Five Things I've Learned About America...

1. Refrigerators. We are obsessed with refrigeration! Something that was really weird for me was that eggs are sold in a regular aisle at the grocery store. It's not a big deal to refrigerate eggs here. My roommates just keep their eggs on the counter. And when you think about it... the egg doesn't come out of the chicken butt and into the fridge. No one in Ireland puts all their veggies in the fridge. No one in Ireland puts all their cheeses in the fridge. Last year in my house in Santa Barbara six girls shared one large fridge with a freezer and three mini-fridges. You know how many fridges 5 girls share in Ireland? One mini-fridge and one mini-freezer! That's right.

2. Preservatives. America needs to lay off the corn syrup, artificial favors, and preservatives. Soda here is made with actual sugar. It tastes so much better and makes a huge difference. Candy is a different color here because not as many artificial colors are added in. Why do we even need these colors? It tastes the same, no matter what color it is. Food goes bad here quicker--but it tastes so much better! I really do not mind going to the store every week to buy new food. The dairy here is SO good. I have never drank so much milk in my life. Guess cows aren't as happy in California as we think...

3. Cars. Petrol (or gas to us Americans) is really, really expensive in Ireland. We complain about spending 4 dollars a gallon. Well the Irish are spending about 1.40 euro per liter. Okay kids, time for some math. There's almost 4 liters to a gallon. That means that gas is about 5-6 euros per gallon. Now convert euros to dollars. Petrol/gas here is 8-9 dollars a gallon! This is why it is absolutely ridiculous to have a large car here.

Students do not usually drive until they're like 20-21 years old. Some of my roommates have not even got their licenses! Guess this is a factor in the drinking age being 18.

Driving on the left side of the road is not weird to me anymore... which is kind of scary because I have to get used to the right again once I'm back at home.

Jaywalking is acceptable here, no one is going to ticket you. Let's not even talk about how many times we've illegally crossed the street this semester.

4. School. Don't bring your laptop to class--people think that it is really rude. That was probably the biggest cultural changes regarding school that affected me. Before I came here, I took all of my notes on my laptop (I'll be happy to take notes this way when I'm back at UC Santa Barbara, haha).

People at NUIG skip a lot of school. People have asked me, "Why do Americans always go to class?" Attendance and participation do not usually factor into grades here. Why do we go to class? Probably because we have to practically sell our souls or bankrupt our parents to afford school. I dunno, I like going to class.

5. Lifestyle. America just needs to chill out a little bit. People are way too wrapped up in other people's lives. There is WAY too much stress in America. I feel like I've become a much calmer and rational person in the last four months. School was not as stressful for me this semester, so that probably had a lot to do with it. But the whole lifestyle of people living in Ireland is a lot different. Ten minutes late? Not a big deal. In Ireland, everyone is late together. Class "starts" on the hour... but the lecturer does not even show up until ten minutes after the hour. American life is a bit fast paced. I like it, but being here reminds me that we have to slow down sometimes.

Alright America, I love you... I really do. So here is some things I miss about you:

1. Posted street signs. It is so easy to get around in America. There is a sign on every corner. Here in Ireland... not so much.

2. Although I've gotten used to military time, I miss the 12 hour am/pm clock.

3. Mac n' cheese. Wings. A good burger. Cheesecake Factory. California's delicious ethnic food. Fancy (yet affordable) drinks. Boba tea. FROYO.

4. My family, friends, dog, and fish!

5. Having a job. It's nice not to work... but I miss it. Plus I don't feel as guilty buying things.

6. All of my clothes! It sucks living out of one suitcase. I will be posting a "clothes graveyard" soon. It will contain all of the clothes that I've ruined since being here.

7. The weather! Well I don't know. It's 50 degrees F here and I hear it is like 90 degrees F in the Bay Area. That's a 40 degree difference. Hopefully I don't catch fire or something.

So that's that! Just some things I find myself thinking about from time to time.

Anyways, I officially finished school this week!! Ahhhhhhhhhh! I'm really excited because this is the first break I've had since the summer after my freshman year. I had one last paper and it took forever to finish. I just lacked motivation. So my total word count for the semester: 18,171. NEVER AGAIN... until grad school. I'm so happy to go back to stressful test taking.

We cleaned the house this week and it isn't a chemical warzone anymore. I was telling my roommates here how I went from the cleanest house I've ever lived in to the dirtiest house I've ever lived in. Ireland is a very moldy place, so you're going to have a bad time if you leave something out.

Went to see a Connacht rugby game with a few friends! It was a lot of fun. We lost, but it was cool to see a game in person.

Great photography.. lol. Connacht Rugby. Galway, Ireland

We made tacos twice this week. I'd eat tacos everyday though, honestly.

Also had tea with Crystal! It was so good. I had darjeeling tea and a tasty slice of carrot cake. I will miss moments like this.

Delicious. Galway, Ireland

Since school is over and I still have a bit of time here, it's time to start travelling around Ireland!! I hope to be visiting somewhere in Ireland next weekend, but I really haven't planned anything yet.

Sending love x

Return to England!

Well I'm back in Galway! But before I got back, I embarked on the second leg of my Spring Break adventure... London and Bath in England!

I've been to London before and I fell in love with it. It was so exciting to get the chance to go back because this city is absolutely incredible. Luckily I would not have to travel alone because Anne decided to accompany me. What made matters even more interesting was that Anne went with me four years ago as well! This time we got to explore the city without a huge group of students or parental guidance--it was a lot of fun!

Anne on the left, me in the middle. Sophomore year of high school in France.

4 years later in front of the Westminster Abbey, London

Before the fun in London started, I had to spend the night in Dublin airport. I had flown in to Dublin from Madrid at 9pm and my flight to London left at 6am... so there was no point to pay 30 euro to get into town and stay at a hostel for a few hours. Sleeping in an airport was an interesting experience. I don't know if I'd consider it an important life event, but it was necessary in order to save some cash. I wasn't able to check-in until 4am, so I had to hang out in the arrival "lounge" for the night. I began a hunt for an electrical outlet... none. Every outlet I found was completely blocked. It was a long night. I ended up napping for 30 minutes or so on a seat without armrests. Positives? Security took 2 minutes tops and I saved some cash. My early flight was also empty so I got a whole row of seats to myself! That never happens in America.

I met Anne, who also had a 6am flight from Shannon to London, at the Stansted airport.We got some much needed sleep on the coach and tried to rally for the long day exploring London that was ahead of us. Our hostel was super easy to get here and located in an amazing location! We stayed at Astor Quest, which is located near the central, circle, and district tube lines. If you have never been to London, these routes are the  best for getting you to all the popular spots in London. The staff was awesome at Astor.. made me miss the staff at El Cap! The hostel also had Cocoa Crispies. So it was a winner.

Our first stop was Platform 9 3/4. I know you want to laugh, so just do it. Feel better? Okay. Yeah, Anne and I were a little too excited to go. So we went off to King's Cross and found Platform 9 3/4 pretty easily. They were offering photo opportunities where you pushed a trolley into the wall... like you were going to the Hogwart's Express. At first I was like, "Nope, not going to do it". Then I was like, "Okay, I'll do it... but I'm not buying the picture". Finally I was like, "WHAT this picture is so cool TAKE MY MONEY". Potternerd.

I mean come on... this pic is legit.

We also walked through Leicester Square down to Piccadilly Circus. Ate some cupcakes. People watched. It was a pretty relaxing day. We were pooped by 8pm. For dinner we had pizza and beer. Miss you, America.

Anne ruining a nice landscape shot of Piccadilly Circus

The next day we felt 100000x better, had our Cocoa Crispies and hit the tube. Our first stop was Big Ben and the houses of Parliament. So nice to hear that bell ring again! After taking the absolutely necessary touristy pictures, we headed to Westminster Abbey.

Houses of Parliament, London

London Eye, London

Westminster Abbey was amazing and so worth the money. Anne was peeing her pants practically because she was so excited to see Charles Darwin's grave. I'm not kidding. I thought it was crazy to see Sir Issac Newton's grave. The inside of Westminster Abbey was amazing as well. No pictures were allowed inside. I obeyed this rule... one other person in my party didn't. Expect a knock on your door in a few months after they review CCTV, Anne. Juuuuust kidding.

Courtyard of Westminster Abbey, London

Outside of Westminster Abbey, London

Oh noes.. rain. Westminster south entrance, London

Our next stop was my favorite--Tower Bridge! I just love Tower Bridge. Mother nature did not want me to love Tower Bridge because it began to rain like crazy! As you can see, I was in a small jacket and Anne did not have that thick of a jacket either... so we got soaked. It would have been nice to walk across the bridge again, but getting soup at Pret a Manger was way higher on my priority list at that point in time.

Tower Bridge, London

The exact moment the rain began to pour.

After we recovered I needed even more recovery so we went back to Sweet Couture Cupcakes. I'm going to need to be rolled off the plane once I land in California. Dem cupcakes.

Anyways, that night we met up with two of Anne's friends that go to UCSC with her. The meeting point was the Stratford Mall. This mall was HUGE. I think Anne's friends said it's the biggest mall in Europe or something. It even boasts a view of the 2012 Olympic Stadium. We ate at Nandos. Anne and I decided that we needed to eat at Nando's in Bath because it was bomb. The bomb.

Olympic Stadium, London

The next day was our last in London. We decided to go and find the iconic Abbey Road! It was easier than I thought to take a picture there. Definitely a cool experience. And we didn't get run over so that was a plus.

Abbey Road, London

After leaving some song lyrics on front of the wall at Abbey Studios, we headed to Oxford Circus. Oxford street is a long street full of places to shop at. Most notable was the Top Shop that was five floors! Anne and I got lost inside of it. I'm not kidding. We were on the fourth floor and could not find the stairs or escalator or anything. We would have died if there was a fire. There was a full service salon, a froyo place, and a cupcakery inside. It was like a Top Shop ecosystem. A little overwhelming, actually.

That concluded our time in London! It was bittersweet to leave. But we were excited to head to Bath!

Bath started off very interesting.. mainly because our hostel was a bit sketchy. They changed ownership after I had made the booking, so the place was not what I was expecting. There was no breakfast! I'm a big fan of free breakfast. But it was okay! We made it through... it wasn't like we would be hanging out all day in the hostel anyways.

Bath has some really interesting things to visit. The night before our roommates told us about what they did and gave us some ideas. We first went to find the Royal Crescent. The Royal Crescent is a row of Georgian-style houses that were built during the 1700s. Apparently Nicolas Cage owns #7... well he used to.

Million dollar houses

We also saw the Circus! More fancy houses.

The Circus, Bath

Next stop was the Jane Austen Centre. I'm a fan of Pride & Prejudice, but I didn't know much about Jane Austen before we visited. It was really interesting! I definitely have more of an appreciation for her as an author and for her works. After the tour, we had tea in at the Regency Tea Room. The tea room was right above the Jane Austen Centre. It was so good! I had Darjeeling tea and a savory roll thing with ham, cheese,  caramelized onions, and spicy tomatoes. Yummmmmmmmmy.

Can I please just have all the pretty books?

I am a big fan of tea now after 4 months in Europe

After getting stuffed with food and tea, we headed out to check out the plaza and the main event... the Roman Baths! The Roman Baths is the only hot spring in the UK. The Romans found it when they were expanding the Roman Empire in England.

Architecture in town, Bath

Bath Abbey, Bath

Entrance to Roman Baths, Bath

The Roman Baths were interesting to see! We learned that the baths functioned for a ritual purpose and people would come to cleanse themselves, make offerings, and pay their respects to the gods. People commonly used to Baths to write the gods. They would write on little lead pieces and complain about people and wish death upon their enemies. Some guy even complained about his clothes getting stolen while he was bathing. I bet the dude who stole them had a really good laugh.

The Roman Baths, Bath

Julius Caesar on the far right. Back of Bath Abbey, Bath

Roman engineering, Bath

Anne & I hanging out at the Baths, Bath

Smart duckies, Bath

Showing us how people used the Baths hahahaha

Someone offered a Blockbuster Card

The next day we checked out and I had a lovely Chai Latte at Caffe Nero. We spent the day shopping before we boarded the train and headed to the airport.

Bath, England

What a trip! I was exhausted though once I got back to Galway. Still trying to catch up on a lot of missed sleep...

On a more serious note: I found out about the Boston Marathon bombings before I boarded my plane in Bristol. I felt horrible and I just wanted to be home. It was weird to experience something like this outside of the country, like I just needed to be there. When I got off the plane, the immigration officer and the bus driver both asked me about it. The kindness of people I've met in Ireland never seizes to amaze me. But the way everything was handled this week makes me very proud to call America my home. My heart still goes out to Boston and Texas.

Until next time, sending love x

Finally! Madrid!

Hola! (Am I doing this right?)

What a crazy week it's been. I landed in Madrid, Spain last Wednesday and I stayed for a week. I visited one of my best friends from high school, Alex, who goes to school in Madrid.

At first, I was a bit apprehensive to go to Spain. If you know me, you know that I am horrible at Spanish. I did not take a single year of Spanish during school because I knew that I would suck at it. My knowledge of Spanish before this trip was... lacking. But I was still really excited to visit! I knew that I would somehow make it through customs and my time in Madrid would cause no permanent psychological damage.

Joke aside, it really was hard to visit a country where English is not the first language. Madrid is a little less touristy than Barcelona, so there are less English speakers. I was so lucky that Alex speaks Spanish because it would be bad news bears for me if she did not. I've learned more Spanish in the last few days than I have in my entire life. You can say that I'm a bit more cultured now.

Enough about language barriers! My time in Madrid really was amazing. I don't even know where to start! I suppose that somewhat of a chronological order of events would be best.

So as I said, I arrived on Wednesday night. I handed over my passport and didn't have to say anything--the immigration officer just stamped it! This has been a way different experience for me at Dublin/Shannon/Edinburgh airports where I have gotten interrogated each time. I was officially welcomed into Spain, haha. After navigating the terminal and finding Alex, we made our way back to her apartment and then headed out to get some food. We decided on a burrito place that was a lot similar to Chipotle! This was my first time having a decent burrito in 4 months (the only thing we have in Galway is La Salsa and La Nacho... I'll let you be the judge). After dinner, Alex took me to see the Royal Palace of Madrid! We also walked through Plaza Major, which is a plaza where events take place. It was a good way to start out all of the touristy things we had planned for the weekend.

Plaza Major, Madrid

That night we went out and I got to meet some of Alex's friends. I really should have worn heels because of how classy of a place we went to seemed.. but I messed up my ankle when I tripped walking on cobblestone in Ireland (and I did this not wearing heels!!). So I stayed my measly 5'4" for the night. I didn't know any of the songs, it was apparently a Spanish-music themed night. So I heard a lot of new music (minus Shakira)! I tried to dance as normal as possible, but it takes awhile to acquire new dance skills. You know how it is. But it was great to meet everyone that I had heard so much about.

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday we did a bit of sightseeing! I got to see some of the prettiest architecture in Madrid. Alex took me walking and we first saw the Metropolis building, which I've seen in books and never knew that it was in Madrid. We then walked a bit further until we came to a roundabout with Puerta de Alcala in the center, which is a beautiful arch in the city. Edificio de Correos was nearby as well and was probably one of the prettiest buildings I saw that week. There's just something about the architecture. Dat building structure.

Metropolis, Madrid

Puerta de Alcala, Madrid

Edificio de Correos, Madrid

For dinner, we went to the Mercado de San Miguel. Spainerds usually come here for dinner. You can get cheap tapas, wine, and beer. We ended up buying some olives and cheese--so good! For dessert, I had some meringue and Alex had a few macaroons. The meringue was so sweet that I think I actually felt the diabetus taking hold. Oh man.

Meringue and macaroons at Mercado de San Miguel, Madrid

We also got the chance to walk through Parque del Retiro where we saw the Palacio De Cristal, Monumento del Angel Caido, and some Spanish statues of past kings. Palacio De Cristal was amazing! It was like something out of a storybook. We were going to have a picnic in the park but it was just way too cold. Instead, we ate churros at Chocolatería San Ginés. This place is actually where the churro was invented! The churros were so good! To eat them, you dip them in a melted hot chocolate. Mm.

Palacio De Cristal, Madrid

Rowing at Monumento del Angel Caido, Madrid

Spanish Churros at Chocolatería San Ginés, Madrid

We went out again that weekend and it was a blasty-blast! I had so much fun. I can't remember a time where everyone I was with was happy and just having a great time. We started off the night by eating at an Argentinian steakhouse. I got a glass of white wine and some risotto. This was my first attempt at ordering in Spanish. Of course, I ruined it. But the waiter started talking in English to me, so I lucked out. The meal was delicious.. just thinking about it now makes me want it again. After eating, we went out and went to a club where I actually knew all of the music. I mean... whats a good night out without hearing Avicii's song Levels?! Anyone?!

Beautiful church outside of the Museo del Prado, Madrid

I also got to check out some classical art in Madrid. Alex took me to the Museo del Prado. The most notable paintings there were painted by Velázquez, Goya and El Greco. The most famous painting there was Las Meninas by Velázquez. Anyone who has ever taken an art history class probably knows this painting. It was a cool way to spend the afternoon.

Yummy tapas, Madrid

My only regret is that I didn't take more pictures! I've been so good at taking pictures the last few months, but I got really lazy this last week. Just means that you have to go check out Madrid for yourself!

Alex and I... the only picture we got together because we suck at life

It was so nice to be able to hang out with one of my best friends for longer than a few hours. I don't get to see her much because our schedules and lives have been completely different the last few years. We always said that we would visit each other when we went abroad and I'm so glad that it became a reality. I miss her already! But I'm currently writing from Bath, England. I will be heading back to Galway tomorrow night but I've had such an amazing vacation! Will be updating again soon, promise x


BONUS POST: Liz's (somewhat) Epic Journey

All packed :)

Siesta time!

Cuppa after a long day.

School's Out For Summer?!

School's out.

No really, I'm done with lectures until September. My Roman History teacher closed out the class with "Have a nice summer!" ... so bizarre.

Unfortunately, this means the start of exams and more essays for me. As of today, I'm done with three of my six classes and I will be done with all six by the end of April. The last week and a half has really sucked for me. I've been writing papers constantly. I'm actually taking a break writing a paper to write this blog (my body is screaming at me to stop moving my fingers all together, but oh well). I'll give you the total amount of words that I have written this semester at the end of this month. Be excited.

What all these papers have taught me is to appreciate testing. I hate tests. College here is a lot different because instead of continuous assessment  your grade pretty much relies on one or two papers.. But after writing all of these papers my mind has traveled to a dark, dark space. Sigh. Only 5000 more words to go this month.

I'm drained lately. It could be the papers... or it can be the fact that I'm pregnant with an Irish lad's baby! Sorry, that was my really bad attempt at an April Fool's joke. Oops.

Luckily for me, I received a package last week from my best friend, Katrina! It was a much needed sugar/confidence boost for getting stuff done. I ate all the candy in two days. Oops x2.

Love my wifey. <3

Now.. To fill yas in on some lighter material. It was Easter this weekend! Ireland is really Catholic, so pretty much everyone celebrates. I was surprised by a few things, mainly the restriction of selling alcohol on Good Friday. I'm fairly sure it's not like this in America... but I wouldn't know since I just turned 21 in December. I haven't even had the chance to take advantage of my age back in the states!

Galway celebrated Easter with a Food Festival last Saturday! Crystal and I met up and walked through the markets in town. We happened upon the Spanish Arch where they had a ton of vendors! They had burgers, crepes, Thai food, desserts, a chocolate fountain, giant cookies... you get the picture. I really wanted the chocolate covered strawberries but they were 5 euro for 5 strawberries!! That's like 8 dollars!! So I settled on a burger. I mean it was a tasty burger... but those strawberries man.

Crystal's photography skillz

Seductively eating my food.

I spent Easter writing my paper. It was not a very exciting day, to be honest. Instead of eating a giant dinner or brunch, I had a grilled cheese. BUT THERE WAS LOVE IN THAT SANDWICH OKAY.
So now I need to finish this paper before.....

SPAIN! I'm leaving on Wednesday and I'm really excited (.. and a bit nervous)! I'm staying with one of my best friends from home, Alex, who has been going to school in Madrid for the last few years. After a week in Madrid I head to England with Anne! It's going to be a really awesome two weeks. :)

Well, I must go back to writing my paper. It's unfortunate because I'm sitting by the window in the reading room at school and the sun is shining. I actually might be getting a sunburn. Oh don't worry--it's still 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Sending love. xx