Emilie arrived this morning to a foggy London that started putting down rain as only it should.
It seems I brought the sunshine fiercely to these isles, but she has brought the rain, and that force is stronger than what I have summoned.
It was the right kind of day for laze. We got off the train, got a little lost following directions, bought food for an epic fritata, and walked in the rain until we spotted a bus. everyone kept telling us not to walk the distance, but once we got on the bus and paid 90 pence, we realized it was two or three stops away. you can't quite trust people telling you not to walk places. we are new yorkers with feet that want to take us on.
so it was the right day for me to go back to sleep while Emilie tries to catch up. we laughed and talked and got so excited on the train back to tara's house and talked to an english fellow from brighton which he says is the san francisco of london. queers and hippies all around. he is going through a divorce now - despite looking extremely young - say, 25. He is getting divorced from the person he has been with for 7 years, but supposedly, two years ago when they became married, everything changed. He told us not to rush this marriage thing, and to be absolutely sure. thank you, sir.
and it made me think of killing the things you love with the 'security' of forever. Equally as ferocious and violent is the inability to commit or trust, but there is something that dies in you when you try to secure things past the point of potential loss. we can never be sure of things. that is what gives fire to our connections, no? being secure is important in certain ways though. we can rest assured that we are loved, and that we LOVE someone/something, and we can trust in the connections we have, but we can never be fully sure that they will not change. and so we live everyday being true to our feelings, and hoping that the other person reciprocates. i'm not saying that i think things do change often, especially as we get older and more and more able to love fully and courageously. i am saying though, that we have to live in the absolute potential of change and greet everyday as new, because in the premature settling of things, we lose something very important. i think it is the ability to see the spontaneity of the world...it must be, because inherently, when you try to secure something forever, and deny its potential for change, you begin to deny all of the changes, inherent in spontaneity.
this is my head and heart right now. a mixture of having and not having. a state of existing both here and there, but seeking only one spot. And I want very badly to be in both places, but do not have the ability to coexist that way. and for the better.
so i am HERE and i am glad i am here because i have been wanting this for so long, but it's time for me to settle out my bones and be present. I don't want to continue to exist in thought.
there are so many things at home that are beautiful and make my life an amazing adventure. so many connections, all in a period of transition. and if i were there, i would be giving all 137% of myself to them, but i am HERE, and i want to be, because this is what i have chosen for now. this is what i have known is right for me. those things are right for me too, but if they are meant to be they will continue, and i trust they will only grow inside of me.
- - - -
and so we have it that emilie is here and i have a companion on this continent. i feel only excitement for this. i loved traveling alone, but i am ready to have someone to see with, and to experience with, who can hug me when i am feeling like the words in 'such great heights'. and to just love and be with because emilie is a beautiful pink flower
i think we are all going out tonight which is exciting and a bit overdue. it's not something i am used to, but i suppose none of this is anything i am used to and it will only serve to enrich my life.
here we go now
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Good Byerelund, Hellondon
I left Westport sometime yesterday, which until about four hours ago, still counted as today, as i didn't sleep all night unti lthis brief nap.
i left after picking blueberries with amy and sarah, playing mbira with them, and seeing 'muldoon's insurance company'. it took 8 hours to get from wport to dublin and then 3 and a half hours by ferry to england. i visitted the outdoor observation deck and stared off into the cold blackness of night littered with stars and the heavenly shine of the light house swinging its light in circles.
what i have come to understand during this trip, is that i have no connection to the places i am, and no perspective therefore of where i am, if i do not feel the earth or water beneath me, or the sky above my head. i need to feel my surroundings and at least be free to look at them - like looking at the moon through the window, and the treeline at night when everything is darker and denser then the next thing.
so i stood on top of this vessel in the cold night air with teddo peering out from my bag and thought about these pilgrimages and how strong and slow we were in the irish sea with such force underneath us. the water is everlasting and brute force, especially in the darkness, but at the same time it is calm and loving. nature has a way of contradicting herself gracefully.
and so it was that i departed and met many wonderful people on the way back to dublin and all the way to london. i spoke with a ghanean man about his culture and philosophies about ancestry, deathlivingpresentpastfuture, and ritual. we talked about love, and being complete when you share your love with someone else, but how that doesn't negate your completeness when you are alone. he was very kind and gentle and we made a beautiful connection. he told me the story of his wife and him meeting and how his family is the most important thing to me. he asked me a whole heap of questions about traveling, spirituality vs religion in my life, self-denial for the purpose of spiritual discipline (abstinence, fasting), and the feelings of traveling alone. he asked me what it is i have learned about myself from traveling the world alone and i realized i hadnt put it to words yet, and all of this has been a mere WEEK. i have been on my lonesome for a week now. exactly a week ago i was just waking up from a nap in the hostel after walking on low fuel all day in dublin, trying to feel with my full heart, the nature of the city. i woke up with anxiety for uncertainty and the prospect of meeting new people which has always rattled my bones a bit. once i got up and went outside, everything fell into place, and i was eased into calmness.
i am feeling this now. this anxiety. i think from a deficiency in iron and true nutrition because i have eaten very few vegetables and nutritious foods, on top of having gotten my period two days ago. i have one luna pad. i have two white-turned-red socks. and i have a nervous little heart breathing fast in her own little heartcenter. tara is gone - perhaps to go move her stuff into her friends' house, or perhaps to go to the circus event she was going to.
i woke up in the bed in her father's house without a context, and the shade was drawn and the light made it look like a dungeon which was characteristic of my dream, though i can not remember it right now. and i am not discontent, but i am a little shaky and lonely, but feeling all the stronger and full of love for it. i'm so glad to be here with tara. paralleling situations, a beautiful baby, a beautiful sister, a beautiful city (BELLA), and so much joy and light. it was so so so foggy this morning. true london fog, and when i knew she was coming down the street to pick me up i couldn't help but smile at the brightness she was bringing with her. always bright, that one.
and so it is that i have been thinking about what i have learned, and trying hard not to dwell too much on the presence of a particular love i feel. rather, i let it color me and i let it move me to be more beautiful and full of light. i let it be my anchor and my support. i feel carried by this love that i have, and the love i have been surrounded with.
and i feel like i have learned about being alone and how to bring myself into the present. i have learned how to recognize when i need rest in order to give of myself fully in a way that is in my integrity.
and i have learned that the world is ONE PLACE and we are always home no matter how far away we are from whatever we identify as our nest. i dont know what i identify, or what i am comfortable to identify, but this last week and a half has had me watching a little change take place in where my center of gravity is, how i express love, feeling love freely, and acclamating to the trust of giving this love freely, even if it may not be received. and of course, it is, but you never know if your heart will recoil from someone throwing up their hands or shrugging their shoulders. all the more reason to give.
this is perhaps jumbled and too abstract. but i feel love and i feel an ache and i feel anxiety.
'i'm far away and i'm feeling alone, i've got one week behind me just 11 more to go. if i could see you i'd take off your clothes and we'd lie in the garden and watch the weeds grow.'
also, perhaps the biggest inner expansion for the last few days has been my focus on listening. it happened when i was at the beach way out on the peninsula with the blue herring and oyster shells. i found a little secluded encirclement and stood with the wind swishing past me, moving the little pool of water that had been caught in the land. i listened to the wind, with croagh patrick standing tall and grand in the light gray sky, and the ocean to my left, shrubs and grass to my left, under my feet, and i felt like my heart was listening. it was hearing the wind with stillness inside of itself, and my brain was quiet too as if the wind were telling it a secret it found worthy of calming down for. i listened to the wind gently trace the contours of my ears, felt her on my face, watched her move the surface of the water, and the grass. and i felt like i could see into the core of everything. it has only gotten stronger. i can look at people, animals, plants, even things, and i can feel the root of their life (soul i suppose you call it) shining and humming with brilliance, even if it isn't conscious for them. and it is all so beautiful and i try to be centered enough in my interaction with this world and its beings that i can honor it and see it clearly in every moment. or at least be conscious of it and express myself from the place of experiencing it.
and so with heavy heart, i will end this post, because i have a life to go experience and my adventures have been good and i have been doting on this love in my heart and spreading forth to me, but to write of it anymore would be putting too many sprinkles on the ice cream
with nervous heart of hearts, but nonetheless, all of it,
sairuh
i left after picking blueberries with amy and sarah, playing mbira with them, and seeing 'muldoon's insurance company'. it took 8 hours to get from wport to dublin and then 3 and a half hours by ferry to england. i visitted the outdoor observation deck and stared off into the cold blackness of night littered with stars and the heavenly shine of the light house swinging its light in circles.
what i have come to understand during this trip, is that i have no connection to the places i am, and no perspective therefore of where i am, if i do not feel the earth or water beneath me, or the sky above my head. i need to feel my surroundings and at least be free to look at them - like looking at the moon through the window, and the treeline at night when everything is darker and denser then the next thing.
so i stood on top of this vessel in the cold night air with teddo peering out from my bag and thought about these pilgrimages and how strong and slow we were in the irish sea with such force underneath us. the water is everlasting and brute force, especially in the darkness, but at the same time it is calm and loving. nature has a way of contradicting herself gracefully.
and so it was that i departed and met many wonderful people on the way back to dublin and all the way to london. i spoke with a ghanean man about his culture and philosophies about ancestry, deathlivingpresentpastfuture, and ritual. we talked about love, and being complete when you share your love with someone else, but how that doesn't negate your completeness when you are alone. he was very kind and gentle and we made a beautiful connection. he told me the story of his wife and him meeting and how his family is the most important thing to me. he asked me a whole heap of questions about traveling, spirituality vs religion in my life, self-denial for the purpose of spiritual discipline (abstinence, fasting), and the feelings of traveling alone. he asked me what it is i have learned about myself from traveling the world alone and i realized i hadnt put it to words yet, and all of this has been a mere WEEK. i have been on my lonesome for a week now. exactly a week ago i was just waking up from a nap in the hostel after walking on low fuel all day in dublin, trying to feel with my full heart, the nature of the city. i woke up with anxiety for uncertainty and the prospect of meeting new people which has always rattled my bones a bit. once i got up and went outside, everything fell into place, and i was eased into calmness.
i am feeling this now. this anxiety. i think from a deficiency in iron and true nutrition because i have eaten very few vegetables and nutritious foods, on top of having gotten my period two days ago. i have one luna pad. i have two white-turned-red socks. and i have a nervous little heart breathing fast in her own little heartcenter. tara is gone - perhaps to go move her stuff into her friends' house, or perhaps to go to the circus event she was going to.
i woke up in the bed in her father's house without a context, and the shade was drawn and the light made it look like a dungeon which was characteristic of my dream, though i can not remember it right now. and i am not discontent, but i am a little shaky and lonely, but feeling all the stronger and full of love for it. i'm so glad to be here with tara. paralleling situations, a beautiful baby, a beautiful sister, a beautiful city (BELLA), and so much joy and light. it was so so so foggy this morning. true london fog, and when i knew she was coming down the street to pick me up i couldn't help but smile at the brightness she was bringing with her. always bright, that one.
and so it is that i have been thinking about what i have learned, and trying hard not to dwell too much on the presence of a particular love i feel. rather, i let it color me and i let it move me to be more beautiful and full of light. i let it be my anchor and my support. i feel carried by this love that i have, and the love i have been surrounded with.
and i feel like i have learned about being alone and how to bring myself into the present. i have learned how to recognize when i need rest in order to give of myself fully in a way that is in my integrity.
and i have learned that the world is ONE PLACE and we are always home no matter how far away we are from whatever we identify as our nest. i dont know what i identify, or what i am comfortable to identify, but this last week and a half has had me watching a little change take place in where my center of gravity is, how i express love, feeling love freely, and acclamating to the trust of giving this love freely, even if it may not be received. and of course, it is, but you never know if your heart will recoil from someone throwing up their hands or shrugging their shoulders. all the more reason to give.
this is perhaps jumbled and too abstract. but i feel love and i feel an ache and i feel anxiety.
'i'm far away and i'm feeling alone, i've got one week behind me just 11 more to go. if i could see you i'd take off your clothes and we'd lie in the garden and watch the weeds grow.'
also, perhaps the biggest inner expansion for the last few days has been my focus on listening. it happened when i was at the beach way out on the peninsula with the blue herring and oyster shells. i found a little secluded encirclement and stood with the wind swishing past me, moving the little pool of water that had been caught in the land. i listened to the wind, with croagh patrick standing tall and grand in the light gray sky, and the ocean to my left, shrubs and grass to my left, under my feet, and i felt like my heart was listening. it was hearing the wind with stillness inside of itself, and my brain was quiet too as if the wind were telling it a secret it found worthy of calming down for. i listened to the wind gently trace the contours of my ears, felt her on my face, watched her move the surface of the water, and the grass. and i felt like i could see into the core of everything. it has only gotten stronger. i can look at people, animals, plants, even things, and i can feel the root of their life (soul i suppose you call it) shining and humming with brilliance, even if it isn't conscious for them. and it is all so beautiful and i try to be centered enough in my interaction with this world and its beings that i can honor it and see it clearly in every moment. or at least be conscious of it and express myself from the place of experiencing it.
and so with heavy heart, i will end this post, because i have a life to go experience and my adventures have been good and i have been doting on this love in my heart and spreading forth to me, but to write of it anymore would be putting too many sprinkles on the ice cream
with nervous heart of hearts, but nonetheless, all of it,
sairuh
Thursday, September 25, 2008
horses
well
galway is a beautiful city, but when you are feeling sick and tired, it isn't the first place you want to be. i enjoyed beautiful irish trad music in taafe's pub after a walk to the beach and journaling at sunset. oh ireland. thank you for good weather.
i listened for quite sometime because the woman who picked me up and brought me to galway allowed me to stay at her house and her and her family made me feel very welcomed. she is 23 with a 34 year old husband, 15 year old stepdaughter, and 6 year old biological daughter. they are from brazil and are loads of fun. i stayed in all of yesterday and last evening after helping julia with her homework we talked and i played music for them - mbira and piano...but i dont play the piano. they took 30 minutes of home movies of me playing! i taught julia how to cartwheel and we did other acrobalance on the living room floor.
weder, the husband, who is gentle, and very earnest told me that he thinks obama can change the world, but he hopes he doesn't mess up because the good name of all black people will be destroyed and white people will find another reason to hate them. people in irelund keep up with the politics in america - as do the rest of the world it seems, because it directly effects them. yay superpower.
so this morning i caught a ride in with lilly, and she ended up not just taking me to cong, but to westport itself and i walked 4 km to croagh patrick, explored the beaches and delapidated abbey, and made friends with two horses. one of which wiped its runny nose on me. i only have another minute here, but i am doing well and am very pleased to have met such wonderful people.
and i am even more pleased that emilie will be joining me soon, and that i will be seeing tara in no time.
buona fortuna
sairuh
galway is a beautiful city, but when you are feeling sick and tired, it isn't the first place you want to be. i enjoyed beautiful irish trad music in taafe's pub after a walk to the beach and journaling at sunset. oh ireland. thank you for good weather.
i listened for quite sometime because the woman who picked me up and brought me to galway allowed me to stay at her house and her and her family made me feel very welcomed. she is 23 with a 34 year old husband, 15 year old stepdaughter, and 6 year old biological daughter. they are from brazil and are loads of fun. i stayed in all of yesterday and last evening after helping julia with her homework we talked and i played music for them - mbira and piano...but i dont play the piano. they took 30 minutes of home movies of me playing! i taught julia how to cartwheel and we did other acrobalance on the living room floor.
weder, the husband, who is gentle, and very earnest told me that he thinks obama can change the world, but he hopes he doesn't mess up because the good name of all black people will be destroyed and white people will find another reason to hate them. people in irelund keep up with the politics in america - as do the rest of the world it seems, because it directly effects them. yay superpower.
so this morning i caught a ride in with lilly, and she ended up not just taking me to cong, but to westport itself and i walked 4 km to croagh patrick, explored the beaches and delapidated abbey, and made friends with two horses. one of which wiped its runny nose on me. i only have another minute here, but i am doing well and am very pleased to have met such wonderful people.
and i am even more pleased that emilie will be joining me soon, and that i will be seeing tara in no time.
buona fortuna
sairuh
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
galway
yeah yeah yeah hitch hiking adventure!
i left my lovely westport family house this afternoon after little to no sleep and an early wake up to find the roads of irelund friendly and full of adventure.
i am missing amy and sarah - the little girls i was living with, but i am welcoming a chance to be quiet and conserve my energy. i am getting sick, i think. i am trying to take it slow.
i headed out at 1230 and was picked up by many wonderful irishfolks. stone-layers, construction-worker-become-painter-after-debilitating-accident (following the dream, yeah), truck driver, cattle farmer, fishery worker (to retire on october 6th!) and finally, brazilian woman with her girls.
The cattle farmer with smiling eyes and a valiant spirit took me in for lunch. We ate with his wife, two farmhands, polish helper, and son. He told me that he had just dropped his youngest of nine (who is 22, he was an older fella) at trainin' because 'he's a little retarded, but a happy, good lookin' fella. it's just that he can't talk.' I was humbled by the way he spoke of his son and how unashamed he was. His daughter lives in NYC - Long Beach LI, and we talked about obama and the election. he asked me what i did and i told him all of my jobs, but the one thing he was excited about was the circus. he told me that i am a freespirit and i wont ever work behind a desk, or in a laboratory. neither will he
he bid me off well and though i didn't get a ride for more than 2 km, i enjoyed the scenery and when i finally did get a ride it was absolutely fateful. when i was picked up by the brazilian woman, she told me of her reasons for moving to irelund. she told me that she cries when she listens to country and gospel music, and she not only drove me miles out of her way to bring me into the galway city centre, but she is going to pick me up later tonight and i will stay at her house. we laughed and talked about the places we are from, and her young daughter spoke in irish 'the teddy is writing'. I have been so blessed during this trip with wonderful people. I got to hear beautiful music with other wonderful american tourists and locals alike in westport yesterday evening after a shady evening in the flat of an irishman.
and that's a story too.
he stopped me on the street earlier that day after i smiled at him and we got to talking for about fifteen minutes. he told me he is a musician and asked what i was doing later. i called him at night thinking we would go out and listen to music in one of the pubs, but he instead took me back to his house where we sat on opposite sides of the room talking about politics (everyone is excited about the election...they all know what's going on) and music. he played me beautiful irish ballads on his guitar and then some indian riffs, to which i responded with wagon wheel and railroads (my song). At some point he crossed the room to go to the bathroom and on his way back to his seat, he stopped and looked at my cross around my neck. he took it in his hands, which already was strange, and then he touched my criss cross pin which was over my heart (read: left tit). he then sat next to me and we talked, until he reached for my leaf earring, and then my moon tattoo. oh! and THEN i received a massage, because it's rough carrying a backpack and my muscles must be sore. living in nyc has taught me to understand the nature of these encounters, and i understood him to be a benign character (afterall, he did sing a song to me that went 'there is a grrl Sairuh, and i like her smile') so i had to put all of my energy into not laughing so hard that my body shook and he realized it. my thoughts at the time sounded something like 'well, it's a free massage, so give it a minute or two, and then tell him you'll be leaving.'
never a dull moment
and then of course, there was patrick who picked me up in his truck. he asked me if i was ok to travel alone and if i didnt want a friend because he would want his wife to be with him. i told him about my vision of the two backpackers on the day that emilie asked to join me on my adventure, but that i am very excited about this solitary journey. what was scary at first dissolved within minutes and i am happy to be alone so far away, not knowing where i will stay, or anyone in the country.
he told me that he thinks reincarnation might be true because there was once a holiday he took with his wife where he knew the city without having ever been there. he thinks he lived there once. he also told me a lot of the history of irelund and then said ' i like picking up hitchers because i like hearing their stories, but i seem to do most of the talkin' myself'
the people of irelund are wonderful and full of love. my heart feathers are ruffling and my body is aching for rest.
trad music at a pub tonight before going to eau claire galway with lilly, my brazilian friend.
love from this beautiful isle,
Say Ruh
ps. the buildings in irelund are painted colors. i think it is because it is so gray most of the time - they need cheering
i left my lovely westport family house this afternoon after little to no sleep and an early wake up to find the roads of irelund friendly and full of adventure.
i am missing amy and sarah - the little girls i was living with, but i am welcoming a chance to be quiet and conserve my energy. i am getting sick, i think. i am trying to take it slow.
i headed out at 1230 and was picked up by many wonderful irishfolks. stone-layers, construction-worker-become-painter-after-debilitating-accident (following the dream, yeah), truck driver, cattle farmer, fishery worker (to retire on october 6th!) and finally, brazilian woman with her girls.
The cattle farmer with smiling eyes and a valiant spirit took me in for lunch. We ate with his wife, two farmhands, polish helper, and son. He told me that he had just dropped his youngest of nine (who is 22, he was an older fella) at trainin' because 'he's a little retarded, but a happy, good lookin' fella. it's just that he can't talk.' I was humbled by the way he spoke of his son and how unashamed he was. His daughter lives in NYC - Long Beach LI, and we talked about obama and the election. he asked me what i did and i told him all of my jobs, but the one thing he was excited about was the circus. he told me that i am a freespirit and i wont ever work behind a desk, or in a laboratory. neither will he
he bid me off well and though i didn't get a ride for more than 2 km, i enjoyed the scenery and when i finally did get a ride it was absolutely fateful. when i was picked up by the brazilian woman, she told me of her reasons for moving to irelund. she told me that she cries when she listens to country and gospel music, and she not only drove me miles out of her way to bring me into the galway city centre, but she is going to pick me up later tonight and i will stay at her house. we laughed and talked about the places we are from, and her young daughter spoke in irish 'the teddy is writing'. I have been so blessed during this trip with wonderful people. I got to hear beautiful music with other wonderful american tourists and locals alike in westport yesterday evening after a shady evening in the flat of an irishman.
and that's a story too.
he stopped me on the street earlier that day after i smiled at him and we got to talking for about fifteen minutes. he told me he is a musician and asked what i was doing later. i called him at night thinking we would go out and listen to music in one of the pubs, but he instead took me back to his house where we sat on opposite sides of the room talking about politics (everyone is excited about the election...they all know what's going on) and music. he played me beautiful irish ballads on his guitar and then some indian riffs, to which i responded with wagon wheel and railroads (my song). At some point he crossed the room to go to the bathroom and on his way back to his seat, he stopped and looked at my cross around my neck. he took it in his hands, which already was strange, and then he touched my criss cross pin which was over my heart (read: left tit). he then sat next to me and we talked, until he reached for my leaf earring, and then my moon tattoo. oh! and THEN i received a massage, because it's rough carrying a backpack and my muscles must be sore. living in nyc has taught me to understand the nature of these encounters, and i understood him to be a benign character (afterall, he did sing a song to me that went 'there is a grrl Sairuh, and i like her smile') so i had to put all of my energy into not laughing so hard that my body shook and he realized it. my thoughts at the time sounded something like 'well, it's a free massage, so give it a minute or two, and then tell him you'll be leaving.'
never a dull moment
and then of course, there was patrick who picked me up in his truck. he asked me if i was ok to travel alone and if i didnt want a friend because he would want his wife to be with him. i told him about my vision of the two backpackers on the day that emilie asked to join me on my adventure, but that i am very excited about this solitary journey. what was scary at first dissolved within minutes and i am happy to be alone so far away, not knowing where i will stay, or anyone in the country.
he told me that he thinks reincarnation might be true because there was once a holiday he took with his wife where he knew the city without having ever been there. he thinks he lived there once. he also told me a lot of the history of irelund and then said ' i like picking up hitchers because i like hearing their stories, but i seem to do most of the talkin' myself'
the people of irelund are wonderful and full of love. my heart feathers are ruffling and my body is aching for rest.
trad music at a pub tonight before going to eau claire galway with lilly, my brazilian friend.
love from this beautiful isle,
Say Ruh
ps. the buildings in irelund are painted colors. i think it is because it is so gray most of the time - they need cheering
Monday, September 22, 2008
irelund
i have arrived in irelund after missing my flight - albeit, fatefully and rightfully so. i arrived in dublin to a new day of sunshine after a summer of horrid weather.
there is much to say of dublin. of how it is full of college students, and travelers and is very much like new york city in some ways. but what touched me most about dublin were little moments i witnessed
a little girl with blonde hair holding her father's hand down a small street, wearing a kangaroo pouch sweater with a baby kangaroo in it. her baby roo' fell out, so her dad stopped, and with utmost tenderness said 'oh, your friend fell out' and put it back in her little pouch.
a young boy riding his bicycle on his terrace.
a bus driver telling me where to go for cheap and how to get to westport for cheap. he told me he backpacked once. he had love in his eyes
the academics at trinity college greeting each other:
a LOVELY day, isn't it?
why yes it is
will you be traveling to the country this weekend?
on the bus to westport:
the laydee with the stick (cane) is with me
sweet things. and beautiful people taking care of me in westport. i will write more of them later. for now, i have to get off of this expensive thing
all my love to america and antarctica
there is much to say of dublin. of how it is full of college students, and travelers and is very much like new york city in some ways. but what touched me most about dublin were little moments i witnessed
a little girl with blonde hair holding her father's hand down a small street, wearing a kangaroo pouch sweater with a baby kangaroo in it. her baby roo' fell out, so her dad stopped, and with utmost tenderness said 'oh, your friend fell out' and put it back in her little pouch.
a young boy riding his bicycle on his terrace.
a bus driver telling me where to go for cheap and how to get to westport for cheap. he told me he backpacked once. he had love in his eyes
the academics at trinity college greeting each other:
a LOVELY day, isn't it?
why yes it is
will you be traveling to the country this weekend?
on the bus to westport:
the laydee with the stick (cane) is with me
sweet things. and beautiful people taking care of me in westport. i will write more of them later. for now, i have to get off of this expensive thing
all my love to america and antarctica
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Good Bye America!
I've worked this trip out so that I will be able to make as few commitments as possible. This includes the day I leave, of course, which has changed from Wednesday Sept. 10th (tomorrow) to Friday Sept. 12th (not tomorrow).
Starting off with plans to go to India, which morphed into a Peruvian adventure, which crossed the Atlantic into Eastern Europe, which then backtracked to Dublin...I've been able to be as mutable as afternoon storm patterns. And that's good. I like that.
So I am for sure leaving Friday. There's a lot to be done in the time between now and then. College essays (because I'm going back in January??), mailing climbing gear back to New Paltz, calling my landlord to remind him to send me the $834 he owes me...because I'm pretty much broke otherwise, and getting a transcript from my high school. This is why I couldn't leave tomorrow. Also because I have no money.
But what I have learned in my 21 years of living is that I function on a moment to moment basis. When I can do that, I thrive. I can't make decisions months in advance. I can't make them days in advance, even. So, this is all wonderful for me, and because I have nothing to commit to, I am enjoying this existence.
So...As for my plans. I'm really going to try to stick to this plan because I've done a lot of research on weather in all of the countries that I am going to, and if I don't visit certain places at specific times it will be too cold. I'm no polar bear. Also, I'm going to be camping. I don't want to be cold.
PLAN:
Sept 12 - fly from NYC to Dublin Airport. Hang out in Dublin for the night. Then hitch hike to West Meath where my Grandpa's family is from. Head over to Galway for about a week.
Scotland Sept 20 - 27 Ferry from Northern Ireland to Scotland. Hitch hike to Edinburg. Maybe the Isle of Skye first?
Sept 27 - 29 - hitch hike to London to pick Emilie up at the airport!!!! See Tara!!!!
Sept 30 - Ferry to Netherlands from Harwich. Hang out for a day or two, then hitch hike to Berlin to see Michele (if she's still there). Berlin for a week
October 3-9 Berlin
Oct 10 - 13 Hitch hike to/visit Belgium
Oct 13 - hitch hike to Paris
Oct 18 - hitch hike to Switzerland (happy birthday Evan)...maybe. i don't know if it will be too cold. But I really want to go to Switzerland
Oct 18 - 21 - hang out in Switzerland
Oct 21 - hitch hike down to Aix en Provence. Visit Les Saintes Maries de la Mer. Romani patron saint Sarah la Kali lives here. Her day of veneration is on my birthday!
Oct 26 - hitch hike down to Southern Spain
Oct 29 - Nov 16 - Spain (Andalusia) and Portugal
Nov 17 - Hitch hike to Italy. God knows how long this will take
Nov 23? - Rome for gelato and fine fine Italian cuisine
Nov 25 - Isernia per un vaccazione alla casa di la mia famiglia. We have a villa apparently. When this guy dies it will be back in my family's name. Supposedly he's very old.
Nov 27 - hitch hike down to the Amalfi Coast
Nov 28 - Dec 7? - Amalfi Coast and surrounding area because it's heavenly
Dec 7 - Dec 15 - hitch hike back up to Belgium to catch the ferries for London and Ireland that will get me back home for Christmas and Chanukah.
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