Ireland @ MindSay 
dublin
I started off the summer by teaching some grade 12 English and I was channeling Mr. Keating from Dead Poets Society the entire time. The kids really seemed to respond and they all did well, save for that one girl who didn't show up for the last few days, thus missing out on 30% of her grade. The day summer school ended, I was on a plane to Scotland. I didn't know what was waiting for me when I got there but I was ready to face it. The plan was to spend a week in Scotland, 10 days in England, and a week in Ireland. I would joke around with my friends before I left, saying that I would find my destiny there. I found something much better. I found joy.
Scotland blew me away. Every time I had planned my trip to the UK in my mind, I had always envisioned walking around in museums and libraries. I was finally there and I spent the majority of the time hiking through the highlands, looking out over the water, hearing stories about the locals and the bloody history that is marked across the country, drinking with friends until the wee hours of the morning. It was beautiful and the best moments were the free ones. The first glimpse of Glencoe was enough to take your breath away. Watching the salmon jump at Rogie Falls was another moment that will stay with me forever. I made many friends in Scotland and they all helped me realize something- I can do whatever I set my mind to. I can take chances and take that ever scary leap of faith.
From there I took the train to England. It broke my heart to leave Scotland but I knew that I had many more exciting moments ahead. In Nottingham I stayed with a friend (and got to have a hot shower!!!)and learned about cricket (which is really nothing like baseball in any way). It was nice to just relax and see a friendly face. After that, it was off to Cambridge. Cambridge is a beautiful city. I truly loved it there. Walking around the city was fun and I'm really glad that I went punting down the river Cam. The universities are beautiful and the people there seemed to be nice. I got lost many times though, and that was a little frustrating. I managed to find the Catholic church there and went to mass before getting instructions on how to get back to my hotel. After Cambridge, I took the train to London. I arrived at Kings Cross, took the Victoria line to my hotel, saw Wicked (which was my favourite thing about London), saw Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, St. Paul's Cathedral, the Tower of London, the Tower Bridge, and many other places. I didn't really enjoy it there though, mostly because I was alone, and partly because the people there don't actually talk to people. From there, it was off to Oxford. Oxford is also a beautiful city. I took a walking tour through the colleges and while it rained for the majority of my time there, I did manage to find something very important/valuable. I found, in the bottom corner of a little basement bookshop, a 1905 copy of Emma by Jane Austen. After Oxford, I took the train into Bath. Bath was my favourite city in all of England. It's beautiful there and it's safe. Also, the people there are really nice and helpful. I experienced as much as I could there, including the theatre, the Roman Baths, the culture, the Jane Austen Centre, the Assembly Rooms, and many other places. The next morning, I was off to the Bristol airport to catch a flight to Dublin.
Dublin was my second favourite city I visited on my trip, the first being Edinburgh. Ireland is a beautiful and enchanting country. Everyone who visits understands why everyone wants to claim a bit of Irish blood. I took a 5 day tour through the republic of Ireland (there's the ROI and Northern Ireland) and I truly fell in love with the place. I can't wait to go back. While I was in England, I saw many beautiful sights but they were all man made structures. In Ireland, much like it is in Scotland, the beauty is in the natural world, taking your breath away at least once a day. Our first day saw us walking on the Hill of Tara, amongst sheep and, well, more sheep. The next day we found ourselves spending the night in Galway, a charming, seaside city, bustling with activity. We watched Irish dancing at one pub and ended the evening at another, sharing pints and laughing. I formed some very strong friendships that night. The next night was in Doolin, home of traditional celtic music. We all sat around, sipping our pints, while we listened to a few of the locals sing and play. I wouldn't trade that memory for all the money in the world. We then went to Killarney and our bonds of friendship strengthened even more in that small town. When we got back to Dublin, none of us wanted to say goodbye. I was glad when I ran into a friend from the tour that night, while walking down the street. I saw some things that blew my mind in Ireland. I saw the Cliffs of Moher (aka the Cliffs of Insanity in The Princess Bride), I walked in the Atlantic ocean, and I stood on the most western point of Europe, arguing with Kevin, our tour guide, over the correct pronunciation of Newfoundland (he said that because it was discovered by an Irishman, they get naming rights. I told him that it's my feckin' country. I get naming rights. He said, "fair enough.".
Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and with a heavy heart, I boarded a plane the next morning bound for Canada.
So I learned three important things about myself on this trip, one for each country.
Scotland- If I try new things and strive to accomplish things, I will find that I (a)like it and (b) will succeed.
England- I can survive on my own and make my way through cities on foot.
Ireland- I'm actually a pretty cool person and I just need to remember to let go and have fun with life.
Apparently I have come back as a changed person. I can see it at times but not as much as everyone else does. All I know is that I'm planning on going back to Ireland next summer.
Before the meet-up.
From left to right: Number 7 of 14 Katina aka Temptation; The Deuce of 14 Alicia aka 2-Captivating; The Ace of 14 Shatonja aka Desired-1 and The Quad of 14 ME aka Enigma.
Sunday I went to the Houston International Festival with the husband in the kiddo and got in touch with my roots. The festival featured Ireland this year. The weather was perfect -- overcast and windy. This meant it wasn't too hot, a nice breeze was blowing through our hair and the lighting was perfect for taking pictures!.
Me and the kiddo.
This guy was just adorable!
Houston's Championship Irish Dancers.
A belly dancer.
that my whole body tenses up and i can feel all the pent up energy boiling and racing through my body that I just have to squeal, run around, yell weird noises, bug my mother, create something, bounc off the walls...
release... its harder to find mediums of such release of energy in the winter... my mom suffers from this in the winter.. my cousin and i have been planning a trip to visit my irish mother in county cork ireland and it got me all jazzed and i ran upstairs to just have somewhere to run to haha. i guess my mom can tell from the way i come up the stairs her first words.. 'whats got you all wound up this time?' haha oh i adore her.
so i think im going to hula hoop to release some steam and energy so i dont freak out everyone at work with my abundant essence.
.adVENTure pixie.
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
My apologies to all of you who celebrated on Saturday, but I was busy with my birthday and couldn't be bothered with the holiday of a long-dead saint.
Out of curiousity, do any of you know why you celebrated St. Patrick's Day on Saturday? No, not because it is easier to get drunk and revel on a Saturday as opposed to a Monday. Actually, it is because March 17 is a Roman Catholic feast day. By order of the church, the celebration of a feast day cannot happen during Holy Week (which begins today). The last time this happened was in 1940, when the celebration was observed on April 3. Now, this year; the next time it will happen is 2160.
How about St. Patrick? What do you all know about him? As it turns out, he isn't even Irish. He was born in Britain sometime in the end of the 4th century. At the age of 16 he was captured as a slave and taken to Ireland to work. For six years he labored as a sheep herder, until he escaped back to Britain. Eventually, he felt a calling and returned to Ireland as a missionary and began teaching Christianity to the people. There are tons of legend and lore about him, one of the most common being the driving of the snakes out of Ireland. Historians seem to agree that this was not representative of actual snakes, but likely references the Druids and their religion, prevalent at the time. It is also said that he used the shamrock to teach Christianity by using the three leaves to represent the Holy Trinity.
Finally, let's talk about the green. Apparently, green is not at all the color that symbolizes St. Patrick. He is known for wearing blue and was always represented by the color. Sometime around 1750, the celebrations of the west bastardized the tradition and turned the color into green, which most people associate with Ireland.
There you have it, a brief tutorial in why people go out of their way to get drunk this time of year. Hooray for St. Patrick, the British-born, not-really-a-saint person, who may or may not have died on March 17 in either 461 or 493 A. D.
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