Bad. Day.

Well, I'm here. My flights actually happened this time, and I'm here. Do I want to be here? Well...
It's hard to believe that everything I'm going to talk about right now happened in one day. It was one long-ass day.
We landed in Dublin around 8am (Ireland time) and went right to customs after getting off the plane. It had been a fairly rough ride, so I hadn't gotten much sleep at all. But I got myself through customs, grabbed my two large suitcases from the luggage belt, and headed out to find an ATM and a bagel. Well, unfortunately I found neither of those things before I found the University College Dublin booth, ready to get me to school and answer my questions. 
So I find an ATM, withdraw some quick cash, and head for the bus stop. I pay my 8 Euro and get on. I was amazed at how the driver knew where he was going. The roads around the airport seemed so confusing! No intersections, just yields and roundabouts and near-death experiences. Not to mention the fact that they drive on the other side of the road, which continues to boggle my mind and throw me off even after being surrounded by it all day. But, regardless, he dropped me off in Blackrock village.
This was where my day turned to shit. There I am, nineteen-year-old American, wandering around the main part of Blackrock with two huge suitcases, a duffel, and a backpack, just trying to find myself a cab to take me to the University. See, since I'm not staying on main campus, they made my life harder.
I end up wandering for about 15 minutes before a London tourist asks me if I need help. I'm wary to accept help from strangers, but at this point my arms are about to fall off. I let him wheel one of my bags for me, but don't think I didn't keep one eye on him the whole time. I think he was trying to flirt with me. 
He suggests we try the post office for advice for getting a cab, and I find that to be a pretty decent idea. They told me to just go to the street and wave one down. I mean, I didn't see any when I was out there, but I'm not a Dubliner (Dubliner?) so I decided to take her word for it. I left the London man at the airport and headed back out to the street. I didn't wait five minutes before I saw a cab. I threw my luggage in his trunk, and ask him to take me to Blackrock West Hall at UCD.
He doesn't know where that is.
.
I explain that I'm an American and this is my first day in the country, so I don't know either. I thought I saw the entrance to Blackrock College at some point on my bus ride, so I point him in that direction and decide to start there. Well that was totally wrong, but at least the guys who were there pointed us in the right direction. 
We finally find the UCD Blackrock campus, but it's pretty poorly signed, so I can't find where I'm supposed to go to check in. So he ends up dropping me off, and he didn't even discount my ride for his incompetence.
Idiot.
I pay him my ten Euro and set off, again, roaming with my huge bags, feeling like a total fool. Finally, when I'm close to tears, someone offers to let me leave my bags in an office and points me in the right direction of where I'm supposed to go.
I eventually make my way to the reception office, where I find out that I have another email account with vital pre-arrival information that I didn't know about. I thought I had everything done, but nope. The universe hates me.
But, eventually, after crying to my mother and sister, I got everything settled, got into my room (where I have no roommates :D), and just sort of took a moment to regroup.
The rest of the day did turn up from there. By this point, it was around 1 or 2pm, so I took a shower, unpacked enough to find something to wear, and then I ventured into the city. I walked back to the Blackrock village center to find something to eat, and I had a delicious ham and cheese panini for lunch (pictures to come). I then took a bus up to the main UCD campus, just to try to familiarize myself with it a bit before tomorrow. It's a pretty cool campus, reminding me a lot of the couple of state schools I visited when I was choosing a college. A lot of it is under construction, but with the help of a very kind Australian lady, I found what I was looking for. 
As the day went on, I was slowly realizing how tired I was, so I came back to my room and CRASHED. I slept a few hours, but I wanted to make sure I updated my readers on my crazy day. I did end up missing a reslife meet-and-greet for my dorm, but hey. Jet lag and all that. I'm still too tired to post all the AWESOME pictures I took, but no worries, I'll have them up for you tomorrow.
I won't lie, at this moment in time, I really miss BW and I want to go home. But it's only the first day, and I have to remember that the reason I want to go home is the exact reason I came here. To get thrown out of my comfort zone into a completely new situation to learn about the world and how I fit into it. I know things will look up, and I'm sure a good night's rest will help.

Today's the Day? Guess Not.

So, my dear blog readers, today was the day. I would finally get to embark on my life changing journey to Dublin, Ireland, to experience the schooling, the culture, the lifestyle, and so much more, to find myself and discover things about myself that not even I knew, to venture down the roads-less-traveled to find what many tourists do not, and to be touched emotionally and spiritually.
After a particularly confusing night of speaking with many Indian people about some incorrect flight information, I woke up this morning, got my two big suitcases, duffel, and backpack all together, packed the car, and headed to the airport, knowing that after sorting through last night's fiasco, with my fresh new flight information, everything would go smoothly, right?
"HAHAHAHAHA!" said the universe. "Everything go smoothly? Now why would I do that!? I've already given you this much trouble, let's see how much more you can handle!"
I got through security and everything just fine, no problems. When it was time to board my flight, I noticed that everything was delayed. Not long, about twenty minutes.
But that was just the beginning.
Next thing I knew, we were on the tiny plane, sitting and waiting obediently with our seat belts buckled, our seats in the full upright position, and our tray tables folded up and locked in place, but not going anywhere. Just waiting. We finally started moving after about a half hour of just sitting there, but the captain said something about not being able to take off right away. So we just stayed parked somewhere in the middle of everything, but away from the gate, so we had to stay on the plane. Well, we stayed there for about two hours, not moving, not knowing when we would take off, before they FINALLY decided to take us back to the terminal and let us get off the plane. They said we would re-board in about fifteen minutes. 
So I went to grab a snack and made sure I was back in ten. However, not long after my return, someone came on the speaker and said, "We'll have an update for anyone on the flight to JFK in about forty-five minutes."
What.
Okay, I said to myself, I have a really long layover in New York. I'll still have time.
Not ten minutes later, they came over the speaker again and said, "Flight to JFK has been canceled. We will do our best to get everyone re-booked, but there are no other flights going out to JFK today. Thank you for choosing American Airlines!" The nerve of them.
Now up to this point, I had done a pretty good job of keeping my cool. But now, I started to panic. I had no idea what to do! Per my mother's advice, I waited in line to talk to the flight attendants to try to get another flight. After all, I don't HAVE to be in Ireland until Thursday, so I had some time.
After waiting in line for another half hour at least, I got up to the desk and told the attendant I need to be in Dublin by Wednesday. I ended up having to stand there for another half hour while she tried to find me a new flight. I ended up getting one for tomorrow around 10:30, connecting in Chicago and getting to Dublin around 7am on Wednesday. I decided I was okay with this, even though I'll end up with a seven-ish hour layover in Chicago. If only I could leave the airport and go tour the city for a bit... Oh well. Hopefully I'll find something to do.
So there it is, that was my disappointing, frustrating, stagnant day. Maybe tomorrow my plane will actually leave the ground. 
Until then...

The Countdown: 15 Days (OMG)

I must apologize for my use of OMG in the title of this post, but seriously. 15 days until I get on a plane to live in another country for four months!? OH MY GOD. I haven't started anything! I almost finished my shopping, I just need to go to Target for some shirts. Because one can never have enough comfy v-necks. I got bored with Rick Steves' book, so I started a new one. I began making mental lists of things I need to pack. I have been taking care of my medical needs, including check-ups, teeth cleanings, medication refills, and physical fitness. So in all reality, I guess I have started some things. Just nothing... tangible. Because once I do that, I know it will be totally REAL.

A couple of weeks ago, I had a lovely going away party, and all of my favorite people came to say farewell. I received some very generous financial assistance, which I have already used... surprise, surprise... and I got some really lovely blessings. Like this Irish blessing from a church friend: 

"May God grant you always...

A sunbeam to warm you, a moonbeam to charm you, a sheltering Angel so nothing can harm you. Laughter to cheer you. Faithful friends near you. And whenever you pray, Heaven to hear you."

I thought it was touching, and I'm gonna keep that card with me when I go. My sweet grandma also gave me a prayer card to reflect on, and the Deacon from my church prayed over me. I'm a pretty spiritual person, so these things meant a lot to me. I have faith that my travels will be safe and fun and, as nervous as I am, this will be a truly life changing experience. 

So back to the new book I started, I only got as far as the first page. BUT it seems so interesting! It is about a man, Robert Emmett Ginna, who made a journey from the most North to the most South point of Ireland, making a path straight down the center of the country. I cannot wait to read more. I think it'll really help inform my travels, especially when I'm able to get away from school and go sight seeing. A good family friend of mine told me that reading things like this will allow me to see sights that maybe not many see when they travel. I'll get insight from someone who has lived this, not just more and more tourist information. 

On another note, I have recently discovered that Wicked is going to be in Dublin until sometime in October! SO clearly I have to go. I mean, it's WICKED. In DUBLIN, IRELAND. How cool would that be? I wanted to see a show while I was there, anyway, and Wicked is such a good one. I saw it when it came through Cleveland's PlayhouseSquare a few years ago, and I would love to see it again. Especially with a group of new Irish friends that I'm sure I'll make as soon as I get there X)

Well, in the next fifteen days, I hope to make much more progress in my preliminary travel preparation. Until then!

7.28.13 Countdown: 46 Days = Subdued Panic

"Pious, earthy, witty, brooding, proud, and unpretentious, Irish culture is an intoxicating potion to sip or slurp--as the mood strikes you."
I began reading the Introduction to Rick Steves' book. As I did, a sense of panic began to set in. An endless string of thoughts began to form in my head. What am I going to pack? HOW am I going to pack? Should I start packing today? I think I should. I should go shopping. I need some things. But do I really? Should I buy them there? How will I know where to go? Oh my gosh, I'm going alone. So I'm panicking now, but trying very hard to keep myself under control.
Rick Steves gave me a lot of things to think about when it comes to planning for my trip. Of course, some of his points were irrelevant for me, since I'm not just traveling for three weeks. (By the way, if you are going to Ireland for three weeks, Rick gives an itinerary for a perfect three-week vacation.) His checklist for planning was as follows:
-mix intense and relaxed periods (no problem for me there)
-go at the best possible time of year (I can't really control that...)
-plan travel routes before you go
-take advantage of Internet cafes (yay for free wifi all over campus
-enjoy the friendly Irish culture
-be open to unexpected experiences
-keep a notepad
-learn the money
Now his last few points got a little daydream going in my head. I go to a local pub, explain that I'm a traveler and start asking people where I should go. They give me place after place to go see and visit, and we talk and laugh and then they all wish me well. But then I really think about it, and realize how STUPID I would be to think that would actually happen. So I'm not sure how to really "enjoy the friendly Irish culture," but I'm pretty sure I'll just have to keep it on campus. At least for a while.
So I started making a packing list, but it's all over the place. So far, I know I have to bring
-rain boots
-rain jacket
-boot socks
-leather jacket
-sweatshirts
-jeans
That's a pretty sad packing list. So I'm gonna have to do some more thinking and actual list-making. But for now, I'll just have to continue reading and see what I find.