I Found my Pot of Gold

So it has been exactly two months to the day since I left Ireland. I have honestly been sitting here thinking of what else to say but the only thing that comes to mind is how numb I feel after having left. It has been so frustrating having people ask if I miss it because a simple 'Yes' does not suffice. I physically CRAVE to be back. People tell me that it won't be the same if/when I go back because study abroad is such a unique experience and I understand that, but what no one seems to grasp is that it wasn't just the friends I made that made my time over there phenomenal...I literally fell in love with the country. The landscape, the history and yes, absolutely the people. And two months ago I had to say goodbye to all of that.

I do need to emphasize that although I want to go back, it has been great being home. When I landed in Boston, it felt like ages trying to get off the plane and getting through customs just so I could see my family. 

When I finally saw my parents on the other side of my five-month long journey and nearly eight hour plane ride I was purely elated. I full on TACKLED them. Forget about when I saw my siblings and my best friend. Such love. Much emotion. 

Fresh off the plane, deranged and looking like an utter knacker

Needless to say I missed my good ol' US of A. But I can't help comparing 'America Bridget' to 'post-Ireland Bridget'. Whilst being abroad, a lot of people back home would tell me that I looked my absolute happiest (and that's saying something because I'm generally a happy person haha). That's because I WAS at my absolute happiest abroad. Prior to my junior year abroad I had never really traveled any where further than New Jersey......GOOD ONE BRIDGET. After Ireland I can say I have traveled to at least four other countries. 

HOLLA FO YO DOLLA HONEY BOO

I was also meeting some of the best people over there. Not to say that America doesn't host nice people, because we do, but I don't know, generally the people I met in Ireland were just living life and were immensely kind. For any Irish friends reading this and who disagree, my apologies, I'm just stating the American point of view!

I also noticed a change in myself. Before travelling I'd say I was a fairly friendly person, easy to talk to but a little reserved. I don't know what happened, but coming back from being abroad, I have one too many stories to tell of meeting random strangers in pubs and just having an absolute ball. From that one time I sang and danced to "Proud Mary" at The Wash with a gaggle of middle-aged women to that time I made friends with the best DJ in the world at the Old Oak. I would come out of pubs with a gang of new-found friends, both old and young, and that would always make the best nights and the best stories to tell...."Hey remember that one night that we danced with that group of Italians to 'Mambo no. 5' like it was our job?!" Just some typical conversation starters.

A few prime examples:

Marvelous people

I think it just goes to show that I learned to be myself and to realize that the best 'me' that I can be is the one where I don't have to prove anything to anyone. In tricky situations I always reminded myself:

BEST MOVIE EVER. GO WATCH IT. RIGHT NOW. TREASURE PLANET.

Well, now that I have made myself sound like an episode of Oprah....haha but in all honesty I feel like I got so much more out of my study abroad experience than I originally thought I would. Yes I got to travel and yes I met a ton of amazing people but I also found a place where I felt the most at home. It sucks and I hate myself for saying this, but getting on that flight home was the hardest thing I've had to do. Taking off from Cork Airport and seeing a place I had come to call 'home' for the past five months turn into a shrinking green island was physically heart-breaking and at the time it felt like a nightmare I was unable to wake up from. I'm not going to say I didn't tear up on the flight because OH I DID. 

It probably didn't help that I ACTIVELY listened to sad music like Mumford & Sons, Ben Howard, sappy Ed Sheeran songs and the song that started it all, 'Timber'. Like really?! Why would I do that to myself....ROOKIE MOVE RIGHT THERE. ROOKIE MOVE. 

As much I wish I could turn the clock and do it all over again.....

I think this is a good lesson in accepting change and that it is ok to move on. Ireland will still be there and as my mom has repeatedly told me, if I work hard enough and if I love it that much, I will find some way to get back there. Although the moving on process is rocky at best right now, it will get better. So for now I will just sit and be bitter that I'm here and not there, I will look at pictures from those five months at the ridiculous situations I got myself into and laugh my ass off, I will miss the amazing friends I made, both Irish and other internationals and I will think about Ireland every damn day.

^^^I'm that asshole^^^

Well, I don't really know how to finish my final post about Ireland.....TOO SOON.....other than compacting my five months into a quick slideshow with some lame music playing in the background haha. Enjoy. 

Forever and always, 

~Bridget B.

God save the Queen, Sherlock and the Muggles

So I conquered my fear of flying, yet again, this past weekend when a bunch of friends and I traversed to London. Having planned this trip a while ago, I was absolutely STOKED to finally be going. I have always wanted to go to London since I was a wee one and first picked up my copy of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone". I mean, what kid wouldn't want to go to the place where the wizarding world of Harry Potter can come to life?! On top of that, over the past four years I have formed a slight obsession with the Queen and have always dreamed of sitting down for a cup of tea with Elizabeth Windsor. There are a surplus of other reasons I wanted to get to the UK so I was positively bouncing off the walls to get on the plane and just get there.

Hell, I will fly on a hippogriff if I have to...

We get up legit at the asscrack of dawn on Friday May 16th to start our journey. It was myself, and my friends Jenn, Ryan, Raph, Tori, Lauren and we met our friend Colin later on in the day in the city. But our flight was at about 6 am so we all met up at around 4 am to catch a cab to the airport. I have recently been getting no sleep so I decided it would be a 'smart' idea to not sleep at all.....GOOD ONE BRIDGET....I think I had about five cups of coffee and I listened to 'Space Jam' on repeat....

Hahahaha, ENJOY. With the majority of my roommates gone, I BLASTED this and danced along like no other in order to stay awake.....I'm the biggest idiot I know.....

So 4 am rolls around and psycho Bridget who is jacked up on java and excitement is ready to get a move on. We all pile in to the cab and make our way to the airport where we catch our flight. The flight itself was a little over an hour but once we hit London, my caffeinated face was plastered to the window.

After landing we made our way to our hostel and then most of us had to find our way to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour of Harry Potter in Watford. PURE EXCITEMENT. We finally get to the studios and I kid you not, I almost just sat down and sobbed. I grew up with Harry Potter and having the chance to see where the movies were actually filmed and seeing the magic brought to life before my eyes was almost overwhelming. So many times I had to pull myself together.

T'wasn't pretty

We walk in and right at the entrance of the exhibit they have the cupboard under the stairs:

DONE. Tears are a-building...and it only got worse. We walk into this room and we all sit down in these seats and a quick film was played where Emma Watson, Dan Radcliffe and the ever handsome Rupert Grint were standing in front of the doors to the Great Hall talking about the magic of filming. At the end of the clip they walk through the doors and all of a sudden the screen is lifted and right before my very eyes is the front door to the Great Hall. I legit WEEPED through the entire Hall....DRY-HEAVING WEEPED. 

The entire exhibit was purely MAJIKAL and it left me breathless. I was able to see the Gryffindor Boy's Dormitory, Hagrid's motorcycle and the letter that started it all:

I never did get MY letter..............still bitter

Moving from set to set, the crew and I walked through Dumbledore's Office, the Ministry of Magic and of course Diagon Alley. I was in utter bliss. But the creme de la creme was at the end of the tour. My friend Tori had walked ahead and when she came up to me she told me she had to show me something that I for sure wouldn't be ready for. So I follow her up this ramp leading into a darker room and what I saw before my eyes was UN-FRIGGIN-REAL. I walk into this dimly lit room, round a corner and before my eyes is a miniature Hogwarts castle with some uplifting soundtrack music playing. I kid you not, everyone else around me blurred away and it was just me, myself and Hogwarts. Make fun all you want but that was truly one of the most magical moments of my life. Harry Potter has and will always be such an integral part of my life (NERD STATUS) and seeing the castle with my very own eyes was life changing. 

About fifteen minutes, a firedrill and several tissues later, we all hopped back on the shuttle and traveled back to our hostel to mull over sweet dreams of pumpkin juice, chocolate frogs and butterbeer. Day one in London was a success.

Da crew with butterbeer

The next day we decided to take a more touristy route and explore the heart of London so we hopped on the Tube (which was hella clean, by the way) and made our way to the city. We saw all kinds of places like the Camden Market, a museum of Natural History, 221B Baker Street, King's Cross Station as well as Tower Bridge(t), London Bridge(t) and a view of Tower of London. 

'Ello poppet

King's Cross Station: Harry Potter geek out sesh Take 2

BAKER STREETTTTTT

Holmes, Sherlock Holmes. Elementary my dear Watson.

Me and da squatch with the Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge(t)

I'M GOING BACK TO HOGWARTS

I legit was crapping from excitement. I got to see 221B Baker Street, the residence of my true love Sherlock Holmes, posed indecently on Tower Bridge, cried over making my way to Platform 9 3/4 as well as having a major emotional/mental breakdown over having my debit card SHUT OFF. 

Nothing is more terrifying than having zero money in your wallet, a shut off debit card and a dying phone thousands of miles away from home....

Thank god for my dad though because he was the savior of the day. He somehow found a way to wire me money so the next day I just found a store that would allow me to pick up the moolah. To say that I am forever grateful to that man is the understatement of the YEAR. 

With a new pocketful of cash and a slightly lower blood pressure we got ready for our third day in the city. Day three we hit Buckingham Palace in which we saw the changing of the guard. Obviously I wanted to see Lizzy herself and maybe even wee George but beggars (LITERALLY) can't be choosers. Nonetheless it was beautiful out. The sun was shining, the Palace was gorgeous and I couldn't be happier to have money in my pocket to at least buy an apple for breakfast. 

Me carrying the Princess

Changing of the Guard

Why not be SUPER classy in front of the most prestigious place in England?!

Obviously we also saw The Eye, Big Ben, traversed about Hyde Park and hit up the Tower of London. So much history, so little time. To say we were tired by the end of that day......yikes. No words, just sweat. But everything was so worth it. London was such a cool city but I do have to say that it was EXTREMELY expensive. So the whole debit card shutting off bullshit was a valid reason to freak the freak out. I think the conversion rate from pounds to U.S. dollars was about 1.7. THAT IS HEINOUS. So my lunch of fish and chips (which was absolutely heavenly by the way) that was 8 pounds technically was almost 14 dollars *GASP* No thanks. 

Even the plane ride home was a blasty-blast. I was seated next to this mother and son and in the row across the way was the dad, daughter and other son. Obviously I tried to schmooze with the mother and asked where they had been/where they were going. She was from Cork, her husband from London and they had been visiting family in England. Honest to god I felt like their fourth child and I did not hate it one bit. The mom was so sweet, she offered me sweets and mints to chew on as we took off and her son, Charlie was the cutest thing. Did not stop talking the entire flight and the mom and I were OBVIOUSLY budding it up discussing how funny Charlie was. Like two friggin peas in a pod. Long lost soul sisters. When we finally landed back in Cork, Charlie gave me a huge grin and said it was a pleasure to meet me. #STARSTRUCK. 

London was a ton of fun but I had never been happier to be back 'home' in Cork. Getting a good whiff of fresh manure and a nice cool breeze has never felt more welcoming. 

Feels so right

Also I should apologize for posting this so late...I went to London from May 16th-20th....That was FOREVER ago....so sorry. Haven't had a moment to just sit down and breathe, let alone post to the blog. 

Much love, 

~B

Finally Done with Finals....FINALLY.

I am officially (technically, academically) done with my spring semester at University College Cork.

Although I am done with all of my exams and essays and assignments and sleepless nights (I digress...), it is kind of bittersweet. With only a week left in Ireland I have come to the realization that the reason I came here was to study, and I have done just that. Done. Completed. It's over. 

Let me tell you, the road to this completion was rocky at best. Back in the States I am quite used to having exams nearly every month, lab reports due every week and having homework every single night. Since being abroad I have learned a very different education system. Over here, us students have our lectures and at the very end of term is when we get tested on what we have learned throughout the semester. Just one exam. JUST ONE BIG EXAM THAT COUNTS FOR YOUR ENTIRE GRADE. Ok, so that's a bit of an overstatement (I know that science modules require more work than a singular exam). I think I only had one course that required a single exam for the overall grade. But with that said, I must say it has been extremely eye-opening seeing how different countries educate their students. 

Coming from a very small university, the exam process for a big university such as UCC was definitely a trip to say the least. I had all my exams at the Mardyke Arena which is the gym that's part of campus. Each student has to have their exam timetable printed and ready upon arrival with student card at the ready. Needless to say I nearly forgot everything before I left....smooth one Bridge, smooth.....

For my first exam, I walk into the gym with my crinkled and disintegrating timetable, as I have been sweating it out for the past hour trying to remember who killed who in Antony and Cleopatra and thinking about how delicious a chicken doner kebab would be at that moment. We all get herded into the gym area where there are rows upon rows, upon rows of desks with numbers on them. I eventually find my seat, sit down and await further instructions. Although I had studied for quite some time, every exam I walked into felt something like this:

"It's just..........good business...."

For the first exam I had, of three, the dude behind me sounded like he was coughing up a lung or something.

I mean honestly....get some cough drops or something dude, some of us are trying to fill the blank space on our exam books with complete and utter mindless knowledge! Honest to god, this guy was coughing the entire time. Thanks so much for spreading your germs all over my back. You da best.....

So for my exams I had a solid 90 minutes to complete them and let me tell you, once they were done, every single person, including yours truly, FLEW out that door. I mean, it was utter chaos but everyone was happy to get out of there.

SWEET FREEDOM

Being completely done with finals and essays is such a sweet feeling. Now I have all the time to explore this beautiful city and take in my last few days worth of Ireland. As bittersweet as it is to leave this country I have come to call home, I cannot wait to run into the arms of my parents and my siblings. This has been the longest I have not seen them and I cannot wait for their warm embraces.

~Bridge

Put Your Paws Up and Live on the Edge (of Glory)

How did this happen? How do I only have one singular month left in Ireland? HOW IS IT ALREADY ALMOST MAY???!!!! *Insert obligatory Justin Timberlake post*

The 90's.....GLORY DAYZZZ

It's true, you know, when they say time flies when you're having fun. I have had an absolute BLAST during my time abroad and now it is practically over. Of course I have always had the 'study' part of study abroad as my first priority, but my study abroad experience has been one of the greatest events to happen in my life. I have seen so many beautiful places and tasted so many delicious foods, but above all I have learned so much about myself. I have witnessed regular, Wheaton-bound, inexperienced Bridget transform into someone completely new. It has been a wild ride to say the least. I have met so many people and have made many more great friends and although I am looking forward to going home and seeing everyone I love back in the States, it is extremely bittersweet. It's odd because before coming to Ireland, I have always seen my future as being in America, particularly in good ol' Massachusetts, but now my eyes have been opened to endless possibilities and I have begun to see my future in other places. I have fallen head-over-heels, madly in love with Ireland and saying goodbye on May 24th will be one of the hardest goodbyes I have ever had to say.

Enough of the emotional crap....ain't nobody got time for that! I am going to miss Ireland, that's a given...

But I am going to walk away from this experience with so much that it hopefully will make the pain subside....at least for a wee bit....so here are a few words to the wise and a few tricks of the trade to new student travelers from my point of view.

One of the most important aspects of this trip that I will take away is the ability to being open-minded. Prior to this trip I was terrified to fly, terrified of new places and terrified of meeting new people. Lo and behold, I have come out on the other side a brand new girl. I am still hesitant to fly but I have gotten MUCH better at dealing with the stress that comes with it. I may not be a pro, but I am well on my way. The whole point of being abroad is to be in new places and to meet new people and I have definitely become more accustomed to this process. Going to pubs and even just walking down the street, I have been exposed to new people on the daily and I have met some incredible people by being open-minded and just striking up a casual conversation, even if it happens to be about cheese. Everyone is so friendly here so that for sure makes my job a lot easier. 

Just be yourself!

Don't be afraid. This has been my mantra throughout my time in Ireland. If you become too afraid to go outside of your apartment, you will be missing out on so many opportunities! Just the other day, my friend Polly and I went for a walk and discovered a beautiful park we had no idea existed. Just a simple walk around can lead to a brand new adventure. It just takes a big step out of your comfort zone to get the job done. As a reluctant hobbit once said, "It's a dangerous business, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to" 

Embrace your inner Gaga. I'm not even sorry for saying it, but for realzzzz....PUT YOUR PAWS UP, BECAUSE YOU WERE BORN THIS WAY BABY. Lady Gaga may be a bit extreme sometimes but she is always true to her creativity and herself and I have kept that in mind this whole time abroad: Be yourself, and live on the edge of glory. Sometimes it is easy to forget who you really are, but as long as you stay true to yourself you will be all set!

Dear God she gives me such strength

As one final important tidbit of knowledge, NEVER forget where you come from. Home can so easily be forgotten if you're having the time of your life in another country, but never, ever, ever forget where you were before the plane ride and never forget the people who helped make the journey possible. 

This song honestly says it all:

(Thanks Colleen for the reference)

I still have one whole month left to enjoy Ireland, so I'll end this emotional crap. Cheers!

~Lady B (appropriate with the Lada Gaga reference)