We explored two of their bigger castles, the ocean, the Millennium bridge, and "experienced the nightlife." Overall, it was a really fun, relaxed trip!

Hattie and I on top of the Edinburgh Castle

The Castle from a distance

A really gorgeous monument

Sunset over the ocean in Newcastle

Never have drinking contests with Europeans. Callum and I

Eleven Days of Paris: 13/12/08 to 23/12/08

Robbie and I blew off some steam after a long first term in Paris, France. We spent 10 nights there, split between three hostels. The wine was cheap, food was expensive, and sights were breathtaking. We never ran out of things to see and would love to go back again. We hit the Eiffel Tower at night which I highly recommend (no lines and beautiful lights), the Louvre on the 26 and under free night (which is Friday after 6), Versailles (expensive ticket, but worth it), the French Military Museum (including Napoleon's tomb), Champes Elysee (look, don't buy), Salvador Dali Museum (well kept secret but worth the find), Notre Dame, Arch de Triumph, Gallery Lafyette, Disneyland, Sacre Coeur Basilique, and so on and on and on. Spending that much time in one city was super intense, but also really awesome because we had all the time in the world to see whatever we wanted. We went on a few tours aimed at college-aged backpackers (ie they were free and the guides made sex jokes) which were quite fun and incredibly informative. After all that, one of my favorite memories is death by fondue (cheese fondue dinner followed by chocolate fondue dessert. In one sitting.).

The famous pyramids outside the Louvre


Robbie and I in front of the one and only Mona Lisa

Railing at Versailles

Um. The Eiffel Tower.