Happy Thanksgiving!!

Perfection. That’s how I would describe last night. I was really worried that I would be super homesick come Thanksgiving because it’s the first time ever that I haven’t been with my family. And I do really miss my parents and my brothers but last night almost made up for it! Matt and Johnny, two friends from UVA, flew over on Saturday for the week so it was already wonderful to have them here! Because we will be in Scotland at a hostel on Thursday, I decided we would have Thanksgiving dinner on Tuesday night. My good friend Phil lives in a house by himself so we ate over there so as not to have to fight over the kitchen in my flat. Cathy and I prepared the food – mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, wheaten bread (had to throw in some Irish culture for Matt and Johnny!), cranberry sauce and chicken (it’s impossible to buy a whole turkey here except around Christmas! Which I was completely okay with because I didn’t feel like roasting it :). Two other close friends, Ally and Julie, came over for dinner as well. After dinner, in traditional Thanksgiving style, we watched A Muppet’s Christmas Carol while sipping warm Winter Berry Cordial and eating hot apple pie. Thanksgiving dinner was a smashing success with the three Irish – they were all soaking up the traditions and claiming they should have been American! As I sat around the living room looking at the six friends there, I could not believe how lucky I was. I was in Northern Ireland, eating Thanksgiving dinner, and spending time with my four best friends from Belfast and two of my best friends from home. Absolutely amazing – words can not express how blessed I am!!

And some random old photos just for fun :)

The IFSA Family at the Guinness Brewery in Dublin

Belfast all lit up for Christmas!

Prayer Request

Hey guys :) I miss you a lot. Things in Ireland continue to be wonderful and I am still having a great time! Unfortunately this isn't one of those "I love my life in Belfast" posts...
There are only five of us with Butler in Belfast and we have all become incredibly close which has been amazing. It breaks my heart though to write that Dave's dad died early this morning. He flew home a few weeks ago to say goodbye and we had an idea that this could happen before he made it back to Oregon. He's going to stay in Belfast until Christmas, as planned, but this is obviously a really hard time to be away from home and with people you have only known for a few months. I was talking to him for a while today and he was just expressing how despite expecting it and being able to say goodbye, it is still so surreal. "Cherish the time you have with your parents, Emma. Please." If you all could say a prayer for Dave and for his mom, it would mean the world to all of us over here. All my love, Emma.

Operation SOS!

Saturdays in Belfast have quickly become my absolute favorite day of the week! All the students from Northern Ireland go home on the weekends - they used to feel lonely but have become a wonderful quiet time to chill out. Saturdays begin with a trip with Ally and Robyn to the St. George’s Market, my favorite part of Belfast! The Saturday Market is a wonderful fusion of farmer’s market, craft show and international food festival. I purchase my produce for really cheap, eat a delicious and inexpensive lunch I could never hope to make for myself, listen to music to local musicians and just enjoy the morning! After the Market, Ally and I head to a core workout class at the gym, another one of my top favorite places in Belfast. The gym at Queen’s is state of the art and the classes are great and free. I am obsessed! After core I get some work done in the peaceful, quiet common room of my apartment where I can be super productive…if I feel like it. :) Lexie comes over from her campus and we make dinner as we watch X Factor with my English apartment-mates. X Factor is the greatest reality TV show on the air!! It is similar to American Idol only a million times better. I am completely and totally hooked! Do me a favor and youtube Eoghan Quigg. He’s my 16 year old Northern Ireland love who is destined to win X Factor. Just you watch. I warned you I was obsessed...Finally in the Saturday line-up, Operation SOS begins at quarter to one. Lexie and I bundle up, meet up with some other friends, and head down into Belfast City Centre to raid the SOS bus. The SOS bus is an awesome charity organization that sets up a bus with a medical centre to provide medical attention, refreshments and rides home for anyone in need (though mostly people coming home from pubs and clubs). We don’t go out on Saturday nights because it’s not particularly safe for students but we still benefit from the tea, candy, crossiants, doughnuts, cookies, soup, etc. that the SOS bus hands out! Don’t worry though, we volunteer with SOS once a month so we’re not terrible people.
Saturdays are an amazing day of weekly rituals and fun times relaxing with friends – I love them and my experiences in this city in general!!

Preparing for Operation SOS

Success!

“Is maith an scéalaí an aimsir” - Time is a great storyteller

Warning: This is going to be a long post! Feel free to just look at the beautiful pictures :)

This weekend marks my halfway point in Ireland. Unbelievable!! But what better way to celebrate that than a visit from my Daddy! This week was my half-term break so I met my dad in Dublin last Thursday to do a bit of traveling in the Republic of Ireland. Here’s what we have been up to:

Friday – It was an absolutely beautiful day when we arrived in Galway so we dropped off our things at the bed and breakfast and headed straight for the Connemara region. The drive from Galway to Clifden was along a coastal route through picturesque villages and gorgeous seascapes. The landscape abruptly changed to really rocky and mountainous with deep blue lakes that were equal in beauty to the beaches! After strolling through adorable Clifden, we took the Sky Road, a loop along the side of a cliff overlooking the sea. We stopped by Dan O’Hara’s Homestead just for the namesake before a wonderful dinner in Oughterard! Throughout the day we saw castles, cliffs, rainbows, coastlines, livestock in the road...Connemara was a wonderful introduction to the beautiful scenery of Ireland.

I have 24 pictures of rainbows from the trip :)

Saturday – We had planned on heading to the Aran Islands but the weather was atrocious, even for Ireland’s standards. Instead we met up with a friend from WIP who showed us around Galway City. The rain was heavy and the wind was intense – I don’t think I’ve ever been so wet in my life! Despite the conditions, the city was really nice and it was fun to have Chris as our tour guide. After changing into dry clothes we went to see the Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. It was the second time I have seen it and is one of the best movies I have ever seen in my life. When it opens in the USA, please go see it!!

Sunday – We successfully made it to the Aran Islands! The trip over felt like a rollercoaster the sailing was so rough and it was almost comical watching person after person after person get sick. Luckily Dad and I both survived the trip! Once we landed in Inishmór we rented bikes to travel to Dún Aengus, a fort perched on the edge of a cliff. The wind was extraordinarily strong on the ride out there making it super difficult! My dad got a kick out of the fact that I kept informing him that I was not having any fun but in my defense, I felt like I was biking into a wall! Normally, if you are going downhill you can coast without pedaling but in this case you have to pedal even downhill!! We finally made it to the fort which was terrifying with strong winds at the edge of a cliff – my guide book says that “visitors have frequently been blown off and killed on the rock shelf below!” On the bike ride home we got incredibly lost and I was pretty sure we were going to be stuck forever on the island! But we made it back to Rossaveal and drove to Doolin in County Clare where we spent the night. I was really ill on the drive so we didn’t really get to enjoy Doolin’s charm but if I had to pick one town in Ireland for someone to visit to get a feel for the country, it would be Doolin! Right on the water, close to the Aran Islands, next to the Cliffs of Moher and a centre of Irish traditional music, it is a wonderful town!

Monday – In the morning we went to the Cliffs of Moher and then spent the rest of the day exploring the Burren. The Burren is a stretch of really rocky terrain across northern Clare with prehistoric grave sites, tombs, and stone forts. The geology of the Burren was actually really interesting and Ireland was constantly amazing me with its diverse array of scenery!! We spent the night in our favorite town, Kenmare on the edge of the Ring of Kerry. The owner of our B&B was fantastic, the town was quaint, dinner was amazing – I introduced Dad to all the essentials: beef and Guinness pie, banoffee pie, and sticky toffee pudding!

Tuesday – Our itinerary was “maddening” according to our B&B owner but we managed to tackle the whole Ring of Kerry and still made it to Dublin by 10 pm. The Ring of Kerry is the most popular attraction in Ireland and for a good reason! It is a 179 km circuit of unbelievable sights with medieval ruins, mountains, lakes, and beaches. I don’t think I will ever grow stop being amazed by Ireland’s beauty!!

Wednesday morning Dad flew back home and I took the bus back to Belfast. I was really sad to see him go but it was a nice feeling to pull into Belfast and feel like I was returning home in a way. All in all, I had such an amazing week!!