Travel

 

I've been to many different places during the last month; from Dingle Peninsula to the british city Belfast - and lately, a dream came true when I finally got to see the Cliffs of Moher.
All of these trips included getting up very early, finding (mostly) very complicated routes to get there and exhaustion at the end of the day, but I loved every single bit of it. Travelling from the East to the West was such a good experience - something I'll never forget, for sure. Seeing all those great (or, as the Irish people would say, 'grand') made me realise how big our world actually is, and how different I was 5 months ago, when I had never lived in another country before and the world seemed so much smaller to me. Just because we're born in one place, doesn't mean it's our destiny to stay there forever.

All those places had their different qualities - Dingle for example was absolutely beautiful with its long, curvy roads and the wide Atlantic ocean next to it. There were so many beautiful bays with long, sandy beaches, surrounded by massive cliffs, and the view was stunning, as you can see in the first picture.

My trip to Belfast was very interesting because I got to see the second largest city in Ireland and all the different customs and habits of the Northern Irish people, that years ago refused to be a part of Ireland and now belong to the United Kingdom. They have a very funny, kinda british accent, use pounds and have red phone boxes and black taxis. It looks very different compared to Dublin: More businness buildings, Victorian-styled houses and a completely different scenery in general. It was raining all day, but me and my friends still had fun and enjoyed spending time at the Titanic Museum, which I can highly recommend. It doesn't only offer a very interesting history, but also various, diversified activities for visitors.

The Cliffs of Moher were probably the perfect choice to finish my travel-journey in Ireland. Since I arrived in Dublin, I always wanted to go there, but they always seemed too far away.
But, of course, there are always ways, and I actually don't care driving by bus for more than 3 hours anymore.
For those of you, who don't know anything about the cliffs: They are one of the most famous sights in Ireland and also featured in some movies - Harry Potter and The Halfblood Prince is probably the most famous one. Their highest point reaches 214 metres, and there are two possible ways to walk along the Cliffs: The secure one behind the fence, and the one for rebellious people next to the fence. Guess which one I chose.
The view was both terryifying and stunning, and the weather was absolutely perfect. To be honest, I wouldn't mind going back there right now!
My journey in Ireland may end in a few weeks, but my wish to travel and to see the world won't. And, as the author Susan Sontag so truly said: I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list!

Spring in Ireland

I'm so sorry for not posting anything during the last weeks (or is it even more than one month?) but I've been very busy and didn't really have the time until now. Things changed a lot since the last time I wrote a blog post: It's now pretty warm here in Dublin, and today we got almost 18 degrees (which I enjoyed while staying at the Citycenter). I was on holidays for the past 2 weeks, so it was actually pretty hard waking up at 6.45 yesterday - but I've already got the sad feeling that I'll get used to it very quickly. There were some nice things taking place during the last month in March: St. Patrick's Day for example, where we got a day off and stayed at the citycenter to watch the big parade and the green, white and orange crowd freeking out; every part of the city went crazy for the whole day. And I just can't imagine Austrian people celebrating our national day like that - I guess, most of us don't even know when it actually takes place or why, it's just there.
While it was getting warmer and warmer, I also did some nice trips - I went to Killiney Beach, which was stony but still very nice, Phoenix Park and Dublin Zoo. On the 28th of March, finally the Easter holidays started and my family came over to visit me. We did some great trips around Ireland and had a very nice dinner at my host family's house, and I really enjoyed seeing my parents and host parents getting on with each other so well. I originally intended to fly home for Easter with them after some days, but - guess what - on the day we booked or flight and arrived at the aiport, I realised that I hadn't taken my passport with me, which meant that I had to take another flight the next day (I guess hearing this makes you wonder about my IQ, and believe me - I did the same, too).
Well, after all I had some nice days at home and it was great seeing my family and friends again, but now I'll just concentrate on my time here and enjoy my last 6 weeks  - I really can't believe that this is actually my time here left, even though the day I first came here feels like years away. I've met so many nice people and saw so many new things, and I already know that finally going back will be very strange. Since I'm here, I've developed a very new way of thinking, mostly driven by "Wanderlust"... I want to see places all around the world, and I want to learn more about the different cultures, just like I did over here. But well, I shouldn't talk like my time here is already over. I've got more than one month left, and I there are still so many things to do.

Sweet Sixteen & The Big Debate

I'm sixteen by now, and I still can't believe it. It doesn't really make a difference here in Ireland, or at least not as much as it would chnge things in Austria.

But I'm still very happy about my birthday celebration here; I had dinner at Nando's in Dun Laoghaire, with the best people I got the pleasure to meet during the last two months. Both Irish Girls and Austrian! I also invited a Spanish friend, but unfortunately she couldn't make it in time.

I was wearing a crown the whole evening,  while we we're having wraps, chips and everything else you can combine with chicken. I loved it, even though I didn't realise how spicy the sauce  was until I put it on my salad and nearly started crying because of it.

We stayed at the Restaurant for more than three hours. When I went home by bus and looked out of the big window in front of me, I just felt so happy to have so good friends.

 

28.February, Friday - The Debate

 

"Does Fashion industry harm society?"
That was the motion we had to debate about today. Me and my team were opposing, the other school was proposing - and it was a great discussion, to be honest. We had very good arguments, but the other team as well. There was a big podium in the middle with a  microphone in front of it, and four tables for the   teams on  the left and right side next to it. In front of the podium were lots of tables for the supporter-students, and two tables for the judges.
Standing in front of so many people, and making a speech in a different language other than my mothertongue was  a bit strange, because Í had to be very confident - which felt a bit like acting, thorough nearly everyone around me had better English than me.
But it went surprisingly well. I was a bit shaky in the beginning, but I got the feeling that I got more confident with every sentence.
After everyone of us spoke, which took about one and a half hours, the judges announced the winner: Us! I felt extremely happy in that  moment, and everyone was clapping and shouting. I know, it's just a debate and everything, but it was a very big  thing for me and I felt so proud of my  team. We really made it! I don't think I'll ever forget the next couple of minutes, and the feeling I had when I finished my speech and realised that it wasn't that bad.

 

 

 

New Hostfamily & Midterm Break

I know I haven't been blogging for a long time now, and I'm really sorry about that - but the last weeks have been so busy!

Luckily, I'm absolutely happy with my new host family. They are so nice and funny, and even though I was a bit sad in the beginning because I had to find a new routine and everything, I settled in very quick. The whole family is so welcoming and open-minded, and I love sitting together with them in the kitchen, just to drink a cup of tea and have a talk.

Next to the fact that I got a new place to live for the next three months, I also had Midterm-Break last week, which is quite similiar to the holidays we have in Austria in February. There were pretty much things to do: Aoibhe, one of my closest friends here at school, invited me to her sleepover! My other Austrian friend and two other Irish friends were also there, and it was so much fun. And I also made the experience, that sleepovers in Ireland don't really differ from sleepovers in Austria: Eating lots of absolutely delicious & unhealthy stuff, watching movies and YouTube Videos and just chatting about everything. I had such a great feeling of  belonging  this day, and was very happy about my new friends. And on the next day, which was Pancake Tuesday - guess what we had for breakfast? It's actually a very cool tadition, but I'd never heard of that before. Maybe because on the same day, we're very busy with "Fasching" in Austria, which you can compare to Carneval.

I also did lots of trips during Mitdterm-Break: Bray, Howth, Killiney, Dalkey and Malahide - just along the coast. I went with two Austrian friends, and it was always the same: We went by Dart (which I can highly recommend - the journey itself is fascinating!), got out at a place that sounded good and then looked for a hill or something to climb on. We wanted to make the most of our time here, and I think it's great to get out of the Citycenter to see more of the environment around it. Even though the weather wasn't always perfect - when we went on the top of the Howth Cliffs, it started storming and raining heavily - it was one of the best experiences I had here. In Austria I never loved hiking or things like that, but being that close to our nature can be actually amazing.

Bad News

 

I didn't have to go to School yesterday, and what was supposed to be a relaxing Wednesday, ended up being a very strange and also sad day.

I went up at about nine o'clock in the morning, because I wanted to use my free time wise and go to the Gym early. I was just about to leave and already had my shoes on, when my hostmum told me that we had to talk.

She told me that I had to move and explained why, and even though the news were very shocking and unexpected, I understood why. I hope you guys accept that I won't tell you the reasons because I don't think that belongs on the Internet, but I just wanted to inform you because I want to keep you up-to-date about my time here.

I try to stay optimistic, because that's the only thing I can do. Of course it's sad because I already had my daily routine here and things like that, but it just doesn't always work like you want it to and when I look at the circumstances, I don't think that I'm in a position to complain. I just hope that my new host Family is going to be nice and that it's not far away from my school and my friends here.

 

It was good going to the Gym yesterday, because I had plenty of time to think while I was doing Cardio, and time went by very quick. I decided not to take the bus home and to try a new way, which was a good idea because I found a very nice place.

 

 

 

The next days are going to be stressful, even though Midterm Break starts on Monday. I'm very excited and I'd really like to know when and where I'm going to move, but all I can do is wait until my agency found a new family.

Kodaline Concert

Today was one of the greatest days ever. Thanks to Sofia, who got us the Tickets! It was a special offer, because you had to buy Kodalines' new album to get the tickets, which were based on first-come, first-served. So there were about hundred tickets, and Sofia went to the shop at 9 in the morning on Friday to get us some. But she wasn't allowed to buy more than one - and she had to pick random people from the street to get the other tickets, and they had to give her their contact details because we're under eightteen. Well, very complicated, but she finally managed to do so.

 

We met at 12 o'clock at St. Stephen's Green, and then went to Whelan's, the pub where they were playing. There was a long queue in front of the pub, and we were kind of scared because we had no idea what the names of the people were that gave the guy at the CD shop their contact details, but luckily they didn't ask and we finally went inside. There were about fifty people in front of the stage, and we went to the left side. After about fifteen minutes, the band went on stage - and they were so nice and relaxed! When the leadsinger, Steve, took off his jacket, the female part of the audience started screaming, and he said: "Guys, stop it - I'm not going to get naked!" The pub was not very big, so there was kind of a conversation between band and audience, what I really liked because the concerts I've been to before were so much bigger and there wasn't even a chance for that.
They promoted some songs of their new album, but also played their most famous singles like "High Hopes" or "All I want". It was such a good atmosphere and all of them have so good voices; their live performance sounded like their recorded songs, if not even better.

Sadly, it was over after only 50 minutes, but we wanted to make a picture of them so badly so we waited in front of the exit for them to get out. A guy told us that they would come out at the front door and we didn't really believe him, but everyone went there, so we did, too.
After fifteen minutes of waiting inside of the big queue, the big black car drove away and we knew, that they would leave at the other exit, so we ran back - unfortunately, too late. All we managed to see was a big, screaming crowd and a guy who closed the doors of the car. We couldn't really see inside because the windows were very dark, but when we waved our hands we could see them waving back.

 

After our stalking-failure we went back to the shoppingscenter, bought some chocolate milk and sat down. It was a really nice afternoon and I'm so glad to be here.

A normal Friday and an extraordinary Milkshake

Today was a very exhausting day, but as you can see in the picture, it had a great ending. I had to do two presentations and one speech at school, and I'm always so nervous when I have to speak in front of so many people, even though I really like my class and most of these projects are more funny than serious.
So, first class: Speech about Emma Watson, second class: Presentation about the Cultural Revolution in China, and fifth class: French presentation. That was probably the hardest, because I always have to translate the things I hear or say twice: Firstly from French into German, and than from German into English - or the other way around. I guess this is one of the reasons why I nearly fell asleep at the bus after school.
Unfortunately, there were some road works on my way to Dun Laoghaire, so I had to get out of the bus earlier and walk about fifteen minutes to my friend Magdalena. I didn't really mind walking, but I had no idea which direction I should take to come to the busstation she told me to meet up.
Since today, Google Maps is my best friend.

I finally managed to find her and we went to her house so she could change clothes (well, I had to stay in my nun-uniform) and then took the 75 bus to Dundrum, where we went to Eddie Rockets. It looks like and old, American diner, and I really expected waiters in rollerblades. Unfortunately, it seems like this is not as common as I thought. We ordered Nutella- and Oreo-Milkshakes, and while we were waiting we admired the view from the window next to us. You could see the shoppingcenter (now that I write it down it doesn't look that impressing anymore, but honestly, it's a very nice shoppingcenter) and parts from the city in the back. God, I'm still dreaming of this milkshake. It tasted like heaven.

I should go to sleep now, because I have to get up early tomorrow. I'll take the bus to the citycenter at 10 and after that, I'll go to theKodaline concert, because a very nice girl from my class got me a ticket for it! She's just the best.