Ireland

When we first arrived in Ireland, it wasn't what we expected. We had heard that Dublin was quite industrial, but it wasn't until getting there that I really appreciated my friend's warnings. The lush, green hillsides that you picture about Ireland were no where to be seen and tall, steel buildings took their place. Luckily, we had heard about this small town called Cork that was the picturesque Ireland. We took a train there.

Our hostel was this small, independently-owned house. We were greeted by this sweet woman who welcomed us in with her jolly Irish accent. I love their accents-- even if they're grouchy, it makes them sound friendly-- and if you're friendly, you sound like a complete angel. We shared a room with 2 guys and another girl. One night, when we were all getting dolled up for an evening out, the guys walked in to find us in our makeover frenzy. Danielle was doing my make-up and hair and we were rushing around, borrowing everyone's make-up. I bet they wondered what they had gotten themselves into! We found the cheapest Internet cafe we had found the whole trip-- 1 hour for a euro! (Usually they charge you a euro and 50 cents for like 15 minutes!) It was because of this internet blessing that I learned that my life was about to change. Because of the extra time, I decided to get on msn and talk to friends. One of my friends said, "Congratulations! I heard your dad resigned today and got a new job in Searcy." I was completely shocked and told her so. She felt terrible, but had assumed that I knew. I break down into tears in an internet cafe full of strangers. I later learn that my parents didn't want to tell me for fear of this very thing happening. Needless to say, Ireland wasn't quite as enjoyable from there on out.

I pushed back the tears and decided to go out with the gals to keep my mind off of moving. We dressed up and went to eat at this nice restaurant. I don't usually go for salads as my first choice, but I was craving healthy food SO BAD. I got the most divine chicken caesar salad! That night, we went in different pubs, searching for Gerry from the movie P.S. I Love You. I honestly expected to walk in, see this gorgeous Irish man playing guitar and see as he motioned me over. The closest I got to that was an older man with long stringy hair blasting us out with the high intensity of his music. None of them impressed us so we just walked back to the hostel.

The following day we took a bus to Blarney Castle, home of the famous Blarney Stone. We were riding along, enjoying the ride when the bus driver stopped and came back to where we were. "Where were you wanting to go?" he asked. "Blarney Castle." "We were there several stops ago. I called it out." Luckily, he was nice enough to take us back there on his way back. The castle was this tall, gray fortress surrounded by streams, flowers and greenery. When I heard about kissing the Blarney stone, I pictured myself gracefully leaning over and kissing a stone that stood before me. WRONG. You have to basically do a backbend, with the help of an older man who holds your waist. It is quite a physical manuever, but it makes you feel like you actually did something. No wonder kissing the stone is a bragging right! I bought a ring at a local gift shop. Ireland is famous for these rings: it is two hands holding onto a heart with a crown on it. When you are in love, you wear it with the heart pointing inward. When your heart is unoccupied, you point the heart outward, letting people know that your heart is not yet taken.

I also found these cards with Irish names and meanings on them. Knowing that McKenna (my middle name) is Irish, I looked it up. Would you believe that the McKenna family in Ireland was famous for producing writers and journalists! I could hardly believe it! Maybe that's a sign that this is the right major after all!

We spent the night in the Dublin airport, awaiting our flight back to Amsterdam. An annoying lady got on the intercom ALL NIGHT LONG making an announcement about how unclaimed baggage would be destroyed. We kept a tally on Lauren's arm and I think it ended up totaling close to 40.

Amsterdam was another exhausting night of airport sleep. We were reunited with many others from our group, though, so we endured it all together. I luckily had a straight flight to Memphis where my parents were to pick me up. I sat by a Christian man on the plane, which was cool-- b/c it's not very often that you have a lot to talk about to a perfect stranger. He was quite a chatterbox though and at times I wanted, to say, "Dude, you're great-- but I have been traveling non-stop for 2 weeks! I am tired! Please be silent!" When I got through the terminal and saw my parents and Bliss waiting for me, I was so excited! I couldn't wait to get my first American meal. We had high hopes of a great Memphis dinner, but soon found out that it was "Memphis in May." All the parking lots and restaurants were PACKED. We soon got lost in the ghetto part and ended up surrendering to a Taco Bell. We laughed that this would happen only to me. It was good to be with family, wherever that happened to be. :-)