I did not do many activities this week but enjoyed the ones I did have. Monday night, my volleyball team headed out to Ballymoney to support our coach play. They won easily and then the rest of the night consisted of his team and all of us girls playing/goofing off and listening to music. We all mostly just tried to get each other to mess up haha. Tuesday included the regular basketball and volleyball practices and not much else besides cleaning and working out course work. Wednesday was exciting because I got another tattoo. This one is on the back of my left arm and is half a heart and half a brain to represent my studies of Psychology and Biology. It is better than I thought it would be and cost less here than what it would have cost in the states. Thursday involved a disappointing loss in volleyball but we all enjoyed some drinks and traditional Irish music afterwards. There was a bar fight early in the night but after that was pretty chill. I ended up talking to the youth pastor from the Surf Project and discussed school, life, and relationships with him and it turned out to be a really good night. As for the weekend, I spent it in Belfast visiting a friend and now home and relaxing.

It has been a pretty busy week. First surfing and Thanksgiving. Then I enjoyed my first Christmas dinner along with paintball and a day in Portrush during the weekend.

The dinner was through the international Icafe that I attend and included a fantastic 3 course meal that was unimaginable. We split up and sat at round tables with the first course already there, some fruit and berry sauce. As we enjoyed that, the people at each table became acquainted with each other and enjoyed these things called Christmas crackers. They are traditional for Christmas and involve crossing your arms to grab one on each side of you and then you pull them all at once to reveal small prizes inside. The next course was the best since it was the main course and included mashed potatoes, cauliflower with cheese, green beans, some meats, and the most amazing stuffing I have ever had. I did not even think I was a big fan of stuffing but this was by far the best part of the meal. For desert, there was some cakes we could pick from and had to switch seats with a few others to visit with other people. The rest of the night went by quite smoothly and ended with me passing out because of what seemed like my second Thanksgiving.

It would not have been that bad if we did not have to get up to leave by 8 am the next morning to go paint balling. Thankfully, we took taxi’s, so I slept the whole way, which was about an hour long. I was still tired when we arrived but it did not take long to warm up by running around. We signed the typical forms for liability reasons, were given all of our gear, which includes a full body suit may I add, were given a safety talk, and then were off. The landscape included a lot of bushes and bunker-like buildings; thorns were everywhere… Not thorns like there are on roses but prickly bushes everywhere so it made it hard to crawl around. I may have gotten a little carried away at times because the COD in me comes out during paintball haha. I stormed a bunker at one point and got someones finger real good and felt bad. I also crawled through the mud and dirty water and crawled through a lot of the brush. All was good till the end when I banged my knee off of a barrel in the last team deathmatch. I was escorted back to the base and sat for the last few rounds. It was a blast but I am pretty sore and have a bone bruise. Hopefully it heals soon so I can play at Thursdays match… 😦

Today was pretty chill and I wobbled around on my knee around Portrush since I have not really explored it. I enjoyed a morning to myself by getting some breakfast and walking around the sea side. Later on I was joined by Chris walking his dog and Marlene till sand volleyball which was very cold. I just sat and watched but it was nice to watch some good volleyball.

I needed the past two days. First, I did something I always wanted to do… surf! Then, I had a very successful Thanksgiving with 30 of my fellow study abroad students before heading to volleyball practice and enjoying a night out with my volleyball team!

First off, surfing. It sounds weird to surf in Northern Ireland at this time of the year when it is freezing outside, but lots of people do it with the help of winter bodysuits. There was a deal going on for students through the Surf Project, church organization that is based in Portrush but travels to help the younger generation learn something new and fun with friends while learning about who god is. It was 10 pounds for a surf lesson, a few hours of surfing, and burritos afterwards with a presentation of what the Surf Project is all about. The whole experience is just what I needed and helped me see more of what I have been missing out on in life and has helped me focus on loving myself. Other than that, I got up on the board a lot ;P

Thanksgiving was the next day and it was a lot different from being at home where we start cooking the day before till we start eating at 2 pm the next day. A friend of mine and I, mostly her, put together a Thanksgiving for all of our American friends, but also anyone else who wanted to spend this wonderful holiday with us. Thirty people had signed up and every single person, plus some, showed up. In the states, maybe half would have showed up. It turned out to be amazing and people from all over tried to cook thanksgiving foods they have never heard of. It was no mommas cooking but it was a wonderful and meaningful Thanksgiving that I will never forget.

After cleaning up and volleyball practice, some of the team went out to Shenanigans, a pub in Portstewart, and enjoyed some drinks. Some left early but most people stayed out till 1 am. It was nice to just chill out with some of the team and hang out outside of volleyball.

What a weekend! Feels good to play in a volleyball tournament again, especially in another country. The whole weekend was not all sunshine and rainbows though… but that is life.

Varsities is a volleyball tournament that occurs in Dublin each year and only includes colleges students, so some of our players could not join us for the weekend. Nine of us, including our coach, left Wednesday evening so we could be ready for the tournament the next morning. Surprisingly, coach made me the captain… must be because of my loud personality haha. The ride down was pretty quiet and most of us slept. The B&B we stayed in was beautiful and thank god the uni paid for it because it was not cheap. There were three levels with four bedrooms, each having its own bathroom, two nice family areas, and the kitchen which was probably the best part and where we spent most of our time as a team. The first day was pretty good except the first match we played was the team who ended up winning the tournament… so that was a rude awakening that we were not ready for. However, we won the two matches after that and enjoyed that rest of the evening with the team. I had to finish a paper but procrastinated by playing some cards and spoons with the team haha. It all worked out because I finished it in time the next day between a HUGE break we had… we played the first game and the last, losing the first but winning the second. We were beginning to think we just had bad luck with early matches. A terrible thing happened in the second match though. One of our players landed wrong and sprained her knee, pulling a muscle a short time before that. She was taken out of the game, we won it for her, and then she was off to the hospital. She came back later on and the rest of the night was spent eating pizza and drinking at the student hub and playing some more spoons. There was only two matches the next day and we won one and lost one but played well and were able to keep up with all the teams there. We supported our fellow Northern Ireland team, Queens, as well throughout the weekend and hung out with them while watching the finals between the women’s and men’s teams for first and second.

In the end, our team got seventh out of twelve teams, even though we beat the team who got second, so it was close all around. We received a chocolate trophy, which did not last long, and enjoyed a long ride back home. The weekend was also very hard because my boyfriend of three years and I had broke it off but I am not going to get into that on here. We still love each other but are just going separate ways in life. I am not letting it get me down though and I plan on living life to the fullest over here in Northern Ireland, in my studies, my travels, and my relationships 🙂

The week leading up to my trip to Galway was not very exciting. I had a few classes, enjoyed some pick up basketball, and won the volleyball match on Thursday. A few of the team members hung out outside the gym awhile teaching each other dances and listening to music. The weekend brought more exciting events.

Four of my friends and I, Eve, Colleen, Ali, and Allison, headed for Galway Friday morning around 7:30 in the morning. We had around a 7 hour trip ahead of us and wanted to leave early so we had some time to do things Friday in Galway. Besides sleeping, talking, and being on our phones, none of us did a lot on our way to Galway, which consisted of both buses and train. Once we got to the bus station in Galway and found our hostel, we dropped our stuff off and went out to walk around town. There was nightlife all around with people shopping, drinking in pubs, performing on the streets, or just out for dinner. We were all starving after our long trip so we found a nice little cafe to eat and get some hot drinks. I ordered a chai tea latte and was amazed with how good it was; cinnamon sprinkled on top with a heart shape of cream made it all the better. The rest of the night took us around the block to look at all the Christmas decorations and eventually into a pub for a couple drinks. We decided that the next morning we would go to the Cliffs of Moher so we headed back to the hostel to catch up on sleep.

The next morning, day 2 in Galway, we woke up bright and early to eat breakfast and get ready for a long day at the cliffs. Breakfast consisted of the normal cereal, breads, fruits, and coffee, juice, and tea. The bus ride out to the cliffs took a couple hours so we slept some more and took photos of the beautiful country side of rolling hills and stoned walls separating the fields. Arriving a little past noon, we made a group decision to eat before walking the cliffs. There were a few different choices but we ended up eating at the cafe upstairs from the visitor center. Everything was a little pricey so I just asked for some Clam Chowder since it was cheaper and I knew what it tasted like, or so I thought. This chowder was more fishy and saltier than what I was used to but I ate it anyway since I paid for it. I was more than happy to start our way to the cliffs when everyone was done and I got to leave my chowder behind. As we walked closer and closer to the cliffs, my mind was more blown. I figured the cliffs would just be like any other that I have seen but they were truly a beautiful sight and exceeded my expectations. I walked on the muddier path (was not supposed to but could not pass it up), taking photos over the ledges of the 700 ft drop below. I was able to get amazing photos of me sitting on the ledges just looking out over the water and listening to the waves crash into the cliff side and birds flying high. The later the day got, the better the photos got with the sun over the horizon. The trip soon ended with gift shops and our long trip back to Galway. For dinner, we decided on an Asian tapas restaurant called Umbrella. We all shared our meals and ate lots of new foods we had not tried before, soon leaving for a good nights sleep and lots of Grey’s Anatomy for myself. 🙂

The final day in Galway, Sunday, was not as busy as the day before but very stressful at times. There was breakfast along with joining one of our girls for Catholic mass in a beautiful cathedral down the road. None of us really knew what we were doing but it was interesting to see what the service was like compared to what the rest of us had experienced. Afterwards there was more walking around and shopping but we did not get much because prices were high. For lunch, the group of us ate Arincinos at a Sicilian place and got some food-to-go for our trip back home. Arincinos are basically fried meats or veggies with cheese and sauce with them and breading on the outside. I bought one with cheese and spinach inside and it tasted very well. All of the girls bought different ones so we could all try each others since some of us it was the first time having some. That all was not the stressful part though, even though it was irritating that places were closed when the website says differently. No, the stressful part was getting back home. Long story short, we were at the wrong bus station and missed our bus at 2:45 but had already bought the tickets. A conductor was trying to help our group figure out if we should take either bus A or bus B and ended up going to the other bus station anyway after the man helping us for half an hour. At the other station, the men told us what we needed to do but still sounded unsure but we paid for the ticket anyway and hopped on the bus to Dublin. Once off in Dublin, the driver told us generally where to hop on the next bus and that worked perfectly for once during this whole process.

Back in Belfast, we made it in time for the 9:10 train with time to spare. The rest of the trip back went by smoothly until we arrived at Dominos and ended up there for over an hour waiting for a taxi… My group of friends and I looked homeless as we sat on our suitcases at the corner of Dominos eating our pizzas. Turns out, the taxi we called thought we said McDonalds instead of Dominos… Eventually we made it home and got a good nights sleep in our own beds.

What a weekend! I will be honest, the typical touristy stuff was not as great as I thought it would be but everything else was amazing, well besides forgetting to check into my flight before getting to the airport and paying an extra 55 pounds.

Day 1, my friend Eve and I headed out to see Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and Parliament, Buckingham Palace, The National Gallery, and the Eye. All of the buildings were amazing and wonderful to look at, well besides Big Ben, he was sick. We did not enter most of the buildings because of the cost that came with each but enjoyed walking around the gallery and some other side shops. The best part of the first day was definitely the food, mainly the food from the Christmas Market we checked out around 5 pm. It had just opened that night and was flooding with people. Most of the stands consisted of food from all over the world along with other stands containing clothing and small household items. The food we ended up ordering was a German hot dog, mac and cheese with bacon, a Mexican burrito, and some Belgium hot chocolate. After sitting by the fire and finishing all of our food, we headed to some of the shops where we found a woman selling homemade house items. There were calendars, pillows, mugs, postcards, etc. I bought four Harry Potter coasters and Eve bought 8 postcards. The night was not over yet. Last thing we did was walk to the West End to see a classic musical called Chicago. Eve only told me it was about a murder so I thought it was going to be more serious but little did I know it was more of a comedy. It was a fantastic ending to a long and exciting day.

In the morning of day 2, both of us headed out to go see St. Paul’s Cathedral, which was huge, and took a look at the London Bridge, Tower of London, and Tower Bridge. Since we slept in, it was around noon when we finished sight seeing and we were right next to the Borough Market so we checked it out. It was located under an overpass and stretched for what seemed like a mile. Goat cheese, breads, jams, sweats, meats, sauces, etc were everywhere and it smelt so good! The first part we walked into included food stands so we both grabbed what we wanted and walked around to see what else there was. Eve wanted goat cheese so we tried a lot of that along with all the samples people provided and it was amazing! If it was not for the fact that I did not have enough room to bring extra stuff back or a check in bag, I would have bought just about everything. The last thing we did for the day that did not include just relaxing was attend a tour of Shakespeare’s Globe where most of his plays were written for. It cost money but it was not super expensive for the price of a student 2 hour tour and the man was very knowledgeable. He explained how the structure was built and rebuilt multiple times, how it is made of all Oak wood, what parts of the building mean and are used for, the split in social class, and so much more! To this day, there are plays that still go on and are relatively cheap but sadly we could not attend one since they only do then during the summer months. Oh well, a reason for me to come back one day. 🙂

The last day, day 3, was very chill and mostly consisted of shopping and walking around some more. Again, we managed to sleep in and headed to a well known underground cafe for breakfast/brunch which was fantastic. It is located under a church near the national gallery and they managed to turn what is usually just used for support into something amazing. Some other places on our list before heading over to the mall included the M&M store and China town. We did not stay in the M&M store very long because of the rich smell the place was giving off and we just wondered around China town. There was basically just food in China town but it was nice to walk around and even meet a man from Wisconsin who was performing the bunny magic trick. The rest of the evening was spent at the mall which was probably the largest mall I have ever been in that we almost got lost. Everything was pretty expensive so neither of us ended up buying anything but it was nice to walk around. Right outside the mall was Wagamama, a restaurant with Asian foods. Eve and I both ordered the Chicken Ramen and it was immensely better than the packaged ramen we get in the states. However, it still had the same effect on my digestive system and went right through me; what a fun night… Buuuuuut the rest of the trip was unforgettable, in more ways than one. One being having to wake up at 2 am and taking separate flights at two different locations. I have to say, taking my first flight alone was not as bad as I thought. And… I remembered to check into my flight this time.

My volleyball team won our away game! More importantly, we had an amazing time in Derry Londonderry for Halloween, as it had originated in Ireland. Derry is one of the best places to spend Halloween in Northern Ireland, besides maybe a bar for some. There are people dressed up everywhere with performances going on and festivities to be apart of. A week before Halloween there are different events that happen each day. The parade, fireworks, and crafts on Halloween are what most kids look forward to.

My group started off with heading to get something to eat because we were all starving. One of us led the rest to a nice Italian place where we ordered pizzas, calzones, and lasagna. Then we toured the area to see what festivities were going on. There were a lot of carnival style foods, vendors, dancers and bands, displays, and crafts. We did not end up buying anything but wondered into a church where we checked out a moon display which was quite beautiful. It was cold so we bought some hot drinks and continued to walk around to see the parade before chilling out in a pub before leaving. We were all ready to leave when it came 10 pm. Sleep was needed since we head out for London today for a busy weekend!

Not much has happened during the week beyond the typical attending classes and going to basketball and volleyball practice (and Chris Hamill being so kind to take me home after every practice with no payment) besides pumpkin carving. The weekend brought a lot of fun including more shopping with the girls and coasteering, but I will get to that soon. For no, pumpkin carving.

The volleyball team I am part of put together a team pumpkin carving on Wednesday evening and we had a blast! Everyone headed over to one of the girls houses with their own pumpkins and were provided drinks and snacks. We had some music playing in the background as we all chatted and carved our pumpkins. I ended up just making a face with a mustache because I am lazy when it comes to carving pumpkins. Others made funny faces, Mickey Mouse, Harry Potter, Simba, UUC logo, and the best one, Einstein by Rachel. She spent the entire time working on her pumpkin and it looked like those pumpkins people put on the internet that you would never think were real. In the end we all took photos of them together with the lights off and candles in them. The fun stopped around midnight.

When the weekend came around, five of us girls went shopping at charity shops in Coleraine and just enjoyed some time hanging out. The best part of the weekend came Sunday though when the same group minus Eve went coasteering, which is pretty much just cliff jumping. I have jumped off cliffs at the Lake of the Ozarks but they were only 10 meters while these cliffs ranged from small to large. The largest one I had jumped off was about 40 meters and they said they have some people that jump off 90 meter cliffs! To take us from cliff to cliff we had a guide that also showed us a “lazy river” and some pools made along the cliffs due to erosion. Even though it was SUPER cold, we had the best time swimming around and cheering each other on since some were not in their comfort zone. Afterwards, we enjoyed some food and hot drinks near a fire in a cafe located at Dunluce castle.

The rest of the week went by quick, but only after an emotional Wednesday night. I attended the theater with my friend Eve and it was about mental health in teens across Northern Ireland which is a big problem in Ireland. The show was from the perspective of a high school girl who had tried to kill herself and it showed what it is truly like to be depressed, have anxiety, and fighting the internal battle. There was awkwardness between the girl and all her friends and family, a party scene where it showed what the girl was thinking to herself, a series of trying out different kinds of therapists, and more visual representations. One scene included an anxiety attack and was very relatable to me since I have anxiety. It is hard to visually show what is happening inside someone who is having an anxiety attack and they were able to show what happened on the outside and inside very well. It can feel different for different people but it is nice that other people can see more of what it is like for people who have anxiety or are depressed. As it goes for the play as a whole, I cried a lot. I have had a few people in my life commit suicide and a lot more think threaten to do it or have been close to doing it so it hit at home for me watching it. I think everyone should watch a play like this one to understand watch it is like to live with depression, anxiety, etc, and understand that it is real.

The next few days involved volleyball practice and thrift shopping in Coleraine with Eve. The weekend was long but chill because I enjoyed a Harry Potter marathon and worked on some papers due in a few weeks. Besides doing that and grocery shopping, nothing else really happened.

The weekend was not what I expected but it was even better than what I thought it was going to be. The trip to the Mussenden Temple was canceled due to rain and wind… big shocker, haha. Instead, we headed back to where the iCafe happens every Monday to eat, play games, and just hang out. Afterwords, a few of us girls went to my friend Eve’s place to learn how to crochet and watch a few movies. It was a pretty chill Saturday. Sunday was not much busier either. I cleaned and did homework the first part of the day and then ended up going to play beach volleyball with my volleyball team in Portrush, a town away. I had played beach volleyball for fun a couple times before but just played by rules I normally play by inside. Beach volleyball has a bunch of different rules like not setting on the first touch and not being able to set the ball over unless parallel to the net. It was interesting to see how difficult it was at first to get used to the rules, but I got the hang of it.

The next day I had Social Psychology but the practical was different this week. Last week and this week there were focus groups discussing the idea of Altruism and if it is attainable or real. Altruism is when people disregard their own concerns to help others without any expectation of reward in any way. It is hard to say whether people can truly be altruistic, but I believe it is not attainable, but real. It is like perfection. No one can be truly perfect just like no one can truly be altruistic. Even if you do something for someone else just because it is the right thing to do or you are simply a nice person, most likely, you will feel good afterwards, which therefore gives you a reward. It was a tricky subject but very interesting.

The rest of the day went by fast and just consisted of going to the iCafe and playing some board games. I tried to finish a response that was due at 11 pm before I played games, but an elderly Irish woman would not stop talking to me haha, and I do not mean that in a mean way. I stopped and talked to her for the rest of the night about the differences in Irish culture and my own and had some very interesting conversations. I finished my response in time after the night was over with an hour to spare. Today I did not do much except do some homework, clean and watch some tv, and then headed to my practices where I got a black eye from basketball. Should see the other guy ;P