Philadelphia and DC Vlog | August 5-7, 2015

Wales Vlog | April 17-19, 2015

Copenhagen Vlog | April 10-12, 2015

Rough Transition

When I left Ireland in May, I gave the event very little recognition. I tried not to think about leaving, I tried not to post about leaving. I thought that if I gave as little emotional energy as possible that it would help ease the eventual pain. And this strategy worked, for a while. I was able to sleep, I was able to edit videos, I was able to do absolutely nothing but eat and watch television and felt relatively good about being back.

Now that I am a month out it has finally hit me and it has hit me hard.

This jolt has come very unexpectedly and I am just now concluding that it is, in one form or another, the "reverse culture shock" people predict. And perhaps most confusingly, the stress is in no way about leaving my beloved Ireland but is instead about returning to my beloved Kansas.

Ireland facilitated a glorious lifestyle for me - minimal school work, unlimited travel, social expansion, and a whole lot of self discovery. While I miss that life (and probably always will), that is not the part that I am stressed and depressed about. Instead the turmoil comes from the incongruence of the life I led before and the person I am now. The new me cannot seem to fit in the spot the old  Emily left behind and into her dependable relationships from a year ago.

Not only is this now-world jokingly mundane compared to what I had abroad, but to my ignorant shock everyone did actually move on without me. My presence is now a year old in every eye and the gossip and camaraderie more than a few months expired. The distractions in Ireland made me horrible at staying in touch and naturally (as I should have expected), people learned to live without me and I without them. It is as if I am back in a land of acquaintances and I have to reintroduce myself, regain their trust, and reform opinions of the people walking in and out of my days.

I don't know if this is common for students that return. Today was the first day I became truly overwhelmed and hope that as I force these two lives together some harmony results.

While I try to keep this website positive and lighthearted, I also strive for transparency. I am hoping to fully document the "study abroad experience" and want you, my reader, to realize that it is not all daisies and roses. When you study abroad there is a clear beginning and a clear end. And if the journey was worth taking, the end should always be bitter sweet.

Yours,

The Opinionated Lassie

Just Roman Around

Now that I have moved home and am officially settled back in Kansas City, I am excited to share trip summaries from my last two months of traveling! To kick this off, I will share my adventures in Rome, Italy, where I spent Easter weekend with fellow UCD friends and the Pope.

Before I booked this trip, I was sure that I didn't want to go to Rome. Back to Rome that is. It is not that there is anything wrong with Rome, but I had already been to this beautiful city twice in my life and a third time seemed like it could wait until at least my late twenties. Then a friend of mine casually suggested going for Easter, when the weather should be beautiful, when we had a long weekend off from school, and when a student tour group was running a trip and I wouldn't have to plan a thing. I was sold - how could I pass up on such a unique and educational experience! So we grabbed our credit cards, got on our computers, and booked away.

Prior to this trip I had been in charge of planning every other international trip alone or with my travel partner. I would scour TripAdvisor and other sites reading reviews and planning the most exciting and busy weekends of my life. For Rome we decided to book a tour with Weekend Student Adventures - a student travel company founded by Rick Steve's son, Andy - that would include transportation, admission tickets, and guides so we could simply follow along. This was the first thing we did right, and I would have traveled with them much more if I hadn't run out of time.

The other awesome thing about going with this group is that other friends of ours independently booked the same tour and we had no idea how many students from UCD were on the trip until we got off the plane in Rome. It was such a fun surprise and made the trip that much more memorable and fun!

Because I had no classes on Friday, my travel partner, Laura, and I flew out that afternoon. We ended up learning of seven other students from UCD that were on the same flights and this became my main group for the weekend. What a huge and hysterical coincidence!

We arrived in Rome late Thursday night and, after we found our way to the hostel, we stopped at a local pizza joint for some grub. It was very tasty and we were very slap happy that it truly hit the spot! We then went to the hostel, checked into our rooms (which were more like hotel rooms) and went to the hostel bar for a quick drink. 

Laura, Me, Will

The next morning we woke up bright and early to head to the Vatican for the day. We started with a public bus trip to the city and, after some shopping in the Vatican shops we had a pleasant tour of St. Peter's Basilica. Even after seeing this amazing structure two other times, the enormity of the basilica is still overwhelming! All of the walking made us ready for some more pizza which we ate for lunch and some delicious gelato after. Then we toured the Vatican museums (and ignored our sunburns from the hot, sunny, non-Irish weather).

Maura, Me, Laura, Rachel

Laura, Maura, Rachel, Rachel, Claire, Me

Once we left the museums we went back to the hostel to freshen up. We then headed to dinner and walked by the Colosseum as the sun was setting perfectly behind it! For dinner we ate pizza and pasta and then went back to the Colosseum to see the Stations of the Cross with Pope Francis. Even though the Pope was far away and the service was in Latin and Italian, it was still a fun thing to witness with thousands of other people around the beautiful landmark!

The next morning we got breakfast at the hostel and headed to the Colosseum for an official tour. Our guide was pretty good and we had individual headsets so hearing him was nice and I could wander without missing any information. We then took an adorable group picture and went to the Roman Forum for a tour. Then we walked to the Pantheon, took a look inside, and made another souvenir and gelato run! 

Maura, Me

Me, Claire, Rachel

On the way back I went with Laura and our other friend, Maura, to a local grocery store for snacks. I then took a little nap and we prepared for the evening. Our meeting place for dinner was the famous Spanish steps where we met got to meet the famous travel author, Rick Steves, before we headed with him and the rest of the group to the Trevi Fountain. Although the fountain is under construction and was a bit unexciting, when we left and walked to the restaurant I talked the entire time with Rick Steves - just me and him! He asked me what I wanted to do with my life and I told him all about Ireland and my ambitions of being a math teacher and eventually a principal. For about 15 minutes I talked to him and answered his questions about the US educational system, Ireland, and even Kansas! 

Rachel, Brian, Rachel, Claire, Laura, Maura, Me

Rachel, Me, Rachel (A Rachel Sandwich)

Maura, Sarah, Rachel, Me, Giorgio, Claire

Rick Steves, Me

After the awesome encounter we finally arrived at the restaurant. This meal was planned by WSA and included a ton of delicious food (pizza, pasta, bruschetta, and tiramisu). Not to mention unlimited wine! My table had a blast and it was definitely one of my favorite memories from the trip!

After a late adventure getting back to the hostel, we woke up at 3am, packed our things, and headed to the Vatican to stand in line for Easter mass. It was an exhausting 6-hour wait and a very wet and rainy day for mass but, hypothermia aside, the experience was amazing! Every time I have come to Rome I have hoped to see the Pope - and that dream was finally realized!

Me, Laura

Once the mass was over and Pope Francis drove around in the Popemobile, we headed back to the hostel to get our things. We changed our clothes and departed for the airport to conclude our amazing trip! 

Claire, Me

I had 27 plane rides and left Ireland 11 times during my 9 months abroad. While every trip was amazing, this one really stands out. Rome was a perfect 4 days and I will never forget the places, the food, the memories, or the people! I am so grateful.

Yours,

The Opinionated Lassie

For the video version:

Tea Time!

For those that knew me before, before this experience, and before tea entered my life with any kind of great consistency, I was definitely known as a coffee drinker. A dedicated, highly-trained, coffee drinker, sporting a Starbucks Gold membership, having seasonal favorite drinks, and caffeinating at every given opportunity.

When I was a child, I remember the distinct smell of coffee beans and how they repulsed me. But some point in my high school years I began to venture into chocolatey coffee drinks and never turned back. 

It also didn't help that my high school had a coffee shop where cups of coffee were sold for a mere $1. I would often run to this shop before class, during class, or on bathroom breaks, to indulge in this delicious treat. When I was a lab aid, I even had a teacher that would send me on coffee runs for her. I became her own personal barista as I fixed her coffee and brought it back to her perfectly sweetened, that wonderful caramel color, and splenda'd to perfection.

Over the years, my dedication to coffee and love for the drink has grown. As I get older and have to study more, I find that that I get less sleep and need more artificial energy. This resulted in my getting a Keurig machine last year and my addiction being satisfied multiple times during the day.

Then I came to Ireland. While Ireland is absolutely wonderful in many respects, they don't even use coffee makers in their homes. These people opt for instant coffee and think that it is similar to the real thing! 

Well, it's alright, I'm flexible; I knew from the start that I would just have to spend more time in coffee shops, and have my coffee fix and study time fulfilled out of the apartment. But this takes me to another problem: Irish stores do not stay open late, and I never start studying before 5pm anyways (which is when 99% of the coffee shops here close).

Therefore another solution needed to be found. And this solution was found my first grocery trip in Ireland and then neglected for nearly a month until I saw is again on the very back of the shelf: tea.

This is not your ordinary, trying-to-be-healthy, dirty-tasting-water, kind of tea. Instead it is black tea prepared the Irish way (loaded with cream and sugar until you are essentially drinking sweet, tea-flavored, milk). Turns out this stuff is great, relatively cheap, and full of energy! Thus, the conversion began.

Not that I will ever turn away from coffee entirely, but tea has become a worthy substitute in this world of freeze-dried coffee. My Irish roommate Deirdre swears by it, as she drinks nearly 4-5 "cups a scald" every day. Even my mom became obsessed when my parents visited and she was appalled by the lacking coffee game in this country.

While I write this post from Starbucks, drinking a venti iced caramel macchiato, I happily reflect on a beautiful aspect of studying abroad - assimilation. They love tea, I should try to love tea, I learn to love tea, success.

Yours,

The Opinionated Lassie

Family Favorites - London

After our adventures in Cork City, we traveled to London where my brother (Daniel) met up with us. London, one of my favorite cities, is always wonderful and I was excited to go there for the fourth time! These were our favorite spots/aspects of the trip:

Madame Tussaud’s- In my trip last semester, I was dying to go to Madame Tussaud’s. Unfortunately we never made it there and so I insisted that my mom, brother, and I go while my dad visited friends in Seaford. I was not disappointed! It is awesome seeing all of the impressive wax figures they have on display and their variety of activities occupy your time and make the ticket worth its steep price. I was so glad to check this stop off the bucket list and we got a ton of awesome pictures with our favorite celebrities and royals!

Wembley Stadium- This was a suggestion of my dad and brother and ended up being a very impressive stadium and nice tour! We got to see the blue seats that Prince William and Princess Kate sit in while watching soccer matches and got to see every part of the high-tech and beautifully designed stadium. After our tour we stopped at a local outlet mall for lunch and Daniel and I ended up getting some nice new clothing.

My family in front of the whole stadium!

Westminster Abbey- Another place that I wanted to visit last trip and never made it to was the beautiful and huge Westminster Abbey! We took a tour of this expansive church and I was so excited to walk the path that Princess Kate walked during her famous wedding. When we went to the gift shop, I was stunned that they still had the souvenir I got 11 years ago on my first visit to London - a small model of a crown in a little plastic case. I loved this so much when I was young and still have it displayed on a shelf in my room!

Churchill War Rooms- One of the most underrated attractions in London, this site and museum is definitely an interesting and educational stop. We got to learn all about Winston Churchill and his Cabinet’s work during WWII. The bunker is still set up just how it was during the war and they have even added an entire wing of the museum dedicated Churchill’s life and achievements.

The 39 Steps- This stage show, based on the Alfred Hitchcock movie, made for a very entertaining evening on the West End. We bought the tickets on a total whim, but enjoyed watching an exciting comedy after a long day of sightseeing. I was also impressed that you could purchase ice cream during the intermission and you could eat it right there in your seat!

London Tube- I know this is not an “attraction,” but having such efficient public transportation is the best thing in the world. I feel, after both of my trips to London this year, that it is so amazing to be able to hop on that thing and go wherever you want in the city. I feel so independent on the Tube and led my family everywhere without them ever having to look at the map. On other public transit I feel at the mercy of the driver or the timetables but on the tube, I feel in charge and it is liberating!

Movies- I am not usually into watching movies on trips but London was an exception. Due to our amount of time in the city and the jet lag of everybody on the trip but me, we saw two movies during our time in London, Focus and Chappie. Not to mention both of the films were absolutely excellent and were definitely an good use of our time.

Family- Again not specifically an attraction but visiting my Mother’s family and Aunt was a fun and special treat! I had not seen them for 10ish years (and didn’t remember any of them to be honest) so getting to catch up now that I am older was awesome. I think they had a fun time too and the lunch the served was divine which is always a plus!

Next up, Munich!

The Opinionated Lassie

Family Favorites - Cork City

As my parents’ and brother’s visit is now a month in the past, perhaps it is finally time to properly document it on my blog. Because it was a two-week Odyssey, it seems very inefficient to write a play-by-play of the entire time. Instead I will highlight my favorite experiences in each city and direct you to my Youtube vlog for a more thorough account of every stop we made!

After my parents flew into Dublin, we made our way to Cork City so they could see where I had lived and studied from August-December. I showed them my favorite spots and gave them the best two-day tour of Cork that I could! These were our favorite parts:

Gabriel House B&B- Having never had to stay in a hotel in Cork, I was not very useful in selecting one for me and my parents. Based on TripAdvisor and pricing, we selected the Gabriel House B&B, which had a decent location and looked very cute. This was a wonderful choice and remained our favorite hotel for the rest of the trip. We were on the top floor of the 4-story building and had a roof deck (that we were probably not supposed to go onto but did anyway). I think we had the best view of the city that I had ever experienced and this happiness was complimented by an included made-to-order breakfast of your choice.

Cork City Gaol and Sightseeing Tour- The most interesting tourist attraction in Cork City (in my opinion) is Cork City Gaol. This is a former jail that has been wonderfully preserved and turned into a tour and radio museum. To get up to the Gaol we took the Cork Sightseeing Tour and hopped-off as we passed. My parents were both very impressed with the self-guided tour and we enjoyed learning about history, architecture, and significance of the jail that was open until the late 1920s.The rest of the sightseeing tour gave them a very good overview of my former home and let me see areas of the city that I had never seen before. I would highly recommend it!

Elizabeth Fort- This is an old fort near where I used to live that I never visited during my time in Cork! I took my parents here as it was along the walk to my former apartment and I was amazed by its beautiful views of the city. There was a man standing at the entrance of the free landmark that was willing to answer questions about the fort, and it was a nice stop on my city tour.

Fellini’s Café and Tea Room- During my time in Cork, there was one restaurant and one meal that was my favorite - in fact I dedicated an entire blog post to it (found here). The chicken, cranberry, and Brie wrap from Fellini’s is literally life-changing and the best deal in the city at 6 euro. My mom was excited to try it and I was glad to show my parents where I had gone for many-a-meal. It was just as delicious as I remembered it and I was ecstatic to have it and savor it one final time.

University College Cork- Getting to walk around my old campus was emotional and brought back a lot of memories. Student elections were running so there was a buzz about the campus with people campaigning, music playing, and happy students everywhere. My parents instantly fell in love with the place and were happy that I got to spend time there. I was able to show them some of the buildings where I had class and take them on the daily walk I made to and from class.

Blarney Castle Hotel Trad Session- This was the part of our Cork City trip that I was most excited for. As you know if you have read my blogs before, I went to this music session every Tuesday night during my semester in Cork and danced, sang, and played music every time I went. This is also where I met two of my closest Irish friends - Mags, my dance teacher, who hosted the students at the session, and her friend Martin, a taxi driver, that would drive us to Blarney every week. My parents loved our nice meal at the hotel, meeting two people that were so important to me during my time at UCC, and experiencing authentic Irish Traditional music. They also got to see me dance with Mags and sing with her at the end of the evening.

Mok’s Pub and the Irish Grandpas - My roommates and I befriended two older men in the bar right next to our apartment and would visit them on the occasional Wednesday throughout the semester. They two guys, Michael and Frank, became affectionately known as our “Irish Grandpas” and my parents couldn’t wait to meet them when they visited. After stopping in the famous music joint "Oliver Plunkett" in the city, we walked to Mok’s on Wednesday and had a wonderful time talking about America, Ireland, trains, and Classical music for about 3.5 hours in the cozy pub. My parents loved the Grandpas, they loved my parents, and I loved the situation on the whole. We even concluded the night (at 1pm) by walking across the street to the famous fish and chips spot, Jackie Lennox, for some post-pub dinner! This was one of the craziest experiences that I have ever had with my parents, as two of my worlds so seamlessly fit together.

Until Next Time,

The Opinionated Lassie

Irish Dogs Unleashed!

At first I was sure that this country had a stray dog problem. At any given time, in any given town, a random dog will wander by and I worry about its life and well-being. But then I noticed a trend. About 50 meters ahead of the dog, or 50 meters behind the dog, there would be a person casually walking in the same direction. And believe it or not, this is the "dog walker."

Either there aren't leash laws in the country or hundreds of criminals are exercising their canines daily. 

When I was in Cork City with my parents, we were in a small shop when this man walked in with his three dogs happily at his feet. None of them were leashed but they all maintained a 5 foot radius around him and, though they severely needed baths, were as happy as can be. And the owner of the shop did not question it once! Not to mention that one of the dogs had a cone around his head an visible stitches from a recent surgery. 

It is just so funny and adorable that dogs can roam and people deal with it, in fact, people don't even look twice.

This also happens at UCD frequently when people exercise around campus. Since UCD is situated between neighborhoods and has public walking trails on campus, it is a common-place for locals to come for a stroll. And, you guessed it, their dogs too. 

I just think of my dog and how she would react in a no-leash scenario. While she loves us and has a wonderful life, she would bolt for the horizon if we took her off her leash. She is a terrier, she is hyper, she is very fast, and knows that an unrestrained situation is not a natural part of her existence. She would not survive as an Irish pooch, I suppose, or we would have had to spent way more time on her training.

Not to mention most Americans would at least question, if not freak out, about all of the roaming dogs in this country. They are not all lap dogs but range from dachshunds to sheepdogs to Great Danes. I don't know if they have issues with these dogs ever getting aggressive but if the Irish dogs are like the Irish people, they are too laid back and friendly to even consider biting a child.

All in all, I appreciate the dog policy here. I love seeing dogs around without having to construct a story about them being underfed and miserable as soon as they leave my sight.

Good for them good for me, win win for all.

The Opinionated Lassie

Holi Cow!

In Cork, I did not join any societies (known as "clubs" in the US). I had huge ambitions to but, after attending some Photography Society meetings and letting that fizzle out, I focused more on traveling, studying, and being social. 

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to join at least three societies at UCD. What better way to meet people, get to participate in fun activities, and have a social life, right? Not to mention my brother told me I had to join the Indian Society. He said that they had a whole bunch of members, a lot of good food, and put on some of the best events on campus.

During the societies fair at UCD I proudly marched up to Indian Society's table, paid my two euro membership fee, and wrote my name down on the list. They all sort of stared at me, fine with me joining, but wondering if I knew anything more about the club or culture than the chicken tikka masala that I've had for dinner. I said, "My brother was a member and loved it!" to which they responded by asking his name. None of them had heard of him you can be sure. And I was like, "I'm happy to be here!"

Indian Society has not put on many events, actually just one to be more precise, but after meeting a good friend here that is actually from India, and learning more about the event I knew that I had to go. And I even brought two of my friends!

Holi is known as the "Festival of Colors" or the "Festival of Love". It is a Hindu festival that is becoming more and more popular outside of Asia because people love throwing colorful powder on one another!

 

I bought my ticket, my Irish roommate Deirdre bought hers, and another friend of mine, Rachel, tagged along too! 

The promise of the society, with a ticket, was a t-shirt to wear during the event and keep after, along with pizza and a drink. When we arrived we collected these things and ate and changed our clothes until they herded us to a sports field where we would pelt the color on one another.
  
When we were outside you could hear music blaring and everyone looked adorable and excited about the fun that was soon to come. They announced numbers and we collected our pouches of colorful paint-powder. Then, as the music grew more exciting and the emcee counted down, we dipped our hands into the pouch and, BAM!, pelted the person who was closest to us.  

This was very fun as we playfully flicked powder on our friends and doused random strangers in color. However some more aggressive attendees would come up and sandwich their hands around your head to really rub that powder into your scalp, ear, or in my case eye (where I had in contacts). Although I couldn't see very well once the powder turned my eyes from white to speckled, I continued to run around in a frenzy coloring everyone that I could!

And we looked beautiful, felt dry (the powder was dehydrating), and excited about the event and the culture we were celebrating!

 The shower after was more like two as I re-shampooed and conditioned my way back to my normal hair color. My skin and hair were both very dry for the next week, but despite this the experience was an awesome thing to be a part of!

 

Even though this is, from what I can tell, the only Indian Society event I will probably go to, it was worth it! I did something new plus... I got a new t-shirt!

Until next time,

The Opinionated Lassie