Thanks Ireland!

Ireland has had absolutetly beautiful weather for the last week. Bright sunshine, no cloud to be found, a light breeze and 75 degrees...this sort of weather makes me want to stay. If only, it was like this year round.

Not only have I had great weather, but I got to spend the last few days with my Mitchell class. We started off on Wednesday in Dublin with a great reception where we received our class rings, a silver band with symbols depicting Irish history. The next few days were spent enjoying last bits of Irish culture. Some of the highlights were a chat with John Minihan and a look at one of his exhibits, a cooking class with Rory O'Connell and a lovely dinner in Kinsale (the "food" capitol of Ireland) at Crackpots. (Ireland has this emerging, and very popular food culture where there is a big emphasis on locally produced foods. Kinsale is at the heart of this revival and I recommend everyone stopping there in their travels through the island. I wish I had gotten there earlier!) So after all the excitement of the past few days, I'm now sitting in a bare dorm room with two huge suitcases blocking my door.

Y'all I'm coming home! Tomorrow morning to be exact. 

Packing up has been harder than expected, and I don't mean because my suitcases weigh more than I do. Not that I haven't enjoyed Ireland and my course, but there is no denying that I was homesick. My deep love for Mississippi proved a harder habit to break than I had ever imagined. For the past two months, as I began to wrap everything up I thought that I would be itching to leave. I sort of had this idea that it had been a good year, good learning experience, but it was time to bring it to an end. Honestly, even just a few weeks ago I thought I was ready to pack up and head back South (a very different south than my Irish south). But I have been surprisingly emotional the past few days.

I came to Ireland thinking it would be an extension on what I had experienced during some of my study abroad experiences in college. I would drink a lot of beer, take some cool pictures, meet some new people, and extend my carefree college experience for another year. I also thought it was a reputable enough thing to do post-college, reputable enough that nobody would question that I had no idea what I really wanted to do with my life.

While I drank some beer (not really that much) and took some pictures, I grew up more this year than I ever expected. I learned things about myself that I didn't even know could be learned and I made some friendships that will last a lifetime. While I might have complained to a few of you about the slow mail or the constant use of potatoes, those surface level frustrations can never compare to what I really experienced this year. While I have always said that my love for Mississippi can be a complicated one, I think it is safe to say I have similarly complicated feelings for Ireland.

So while I am happy to be getting back home to MS cooking, a nice big shower, driving again, and cheap bud light...there are other, deeper parts of Ireland that I will always miss. There is struggle in Ireland for identity and ownership, that I have no doubt extends to 1916 and before. That translates into a modern Ireland that is quick to assert itself culturally, and incredibly proud of its history. But this quick and dominate assertion of a national image of "Irish" doesn't include everyone. Identity is complicated, and getting to watch the complexity of being Irish unfold has taught me more about being a Mississippian than I ever imagined. I have some good friends with kind souls to thank for letting me into their lives and giving me a real understanding of what it means to be "Irish." I also have some American friends with incredibly thoughtful natures, who have taught me about the complexity of being "American" and just how far our place shapes us. Those lessons and those friends will always be with me.

So this is it. I started this blog to keep friends and family updated at home, while also forcing myself to keep track of my year, both in travel terms and in personal reflection. While the personal reflection might not really be complete, the year is. I want to thank y'all for reading. On a live album, the Avett Brothers make a comment about it being hard to sound sincere from a microphone. Well, I think a blog might have the same problem. It is hard to sound sincere from a blog post, but really, I mean it. Thanks you the time, the comments, the encouragement and the positive thoughts.

While this blog won't stay active, I will be blogging about the next stage in life. As part of our commitment with Mississippi Teacher Corps, all of the teachers update a blog with reflections on the challenges and rewards of teaching.  So maybe a little bit of Ireland will make its way to the MTC website . For everyone back in Mississippi, I'll be in Oxford all summer training with MTC. As for next year, I think (there is a little bit of holdup, but it should work out) I will be teaching high school social studies in Jackson, MS.

Ireland, you and your people will be missed. Stay green and I hope to see you soon!

So one last time,
Cheers Y'all! Thanks for the year, Ireland!
  Chelsea

London Calling

Sorry for the lack of posts the past few months! My life these days is usually filled with me waking up, spending all day in the library working on my thesis, and then coming home to do thesis reading at night. I really am living on the edge. Instead of boring you with the details of life in the Maynooth Library, I thought I would just give the blog a break until something exciting happened to come along.

If the title wasn't enough, a little of The Clash...

Last week, I hoped over to London for a few days with friends and a much needed thesis break. I was happily surprised by London! I had never had much of an interest in London, for some reason expected it to be sort of bland? Unfair judgement on my part. What I really liked about the city was the spread out, neighborhood feel. London lacks a real city center, giving each neighborhood a unique character. That, and the fact that it is just a really big city, so obviously there will be different areas with different feels. Luckily for us, we stayed in the SoHo area and spent most of our time in what I would consider "very hip" London.

Everyone was just so stylish?! No offense to the Irish but there is this really popular trend in Ireland for guys to wear sweatsuits everywhere. After a year of sweatsuits the polished dapper blazers and loafers of London were a nice surprise.

I was traveling with a fellow Mitchell scholar from West Virginia and her sister, and friend who happened to be visiting Ireland for a few weeks. It was nice to see London while getting to listen to accents with a soft edge and getting to take about one of my favorite things: place. (no surprise there, right?)

For only being in London two days, we knocked out most of the sites. Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, 10 Downing Street, House of Parliament...saw most of the official sites on a walking tour (which we just happened to have perfect weather for! A rare UK treat right now!). Then we spent the afternoon at the Tate Modern Art Museum. And wrapped it all up with a pint and Turkish food with Ole Miss friends!

Westminster Abbey

Ol' Big Ben

Ryan and Matthew: Ole Miss-UK residents. I think the state of Mississippi is pretty lucky to have these two as representatives abroad! Seriously, Ole Miss grads at London School of Economics and University of Cambridge. Impressive stuff. 

The disappointment of London: bad, bad food. Sure this is a stereotype but a few of our meals helped perpetuate that myth (exception, we ate some great Turkish food. Something new for me, and pretty delicious!). I'm sure there is some great food in London, we just didn't have the best luck in finding it.

Besides bad luck with snacks, I liked London and want to go back! I didn't get enough time to do some of the more laid back things...like shop at one of many London markets, see some British punk rock history, and take a cheesy picture on Abbey Road (you just have to). So London will keep calling until next time!

Cheers Y'all!
 Chelsea

The Hurricane that is the Alabama Shakes

Last night I saw one of the most powerful musical performances I have ever seen. Granted, I usually say after every show I see, “that was the best show I’ve ever seen.” I get a little carried away. But this time y’all, this time I mean it. The Alabama Shakes. 

The lead singer, Brittany, has a voice that can hit a high pitch and come down instantly. It’s almost like her voice is this car with the best brake system around. That quick stop allows for this incredible power in their songs that is constantly pulling you in and swirling you around, just like a hurricane.

So here is this band from Athens, Alabama playing a venue (small but reputable) in Dublin, Ireland. I thought I might be the only person in the audience who actually knew their stuff. I was sooo wrong. The show was sold out and the crowd joined in on a good number of songs. The few the crowd didn’t sing along to were some of the songs the Shakes haven’t put on their album. Of those, my absolute favorite: Hurricane Strut. So yes, my hurricane reference isn’t totally my own doing.

I went into the show expecting to hear some really great music. I knew how powerful the band was when it came to playing. But I didn’t know exactly what to expect when it came to stage performance. Sometimes the most talented musicians let the music speak for itself and go for a more subtle approach. The Shakes stage presence was far from subtle, but the perfect fit for their music. They just rocked out and had a hell of a time doing it. 

At points Brittany gets a little bit of “jesus hands” going where it looks like she has caught the spirit as her hands raise in the air and shake. When she introduces the band she gives them all stage names that reflect the band’s mix of soul and gospel with some serious fun-having thrown in. So the Alabama Shakes turn into Mahogney T. Jones, Cobra Snake Jackson, Scooter Johnson and Styrofoam Jones on stage. 

Quick side note: weird small world, the guy standing behind me in the crowd grew up in Meridian, Mississippi. WE ARE TAKING OVER THE WORLD! 

I was giddy like a little kid to see them last night and I woke up this morning in a great mood. Standing in the audience hearing a deep rich southern accent kill it on stage, well I just sort of felt like I had everything I wanted in one place.

BUY THEIR MUSIC. SEE THEIR SHOWS. THE ALABAMA SHAKES NOW HAVE A NEW STALKER NAMED CHELSEA.

And now, back to writing my thesis... after a couple more watches of this. 

Cheers Y'all!

 Chelsea 

I'm Coming Home!

Yeah, it has been a while. Sorry about that. All I can really say is life has been pretty low key lately with lots of thesis work. But I do have some pretty exciting news, tomorrow, well tomorrow I'm coming home!!!!

Before the state of Mississippi erupts in cheer (just a lil joke), I'm coming home-TWICE. First, I'm literally getting on a plane tomorrow to fly back to Mississippi for a week! This is a very last minute trip and means that I will be spending next Saturday at one of the greatest days of the year, Double Decker. Hope to see y'all there!

But the real reason for the trip also helps explain how I'm coming home in another way. I am flying home to take the Praxis, the test I need to become a certified teacher in Mississippi. I'm excited and proud (and a little bit nervous) to share that I am a part of the 2012 class of Mississippi Teacher Corps! So come end of May, I'm packing up my Irish bags (hopefully with a finished thesis in there somewhere) and flying home, for good. Well, for at least two years. I got this awesome news from MTC two weeks ago but I wanted to wait and share until I had a school placement. The weight got too much to bear, because I still don't have that part to share with you. But it should be developing any day now and if I run into you over Double Decker, hopefully I will be able to tell you where I will be teaching within the state!

I know that I have a challenging two years ahead, but I'm ecstatic to meet those challenges head on! Now I'm having trouble sleeping because I keep having these dreams about what my classroom is going to look like. I don't know why I've fixated on this particular part of teaching, but I keep having these dreams where there are cheesy "DREAM" and "ACHIEVE" posters covered with Michael Jordan floating around. The life of a first year teacher...oh the things to come!

In other random news, I spent yesterday at a Benedictine Abbey. Glenstal Abbey is set in Co. Limerick, almost in the center of the island of Ireland. Not that I have really spent much time at Benedictine Abbeys but this was far from what I expected. Let's just say if I were to ever become a monk, I want to join these guys. We spent the whole day with some of the funniest old men I've ever been around. Men, who take their faith and scholarship very seriously. Yet men who are able to approach all of life with a calm, and humor that is too often missing in our busy lives. It was just really really neat stuff and I woke up this morning feeling blessed to have spent the day with them and to turn around tomorrow to spend a few days in Mississippi.

So Y'all I'm coming home. It has been quite a journey, and it isn't finished yet. Thanks for reading about all of it along the way! Hope to see you at Double Decker!

Cheers Y'all!
 Chelsea

Good People and Seders

I'm currently throwing together these blog posts from my dorm because the whole country of Ireland has shut down. The Pope's Children do not play around when it comes to Easter, specifically Good Friday. This is the one of the few (maybe only) day all year where alcohol is not allowed to be sold. Most businesses and all schools shut down from Friday to Tuesday to celebrate Easter. It's 10:50am for me, usually the time that I head to the pub but since it is closed I guess I will write this blog post...

(to clarify, that was joke. a bad one, but a joke still) Anyway, these thoughts are a jumble, so buckle up! 

First things first. LISTEN. NOW. (please)

The lead singer, Brittany, has a tattoo of the state of Alabama on her right upper arm. Whatever you have to say about my love for MS, I have yet to take it to the permanent ink level. 

Like countless other youth in revolt around the country I've been listening to the Alabama Shakes on constant repeat for the past four months. I love these Athens, Alabama natives and I'm anxiously counting down the days until I get to see them in May! There first full length album came out this week and the buzz around them is growing into something closer to a rumble. They've gotten tons of love and most of you probably already know about them. While I wanted to share my love for them with the world via blog, I also wanted to talk about their email list. They send out the nicest fan emails ever! You can tell that these are just four kids from Alabama who had never left the country until a few months ago and now are embarking on an international tour. Check out these opening lines from the latest email blast...

"First and Foremost, thank you. Thanks for all of the support and love you have shown us. As our record is released and we take a second to reflect on the last 6 months, we can't help but smile and feel blessed to be where we are right now and feel excited for the future. Thank you, thank you, thank you."

So that is just the first paragraph but the whole thing sounds like friends updating other friends on their lives. Join the email list! It will make you smile every time you get an update! I'm thinking about making a sign for when I see them in Dublin that says "I"m from Mississippi and I love your emails." Maybe they will give me a special shout out in their next email? Things to think about. 

Next up on the list of good people, Old Try.  

I just ordered this print from Old Try. 

 

"I spent five years in Mississippi, riding around the Delta, the Piney Woods, the Coast, the Hill Country. Pulling into and driving out of hollers and fields and getting into trouble and finding myself growing from a boy into a man. I found my Saviour there and found my voice. And now even though I’m far removed from it, I still think about those crisp Indian summers and that oppressive humidity and the bugs and the howling dogs and the laughter of the place that the world simply doesn’t get. I still don’t fully get it – but it sure got me."

-the description underneath the print on the website

To start with, how could I not buy this print with that description under it? So maybe he read North Towards Home one too many times, but so have I.  The description isn't really the best part here. Yet again I get another awesome email! My "shipment" notification email was this personal email from the guy who makes the prints saying that he spent his morning working and listening to the Alabama Shakes (OMG-what is going on in Alabama, they are stealing all our thunder MS!) and that my print should be safe and in my hands soon. Quirky, funny, and totally unexpected. 

LESSON OF THE DAY: SEND NICE, FUNNY EMAILS! (when possible...)

I've posted before about Southern Hipsters, Old Try and Alabama Shakes are more proof for my theory (ok, not really my theory. More like what Southern Studies academics spend their lives talking about. maybe I'll let them take the credit for the theory). 

So if you read the title you are probably wondering where seders come in? Ahha curve ball, not just about southern hipsters. Tonight my good friend Jess is hosting a Passover Seder for all of us non-Jews out there. This will be my first seder (which shouldn't be too much of surprise seeing that I grew up in Hattiesburg, MS) but this is what my little bit of research has taught me...a seder is a family/community meal where everyone gets together to celebrate and retell the story of the liberation of the Israelites from ancient Egyptian slavery. The retelling involves different stages and songs and drinking of a special wine for four cups. This could all be wrong, my ignorance is embarrassing, but hopefully I'll be a little less ignorant after tonight. I'm looking forward to learning more and sharing a good meal with friends! It will be a seder, with lots of good people! 

Oh and don't worry, we planned ahead and bought the wine needed for our seder yesterday! I know y'all were worried! I hope everyone enjoys their time off for the Easter break! 

I've got big life updates happening at the moment, I'm holding in all the excitement until the right moment to share it on the blog. Ah, who am I kidding my mom already knows...

Cheers Y'all!

 Chelsea 

Brussels: A Winner has emerged!

Brussels, Belgium: land of beer, chocolate and waffles

This says it all. Of course I would love this place! How could anyone not love a place known for beer, chocolate and waffles? C'mon!

I just got back from a nice little weekend away in this land of sweet and savory treats! But I was pleasantly surprised by more than just the food in Brussels. The trip was organized by the Irish Permanent Mission to the United Nations and the first few days were filled with meetings and receptions that centered around a variety of work within the European Union.

A couple highlights of this more official part of the trip:

-We stayed with host families. This in theory sounds incredibly creepy. Staying in a person's home you have never met before? Yeah I'm not so into that but I got proven wrong this weekend. All of the hosts are staff from the Irish Office so with the heavy background screening required for Irish Foreign Service we knew that we were walking into a reasonably safe environment. My host was a young, cute Foreign Service officer who lived by herself in an awesome apartment in one of the cutest neighborhoods in Brussels! It sort of felt like we were sorority sisters (laugh away, I'm letting the cheesy come out). It was just so nice to be in a real house (not a dorm room).

-We learned a ton about the European Union and the complexity behind trying to create a unified policy among 27 countries who are still very much individuals. Besides the EU meetings we also got to spend some time at Google! Y'all go to work for Google (if only it were that simple). You have probably read some about this but it is just such a cool environment! We also had a reception at the Irish Ambassador to the EU's home and lunch with the US Ambassador to the EU!

-Brussels is like D.C. I spent my summer in DC and by the end was ready to come home (but this was largely because my tonsils were slowly killing the rest of my body-sorry that is gross). I know people have mixed feelings about DC, but one of the things that is really cool and that felt really similar in Brussels is the city is run by hoards of young people. Just like DC, Brussels offices end up being staffed with lots of young interns and staffers, all with an interest in politics. So you go to the bar and it is filled with 20-somethings in suits talking about policy. After life in a college town filled with teenagers dressed in short short skirts and high high heels talking about who threw up last night, the slightly older but still young crowd was refreshing.

After the "official" part of the trip was over a group of us hung around in Brussels for the weekend. Friday we experienced a classic Belgian dinner with mussels, fries and beer. Good stuff.

Saturday a few of us headed to Bruges for the day. The best way to describe Bruges-cute. It seems pretty clear that Bruges is a tourist hub. Luckily for us the weather hasn't warmed up and the sky is still grey in Belgium so the crowds are low but I get the feeling that come summertime Bruges is so crowded it might lose a bit of the "cuteness." In Bruges, like Brussels, I ate a lot of chocolate and drank some good beer.

Cathedral of the Holy Blood

So Bruges is kind of like a religious pilgrimage city. It is filled with really historic beautiful churches. This one claims to have a vile of Christ's blood, which you can pray over...for a fee, of course. 

Cute Waffles. I now have dreams about the smell of waffles that covers the entire country of Belgium

the cute streets of Bruges

just cute

I hope one day I can get back to Brussels and Bruges! I would love to make stops there on a larger trip of France!

Cheers Yall!
 chelsea

The West of Ireland

I spent the last few days on a bus tour of the Ring of Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula, both pristine pieces of western Ireland. The best part: the weather here has been unusually beautiful! The past two days have been 65 and sunny! For Ireland in March this is really (really really really) unusual. Needless to say the country is going wild! I've never seen so many pairs of shorts for 65 degrees. There is this kind of neat/sort of odd celebration in "bad weather" countries when they get a piece of nice sunshine. The whole country joins in this awesome mood and celebrates together for a few days. Basically one big outdoor party!

I went on the trip with the International Society at NUIM. The International Society puts together trips, almost every other week, for any student interested at Maynooth. But because most of the trips are around Ireland and it is called the International Society, the trips are usually filled with students studying abroad. So at any time on the bus you could walk down the aisle to hear French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, English, and I'm sure a few others thrown in.

This week is packed. I got back from Killarney late last night and am turning around on Wednesday to head to Brussels, Belgium for a few days with the Mitchell Scholars. So I'm going to leave this post mainly to pictures. Brief run down-left on Thursday around noon for the five and a half hour drive. Made it to Killarney, the place we used as home base for the three days. Spent Friday on a day trip of the Ring of Kerry. Then Saturday on a day trip of the Dingle Peninsula. Sunday we had a free day in Killarney where I got to take in mass at St. Mary's Cathedral and spend some time soaking up the wonderful sunshine while reading outside.

Last bit before the pictures, Irish landscape is starting to all look the same to me. This shouldn't come as a major surprise, it is a small island so it makes sense there aren't major difference in landscape. But I'm also becoming immune to the beauty of it all which is the downside to being in anyone place for very long. So I fell victim to thinking that the Ring of Kerry sort of looked like everything else I have seen (especially the landscape around the Cliffs of Moher). However, the Dingle Peninsula switched it up a bit with more fishing villages and a greener hillside. This switch up made me partial and Dingle was my favorite stop of the trip.

The Ring of Kerry-hard to explain, but it refers to an area in southwestern Ireland. One of the favorite spots for tourists in Ireland who have rented a car because it can get pretty remote

Killarney National Park-Ring of Kerry. I take these solo shots everywhere I go. Cheesy yes, but my Mom likes them.

No Moroccan waves but nice for Ireland

(a few of my friends from the Morocco Surf Trip were on this trip as well so we impressed everyone by talking about the waves like we had a clue, I personally had no clue but just learned to use words like swell and sets from Blue Crush). 

Homemade in Dingle, Ireland. With flavors like honeycomb and sea salt how could you not love Dingle, Ireland?

Dingle Harbor 

I'll be back sometime next week with updates from Brussels! Enjoy your week! 

Cheers Yall!

 chelsea