It was officially my half way mark yesterday. Three months have past and three months to go here Santiago, Chile!
It’s crazy to look back on how the time is flying and how much I have already done. It is about a month into school now and the work is starting to pile up. Papers, presentations, tests ect. But, there is still a lot of time to explore!
Things to know before you arrive:
Chileans speak really fast and really “bad” or incorrect Spanish. In some cases it is described as speaking Spanish or speaking Chilean. So, learning a word like, ¿cachai? is very helpful. ¿cachai? is essentially saying “do you understand?”or “get it?” after explaining something.
Winter exists! After the summer which is so extreme compared to Chicago, forty degrees is freezing. There is no central heating and we are all dreading the winter as it is starting to get cold.
Santiago is beautiful diverse city with amazing places to explore
Things that have stuck out to me in Santiago:
The amount of smog in Santiago is unbelievable and somehow it is possible to go without noticing it. However, after some rain (which is very rare) you can see things that did not seem to exist before.
Respect for the elderly is extremely prevalent. There is no questioning, if an elderly person boards the bus or metro at least three people will get up for them.
No matter where you are in Santiago, metro, parks, streets, stores or homes PDA is present. At the beginning none of us study abroad students could believe it. However, at this point I do not even notice it.
The pick pockets are real. Before arriving many people warned me of it, but of course I did not believe it could be as bad as they said. The good thing is that there is not a huge presence of other violence. It is just necessary to be constantly aware of your surroundings.
Café culture is so prominent here and it is amazing! Every café has a different atmosphere, but they are great places to study and have amazing cakes or gelato!
Chileans love their protests! Whether its a “protest” celebrating international women’s day. Or participating in the annual Dia del Joven Combatiente.
Regarding school at Universidad Alberto Hurtado:
Time is a different concept. You may only get part of your schedule for the semester the night before and figure the rest of it out during the first week!
Books are not bought. Instead you have to pay to make copies of documents, books ect.
The campus culture reminds me of high school. Everyone commutes so in between classes people socialize, play guitars, juggle, and play ping pong. Not a lot of people study on campus.
I realized that after booking my flight to Milan and Paris for Spring Break 2016, every single previous Spring Break of my college career I traveled abroad, so it was no surprise to me that I was going to travel again this time around. During my freshman year I participated in the Rome Start program and I went to Amsterdam and Berlin. Then during sophomore year, I booked a flight to Tel Aviv using a $400 credit I’d received for being bumped off a plane during Christmas. And this year, I decided to go to Milan and Paris. In addition, I had the opportunity to travel to Gibraltar.
This time around, though, I was fortunate to travel with my girlfriend, so it made the trip much more comforting. The first place we went to was Gibraltar, which is nothing like Spain in which it is connected to but that makes sense because it’s actually part of the UK . I could go into a long history of why its part of Britain but I’ll spare you the bore and instead summarize with it: Spain ceded the land in exchange for an agreement to have the monopoly of African slaves in 1704. A.K.A. brilliant British imperialistic move. Highlights of Gibraltar were the spectacular views of the coat facing Morocco and visiting the wild monkeys on top of the massive rock, which you simply cannot miss. Besides this, unless you enjoy British food or miss reading road signs in english, there isn’t much to do and one day there is plenty.
Next, we flew to Milan with Ryanair for under $60 and stayed the first night a few blocks away from Il Duomo, the centerpiece of Italian gothic architecture and also main landmark in Milan. Milan is a hustling and bustling city with people dressed nicely but with little tolerance for tourists. Clearly the largest city in Italy right when you step off the plane and take 35 minutes to get into downtown and all you see out the window are harrowing concrete apartments and billboards for FIAT cars. Again, Milan is a one day city, tops two. Given its reputation for fashion, I researched some shops that sold surplus designer clothing and found a few. But again, its high end designer clothing so even 50-60 percent off is still far more than I would spend on a t-shirt. Of course, the architecture in Milan is gorgeous and should not be taken for granted, so if anything I enjoyed walking around the city.
After the first night in Milan, we took the train to Turin and spent a day exploring the charming and friendly city. I received great vibes from this city and would like to visit again in the future. Everywhere we went people were as flighty as they could get. The man working in the pizza shop joyfully inquiring about us to the drivers stopping for us even when there were no stop signs. The friendliness was palpable compared to other Italian cities in the south and Milan. In Turin, there seems to be more to see than Milan and much easier to get around (by foot). There is the Mole Antonelliana (a massive spire that formed part of a former synagogue and now is National Museum of Cinema), the Turin Cathedral in which you can find the world famous Shroud of Turin, the Royal Palace of Turin and finally the second largest Museum of Egyptian antiquities in the world. All worthwhile destinations.
We then took the train further south and west to a little town called Bra. This was where would spend the night and get some fresh country air. But to be honest, we came here to visit my sister who was studying at the nearby University of Gastronomic Sciences. But I deeply missed the countryside and longed for it once we left the next morning. Also, the train system in Italy is good; nothing like the train in Spain that is monopolized by the government so they charge ridiculous prices for short trips. In Italy, it is much different, there are two big train companies that offer many options for time and price. So for a round trip ticket from Milan to bra, it cost me $25, with a 7 hour layover in Turin. I would highly recommend taking the train to get around Italy.
After our countryside adventure and visiting two of Italy’s largest cities, we headed to Beauvais from Milan for around $36 (again Ryanair). We actually did not fly into Paris, I would like to make this completely clear, Beauvais is a town in the north of France (50 miles from Paris) but Ryanair claims it an airport that represents Pars, trust me it’s far from it. This transfer of settings no problem thanks to blabla car and an online website that provides a seat in someone’s car. This was perfect for two travelers searching a cheap ride to the real Paris. When we arrived to Paris we had to take the metro a few stops to arrive to our hotel which was conveniently located practically right in the middle of map of paris and just smudge to the north. This was all too convenient that the plethora of transportation methods. The hard part was choosing what to do with only 3 days. This was far far too little when you consider what this city has to offer, you could spend your whole life here and still not see it all. Since I had been to Paris a few times in the past I wanted to dedicate this trip to the not so seen neighborhoods of this fine city. So one of our days there, we rented velibs or the bike renting service which is only 1.70 euro per day for the first 30 minutes, and explored the part of the city that was off the beaten trail. We hit up the Rue Mouffetard in the 5th arrondissement and also the Canal St. Martin. Both very worthwhile areas that few tourist were found in. And for dinner we went to the world famous Chipotle Mexican Grill. Yes, I know what you may be thinking, “what the hell are you thinking?!”. Well I’ll tell you exactly what. The fact of the matter was I simply was craving far too much to not go and my palette simply wasn’t into the french cuisine not was my wallet.
All in all, by the time Monday rolled around, I had forgotten all the places I had been because time went by so quickly. But as the old saying goes, all good things don’t like forever. My only hope is that I’ll be able to follow this past break with one in 2017 that will be just as action packed and thrilling.
北京再见 Goodbye Beijing…서울에 오신 것을 환영합니다 Welcome to Seoul!
After the excursion, sadly I got the flu. I had to go to the hospital multiple times to get medicine and whatnot. For that next week and a half I didn’t really do much since I was pretty out of it. After my recovery, we then had midterms week.
During midterms week my Chinese Medicine class took a field trip to a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Hospital. It was so interesting to see how the hospital ran. In TCM hospitals it is very crowded, and not very sanitary. Most people go to the hospital for acupuncture, cupping, moxa, massage treatment, and medicine. We even got to see patients and see them get acupuncture. It was so different from Western hospitals I’ve been in. in the states, you would only be able to go see procedures if you were a medical student. We all just crowded into a room and watched and listen to individual’s medical problems. It was so interesting to see all the patients being treated with such different methods than western methods. We also got to see the hospital pharmacy. That was very cool because they have tons of small drawers filled with dried herbs, nuts, you name it. They would then eyeball with a simple weight balance, then put the dosage in a big pan. All the herbs in one pan would then be sent to another section to be mixed together to create an herbal supplement meant to drink X amount of times a day.
It went pretty well, and the best way to celebrate being done with midterms was to take a flight out of China to Korea! Kaylee, Leia, Brittany and I took a plane to Seoul early Saturday morning. It was so exciting! Once we arrived in Seoul, we took the train to our hostile. The Korean subway system is very different than the Chinese subway. Even though the trains aren’t automated, the technology is great! The subways were super clean and everyone was really polite!
Korean culture is very different than Chinese culture. The first thing that surprised me was how clean the city was. In China there’s garbage around the streets, especially around restaurants, and there’s spit on the ground. In Korea, I never saw anyone spit on the street. Everything is Korea was orderly as well. When going on escalators everyone stayed in a single file line on the right side so people could walk up on the left side without disturbing anyone. No one barged to get onto the train when the doors opened, everyone waited for the passengers to get off the train before they boarded. Little things like that amazed me! In China it’s more of the culture “you’re on your own”. People mind their own business and don’t really go out of their way to help, unless asked. People tend to do things the way they want to, even it if means pushing people or cutting lines, etc. it’s just the culture, which makes sense since there are so many people here in Beijing.
Another interesting thing about the Korean culture that is so different than Beijing culture is that you see a lot more of young parents playing with their children. In Korea we always saw kids with their parents; whereas in China it’s usually the grandparents who are with the children.
The hostile we stayed in was very nice! It was right next to one of the subway stations, and was very comfy. There were couches and tables around, and the bedding wasn’t too bad. We stayed in one of the rooms that had 10 beds arranged like bunk beds. It was pretty comfortable besides it being hot and a little stuffy. We also got free waffle breakfast every morning! Usually we would get up in time to get breakfast (before 10 am), get ready for the day, then explore, walk, eat, walk, and keep on walking! We walked so much in Korea! Korea is also pretty hilly might I add. We went to the 4 major palaces, tourist sites, shopping malls, and more hipster places. One of my favorite places we went to was a graffiti/mural village. Another place we went to that was equally as fun was the famous fish market! It’s famous for its 1 AM fish auction! Sadly, we didn’t stay until then because we went on a weekday, but my friends got to hold a live crab!
Korea was so much fun! I would definitely go again! It was such a fun environment and I went with great people! I would definitely go again, and recommend others to go as well!
What better than a quote from a Scottish Disney movie to preface my Scottish adventures last weekend?
Once again fleeing from the bustle of London, me and two friends hitched a bus ride to Edinburgh, Scotland last weekend. The bus was the whole day Friday, (10 hours!!), but it was the most scenic, sheep-filled bus ride I’d ever been on! It went by in a snap! The best part (besides the sheep) was when we got really close to Edinburgh and began to see the North Sea over the cliffs we drove on. ABSOLUTELY beautiful. I really felt like I was in some sort of fantasy land.
The most fantastical place- and that’s saying something for SCOTLAND- was the hike up and view from Arthur’s Seat in the center of Edinburgh. We woke up and got to the base of the dormant volcano by 9AM so we could beat the rain (and the crowd!). It’s strange to see such a bare, green mountain rising out of a completely urban area, but Arthur’s seat is higher than any of the buildings, so you can always see it. As we began our trek up, the wind grew stronger and colder, but the effort of scaling the uneven stone steps warmed us up good. There were a few paths up to the top, but we chose the steepest and quickest because we were anxious to reach the top. (And honestly, I wanted to act like Merida from Brave and climb up rather than walk up!) Every time we reached a valley on the way up, the wind created a tunnel and the breath would be knocked out of us, but we all lost our breath completely when we rounded the last peak. The views were like nothing I had ever seen before! You can see what I saw in the picture above, but the feeling of the cold, damp wind blowing off the North Sea cooling the sweat off my face after the climb was downright marvelous. I felt like if I put my arms out, I’d fly away! I understood the sentiment of the song from Brave, corny as that sounds, but I really was touching the sky! And I wanted to RUN for some reason; I wanted to spin and laugh and jump and RUN! The air up there was different, it was invigorating-like an applause at the end of a show. When you’re on stage and all you can do is look out and beam into the expansive space before you. That’s what it was! After all this time in the city and getting only stolen moments in secluded gardens, a taste of nature like this was much needed.
After we scaled our way down the mountain (just as it began to rain!), we headed to our walking tour at the Royal Mile. That’s the main street in the old part of Edinburgh, which means cobblestones, billions of shops and pubs, small alleys, a cemetery, a church, and a castle (no biggie). On the tour, which had a guide from America (lol, of course), we learned about the spooky past of Edinburgh. Robert Louis Stevenson was inspired by a local man, Deacon Brodie, for his book “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” The writer of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, was born in Edinburgh! Also, the Heart of Midlothian, a small mosaic heart on the ground outside St. Giles’ Cathedral. Because this marks the spot of an old prison/tax collection house, people have been SPITTING on this heart as they walk by for hundreds of years! Of course, I couldn’t look at the thing without gagging from the nasty spit all over it, but it was a cool tidbit of history! Our guide told us of capitol punishment in Edinburgh and how fond the Scottish were of hangings. We stood on the spot of the gallows and discussed many interesting serial killer/wrongly accused/famous hanging stories. Then, we went to Greyfriar’s Cemetery just off the Royal Mile. Cemeteries in Scotland are less sacred places than they are public parks. People picnic, read, sleep, and even just hang out in them! One woman who may sound familiar even wrote quite a bit of her novel series in Greyfriar’s Cemetery…one J. K. Rowling! She must have been inspired by her surroundings as well, because names like McGonagall, Moody, and TOM RIDDLE can be found on gravestones around Greyfriars. And the situation of Edinburgh Castle perched on the cliffside of a dormant volcano just might have inspired another castle perched on a cliffside- Hogwarts! I was incredibly honored to be standing in the same place of a woman who has touched so many lives through her work!
All in all, Edinburgh gave me, Maddy, and Jen a weekend away from the neverending rush that is London. Edinburgh is the one place I’ve visited that really stood out to me as a place where I could live one day! I felt so comfortable there, so welcome, and it had everything that I love! (Hiking, a city, nearby suburbs, a harbor, happy people, Scottish accents, sheep,
I could’ve lain there forever…
etc) Maybe I’m just longing for the forest preserve back home… Either way, I LOVED Edinburgh, Scotland. It was magical, and friendly, and spooky, and exciting, and relaxing-ALL AT ONCE! Such an astonishing city…I’m really going to miss it.
And now, I quote the song from Brave that was stuck in my head the whole weekend and can actually say that Edinburgh is really like this!!-
“When the cold wind’s a a-calling
And the sky is clear and bright
Misty mountains sing and beckon,
Lead me out into the light
I will ride, I will fly
Chase the wind and touch the sky
I will fly
Chase the wind and touch the sky
Where dark woods hide secrets
And mountains are fierce and bold
Deep waters hold reflections
Of times lost long ago
I will hear their every story
Take hold of my own dream
Be as strong as the seas are stormy
And proud as an eagle’s scream…”
I know this is lame, laugh all you want, but I felt the magic of Scotland when I was in Edinburgh, and I really REALLY want to go back and experience it more!
GAH. Okay, I’ve embarrassed myself enough, off to bed! Goodnight and goodbye my friends!
On Saturday, April 2, I had the privilege of traveling to Assisi, Italy with a group of students and student life assistants from the John Felice Rome Center. The Assisi Pilgrimage, one of the many study trips offered by my school this semester, begins at the break of dawn Saturday morning and culminates with a dinner of traditional Umbrian food (Assisi is in this region of Italy).
Unsure of what to expect, I dragged myself out of bed at 6 am Saturday morning and began my day in anticipation of what was to come. Less than an hour into the bus ride through the breathtaking Italian countryside, we were given a command that, by the end of the day, would become my mantra for the remainder of my spring semester abroad:
“Be where your feet are.”
I’ll spare the details of the hourly schedule of our pilgrimage, because the times and places themselves are relatively unimportant compared to the lessons I learned. Although difficult to admit, much of my time is spent in the future, anxiously planning the rest of my undergrad career and worrying about grades, success, and basically everything else that consumes the mind of a 20 year-old girl. In Assisi, for one of the first moments during my time as a college student, I completely neglected any thought that did not center around the “now” – a challenge, indeed, but a necessary one. Sometimes, it takes stepping back from the paradigms we create for ourselves to truly understand our purpose and significance in the world, and more importantly, the present.
St. Francis of Assisi, admired for his humility and simplicity, was the focal point of our prayer and discourse during the trip. His lifestyle, although not necessarily practical for a busy college student who cannot afford to fast for months, for example, shows the significance of daily solitude and reflection, especially during an era characterized by materialism, self-absorption, and constant connectivity courtesy of the rise of digital media.
Although I am no saint (far from it, in fact), I challenge myself to live a more humble, simplistic life. Simplicity, I’ve come to learn, means less about materialism and more about overall distraction. Appreciating our current situations, rather than holding the weight of the past and uncertainty of the future on our shoulders, is the simplicity I hope to achieve.
With less than four weeks left in beautiful Roma, I pledge myself to living in the moment, free from distractions of what everyone is doing back home. I am eternally grateful for the memories I created over the weekend, and I am inspired to continue reflecting on my progress as an individual as I spend each day attempting to grow in my love and concern for the world around me.
Okay, it wasn’t great and wide, the streets and canals were actually quite narrow…but it was an adventure!
After one of the most stressful weeks in the history of stressful weeks, (I’m sure I’ll top it soon) me and four friends packed our bags and headed to Amsterdam!…on an overnight Megabus….which stopped halfway through the night to get on a ferry across the English Channel….and then back on another Megabus…But eventually we got there! What I’m getting at here is that travelling is hard. There were many points during that busride that I imagined how much easier it would’ve been to stay home and remain cocooned in a nice warm bed. Even once we arrived in Amsterdam, since it was about 5 degrees and the line for the Anne Frank House was outdoors for two hours, I continued to dream about getting back home to the familiar and comfy. I couldn’t feel my toes!
This was my sentiment as I stepped into the Anne Frank House…and it quickly dissolved. I had heard of Anne Frank, sure, everyone has. I even read some excerpts from her diary! But until you climb the steep staircase after staircase, clamber up behind the bookshelf, and breathe in the dank air of Anne’s attic, you don’t understand her story. All along the journey up to the secret rooms, the museum was decorated with images and videos of the family and those that helped conceal them. They had interviews with people who had known the Franks before they went into hiding, and some who had met them in the concentration camps they were eventually sent to. When we finished climbing the third narrow staircase, we were led through a secret entrance that opened up into two rooms. These two small rooms plus the kitchen around the corner were all that Anne and her family knew for two whole years. Quotes from Anne’s diary line the walls, “I long to ride a bike, dance, whistle, look at the world, feel young and know that I am free, and yet I can’t let it show…” “During the day our curtains can’t be opened, not even an inch!” This fourteen-year-old girl was locked in an Annex for two years of her life in constant fear of being caught and killed an I was whining about one uncomfortable night aboard a Megabus! She was a hero. But the thing that struck me most about Anne’s house was her bedroom. There were magazine pictures, postcards, and images from newspapers of celebrities, babies, models, and animals glued to her walls! She was just a regular teenager who wanted to decorate her room with pretty things! I found that so interesting. And kind of adorable. This girl who has been created by the world to be such a legend…liked to tape up pictures of cute couples and puppies next to her bed!
At the end of the tour, a video was shown about how Anne’s story has affected people and pop culture and society. They showed a short clip of John Green reading from his book, The Fault in Our Stars, which has a scene set in the Anne Frank House. At the end of one of the rooms in the house was a book with the names of all those killed in the Holocaust from the Netherlands. He wrote, “The book was turned to the page with Anne Frank’s name, but what got me about it was the fact that right beneath her name there were four Aron Franks. FOUR. Four Aron Franks without museums, without historical markers, without anyone to mourn them. I silently resolved to remember and pray for the four Aron Franks as long as I was around.” That hit me hardest about the tour. Seeing that book. And seeing the four Arons and the pages and pages of names of people we don’t know. But those peoples’ stories are just as valid as Anne’s, but they just didn’t leave a diary for us to remember them by. I don’t know what to say about it other than that…but I haven’t been able to get that book with all those names out of my head.
Amsterdam doesn’t have a sense of time. The streets are always packed. The pubs? Always packed. The museums? Packed. Market? Packed. Red light district? (YEAH, I AM SURPRISED I WENT TOO.) Packed night and day. It’s crazy! It was fun, of course, because my roomie Chisom and I people-watched the HECK out of that city. We wandered and shopped and art-galleried and ate food and thrifted and had a relaxing, fabulous time. Bikes EVERYWHERE. And if you see something that looks too narrow for a car to fit through…joke’s on you-a car is definitely about to come down that road. Or a Vespa. I’m also pretty proud that I didn’t fall into a canal from all the upward-gazing I did! Amsterdam was something out of a movie. At night, it was even more glorious! Streetlamps glittering along the canals, smoke wafting out of the Coffeehouses, water lapping against the boats, crowds murmuring along the alleys…It was such a sensuous experience! I’m gonna miss that city…
It was JUST as challenging to get home on the overnight Megabus, but this time as I sat in my cramped seat and tried in vain to get comfortable…I remembered all that I learned at the Anne Frank House and thought of those four Aron Franks who don’t get museums. And instead of grumbling into my makeshift pillow, I decided to pray for them.
A few weeks back I received an email from the sports coordinator of Loyola in Sevilla inviting all the international students to a sports day hosted at Universidad Loyola’s Cordoba campus. I participated realizing the travel was covered. But to my surprise only about 5 other international students accepted. I was able to have my ass handed to me in tennis and failed miserably at playing basketball. My skill level in both sports were at a terribly low level, especially in basketball where I can’t even handle the ball at full speed nor shoot the ball without being off by more than a foot.
But to my surprise I received another email from the same sports coordinator at Loyola a week after the sports day, asking if I wanted to join the team and play in a national Jesuit tournament. I accepted, again, because everything was paid for, including the hotel room and all the meals. Easily a no-brainer and an excuse to see another town in Spain.
The tournament took place in Úbeda. Also, in Andalusia like Sevilla but a much smaller town feel to it. Also, it was situated on a hill. The bus ride was 3 hours and a rollercoaster of comfort. When we first got onto the bus it was hot but as I feel asleep I was awaken by cool air blasting through the vents. Then hot again and the process continued for the majority of the trip. But once we got there I was ready to rumble. Wearing my Nike running shoes and asics shorts, I was ready to play. There were two sets of teams, like any team, the starters and the second string. I formed part of the second string in all sports. I would only come on for short periods of time if one of our main team members was tired or got injured. It was a rough game, both because my teammates kept getting tired and for me because I played a lot more than I anticipated. The match ended with the other team beating us by at least 15 points. But I wasn’t sad because I kept looking forward to the fine hotel we checked into later that evening, which I would later find out was a four star establishment.
My objective on this trip was not to win games but rather bath in the freeness of the weekend. I did accomplish this all without spending a dime. Later that afternoon, there was an award ceremony which Loyola won handily in the majority of categories. I was then truly proud to represent the Loyola Andalusia basketball team. Then at night a group of students went out to what I was told the only club in town and of course the only genre of music they played was reggaeton. But by now I need to assume that if the club is located in Spain then they will only play that kind of music.
The next morning we all left Úbeda on the school charted bus and headed home. It turned out to be a relaxing and enjoyable weekend without having to spend anything. I thought about if this could be realized at Loyola in Chicago and I thought never would the school pay for everything of this sort of club teams, even if we were regional champions and fortunate enough to have the opportunity to represent our school at the national tournament as the club soccer team did. But anyways, another reason to study here and bath in the glory of automatically making the basketball team by just showing up.
Here we are, almost halfway through our biggest group excursion. Over a course of 10 days, the 22 Vietnam students will be traveling through the central and northern regions of Vietnam. As of today, we have visited the ancient capital of Vietnam, Hue, as well as the historic Hoi An.
During our one-day stay in Hue, we managed to visit a number of historical sites, including the tomb of the penultimate emperor, Khai Dinh. I think it is fair to say that we’re quite the tomb-and-temple experts by now, but Emperor Khai Dinh’s tomb was still something special. Perhaps it was the surprise that awaited us inside the tomb.
The exterior of his tomb is made of black concrete. The dark color, made more prominent by the rain and the gloomy skies, created an ominous air. Its dark carvings and intricate towers were beautiful, but foreboding. The interior seemed like another world entirely. No more were the dark colors, instead we were surrounded by light and colors and a gleam that covered the entirety of the interior. This contrast of gothic and lavishness was not lost on me, or on anyone else. No photos could do it justice and capture the full extent of opulence. Truly, from floor to ceiling, every nook and cranny was filled with glistening jewels or perfectly painted stonework. While none of us were fans of the historical figure himself, his tomb left a very different impression on us.
Sorry I have not posted in a while, but there has been a lot going on for me in Ireland. Since I last posted I have seen significantly more of the country and have a lot of good times with friends and my family. Yes my family did visit and they were here for two weeks. They stayed at a Mill Cottage in a town called Bruree, which is about 25 minutes away from Limerick. It was a wonderfully charming little cottage with warm water and wifi, so were were very happy and comfortable. The woman who ran the place, Jessica, was very nice and accommodating and gave my family their first taste of Irish charm.
On our first full day, we decided we would start with Dublin, so we took the train and spent two days and a night there. We got to see the Guinness Factory where we learned the history and the process of brewing the beer. My sister, brothers, and his girlfriends also took the Guinness Academy class where we learned to pour a perfect Guinness and then we went up and enjoyed them at the Gravity bar, which overlooks the whole city of Dublin. Next, we went to Trinity College where we were truly amazed at how beautiful the campus and even more amazed when we saw the famous Book of Kells and the Long Room, which is Trinity College’s Library which was a magical thing to see. We also visited the Oldest Bar in Dublin, which is called the Brazen Head and had delicious food accompanied by live music. We had an amazing time.
I also visited Cork twice, while my family was here and I finally got to see Blarney Castle and kiss the famous Blarney Stone. It was a gorgeous castle and there was no line, so we were easily able to explore it thoroughly. We then did the Jameson Experience where we took a tour of the Distillery and I even volunteered to be a certified Whisky taster. Maybe something to put on the resume. We also visited Galway, (I have been there three times now) where we splurged on more jewelry and actually found a pub with the best live music yet and they actually played Galway Girl.
Another important thing my family wanted to do while they were here was to visit County Mayo, particularly Achill Island, which is a place where our family is from. It was tiny, but it was absolutely breathtaking. And, most importantly, my sister and I made a puppy friend and we played with him on the beach. An important observation I have made here is that the animals are all very friendly and playful. I rarely see one on a leash.
For St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland, we decided to stay in Limerick and go to the parade, visit a few pubs, and just eat and drink all day to enjoy ourselves. We had a blast. There was a little fountain in the center of the city that was dyed green that reminded us of the river in Chicago, we saw a few friends march in the parade, we went back to the apartment and played games and we ended the night at O Dwyers pub just like every Thursday I have been here, but we were in full celebration mode. Now I am getting ready for Easter break and I can’t wait to see what is in store for the week.
For this blog post, I figured I would let you all in on the exciting European travels I have been able to take part in so far!
The first trip I took was to Dublin, Ireland in order to explore my Irish heritage a bit. I went with my friend Nick and we had a pretty open agenda for the weekend aside from our Jameson Whiskey and Guiness tours we signed up for. My first thought after stepping off the plane was…cold. We were certainly not in Italy anymore. We first met our Airbnb host’s girlfriend at her café to retrieve our key to the home and then set off to explore the city centre a bit. The first thing we did was indulge in a big, meaty burger and hearty pint of Irish beer. I figured my ancestors would expect nothing less. Italian cuisine is great and all, but all they eat are carbs and starches for every meal. Following this, we walked along the river and took in our surroundings. Ireland was a great change in pace and scenery from Rome. Overall, things were just much more casual and I loved that. The timing of our visit happened to be during what seemed to be the equivalent of the World Cup. The pubs were packed with fans. We found ourselves caught up in the excitement of it all as we visited different pubs and listened the Irish music playing in the background. It was an absolute blast. We finished our day by meeting up with three of my close friends from high school who are all studying abroad in Maynooth, a city just outside of Dublin. The next day was our tours. We first walked through the expansive Phoenix Park before making our way to Jameson. Nothing like a little whiskey at 11:30 in the morning to get your day going. We followed the Jameson tour with the Guinness tour, which proved to be a great time as well. We learned the process that goes into making the beer, how to properly taste the beer and finally how to pour the perfect pint. I am proud to say that I passed out of the Guinness Academy and can now craft the “Perfect Pint”. The remainder of the day included more delicious Irish food and beverages, a walk through Temple University and a stroll around Dublin Castle.
The next trip I took was to Budapest, Hungary with seven friends. Our first stop en route to the apartment was Starbucks! Now don’t get me wrong, Italian coffee is some of the best around, but this American gold card member missed the mermaid a bit. Hungary operates on the forint as opposed to the euro, and it is essentially monopoly money. What I mean by this is that my grande Starbucks latte came out to around 1,100 forint. When we would get our checks for meals, they would be upwards of 10,000 forint. Although it seems like a staggering amount, food and drinks were quite cheap there. You could get a main dish, side and a beer for about the equivalent of $7.00. My bank account liked this trip. One of the first things we noticed was that the Hungarians didn’t really seem too fond of us Americans. Some of the employees at the stores and restaurants would be totally rude to us and then completely different to the Hungarian behind us in line, so that was interesting. The nightlife in Budapest was so much fun though! Our first night we went to these bars and clubs that were created in old, bombed out buildings from war activity that had taken place there. The following day we woke up, grabbed some Subway (we missed our American food, okay?) and headed to a free walking tour of the city. The tour took us to some of the prettiest lookouts in Budapest, all the while teaching us some really interesting facts on the history and current state of the city and country. The next day we went to one of the largest thermal baths in Budapest. Thermal baths are essentially massive hot tubs, and Budapest is very famous for them. This particular complex had two large out door ones in addition to several smaller ones indoors. It might seem a little gross, but it was actually so relaxing and all of us really enjoyed ourselves there. Following this, I visited the House of Terror, which is a museum with exhibits related to the fascist and communist dictatorial regimes that existed in Hungary during the 20th century. The basement of the building has the cells where victims of the regimes were held, interrogated, tortured or killed. It was a very eye-opening and informative experience.
My next trip took me to the beautiful city of Amsterdam, Netherlands with six friends. This was one of my favorite trips up to that point. This trip also happened to be my first time staying in a hostel and it was…interesting. Okay, so it wasn’t bad by any means, but it is definitely different sharing a room with 19 other people. After getting settled in at our hostel, we set out to go venture through the city. One of the first places we stopped at was the iconic bench from the movie “The Fault in our Stars”. We then grabbed some dinner and prepared to take on the night. For those who are not aware, Amsterdam is a city where a lot is legal including marijuana and prostitution. One of the famous neighborhoods of Amsterdam is the Red Light District where you can find rows and rows of scantily clad women standing behind glass doors, tapping on their windows if they like you and trying to get you to make a deal with them. Rest assured, I did not take part in any dealings but it was still an interesting visit. That night ended with some fresh churros sprinkled with powdered sugar and drizzled in Nutella. The best desserts ever can be found in Amsterdam. We woke up early the next morning to get in line for the Anne Frank House. This was probably my favorite thing I have visited since being abroad. You got to walk through the annex where they lived in hiding for over two years. The original bookcase that hid the entrance was still there, the pictures Anne cut out from magazines and stuck to her wall were still hanging up, you could see up into the attic where her and Peter would sometimes go and look out the window when it was safe to do so and at the end you got to see the original diary Anne wrote in. It was a very moving and emotionally draining experience. I got chills every time I walked into a new room. After this, we walked down the street to indulge in the best pancakes ever. The remainder of that day included walking through an Amsterdam market, taking a canal boat tour and getting some waffles with ice cream and Nutella on them (these desserts though…). Our final day in Amsterdam took us to the area of the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh museum (we didn’t go in either because we were broke. The desserts didn’t come cheap) where the famous giant metal iamsterdam sign is located. We took some pictures there, walked through a nice park and headed back to Rome.
My most recent trip was easily one of my favorites, Spring Break with the family. My dad, brother, cousin and uncle came to visit and do some Italian travels. We spent our first few days in Rome doing the Scavi Tour (contains the tomb of Saint Peter), a tour of the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel, visiting St. Peter’s Basilica, walking by the Colosseum, visiting the Trevi Fountain and Pantheon, and wandering into the many churches in Rome. Our next stop was Positano in the Amalfi Coast. We did a private tour that took us to some of the prettiest lookouts of Amalfi and the surrounding areas. Our villa was located towards the top of Positano, which made for a pretty lookout from our rooftop terrace, but a terrible walk back up from the beach-front restaurants at night. It is still considered low season for these touristy areas so we had the town primarily to ourselves. After spending two nights here, we made our way to the beautiful city of Florence. We spent some time haggling in the leather market, climbing to the top of the Duomo and Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, visiting some of the Jersey Shore season 4 sites (they filmed that season in Florence and my reality TV junkie self was dying), walking across the Ponte Vecchio and looking at the many sculptures scattered throughout the city. Our last stop took us to the town of Monterosso, one of the five towns that are a part of Cinque Terre. We were blessed with a beautiful day for doing some hiking. Cinque Terre consists of five towns and the thing to do is hike to and explore each of the towns. Because we only had one shortened day, we only hiked to the neighboring town of Vernazza. Once our tired and sweaty selves made it, we grabbed some pizza and a cold drink and sat by the water to take in the view. I can’t say that I am Mr. Outdoorsy by any means, but the hike was incredible. (And I only took a huge fall in front of people once! Yeah, coordination isn’t necessarily my strong suit either…) The next day we took the train back to Rome and I had to say goodbye to my dad and brother after an amazing week filled with so many laughs and memories that I will cherish forever. I am so grateful to both of my parents who have allowed me to embark on this crazy semester-long journey! I’m so glad I was able to give my dad and brother a small glimpse into what I have been fortunate to be living in for the past two months.
Italian Fun Fact: Italy is not a tipping culture. The price you see is the price you pay at the end of a meal or service.
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
