I never really thought that this time would come (specifically this fifty fifth day). I knew that this was eventually going to end, and it has always been in the back of my mind, but wow. It went by fast. This summer went by fast. Looking back on these past two months I just see blurs, and some moments that are crystal clear.
Before I go into a "reflection" about everything, here are some lists pertaining to my two months in Dublin. I love lists.
Things I'll Miss:
1. Dublin. I've fallen in love with this city. It's beautiful. It's still a city, but with a small town feel because everything is so close together. It's about a twenty minute walk to almost anywhere. It has so much history and so much culture that the Irish are famous for. I loved living here.
2. Pubs. The pub culture is really something different than anything back in the States. There are so many different kinds of pubs all around with different types of people, so you never know what to expect when walking into a new one. It's the perfect place for a pint.
3. Irish cider (specifically Bulmers and Kopparberg). More on this later.
4. The fashion. The clothes here are just fabulous. A lot different than anything that I've seen in the States (but will probably be fashionable in a couple of months). And everyone here, no matter their age, is always conscious about how they look before they go anywhere. Going out in jeans and a hoodie is not ok here, you feel like a total slob. It's really refreshing to see that kind of concern over your appearance. Luckily I'm bringing some of it back with me :D The fashion also makes for great people watching!
5. Shoe stores. Oh boy. They have the greatest shoes here. And I love shoes. They have shoes here that I have been trying to find for years! And some that I've never even imagined before. It's great. And you can find some shoes that are priced pretty well (for Dublin's standards). Surprisingly, I haven't bought any shoes yet...I'll be sure to do that before leaving the city!
6. Accents/Irish language/slang. I've gotten so accustomed to hearing Irish accents while living here, it will be weird to go back and not hear any accents. There are also so many different kinds of Irish accents, depending on where that person is from. Some sound more like English accents, others sound like they are speaking an entirely different language because you can't understand a word they are saying. I've encountered that a lot here which is very interesting. The Irish language is another kind of animal as well. I love it though. It sounds so cool when it is spoken, but it's really hard to even begin to decipher. The words are pronounced entirely different than how they look, so it can be very confusing. But the Irish language is everywhere around here, mostly on signs and names of towns (they'll have both English and Irish). The "slang" is also really great. And when I say "slang" I am talking about the words that they have for everything. For example, "cheers" is used in a lot of different situations, such as thank you, hello/goodbye, yes, etc. Some other examples of slang would be "brilliant" for great, "thanks a million" when saying thank you, and using the word "craic" in various phrases. For example, if you say something like "great craic in Scotland!" or "that was brilliant craic!" you are saying you had a good time somewhere or something was really, etc. It's also very versatile as well. "slag" or "slaggin'" is another one used a lot. It just means to make fun of someone. Like "quit slaggin' me!"
7. The atmosphere/environment. It's so much more different than the US environment. Especially in the workplace. Everything is so much more laid back and relaxed rather than uptight and strict. People here just generally want to have fun! Our boss is the perfect example of being laid back in the workplace. Last week she gave us a three hour lunch break so we could go shopping! And she told us all of the places to go that would give us great deals and great clothes. I feel like that is something that wouldn't even happen in the states either. I took advantage of that shopping break and bought a really cute purse!! ;)
8. The Spire. Man, I love the Spire! It's just a really big....spire. That's it. But it's gorgeous. And it was the first landmark that I learned when I got here, so I have grown very fond of it.
9. Vegetarian menus. I thought that it would be hard to be a vegetarian in Ireland, but it's almost easier than being one in the States! There are restaurants that have full and separate vegetarian menus, with really great choices. And if they don't have a menu, then they will label the vegetarian entrees, which doesn't happen as often as you would assume in the States. There are also multiple vegetarian resturants around town! It's really awesome to see.
Things I won't Miss: 1. Living on the ground floor. Especially because of what happened before I came out here. I have been paranoid and very overly cautious about living on the ground floor, and I still don't feel comfortable with it. I could never open my blinds on my window either, becuase my it was right next to the door to the entire building.
2. Working a 9 to 5 job/pretending to be a grown up. Although I really did enjoy my job, I'm really grateful for the fact that I am still a college student. Working a 9 to 5 job is hard and really takes some adjusting too. Lucky for me though, it is almost over and I won't have to join the grown up world for another couple of years! HOORAY!
3. Getting woken up almost every night (excessively loud roommates+paper thin walls+virtually every night makes for not a happy Katie). For the first month and half it really didn't bug me that I was getting woken up at 1 or 2 am when I stayed in and went to bed early. But now that it has happened CONSTANTLY (literally every night that I decide to stay in), I am getting so fed up with it. I'm so happy to be moving out soon.
4. Student housing. Yuck. I feel like I'm a freshman living in the dorms again. But without the cafeteria food.
5. THE DUBLIN BUS SYSTEM. As if traffic in Dublin isn't bad enough, riding the bus through the city just makes it a million times worse. They are never on time for the scheduled pick up or drop off, and there are some of the CRAZIEST people on the buses. Crazy in a bad/scary way, not a funny kind of way.
6. Accidently buying a new dress for three weekends. It.....just happened. I felt like I needed new clothes after seeing what everyone else was wearing. So I went out and bought some dresses! But I get to take them back :)
7. Spending entirely too much money while not having any source of income. This is probably the hardest part of being over here. Ever since I was 15 years old, I have almost always had two summer jobs. And now I am working all the time for free. Seems kind of silly huh?
Things I'm looking forward to:
1. Seeing MY friends. MY friends. Mine. All mine. I miss you people like craaaazy!
2. Moving into a new apartment with my amazing and beautiful friend Amanda! I cannot wait to see that amazing woman, let alone live with her!! YAY! And, rumor has it, that it is amazing. I can't wait to get settled in!
3. Alone time. That is very hard to come across over here. I'm the kind of person who likes being around people probably more than most people do. But....some alone time would be great. I need to catch up on "Katie time."
4. Seeing my family for a couple of days! YAY! I get to see my Dad when I get home and I get to see my Mom soon! And my brother just got a new kitten so I'm excited to see him and new kitty! MEOW.
5. Going car shopping. I need wheels. I need to mobile. Especially since I've been relying on public transportation for everything over here, it will be so nice to get into my car, and go wherever I want to, whenever I want.
6. Being back in Fort Collins. I love that town. I love the people in it. I love that there is always something to do. I love the summer in Fort Collins. I'm sad I missed that this year. It would have been fun to relax by the pool and work on my tan, and sit outside my house eating otter pops with my roomie and Emmitt :( So it will feel GREAT to be home in Fort Collins!
7. School/this upcoming semester. This semester will be great!! I'm taking a graduate class in the Communication department (which I'm really looking forward to) and I'm also a TA for one of my favorite classes, SPCM311! I'm so excited. I can even get the chance to lecture if I want to!
8. My coming home party. All of my friends together in one great place having a blast. Couldn't get any better than that!
9. Getting all my money's worth - EVERYWHERE! No conversion rates! No bank fees! Pulling out $20 from an ATM and actually getting $20. Enough said.
10. Working again. And seeing the family that I work for! I'm going to be shorter than both the kids by the time I get back!
11. Being comfortable in my normal environment and routine. The normalacy of Fort Collins without being banal, the familiarity without being boring. I'm so excited to get back to everything that I am used to.
So that's it. That is all I think about right now.
Everything is coming to an end and I'm bittersweet about it; I really enjoyed my time over in Dublin, but I'm really excited to be leaving soon and getting back to my "real life." It's interesting how it feels like I'm leading two lives right now - one that has consisted of the past two months, traveling and enjoying everything and anything that Dublin has to offer, and the other one is back waiting for me patiently in Colorado. But really, they are both the same thing. I'm living only one life, although it feels like two. It's easy to find yourself making that distinction while living here because it so much different than anything back at home.
I think I'm going to transition back into my Colorado life easier than I expected. And I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that I am OK with leaving Ireland and getting back to normal life. For once in my life, I'm ready to get back to reality. Although I haven't been looking forward to coming home the whole time I've been here, I have always acknowledged that it would happen; leaving Ireland is inevitable right now. And I've accepted that. So instead of dreading leaving and starting school again and everything, I have a lot to look forward to when I get home. I think a lot of that also has to do with the fact that I left at a good point in my life, so I get to come back to that. Had I left at different point in my life, and escaped something, then I would have had to face that issue when I returned. This is the perfect example of that old saying, "you can't run away from your problems." You can try, but either they will find you again or you will go back to them.
I am extremely grateful for my time over here; I have learned a lot and I have experienced a lot. I am also grateful for my life back in Colorado. I'm really lucky. I'm very happy where I am in my life, which is a lot more than most people can say. This experience definately makes me evaluate my life more and really be grateful for all the things that I am lucky to have.
OK! Enough of that! I still have some time here, so I am going to enjoy living in the moment instead of looking back.
I didn't forget a picture for today!
These are the covers for the various Harry Potter novels. I found them at a bookstore when we went to Belfast for the weekend. I always knew that the books published in Europe had different covers, but I had never seen them in person, so I was really excited when I finally did. I really like them...I like that they are pictures of something "real." It almost makes me think that Harry Potter is real, instead of just drawings. So cool!
Well that's it for today! I hope you enjoyed this post, I really enjoyed writing it! I'll post something tomorrow!!
Until then.
;)
