Pictures of London

Last day abroad

Today was the last day I had as a tourist. I walked a ton today. I went to an outdoor museum, a nordic museum, and the vasa museum. I actually had plans to make it to one more museum that had all the pippy longstocking stuff but frankly, my feet couldn't take it anymore. It was a lovely day. Ironically, I have had the warmest and sunniest weather here in Sweden than the rest of my trip. I am slightly sunburnt but I think it may actually turn into a nice farmers tan.

Tonight/this morning, a taxi will be coming to pick me up from Sarah's. I think this is the best choice since I would be completely lost if left alone to use the subway and catch a train here in Sweden. I was able to do it when it was in English but I won't lie to myself- it just won't happen here. Sarah even had to order my food for me tonight. If anyone is planning on coming to Sweden, most people do speak English but I recomend getting yourself a 'Sarah' to guide you and point you in the right direction because the signs are not in English all the time. Anyway, tomorrow is a long day of travel but my bed lies at the end of the journey and I can hear it calling my name. Yes. You are right, that is loud. Not only can I hear it across the ocean but I can also hear it over the Iron Maiden Concert that is playing very near Sarah's.

I made it to Sweden!

Yep. I did it. I am officially in Sweden. At least that is what I am told. I can't read the language so it is based on trust- well, that and the fact that Sarah was at the airport to pick me up. I am so grateful for that. I would still be in the airport if it wasn't for her. She brought me to her condo and she had cake to celebrate my birthday as well as a book for me(in Engligh) that is very popular in Sweden. Talk about sweet. Tomorrow I am going to be venturing out on my own which is a little scary. She will get off of work around four and then we will go out with 6 of her friends and then to see Mama Mia the movie. I am really excited about that. Right now, I am happy to be able to relax a little. I think tomorrow will be a big day for me.
Can't wait to see you all soon. Oh, Mom or Julie, do you know if Mrs. Woodstrom's second book has been published yet?

Bumpy ride

So, I left London yesterday (Sat) morning. My airport shuttle came early but luckily, I wasn't eating breakfast so I was ready to meet him at 6:30am. Much to my horror, I discovered that I was at the wrong airport when I couldn't retrieve my e-ticket. BLOODY HELL! So, the airport I was at didn't have any available seats so my only option was to try to catch the one I was supposed to be on. I took two trains back to the spot that I started in. I could have taken the tube from there to the correct airport but was told that would take me an hour, i.e. the time my flight was scheduled to leave. I took a taxi instead. So, roughly $120 later, I made it to the correct airport but there was a problem checking bags. That actually turned out to be a good thing because I wasn't the only one running late and therefore, the flight was delayed and I made it! Lets just say, I was thrilled to be leaving London at that point and moving onto a new venture.

Edinburgh is so much more for me. It's just a small fraction of the size so that helps. I can't figure out the bus system to save my soul but I don't care. I went to two modern art galleries when I got here and then the National Art Gallery. After, I bought a 24 hr ticket for a hop-on-hop-off tour. I rode it around the night before so that I could make the most out of today and I would have to say that it worked. I could always see more art but I am very satisfied with the things that I did see so I can't complain. I know that I ended up seeing more than I thought I would so that is really great.

Tomorrow morning I need to try to catch the bus back to the airport and then it's off to see Sarah in Sweden. I am getting really excited for this part. I am getting so desperate for seeing a familiar face that I keep seeing people who I am certain are doubles to my friends and family. Paige, I swear I have seen you several times in London as well as a former student, Eliza. In Scotland, the tour guide at the Edinburgh castle reminded me of a friend from Northfield. I could go on but you get the point. I am slightly nervous about not speaking Swedish but Sarah is going to meet me at the airport and take me by train to her place. Can you imagine me trying to get around in a country where they don't speak English? There were many times on this trip that I wasn't sure we were all speaking English.

I am looking forward to seeing you all very soon.

Tower of London

After a very unrestful night due to this absolutely ridiculous stomach thing, I went to the Tower of London. I had a ticket after all and I was not about to spend the day in this bloody hotel if I could help it. So, I skipped breakfast and loaded up on peptobismol. This seemed to help enough. I stood in line for 45 min only to find out, I didn't have to wait. Sort of funny since the people behind me were talkig the entire time about wishing that they have prepurched their tickets and it didn't occur to me. Oh well, I got in. I listened to the tour. He was very funny and I would recommend going on the tour to anyone who goes there- it helped orientate me. Then, I wandered around the rest of the towers for a while before I headed to the Kensington Palace. (I must insert a little notice here. I successfully took the tube to the Tower of London, stopped at Buckingham Palace, then proceeded onto Kensington Palace.) I must say, that I really enjoyed seeing Princess Diana's dresses. I know that is slightly silly given all that I saw today but it was the thing that I could relate to the most. Also near that display was an entire section on Debutants. I am just wondering, why did that go away? It looks like so much fun! I want a reason to wear dresses like that and no, chaparoning prom doesn't count.

I hate this bloody hotel!

This hotel is ridiculous! I just asked the desk attendant to call and confirm a shuttle pick up that I have already paid for. He wouldn't do it because it costs 10pence- bastard. I gave him my calling card and explained that I purchased a calling card so that I would be able to make a call but can't dial out on the cheap ass phone in my room. He dialed with my calling card but was not willing to stay on the line and told me to pay £1 to use the internet for 30 min. to write the company an email! On top of that, my room hasn't been cleaned yet since I have been here and I am reasonably certain that it wasn't cleaned before I got here either. It smells discusting and the walls are actually dirty. Oh, and this is 6 days of a stomach virus. I am getting incredibly weak and bitchy as you can tell.

Positives:
After the 'tour' this morning dropped us randomly at some stop, I was able to buy a ticket for the tube. I got to the museums and got back to this crappy motel. I didn't get to see the changing of the gaurds or westminster as my ticket that I paid for in May said that I would but I made it home.

I have a voucher for the Tower of London tomorrow, or at least I hope I do.

p.s. never use travel bound or Evan Evans travel. They over charge and feel it is ok to change the tour at any given moment with no notice or compensation.

Bloody Hell

I just threw that in for good measure. Today, I was on the original sightseeing tour of London. You all would have laughed if you would have been there. I dedided that since I have no idea where anything is or how things work, that I was just going to ride it around once and then make my stops. Well, the tour guide came up to me at the end and asked if there was anything wrong. Did I mention I was the ONLY one on the bus! I told her what I was doing but she still thought I was nuts. I also didn't realize how early things close in this city. I might not have rode the bus for so long had I realized that. Oh well, I did get to see the Tate modern museum, I was in the National Gallery for only a short time before they were turning off all the lights on us, and I took a cruise on the river. Not a bad day but I didn't see everything I wanted. The buses were really slow because the Queen was having a garden party. I waited for 45 minutes for one bus that I am certain never did come so I walked to another stop.

Tomorrow, I have a tour of Westminster Abby and then I have the afternoon free. I hope it goes well but have given myself complete permission to ride the tube all day if I need to- especially if there is a party as Jackee mentioned.

My birthday- and Julie's too

Yep, as you all remembered. Today is my birthday. I spent the day in Bath, Stonehenge and then a short stop in Westminster (the town). I wasn't kidding when I said all I want was people to tell me where to go, when and all that. Taking the tour (once I was able to find the bus) was nice. I have good pics but don't think I can post them in the hotel here. The owners are from India and we are having a difficult time communicating with eachother. I bought a calling card but I can't use it from my room I guess. They told me just to call from there desk but the connection is crap and it is really strange to talk on the phone at the desk, facing the desk attendant as people walk in so I am not sure how much I will do that.

Tomorrow, well, I think I may ending up having to tackle the tube situation. I can't lie, I am terrified of it. It seems like I can make some really bad choices and end up in places I am unaware of. I know several of you thought it was amazing but I am still scared. Wish me well.

Moving On

I arrived in London today, relatively whole. I had a terrible experience in Dublin yesterday followed by a complete break down. I have decided that traveling to large cities alone is horrible and I will never do it again if I can help it. I can handle the smaller villages and the less extreem accent but not so much Dublin and lets face it, I didn't do well in Cork either. If I hadn't already paid for the rest of my trip, I would have turned around and went home. Obviously, I havent' as I am in London. I am still very proud of myself for hopping on a train from the airport and hoping for the best, not knowing exactly what I was doing. Once I got to Victoria Station, I tried to take a cab to the hotel because yesterday I walked around Dublin for 4 hours and didn't find anything and I didn't want to repeat that. The taxi driver wouldn't take me to the hotel. He told me it was really close. Maybe I am giving up to easy but I didn't think so. I got only slightly lost on my way here but managed to find the closet of a room I have. It is so small that when I go to sleep tonight, I will have to put my luggage in the bathroom; the luggage is currently on my bed.

Tomorrow, I go on a tour to Stonehenge and I am excited about that. Really, I have decided that I will be forever excited about guided tours and people telling where to go and how to get there, even better if they can hold my hand while doing it.

So, a new phase of my trip has begun. As of yet, I am excited about the following things:

1. On my way to Dublin, a local Irish couple told me that I no longer have an american accent but they knew it wasn't Irish.
2. In the Dublin airport, someone from South Africa thought I was Irish (it's helps that I am wearing an Irish T-shirt and told him what the announcement was).
3. I am still alive and I think the stomach virus is slowly moving out.

I really am thinking that worst part of the trip is over. It has to be. If it is not however, I have the phone number for Heather A's uncle and I will not hesitate to use it. I know where the bus station is and I am about to walk there to get a scedule and map so that I can get around a little better.

This trip has been a slap in the face with all the self awareness. I must say, I am not sorry to learn all these things about myself but to learn all your weaknesses in a short time like this it not what I was expecting. But then again, I don't know what my expectations were for this trip.

Cork Screw Hill

I just hiked 5 miles up hill both ways, against the wind, in the rain for this picture. OK, not really, it was actually a 5 mile hike and it was up to the top of Cork Screw Hill but it was only uphill half on the way there and it was sunny but I actually do much better in the rain than the sun but I thought maybe if I said that it was in the rain, you can start to understand what I went through to get these photos. Hope you enjoy.

Blarney Castle

Alright, I know that this was the same trip but I think that the Blarney Castle deserves it's own posting. For starters let me just say that I knew that it was going to be very 'touristy' but I couldn't have told you why until I got there. The energy in Blarney is just so much different than Cork. It was completely peaceful. I wish I could have recorded the sounds because I was certain the the animals along with the trees and such were singing the intro to the old school version of Snow White. Anyway, it was absolutely beautiful. I had no idea that the grounds of the castle were nearly as extensive and as lovely as they were. I also was no fully able to grasp how freaky it would be to kiss the Blarney stone until actually doing it. While in the awkward position, you are feeling a cross between knowing that you have just set yourself up to die a horrible death and complete excitement. I would highly recommend going to anyone who gets the chance. It is visited by tourists because it is worth it.

Back from Cork

So, as you might have guessed, I stayed at a hostel. It was a completely unique experience. On Saturday night, I was the first one to go to bed (mostly likely in the entire place, not just my room) but I could tell that I wouldn't be alone since the other 3 beds had things on them. Well, around 1:30, the first guy comes in and promptly falls asleep and starts snoring so loud that I think the pub down the street may come and ask him to keep it down. Clearly, I am not really sleeping. The next two come in somewhere between 4 and 5 am. They are so drunk that I can smell them and hear them before I can see them. The one is so loud and won't stop singing so I roll over to find out what the deal is only to find a guys bum right at my face. Then he falls over because he is too drunk to take his pants off I am guessing. Anyway, he doesn't stop singing for hours, falls out of his bed a couple of times before falling asleep and the snorer is so angry at the noise level. I had to secretly laugh because they two drunken guys, singing are not even close to as loud as he was. The next morning, the snorer actually asked me if I heard anything last night. What?! Yeah, small nearby villages heard.
Anyway, earlier in the day, I had a great time talking to a man that was at the desk of St. Anne's/Shandon Church. He was grateful to have someone to tell his stories all relating to the point of why Cork is the center of the universe and I was grateful to have someone to talk with. Eventually, he let me go up to the top of the tower without paying and told me that if I ever come back to Cork, I can stay in his spare room as long as I clean it. I spent the rest of the day going around to museums and galleries around the city. The weather in Cork is so much different from Ballyvaughan. I had short sleeves on and was wishing that I had brought shorts to Cork- it was sunny and no rain at all.

Cork City

Today I am in Cork City and I am a mess. Let me back up. Last night I went to a Kalee (I may be spelling that wrong) in a somewhat nearby town. It was amazing. Seriously one of the most fun and exhausting things I have ever done. The closest thing I can compair it to would be sqaure dancing because you have a parter, there are 4 pairs in a set, and there are certain moves that you do for each dance. However, nobody calls out the steps, you are just supposed to know them. Also, when someone asks you dance, you are in it for 5 or 6 songs because they are grouped together. Anyway, it was fabulous and the locals said that I could come back and that I should teach people back in MN. I can't do that though so don't ask.

Back to the original statement. I hate traveling alone. I couldn't be more lonely today. I worked so hard to get here and all I have wanted was to go home today. I know that is sounds silly because I am in Ireland and seeing great things but I don't like traveling without friends. This is more concerning than you may immediately realize. I not only have the next couple of days here alone but starting next weekend, I am traveling alone for 12 days. I have paid too much to not enjoy this trip and get everything I can from it so I would appreciate your positive energy being sent my way.

You make me smile

Yes, you. The one reading this. I can't tell you how much I look forward to reading everyone's comments. I know I am in this beautiful place but this is the highlight of my day. I feel all warm and fuzzy inside. My extremities however are completely frozen.

Art

There have been a few people wondering if in fact I am actually making artwork. I assure you that I am. Today, I got a late start as the person picking us up, forgot about us so we waited for more than an hour twiddling our thumbs. It has been interesting to say the least with new housemates. I will be sharing a studio space with a girl who can't help herself to sing badly all the time. Did I mention she is loud? My artwork may become more and more angry looking if I am able to produce at all, so enjoy what I have for now.

Change over

Today is the day of some significant change overs in the house. The housemate that I like left today. In fact, there was a little party for his students last night that I went to. No, I didn't meet anyone but I am trying. I keep forcing myself to do things a bit outside my comfort zone and as one would assume, it's not comfortable. Anyway, the resident artist I was sharing a studio with also moved out today. Another new resident replaced her and I will be sharing a studio with the new girl from Chicago. She seems perfectly nice. Here's a bit of a twist though. We also have another group of students from Chicago coming in today. Well, she is dating one of the their instructors who is also staying in the house. They say they didn't plan it but that seems strange. Our house is now filled to capacity, 3 from Chicago (2 men, 1 woman), 1 woman from Finland, and two from MN including me. For a girl used to living alone, this is very different.
I hope you will all find this funny after my Aran Islands experience. I rented another bike! This time for the remainder of the two weeks here. I just felt I needed a little more independence and sometimes I need to be able to get to the computer lab on the weekends so I can feel like I have a connection with people I care about. I have already promised myself that I will not bike for more than an hour at a time and hopefully I will be OK. It's been raining here all day and I will be riding the bike back to the house but I think I will be dryer than if I walked. I am sure I will have many chances to test this theory.

Lance Armstrong is stupid, stupid, stupid!

I am in the Aran Islands right now. I am about to meet the rest of the crew for supper (I hope, I can't get in the room without them). I just wanted to drop a line tonight in case I cannot move tomorrow. I hired a bike which is not what you think. That implies that someone else does the work- NOT SO. My body aches terribly and I can't believe that someone would bike on a regular basis for fun or sport. I cursed myself the entire time.
While I had the bike, I decided to go to the lighthouse which is the highest point of the island. It's stands to reason then that I would not be able to ride my bike up but instead had to push my bike. Well, I was so tired so I decided to rest three quarters of the way up. That was not how things worked out however. There was a farmer moving his bull down the same footpath that I was trying to push my bike up. I believe that it goes without saying that he won and I had to walk back down before I could walk back up. After that, I went to Dun Angus (a beautiful fort on a cliff). Afterwards, I headed back to the village where I promptly parked my aching butt.
After a restless night of sleep on the island, I head out in the other direction and found what is called the black fort; I cannot tell you the Irish name of the fort. I should also explain that my map was in English but all signs are in Gaelic so you really just have to hope for the best.

2 Euros for this post

Yes, I am paying to post this. I did in fact take the bus to Galway for the day. I debated spending the night in a hostel. I just didn't really know how big it would be. Turns out, it is really not that big. I arrived before 11 this morning and have been ready to leave since 2:30 (my bus leaves at 6pm). Anyway, I was able to buy a used sweater that I really love and of course, I bought more Doritos. Today, I also ate at a very well know resturaunt around here. In fact, it is on the map of the city because they buy there fish from the fish market daily. I am glad I went. I plan on posting pictures of docks when I am back.
The strange thing is that I cannot believe how many Americans I keep running into. On the bus here, I sat next to an American and it seems that Galway is full of them because I can here them talking to eachother. I did however speak to a very nice couple that live outside of Galway and they showed me where I could buy a CD of traditional Irish music and not the tourist crap either. I mean they even walked me there. Talk about nice.
I appreciate the offers to send me food. I may actually be adjusting physically (not mentally yet) to the food as when I ate fried food today, I thought I was going to be sick. I hope you find that as funny as I did.
Now, as for Andy, I am so sad that I am unable to witness your summer. It's sounds funny between my neighbors watching you and your summer school students. I appreciate the updates from everyone. With that said, if I anyone could take a picture of Andy mowing my lawn that would be fantastic. Also, are there tornados there? The reason I ask is because any time I actually meet anyone from Ireland, after asking what part of the States I from, they make a comment about the tornados?

Answering some questions

There are really not sidewalks as we know them. Well, there are some in town but it is not uncommon to have a very large tourist bus parked on them or in the middle of the street forcing other drivers to drive on the sidewalk. I also live out of town and the school is outside of town in a different direction. The roads are very narrow and do not have shoulders. Instead they are surrounded by rock walls and that is why you have to hurl yourself into them if people are coming. The girl that got hit was hit in the middle of the day. It's hard to see anyone no matter what time of day but we do have reflective jackets to wear in the evening though it doesn't get dark here until 11:00 PM.
I am also dependent on others for a ride. There is one bus that comes through town but I haven't figured out how to buy a ticket for it yet. I think I will do some investigative work today so that I can get a different perspective and ultimately away from the snubber. It's too early for her to be making me crazy.
As for the artwork, I have nothing that I am excited to show yet but I will keep you posted when I do. Today I plan on finding out who I need to talk to about printing some photos of mine so that I can paint from them.

Art today?

Last night I went to Greene's, which is where the traditional Irish music was. I cannot believe that I was brave enough to walk in by myself. It is a super small room, nearly the size of my bedroom here. I had to choice to invite myself to sit with a couple of folks I am guessing around 50. There were from England and pretty much thought I was nuts for not only traveling by myself but also for walking into the place alone. As it turns out, it was filled with "blow ins" but I did manage to meet one local guy. I thought he was adorable with a very nice bum. Today I found out that he has a reputation for seeking out the american art students even though he has a girlfriend. Oh well, that's who I am and it is obvious I guess.

Today, I am actually working on art. I thought that I would be able to go to an opening reception in Limerick but the teacher/housemate obviously had a different idea. Apparently the Dean of the College can invite me but if my housemate (Melissa) doesn't want me, then I am screwed. Yes, I am bitter about that since she also made a point to ask the only other housemate that was home to go out to eat with her last night and now she snubs me this morning. This weekend, the one housemate who is really nice to me (Steve) is going away for the weekend. Without TV or a friend, I may just loose my mind in this SMALL town. Oh, I forgot to mention that I invited the two instructors to come to Greene's with me and they turned me down but showed up later. What the hell?

I suppose that I should go back to the freezing cold studio. I just needed to get a little heat back into my fingers. The locals think it feels like Autumn here. It seems Paige was correct to keep reminding me of the quote by Tom Sawyer(?), "The coldest winter I ever spent was summer in Ireland". I will say it again, I will still rather be cold than hot but I would like to feel my fingers, it's helps with the painting.

Yeats and Coole Park

Today, I joined a second group today that was going to Yeats castle and Lady Gregory's Coole Park. It was rainy and cold, and yes I was aware that Ireland would be like this from time to time. Anyway, it was difficult to get pictures but I did get a few that I hope you will enjoy. I also found Doritos yesterday that I will be diving into tonight before I head to a local pub to listen to traditional Irish music. So far I have encountered a ridiculous amount of Americans and I am ready for some locals, especially if they are adorable.

Musicologist

Today, I was lucky enough to have the chance to listen to this amazing man speak about the traditional Irish music. As it turns out, if the Irish weren't taken into slavery with black people, we wouldn't have most of the music we have today. I had no idea and truthfully, I had no idea that the Irish were forced to be slaves. Anyway, it was truly amazing. I got the names of some great Irish musicians that I will have to check out. Tomorrow night, there is traditional Irish music at a local pub that I plan to check out. I hoping for a scene right out of P.S. I love you but at the very least, the music should be wonderful.

I also want to inform everyone that I do in fact have the rest of my luggage. I smell much better these days. I was very grateful for the 60 degree temp. or I could have smelled much worse. I am still hungry though. Cheerios are not like Cheerios in the states and I can hardly find chips (crisps) I like! Today I opted for the salt and vinegar and that was much better than the onion crisps I had yesterday. Alexis will be happy to know that I tried Fanta soda yesterday. I swear my body will reject anything that is remotely healthy (it's made with real juice here and no high fructose corn syrup). I was not feeling well last night or this morning but I am over it and will make better choices until I get used to the ridiculously healthy food they eat here. I swear that I cannot find bread without twigs in it and everything else is locally grown, obviously different than the states.

The Burren

Well, yesterday morning, I had forced myself to get up for some unknown reason (I had a long night involving fuzzy moths and spiders). I am glad that I did because I was going to the kitchen to get something to eat and the Dean of the College came by and asked if I wanted to go on a tour around the Burren with another group of students. Yeah! I didn't get breakfast but that was ok. However, it turns out, even in Ireland, I am the only person that can possibly get a sunburn. Who knew?

Anyway, the trip was amazing. I know my pictures will not do it justice because they just look like postcards or something. It's when you are surrounded by limestone everywhere you look that is surprising. We went to a stone fort- not the kind you had as a kid. There are several places that I cannot pronounce or spell but one was a burial tomb or sacrificial alter, they obviously cannot be certain since it dates back to Neolithic times. Then, we went to Kilfonora and saw the "city of crosses". It's actually a ruin of a cathedral and burial plots. The most surprising part was that they are still using the graveyard. After that, we went to this fabulous area to look at the work of Richard Long (environmental artist). It was known that his work was somewhere in Ireland, but nobody knew where for 30 years. Not only was that a cool experience but we also walked/climbed these amazing rocks with the waves crashing around us (Don't worry Mom, we were very careful).

A series of events

Well, I am in Ballyvaughan after two days of travel! Before I get into the beauty of this place, let me first tell why people do not travel alone. For starters, it's terrifying and want to say that you are brave and not worried but that is only a lie that you must tell yourself in order to do it. So, fine, my Dad brings me to the airport Thursday morning; I am nervous but feel OK. I find my gate and sit and wait to board. Of course, it doesn't really feel like I have gone anywhere because I see a Becker student that will be on the same plane. At this point, I am thankful for security because I know I am at the top of his least favorite people list. Anyway, this flight is delayed roughly 45 minutes. Knowing that I need to catch a connecting flight, I am anxious but still confident. The turbulence on the plane isn't horrible, I am still OK. The next stop (Chicago), is not fun. I realize that working at an airport may not be fun but so far I can't think of anything that I have done that would be so offensive to the person at the desk who has to assign me to a seat. She is convinced that I had to transfer otherwise I would surely have a seat. I assure her that I haven't but she is not happy. On the flight to Manchester, I am on the aisle which is not a bad place to be. Turbulence is starting to make me sick but at least we are on time. Oh wait, only sort of. While it is in fact the only flight that took off on time, we were not able to get off the plane once we landed as the pilot didn't park in the appropriate place and we had no way of actually getting off of the plane. I am only slightly worried at this point. It wasn't until we had to go through custums that I freaked out. I couldn't find my passport and I started to get flashbacks of the angry lady in Chicago who hung onto my passport for an awfully long time and suddenly, I can't remember getting it back. I frantically sort through my bag and can't find it. I RAN back to the plane and ask the people who are waiting outside of it, ready to clean, if I can go back and look for my passport. They couldn't let me back in but they were going to look. I was praying to St. Anthony for help and I got this strange feeling to turn around and BAM, there is my passport, resting on the top of my bag! You may not believe in miracles but I know that I did not have it and that it could not have possibly been laying onto like that, especially after I RAN back to the plane. So, gratefully, I go back to custums and wait in line. I am the very last person that they let through. They did not seem convinced of my artist residency. Apparently, I looked shady but I am hoping it was the need for a shower and not my character. Once I make it through, I see one of bags. I am grateful until I realize, it is sitting in front of the counter for lost luggage. Yes, you guessed it, only one of my bags made it. The other is still in Chicago (I curse the angry lady a thousand times). There is nothing to do at this point, I am running behind and know that I need to catch my next flight or the day will only get worse. Well, I HATE the Manchester airport! It is crazy huge, multiple buildings, and I can't understand anyone. Nobody is at the desk that I need to check into. I have to hang out and wait and hope someone will eventually be there before I need to leave. Luckily, someone finally did come after and hour and a half. Also lucky for me, he liked my accent and I was allowed to board without paying for my luggage even though it was 5 kilos overweight. My next task is to find the gate. However, my gate is not listed, only the building. It is apparently my job to check the board often to find the gate and time to board because they won't make any announcements. At this point, I am exhausted because it is now close to 3 am in MN. I was scared that I would finally fall asleep only to miss my next flight so I mostly stood thinking that I couldn't fall asleep. The massive hunger also helped. I knew I didn't have time to get a real meal so I was left with chips and peanuts. Turns out my flight was delayed close to 3 hours but only in 15 minute increments so that I was continually thinking that I would be boarding in the next 15 minutes and then they would name the gate and I would need to run there. The plane was crazy small and not comfortable. We flew into such a small airport that we were the only people coming in and there was only one baggage check which consisted a wall with our luggage by it. After reporting my lost bag, I now need to get a taxi to the bus station. As it turns out, I can't say the name of the town that I want to head to with the right accent so he took me to the wrong bus station but I was able to clear that up before he left me there. Once I bought my ticket, I had to wait for close to two hours with the one large piece of luggage so that left me little option of going anywhere but I did people watch. The bus ride was interesting because I couldn't understand the bus driver (I think he said the names of the towns in Gaelic). Eventually I got her and was brought to the house I am staying in. I am glad that I brought one towel because I need it. I am sad that my deoderant, shampoo, tampons, benedril and such items have not made it and am praying that they arrive soon. I am needless to say a mess. Last night, I was wondering what the hell I got myself into. Today, I am doing much better, I went for a walk and one of the housemates brought me to the school so I could email. I already feel disconnected to everyone since there is no phone in the house and the school is a mile and a half away. I know it will get better though. Steve, the housemate that brought me here, is going to let me join the class he is teaching on Monday when they go on a trip as long as there is room on the bus.

Leaving TODAY

Today is the big day, and I do mean BIG day. I will be leaving for the airport shortly. My flight actually leaves at 2:00pm and I will not be in Ballyvaughan until tomorrow evening, around 7:30pm. I had a bit of a moment last night where I finally realized how big this all is and of course was then completely freaked out. Good news is that I could actually sleep some and I am now more excited than nervous. I have plenty of reading material for the plain and my ipod is fully charged. I think I am prepared but if I am not, I am sure I will either be able to buy what I need or live through it and move on. Wish me well.

My camera arrived!

Less than 4 hours ago, my camera finally arrived. I have to admit, I was getting really worried that it wouldn't get here in time. I really thought it wasn't going to happen today because it didn't get her until after 6:00pm. I had no idea that UPS delivered so late. Anyway, I am posting a picture that I took with my new camera. My Nikon N80 has been fabulous to me and I was hesitant to replace it but I am glad that I did. I knew that I would find love as a result of this trip, I just wasn't expecting it to come in the form of a black plastic digital camera. They say it always happens when you aren't looking for it. j/k