Growing up we all learn valuable lessons about safety. Don't touch the stove. Make sure you look both ways before crossing the street. Chew your food before you swallow. Don't talk to strangers (which, let's be honest, we all know I have a hard time not doing!) and definitely do not let a stranger into your car.
So why didn't I remember this last one this week? It all happened so fast and I must say up front that I WAS NOT THE ONE DRIVING!! Here I was, ready for a road trip with my friend from Spain- I think I was reaching for a piece of gum at the time- when the car slowed, my friend waved at someone I couldn't see, and before I knew it....a guy was getting in the car. Let me start by saying that I am indeed alive. No need to worry about my safety at any point of this recollection. However, I did learn many valuable lessons within the time we accidentally picked up a hitchhiker ( and by we, I mean I accidentally picked up a hitch hiker) and the time we dropped him off about an hour later. Before I tell the story, I'll have to give you a brief description about my friend who was driving. Her name is Solange and she is from Spain. She has been living in Ireland for three years now and has grown accustomed to the Irish ways of life. Needless to say I am learning a lot from her. And over the past few weeks, I have learned that she moves to the beat of her own drum, has a very Spanish temper when it comes to crazy drivers, can parallel park into the tiniest spaces imaginable, and doesn't always think before she acts. Hence the hitch hiker situation. I could spend a whole blog post on Solange alone because honestly you wouldn't believe how crazy this girl can be sometimes. However, I'll save that for another time. Today we are talking about the lessons I have learned from picking up a total stranger up from the side of the road. We had just let my gated neighbourhood -which is very nice and safe- when Solange slowed the car to a complete stop. Or more of slammed on the brakes! I know, that's a weird thing to do, but Solange has done this before - mainly to pull out something to eat, or check directions, or stop immediately if there is a Chinese restaurant (she LOVES Chinese food)- so I wasn't really alarmed. Until I saw her waving at someone. By the time I followed her line of vision, the guy was already heading to the car. Naturally my voice raised a few octaves out of alarm, "Solange what are you doing?!" She waved me off, "Giving him a ride. He's cute, no?" I was seriously questioning her sanity at this point, "That doesn't mean you pick them up!" Solange then hushed me as the young hitch hiker got into the car. Was he cute? Yeah sure. Did he look like a killer. Not really, but who ever really does? Was he carrying anything suspicious? Well, I was definitely eyeing his hiking bag pretty close. Who knows what could have been in there?! Anyway, before I could think to closely about the plot of Liam Neeson's movie Taken, the car was already moving forward and the car was quiet. Because even though Solange thought he was cute, and she is from Spain which you think she could talk his ear off, she can also be shy and chooses the oddest moments not to talk. And even though I thought this could be the way that I die, I can't help but talk. So before anything could get any more awkward, I did what I do best. I made conversation. So we talked. First it was about names. (You know, that way I would have a name to tell the police later if this whole thing went south.) His name was Ruben and he was from Scarriff, Ireland. Which is about 40 minutes from Limerick. He was my age and in very good physical condition, definitely not someone you could out run. ( You can be sure I was sizing up my competition and get away routes.) But the more we talked, I realised I wouldn't be needing to run anywhere or pull out the moves I learned from Jackie Chan in Rush Hour. We had only been traveling for 5 minutes and we were already talking like we were best friends. He was genuinely a nice guy and had good views of the world. We talked about his upbringing in Scarriff which is a very cute small town - but there's not much to do in terms of grown up activities, or so Ruben explained to me. " It was fine when I was younger and I could kick the football around all day. That's what all the kids did. But growing older, there wasn't much to do- unless all you wanted to do was drink. I don't know if you have noticed yet Marcy, (I let him believe that was my real name, far enough from the truth so he couldn't look me up again but close enough that I didn't feel bad for completely lying to him) but Irish people love to drink. There's more pubs in my town then anything else. And I'm not going to lie, I got caught up in that world for a while. But quicker than I got sucked in to the drinking lifestyle, I learned that I didn't want that to be my entire life like the rest of my close lads. I had to get out, so I took it literally." By this time we had plenty of time to talk because Solange decided to take this time to stop for one of her lunch breaks. But I was starting to understand why Ruben has callused hands and carried around his hiking equipment. He literally got outside, to nature. He climbed every rock he could, hiked every hill that challenged him, and participated in every race he could. Because it made him into the man he wanted to be. Eventually, Ruben decided that he wanted to help other kids get active and out into good activities instead of falling into the lives that would take them no where and in his words "the drinking life destroys families." So for the past two years Ruben has volunteered as an instructor and counsellor for kids all around Ireland and England. He says he loves his job and the kids he gets to teach. But what I wasn't fully understanding was this: If he had a stable job and a car, why was he hitch hiking? So I asked him. Of course he answered with a smile, " I know, it seems weird. But one of the biggest lessons I have learned in life is this. Just because you have money, doesn't mean you should spend it. Rich people don't get rich by spending their money. If anything they are the cheapest people out there. Needless to say I always try to live within my means. Also, sometimes I like to be reminded that there is still good in humanity. So if someone picks me up, taking time out of their day to stop for me, it's a kindness the world says doesn't exist anymore. And I do the same, when I'm driving I will pick people up. Of course I choose them wisely but I try not to base people on their looks. Honestly the scariest looking guy can be the one who is the most humble. So I really live by the whole, 'Don't judge a book by its cover thing.'" By this time we were reaching our destination and I was pretty sure I had met Titanic's Jack Dawson in life form. He had a good attitude towards life, didn't take anything for granted, and had his head on straight. I was honestly sad to know that our time together was coming to an end. I knew I would never see him again and that our paths will never likely cross again. (Unless Solange is driving, then who knows!) But as Ruben got out of the car with hiking gear in hand and goodbyes for a safe life had already been said, he had one more thing to say, " Life's a journey Marcy, and the cool thing is you never know the great people you are going to meet along the way." Needless to say, I told him my real name. Now I don't have any pictures of him. I don't even remember his last name. But good people like Ruben are out there. The moral of the story is that I learned mixed lessons here. No, I wouldn't advise stopping and picking up a hitch hiker. However, at the same time, not all hitch hikers pose a threat. I'd guess to say many of them would be grateful that you even stopped at all.
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What are the differences between home and Ireland? Let's talk about them! Moving anywhere, especially to a new country, you have to accept that things are going to be different. They just are. But, if you have chosen to move to a new and exciting place, you better come prepared to adapt to the new traditions and customs instead of never letting go of your own. If you try to keep with what you know, you won't learn anything. You definitely won't make any friends. And you wont be getting the most out of a truly enriching experience. One must step off the plane ready to embrace change and ready to try new things. When someone asks me how long I have been in Ireland, I always have to consult the calendar because time is different here. Although I am always busy and running around, life here in Ireland runs at its own pace. The people here are friendly and laid back and time, although important, does not run anyone's life. So how long have I been here? About 3 weeks. But I feel like I have been here forever. Honestly, I feel like I moved in months ago yet at the same time, like I just arrived. Thus, why I always have to consult the calendar. I've been here long enough to learn the differences between things here to those back home. From the obvious like driving to the not so obvious like how one locks a door here! Yeah, it can get that weird. Here are the list of what is different so far: Roads and Road Signs: Coming from Texas, I'm used to everything being big. That includes the roads. Here though, the roads are TINY. And even though the cars are also small, I don't understand how they expect two little cars to fly right by each other on these small winding roads?! And what makes it worse, is that the roads are completely gorgeous so you have to concentrate twice as hard on keeping your eyes on the road instead of on the scenery. I mean, it's like they WANT you to crash! So a warning to all those easily distracted: Take the bus. As for the road signs, learning the essentials of Gaelic will definitely help. Almost every town here starts with "Kill" which means town. For example, I live in Killaloe, but very close is Killdare, Killrush, Killcullen, Killarney, Kilkenny.......do I need to go on? And even though the road signs are color coded, and have the English translations, they are almost impossible to decipher your first time around. And if you happen to get yourself lost in s Gaelic sector, where everything is Gaelic, then good luck to you!! You'll never get out! So play close attention and my best word of advice if your visiting for the first time and not sure where you are going? Take the bus. Next, let's talk about the Cars: They are just different. Plain different. My first day here I kept getting into the passenger seat looking for the steering wheel! It's just my automatic thinking to walk straight to that side! I also thought (a few times actually, and I can't fully blame jet lag) that I saw a few dogs driving cars here. Besides finding the actually steering wheel, the inside of the car is quite different. Your gears our on the left rather than the right, your blinker is on the right instead of the left, you not only have to remember to sit on the wrong side of the car but drive on the wrong side of the road too! I know, CONFUSING!!! But on my first and only driving lesson, I only hit one curb. No by standards were hurt in the process! As long as you take everything you learned growing up about driving and literally throw it out the window, then you'll be fine! Reading Temperatures Everything here is in Celsius. Which can be quite confusing. Especially when you are used to Fahrenheit. So when someone tells you, "It looks like a lovely day outside! Only 18 degrees Celsius, my Fahrenheit Brian is automatically thinking, "What???" 18 is a small number so I automatically think it's freezing! However here's a tip for you if you are traveling to Europe where they tell temperature in Celsius. What ever number they give you, times that by 2 and add 30. Bam! You have your degrees in Fahrenheit! And I'm not going to lie, your math skills will look pretty impressive to the Irish people! Telling Time When someone asks you the time and you tell them, "Oh, it's 7:30." An awkward silence will follow and you will not quite know exactly what is going on. Let me save you from this awkward moment and tell you now: Everything works on Military time here! So it's not 7:30, but 19:30, or if you are writing it some people prefer 19hr30. Yeah, it's weird and definitely not an aspect of life I thought I would have to alter. But it's fun and I feel like I'm undercover anytime someone ask me the time. Wall Outlets Besides having different outlets and sockets, and if you are taking the leap and actually moving to another country your going to ah e to learn to leave the converter behind and adapt. But here, you don't just stick he power cord in the outlet and that's it. No, you actually have to turn that specific outlet on. I know, what??? You wouldn't believe how long that took me to get when I was trying to charge my phone and I thought either my chord or phone was broken. Yep, you have to flip the little switch and turn that outlet on. Crazy. Paying for gas This takes the honor system to a whole new level. Back home, you swipe your card, and pay as you go. Or you walk into the station, pay and then pump. Here, totally opposite. You pump, and then you pay! Total honor system! However, there are PLENTY of cameras around the stations so I'm sure you would be tracked down eventually if you decided to pump and run. And instead of paying by the gallon, you pay by the liter here, which can be confusing. Now these are just a few differences that are noticed right away. There are plenty of differences, but since I am here for a year, i'll take my time getting to understand them and explain them as I go. That way, by the time I am done, they wont be differences anymore, but another way of life. Even though these differences can be confusing, I LOVE them. I love adapting and doing things differently. I love being out of my element. Because it challenges me and makes me grow as a person. Learning to do things differently than you are used to is not a bad thing at all. What I have been learning over and over again since the moment I stepped on the plane is this: "If you are comfortable with your life and the way things are, it might be time to do something new. Learn a new trade. Travel somewhere you've never been. Do something you've never done. Because that is how you learn. That is how you live." What's on the blog next week? Who knows? I can get myself into a lot in one week! Stay tuned! Let's talk about greater purposes, shall we?
I had a different post in mind for today. However, something happened this morning that I would like to talk about instead..... Over the past year, and even more so over the last week, I have been asked the same question over and over again. "What made you choose Ireland?" The shortest answer I can give you is, "I don't know." Honestly, I really have no idea. Why does anyone do anything? Why do we wake up every morning and go about the lives we have chosen to live? Now the long answer, some people don't seem to understand. Ever since I was young I've always felt a pull to Ireland. There was something about this country I knew I had to see and experience for myself. But it wasn't until I got here that I realized it may have less to do with me seeing the country, and more with me meeting the people in it. I KNOW I am supposed to be here, at this time, and for a certain reason that to this day I still cannot tell you why. But I'm here. And I'm waiting. This week I had a lot of firsts. My first time traveling all by myself. My first time in a brand new beautiful country. My first time paying with currency other than a dollar bill. My first time going to a new ward in church. My first time visiting a castle. My first time listening to a family play lovely Irish music while an older couple danced like no one else was watching. And my first time driving on the opposite side of the road. All of these things were new, some exciting, some (like driving) scary, but they were all something I knew I was meant to do. Because in doing all of these things, I met new people who even if for just a moment, I felt like I was supposed to meet. Now, I know what your thinking. Wait! Who were these people? What's their story? But for me to write about them here, I have to feel like my journey with those people is over. We have come into each others lives and we may probably never see each other again. That's when I will tell you about the lessons we have learned and how a chance meeting can really make an impact on someone's life. Because I am a firm believer in the thought that we are where we need to be, if only we would listen, and not be afraid to say hello to a complete stranger who is coming our way. Let's take this morning for example. I met someone on my way to church that I know I will never see again, but in our chance meeting I feel that our lives were impacted. And our story goes like this..... This morning was just like any other Sunday morning. I got up and started getting ready to make it to church on time. A very lovely sister named Nichola Sherlock had been nice enough to give me lifts to church the past two Sunday's (until I feel confident driving myself. We'll talk about driving in another post.) However, Nichola lives in the neighbouring town of Ballina and as she was running behind this morning, asked if I would walk across the bridge to the neighbouring town and meet here there. Of course I said yes, she was my only ride and it was only lightly raining outside. However, inside I was thinking it was kind of crazy to walk all that way. Only because I am used to always having a car to drive myself wherever I need to go. But instead of having a bad view about it I thought, "hmmmm, I wonder who I am supposed to meet today?" So, dressed in my Sunday best, I started on my trek to the neighbouring town of Ballina. Now, the thing you have to know about Ireland is that they LOVE to drink on weekends and the population is predominantly Catholic. So, for them to see a girl in a nice flowy skirt (thanks rachel for letting me keep it!) with scriptures in hand walking to church on a Sunday morning is more rare than seeing the Easter bunny at Christmas. But I walked, saying hello (like the American that I am) to everyone I came across with a smile. I got a few turned heads. Lots of confused looks. But I just kept moving on anyway. Now this is where the story gets interesting. As I came across one of the beautiful Cathedrals here in town I saw a man waiting right on the sidewalk. He was an older man, admiring the beauty of the stone work that makes up these beautiful Irish Cathedrals. From a far, I could tell there was something different about this man. He wasn't going anywhere and he didn't seem in a hurry. He was just there. Almost like he was waiting. As I came up next to him he looked at me and said, "Excuse me miss, do you know if there is anyway to go inside?" Me, being happy that he mistook me as a local, or at least someone who would know the answer to that smiled and said, "No Sir, I do not. But there is an access way down by the bridge that will lead you to the front. You can try there? I'm heading that way right now if you would like me to show you." He looked at me dressed in my Sunday best and nodded. We walked in silence (which was new for me but It was something I felt I should do) to the bridge that connected the two towns. He asked me where I was going so early in the morning and I answered, "I'm going to church." He looked at me,almost as if he had been expecting that answer, then to the cathedral, "Here?" I smiled, "No sir, I am going to the LDS chapel in Limerick." I then preceded to tell him about my church and our meetings every Sunday and where I was from. By this time we were by the front of the cathedral. I told him, that if there was any way in, it would be through the passage way. But that was as far as I knew. The older man looked at me, then the Cathedral, and asked me one question. "Why do you go to church?" This made me think. It's something I've done every Sunday since I was born. My parents have always gone. But what was making me go every Sunday now that I was on my own? There were a million answers to that question and I could tell I was running out of time to list them all. So I said the first thing on my mind. "Because it makes me stronger. No matter how far away I am from home, or wherever I am in the world, I am never alone at church." Now, this might seem like an odd answer, but it seemed to be exactly what the man needed to hear. I invited him to come with me, and gave him the address of the chapel, and the man said maybe someday he will. But for now, he needed to think about his life and get back to where he wanted to be. That was it. We parted ways. And I don't think I will ever see this man again. But it's okay because I know that we didn't meet by chance. We both had something that the other needed to hear. I've only been in the Emerald Isle for less than two weeks. Do I know what I'm doing? Sort of. Do I know why I'm here? No. But it's these chance meetings that keep me going and smiling like the American that I am to everyone that I meet. Because you never know when there's someone out there that needs a bit of advice from you. Or maybe they need you to answer a question they've been waiting a while to hear? So, the inevitable question, "Why Ireland?" I still don't know. But I love that I have a year to figure it out! Coming up on my next blog: My driving experiences so far! Yeah, they really let me behind the wheel. And more about my list of firsts! Unless something else comes up of course! “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” -Winnie the Pooh Currently: 17 degrees Celsius – 63 degrees Fahrenheit. Activities of the day: A bit of Rugby this morning. A walk of the country side this afternoon. What’s for Dinner: Shepherd’s Pie. What’s New: My First Day of Church Tommorow! Today’s Focus: My Journey To Ireland Let's talk traveling shall we, The trip was long and short at the same time. The flight to Dallas felt like no time at all. The flight to Philadelphia was a little longer but nothing a good movie and a coke couldn’t fix. Now, the flight to Shannon Airport near Limerick Ireland was a bit testy. Especially when the two grown women in my row were fighting over their seats the entire way. However, I arrived in Ireland Thursday morning, I barely even noticed the Jet Lag, and it’s been great ever since! Today’s focus will be about my journey from El Paso to Ireland. Because a journey, especially one across the country and into another, can be quite lonely when you are by yourself. However, I am me and I will talk to anyone and everyone, and I met a few interesting people along the way. We can start from the moment I got on the plane from El Paso to Dallas. The first stretch. I had already hit a few people in the head carrying my way to oversized carry-ons (I had to carry my entire life with me so I wasn’t packing light) and I knew everyone was looking at me. Every single person on board seemed to have a travel buddy and it made me feel like the odd man out because I was travelling alone. However, my row quickly filled with two other Young Adults. One was a girl from California who is an aspiring model and was traveling to a tryout in Paris. The other, a Young Man from Albuquerque who was leaving to study abroad in Spain for a year. We were all totally different however we had two things in common. We all had a long journey. And we were each making this journey alone. However even though my family couldn’t come on the plane with me, all I had to do was look out the window to see my dad waiting for my take off on the runway. I knew he would be seeing me off until the very last moment. The two Young adults thought that was the coolest thing they had ever seen, and smiled when I told them that my entire family came to see me off at the airport. They told me I was lucky to have a family that cared. When I asked them about their families the girls stated she hadn’t heard from her father in many years, and the boy said that his father dropped him off quickly at the airport. Neither of them seemed sad to be leaving anyone behind. And here I was leaving everything important to me behind. I felt sorry for these two and realized “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” In Dallas, after trekking my huge carry-ons with me across the massively huge airport to my next gate, I met a first class Texas lady who exuded southern charm. She looked like she could have been a president’s wife and every other word that came out of her mouth ended with “sugar” or “baby” she was a Texan through and through. Now, I must admit I first started talking to her because I was looking for an ally to watch my bags so I could run to the restroom and not have to drag all of it with me. I had watched this lady for a while and I felt like I could trust her. So I decided to talk to her first before I made any final decisions to leave my bags behind. I started off by complimenting her navy blue nail polish. It took her a second to figure out that someone was actually talking to her (because on my travels I noticed people usually keep to themselves and act like they have lots and lots of friends on their phones) but when she saw me waiting for an answer this women sure had a lot to say. Her name is Loretta and she had lived in Huston all her life. She’s a world traveler, has 4 kids, and was in her way to visit her twin brother in Philadelphia for their 78th birthday. She got a good kick out me saying she didn’t look a day past 50! Once Loretta heard that I was travelling to Ireland for a year, she gave me one major piece of advice (besides how to get big hair and the best places to eat). Take pictures of everything that makes an impression on you. No matter how big or small. She said she always did this and then write down the significance and who the people were in an old fashioned photo album. Back then she thought she would never need them or need to relive any of those moments. But when her husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s 5 years ago, those old photo books became a way to hold onto him longer, to relive the past together and keep his mind remembering for as long as possible. Right before we boarded, Loretta in first class, me in coach, she said that she was glad to have talked to someone about those memories and hard times in her life because she feels we should all be writing down what really matters to us and why because you never know when you will need a reminder. In Philadelphia I had to run to my next gate on a particularly muggy day and by the time I got there the terminal was packed with people waiting for their flights to London, Paris, Dublin, and of Course Limerick. The instant I turned down towards the A gate (that holds most international flights) it was like I entered a whole new world. Different accents filled the air and I couldn’t see an American anywhere. Words like “Cheeky” “rubbish” and “Cabby” were being thrown about everywhere and I finally realized that this world was going to be my life for the next year. It was odd but mostly exciting. I checked in at the gate, gave them my passport and ticket, then sat in one of the only empty seats I could find. This terminal was basically the point of no return. As I pulled out my phone to call my parents one last time and tell them that I had arrived safely, I realized that it was the last time I would be able to call them on my phone. Once I got on that plane and flew across the Atlantic, I would definitely be on my very own. However, instead of focusing on that fact, I decided it was time to meet someone new. There was a plethora of people to choose from but for some reason I kept feeling like I should talk to the lady in front of me. And guess how I started? Yep, I said, “I like your nail polish.” And we were off from there! Bridgette said she had been admiring the blanket Jennifer Lewis made for me that I had on my lap. (The blanket never left my site on the entire trip!) She asked if she could see it and the moment her hands touched the stitches she started to cry. Now, here I am thinking I’ve broken some sort of international law or something and I wasn’t quite sure what to do. So, like I always do, I asked her straight up why she was crying. Her answer was this: “My brother has struggled all his life with feeling useful. He tried and failed, tried and failed at everything he had ever done in life. Except knitting, crocheting, that sort of thing. Oh, he was a master with his hands. The moment I saw this beautiful blanket it made me think of him. He has just passed recently and his family got rid of every single thing he had ever made. You see I didn’t even have a chance to get over there and keep anything! But seeing this blanket, he would have loved this blanket and odds are he would have gone straight home and made one of his own. I never thought I would see beautiful work like this, and here in the airport of all places, I feel him again.” After talking with Bridgette a little longer she asked if she could take a picture of the blanket. I stood up right there, opened the blanket up wide, and displayed the Texas flag proudly. Now, in a terminal full of international travellers, this caught their eyes pretty quickly and before I knew it everyone was taking a picture of the beautiful handmade blanket held by the girl from Texas. Needless to say, I didn’t have to compliment anyone else on their nail polish to talk after that. They came to me. You see my point is- we can go our whole lives without meeting the people right in front of us. All we need to do is take the time to compliment someone or say hello and you might find that that person has something worth sharing. I could have gone my entire journey from El Paso to Ireland keeping to myself however now I have made many friends, learned valuable lessons, and have my face plastered across many international phones all because I just said hello. That was just my first 24 hours. I can only imagine what this next year will hold. Until Next Time, Maizie What I will be writing about next time, My life here In Ireland! |
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February 2016
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