Of all the places to meet

We were quite possibly the four most random people you might expect to meet in a small Irish town, not to mention the four most random people you might expect to become friends.  Four girls: one German, one American, one Brazilian, and one Japanese.  Think about it- what are the odds that we would all be in the same county at generally the same time, and become close friends in the space of months, before spreading out over the globe again?
I miss them a lot.  We had fun times, walking along Tramore Beach and eating chocolate biscuits and watching movies.  We were four of the older students, and among the most long-term exchange students that arrived in August; I was the first to leave, and Leticia went back to Brazil a month later.  Linda and Yuki will stay in Ireland until late June.  All of us made so many friends, and while we may have considered others "best friends", I do think we had a different kind of bond.  I mean, all four of us shared the same experiences of homesickness, dealing with a new culture, and working through struggles with our host families.  It was easier to talk about those things with each other because we could all relate to it.  And because of our different cultures/languages, things always got interesting when we got together.
Anyways, I've been missing them a lot lately, and I figured, what's a blog good for if not for processing things through writing?
So here's my small tribute to our "United Nations"...

LINDA
She's our German, always agreeable and enthusiastic, nodding excitedly and saying "Yah, yah!" whenever we made new plans.  Always positive, even when talking about her own struggles with her host family or homesickness.  I've always heard and read of people who had eyes that "danced", but had never met anyone who actually possessed such eyes until I met Linda.  She really had sparkling, dark blue eyes that were constantly dancing, her wire-curly hair bobbing to the same rhythm.  I rarely saw her without the echoes of a grin on her face.  I miss you, Linda!  I miss how supportive and fun you were.  I hope whenever I get to Germany, or you get to America, we get to see each other again.

LETICIA
This girl was my surfing buddy.  The poor thing was used to the weather of southern Brazil- which did get cold, she said, but was surely nothing like the Irish sea in November.  Still, she would show up from Waterford every weekend and meet us at the surf place to grab a wetsuit and we'd go freeze our butts off for three hours.  We joked about going on one last lesson in January just to say we did, but were never able to.  Leticia was the kind of gorgeous you wanted to hate, but was sweet in a way you couldn't help but love.  She went with the flow, and always had a good idea for how to fill the day.  She could cheer you up in a second.  Ironically, we live the closest to each other out of the four, but are still nearly 4500 miles apart.

YUKI
Oh, Yuki!  My sweet, stylish Japanese friend.  She lived on the other side of Tramore, but I still saw her at school every day.  She would try anything and wanted to experience everything.  Everyone knew Yuki, and everyone knew she was the sweetest, gentlest person you could ever hope to meet.  She was stunning too, and really good at mixing European and Asian fashion into the most amazing outfits.  One of my favorite memories was when it snowed in Tramore and we got a week off of school... There was this big hill that overlooked the sea, and everyone gathered there to sled.  The problem was that no sleds were to be found- so people used skateboards, surfboards (imagine five inches of snow covering everything, and a guy strolling down the street carrying a surfboard), and anything else they could find.  Yuki and I and a bunch of our friends wrapped ourselves in large black trash bags and slid down the hill on our stomachs, then when it got too cold we trekked up to SuperValue for some really cheap hot chocolate.

And then there was me.  But you already know enough about me.

 So yeah...  I miss those three so much.  I miss everyone I met over there so much.  We hope to have a "reuniting trip" somewhere- we jokingly speculated somewhere in Africa or Australia, as those are the only two major continents we don't have covered.  I hope we really are able to get together again one day.

Yuki on the left (with our friend Jill)

Leticia (with chocolate biscuit)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Linda and Leticia

 

 

Bailing for Steve. And other things too.

Monday afternoon and I'm rubbing down my hair, trying to figure out how to hide my sunburned back from my mother when I get home.  From the bathroom, I can hear Conner and Will yelling over Left for Dead.  Caleb is excitedly chattering about the huge sandwich he is making, and Mattie's humming a tune from Tangled.  Emmalee yells at someone trying to take her spot on the couch while Mattie's dad breaks into the conversation with a hilariously awful joke.  I towel myself down some more and start to dress, relishing in that fresh, sunburned, just-in-from-the-beach summer feeling.  It's at that moment that I realize I'm completely content with where I am right now.


Considering where I've been, that's a pretty exciting feeling.  Before Ireland, I just was not in a good place.  While I was in Ireland, well... if you've read any other posts on here, you might have begun to pick up on the fact that it was just a little awesome.  You know.  But really, I feel like God used so much of Ireland to change a lot in my life, and in my relationship with Him.  So then I come back to the States, and all I could think about was Ireland.  For a while, that was all I wanted to talk about.  That was the only place I wanted to be.  And that was hard- not only because there was no way for me to actually go there, but also because most people around me couldn't relate to how I felt at all.  And I'm not saying that as an accusation or anything, it just is what it is.  Several people also had pretty much no interest in my experiences over there either, which was especially hard, because then I felt like I was just sitting around with nothing to say but fit to burst with all the stories I wanted to tell.  I couldn't relate to people I once felt very close to.  To be quite honest, I couldn't relate to the Lord the way I did in Ireland, which is something I'm still dealing with and figuring out.

Basically, it was a tough transition back to America.  That, combined with uncertainty about what I was going to do next year, and other things, made for a rough first couple of months back.


So, all of that said, I know it's been awhile since I posted anything here.  Actually this is my first post back on American soil.  I tried to post more before, but just never got around to it or didn't like it enough when I tried.  Now that my transition home is mostly over though, I'll be trying to post on a more regular basis again (like it was regular before).  As an update on what's been going on, well... I've got about two months of high school left (huzzah!), and my graduation project is done, which means I'm basically coasting until the end of the year.  As for the relating to friends thing, I've reconnected with some, developed several new friendships, and some I'm just waiting to see what happens.  (I'll talk more about that in another post though).  I have a job as a nanny set up this summer.  What am I doing next year?  Well, after considering several very different options, making several pro/con lists, and shedding a few tears, the decision is final that I am going to Gardner-Webb University.  I'm really excited- God truly has good plans in store for me, and I can't wait to see them come to life.

So, with all these things both bringing closure and opening new doors, spring break this week was a welcome time away from school and from life in general.  I went to the beach with my friend Mattie and her family from Sunday to Wednesday, and it was amazing. 

The two lovely ladies I got to spend four crazy days with, Mattie and Emmalee

 Somewhere in the middle of getting some bad sunburn, racing clams, making epic drip castles, saving a sting ray named Steve, watching Lord of the Rings, and jamming out in the minivan, I realized that I've once again been given the gift of peace and contentment.  And it's awesome. 

Conner, Emmalee, and me

So yeah.  I'm back on and posting again from here on out.  Hopefully the coming posts will still be somewhat interesting, even without the whole Ireland aspect to them.... ;)

A quick explanation

Hello there.

This is going to be really quick, because I only have a few minutes online- basically, I wanted to apologise for the lack of updates on here. Our computer at the house has been down for weeks.
A brief update?
Well, basically I have three full days left in this beautiful country. Three.
I'm excited to get home, but terrified to go back to real life. And there are going to be many, many tears on Thursday when I leave school for the last time.

Pray for me- starting Saturday, another new chapter of life begins! I promise to post a full reflection on my exchange as soon as I return and get to a working computer.

Wish me luck on the flights :)

some o' dem numberz that are blowin mah mind.

So... In four days, I will be...*gulp*... and "adult".

I will be Eighteen.
Yeah.  I know.  In four days I will be legally able to do all those stereotypical things people do when they turn eighteen- buy cigarettes, lottery tickets, go clubbing, etc etc etc.  In the eyes of the law I will be an "adult".
I don't feel like I should be eighteen.  Not really.  Good gracious, I just started feeling like a real 17 year old a couple weeks ago.  What happened???  When did I get old?

A few more o' dem numberz:
Eighteen days until I leave Ireland.  EIGHTEEN.  That's only two more weekends.  Only two more youth group meetings.  Three more phone calls home.  (Possibly two.)  This is seriously blowing my mind.  I don't think I've really grasped it.  At all.

So.... yeah.  I've nothing else really to say about that at the moment.  But... wow.

Some photos to brighten your day.

So, my absolutely incredible Christmas gift from my parents this year was an absolutely incredible camera.  Seriously.  It's incredible.  (Funny story:  Two instruction manuals were included in the package... one in French and one in Spanish.  Epic fail.)  As you can expect, I've been playing with it for days now and figuring it all out... It takes gorgeous photographs.  So, here are a few to brighten your day (hopefully) and give you a clearer view of what my little corner of Ireland looks like.

From the beach at sunset... It's not always like this, but when it is, it's definitely worth the cold to go out walking in it!

Seagulls at some place Nina took me today... I don't know what it's called, all I know is you can put in boats and go crabfishing there.  (This is also using the pinhole setting, for you more artsy-photography-types that might be interested)

The sunset tonight.  Absolutely breathtaking.  The clouds were amazing.  Seriously, believe it or not, this picture does not do it justice

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Apparently, my family claims I don't send home/upload enough pictures of myself.  So here we go. 

I just really liked this one  :)  Again, on pinhole setting.

All right, I really hope those pictures load right... Enjoy, everyone!  Happy New Year... I'll be back home soon!

2010. The Year of Insanity.

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!!

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...