I arrived last evening at Belfast International Airport and was greeted with....wait for it....
A BLIZZARD! Hello, Northern Ireland! Why is it that everytime my plane lands here it's snowing??
No worries. A friend of mine named Tom picked me up from the airport with two of his mates and is allowing me to stay at his family's house in Kilrea (near Coleraine) for two nights before I head to Ballycastle. It's really the first time I've been a guest in a proper Irish home and I couldn't ask for better hospitality. A giant,fresh bed with an en suite fully stocked with luxury bath products awaited me along with the lovely Mullin family who is constantly making sure I'm well fed and happy. I love Irish hospitality.
The sun was shining today, although it was still a bit cold. I guess I can't complain since the coat I'm using here would still probably suffice only for September and October in Minnesota. Besides the weather, it feels AMAZING to be back amongst rolling green hills and sheep wandering everywhere. It also is quite nice understanding the locals speech, whereas last year when I arrived I couldn't pick out any English for a good few weeks.
Tom is kindly driving me up to Ballycastle tomorrow afternoon, so I'll update probably tomorrow night. Unfortunately I won't have my computer for another few weeks and depending on when my boxes arrive won't have my camera cord either. I haven't been taking really any pictures so far anyway, but the time will come!
cheers
Karen
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Edinburgh
Good afternoon! Or morning still I guess for the MN folks.
My weekend in Edinburgh was quite delightful. I didn't really know what to expect, but it was an extremely old, gothic-looking city with big clocktowers and the massive Edinburgh castle sitting in the middle overlooking everything...
I didn't go inside because it was over £20 (wow), but I admired it from below! All in all from the weekend I quite enjoyed:
-The (in my opinion) gorgeous Scottish accent. Don't know what they were saying to me half the time but it was quite pleasing in the audiological department
-Pints of Guinness. Apparently Scotland is one of the only places besides Ireland you can get one "worthy"
-Surprisingly cheap prices. I got a few very nice meals for just a couple pounds
-Watching the football (soccer) premiership. It's really growing on me...
Now I am back in Newcastle, enjoying my 7th day in a row of rain I believe. And by enjoying I mean not really enjoying that much...Oh well.
Got my first latte and scone this afternoon! Lovely.
Later,
Karen
My weekend in Edinburgh was quite delightful. I didn't really know what to expect, but it was an extremely old, gothic-looking city with big clocktowers and the massive Edinburgh castle sitting in the middle overlooking everything...
I didn't go inside because it was over £20 (wow), but I admired it from below! All in all from the weekend I quite enjoyed:
-The (in my opinion) gorgeous Scottish accent. Don't know what they were saying to me half the time but it was quite pleasing in the audiological department
-Pints of Guinness. Apparently Scotland is one of the only places besides Ireland you can get one "worthy"
-Surprisingly cheap prices. I got a few very nice meals for just a couple pounds
-Watching the football (soccer) premiership. It's really growing on me...
Now I am back in Newcastle, enjoying my 7th day in a row of rain I believe. And by enjoying I mean not really enjoying that much...Oh well.
Got my first latte and scone this afternoon! Lovely.
Later,
Karen
Friday, January 22, 2010
check
This morning I started...dun dun dun.....
Writing a book! Hooray! Probably won't be quite a bestseller since it is the first attempt I have ever made, but I have created a list of things I want to accomplish during my semester off school and this is a major one.
Writing a book! Hooray! Probably won't be quite a bestseller since it is the first attempt I have ever made, but I have created a list of things I want to accomplish during my semester off school and this is a major one.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
The Coast
I awoke this morning and decided to be adventurous and navigate the metro system. After a quick shower and a bowl of Jordan's Country Crisp, I put on my what would be autumn coat at home but gloriously my winter coat here and walked out the door. Instead of exploring downtown Newcastle, I decided to take the metro east and meander around the coast for the afternoon.
A tiny little girl with blonde curls clutching a doll with her grandma kept grinning at me on the train, so I said "Hello, what's you're name?". She replied in her toddler Jordie accent and I couldn't tell you what her name was for the life of me, but she seemed interested in my accent and came and sat next to me in my tiny seat and kept grinning at me the whole trip. Awkward, but pretty adorable.
The metro dropped be off at a place called Whitley Bay. I don't have my computer or camera cord to post photos, but it was a quaint little seaside shopping area with a big lighthouse. I found this photo on google, but I have an almost identical one that I took so I thought I'd post it for the time being:
I also stopped in a little cafe by the sea and got a £1.60 latte. I can never remember what jargon I'm supposed to use whenever I order coffee anywhere else than Caribou coffee, and apparently "small nonfat latte" didn't register at Whitley Bay. The clerk first asked me to repeat myself, and then said "so...semi skimmed milk will do?" Semi-skimmed I think means 1%, but I suppose it worked.
All in all, it felt good to walk around outside today and to finally start to have the effects of jetlag diminish.
Cheers til later
Karen
A tiny little girl with blonde curls clutching a doll with her grandma kept grinning at me on the train, so I said "Hello, what's you're name?". She replied in her toddler Jordie accent and I couldn't tell you what her name was for the life of me, but she seemed interested in my accent and came and sat next to me in my tiny seat and kept grinning at me the whole trip. Awkward, but pretty adorable.
The metro dropped be off at a place called Whitley Bay. I don't have my computer or camera cord to post photos, but it was a quaint little seaside shopping area with a big lighthouse. I found this photo on google, but I have an almost identical one that I took so I thought I'd post it for the time being:
I also stopped in a little cafe by the sea and got a £1.60 latte. I can never remember what jargon I'm supposed to use whenever I order coffee anywhere else than Caribou coffee, and apparently "small nonfat latte" didn't register at Whitley Bay. The clerk first asked me to repeat myself, and then said "so...semi skimmed milk will do?" Semi-skimmed I think means 1%, but I suppose it worked.
All in all, it felt good to walk around outside today and to finally start to have the effects of jetlag diminish.
Cheers til later
Karen
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Here
I made it! I am currently sitting in a little flat in Newcastle, England and looking out the window to an extremely drizzly day. It looks a lot like Ireland here to be honest, but the people that live in Newcastle (Jordies, as I have learned they are called) have accents that I've definitely never heard before. Some strange English-Scottish hybrid.
My plane ride(s) were semi grueling. My quick Minneapolis-Chicago was smooth, but my hopes were soon plummeting on the Chicago-London leg despite having 2 seats to myself when I realized the screaming baby one row up was indeed not going to shut up. The whole flight. Sometimes I feel like there should be cheaper seats if you're within ten rows of an infant, or all-infant flights, or whatever. Maybe that's mean, but I definitely mean it when I have to arrive in England after ten hours in travel with bloodshot eyes, disorientation from no sleep, and a frightening, intimidating immigration officer to deal with.
And frightening and intimidating she was. I suppose I DID maybe seem kind of suspicious with my only carry on and one way flight, but the UK has already issued me my work visa and I had all my travel documents with me, so there wasn't really anything she could do about her inkling that I was going to wreak havoc somewhere on her people. Pshhh. I rudely snatch my passport back after she just about stabs it with her little stamp and beckons me into England.
I rented a room at the Yotel (a hotel inside the airport) for 4 hours since I had a while between my arrival and my last flight, so at least I got a chance to shower and lay down for a bit. As tired as I was I was to nervous to fall asleep for fear that I wouldn't wake up in time to catch the 2 trains I needed to take to terminal 5.
My last flight was definitely the funniest. I guess no tourists or Americans or for that matter non locals at all travel from London to Newcastle, because everyone at the gate seemed to be blabbering away in their Jordie accent and staring and pointing at me. One of the male flight attendants came up to me in the flight and said "Are you from the UK?" I was hesitant to speak because it takes away any question surrounding what nationality I may be, but I had to respond so I merely said "no". I think even from such a small word people can detect American accents. He gave me sort of a cock eyed look and said "Aye, alright then".
Everything went very smoothly, surprisingly, but I cant believe how long it took me to be sitting here in this little living room on the other side of the world drinking instant coffee and eating my favorite UK cereal, Jordans Country Crisp. A thoughtful Northern Irish host went grocery shopping before I arrived and stocked his cupboards with (him rolling eyes, snorting in disgust) vegetarian friendly foods. Lovely :) He works until 6 pm, so I'm going to enjoy this bowl of cereal and perhaps go for a wee dander and explore.
Ta for now,
Karen
My plane ride(s) were semi grueling. My quick Minneapolis-Chicago was smooth, but my hopes were soon plummeting on the Chicago-London leg despite having 2 seats to myself when I realized the screaming baby one row up was indeed not going to shut up. The whole flight. Sometimes I feel like there should be cheaper seats if you're within ten rows of an infant, or all-infant flights, or whatever. Maybe that's mean, but I definitely mean it when I have to arrive in England after ten hours in travel with bloodshot eyes, disorientation from no sleep, and a frightening, intimidating immigration officer to deal with.
And frightening and intimidating she was. I suppose I DID maybe seem kind of suspicious with my only carry on and one way flight, but the UK has already issued me my work visa and I had all my travel documents with me, so there wasn't really anything she could do about her inkling that I was going to wreak havoc somewhere on her people. Pshhh. I rudely snatch my passport back after she just about stabs it with her little stamp and beckons me into England.
I rented a room at the Yotel (a hotel inside the airport) for 4 hours since I had a while between my arrival and my last flight, so at least I got a chance to shower and lay down for a bit. As tired as I was I was to nervous to fall asleep for fear that I wouldn't wake up in time to catch the 2 trains I needed to take to terminal 5.
My last flight was definitely the funniest. I guess no tourists or Americans or for that matter non locals at all travel from London to Newcastle, because everyone at the gate seemed to be blabbering away in their Jordie accent and staring and pointing at me. One of the male flight attendants came up to me in the flight and said "Are you from the UK?" I was hesitant to speak because it takes away any question surrounding what nationality I may be, but I had to respond so I merely said "no". I think even from such a small word people can detect American accents. He gave me sort of a cock eyed look and said "Aye, alright then".
Everything went very smoothly, surprisingly, but I cant believe how long it took me to be sitting here in this little living room on the other side of the world drinking instant coffee and eating my favorite UK cereal, Jordans Country Crisp. A thoughtful Northern Irish host went grocery shopping before I arrived and stocked his cupboards with (him rolling eyes, snorting in disgust) vegetarian friendly foods. Lovely :) He works until 6 pm, so I'm going to enjoy this bowl of cereal and perhaps go for a wee dander and explore.
Ta for now,
Karen
Monday, January 18, 2010
Departure Eve
It is the eve before my departure! I had a bit of a scare today when I tried to check-in online, was denied because of my suspicious one way ticket, and phoned the airline only to hear my ticket didn't exist. What?!?!
I am taking US Airways from Minneapolis to Chicago and switching to United from Chicago to London. Turns out, US Airways apparently doesn't get to have access to names of people who switch airlines on their journey. Either that or the woman on the phone was an idiot. Luckily I do have an existing ticket (500 pounds off my shoulders), but I still have to check in at the airport tomorrow morning personally rather than online probably thanks to 9/11 and Christmas Day incidents, etc. An innocent passenger who prefers only carry on luggage and a one way ticket is nowadays clearly code for trouble.
I'm shipping one large box and one small box to Corrymeela, so hopefully the majority of my things will greet me when I arrive in Ballycastle, Co. Antrim on January 31st. Til then, I'm making do with my wee carry on :) Many European airlines don't allow a second item either (i.e. purse, laptop bag, etc.) in addition to a carry on, so I didn't risk it. Should be nice and easy to carry at least! Until Tuesday afternoon when I finally touch down in Newcastle, let's all please cross our fingers I make all my connections, am not deemed a happy, innocent, non-dangerous passenger, don't have a panic attack mid flight over the Atlantic, or really for anything out of the ordinary to happen. Please!
I suppose until I'm settled in England then, ta for now.
-Karen
I am taking US Airways from Minneapolis to Chicago and switching to United from Chicago to London. Turns out, US Airways apparently doesn't get to have access to names of people who switch airlines on their journey. Either that or the woman on the phone was an idiot. Luckily I do have an existing ticket (500 pounds off my shoulders), but I still have to check in at the airport tomorrow morning personally rather than online probably thanks to 9/11 and Christmas Day incidents, etc. An innocent passenger who prefers only carry on luggage and a one way ticket is nowadays clearly code for trouble.
I'm shipping one large box and one small box to Corrymeela, so hopefully the majority of my things will greet me when I arrive in Ballycastle, Co. Antrim on January 31st. Til then, I'm making do with my wee carry on :) Many European airlines don't allow a second item either (i.e. purse, laptop bag, etc.) in addition to a carry on, so I didn't risk it. Should be nice and easy to carry at least! Until Tuesday afternoon when I finally touch down in Newcastle, let's all please cross our fingers I make all my connections, am not deemed a happy, innocent, non-dangerous passenger, don't have a panic attack mid flight over the Atlantic, or really for anything out of the ordinary to happen. Please!
I suppose until I'm settled in England then, ta for now.
-Karen
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
One week
Well...the countdown has officially begun. It's hard to believe I depart the states one week from today. I moved out of my room in the apartment I share with 4 friends in Dinkytown this afternoon and immediately unloaded and started organizing/packing my belongings once I got to Maple Grove. I'll be shipping one box...one very large box that is..directly to Corrymeela (the organisation I'll be volunteering with) in Ballycastle and bringing solely a carry-on for the first 12-day leg of my journey. I'm crossing my fingers that
A)My box arrives safe and sound in Ballycastle
B)I'm not over-estimating my packing abilities for my carry on bag. It's one thing to pack clothing for 12 days, and it's another thing to pack clothing that will keep me adequately stylish and comfortable among the English.
Maybe I haven't thoroughly explained my travel plans to anyone who may read this. I'm flying out on Monday, January 18th, enduring two layovers in Chicago and London Heathrow, and finally after a grueling trip touching down in Newcastle, England (a city in the northeast of England, nearly bordering Scotland) around 2:00 pm on January 19th. A friend who I met last year in Northern Ireland took a job in Newcastle last summer, and coincidentally airplane tickets to London were much cheaper than Belfast or Dublin. Hence, I am killing two birds with one stone by saving money and getting the opportunity to stay in England for a week or so before I head over to Northern Ireland. The friend I'm staying with is employed as an optometrist/optometrist in training at the moment, so I'll most likely have a lot of time to meander around Newcastle and see the sights. Eep!
I'm getting antsy now that one of my good friends, Alicia, just touched down a few days ago in her semester-long Caribbean destination and started blogging away. Also another friend, Missy, is spending the semester in Cork, Ireland and began blogging a few days ago as well. It's definitely my turn, and it is long overdue!! Ahhh! Please just let all my planes be on time and my bags and boxes make it to where they need to go.
One more week of organising, packing, probably stressing, and saying my goodbyes.
Ta,
Karen
A)My box arrives safe and sound in Ballycastle
B)I'm not over-estimating my packing abilities for my carry on bag. It's one thing to pack clothing for 12 days, and it's another thing to pack clothing that will keep me adequately stylish and comfortable among the English.
Maybe I haven't thoroughly explained my travel plans to anyone who may read this. I'm flying out on Monday, January 18th, enduring two layovers in Chicago and London Heathrow, and finally after a grueling trip touching down in Newcastle, England (a city in the northeast of England, nearly bordering Scotland) around 2:00 pm on January 19th. A friend who I met last year in Northern Ireland took a job in Newcastle last summer, and coincidentally airplane tickets to London were much cheaper than Belfast or Dublin. Hence, I am killing two birds with one stone by saving money and getting the opportunity to stay in England for a week or so before I head over to Northern Ireland. The friend I'm staying with is employed as an optometrist/optometrist in training at the moment, so I'll most likely have a lot of time to meander around Newcastle and see the sights. Eep!
I'm getting antsy now that one of my good friends, Alicia, just touched down a few days ago in her semester-long Caribbean destination and started blogging away. Also another friend, Missy, is spending the semester in Cork, Ireland and began blogging a few days ago as well. It's definitely my turn, and it is long overdue!! Ahhh! Please just let all my planes be on time and my bags and boxes make it to where they need to go.
One more week of organising, packing, probably stressing, and saying my goodbyes.
Ta,
Karen
Saturday, January 2, 2010
P.S.
My new flickr account is:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mo_chroi/
So I don't have to try to shove every possible photo into this blog...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mo_chroi/
So I don't have to try to shove every possible photo into this blog...
Friday, January 1, 2010
Promise
I promise to get religious with this blog again once I leave!
Which by the way is the afternoon of January 18th....
eep!
Which by the way is the afternoon of January 18th....
eep!
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