Traveling Across the Globe

As my time here at Maynooth is running short, I've done a lot of reflecting on everything I've done, where I've been, and what I am becoming. There has been a beautiful shift in many of my attitudes, from remaining the girl laying in the sun the second it shines through, to growing into a headstrong woman who can navigate her way through a city that doesn't speak her language or culture. I am becoming more forgiving, including towards myself. Mistakes are something that I will never be able to rid of my life, so owning up to them sooner rather than later just helps with the process of moving on and finding the next step. Maybe I should have searched harder for a closer hostel to the city center of Galway, or gone to more club and society meetings and tried harder to make more Irish friends, or learned more Italian before I hopped on a plane, but I’ve made it this far, and there’s nothing my regrets can do to change what has already happened. I am becoming adaptive...

Every time someone asks me how I'm enjoying Ireland, I tell them that I love it, but I miss the sun. So I went on a quick weekend trip to Malta, a small island off the coast of Italy, known for its cliff diving scene. I figured some vitamin D would do me some good! In the teeniest little inlet of ocean, there is St. George's Bay, made of pebbles and rocks. It's not the most luxurious place, but the sun was out, so I was happy. After crisping in the sunlight for a while, I decided to go scavenge down some shells (or go shellin', as my family calls it). But I couldn't find a single one. All I found was a trapezoid of coral, and bits of plastic literally every inch that I sorted through. Worn and smoothed, they were like our own versions of shells. I was about to settle on the sad piece or coral as my souvenir, but I couldn't bring myself to take it. The beach's shells are now twist-off caps, beer bottles, saran wrap, and bendy straws. I f...

After studying at Maynooth University for almost three months, I have been fortunate to be able to travel the world, just like I've always dreamt. I have composed a list that's made me try to sort out what kind of life I want to lead. Places I have been to since January: Ireland: Dublin, Maynooth, Galway, Cork, Dingle, Derry, and Belfast United Kingdom: Holyhead (Wales) and London (Great Britain) Italy: Naples, Rome, Pompei, and Cuma Malta with plans to visit Paris, France in May Food I remember eating since January: Eggrolls Toast Gelato Pizza Lasagna Chips Avocados Clothes I remember wearing: ... During my spring break travels,  I realized that I absolutely loved the life I was living. Surviving on only five shirts, two pairs of pants, and PBJ sandwiches I’d packed from Maynooth to lessen the cost of buying food were somehow the perfect little sacrifices to travel the world and experience different cultures and people. My perfect future would ...

A danger in traveling abroad to so many incredible destinations is the possibility of not really experiencing the history, culture, and beauty of simply being alive at these momentous places. When we went to so many tourist attractions in London, I just noticed more and more how many people would just pose for a picture, take a selfie with the London Eye or with Big Ben, and that was the extent of it. Lots of people don’t even really look, much less learn about the landmark’s history or impact. It drove me crazy. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with taking a picture for the memory, but the instance and ease of capturing moments has lost its beauty on this world.  I often found myself staring at the skyline of the city or watching a bird soar over this ancient place while so many other people were busy buying keychains or posting on Instagram. It was very frustrating to me because what’s the point of being here if you’re not really  here ? I tried hard not to be ju...

The locals are calling it the "Beast from the East" or "Snowmageddon"--an apparently frigid snowstorm arriving in the UK and Ireland. My classmates and I have been consistently poking fun at the locals' shock, as back home in Colorado, I hear there are a couple feet of snow and business as usual. One morning, my Irish roommate giddily asked us if we had seen the snow, and our reply was, "you mean the frost on the grass?" This storm has left a few inches around Maynooth University, I'll give them that, but in places like Dublin (pictured above), there's hardly any coverage and yet the city is closing down. Our school has canceled classes for the rest of the week and sent out a survey to students to track where we'd be over the extended weekend to make sure we'd be safe. This immense concern is both amusing and a little bizarre. However, upon taking a step back, their panic lines up with their climate, which hardly ever experience...

Watercolor of a park in Maynooth, Ireland (actual landscape below). This is my creative space that reminds me of my love of painting and color, my commitment to veganism and trying to save the world, and mementos from friends that remind me of their endless support. 1. Create a space that gives you joy and makes you want to be creative. 2. Make a routine for yourself so that creating comes more naturally. If you sit down every evening to write a little about your day, it will become more natural and require less effort the more you get used to it. 3. That being said, also don't be afraid to shake things up. Go out and experience things so that you have new things to think and express, and try being creative in different spaces. 4. Be a good creative citizen and participate in your community. Whether that means being a literary citizen and going to readings and buying books from local authors, or going to art shows, or writing a review on a piece you liked,...

I am so excited to start school at Maynooth. I am taking classes called Ireland Since 1800, Christianity and Secular Thought, Living Deliberately, Creative Writing, and Contemporary European Women's Writing. I hope that my mix of classes allow for lots of free time for traveling and painting and writing, while also challenging my beliefs and what I know about myself.  Right now, I am attempting to create a routine for myself to establish a sense of belonging, and so that I don't spend my days in my dorm alone whenever I can't be traveling. It's so easy with the constant cold wind to just want to curl up with a book or a movie. Especially now, when I know almost no one at my school and don't know about any events or places to go.  Last week, the Student Union held a Clubs and Societies Fair, some of which were very interesting and unique. I hope to partake in the Creative Writing Club, the Psychology Society, the Purpose Movement, the Pride Society, and the ...

"Ode to the Shamrock" There's a dear little plant that grows in our isle, 'Twas St. Patrick himself, sure, that sets it; And the sun of his labor with pleasure did smile, And with dew from his eye often wet it. It grows through the bog, through the brake, through the mireland, And they call it the dear little Shamrock of Ireland. A Brief History of St. Patrick Saint Patrick's real name was Maewyn Succat. At the age of 16, he was kidnapped by Irish pirates and was sold as a slave. He herded sheep for years until he escaped when he was 22. He found a monastery and spent 12 years nurturing his faith. Around 432 A.D., St. Patrick arrived in Ireland and began working to convert the Irish to Christianity. To explain the concept of the Holy Trinity, he used a Shamrock, explaining that the stem holds the three leaves together, the same as Christianity connecting the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. The leaves show that though they are separat...

At the London airport, I saw two girls with colored hair, one with dark purple, and the other with red. It was exciting and relieving to see that I wouldn't be totally out of place with my cotton candy-esque bob. Normal colors of hair flooded the international arrivals area, and very few paused when over the intercom, an ominous voice announced a non-denominational service in the chapel. In my corner of a coffee shop, I noticed several police officers with bulky, powerful guns stand guard every few feet. Not much of the chaotic movement changed, but I definitely straightened my posture and looked for the nearest exits. Was this in case there was a terrorist attack or religious hate crime?  My thoughts buzzed, but the anxiety soon died when the police scattered just a few minutes after the announcement. They brought around a puppy to sniff for bombs, who lingered on my luggage because I have a dog at home. I was nervous, but the police offered smiles and treats to their ...