Dec. 20 – the night before I was to leave Dublin – it started snowing like crazy. I was getting so nervous thinking my flight would be cancelled. By the time I went to bed, it had stopped snowing, but the airport closed. Thankfully, when I woke up at 5:30 the next morning, the airport had reopened after an all-night shoveling job by the airport employees. I had never seen Dublin airport so packed, with everyone hanging around from canceled flights over the previous few days. I was so excited when we boarded my Continental flight early, and I immediately began watching the movie “Going the Distance” – a good romcom. But even with our early boarding, we did not leave on time. We were delayed because of  – no, not the snow that had started to fall outside — the TOILETS. The blue fluid that makes the toilets flush was frozen bc it is stored in a machine outside. It took the crew AN HOUR to figure out how to get fluid on board. After failing to find a non-frozen machine, they decided to bring the fluid on manually. Alright w/e. Then we took off and had no other problems. YES! Watched two more movies — “American Beauty” bc I’ve always wanted to see it and one I had never heard of before called “The Romantics.” It wasn’t very good.

Landing in Newark was such a great feeling, I teared up a little! It was funny to see the difference between landing here and when I first landed in Dublin. Here, it’s so developed with houses and swimming pools, factories and parking lots. Anyways, I practically sprinted through the airport and all the logistics of arriving to get outside and find Allie. Again, another fabulous feeling to find my bff and her bf waiting for me in her little Cabrio. After visiting my mom at the pre-school where she teaches, Allie and I headed off to lunch at Chili’s where we caught up on each other’s lives for awhile.

Back at home – which now had some interesting additions of GIANT potted plants that my dad “rescued” from an untimely death at a NJ dump – I immediately began unpacking. The unpacking also included getting rid of old and overused clothes/shoes to make room for new stuff. I seriously had like six shirts left by the time I was done. lol. But it was a good feeling. My mom and I would go shopping the next day and refill my drawers and closet. Anyways, I was done unpacking at like 6:30, but it felt like 10 p.m. I was soo exhausted. I struggled to hold out for a few more hours, but I passed out by 8:30. Even though my bed at home is a single – and I had gotten very used to having the room of a double in Ireland – the warmth of my flannel sheets and duvet, plus the softness of my fairly new mattress, drifted me into a familiar and deep sleep.

SO – what did this whole adventure mean? It was a GREAT life experience. Sure, I’m not ready to jump on a plane and do it all over or travel to a foreign country right now, but I’m so glad I took the trip. Obviously, it was hard at first, and I questioned myself over and over. Why am I doing this? Is this even necessary? It would be so much easier at home. But I stuck it out and now have a bunch of new lessons and experiences under my belt. I’m sure having a finish line of Dec. 21 helped — I’m not sure how I would feel if my presence in Dublin had been indefinite. But when faced with a difficult situation in the future, I can look back to Dublin and remember how I pulled through.

I learned about loneliness. Independence and the responsibilities that come with it. Making friends and keeping in touch. Living pay-check to pay-check. Credit card payments and limits. The importance of family. Interviewing techniques. The responsibilities of being a parent. Persistence on the job hunt. The joys of reading a good book. Making travel plans for foreign locations and then fulfilling them all by myself. Map reading. Adpating to a new work culture. Traveling on the left-hand side of the road (lol). The list could go on and on…but I’d say these lessons I’ve taken will help in my personal and professional life as well as my relationships with others.

MOST BEAUTIFUL TRIP: Scotland
FAVORITE TRIP: Madrid
BEST IRELAND TOUR: Northern Ireland
GETTING LOST…ALOT: London
BEST MEAL OUT: Italian Corner in Dublin
BEST MEAL IN: Danalisa’s bean soup / Steve’s Thanksgiving dinner / Amy’s Christmas dinner
BEST NIGHT OUT: Galway
BEST SHOPPING LOCATION: Birmingham
FAVORITE CLOTHING STORES: Penny’s / Jane Norman
FAVORITE MOVIE: The Social Network
FAVORITE IRISH PHRASE: ‘Fair Play’
NEW FRIENDS: Michael, Juho, Allie, Amy, and Amanda
NEW DRINKS: Jameson and Cranberry / Bulmer’s Cider
NEW FOODS: Ostrich burger /Beans on toast

So I went back to Danalisa’s and napped. We just weren’t meant to part quite yet! Later in the afternoon, I went with her, Aidan, and Ethan to a Christmas party at her friend’s house. It was completely decked out for the holidays, Martha Stewart style. We had some really awesome cakes and cookies and hot chocolate with all the fixings. I came back and slept more. Guess I’m sleeping off this illness.

Tuesday: Spent the day running errands and doing things around the house with Danalisa and the kids. Made an appointment for a haircut on Saturday. Work from 4-10. I ended work having a splitting headache, in addition to the sore throat I have been developing. To make matters worse, the cab driver who drove me home had no idea where Knocksedan was. My points of reference led him to drive far out of the way. Apparently there are two helicopter pads in Swords — the Celtic and the Irish…Eventually, I was like this is definitely not right since I normally get home for 10 euros and this ride is already at ten and we are nowhere close. We got so lost he had to call another cab driver. A ten minute ride home turned into a thirty minute one.

Wednesday: I woke up feeling like death, with aches from head to toe and a rotten cough. I ended up calling out from work and sleeping like all day. I had plans that night to say goodbye to my USIT friend Allie who was going home early to surprise her family for Christmas. I had my final cab ride with Kevin — that’s the driver who picked me up for work nearly every day during the bad weather. Kevin was kind of like my Rasheed over here, though no one can ever have the personality Rasheed does. Allie and I spent the night in with her flatmates gossiping while watching girly TV shows and celebrity updates. By the time I got home, I felt awful. But I thought it was worth it to say goodbye to Allie.

Thursday: More illness! Called out of work again. It feels like I have the flu, but I don’t have a temperature. I hope I feel well enough to go in tomorrow for my final day of work, at least to say goodbye to my coworkers.

Friday: Woke up feeling 80%. I went in to work at two, though I soon realized I should have been in at one. I even had one written down in my schedule. Stupid, Jenna. But my bosses said they knew how sick I was and so they weren’t even expecting me and were just happy that I showed up! The day flew by, and I finished by going shopping, taking advantage of my 10% employee discount. I spent the final hours of the night saying goodbye to my coworkers. I’ll miss you Amanda!

In the middle of all the cooking, Amy and I went for brunch at this adorable little cafe along the canal. I had a perfect sampling of an English breakfast — complete with an egg, sausage, bacon, baked beans, and tomatoes. When we got back to the flat, the table was set beautifully with plastic champagne glasses, creatively folded napkins, Christmas crackers (those paper things that look like giant sized candies and contain prizes), and Christmas cards. Ten of us ate this beautiful dinner around the table, and it was a lot of fun. We ate: chicken and stuffing, roasted potatoes, grilled and boiled vegetables like carrots, broccoli, sprouts, parsnips, and cabbage, pigs in a blanket which in England are little sausages wrapped in bacon, and Yorkshire pudding, which to me was just sweetened bread cakes. Anyway, it was all delicious. For dessert, another girl made fresh mince pies, and I again I was impressed by the craftsmanship. Amy is the only student in the flat who studies cooking!

I had to cut out a little early to catch my flight back. The train ride is super quick to the airport. I slept on the flight and took a taxi from the airport. I was home by 8 p.m.

And off we went to Cadbury World — home to the biggest Cadbury chocolate store. We took a short train ride there. You could smell the chocolate as you walked through the grounds. Cadbury dates to the early 1800s, but this factory came later. The owners turned the whole area into a community for its employees, complete with housing, schools, shops, and other amenities all around the Cadbury offices and factories. Amy and I were probably the only non-elementary-school-aged children there, but it was still fun. I discovered Amy’s talent for writing in chocolate — she studies food management/nutrition/culinary arts/food technology and had a previous internship at a restaurant in Canada. The last part of the exhibit was interactive, kind of like the Sony museum I visited last winter with Lisa an Pietra. At one station, you could have your picture taken and transformed into a chocolate mold.

Amy and I met Ben for dinner at Jamie Oliver’s Italy, a new restaurant in Birmingham. Since Amy has an internship next semester at a Jamie Oliver restaurant next semester, she wanted to try this restaurant. The food was very good. Amy tried octopus. I don’t have the stomach or guts to try that.

We finished the night by going out for her friend’s 21st. The club was called Oceana, and I really liked it. It featured multiple rooms, each with its own theme. One was the “Ski Lodge,” another the “Ice Room,” and finally the “Disco Room,” which had a flashing floor like a disco ball and played music from the 70s, 80s, and 90s. There are also two private rooms to rent, and Amy’s friend rented one for the night. It was a very posh and swanky room lined in red velvet with fancy tables and couches. Someone in the birthday girl’s family put a significant amount of money behind the bar so that all the invitees could get plenty of free drinks. Crazy. We danced in the Ice Room and Disco Room all night. My new pumps, which have the biggest heel I have ever worn in my life, hurt the balls of my feet like crazy. I think I’m going to get those pads for inside heels. We were home by 3 a.m.

The “flat” was different than what I’ve seen in typical American college apartments. It consisted of one long hallway, with 9 single bedrooms for all the flatmates. This flat was home to 6 girls and 3 boys — another thing you wouldn’t find at an American dorm. Each room had its own bathroom. The only common space was a very big kitchen that housed a tiny rug and couch, posing as a living room. At BU apartments, the highest number of students living together is 8 and always of the same sex. Not every person gets their own private bathroom. And the living room is the biggest place for common living, not the kitchen. Anyways, it’s interesting to learn about the differences between European and American universities. I think all the college presidents should get together and share ideas — they’d really improve the state of universities on both sides of the table.

After taking a nap — I had only slept for about 3 hours the night before — Amy and I ventured downtown. Birmingham is full of shops and restaurants. That’s pretty much what I got out of the city! haha. But the buildings were stil pretty. A nice mix of old and new. We walked through the Birmingham version of a German Christmas Market. Obviously, the original market idea is from Germany, but the markets have become very popular throughout Europe, and Birmingham has one of Europe’s biggest. The market is full of shops with authentic and handmade crafts as well as many different cuisines. After making our way through the entire thing, we drank a mug of mulled wine at one of the three bars inside the market where drinking in public is allowed. We had to put down a 3 pound deposit per mug to ensure that we would return them. haha. Amy and I got tipsy off the one glass — it was rather funny. Then we split a pretzel sandwich. Picture a hot mall pretzel sliced in half and turned into a deli sandwich. We also split an ostrich burger, and it was rather delicious. Supposedly ostrich meat is the healthiest on the planet…

We walked through an indoor market that is set up year round and then made our way into a mall. Hey, I saw a Forever21 sign, and I just had to go…England is not nearly as expensive as Dublin. An employee inside said this Forever21 opened a day before the Dublin one, which is strange considering when I interviewed for the Dublin store they kept stressing how it would be Europe’s first. Anyways, I got a pair of skinny jeans for 7 pound (about $11). Love it! We walked through tons more shops that sold all kinds of cute things. We ended the evening eating sandwiches while at the movies watching part I of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. They should have just put the whole story into one movie! I was still entertained and wouldn’t have minded sitting longer. Wasn’t Lord of the Rings like ridiculously long??

I slept in Amy’s dorm room on an inflatible mattress, but it was funny because whereas in the US we usually have an electric powered pump to fill it up, we had to pump this one with our feet. And at first, we couldn’t figure it out and needed a demonstration. haha.

Monday: Finished “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” this morning. Now I need to watch the movie, which I’ve heard is quite gruesome, and read the second book in the series, which I’ve heard is even better than the first. It’s funny how I can read these murder mysteries, but I can’t watch scary movies. So I wonder if the movie will give me nightmares. haha. Work from 2-9. I’m so tired of TKMaxx. I don’t need this job. ugh. I can’t understand how ppl have worked at this same store for like nine years…My co-workers are the only ones who get me through it. I have such a good time with them, well, most of them anyways. It started to snow again. The really pretty kind, with big white flakes. But unfortunately, it’s sitting atop all the ice that Dublin has done nothing about. I hope it thaws soon so I can (a) go running (I am in a total running withdrawal — I even dreamed about it the other night), (b) get rides or cycle to work instead of having to pay ten euro each way for a taxi, and (c) fly to Birmingham this weekend to visit Amy. Remember Amy? I met her my first week in Dublin at Marlborough St. hostel. 8 more days of work, 15 more days in Ireland. The Michael Buble song, “Home,” is like my anthem right now.

Tuesday: Work from noon to six. Caught a guy trying to buy a 46 euro Ed Hardy for 4 euro. He clearly took a 4 euro sticker off something else and put it over the 46 euro price tag. Then he pulled off one of the worst acts of surprise I’ve ever seen. Yes, clearly you changed the ticket buddy…Spent my evening watching “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” It wasn’t a bad movie, but it was much better reading the story. I already knew the answers to the mystery, ya know? Plus, I didn’t like the actor whom they chose for the main character. He was supposed to be a fairly attractive middle-aged man; I mean, in the book, he had quite a few lovers. But in the movie version, the man was less than stellar. Talked a little bit with Amy about this weekend. It seems Ben – whom she met on her original flight to Dublin and introduced me to - will be home this weekend in Birmingham because his semester finishes this week. Yay. More friends!

Wednesday: The beginning of the thaw?? Maybe back to runing soon? Work from 3-10. Caught two more ppl trying to use fake price stickers on items.

Thursday: Went for a short walk around the development, which is still covered in ice. You’ll be happy to know I did not slip. Work from 5-11. Amanda and I were both put in ladies’ accessories so it was fun to work with her. But working til 11 sucked, especially when it involved rehanging purses and handbags so that they were all the same height…So tired when I got to Mary’s. It was cold in her house last night, and my sore throat has finally come to the surface. Just a few hours of sleep before my 6:30 flight to Birmingham. 

Thursday: Pretty, soft snow fell this morning until I went in for work at one. It was actually a pretty fun day at work with my co-workers. A few of the guys were poking fun at me for being Italian. They said my family wasn’t really Italian – I wasn’t born in Italian, so we are Italian American. I kind of got what they were saying — they are 100% Indian because they were born in India. Now they constantly tease me about being Italian. Four of us got a cab together at 9, with the bill to be footed by TKMaxx. Sweet!

Friday: Since I still can’t go running, Danalisa and I decided to do a workout indoors. We did a Tracy Anderson workout. She looks like a sexy blonde bitch, and she makes every move look sexy and like a dance move, but her workout was good. lol. I worked from 2-9. And the Gotz family got a Christmas tree today. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…

Saturday: Work from 2-9:30. Busiest I have ever seen TKMaxx. Not only were people Christmas shopping, but I guess they were so sick of being stuck in their houses from the weather that they all came out in full force. I worked at the tills from 2-6 without there ever being a break in the line of customers. Then cleaned the q-line area from 7-9:30. It was in total bits, with stock from all other departments dumped everywhere. I did have fun at the tills, however, with my co-workers. It was just such a crazy day you couldn’t help but laugh.

Anyways, then I was off to the Botanic Gardens, the first ticket of the day that I bought at a reduced price bc of my BU ID The gardens were nice, but I’m sure they would have been prettier during the summer/spring. Then I was off to Museo del Prado. It was packed. I asked the receptionist what I should definitely hit if I only had an hour to spend there. I visited Velazquez and Goya paintings, though the only painting I really remembered from Spanish class was one by Goya entitled “Saturn Devouring his Son.” It’s pretty gruesome. I walked down the street to El Museo Thyssen, which had several different exhibits to visit. I paid for the photography exhibit that Eunice had told me about. I loved it! The exhibit, entitled ”Todo o Nada,” featured work by Mario Testino, a Peruvian fashion photographer. I saw pictures of models from all over the globe and some US celebrities like Demi Moore, Kate Winslet, Jennifer Aniston, and Gwyneth Paltrow. My favorite photos were of Cameron Diaz and Gisele Bundchen. Even though most of the photos showed the women naked, there was a certain beauty beaming from the way the women were positioned for the shot.

I finally went to grab a small bite back at el mercado de san miguel. I had a bagel toasted with turkey, cheese, and…peanutbutter. And while that sounds gross, it was actually quite good. I finished with a vanilla frozen yogurt covered in chocolate sauce and strawberries. Yum. This was the first time all day it started to rain. The rest of the day flipped between rainy and cloudy. I walked over to el Templo Debod. It’s an Egyptian structure from thousands of years ago that was rebuilt and donated to the city of Madrid for its financial support of many ailing Egyptian archeological sites. When I arrived, the site was closed — it had very random opening hours during the day. But I didn’t really care bc it didn’t look too exciting. I visited the last square on my list, Plaza de Espana, and walked down Gran Via for some window shopping. Before taking a taxi back to my hostel to collect my bag, I ate real tapas at the bar Eunice reccomended, El Mercado de la Reina. I had goat cheese with carmelized onions and mushrooms. Sooo tasty. I bought one souvenir for myself: a soccer jersey of Madrid (I knew which color was for Madrid now. lol.) with the number of Cristiano Ronaldo on the back, mainly bc he’s hot.

I hailed a taxi and was presently surprised by my very cute driver. He only spoke Spanish, and we had a good time trying to understand each other. He had never been to America, and I told him I’d love to take him home with me. haha. Spanish men are much better looking than the Irish. I took the express bus from Atocha to the airport, where I waited in several long lines before reaching my gate just 15 minutes before boarding time. Then the flight was delayed bc there was some snow in Dublin. My first indication that Ireland would not be able to properly deal with the predictions of heavy snow over the next week. The more and more I fly, I’m noticing the same dumb things about ppl. I think Dane Cook should do a comedic skit on it. First, I love how ppl rush to line up as soon as they are called to board. In my eyes, now there is a huge line, so I think I’ll just sit here until the line goes down and then board. It’s not like someone is going to take my seat. Then, once on the plane, passengers decide that is the appropriate time to check what seat number they have, holding up those behind them. Then they take forever in the aisles putting their ridiculous amount of hand luggage in the overhead compartments. Um, aren’t there guidelines restricting hand luggage?? Shouldn’t this be enforced?? Ppl put everything up there, including jackets and small purses, even though the flight attendants say we should store smaller luggage under our seats. The bins get so full that ppl in, for example, row 7 have to come back to row 18 to find bin space for their luggage. Finally, when the plane lands, ppl jump out of their seats and begin rummaging through the overhead bins to get off the plane ASAP, even though the process will be slow and we still need to “park.” Is no one considerate of others anymore??? Okay, rant finished.

I sat on the plane with a nice guy from Kilkenny. He let me watch part of a ridiculous movie with him — The Boys and Girls Guide to Getting Down. It was made in 2006 and is described on IMDB as a ”tongue-in-cheek look at 20-something singles clubbing and partying in L.A.; it’s organized into 15 chapters from overview and preparation to partying and the morning after. Voice-over narration, charts and graphs, and visits to a research laboratory punctuate the story of a single night when groups of friends go out, drink alcohol, take drugs, dance and talk, and look for someone to go home with.” The visits to the research laboratory were the funniest, I thought. Back in Swords at about midnight.