Que Sera, Sera

"'Que sera, sera...Whatever will be, will be."

Wise words from Sly & The Family Stone. That's the new attitude I'm applying to life abroad. Sure, there are plenty of reasons to dwell in negativity; Being homesick, losing my cellphone in a sheep field, my ipod breaking for no reason, or even a disagreement with roommates. I have to admit, I have been wading in the shallow end of the negative pool for the past few weeks. I didn't think there was anything I could do about it until it hit me. 

For every negative aspect of my day - every thought, mistake or snide remark - there is an overwhelming amount of reasons to be positive. Hell, I'm in Europe and no amount of negative energy can bring me down. Whether it's coming from an internal or external source is no matter because I'm leavin it alone - whatever will be, will be. Thanks Sly - You are the man.

 On that note I think it's time to share some pictures from our school trip to Northern Ireland - A trip that surprised me for so many reasons. Mostly because standing over the unexpected edges of steep cliffs and viewing the stunning coastline of Northern Ireland, I found myself in a state that I can only describe as the happiest I have been since arriving in Europe.

Stumbling upon this view before dinner

Maybe it's this positive thinking mantra I've got goin' on - or maybe it's the beauty that surrounded us. I guess staying in a cozy seaside village tucked into the folds of country hills doesn't exactly seem like the appropriate setting for petty complaints or a miserable bout of homesickness. 

Ballintoy Harbor

 We learned about The Troubles during a political tour of Northern Ireland given by men whom experienced the violence firsthand, with the help of public murals telling the fascinating and frightfully modern story.

Mural remembering the hunger strikes in 1980

We were also taken to Giant's Causeway, a spectacular geological phenomenon where we stopped for a quick Environmental Earth Science lesson :)

Champlainers at Giant's Causeway

View of Giants Causeway from the top

 I think this past trip to Northern Ireland helped me realize just how remarkably lucky I am to be able to experience this at such a time in my life, with the support of friends at home and those on this trip. 

Just climbing on a castle - no big deal.

How many students- whether Irish, American or any other ethnicity- can say their college has arranged this many excursions and opportunities for them. We were able to learn firsthand about Ireland's Troubles from men who experienced the struggle. Our accommodations were in an adorable seaside village which covets astonishing coastal views as well as sprawling sheep fields (where a girl just might be tempted to frolic a bit too enthusiastically and lose her mobile phone...), and the Carrick-a-Rede bridge - a 65 foot rope bridge suspending tourists over a 100 ft chasm. After the bridge and a quick hike we were taken to Giant's Causeway to view the curious and captivating geological composition as part of our Enviro Science lab for this week. As if all these activities weren't stimulating enough our final excursion was Dunluce Castle, where some of us took the opportunity to stretch our legs by climbing and crawling around some ancient ruins. Thank you Champlain - Stephen, Lilly and Clare for organizing the Northern Ireland trip.

It's hard for me to be in a sour mood when I realize how incredibly lucky I am to be sharing this experience with good people,  got a fancy new replacement phone for the one stolen by those sheep and a shiny new ipod came in the mail. 

There's nothing like a little perspective eh?

Signing of the Peacewall in Belfast

The Life of a Swedish Mafia Princess

To be honest I had absolutely no idea what to expect of Stockholm. I've always wanted to go to Sweden (since I'm part Swedish and love meatballs) but I was totally unprepared for the beauty and glory that is Stockholm. We were delivered to an obscure airport about 1.5 hour outside of Stockholm in the midst of a blizzard. RyanAir is seriously the most legit low budget airline for being able to land that plane in blankets of fresh snow and layered ice.

We checked into our first accommodations, an old prison turned hostel/ museum, which was located on a little island and not easy to get to in the slippery conditions. We slept in the old cells and right outside our door were fake prisoners in chains and a guillotine and it was so creepy and amazing. The girls didn't seem to like our new dummy friends but I felt a comradeship with em'. 

We stayed in this hostel for two nights and enjoyed the company of a few fake prisoners as well as two new friends from Germany and Austria! Our second hostel was in Gamla Stan, also known as The Old Town. The Old Town had rows of narrow pedestrian streets filled with souvenir shops, cafes, bars, and exhibits. The people of Stockholm were the friendliest and most helpful I have experienced so far in Europe, not to mention the most attractive. With so many beautiful people buzzing around the narrow streets blanketed in snow and absolutely remarkable architecture towering above us it was hard not to feel like we were in a fairytale.

Although Sweden was one of the most charming cities I have ever visited, there was some bittersweet moments. Laura did manage to slip on some ice on our way out of the metro station and fractured her elbow :( So there was an injury and some very negative moments following that...BUT the alluring dreamlike venue didn't really allow for much dwelling on nightmares.

 

On another note, our last night there was spent in The Best Hostel - seriously, that was it's name and they weren't kidding. SO FUN! We shared a giant room with 28 beds and the place had free internet, breakfast, and comfy leather couches in common rooms. After hangin' around the hostel for a bit we headed out to a nightclub to enjoy some grooves and observe what turned out to be some very strange Swedish dance moves...

Stockholm is a city I would recommend to everyone. The people are friendly and helpful, the chocolate is delectable, the food is delicious, the public transportation is simple and the streets are clean. I imagine living here would be quite costly, but a weekend trip didn't hit my bank account too hard...okay it did but it was totally worth it - every Swedish krona, euro or dollar.

Sunset at city hall

London High Society, Indeed.

As of last Friday I have entered a period of consistent travel. Last weekend I could have been found 'minding the gap' on The Tube (London's underground transportation system) and gallivanting around Piccadilly Circus. As of tomorrow evening I shall be wandering the cobblestone streets of Stockholm and hopefully indulging in the most delicious (and probably the most expensive) cocktail of my life at the Stockholm Ice Bar. The weekend after Champlain is bringing us to Northern Ireland to get a better understanding of the politics dividing the Island. 

Constantly traveling, or preparing for travel, could make it easy to forget the experiences and joys of earlier trips. Instead of confirming travel plans for Sweden (we haven't quite pinned down our accommodations - woops), I'm going to backtrack to my holiday in London. 

Big Ben

After arriving in Stanstead, and napping through the 1.5 hour ride into the city, Lora and I arrived at her friend's flat to drop off our bags. We hopped back on The Tube, walked down Gloucester Road (where Lora lived last semester), bought some Champagne and headed to The London Eye to enjoy some British mimosas :) 

Champagne + Ruby Breakfast Juice (w/ bits!)= Proper Mimosa * photo cred LoraCogs*

Then of course we had to cross the bridge to see Westminster Abby and Big Ben, and it wouldn't be a proper holiday without taking awkward pictures with a few statues and monuments.

Westminster Abby & Big Ben

Lora's new friends

& My new friends.

In addition to visiting statues of memorialized dump em's, we also saw Buckingham Palace, Portobello Market, Piccadilly Circus, St. James Cathedral, Whole Foods, and may have snuck into the London Hilton...

All in all London was a beautiful, tidy and expensive city. Londoners do not smile and the public transportation system is the most cohesive and pleasant I have ever experienced. I enjoyed the best Bloody Mary I have ever had the privilege of indulging in -sorry mom yours are a close second :)- and became quite fond of the refined accents. I can understand why Lora loved this city so much and I hope to go back someday, but with a larger bank account :)

I guess it's now time to prepare for Sweden 

* photo cred LoraCogs*

"Roses are red, Violets are blue

My Valentine is green, How about you?!"

Still Grateful

I guess you could say I'm past the honeymoon phase. I do love Dublin and I've barely stopped smiling since I've got here but this past weekend I dealt with my first intense case of homesickness. Silly enough, it was triggered by a piece of gummy candy shaped like a paw print (Awe Dutchie!). I had no control over how much I started to miss my puppy, my people and my places but what I could control was the music. Thankfully, the Good Ol' Grateful Dead were there to see me through it.  So just for good measure here's a song from a Halloween show in 1980.

"There is a road, no simple highway, Between the dawn and the dark of night, And if you go no one may follow, That path is for your steps alone." - Ripple

Sweet Tooth

Since I've got here I have been in a serious candy hole. I just can't help myself. Sure, I've been known to indulge in the sweets back in the states...maybe even over-do it sometimes with the help of fellow candy addicts (ahem Trevor) with one too many sour skittles or a few too many watermelon sour patch kids. YUM.

Anyways, my sugar intake has skyrocketed. Today alone consisted of a medium size bag of randoms (which are delicious gummies in silly shapes), half a pack of gum, as well as finishing Sarah's bag of skittles and to top it all off...

I finally made Laura's Birfday Cake!

Homemade Cream Cheese frosting, raspberry preserves, fresh (okay frozen) fruit squished between two levels of decadent chocolate cake and topped with an excessive amount of cream cheese frosting.
NOM NOM NOM. Gosh I'm so domestic.

On another note, my new hula hoop came yesterday!! She's a hefty 3 pounds and means business. The directions insist not to hoop more than 3 minutes a day for the first week and naturally I hooped for collectively close to an hour. Woops. I did teach myself a new trick so it's worth all these bruises covering my hips right? Right. Thanks to the 30 minute walking commute each way to school all these sweets and pints haven't quite caught up with me yet - just in case, this weighted hoop should keep me ahead of the curves...haha. I tried to post a video of me hoopin' my new trick but failed epically at uploading it which is probably for the better anyways.

Our Dublin Lit class read "A Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde this week. I absolutely loved it, especially Lord Henry and his indulgent ideas. One of my favorite quotes I discovered is,

"Live the wonderful life that is in you. Let nothing be lost upon you. Be always searching for new sensations. Be afraid of nothing."- Oscar Wilde

The best thing about devouring this novel was reading it in Merrion Square, which is across the street from the office I intern in, and also where the statue of Oscar Wilde chills real hard, smoking his pipe.

Obviously we're close. Thank you HotWheels for capturing the essence of our relationship.

Now to get some homework done and prepare for London this weekend!
AKA. Hula hooping and casually eating the remnants of this luscious cake.