classic moments: a retelling and a work-in-progress
12 November 2007
so we all go through life encountering new people who don't know your whole story and what you're about. in the process of getting-to-know-you, light chit-chat most likely involves some sort of recount of a good story, or of a one-time-when-I-was- [something years old]-at-[somewhere]-with-[someone] tale of an incredible event or moment of absolute bliss. being 20 years young myself, I don't think I can quite say I've had many moments of absolute bliss, but I can say that this list of moments have come close to absolute contentment while in the UK thus far. given my current state of life, most of these moments have something to do with England and music. I've come to the conclusion that my life really does have a soundtrack. apropos? I'd say so.
Moment #1
Edinburgh. Sept 15.
as Jessica and I sit down to eat our continental breakfast at the Premier Travel Inn during EAP Orienatation, the Beatles' I Feel Fine starts to play from the hotel's speakers. 2nd day in the UK and I already feel welcome.
Moment #2
Leeds. Sept 21.
Christine and I go to a house party of a friend of Louise while some other EAPers go to a club on our first Friday in Leeds. at the house, the basement//downstairs is devoted solely to getting your groove on with the in-house DJ. Christine and I venture down, start dancing, and the DJ spins Soft Cell's Tainted Love. next thing you know, the entire room is singing at the top of their lungs to the song. the awesomeness of the moment is only perfectly punctuated when I learned that the members of Soft Cell met at Leeds Met Uni here!
Moment #3
Leeds. Oct 23.
Wednesdays I usually head into the city center and read [leisurely or seriously]. of course, leisure reading = Meg Cabot's Princess Diaries because a) Mia Thermopolis is my hero, and b) Michael Moscovitz is my fictional crush. as I was reading, what should come on Borders' speakers but Dina Carrol's Someone Like You, the song that plays at the end of Bridget Jones's Diary when Bridget is wrapped up in Mark Darcy's peacoat. siiigh.
Moment #4
Dublin. Nov 4.
During our Dublin Blitz weekend, Christine and I wandered around the city while Gaby did some stuff for her classes. we walked through Trinity College and heard a lot of people on the other side of some buildings and went to check it out. turns out a rugby match was going on. we stopped to watch and the action edged closer to our end of the pitch. I realized that I couldn't be in a more perfect Irish moment: gloomy day, rugby match, Trinity College.
Moment #5
Dublin. Nov 4.
Also during our Dublin Blitz, when we were hanging out at the Village club [the one with the midnight karaoke seshes] the DJ started spinning U2's Sunday Bloody Sunday which, naturally, every single person in the club faithfully sung to their hearts content. so Irish.
so that's my tentative list of moments of satisfaction abroad so far. more to come, I'm sure. :)
01:24
"so are you telling me you don't have to tie your shoes??"
time to go big or go home - Dublin Blitz 03 November 07
time to go big or go home - Dublin Blitz 03 November 07
11 November 2007
Thanks to Christine's magical way with words, I now present you with an accurate retelling of our foray across the cold English waters to the land of bottomless pints and blarney stones.
There is a general stereotype of the Irish being heavy drinkers. It is true.
Here is an approximate itinerary of Christine and my time spent in Dublin:
7:50 AM- Wake up late for our bus to the airport.
11:00 AM- Take off from Leeds/Bradford Airport.
11:15 AM- Fall asleep on plane.
11:55 AM- Wake to the sound of trumpet calvaries playing the "off to the races" tune over the loudspeakers, accompanied by the passengers clapping and whistling (no joke-thank you Ryan air low budget airlines). Look out the window and see nothing but green grass and grey skies. Realize I have arrived in Dublin.
12:15 PM- Take bus to Trinity College.
12:20 PM- "See" Trinity College.
12:30 PM- "See" Dublin Castle.
1:00 PM- Find Gaby. Gaby takes us around Dublin to see parks, shops, famous sites (aka Guinness Factory), etc.
5:25 PM- Eat most amazing kebab dinner ever experienced.
6:00 PM- Self-induced food coma...fall asleep on Gaby's couch. Pre-night nap, if you will.
9:30 PM- Wake up, get ready for the night.
10:00 PM- Gaby, Lauren and I meet up with 22 other NYU students for a night out on the town. This is the part where I observe that the Irish do love to drink. I tactfully use my lack of monetary resources to avoid the inevitable alcohol poisoning which the Irish must experience on a nightly basis.
Somewhere between 10:00 and 5:00 AM- We head back to the NYU flat and kick it old school on the roof, listening to tunes and dancing the samba till the break of dawn.
5:15 AM- head back to Gaby's. Resume state of comatose.
SUNDAY
1:30 PM- Arise from comatose. Eat breakfast. Wander throughout Dublin once again.
5:00 PM- Eat delicious homemade MEXICAN food (dream come true) compliments of Gaby.
8:00 PM- Gaby takes us to a venue called Crawdaddy where she has gotten all three of us on the VIP guest list (aka free entry). We see local Dublin bands The Mighty Stef and The Things, who are the supporting acts for the most hilarious show I have ever seen, put on by the Black Lips who are from GEORGIA. By hilarious I mean that if I had to describe these guys in four phrases it would be: cowboy boots, handle-bar mustache, silver teeth, and mushroom/bowl haircut from the '90s. It was stunning...simply stunning. It is also here that we meet up with the club promoter (the one who put us on the guest list), who introduces us to other club promoters who then take us and the bands to a new venue for which they promote.
12:00 AM- Karaoke at one of the club promoter's clubs. It is here that I observe that the Irish are even more spastic dancers than the English.
1:00 AM- More Karaoke
2:30 AM- Still at the Karaoke bar
4:30 AM- Lauren and I realize that we probably won't be sleeping tonight. We are correct.
6:30 AM- Lauren and I catch the bus back to the airport.
9:25 AM- Take off from Dublin Airport
10:30- AM- Land in Leeds and catch the bus home.
1:00 PM- Class.
I am told this is how it is done in Dublin.
hey, when in Rome.
15:12
"smell my breath!" A Wales of a Weekend! 22 October 2007
06 November 2007
This entry is lonnnng overdue, but it was too good not to blog about! Some basics:
1. Rachel has some relatives who live in Cardiff who were eager to see her [after about 18 years!] and they were generous to offer their place for us to crash at.
2. Rachel and I had a Reading Week [no lecture for one of our classes where, in theory, we’re all supposed to be catching up on readings and such. But for us, Reading Week = Travel Week].
The weekend was amazing on a number of levels. First, for the whole weekend, I think I only had to spend about 30pd for travel and a couple postcards. Rachel’s second cousin, Sarah, who we got to stay with, was a BEAUTY to us for a) housing us for the whole weekend, b) treating us to everything we did/ate, and c) introducing us to her 2 amazing children, Steffan [6 y.o] and Phoebe [4 y.o]. they were quite possibly the 2 cutest, blondest little buggers I’ve ever seen. Phoebe would say the craziest things. Example: each morning we could hear outside our door Phoebe saying “are they awake??” or Sarah explaining to Phoebe why we’re still asleep…Phoebe answered, “Rachel can’t sleep in because she’s family so she isn’t on holiday”….on the second morning Kristin, Rachel, and I were almost done getting ready for the day out when we hear from down below, “THERE’S NO TIME TO PUT ON YOUR CLOTHES AND BRA.” Naturally, I look downstairs to see what the co-mmo is about and there’s Pheebs staring up at me wearing pink tinted sunglasses. Could this girl get any cooler? YES.
Basically, at one point in the trip, we took a tour of a coal mine [a little out of the ordinary for us, but fantastic nonetheless: its Wales’s history!] and we were down in the depths learning about the goings-on [like how Rachel is a direct descendent of the guy who invented the Davy Lamp, tool used to detect poisonous gases in mines that is STILL used today. That’s right.]. being the clever guy he is, he brought along bags of Cadbury toffees and tic tacs for the young ones to keep them occupied. Naturally, Steffan and Phoebe are given their lollies//tic tacs and munch away as Robert gives his spiel about pack ponies and Phoebe taps on his leg and so very eloquently says, “smell my breath” and opens her mouth for Robert to smell. The best part about it is that she has this tiny, little British accented voice which automatically makes things a bajillion times better//cuter.
The rest of the trip consisted of the royal treatment courtesy of Sarah and her awesome tour guide skills, showing us Caerphilly Castle with the leaning tower that Rachel’s other ancestor, Oliver Cromwell [you may have heard of him] ordered to be destroyed, curry and chips [!!!], dancing the night away at O’Neills to a handful of American-themed songs as requested by Sarah, and LOTS AND LOTS OF AMAZING TAPAS at La Tasca!
I have to say, even though I had just met Sarah and her family, who were all SO warm and welcoming to us, it felt so great to be back in a house with a family. It made me sentimental for my family and home. Everything seemed so much more relaxed and easy-going where all you had to worry about was what the kids were putting in their mouths. It was a grand time!
19:48
what a TRAVESTY.
02 November 2007
ok. so apparently in the last week or so I've managed to lose some of my blogging stamina! I'm out this weekend to Dublin with Christine but just you wait. when I get back there will be a whole new world of blog updates you won't even BELIEVE.
...sort of. you probably won't think they're that interesting, but nevertheless, it shall be updated. :)
peace+love
10:54
TP-EVOLUTION ‚ô•