Me, Myself, and I

A common phrase I used to be told was "Me, Myself, and I", (I also heard "Each sentence has a Beginning, Middle, and End...get to the End!). Both phrases were reminders that people shouldn't focus on their self so much and should consider other people first. Based on the frequency I heard these phrases growing up, I surmise I had trouble applying them in real life (I often still have trouble:P).

However, sometimes focusing on yourself isn't such a bad thing! For example, learning to accept who you are means analyzing and being happy with what you see. I am no psychiatrist though so don't take this advice as a cure all. I write about this today because lately I realized how much I concern myself with what others think.

When I first arrived in Ireland, I made a mini goal; learn to enjoy silence*. Growing up in a family of 8 kids, there wasn't a whole lot of silence to go around. When I started living in the dorms at my college in Maine, being by myself in the dorm room was almost painful. I felt trapped, and highly alone. I was surrounded by people who I am sure would have invited me into their circle of friends, but I didn't feel comfortable seeking people out. I didn't expand my friend base further than two or three people.

The opposite occurred in Cork though! Maybe it is because I know I have the option to get up and do anything I want, but sitting alone in my apartment in Cork is relaxing (my amazing view might have something to do with that too...). The other night I sat thinking to myself, I actually have come to enjoy the silence! It isn't oppressive like it once was!

What does this have to do with accepting who you are? Good question! It was during one of these moments of silence in which I was having a conversation with myself (yes...I talk to myself in my head, even make jokes :P) that I realized it doesn't matter what other people think of you. They will never truly experience the real "you". What they see is a facade, a reflection, even a caricature of your true self. The only person who will truly know you is you. Now, I know this won't be the end of my worrying if someone thinks I am rude, loud, or obnoxious etc, but it is one step closer to believing that my inner self isn't comprised of how others measure me. This sort of thing isn't a new theory, however sometimes you need to have an epiphany yourself before you can believe something.  So cheers to self-discover!

*Another goal I made was to finally memorize when to use semi-colons versus colons...those things are tricky!

** I suppose I should edit and say I was a hypocrite that week, and this post was my nemesis.  I am currently stuck between two worlds: One in which I like other to take lead in projects, and the second where I naturally take lead (I just have discovered yet if thats a good thing or if people appreciate it).I just worry that people think I am overstepping boundaries, but at the same time someone needs to lead, thus...my quandary. All well, live and learn they say!


A few photos of my trip to Bantry and Garnish Island with the other International Students:

Seals!

Spring Break Baby!

Warning- Bad News Ahead: ...Spring Break is over... Sorry, did I disappoint you? I know, I disappointed myself too.

As mentioned in my last post, I went to Dublin last week for the first four days of my break. Then this week (yes - we had a two week vacation :D) was spent reading as many books as I could, going on long walks, and chowing down on junk food. Basically, I had the best week of my life. I know, I'm pretty awesome like that.

If I'm being honest though, other than going on a few long walks this week to explore the area, I pretty much just spent the entire week relaxing. Sometimes you need to take a step back and just do the things you have been longing to do, like reading and eating chocolate. The last time I was able to spend days reading was probably back in high school. (I won't crack a joke that starts with "In my day...", I'll wait 20 more years before pulling that one out). However, now that I have around 26 hours left before the end of my spring break, I'm feeling bittersweet. It will be nice to get back to classes, but I really really really don't want to focus on projects. What can I say, I'm a slight procrastinator.

The next few weeks will undoubtable be a bit busy as project deadlines approach. I'll try squeezing some interesting things in there though to keep you all amused :P.

You have to admit...its pretty sexy.

I fit some baking into my hectic schedule of relaxation

Yes, this is a cake from a Dublin bakery #friedchicken 

City Life or Country Life?

Growing up I used to read a fable about the city mouse and the country mouse. The city mouse traveled to visit his friend (cousin in some versions) who lived in the country. After seeing the poor fare the country mouse offered him, the city mouse invited him back to experience the lavish meals available in the city. However, after a run in with a cat, the country mouse decided the city isn't for him, and he'd rather enjoy his simple meal in a relaxed and safe manner. The relevancy of this story is that I recently went to Dublin with a few of my friends, and I was reminded of how much I enjoy the relaxed attitude of the country. I am so very thankful my Study Abroad is based in Cork!

Don't get me wrong, Dublin is grand. It is a nice place...but it was just so crowded! Maybe it was because St. Patrick's Day was last week and this week is the 100 year anniversary of the Easter Rising, but there were so many Americans in Dublin (and French people as my French companion kept pointing out). I did not feel like I was in Ireland. Then again...we did stick to the touristy sections...

We left Dublin on Wednesday though to go into the country. We visited the Wicklow Mountains, and oh...my...word...beautiful! Absolutely, positively fantastic! I have never seen more beautiful sights in my life. This is the Ireland people should see. Spend a day or two in Dublin if you need to get your shopping done, or if you want to get your drink on in the Temple Bar, but please, please go see Wicklow Mountains!

P.S. It appears I have someone other than family and friends looking at my blog! Welcome stranger! Thank you for agreeing with my Ree-cee's pronunciation:P. I am glad I am not the only one who says it that way!

The above is one of my favorite photos that I took on the trip #nofilter

Instead of a Pub-Crawl, we went on a Cafe Crawl!

I wonder if they have yogurt?

Time...Linear or Fluid?

Do you ever sit back and observe how fast time moves, regardless of whether you want it to or not? As a child, I had bittersweet feelings about the book/movie Little Women because everyone grew up and moved on. I enjoyed the first half of the movie when Jo and the girls dressed up and played with Laurie but [Spoiler Alert for you uncultured people who haven't seen it or read it]...once they became adults, the relationships altered. The friendships you have as a child often aren't the ones you have as an adult.

In my two of my classes at CIT we have discussed Time (or rather, how a society measures time). Many of the Western worlds see time as monochronic. We like to do things one at a time. "Time is money" reflects this well. Other cultures such as the Arabic Middle East and Asia employ polychronic time. They perceive time as fluid and often value the relationships or experiences gained rather than achieving any specific activity along the journey.

In today's Intercultural Business Culture class, our professor played the song "7 Years" by Lukas Graham. It is a bittersweet song about a man looking at the stages of his life, from the age 7 to 11, 20, 30, and 60. Our lecturer wanted us to listen to it and then asked us to write on a sheet of paper what we were doing at the age of 3, 6, 9, 12, etc. in three year increments. After this, he asked us to write on the other side 7-9 events that occurred throughout our life that impacted us the most.

While listening to the song, I started to think about another song "Cat's in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin.  When I was really young, my father and I used to listen to this song while in the car on the way to errands. When my father passed away a year and a half ago, if I am being honest I didn't let myself grieve. I jumped back into school, anything to distract myself. Listening to "7 years" in  today's class and thinking about "Cat's in the Cradle" brought things into perspective. We often set up our lives with specific goals in mind. Get good grades, get a job, get married, have kids... we forget to to enjoy ourselves and the people around us. That is my biggest regret. I got so caught up with getting good grades or hanging out with friends I ignored when my father wanted to hang out or do things with me. I became the "Cat's in the Cradle".

This is experience in Ireland is not only eye-opening, its important because I'm seeing life doesn't have to go jumping from one goal to another. We can take a side route and enjoy our family and friendships at the same time. If you do anything today, listen to "7 Years" and "Cat's in the Cradle". Hug someone you appreciate. Time moves whether we want it to or not. We can choose to measure our achievements by our age, or we can look at specific events that altered our life.

P.S. Sorry for the heavy material...

Stereotypes:P

In the last few weeks, I've heard a lot about stereotypes in my cultural classes. However,  I've also been learning about them outside of class. Some of them I've heard (the Swiss are always on time, Germans always make good stuff) while others are completely new to me (Brazilians are supposedly known for ahem, collecting items not previously in their possession, etc etc.). Now, obviously one shouldn't pay attention to stereotypes like that (there is a reason they are called stereotypes after all), however, I have always found these cultural perceptions to be fascinating. Yet, for some reason, I never once thought what others might think of Americans prior to coming to Ireland.

Sure, you hear the stuff on Tumblr about 'Murica, and how all Americans have pet eagles, or how we throw our tea in the harbor, but none of that you take seriously, right?? That's what I thought, until my first several weeks here when a fellow student wanted to know if I normally have a pistol on my hip when I'm in the US. To clear things up...I don't. I leave that to my brothers.

Stereotypes can be fascinating, as long as you don't fall into the trap of believing them. Not all Germans make good things, not every Swiss can be infallibly on time, and most definitely not every Brazilian steal things (this seems to be a universal trait).

This is probably the most important lessen I am learning while in Ireland surrounded by all these amazing cultures. Finnish, French, Irish, German, Brazilian, Czech, Dutch, please correct me if I am leaving anyone out! So many different ideas, and ways of doing things! I say Reese's (Ree-Cee's), they say (Ree-Says). Now, it is probably just me pronouncing it wrong, but to save face I told them it is pronounced Ree-Cee's :P.

*I claim no rights to this image, and hopefully I don't get in trouble for having this here...

International Student Ball! (P.S...I dance like a madwoman, but I have fun so that is fine:P)

Blackrock Observatory, Cork

Can anyone spot the rainbow?