Washington state bound!

By the time most of you read this, I will be heading west on a flight to Washington state. The roommate I had while studying in Ireland this past summer, Alex, lives there, and I am so excited to be able to spend the next 9 days with her. It’ll be the first time we’ve seen each other since Ireland, so this is an anxiously awaited reunion for sure. Though we won’t be in Ireland, I’ve heard Washington state has very similar scenery and weather, and I think that’s as close as one can hope to get without actually going to Ireland.

Since I will be posting tons of pictures while I’m in Washington state, I thought I’d post a few pictures of Alex and I from Ireland. Though we won’t be in the incredible city of Galway together, I am excited to experience Alex’s home state and get to know her family and friends. Though I have been to Washington state once before, I was only about 8 or 9 years old, so I don’t remember much. Therefore, it will be like I’m going there for the very first time, which is always exciting! 🙂

In Galway, Ireland.

 

At Bunratty Castle.

At the Roisin Dubh in Galway.

Stay tuned for pictures and bits and pieces of my adventures in Washington over the next 9 days! 🙂

Books, books, books galore!

Currently, I am visiting a friend in Virginia, and for Christmas she gave me a gift card to an amazing used bookstore in Lynchburg called Bookshop on the Avenue. Since this wasn’t my first time in this particular used bookstore, I knew my way around a bit and was able to navigate from the classics section upstairs to the abundant general fiction section downstairs that held my heart and soul.

I love everything about used bookstores. The smells, the way the books are even in piles on the floor because of the lack of shelf space, and the way it’s possible to find some really great treasures if you’re willing to take the time to dig a little bit. However, this particular used bookstore adventure was even more amazing because rather than spending my own money on books, I had a gift card. Yes, I was going to get books, and they would be free.

Here are the treasures I found:
1. Run by Ann Patchett– I have read Truth & Beauty by Ann Patchett, and I loved it. Since Truth & Beauty is probably one of the best books I’ve read in a while, I’m excited to enjoy another great read by the same author. When I found this signed first edition of a book I haven’t read by Ann Patchett for only $5.95, I definitely couldn’t pass it up!
2. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See– I’ve read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan as well as Peony in Love by Lisa See, and they have both been absolutely amazing, so I knew that I couldn’t pass up another great read. I can’t wait to read it.
3. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers– I was excited to find this treasure since I have been wanting to read it for quite a while. A friend of mine read it a few months back and said she thought I’d like it, so I can’t wait to see if she’s right.

At this point, it seems as though I have more books in my To Be Read pile than I know what to do with. However, since classes of the spring semester don’t start back until January 14th, I figure I have plenty of time to at least make a good dent into my constantly-growing pile.

Photo Friday: Missing Ireland.

I’m spending my Friday following Thanksgiving not shopping, but in my house with coffee and The Weepies on Pandora writing a research paper on mysticism and mental illness. Though music by The Weepies does make the process somewhat bearable, I still wish I was somewhere else. But not just anywhere else…..specifically, Ireland.

Cliffs of Moher, Ireland.

Missing Ireland.

Ireland-Summer 2012

I’ve been missing Ireland recently, and with that strong sense of missing I am filled with a sense of hope….hope that I found another place I love and hope that one day I will return to a place that showed me what it is to feel truly alive. My 5 weeks studying abroad in Ireland this past summer were the hardest and best 5 weeks I’ve ever had. Heck, I made the decision to spend 5 full weeks in a foreign country where I didn’t know a single person beforehand. Thankfully, I could speak the language, though at times the accents took some getting used to (no matter how much I loved them). I experienced things I never dreamed: I climbed to the top of an Irish castle, I sat in numerous pubs and enjoyed traditional Irish music, which the locals called “trad,” I experienced the horror and excitement of having to remember which direction traffic was coming from, I enjoyed Bulmer’s Hard Cider to my heart’s content, and I made some of the most incredible friends. For the first time, I really did take a bite out of life. Actually, I ate the whole dang cake!

A quote from Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy sums up my experience perfectly:

“Sometimes the briefest moments capture us, force us to take them in, and demand that we live the rest of our lives in reference to them.”

My heart is in Texas.

I haven’t been to Texas in a few years. However, over the past two weeks, I’ve been missing it more and more. Through loving Texas and North Carolina (which are two very, very different states), I’ve learned that it’s possible to feel like you belong in more places than just one. Yes, I absolutely love North Carolina. The mountains have allowed me to find a true happiness within myself that I didn’t know existed until recently. However, there is something about Texas that acts almost like a force of gravity. I don’t know if it’s the big Texas sky (which seems simple, but is one of the most incredible kinds of natural beauty I’ve found), the connection to my country roots, the amazing Texas bbq (which is so much better than southern bbq, at least in my opinion), the wildflowers in the spring, the amazing music scene or the huge sense of pride than those living in Texas seem to have for their home state. Either way, I absolutely love it, and every time that I’ve visited, it’s been harder and harder to leave.

 

 

 

An I’ll grab the wheel and point it west
Pack the good and leave the rest
I’ll drive until I find the missing piece
You said I wouldn’t get too far on a tank of gas
And an empty heart
But I have everything I’ll ever need
I got this old guitar and a brand new set of strings-Miranda Lambert

Ireland detox: not as hard as I expected.

I returned from Ireland late Thursday night, or more accurately, during the wee hours of Friday morning. Even though I wasn’t quite sure how I would adjust to being back, I’ve drifted back into my life in North Carolina pretty nicely. However, at this point I’ve also realized that it’s only been a few days. A week from now I could be longing for Ireland in every fiber of my being. For now though, I’m loving being back.

I think it also has something to do with the fact that I’m jumping back into routines soon, so it’s not as if I’m sitting around for a few months before really getting back to my life. For instance, I start back at my internship with Lark Books (a book publisher in Asheville) tomorrow, I move in to my very first apartment on the 15th of August, and classes of the fall semester and my first day back to work at the bookstore both begin on the 20th of August. Therefore, I have things to look forward to and prepare for, which I’m thankful for. If I came back from Ireland with all this time to sit and think about what I was missing, I think it would be a lot harder to adjust to being back.

I also just love where I live, so it’s not as if I left the beauty of Ireland to come back to a place that I didn’t like. I absolutely love living among the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, and I’m even more anxious to head back to Asheville so that I can be among my friends again. However, there are definitely things that I miss, most of which are the people who I met and got to know. Even though I know that I won’t keep up with all of the people who I met in my study abroad group, I know that there are a few that I’ll keep up with just because we connected so well when over in Ireland. In terms of smaller things, it’s a bummer that I have to go from being able to drink in Ireland to not being legal yet in the states. However, when I was Ireland, I talked to this Irish guy who said that he went over to the US when he was 20, and it sucked that he had been able to drink for 2 years in his home country only to come to the US and not be able to. Yeah, I agreed with him that that would have been much harder.

Despite knowing that there will be things that I’ll miss about Ireland, I know that I’ll find a way to go back one day if it’s something that I really want. However, during my time in Ireland, I also realized how many places there are in the United States that I’m longing to visit too. Therefore, maybe when the travel bug bites again, I’ll settle to head somewhere in my home country. I’ve got so many options regarding terrain though. I think that’s what’s so great about the US. There are so many different places that are a relatively short distance apart, especially compared to the distance between the US and a place like Ireland. Now that I’ve been to Ireland, I have no doubt that I’ll want to explore all the different areas in the US as much as I can.

Saying goodbye to Ireland tomorrow.

Since I’m flying home tomorrow morning, this song seemed appropriate. Gotta love James Taylor! 🙂

When in Ireland, visit Dublin, the city of street performers.

Since I’m a lover of live music, I loved all the street performers I came across in Dublin yesterday!

 

 

When in Ireland, hurl yourself into experiences.

Today I went to Dublin with my study abroad group, and it was a blast. Even though my favorite thing we visited today was definitely the Book of Kells at Trinity College, the highlight of my day was sitting with my study abroad program director, Finn, after visiting the Book of Kells and just talking.

I told Finn about my writing, my home, and just gave her a bit of a look into who I really am. She has been a wonderful person to be able to count on while I’ve been in Ireland, and I know that I wouldn’t have enjoyed myself as much if it wasn’t for how comfortable she’s made me feel and how accomadating she’s been. Anyway, during our conversation she said, “A few days ago Kevin [her husband] and I were talking, and we both mentioned how we hope that one day our kids can grow up to be just like you. You are a true inspiration.”

Cue tears. No really. It made me feel so so amazing, and I’m still in shock. I’ve heard numerous people tell me over the past few months and years and practically my whole life how much of an inspiration I am…not just to kids with disabilities, but people in all walks of life. No amount of words can express how touched those compliments make me feel. Most of all, however, it’s hard to know how to react since in my mind, I’m just being myself.

Finn went on to say this: “Amelia, not everyone in your situation would go out and take life by the balls. I know people who would just sit inside all day and list all the ways that they are limited. But Amelia, in my eyes, you’re not limited. You’re doing this…full force and without hesitation. You’ve broken down those limits a while ago.”

Though I understand what Finn is trying to say, I know deep down that I still have limits. However, even though I am limited, I still go out and do as much as I can for as long as I can….here in Ireland and in life in general. However, in terms of Ireland itself, there hasn’t been a choice. Sitting around and missing out on things isn’t even an option. I don’t know when I’ll get this opportunity again, so I’ve got to take it while I’ve got it. So I’m going out and doing as much as I can so that I can get the full feel of this experience. Opportunities like this don’t come around every day. And even though I know that one day I’ll be coming back to Ireland, I’ve got to experience as much as I can now. Right now, I want to completely hurl myself into these experiences. It’s what I’ve done so far, and it’s been absolutely amazing.

When in Ireland, visit the Aran Islands.

I just got back from a lovely day at Inis Mor, the largest of the three Aran Islands. “Inis Mor” actually translates to “big island.” Even though I didn’t get to see the popular fort that many people visit when going to Inis Mor because the trek was quite steep and had lots of rocks, but it was still a great day exploring a cute little island. Since I had some time to myself while the rest of my group headed up to the fort, I snapped away with my camera (and got some great shots) and did some pleasure reading. And of course, my day was complete when I ended my time on the island with a double scoop of chocolate ice cream. No harm in that, right?