Walk Away the Pounds

                My apologies in delay of keeping you updated.  It has been three weeks since I last posted and I have done so much since then including trips to Belfast, Derry, Giant’s Causeway, Glendalough, and a tour of Dublin.  The original post was only going to include Belfast but I decided I’ll just do one long entry instead. 

                Three weekends ago now I went to Belfast which is in Northern Ireland so a part of the UK.  I traveled with two girls from work, both from Germany, through a small English language school tour group.  We just went up for the day but got a tour of the city, which is the largest city in Northern Ireland, that included the history and present events that have transpired.  This includes the walls that divide the Protestant loyalists whom are loyal to Britain from the Catholic nationalists who are loyal to the Republic of Ireland.  The history was very sad as a lot of the disagreements and fights continue today and there is still a lot of unrest.  Though this part of the tour wasn’t very exciting it was good to learn more about this history to understand it better.  We also saw the dock where the Titanic was built and then had some down time to explore the city.  My friends and I plus a couple of the students from the language school found a couple of statues to see and ended our day in Belfast at Starbucks!  Overall, I am very glad I had the opportunity to go, to meet new people and get to know my friends better, to learn about history and tragedy that still affects the people I’m living around, and to explore a new country and different currency.

 This is one of the peace walls that was built to segregate the Protestants and Catholics

 The Titanic's dry dock

Hussam, Selina, myself, Christina, and Giovanni at a viewing tower overlooking the city

                On a regular day I spend my days working on sales calls, advertising and promotion of the charity event and of the new product launch, revising the company business plan, and recently I began learning more about SEO of the company and how I can help improve it.  SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization which is wording the text and titles of your webpage and linking your web address to different sites that make it more likely to be found in search engines like Google or Bing.  The people, like in any other environment, either make or break the experience and I can definitely say that my fellow colleagues have made this experience grand.  I have had the opportunity to meet people from all over the world and build friendships with many of them.

                Home in Terenure (Dublin 6) continues to be the place that I love to spend my evenings.  I still spend a lot of time with my host sister playing cards, watching movies, or recently coloring and drawing together which have made my evenings relaxing and full of laughter.  Last week I was able to go to Georgia’s final choir concert and was very impressed by the harmony and skill of the 4ht-6th grade girls.  The time I spend with my family is confirmation that I made the right choice in housing, and I know I will be sad to leave when the time comes.   

Georgia and I after a make-over!

                Two weekends ago now, I spent Saturday seeing many of the major attractions in Dublin.  I first visited the National Museum of History and Archaeology mostly because if my family were with me, we would have visited it, but I did learn a lot about ancient Ireland.  Once I finished there I made my way to Christ Church, a significant and large Catholic Church in Dublin, but stopped at an outdoor market and Dublin Castle on the way.  I arrived at Christ Church with the intention to absorb as much information as I could about the place so that I could share with my friends and family back home.  I took in carefully each room, the architecture, the statues and the significance of each.  My highlights of the church included a few minutes spent in prayer in a side room for the visitors of the church and the citizens of Dublin and viewing the crypt since I have never been to the basement of an old church before.

                After Christ Church, I made my way to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells the ancient monastic copies of the Gospels and the Old Library which holds thousands of books from the past hundreds of years.  The intricacy and detail of the pictures and text of the Book of Kells was truly unbelievable, breathtaking, and beautiful.  And then to soon after walk into a two story high room that smelled of old books with books lining the walls and a library only imagined in a fairy tale was almost too much to take in.  This was my favorite touristy place in Dublin and I would love to go again.  To end my long day of touring, I went to the World Champion Street Performance festival and watched a couple acts before exhaustion kicked in and I headed home.  The best part of this day was spending the day just me and God and being in awe of how he has spanned all generations.

 An "artsy" picture of Dublin Castle

 A side view of Christ Church

A glimpse at the interior of Christ Church

                On Sunday I went to church for the first time since I’ve been here.  I didn’t know what to expect but couldn’t contain my excitement to worship again in community.  The church is Shankill Bible Church and there was a congregation of about twenty.  Now the thing I love most about small churches is how welcoming and like a family they are and this church was no different.  I felt so welcomed and included and soaked in everything from the first hymn to last amen. God simply amazed me at His provision in giving me this weekend pointing back to Him and reminding me that He is why I am here and He does take care of all of my needs.  (I was also able to attend the church again this previous Sunday which was again a great blessing.)

                This last weekend I spent a lot of time with my family.  I went shopping with Georgia on Saturday and went to Glendalough with Georgia and my parents on Sunday.  Glendalough is a large park in the Wicklow mountains with ruins of a monastery on the grounds as well.  To reach it, we spent an hour driving through the mountainside and then hiked around the trails.  Needless to say but this was one of my favorite days, it was warm enough to wear a tshirt, the scenery was gorgeous, and the company was grand. I don’t know how else to describe it so I’ll let the pictures explain it to you.         

                This Monday, I traveled with two girls from the U of M and visited Giant’s Causeway and Derry which is also in Northern Ireland.  It was another long day of touring and driving but the sites, sounds, and sometimes good smells made it all worth it.  Once again the sites were breathtaking and I loved just looking out the window of the bus in awe of all of the green.  The first site we stopped at was called Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge.  Now the great thing about this is you would expect it to be a long, scary bridge but it wasn’t but it did lead to a cute little island and better view of Scotland just 12 miles across the Irish Sea.

 The "really long" rope bridge

Scotland is on the horizon

                Our next stop was the famous Giant’s Causeway which by legend was believed to be formed by giants.  The rocks were very easy to climb and obviously unique so it was a joy to be able to experience this great natural wonder for myself.

Myself, Lauren, and Rachael

                The last place we stopped was in the city of Derry.  This city is also rich in past and present history and has a similar story to Belfast.  We only stayed in the city for a brief tour and headed out.  But I again learned more about the tragedy that still affects the lives of the people living in the North, the conflict between the loyalists (unionists) and nationalists (republicans).  I’ve decided that I’ve done enough day tours and look forward to at least one more adventure outside of Dublin.  Thank you for your continued love and support!

It’s Greener on the Other Side

                I have been trying to stay on top of my blogging and journaling but have obviously fallen behind.  At last, the greatly anticipated blog about my trip to Galway, Cliffs of Moher, and Kylemore Abbey.

                It began with a taxi ride followed by a two and a half hour bus ride from the west coast to the east coast.  Now the landscape was similar to Minnesota but with many “dry walls” or fences built of stone without plaster separating the fields, a few ancient towers, more hills, and a lot more sheep.  I met up with the other students I was traveling with at the first rest stop, Lauren and Zach from the University of Minnesota; there is nothing like traveling with people close to home in a far away land.

                Once we arrived in Galway, the tour group was given a quick walking tour of the city including the church where Jane Eyre was buried, an original medieval city wall, and the ancient main port. 

After the tour, we continued on bus to the Cliffs of Moher by traveling through the Burren, which is the limestone hills with sparse grass that covers the land to the south of Galway.  Our tour guide talked non-stop informing us of every detail about fairy lore, Irish history, and the Burren.  Before we reached the Cliffs themselves, the bus stopped a few times to take in the scenery of the Burren and the eastern coastline.

                Upon arrival at the cliffs, Lauren and I were in awe that we finally stepped foot in this place for ourselves, a place we had seen only in photographs.  As I was still adjusting to the fantasy I found myself in, I heard someone call my name and looked up to see another U of M friend, Elizabeth.  I cannot describe how excited and happy I was to have run into her as I knew she was in Ireland but did not expect to see her.  The cliffs were as breathtaking as I expected and we were very thankful for the clear weather.  If only I could have stayed longer, to sit and take it in and write praises to God for the beauty of His creation.

                On the way back to Galway, the bus stopped at an abbey and a very old tomb called the Poulnabrone Dolmen and is a Gelninsheen Wedge Tomb which supposedly dates back to 4,000 BC. 

                We returned to Galway, checked-in to the hostel, and went into town for dinner at McDonagh’s for my first ever dish of fish and chips.  After dinner we found an ice cream shop and wandered around the city experiencing the Havana Cubana festival of music and dance before we turned in for the night.

                Thankfully the tour to Connemara and the Kylemore Abbey did not depart until 10:00 so we were able to sleep in a bit.  The scenic drive through the region of Connemara which is north of Galway was breathtaking and beautiful.  Along the way to the abbey we stopped at a smaller abbey, a few scenic stops, and Cong, the town that the movie the Quiet Man was filmed in.

 Ross Errily Abbey

 Lough (pronounced lock) Corrib

               We arrived at Kylemore Abbey and had just two hours.  The first path provided the most gorgeous view of the abbey nestled between mountains and a lake.  Lauren, Zach, and I went to the gardens first, to the abbey, and then to the small gothic chapel also located on the property.  My highlights were definitely the first view and the gothic church.  Unfortunately, the huge abbey only had three rooms open to the public although they were beautiful, you couldn’t really grasp the full size of it.

 First glance of Kylemore Abbey

 The Victorian Gardens planted with vegetation from the 17th century.

 A closer view of the abbey.

 The small gothic church.  What I enjoyed most about the church was recognizing the architecture specific to the gothic time period and the stained glass.

                Once we finished exploring the grounds, we took lunch, bought souvenirs, and then boarded the bus.  The bus ride back to Galway and then Dublin was not too exciting; I slept most of the way and couldn’t wait to get back to the house and crash.  Looking back on this weekend I cannot thank God enough for providing safety, protection, friends, and fun in His beautiful creation.  Your prayers are truly being heard and felt, thank you!

Daily Grind

Week 2

                My second week in Dublin is over and it does not seem that I’m a quarter done with my stay.  This week has been simplistic and uneventful which has been wonderful.  It included going to work and coming home to spend the night with my family.  

                Being an unpaid intern is not the most glamorous thing, especially at a small start-up company.  As my friend has told me I should still strive to be the “Best American” my co-workers have ever met.  I continually seek to be positive about my work and to do my work to the best of my ability despite it not being what I expected.  My work is focused around sales calls, specific projects assigned by the general manager, and especially public relations and marketing for a charity event that the company is sponsoring.

                The charity event is for the Ireland Cancer Society and is called the Dublin Zombie Walk or DZW for short.  On July 23, more than 3,000 people will dress as zombies and parade around the streets of Dublin for the event.  As I have been assigned to assist Eamonn, the event organizer, I have already spent many hours brainstorming new ideas to promote the event as well as plan activities and promotional products for the day of the event.

http://www.dublinzombiewalk.com/zombiewalks.html

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dublin-Zombie-Walk-2011/170073763041685

                Throughout the week, as work picked up, I enjoyed my relaxing nights at home teaching Georgia some new card games or playing Mario Kart and getting hooked on the semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent.  I’ve also thoroughly been enjoying the home cooked meals that Sharon whips up most every night.  My food highlights for the past week would definitely have to be the homemade French fries or chips and potato wedges.  You just can never go wrong with potatoes especially when they are home fried!

                On Friday I was able to join Sharon’s sister’s tennis club for a four week long fun tournament.  It was the most beautiful evening and the warmest weather of my stay yet and I was so thankful to be able to spend it outside.  I may have been a little rusty at my tennis game but most of the players just play for fun.  I’m sure my dad will be happy to hear that I’m playing tennis and getting ready to play with him once I return home.

                I miss home off and on but am getting more used to calling Dublin home, at least for the next few weeks.  I love receiving encouraging notes and reminders that friends and family are thinking and praying for me as it does get a little lonely, but sincere thanks for the encouragement!

(Coming soon: It's Greener On the Other Side, a summary of my travels across the country to the east coast, Galway, Cliffs of Moher, and Kylemore Abbey)