Wistful Writings and Wonderings

Hey! So, I've been back for a little over a month now, and it has been, well, eventful. I have a summer job I just started, a summer science class that I'm about to finish, some time for dancing, time for friends,and I just turned 21. My family unfortunately went through an emergency, which we've made it through by God's grace. It's been kind of stressful, but it also made it so that my sister who lives in Texas was here for a few weeks, which has provided a completely different set of adventures. My sister from North Carolina also came by for a few days, and various relatives and family friends have been amazing. I'm working in a department store now, which is exponentially better than working at a gas station convenience store. There are no angry people who get grouchy when you ask for ID when they get cigarettes, most people pay with their cards so there's less cash to handle, it's just a nicer place, and I get to choose what I wear as long as it...

Hey All! So, I'm home now. I still can't believe it, though, any of it: that I went at all, that so much happened while I was there, that four months have passed since day 1, that over a year has passed since I got the call that I was going at all, and that all of a sudden, that particular adventure is over. Time is such a funny thing. Like I said before, though, I believe that the end of this journey just paves the way for something new, and I am excited to see what and where that is.  Despite that, I can't deny that I very truly miss my home in Northern Ireland. It's been really weird being home. Driving home from the airport I started to freak out a little when my Dad got off the highway and onto the smaller roads, because I was so unused to driving on the right side of the road. It's sad when I look out the window and can't see the river running through the rolling green hills, or when I go on a walk and it's just not at all the same as taking a walk i...

Wow, I can't believe I'm saying this, but this is the last post I'll be writing from the Emerald Isle. My flat is cleaned, my bags are packed, and today is the last day before I head to Belfast for the weekend before catching a flight back to the States. Tonight I had a farewell dinner with some of the spectacular friends I've made here, and after that my host parents took me out one last time for coffee. It's all so... final. That makes me really sad, but I am also really looking forward to seeing my family and friends once again- it really has been far too long since I've been with them. These last couple of weeks since my grand adventures around the UK have been pretty chill, actually. Mostly due to my lack of funds and to-do-before-I-leave list, I haven't gone out very much. I did take a few walks, though, and spent some time just being outside in this special place. Coleraine certainly isn't as fast-paced of an setting as what I'd gotten used ...

Hey! So this will be the last post concerning my Easter Break trips (Woohoo!!!). Don't get me wrong- I feel enormously blessed and beyond thrilled that all this stuff happened, that so many amazing adventures were had and places visited that this is the 5th post I've needed in a string of very long posts to tell everyone about it. It's not that I don't like telling people, or writing my thoughts down at all- it's just that it takes lots and lots of time. Not sure if you realized this, but I did word-counts of the last four and each one of them have surpassed the 2500 word mark. So basically what that means is I've essentially written four ten+-page papers in the span of a week and a half, and now I'm started on the 5th. I suppose it's a good thing that writing is my profession of choice, then. : ) Now, on to the good stuff. And it is, I assure you, good stuff. Bath is officially one of my favorite cities. It almost ranks as #1 in fact, except that I ha...