This year really has been insane. At least, I think so. I look back and I am blown away by the places I have been able to go and the people I've been able to meet. I think this has been a really pivotal year for me, in so many ways. So, just to share a few highlights... I've never been good at ranking things, so these are in no particular order.
End of Junior Year.
My junior year of high school was easily the most stressful of any I've had. Taking AP courses, as much as I really did enjoy them, did not help with this stress. The feeling of elation you get when walking out of an AP final exam is (I think) one you can only know if you have done it yourself. Those courses and teachers made me learn so much, and for that part I'm grateful- but I'm also grateful not to have to worry over an AP US History DBQ essay or a timed paper in AP English. So the end of Junior year was definitely a sweet one. One of my favorite memories was the day of my final AP exam (English), my mom and grandmother picked up my friend Ashley and I and treated us to lunch at Salsarita's. Of course, Salsarita's being right beside a big toy store, we quickly found an excuse to go inside, and remained there playing with random toys for a lot longer than necessary. (You are jealous of how cool we are. You know it.)
International Chorus
I don't know where to start with this. I can easily pinpoint this trip as one of the most life changing, well, of my entire life. It didn't result in a huge alteration of how I lived or anything, but I grew so much in confidence on those ten days that looking back it blows my mind. Like I said in my trip report, it was like a youth choir tour on steroids, but better. I met 32 amazing young men and women of God from all over the US, all of whom I know will be friends for life. I loved everything about this trip- the people, the music, the ministry and fellowship, the places (especially Quebec City)... everything. I was so incredibly blessed to go... Hopefully this summer I can go again!
Bray's Island
Every year, my dad's side of the family takes a one or two week trip to the beach- the past couple of years it's been to my aunt and uncle's place at Bray's Island. This family vacation is something I look forward to each year, so it kind of just seems natural to have it listed here.
IRELAND
(This is a big enough topic, and certainly the biggest thing to happen to me all year, so I feel like it's necessary to have subheadings as well.)
-The people I have met. They are as different from each other in personalities and backgrounds as you could ever imagine, and just the vast range of people I know from being here is astonishing. For example: Through friendships I have made here, I now have connections to Ireland (obviously), England, Wales, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Nigeria, Ukraine, Austria, Spain, Portugal, Japan, Brazil, Australia, the Philippines, and more. Yeah. It's crazy. Actually, if you think about it, I now have a pretty much direct connection to every continent except Antarctica (don't worry, I'll get there soon- haha). But it's not just the many different places they come from- it's just the idea of meeting so many people that I never would have known even existed if it weren't for coming here. And now not only do I know them, but I've had the opportunity to share everyday life with them for five months. That's been the most eye-opening and wonderful gift.
-The new things I have tried. This includes more than I probably will be able to think of right now... Surfing, for one. I love the sport, and getting to tell people that I surfed in Ireland in the middle of November is going to be great. Sledding down a hill on black plastic bags and surfboards was very fun. I've also been able to explore my artsy side a bit more, especially drawing. It's been really fun to see what I can do with that. Oh, and new foods- not as many as you might expect, but still quite a few. Christmas weekend alone, I tried mussels, white wine, and plum pudding for the first time (The mussels were nice, the wine interesting, and the plum pudding... not my favourite). I've eaten a lot of fish and developed my taste for it here. There have been so many new experiences, I can't really remember them all.
-One-of-a-kind memories in general. I've climbed up into a thousand-year-old ruin of a castle and watched the sunset. I've played capture the flag in an Irish forest with a bunch of teenagers. I've hidden behind a pillow with a friend eating sweets while everyone else watches Nightmare on Elm Street. I've walked along Tramore Beach taking photos and eating greasy chips from Dooley's (ok, not so one-of-a-kind, but still a good memory). I've danced the strangest dance you've ever seen to Poker Face with a French actor on stage. I've played group bonding games with ten other exchange students in a random lot in Wexford County. I've risked death crossing a rain-soaked street with a friend and some hilarious random stranger. So many memories!... I've loved every minute of it.
-The Lord showing up. So much. This entire time in Ireland, though I've tried to tell in a few blog posts about what he's been revealing, it's hard to narrow it down to a couple things, much less put it into words what God has done, because it seems to change or be added to all the time. He's been revealing his tender love, his infinite strength, his faithfulness, his provision, his protection, his goodness. Nearly every day I'm overwhelmed all over again by the sheer size of the Lord, a size I can't even fathom. He has been so sweet to me, so gentle, and yet firm in calling me out on things that keep me distant and keep me apart from Him, calling me into a deeper understanding of what it means to be Christ-like, and helping me to start living in Him in a whole new way. I felt like last summer was preparing me for this time in Ireland... now I feel like this time in Ireland has been preparing me for going home. Probably preparing me for life in general. I can't wait for the future... but I'm learning to just be with Him for now in the present as well.
So... yeah. Those are the big things. I'll probably post this and then immediately think of something else significant that I should have put in here somewhere, but oh well. It's all good. Happy New Year!!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Yes, I am one of the most inconsistent bloggers ever. I own it.
Happy Holidays, everyone!
OK, I am a bit late, I admit. But better late than never!
Christmas away from home was a bit crazy, but also (a bit unexpectedly) fun. First off, the build up to Christmas wasn't really there- the week prior we had a bunch of exams in school, and the perfectionist inside me that I never can seem to completely shake off had me focusing on those more than was really necessary. However, lunchtime on the day before break resulted in a weird kind of "Christmas rave" type thing in the music room that was highly enjoyable and made me partially lose my voice. At the house, our water situation was a bit shaky all week. First the pipes froze, so we only had water in the kitchen... On Christmas Day one of the pipes in the attic actually burst, and a couple days later all of Tramore's water had to be cut off for a few hours to fix a leak in the main line or something. It's been interesting, and actually kind of fun. Now our water is almost completely back to normal, but I feel like we're all still being very careful in case something else should go wrong.
Other than that, there were no real big problems- though personally I had a scare or two with the tree (the cat, Lizzie, seems to develop an affinity for climbing Christmas trees when cooped up too long).
Christmas Day itself was unexpectedly enjoyable. I say "unexpectedly" because, well, being away from home for Christmas for the first time, I was kind of preparing myself for a bit of a rough day. The exact opposite happened- I got up that morning and went to church (which was filled with an awesome Christmas Day atmosphere of joy and laughter), opened my first package that afternoon, and then late afternoon/evening we had a big Christmas dinner with some family friends and opened presents. The generosity of my host family and the grace of the Lord overwhelmed me the entire day.
So now, Christmas is over until 2011. It is New Year's Eve. I am thirteen days away from being a legal adult. I am 27 days away from going home. I have been so blessed with so many crazy experiences this entire last year, especially these last few months in Ireland. Just so that this post isn't too crazy long, I'm going to put all my cheesy memories from 2010 in a different one.
So, I hope all of your holidays were lovely, and I hope you have a fantastic New Year! I'll be seeing all of you Americans soon...
OK, I am a bit late, I admit. But better late than never!
Christmas away from home was a bit crazy, but also (a bit unexpectedly) fun. First off, the build up to Christmas wasn't really there- the week prior we had a bunch of exams in school, and the perfectionist inside me that I never can seem to completely shake off had me focusing on those more than was really necessary. However, lunchtime on the day before break resulted in a weird kind of "Christmas rave" type thing in the music room that was highly enjoyable and made me partially lose my voice. At the house, our water situation was a bit shaky all week. First the pipes froze, so we only had water in the kitchen... On Christmas Day one of the pipes in the attic actually burst, and a couple days later all of Tramore's water had to be cut off for a few hours to fix a leak in the main line or something. It's been interesting, and actually kind of fun. Now our water is almost completely back to normal, but I feel like we're all still being very careful in case something else should go wrong.
Other than that, there were no real big problems- though personally I had a scare or two with the tree (the cat, Lizzie, seems to develop an affinity for climbing Christmas trees when cooped up too long).
Christmas Day itself was unexpectedly enjoyable. I say "unexpectedly" because, well, being away from home for Christmas for the first time, I was kind of preparing myself for a bit of a rough day. The exact opposite happened- I got up that morning and went to church (which was filled with an awesome Christmas Day atmosphere of joy and laughter), opened my first package that afternoon, and then late afternoon/evening we had a big Christmas dinner with some family friends and opened presents. The generosity of my host family and the grace of the Lord overwhelmed me the entire day.
So now, Christmas is over until 2011. It is New Year's Eve. I am thirteen days away from being a legal adult. I am 27 days away from going home. I have been so blessed with so many crazy experiences this entire last year, especially these last few months in Ireland. Just so that this post isn't too crazy long, I'm going to put all my cheesy memories from 2010 in a different one.
So, I hope all of your holidays were lovely, and I hope you have a fantastic New Year! I'll be seeing all of you Americans soon...
Friday, December 3, 2010
SNOW
Enjoy! Happy December... :)
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Thanksgiving
*This post was supposed to be published on Saturday... oops.
This year marks my first Thanksgiving away from home.
Yes, for me this is quite a big deal.
I don't know what it is about Thanksgiving that makes it seem so important to me. I guess it might because I associate it with turkey and stuffing and pies and hot drinks and all kinds of good food, not to mention some of the best family time of the year. On both sides, we all get together- cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and all- to spend time together and eat three times our body weight and lounge around watching the parades on television because we're too stuffed to move. Thanksgiving is the kickoff to the Christmas season (in my family, we traditionally get our tree the weekend after almost every year). Oh, and the leftovers are pretty darn good too.
Basically, I love Thanksgiving. It is a fantastic holiday, and one of my favorite times of the year. So being away from home is kind of a weird feeling, especially since here it's just a normal week as usual. But I'm going to celebrate in whatever way I can- and since I've never actually seriously made on before, I'm going to give one of these "Things I'm Thankful For" lists a go.
1. The snow outside. I woke up this morning to my host sister running in saying, "Look! It's snowing!" and throwing open the window. Big, fat flakes were swirling down and there was probably a good three inches on the ground already. About five inches fell in total today- a beautiful kick off to the Christmas season! (For those of you who are wondering, it snows in Ireland about as often as it does in Charlotte, NC. Maybe even less. So it was a pretty big shock to everyone. And a great adventure.)
2. My family. I was doing great on the homesickness end, until Thursday. (Give me until Monday, and it will pass.) I got6 to talk to my brother, brother-in-law, both sisters, and my parents on the phone all at the same time on Thursday evening, and I loved it. I think this exchange has made me realise not just how much I love my family, but how close-knit we really are and how much we do together. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" is certainly true... and while I love my time here and I'm going to enjoy every second left of it, there's also a bit of me that can't wait until the Saturday night I get back and get to sit around the old wooden dinner table with the creaky benches and watch my mom run around setting out dinner, and laugh at my dad teasing her and making absurd jokes, and listen to my little sister getting so excited she talks too fast for anyone to understand.
3. My extended family. This does deserve a point all to itself. Let's just say I'm so thankful to have been blessed with a big group of great cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents, all of whom I miss so incredibly much. I remember several Saturday evenings where I have happily told my friends no, I have a family thing tonight, I can't go out- because I know that each and every time we get together, we're going to have fun. No, we're not the perfect picture of a family, we're a bit eccentric and a bit loud and we get on each other's nerves a lot; but we've got a bunch of good cooks and bad inside jokes and plenty of love to go around. (Cheesy? Yes. The truth? Also yes.)
4. Hot tea on cold winter days. Also, sweet iced tea on hot summer days. Apart from water, tea is the best thirst quencher on earth. Enough said.
5. I can't believe I'm saying it... but I'm thankful for social networking. It's kept me in touch with a lot of people while I'm here, and has made that bit a lot easier. So as much as I do hate it, I'm thankful for it. Farmville can still go die in a hole, though.
6. Creation. This one sounds weird, I know. But I love being outside, I love seeing the beauty of this incredible earth that our God has made. There are so many different directions I could go with this, too- I love the sea because of its unpredictable nature and the immense power it holds, I love the mountains and the way they make me feel so small and yet remind me of my significance, I love big fat trees that you can climb all day and don't even bend under your weight. I love freshly cut fields and I love quiet old woods. I never feel the Lord's presence quite like I do when I'm outdoors in the middle of the creation. I just love it so much.
7. Good books. I think there's a saying about books being like best friends. That's the best description of what they have been in my life. I grew up with the idea that books top movies, and believe me, that is completely true. Sometimes I think books are often just an outlet for people who imagine up all these "what if" questions that would be laughed at if spoken aloud- so they put them in books instead, and all of a sudden they become something worthwhile. Basically, books are awesome. (Need recommendations? The Hunger Games trilogy is excellent. Francine Rivers is one of my favorite authors as well- I particularly like A Lineage of Grace and the Mark of the Lion trilogy. Those are some of my favorites, anyways.)
8. Getting to come to Ireland. For so many reasons. This has been one of the most incredible adventures of my life, and while it's not fun 100% of the time and there's a lot of normal life in between the crazy moments and hilarious memories, I'm learning that normal doesn't have to mean boring. I'm so thankful to everyone who helped to get me here- especially my parents. They worked hard to help me get to where I am, and I don't think I thank them enough for that.
9. Long, warm socks. You can probably figury out why.
A lot more, too.... But that's a long enough list for now, I think. :)
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
This year marks my first Thanksgiving away from home.
Yes, for me this is quite a big deal.
I don't know what it is about Thanksgiving that makes it seem so important to me. I guess it might because I associate it with turkey and stuffing and pies and hot drinks and all kinds of good food, not to mention some of the best family time of the year. On both sides, we all get together- cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and all- to spend time together and eat three times our body weight and lounge around watching the parades on television because we're too stuffed to move. Thanksgiving is the kickoff to the Christmas season (in my family, we traditionally get our tree the weekend after almost every year). Oh, and the leftovers are pretty darn good too.
Basically, I love Thanksgiving. It is a fantastic holiday, and one of my favorite times of the year. So being away from home is kind of a weird feeling, especially since here it's just a normal week as usual. But I'm going to celebrate in whatever way I can- and since I've never actually seriously made on before, I'm going to give one of these "Things I'm Thankful For" lists a go.
1. The snow outside. I woke up this morning to my host sister running in saying, "Look! It's snowing!" and throwing open the window. Big, fat flakes were swirling down and there was probably a good three inches on the ground already. About five inches fell in total today- a beautiful kick off to the Christmas season! (For those of you who are wondering, it snows in Ireland about as often as it does in Charlotte, NC. Maybe even less. So it was a pretty big shock to everyone. And a great adventure.)
2. My family. I was doing great on the homesickness end, until Thursday. (Give me until Monday, and it will pass.) I got6 to talk to my brother, brother-in-law, both sisters, and my parents on the phone all at the same time on Thursday evening, and I loved it. I think this exchange has made me realise not just how much I love my family, but how close-knit we really are and how much we do together. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" is certainly true... and while I love my time here and I'm going to enjoy every second left of it, there's also a bit of me that can't wait until the Saturday night I get back and get to sit around the old wooden dinner table with the creaky benches and watch my mom run around setting out dinner, and laugh at my dad teasing her and making absurd jokes, and listen to my little sister getting so excited she talks too fast for anyone to understand.
3. My extended family. This does deserve a point all to itself. Let's just say I'm so thankful to have been blessed with a big group of great cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents, all of whom I miss so incredibly much. I remember several Saturday evenings where I have happily told my friends no, I have a family thing tonight, I can't go out- because I know that each and every time we get together, we're going to have fun. No, we're not the perfect picture of a family, we're a bit eccentric and a bit loud and we get on each other's nerves a lot; but we've got a bunch of good cooks and bad inside jokes and plenty of love to go around. (Cheesy? Yes. The truth? Also yes.)
4. Hot tea on cold winter days. Also, sweet iced tea on hot summer days. Apart from water, tea is the best thirst quencher on earth. Enough said.
5. I can't believe I'm saying it... but I'm thankful for social networking. It's kept me in touch with a lot of people while I'm here, and has made that bit a lot easier. So as much as I do hate it, I'm thankful for it. Farmville can still go die in a hole, though.
6. Creation. This one sounds weird, I know. But I love being outside, I love seeing the beauty of this incredible earth that our God has made. There are so many different directions I could go with this, too- I love the sea because of its unpredictable nature and the immense power it holds, I love the mountains and the way they make me feel so small and yet remind me of my significance, I love big fat trees that you can climb all day and don't even bend under your weight. I love freshly cut fields and I love quiet old woods. I never feel the Lord's presence quite like I do when I'm outdoors in the middle of the creation. I just love it so much.
7. Good books. I think there's a saying about books being like best friends. That's the best description of what they have been in my life. I grew up with the idea that books top movies, and believe me, that is completely true. Sometimes I think books are often just an outlet for people who imagine up all these "what if" questions that would be laughed at if spoken aloud- so they put them in books instead, and all of a sudden they become something worthwhile. Basically, books are awesome. (Need recommendations? The Hunger Games trilogy is excellent. Francine Rivers is one of my favorite authors as well- I particularly like A Lineage of Grace and the Mark of the Lion trilogy. Those are some of my favorites, anyways.)
8. Getting to come to Ireland. For so many reasons. This has been one of the most incredible adventures of my life, and while it's not fun 100% of the time and there's a lot of normal life in between the crazy moments and hilarious memories, I'm learning that normal doesn't have to mean boring. I'm so thankful to everyone who helped to get me here- especially my parents. They worked hard to help me get to where I am, and I don't think I thank them enough for that.
9. Long, warm socks. You can probably figury out why.
A lot more, too.... But that's a long enough list for now, I think. :)
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
A quote I love from an interview I just found with Stanley Hauerwas: "So Christians have to engage the world in which we find ourselves. We're in love with the world because God is in love with the world...."
Just felt like sharing it :)
Just felt like sharing it :)
What Grace is Mine
God is so good.
I mentioned in this post a bit about what God has been doing in me these past few months. (OK, I more than mentioned it.) The irony is that literally the day after I posted that, I went into this period of deep homesickness (mixed with other not-so-fun emotions) that could probably be called the ultimate low point of my time here. I knew this was coming sometime- everything anyone tells you about culture shock always includes you having a time around the middle of your stay where your happiness level is pretty much below zero- but having it hit so suddenly was a bit unnerving. I'll just say here and now that once again, I am so thankful to have the Lord in my life, because I don't know how I would have dealt with that alone.
Overall, one of the main things that I've been learning is how daily life with God looks. And there's this one word that keeps coming to mind: discipline.
This is not a fun thing for me, to be honest. I've never been good with discipline. I'm very experienced in procrastination, and justifying my own reasons for putting things off. This has often included my quiet times with God- I put it off or I do it so quickly because I feel like I can do it right after this TV show, or right after checking my Facebook, or even just after I finish this homework assignment. After all, doesn't God want me to enjoy life? Doesn't he want me to stay in touch with people I love? Doesn't he want my to have good prospects for a happy future?
Well, yes, he wants me to enjoy life. Yes, I believe he does want to surround me with people who I can love and support and get the same in return. Yes, he has great plans for a wonderful future for me. But if that's all apart from Him, if that enjoyable life is not found to be enjoyable because of Him, if that want for friends is not rooted from a desire to be a living witness, if that future is from my own plans and not from His dreams... it amounts to nothing. I've heard the phrase "He is jealous for me" many times before, but I never grasped what it meant until now. He is jealous for me. He wants me all to himself! His ideas of a promising future are completely different from what I had in mind, and they are much more dangerous and thrilling and beautiful. One of the things he gave me in a prayer time recently was a reminder that He knows how to love his children well. I need to learn how to let him. And I think I am learning... though I have a long way to go.
Basically, what I've been trying to say is that for the first time, I'm making a point to set apart time every single day, to pray, to read my Bible, to just spend time with the Lord. I've never been good with discipline- but I'm improving. It may sound boring and mundane, but let me tell you that the last couple of weeks have been some of the most grace-filled and wonderful that I have experienced in all of my life. Literally. I feel like the Lord is everywhere- I've been seeing him working in insane ways, not in my life alone, but in many of my friend's lives, in stories I've heard both here and back home. It's the most humbling feeling to know that I serve a God like that! A God who is SO big and SO powerful, and completely in control- who gives us a future and a hope that we cannot know apart from Him.
And the most exciting thing about all of this?
This isn't arrival. There's so much more to come.
I mentioned in this post a bit about what God has been doing in me these past few months. (OK, I more than mentioned it.) The irony is that literally the day after I posted that, I went into this period of deep homesickness (mixed with other not-so-fun emotions) that could probably be called the ultimate low point of my time here. I knew this was coming sometime- everything anyone tells you about culture shock always includes you having a time around the middle of your stay where your happiness level is pretty much below zero- but having it hit so suddenly was a bit unnerving. I'll just say here and now that once again, I am so thankful to have the Lord in my life, because I don't know how I would have dealt with that alone.
Overall, one of the main things that I've been learning is how daily life with God looks. And there's this one word that keeps coming to mind: discipline.
This is not a fun thing for me, to be honest. I've never been good with discipline. I'm very experienced in procrastination, and justifying my own reasons for putting things off. This has often included my quiet times with God- I put it off or I do it so quickly because I feel like I can do it right after this TV show, or right after checking my Facebook, or even just after I finish this homework assignment. After all, doesn't God want me to enjoy life? Doesn't he want me to stay in touch with people I love? Doesn't he want my to have good prospects for a happy future?
Well, yes, he wants me to enjoy life. Yes, I believe he does want to surround me with people who I can love and support and get the same in return. Yes, he has great plans for a wonderful future for me. But if that's all apart from Him, if that enjoyable life is not found to be enjoyable because of Him, if that want for friends is not rooted from a desire to be a living witness, if that future is from my own plans and not from His dreams... it amounts to nothing. I've heard the phrase "He is jealous for me" many times before, but I never grasped what it meant until now. He is jealous for me. He wants me all to himself! His ideas of a promising future are completely different from what I had in mind, and they are much more dangerous and thrilling and beautiful. One of the things he gave me in a prayer time recently was a reminder that He knows how to love his children well. I need to learn how to let him. And I think I am learning... though I have a long way to go.
Basically, what I've been trying to say is that for the first time, I'm making a point to set apart time every single day, to pray, to read my Bible, to just spend time with the Lord. I've never been good with discipline- but I'm improving. It may sound boring and mundane, but let me tell you that the last couple of weeks have been some of the most grace-filled and wonderful that I have experienced in all of my life. Literally. I feel like the Lord is everywhere- I've been seeing him working in insane ways, not in my life alone, but in many of my friend's lives, in stories I've heard both here and back home. It's the most humbling feeling to know that I serve a God like that! A God who is SO big and SO powerful, and completely in control- who gives us a future and a hope that we cannot know apart from Him.
And the most exciting thing about all of this?
This isn't arrival. There's so much more to come.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Updates
It was a pretty good week last week, considering it was the first back to school after midterm. A little rough in the beginning, but overall quite good.
So, I've officially figured out what I'm doing in the near future... sort of.
I know I'm going on the Jamaica trip this summer with PBC, and maybe the YouthCue trip again. That would be quite exciting if I could do both!!
I'm gonna be working all next semester and summer, earning and saving as much as possible. Next year, I will either take a year off and work or go straight into college (that's where it's still a little hazy). Also, I've decided upon what I want to major in: History.
Yay decisions!
And here begins another week.
I apologise for the incredible pointlessness of this post.
So, I've officially figured out what I'm doing in the near future... sort of.
I know I'm going on the Jamaica trip this summer with PBC, and maybe the YouthCue trip again. That would be quite exciting if I could do both!!
I'm gonna be working all next semester and summer, earning and saving as much as possible. Next year, I will either take a year off and work or go straight into college (that's where it's still a little hazy). Also, I've decided upon what I want to major in: History.
Yay decisions!
And here begins another week.
I apologise for the incredible pointlessness of this post.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Things I Love Here
Just a few things I particularly love about this country so far.
-I love the countryside. The physical beauty of this place is everything that you see in pictures and movies, and then some. Ireland is truly about twenty shades of green, with brown and gold and gray mixed in. Driving in the rural areas is also an experience in itself- the roads are about as wide as a normal-sized car with high hedges on both sides, so good luck if you have to pass someone! The coastline is incredible, too. I went on an Art trip a couple weeks ago up and down the Copper Coast (which is also listed as one of the "501 Must-Take Journeys"), and it's one of my favorite things that I've been able to do so far. If you ever are in this art of Ireland, take an afternoon to see it.
-I love the people. I really do. No, they're not all cheery and happy-go-lucky and nosy and overly friendly and singing all the time (though some do); they're just people like any other group of people you'll find anywhere in the world. There's the nice people and the not-so-nice people, the respectable people and the "knackers". However, I will say that the famous Irish sense of humour is in fact one of the best I've ever known (because I've been so many places, you know... haha). And most everyone is really willing to talk to you- I met this very nice older woman on the bus coming in from town last weekend, and we talked for about ten minutes about how strange it was that there were no other bus riders and how it kind of creeped us out. So yes, you can believe the idea that most Irish people are extremely friendly and nice, and they like to have fun.
-I absolutely love the idea that school starts at nine o'clock every morning. Love love love it.
-I love how old this place is. That might sound weird, but it's true. I love that you can drive down almost any given country road and at some point pass an old ruin of some kind built hundreds of years ago, maybe a church or a cottage, or even a dolmen (which are thousands of years old). I love that the city walls in Waterford were built by the Vikings and are still standing. I love that my first night here, my family took me up into Dunhill Castle (google it, it's a bit amazing), and we climbed up into it and looked out over the bog while the sun was setting. Being a citizen of a country on a continent that was really only "colonized" 400 years or so ago, everything older than that has this weird ancient mystique about it. Case in point: while visiting/exploring around a dolmen one day with my host mom and roommate, we stumbled on an old overgrown graveyard. My host mother pointed to one tombstone and exclaimed, "Look, that one isn't old at all!". It was from the 1790s. Just saying.
-I love surfing. I know that activity isn't endemic to Ireland, much less associated with the country, but I do love surfing here. I went Sunday again, and it was extremely cold, but the waves were big because of the storm and the clouds were stunning. I love the sea and anything to do with it, so surfing is definitely my kind fo sport. I am so blessed to be located in Tramore in that sense.
-So many other things. I could go on and on... but I'll leave it here for now. Updates ot this list will be posted pericodically.
-I love the countryside. The physical beauty of this place is everything that you see in pictures and movies, and then some. Ireland is truly about twenty shades of green, with brown and gold and gray mixed in. Driving in the rural areas is also an experience in itself- the roads are about as wide as a normal-sized car with high hedges on both sides, so good luck if you have to pass someone! The coastline is incredible, too. I went on an Art trip a couple weeks ago up and down the Copper Coast (which is also listed as one of the "501 Must-Take Journeys"), and it's one of my favorite things that I've been able to do so far. If you ever are in this art of Ireland, take an afternoon to see it.
-I love the people. I really do. No, they're not all cheery and happy-go-lucky and nosy and overly friendly and singing all the time (though some do); they're just people like any other group of people you'll find anywhere in the world. There's the nice people and the not-so-nice people, the respectable people and the "knackers". However, I will say that the famous Irish sense of humour is in fact one of the best I've ever known (because I've been so many places, you know... haha). And most everyone is really willing to talk to you- I met this very nice older woman on the bus coming in from town last weekend, and we talked for about ten minutes about how strange it was that there were no other bus riders and how it kind of creeped us out. So yes, you can believe the idea that most Irish people are extremely friendly and nice, and they like to have fun.
-I absolutely love the idea that school starts at nine o'clock every morning. Love love love it.
-I love how old this place is. That might sound weird, but it's true. I love that you can drive down almost any given country road and at some point pass an old ruin of some kind built hundreds of years ago, maybe a church or a cottage, or even a dolmen (which are thousands of years old). I love that the city walls in Waterford were built by the Vikings and are still standing. I love that my first night here, my family took me up into Dunhill Castle (google it, it's a bit amazing), and we climbed up into it and looked out over the bog while the sun was setting. Being a citizen of a country on a continent that was really only "colonized" 400 years or so ago, everything older than that has this weird ancient mystique about it. Case in point: while visiting/exploring around a dolmen one day with my host mom and roommate, we stumbled on an old overgrown graveyard. My host mother pointed to one tombstone and exclaimed, "Look, that one isn't old at all!". It was from the 1790s. Just saying.
-I love surfing. I know that activity isn't endemic to Ireland, much less associated with the country, but I do love surfing here. I went Sunday again, and it was extremely cold, but the waves were big because of the storm and the clouds were stunning. I love the sea and anything to do with it, so surfing is definitely my kind fo sport. I am so blessed to be located in Tramore in that sense.
-So many other things. I could go on and on... but I'll leave it here for now. Updates ot this list will be posted pericodically.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
There's this thing called "Life"
Hey.
So, there's this thing called "Life".
It's been happening lately.
It seems like it recently, anyways. I've tried to find a better way to put it, but that's the best that I can do. Life is happening right now.
I know, I know, it's happening all the time, it's been happening since the day I was born, etc etc etc. I get that. But there's something about this whole Ireland experience that has thrown all of that into a little bit of a different perspective. I'll see if I can explain...
On Sunday, Josipa (my German roommate) and I went for a long walk down at the beach. And I do mean a long walk- we went down to the sand dunes and back, which all together is about 10km. For the first half hour, we just began to talk about all this exchange experience is bringing to light for us personally. In a lot of ways, we had the same feelings about it. It's hard to describe to people who haven't done it themselves, but it's something like a sense of accomplishment and achievement, and a wonderful and weird new independence, and it's extremely gratifying to be able to look back and say "Hey, look what I did.... and look what I could do now." My host family kept telling me the first several days that once I did this exchange, I could go and do anything. I didn't quite get what they were saying until these last couple of weeks. Similarly, people kept telling me as I was preparing to leave that this was an incrediblty brave thing to do, and my reaction was kind of just laughing it off, and wondering why I didn't feel very brave about it at all.
But like I said, looking back now, I can see what they mean. I don't mean to "toot my own horn" or anything here, but this was a very brave thing to do. I had only flown twice before, and never on my own. But on the 28th of August, I boarded a plane to Chicago and then to Dublin all by myself. I set off to spend five months with people I had never met before, ever. I stepped out like I never really have ever before in my life. I look back and I can see all the ways that I have grown already in just two months, as a person and in Christ. And I am proud of that.
Do I sound like I'm bragging? I'm really not trying to. There's nothing wrong with being proud of myself, is there? Because I am. But that's not all I'm trying to say here.
Imagine deciding that you want to go to another country, not for a vacation, not for a mission trip, not as a tourist in any sense of the term, but to live there. You might think, "Oh, yay, fun! All these cool stories and experiences and pictures I'll get to have and tell everyone about when I get back! This is going to be great!" But here's the catch: life goes on back home, too. Yes, you will have amazing stories to tell, and you will meet insane people, and you will go to a completely new town and come away feeling like it's just as much your own as Charlotte, North Carolina is. But life back home won't go on a standstill while you're away.
You might be thinking, "Well, of course it won't. Things don't happen that way. Who is this crazy kid, thinking that she will leave and therefore life will stop?" Don't get me wrong, I didn't really believe that America would be like the town in that episode of Arthur where everyone and everything was literally frozen in action until someone found the "key to the city". But I guess in the back of my head, it didn't really click until now that things really will be very different when I go back. Five months will have passed. My friends and family will have changed. Relationships and parties and projects and tragedies will have happened in their lives that I will not have been a part of. And as a person who has this weird fear of missing out on things, that is both a bit scary and a bit sad to me... That is, until I remember that the change isn't only one-sided. That's the difference in perspective that I've beentrying to get at through this whole post.
There's an entry in my prayer journal about how I think this whole Ireland thing was meant to make me grow up. But rereading that now a few weeks later, I think it was more about just making me grow in general. About this time last year, God put a pull on my heart to come here like He never had before. I didn't understand why at the time, just that it was something I needed to respond to. Now I can see that the Lord was calling me away for a very specific purpose: to get me to let go.
You know how the only way to teach some people to swim is to throw them in a pool? They're too scared to get in themselves, or too scared to be in the water without an instructor to hold them up and a flotation device securely under their arm.
Well, continuing with the analogy (which I know isn't exactly perfect for what I'm trying to say, but work with it), imagine that the scared young swimmer is me, and the pool- or perhaps more appropriately, the ocean- is God's vast self. All my life, being blessed enough to grow up in a Christian home, I have had these "swimming lessons" with various instructors, some family members, some sunday school teachers, some youth leaders and pastors, all of whom were excellent. They taught me what God could look like, and they gently (though sometimes also forcefully) drew me into what a life with our Lord could be. I learned all the basics, from how to doggie-paddle to how to float on my back when I'm too tired. Devotionals and sunday school classes, youth group and worship services, mission trips and weekend retreats- these were my "floaties", if you will. The church that I grew up in, as messy and frustrating as it is sometimes, is in a huge part responsible for helping me to where I am now. Those people and experiences gave me a kind of vision of what swimming could look like. I might have had a dream to swim across a bay or maybe the Channel, even if that seemed a very distant reality.
However, there was a problem. As helpful and wonderful as those instructors and floats were, I got used to having them in the water with me. Even while my one arm was splashing in delight and my legs were going a mile a minute, I had become too accustomed to having my other hand firmly holding onto something or someone else that I knew and that felt safe. I couldn't let go. I couldn't jump in for myself. And it wasn't like that was hugely crippling- believe me, God is much bigger than my own faults, and He did work around that and teach me things despite it- but it was there, and it was problematic enough that it occasionally held me back.
So then I came here, to this awesome place. (And when you consider all I just confessed about holding on, that's a testament in itself.) I had to let go of a hell of a lot- my home, half my senior year, my friends, my family, my culture. The first couple of days were some of the scariest of my life, but as typically happens in situations like this, they were also some of the most rewarding. As I've said already in some of my other posts, my time here has been filled with experiences that have completely blown my mind; and as I've said earlier in this post, I've become much more independent and confident and proud of what I have achieved. But there's a converse to all of that, and this side of things needs to be recognized much more than learning to surf or how to count to ten in Irish or budgeting my life so that I'll have enough money for shampoo, because it's the only side of things that matters. And that converse side is about all the ways God has been meeting me. You see, as I've become more independent, I've become more dependent on the Lord's presence and will than ever before. As my confidence has grown, my hunger for Him has grown even more exponentially. As I have done things to be proud of, I'm also being humbled daily with the knowledge that I am nothing without God's grace and mercy. For all the one-of-a-kind experiences I've had, my day is not complete until I can just experience the peace and joy of being with our Saviour. I could go on and on about so much more with this, but you probably get the picture.
So to finish my analogy (and this ridiculously long post), it got to the point in my life where swim intructors and inflatables could only take me so far. Honestly, I think God might have been getting a bit fed up with it all, and so He just threw me right into the middle of the ocean. And praise be to Him, I've not only remembered how to doggie-paddle and float on my back, but He's teaching me all the strokes. He's teaching me how to sprint, how to pace myself, how to dive deeper, and how to come up for air and rest. Who knows what's coming after the next wave- but I know that whatever it is, it will be a life completelty immersed in Him, and that makes all the difference.
So bring it on. Forget the Channel, I feel like swimming the Pacific.
So, there's this thing called "Life".
It's been happening lately.
It seems like it recently, anyways. I've tried to find a better way to put it, but that's the best that I can do. Life is happening right now.
I know, I know, it's happening all the time, it's been happening since the day I was born, etc etc etc. I get that. But there's something about this whole Ireland experience that has thrown all of that into a little bit of a different perspective. I'll see if I can explain...
On Sunday, Josipa (my German roommate) and I went for a long walk down at the beach. And I do mean a long walk- we went down to the sand dunes and back, which all together is about 10km. For the first half hour, we just began to talk about all this exchange experience is bringing to light for us personally. In a lot of ways, we had the same feelings about it. It's hard to describe to people who haven't done it themselves, but it's something like a sense of accomplishment and achievement, and a wonderful and weird new independence, and it's extremely gratifying to be able to look back and say "Hey, look what I did.... and look what I could do now." My host family kept telling me the first several days that once I did this exchange, I could go and do anything. I didn't quite get what they were saying until these last couple of weeks. Similarly, people kept telling me as I was preparing to leave that this was an incrediblty brave thing to do, and my reaction was kind of just laughing it off, and wondering why I didn't feel very brave about it at all.
But like I said, looking back now, I can see what they mean. I don't mean to "toot my own horn" or anything here, but this was a very brave thing to do. I had only flown twice before, and never on my own. But on the 28th of August, I boarded a plane to Chicago and then to Dublin all by myself. I set off to spend five months with people I had never met before, ever. I stepped out like I never really have ever before in my life. I look back and I can see all the ways that I have grown already in just two months, as a person and in Christ. And I am proud of that.
Do I sound like I'm bragging? I'm really not trying to. There's nothing wrong with being proud of myself, is there? Because I am. But that's not all I'm trying to say here.
Imagine deciding that you want to go to another country, not for a vacation, not for a mission trip, not as a tourist in any sense of the term, but to live there. You might think, "Oh, yay, fun! All these cool stories and experiences and pictures I'll get to have and tell everyone about when I get back! This is going to be great!" But here's the catch: life goes on back home, too. Yes, you will have amazing stories to tell, and you will meet insane people, and you will go to a completely new town and come away feeling like it's just as much your own as Charlotte, North Carolina is. But life back home won't go on a standstill while you're away.
You might be thinking, "Well, of course it won't. Things don't happen that way. Who is this crazy kid, thinking that she will leave and therefore life will stop?" Don't get me wrong, I didn't really believe that America would be like the town in that episode of Arthur where everyone and everything was literally frozen in action until someone found the "key to the city". But I guess in the back of my head, it didn't really click until now that things really will be very different when I go back. Five months will have passed. My friends and family will have changed. Relationships and parties and projects and tragedies will have happened in their lives that I will not have been a part of. And as a person who has this weird fear of missing out on things, that is both a bit scary and a bit sad to me... That is, until I remember that the change isn't only one-sided. That's the difference in perspective that I've beentrying to get at through this whole post.
There's an entry in my prayer journal about how I think this whole Ireland thing was meant to make me grow up. But rereading that now a few weeks later, I think it was more about just making me grow in general. About this time last year, God put a pull on my heart to come here like He never had before. I didn't understand why at the time, just that it was something I needed to respond to. Now I can see that the Lord was calling me away for a very specific purpose: to get me to let go.
You know how the only way to teach some people to swim is to throw them in a pool? They're too scared to get in themselves, or too scared to be in the water without an instructor to hold them up and a flotation device securely under their arm.
Well, continuing with the analogy (which I know isn't exactly perfect for what I'm trying to say, but work with it), imagine that the scared young swimmer is me, and the pool- or perhaps more appropriately, the ocean- is God's vast self. All my life, being blessed enough to grow up in a Christian home, I have had these "swimming lessons" with various instructors, some family members, some sunday school teachers, some youth leaders and pastors, all of whom were excellent. They taught me what God could look like, and they gently (though sometimes also forcefully) drew me into what a life with our Lord could be. I learned all the basics, from how to doggie-paddle to how to float on my back when I'm too tired. Devotionals and sunday school classes, youth group and worship services, mission trips and weekend retreats- these were my "floaties", if you will. The church that I grew up in, as messy and frustrating as it is sometimes, is in a huge part responsible for helping me to where I am now. Those people and experiences gave me a kind of vision of what swimming could look like. I might have had a dream to swim across a bay or maybe the Channel, even if that seemed a very distant reality.
However, there was a problem. As helpful and wonderful as those instructors and floats were, I got used to having them in the water with me. Even while my one arm was splashing in delight and my legs were going a mile a minute, I had become too accustomed to having my other hand firmly holding onto something or someone else that I knew and that felt safe. I couldn't let go. I couldn't jump in for myself. And it wasn't like that was hugely crippling- believe me, God is much bigger than my own faults, and He did work around that and teach me things despite it- but it was there, and it was problematic enough that it occasionally held me back.
So then I came here, to this awesome place. (And when you consider all I just confessed about holding on, that's a testament in itself.) I had to let go of a hell of a lot- my home, half my senior year, my friends, my family, my culture. The first couple of days were some of the scariest of my life, but as typically happens in situations like this, they were also some of the most rewarding. As I've said already in some of my other posts, my time here has been filled with experiences that have completely blown my mind; and as I've said earlier in this post, I've become much more independent and confident and proud of what I have achieved. But there's a converse to all of that, and this side of things needs to be recognized much more than learning to surf or how to count to ten in Irish or budgeting my life so that I'll have enough money for shampoo, because it's the only side of things that matters. And that converse side is about all the ways God has been meeting me. You see, as I've become more independent, I've become more dependent on the Lord's presence and will than ever before. As my confidence has grown, my hunger for Him has grown even more exponentially. As I have done things to be proud of, I'm also being humbled daily with the knowledge that I am nothing without God's grace and mercy. For all the one-of-a-kind experiences I've had, my day is not complete until I can just experience the peace and joy of being with our Saviour. I could go on and on about so much more with this, but you probably get the picture.
So to finish my analogy (and this ridiculously long post), it got to the point in my life where swim intructors and inflatables could only take me so far. Honestly, I think God might have been getting a bit fed up with it all, and so He just threw me right into the middle of the ocean. And praise be to Him, I've not only remembered how to doggie-paddle and float on my back, but He's teaching me all the strokes. He's teaching me how to sprint, how to pace myself, how to dive deeper, and how to come up for air and rest. Who knows what's coming after the next wave- but I know that whatever it is, it will be a life completelty immersed in Him, and that makes all the difference.
So bring it on. Forget the Channel, I feel like swimming the Pacific.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Let's play a game.
Hey kids! Let's play a game. Here's a list of seemingly random things, in no particular order:
Chick-fil-A
Marching Band
Kiwi the cat
Charlotte Children's Choir
Caribou dates with friends
College-ruled notebooks
Festivals concerning cultures (for example, the Greek or Renaissance festival)
CDUB
Now, here is the game: Figure out what all of these have in common.
Stumped?
Well, the thing is, over the past week I've had random moments where I miss these things a lot. Don't get me wrong- I'm not homesick. And that's not me just trying to be all like "Oh, I never get homesick, I'm just too awesome for that!" or anything; I really don't think that I'm homesick right now. I've simply had moments recently where a thought has passed through my mind such as "Wow, a Chick-fil-A sandwich would be SO good right now..." Believe me, there's a big difference between a random passing thought and full-on homesickness. I'm also determined to ward off homesickness as much as humanly possible- so whenever one fo these things comes into my head, I make sure to go get a cup of tea or read another chapter in my book or somehow distract myself. So it really hasn't been bad at all.
Still, a Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich and some waffle fries would be really good right now.
Just saying.
Chick-fil-A
Marching Band
Kiwi the cat
Charlotte Children's Choir
Caribou dates with friends
College-ruled notebooks
Festivals concerning cultures (for example, the Greek or Renaissance festival)
CDUB
Now, here is the game: Figure out what all of these have in common.
Stumped?
Well, the thing is, over the past week I've had random moments where I miss these things a lot. Don't get me wrong- I'm not homesick. And that's not me just trying to be all like "Oh, I never get homesick, I'm just too awesome for that!" or anything; I really don't think that I'm homesick right now. I've simply had moments recently where a thought has passed through my mind such as "Wow, a Chick-fil-A sandwich would be SO good right now..." Believe me, there's a big difference between a random passing thought and full-on homesickness. I'm also determined to ward off homesickness as much as humanly possible- so whenever one fo these things comes into my head, I make sure to go get a cup of tea or read another chapter in my book or somehow distract myself. So it really hasn't been bad at all.
Still, a Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich and some waffle fries would be really good right now.
Just saying.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Lucky Charms is a Lie
*WARNING: This post may contain some sarcasm. "Some" here meaning "a lot".*
____________________________________
To start, a few notes to the innocent traveler whose head is filled with romantic notions about Ireland and the people who reside here:
1. People do not usually go around saying "Top o' the mornin' to yeh!" In fact, I'm quite sure that no one does.
2. Gerard Butler is not Irish, nor is his accent. Stop believing everything you see in the movies.
3. Not all Irish are drunkards. Again, the movies. They tell false truths.
4. I don't think leprechauns exist. I know, I was shocked too. Basically, everything the Lucky Charms people ever told us is a lie.
A couple little things that I have noticed:
-The spellings of certain words (for example, "humour", "metre", etc) are going to kill me when it comes to essays.
-People (at least in Waterford) have a habit of saying "Well!" as a greeting instead of "hello". Despite having been here nearly a month, that still throws me off at times.
-Boot = trunk (of a car). Jumper = sweater. Bin = trash can (they all went "Aw! You're so American!" when I asked where the trash was). Fag = cigarette. Vocabulary lesson! Yay!
Also, let's take note of some often overlooked irony, shall we?
Has anyone ever noticed the close relation of the words "hostel" and "hotel"? It's only a one letter difference. And yet that one letter changes so much....
Also, the homophonic nature of the words "hostel" and "hostile". Now, we should ask ourselves, what does this really say? Is it a coincidence or not?
(Just kidding, I quite enjoyed my time in the hostel in Killarney :] )
One last topic of discussion:
I need a more imaginative title for my blog. I'm kind of sick of this one. My old blog's name was "*Insert Insightful Word Here*".... I'm considering changing it back to that. Any other suggestions, of course, are very welcome.
As in, please give me suggestions. I'm really stuck here.
That's all. K thanks bye.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Swim, Swam, Swum, Swank... wait...
So, I went surfing on Sunday.
It was kind of baller.
Seriously, though, it was so much fun. It was such a good feeling to be back in an actual ocean again, as I realized that I have not swum (swimmed? swam? ugh stupid english grammar) in a real ocean in over a year. Crazy, right?
Anyways, the actual surfing was great, and the instructor was really nice and helpful. I stood up several times, fell off many more times, swallowed a gallon or two of salt water, learned how to peel off a wetsuit, and nearly killed Josipa when I almost ran into her because I didn't know how to steer and wasn't lucid enough to simply hop off the board. All in all, it was fantastic, and I have signed up to go to the sessions every weekend. That means you can expect updates on my surfing adventures as time goes by- hopefully I'll improve!
Reading over my last post, I was really surprised by how negative it sounded. I just want to say right now, I'm sorry for writing it like that. That post makes my experience so far sound like it's been really rough and hard and like I've wanted to go home every day. For the record: It's been the complete opposite. I honestly have loved my time here so far, and I'm really glad that I'm not going home until January. The only time I have felt really homesick was actually that day when I wrote the post. (*Note to Self: Never write a post while feeling homesick. It makes everything sound unnecessarily depressing.*) So again, I'm sorry that I made it sound that way- and while I'm not going to try and gloss over the rough parts of being "the American", up to this point my time in Ireland has really been remarkable.
Killarney trip this weekend! I'm so excited. Thursday and Friday are not going to pass by quickly enough.
It was kind of baller.
Seriously, though, it was so much fun. It was such a good feeling to be back in an actual ocean again, as I realized that I have not swum (swimmed? swam? ugh stupid english grammar) in a real ocean in over a year. Crazy, right?
Anyways, the actual surfing was great, and the instructor was really nice and helpful. I stood up several times, fell off many more times, swallowed a gallon or two of salt water, learned how to peel off a wetsuit, and nearly killed Josipa when I almost ran into her because I didn't know how to steer and wasn't lucid enough to simply hop off the board. All in all, it was fantastic, and I have signed up to go to the sessions every weekend. That means you can expect updates on my surfing adventures as time goes by- hopefully I'll improve!
Reading over my last post, I was really surprised by how negative it sounded. I just want to say right now, I'm sorry for writing it like that. That post makes my experience so far sound like it's been really rough and hard and like I've wanted to go home every day. For the record: It's been the complete opposite. I honestly have loved my time here so far, and I'm really glad that I'm not going home until January. The only time I have felt really homesick was actually that day when I wrote the post. (*Note to Self: Never write a post while feeling homesick. It makes everything sound unnecessarily depressing.*) So again, I'm sorry that I made it sound that way- and while I'm not going to try and gloss over the rough parts of being "the American", up to this point my time in Ireland has really been remarkable.
Killarney trip this weekend! I'm so excited. Thursday and Friday are not going to pass by quickly enough.
Friday, September 10, 2010
More unedited ramblings. Yay?
It's been awhile. Sorry, everyone. And sorry a second time, because I am also going to use the lame excuse of "Oh I just had to settle in first"...However, I'm using this excuse because it's the truth. I knew it was going to probably be a difficult transition, but I didn't realize how strongly the culture shock would hit me. The past two weeks I have been mostly tired, or confused, or hungry, or stressed, or sometimes all of the above.
There have been some good moments, though. A lot of good moments, actually- like the end of the first day of school, when I happened to sit down in an empty seat and was joined by a group of girls who have turned out to be incredibly nice and friendly. Let me tell you, in a school so small that people in sixth year know most of the first years, having someone nice to talk to (much less a friend like the ones I've made) during breaks or lunch is a lifesaver. Seriously.
I've gotten into a good routine, especially this last week, and I'm starting to settle in so well that I have to make myself take a step back and say "What is my life anymore? How the heck did I get here?". I mean, this week alone, the stuff I've done has kind of blown my mind. In P.E., I went freaking horseback riding. At home, I wouldn't even be doing P.E. right now, and even if I was, it would consist of a random sport here and there, or walking around the track and talking. And in my first real P.E. class here, I was able to go horseback riding through this beautiful trail in the middle of the Irish countryside. And just tonight, one of the other students and I went for a walk down by the sea. It was cold and wet and drizzling, and the tide was in, so the waves were several meters high and crashing over the rail of the walk. We stopped and watched the people surfing in the middle of it, and I wished I already knew how so that I could join them.
I can't believe how blessed I am. It sounds typical to say, but if you had told me at this time last year when I first started to try and do this exchange that I would be living in a gorgeous old Irish house within walking distance of the sea, I would have considered you mentally deranged.
But now, here I am. I am living in a gorgeous old Irish house within walking distance of the sea. I have a cup of tea at nearly every meal and sometimes in between. I take the bus into town on the weekend for my own errands. I'm going to join the local surfing club and go surfing every Saturday morning. I'm going with my family to Killarney next week to see Riverdance and stay in a hostel for the first time (I know, I'm such an American). I'm meeting people I would never have known existed otherwise. I can count to ten in Irish. Oh, and I'm here until January.
Seriously, how blessed am I?
Granted, I'm making it sound a lot cooler than it really has been. I have been getting over the "honeymoon phase" of culture shock during the last couple days, and started to experience real homesickness for the first time. A couple nights ago, I had a really vivid dream that involved so many of my friends back home, and my sister was helping me to clean my room, and something big was about to happen so she kept telling me not to forget my shoelaces. I couldn't understand why I would need them, and she was trying to explain but kept getting really frustrated. I jerked awake, and it took me a few seconds to remember where I was and that I wasn't back home with my family. That realization made me extremely sad, and I spent my shower time that morning trying to perk myself up for the day. I haven't cried from homesickness yet, but I know I will before this stay is over.
That being said, I'm really glad that I'm with a family that has had students before, and I'm so grateful to have other students in the house at the same time. We can help each other that way. One of the girls and I are hoping to take a day trip into Dublin soon, to see the city and maybe do a little shopping (though that will probably be in a couple months).
Before I wrap this post up, I am going to ask for everyone's prayers, because I have been getting homesick, but also because I've been having trouble finding a church. There's a protestant church in the town, so I'm going to try to go there, but I am still missing having a body of people around me that I can go to regularly. I don't know quite how to describe the feeling- it's like I'm homesick for fellowship. That's been a big struggle lately. So, any and all prayers/encouragement would be appreciated.
Thanks to everyone who actually takes the time to read all my crap- sorry this post isn't particularly imaginative or interesting. It's just what came to my head when I sat down to write it. However next weekend I'll have the trip to Killarney to talk about, so I'll have a nicely polished post for you all to read. So get excited.
There have been some good moments, though. A lot of good moments, actually- like the end of the first day of school, when I happened to sit down in an empty seat and was joined by a group of girls who have turned out to be incredibly nice and friendly. Let me tell you, in a school so small that people in sixth year know most of the first years, having someone nice to talk to (much less a friend like the ones I've made) during breaks or lunch is a lifesaver. Seriously.
I've gotten into a good routine, especially this last week, and I'm starting to settle in so well that I have to make myself take a step back and say "What is my life anymore? How the heck did I get here?". I mean, this week alone, the stuff I've done has kind of blown my mind. In P.E., I went freaking horseback riding. At home, I wouldn't even be doing P.E. right now, and even if I was, it would consist of a random sport here and there, or walking around the track and talking. And in my first real P.E. class here, I was able to go horseback riding through this beautiful trail in the middle of the Irish countryside. And just tonight, one of the other students and I went for a walk down by the sea. It was cold and wet and drizzling, and the tide was in, so the waves were several meters high and crashing over the rail of the walk. We stopped and watched the people surfing in the middle of it, and I wished I already knew how so that I could join them.
I can't believe how blessed I am. It sounds typical to say, but if you had told me at this time last year when I first started to try and do this exchange that I would be living in a gorgeous old Irish house within walking distance of the sea, I would have considered you mentally deranged.
But now, here I am. I am living in a gorgeous old Irish house within walking distance of the sea. I have a cup of tea at nearly every meal and sometimes in between. I take the bus into town on the weekend for my own errands. I'm going to join the local surfing club and go surfing every Saturday morning. I'm going with my family to Killarney next week to see Riverdance and stay in a hostel for the first time (I know, I'm such an American). I'm meeting people I would never have known existed otherwise. I can count to ten in Irish. Oh, and I'm here until January.
Seriously, how blessed am I?
Granted, I'm making it sound a lot cooler than it really has been. I have been getting over the "honeymoon phase" of culture shock during the last couple days, and started to experience real homesickness for the first time. A couple nights ago, I had a really vivid dream that involved so many of my friends back home, and my sister was helping me to clean my room, and something big was about to happen so she kept telling me not to forget my shoelaces. I couldn't understand why I would need them, and she was trying to explain but kept getting really frustrated. I jerked awake, and it took me a few seconds to remember where I was and that I wasn't back home with my family. That realization made me extremely sad, and I spent my shower time that morning trying to perk myself up for the day. I haven't cried from homesickness yet, but I know I will before this stay is over.
That being said, I'm really glad that I'm with a family that has had students before, and I'm so grateful to have other students in the house at the same time. We can help each other that way. One of the girls and I are hoping to take a day trip into Dublin soon, to see the city and maybe do a little shopping (though that will probably be in a couple months).
Before I wrap this post up, I am going to ask for everyone's prayers, because I have been getting homesick, but also because I've been having trouble finding a church. There's a protestant church in the town, so I'm going to try to go there, but I am still missing having a body of people around me that I can go to regularly. I don't know quite how to describe the feeling- it's like I'm homesick for fellowship. That's been a big struggle lately. So, any and all prayers/encouragement would be appreciated.
Thanks to everyone who actually takes the time to read all my crap- sorry this post isn't particularly imaginative or interesting. It's just what came to my head when I sat down to write it. However next weekend I'll have the trip to Killarney to talk about, so I'll have a nicely polished post for you all to read. So get excited.
Friday, August 27, 2010
"Could've done worse..."
So, I have arrived, after what ended up being a long and interesting 17 or so hours of travel. My first flight wasn't bad at all; I sat next to a man who also had pretzel M&Ms and we ate them while discussing travel tips and business trips to Athens.
The second flight... Well, it was an adventure.
It started out great- we left on time, I had the third Hunger Games book to read (which is fantastic), and I sat next an adorable couple who literally spent ten minutes discussing how the movie "How to Train Your Dragon" was basically just like "Lassie"...minus the CGI... and the Viking-era setting... and the storyline. There was also an old man diagonally in front of me who was the only one in his row until the last two people boarded the plane- two girls in their twenties or so. He moved so they could get in, shot the woman he was standing next to a knowing look, and said, "Well, could've done worse."
Then we had to turn around mid-flight so someone could get medical attention. We waited at a strange airport for about three hours in the middle of the night before we were cleared for take-off again, which ended up delaying the flight by almost four hours. Not fun.
After I got through customs and claimed my baggage, I went looking for the bus stop. It took about three airport employees and one cheerful policeman to get me going in the right direction, but I got there. I would have pictures of the amazing countryside, but I was literally nodding off every five minutes and had no energy to dig around in my bag for my camera.
Basically: you know how in movies, Ireland always looks like a giant patchwork quilt of greens and browns? Well, it looks like that in real life, too.
Sorry this is unedited and hastily written, but I have to go. More coming soon!
The second flight... Well, it was an adventure.
It started out great- we left on time, I had the third Hunger Games book to read (which is fantastic), and I sat next an adorable couple who literally spent ten minutes discussing how the movie "How to Train Your Dragon" was basically just like "Lassie"...minus the CGI... and the Viking-era setting... and the storyline. There was also an old man diagonally in front of me who was the only one in his row until the last two people boarded the plane- two girls in their twenties or so. He moved so they could get in, shot the woman he was standing next to a knowing look, and said, "Well, could've done worse."
Then we had to turn around mid-flight so someone could get medical attention. We waited at a strange airport for about three hours in the middle of the night before we were cleared for take-off again, which ended up delaying the flight by almost four hours. Not fun.
After I got through customs and claimed my baggage, I went looking for the bus stop. It took about three airport employees and one cheerful policeman to get me going in the right direction, but I got there. I would have pictures of the amazing countryside, but I was literally nodding off every five minutes and had no energy to dig around in my bag for my camera.
Basically: you know how in movies, Ireland always looks like a giant patchwork quilt of greens and browns? Well, it looks like that in real life, too.
Sorry this is unedited and hastily written, but I have to go. More coming soon!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
So long, America
So, I'm leaving. Today. I'll be at the airport in about an hour.
I have no time, otherwise I would expound upon what I'm feeling.
...So now, I guess it's goodbye America, hello Ireland!
I have no time, otherwise I would expound upon what I'm feeling.
...So now, I guess it's goodbye America, hello Ireland!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Sisters, Goodbyes, the Oregon Trail, and Cookie Dough (among other things)
First order of business:
My youngest sister is starting high school on Wednesday.
I can't believe it. She's only in sixth grade with pigtails and braces and blaring Taylor Swift CDs from an old boom box!... At least, she is in my head.
And now she's supposed to go to high school! She's going to step onto the campus on Wednesday with a purpose other than a football game or band concert! Boys are going to chase after her! Girls are going to be petty and mean to her! Teachers are going to dump more projects than should be allowed on her! This is madness!
Yeah, I know she'll be all right. Better than all right, actually. She's so much cooler and better prepared than I ever was or could have been. She's got several good friends (and a couple not-as-good ones, but hey, who doesn't have those), a lot of common sense, motivation, and an amazingly strong trust in the Lord. High school might be mean to her, but she'll respond to it with the sweetness and grace and love that has attracted people to her since she was little. I know that she's going to shine (to use a typical high school cliche) at Myers Park and come out on top. But she's my little sister; I'm just praying her wonderful innocence doesn't go away, at least not completely.
Suzanne, if you're reading this, which you very well might be... I love you. I always have and always will, and there is nothing you could do to change that. If you ever need anything, let me know. You're so amazing and I wish I could be a little more like you. If I could give you any advice for high school that you might actually remember, it would be this: Listen to the little voice in your head, never lose sight of the faithfulness of God, try not to judge, take a break once in awhile, and don't ever stop in the middle of a hallway during a class change. I love you to the moon and back, mah seestur.
Second order of business:
Goodbyes.
They suck.
Just saying.
Third order of business:
One of my best friends since middle school came over tonight for a few hours. We hung out in my room as we finished our other friend's (extremely belated) birthday present, ate cookie dough, and I played Oregon Trail on her iPhone.
You see, I was one of those few deprived American children who had always heard about, but never actually played, The Oregon Trail game. The sad thing is, I would have loved it. I'm a sucker for those strategy-survival games, especially anything based in frontier America in the 1800s (what can I say, I'm a Little House book reader through and through). I discovered two useful life skills as I played that game: (1) I am actually pretty good at pounding nails, and (2) I can survive a bear assault for LONGER than 30 seconds, while making kung fu noises. Shazam. Beat that.
And lastly:
Two days until I leave. TWO DAYS!
I have so much to do, and so little time...*
Another post coming soon, probably about my wonderful pre-senior year reflections. Be prepared.
*...(Does anyone else ever think of that scene in the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie whenever that is said? I do)...
My youngest sister is starting high school on Wednesday.
I can't believe it. She's only in sixth grade with pigtails and braces and blaring Taylor Swift CDs from an old boom box!... At least, she is in my head.
And now she's supposed to go to high school! She's going to step onto the campus on Wednesday with a purpose other than a football game or band concert! Boys are going to chase after her! Girls are going to be petty and mean to her! Teachers are going to dump more projects than should be allowed on her! This is madness!
Yeah, I know she'll be all right. Better than all right, actually. She's so much cooler and better prepared than I ever was or could have been. She's got several good friends (and a couple not-as-good ones, but hey, who doesn't have those), a lot of common sense, motivation, and an amazingly strong trust in the Lord. High school might be mean to her, but she'll respond to it with the sweetness and grace and love that has attracted people to her since she was little. I know that she's going to shine (to use a typical high school cliche) at Myers Park and come out on top. But she's my little sister; I'm just praying her wonderful innocence doesn't go away, at least not completely.
Suzanne, if you're reading this, which you very well might be... I love you. I always have and always will, and there is nothing you could do to change that. If you ever need anything, let me know. You're so amazing and I wish I could be a little more like you. If I could give you any advice for high school that you might actually remember, it would be this: Listen to the little voice in your head, never lose sight of the faithfulness of God, try not to judge, take a break once in awhile, and don't ever stop in the middle of a hallway during a class change. I love you to the moon and back, mah seestur.
Second order of business:
Goodbyes.
They suck.
Just saying.
Third order of business:
One of my best friends since middle school came over tonight for a few hours. We hung out in my room as we finished our other friend's (extremely belated) birthday present, ate cookie dough, and I played Oregon Trail on her iPhone.
You see, I was one of those few deprived American children who had always heard about, but never actually played, The Oregon Trail game. The sad thing is, I would have loved it. I'm a sucker for those strategy-survival games, especially anything based in frontier America in the 1800s (what can I say, I'm a Little House book reader through and through). I discovered two useful life skills as I played that game: (1) I am actually pretty good at pounding nails, and (2) I can survive a bear assault for LONGER than 30 seconds, while making kung fu noises. Shazam. Beat that.
And lastly:
Two days until I leave. TWO DAYS!
I have so much to do, and so little time...*
Another post coming soon, probably about my wonderful pre-senior year reflections. Be prepared.
*...(Does anyone else ever think of that scene in the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie whenever that is said? I do)...
Saturday, August 21, 2010
International Chorus
Note: From July 17th-26th this summer, I was a member of something called the Youthcue International Chorus. Basically it's a program through the Youthcue organization (website: www.youthcue.org )where students, ages 15-20, from all over the US (and Canada) audition/apply and are selected to go on a ten-day trip together. Most of the students have never met any of the others, unless they've been on previous trips. The program also teaches leadership skills in hopes that the students will return home better prepared to emerge as leaders in their home churches and choirs. The tour this past year was to French Canada, specifically Quebec City and Montreal. It was extremely meaningful to me, and when I got home my choir director asked me to write a report about it for a committee at my church. It's not the best thing I've ever written by any means, but it's something that meant a lot to me and that I wanted to share, so here a few excerpts...
"During the weeks leading up to this thing called 'International Chorus', I found myself alternating between excitement and anxiety. Committing ten whole days of my summer to thirty other students that I had never met before in my life was definitely outside of my comfort zone. But as it turns out, taking that leap of faith resulted in ten days of making music and being swept up into God's presence with thirty students whom I will never forget.
It took me the entire first day of the trip to realize that I had come into this experience with the automatic assumption that it was going to be something like a youth choir trip on steroids. It didn't take me nearly as long to figure out how wrong I was. There's so much I want to say about my time with the Youthcue International Chorus (or INC), but it's hard to squash ten days of incredible fellowship and stories into a few hundred words. I wish I could communicate how much fun it was to bond with each other while sitting in a boiling hotel lobby, watching one of the worst Asian action movies I have ever seen, on the French channel. I wish I could put into words my love for the music we learned, or the warmth of the blend that the chorus had. I wish I had a dozen pages to try and describe to you one of the grey stone cathedrals with centuries-old stained glass windows and a seven-second echo. I really wish I could tell everyone about playing ninja on the metro, being let loose for hours at a time in cities that felt more European than North American, playing Barzilian Uno just outside the elevators, and nearly getting lost in Quebec City while trying to fine the Cirque du Soleil. I wish I could explain the fun of jet-boating in the freezing rapids of the Saint Lawrence River, why Montreal bus mirrors could be dangerous, what to do if shot with a dart by your fellow singers, and how handing out food for four hours at the Family Distribution Center just might earn you a shirt with the name "Fonzie" still attached to it. I wish I could tell you a lot more than I can in this one report...
...I remember the first night pretty clearly. we had just finished up our first rehearsal together, and we were sitting down as a group for our introductory leadership session with our director, Randy Edwards. One of the first things he said struck me deeply.
'Look around this room," he said. "This trip will be the last time that this specific group will ever sing together again on this earth." The truth of that statement surprised me. What he said was right- we had students from all over the continent, and while some of us might reunite once in awhile in small groups, it would be virtually impossible for this same chorus to ever sing together again. To me, it made the trip seem much more precious, especially as it drew to a close. I will never be able to express the deep gratitude I feel for having this opportunity to travel with the INC. Every single singer in the chorus and every adult who was present ministered to me so much throughout the trip. I want ot say thank you to Randy Edwards, Lois Gagne, and everyone else involved with the International Chorus for making it happen; and thank you to everyone who helped to get me there. Maybe most of all, thank you to all the students I met there- I hope to see you all again.This trip was my first; God willing, it will not be my last..."
So, yeah. I really wish I could still be on that trip, with those people. I miss them all a ton.
Sorry for the sentimentality, I just felt like sharing this.
"During the weeks leading up to this thing called 'International Chorus', I found myself alternating between excitement and anxiety. Committing ten whole days of my summer to thirty other students that I had never met before in my life was definitely outside of my comfort zone. But as it turns out, taking that leap of faith resulted in ten days of making music and being swept up into God's presence with thirty students whom I will never forget.
It took me the entire first day of the trip to realize that I had come into this experience with the automatic assumption that it was going to be something like a youth choir trip on steroids. It didn't take me nearly as long to figure out how wrong I was. There's so much I want to say about my time with the Youthcue International Chorus (or INC), but it's hard to squash ten days of incredible fellowship and stories into a few hundred words. I wish I could communicate how much fun it was to bond with each other while sitting in a boiling hotel lobby, watching one of the worst Asian action movies I have ever seen, on the French channel. I wish I could put into words my love for the music we learned, or the warmth of the blend that the chorus had. I wish I had a dozen pages to try and describe to you one of the grey stone cathedrals with centuries-old stained glass windows and a seven-second echo. I really wish I could tell everyone about playing ninja on the metro, being let loose for hours at a time in cities that felt more European than North American, playing Barzilian Uno just outside the elevators, and nearly getting lost in Quebec City while trying to fine the Cirque du Soleil. I wish I could explain the fun of jet-boating in the freezing rapids of the Saint Lawrence River, why Montreal bus mirrors could be dangerous, what to do if shot with a dart by your fellow singers, and how handing out food for four hours at the Family Distribution Center just might earn you a shirt with the name "Fonzie" still attached to it. I wish I could tell you a lot more than I can in this one report...
...I remember the first night pretty clearly. we had just finished up our first rehearsal together, and we were sitting down as a group for our introductory leadership session with our director, Randy Edwards. One of the first things he said struck me deeply.
'Look around this room," he said. "This trip will be the last time that this specific group will ever sing together again on this earth." The truth of that statement surprised me. What he said was right- we had students from all over the continent, and while some of us might reunite once in awhile in small groups, it would be virtually impossible for this same chorus to ever sing together again. To me, it made the trip seem much more precious, especially as it drew to a close. I will never be able to express the deep gratitude I feel for having this opportunity to travel with the INC. Every single singer in the chorus and every adult who was present ministered to me so much throughout the trip. I want ot say thank you to Randy Edwards, Lois Gagne, and everyone else involved with the International Chorus for making it happen; and thank you to everyone who helped to get me there. Maybe most of all, thank you to all the students I met there- I hope to see you all again.This trip was my first; God willing, it will not be my last..."
So, yeah. I really wish I could still be on that trip, with those people. I miss them all a ton.
Sorry for the sentimentality, I just felt like sharing this.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
My Thunder Has Been Stolen
Last night, my dad's side of the family got together for the first time in awhile to celebrate my grandmother's birthday. The night consisted of vulture dip, fun stories, morbid birthday cards, gator rides, and fireworks bought in South Carolina (where they are actually legal). The whole occasion was bittersweet, as it was the last family gathering before many of the cousins (myself included) began to go in vastly different directions. Coming home, I was inspired to write a blog about how much my family has meant to me, particularly my cousin Sarah. Too tired to write anything last night, I put it off until today.
Little did I know, my thunder was stolen in the night.
Yes, my delightfully awesome cousin Sarah has beaten me to it and written about us already on her own blog, which you can find here:
http://saraharant.blogspot.com/
I would put in my own two cents, but she has a very witty way with words (ha, alliteration for the win-) which I will not even try to contest with.
In other words, go to her blog and check it out.
Little did I know, my thunder was stolen in the night.
Yes, my delightfully awesome cousin Sarah has beaten me to it and written about us already on her own blog, which you can find here:
http://saraharant.blogspot.com/
I would put in my own two cents, but she has a very witty way with words (ha, alliteration for the win-) which I will not even try to contest with.
In other words, go to her blog and check it out.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Note: This Is Not an Introduction
I hate introductions. I feel awkward and weird trying to write about myself, so I'm not going to. Therefore, this will not be an introduction. I'm just going to jump straight in.
So, I leave for possibly the greenest place on earth in 12 days. That's really soon. It's been a really long road getting here, so to finally be able to say, "I'm leaving" is a huge relief. I can't wait until I get to meet my host family in person and go walking through the town hearing Irish accents everywhere; I can't wait to be able to say to people, "I learned to surf in Ireland in the middle of autumn", and get the chance to be in another country as a resident, not just a tourist.
I will admit to being scared. Very scared. Terrified, actually. But the Lord is good, and he has great plans for this semester- I can feel it.
So, twelve days from now I'll officially be in the land of leprechauns and shamrocks with six long months stretching out in front of me, during which I get to explore one of the countries I have dreamed about my whole life. To say I'm excited might be the understatement of the year.
So, I leave for possibly the greenest place on earth in 12 days. That's really soon. It's been a really long road getting here, so to finally be able to say, "I'm leaving" is a huge relief. I can't wait until I get to meet my host family in person and go walking through the town hearing Irish accents everywhere; I can't wait to be able to say to people, "I learned to surf in Ireland in the middle of autumn", and get the chance to be in another country as a resident, not just a tourist.
I will admit to being scared. Very scared. Terrified, actually. But the Lord is good, and he has great plans for this semester- I can feel it.
So, twelve days from now I'll officially be in the land of leprechauns and shamrocks with six long months stretching out in front of me, during which I get to explore one of the countries I have dreamed about my whole life. To say I'm excited might be the understatement of the year.
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