Thanks a Million

I am sitting in the Shannon Airport wondering what to say in my very last blog post ever about Ireland. The last few days of been a a glob of cleaning and packing I feel like I did not get to say a proper goodbye to Galway or the swans. So here is my goodbye.
It was always my dream to travel abroad. There was something about living in a foreign country that intrigued me, it did not even matter what country at first. When Father Art suggested I apply for the Ireland trip last minute I thought it was a sign, I was meant to go to Galway. Looking back on it I am not sure if I still believe that, but none the less I was there and it was grand. In all my expectations for studying abroad I never expected what I got. For some reason I pictured this magical fairy land where every moment of every day would be fantastic and I would never want to leave. Well Ireland, I do want to leave and it was not your fault but it was not all magic and fairytales. Sure there is bits and pieces that are magical thrown here and there, like the castles scattered around and I swear their are fairy's adding magic to the food to make in absolutely amazing. But it was just life in another country. Things went wrong and things went good. The most surprising part of the trip is that I was living on my own. I was more on my own then I ever have been and although it was hard, it is that part of this experience I am most thankful for. I can take care of myself a million miles from home, navigate my way through europe on my own which is something I never would have experience on my own.
I loved going to pubs and having a pint, not because I could drink but because of the way that they do it. Sitting in a pub by a fire filled with peet with your friends drinking the best beer in the world (Paulner) is an irreplaceable memory that I will have forever.
The swans will always hold a special place in my heart, the way they protected Donegan Court.
I wil miss my runs to the lighthouse.
I will miss walking along the canal.
I will miss the children I met at Schol Bridge.
I will miss you Galway.
Thanking for assisting in the journey to finding out who I am.

Amsterdam

Over spring break I decided to adventure europe! This included four stops in four different countries, the first stop: Amsterdam, Netherlands!!

Lets just say Amsterdam is unlike and place that I have ever been to before. There are all types of people everywhere speaking all sorts of languages. The architecture was amazing, just walking around the city would take days, observing the buildings and seeing canals on each street, it was a really beautiful city. 

Of course Amsterdam does live up to its reputation of being a crazy city loaded with normally illegal drugs around every corner. We got to see the best of this sin city by staying in a Christian Hostel  in the middle of the Red Light District which was busy all day and all night. It was like walking around another world. And Im not going to lie, I do not know how I felt about it. So many things kept secret in America were advertised on ever road and every corner. It was an adventure but I am not sure that I would ever go back again. 

I must emphasize that it was a very beautiful city! And we go to see a lot. One of the first things we did was wait in line for about an hour to get into the house that Anne Frank and her family were hidden in. Seeing the inside of the house was a very remarkable experience, her pictures that she hung up on the walls were still there. The children's height was marked on the wall. Besides for the removed furniture, everything was exactly how it was back then. 

After this we tried to lighten our moods by going to the Heineken Factory! Different from the Guinness factory but just as exciting and fun! 

The next day we went to the Keukenhof Garden where there were hundreds of gardens filled with tulips! The sun was out and the flowers were gorgeous. On the way we say fields and fields of all different types of colors. I would be lying if I didnt say I was thinking of Anacortes the entire day. And although the gardens and the flowers were breathtakingly gorgeous, Skagit Valley Tulip Festival takes the cake! 

Overall Amsterdam was the start of a very adventurous trip!