Farewell, Dublin

Dublin has been nothing short of amazing. I couldn't have asked for a better way to start this trip. We took a tour of the countryside today and it was breathtaking. Then we went to dinner and I had a traditional chicken dish and potatoes. Delicious. We're leaving at 6 am for North Wales and we'll be there for a night then we're off to London! I will update as soon I find the Internet. Cheers!

Dublin Part II

I am updating this on an ipod so I apologize in advance for any spelling errors. And I think there will be a lot. Today was our first full day in Dublin. It started out raining but then it got gradually nicer. It's actually spectacular outside right now. We started the day by taking took a tour of the city. We went to St. Patricks cathedral which was beautiful. We also went to Trinity College and got to see the Book of Kells which was written (or drawn I suppose) in 800 AD. Then we all went on a tour of the Guinness factory and got to sample some while enjoying a 360 view of the city. Our tour guide is taking us on a pub crawl tonight in the famous Temple Bar area which I am very excited about. Then tomorrow we are touring the country side and visiting some castles before we all enjoy a picnic. This trip has been amazing so far and it's only our first stop. I can't wait to see what else we will discover!

I made it!

Hello, Dublin! I made it safe and sound here and the country is beautiful. It was an adventure to get over, however. I was supposed to go Chicago to Atlanta to Dublin with an hour layover between flights. Turns out my flight from Chicago to Atlanta was delayed an hour, which meant it was very unlikely I would make my flight. But everything was worked out and I got a flight direct from Chicago to Dublin! It was only about an eight hour flight. Not too bad at all. We finally made it here and I met several people from my tour group. A few of the girls and I decided to room together then we took off to see the city. So far we've been to a few pubs and met some of the locals. We learned that bathrooms are called "jacks" here, among other interesting tidbits of knowledge. We have a welcome drink tonight at 5:00 to meet the rest of the group then I think we'll call it an early night. I've only been in the city for a few hours, but I'm already having the time of my life. I've met some amazing people in the little time I've been off the plane, I can't wait to see what will happen to rest of the trip.

Excitement

Hello! A lot has happened in just the short time I updated last. I got an e-mail from our tour guide. His name is Andre and he's from Berlin. He seems very nice but he has a lot to undertake - there are 51 of us going on this tour. I can't believe there's that many people. But I am so excited to meet everyone and embark on this journey. He also told us about another excursion we'll be taking to the Irish countryside. He said that Dublin has become a modern city as of late, so he's going to show us the more traditional side of the city. Castles, countryside, picnics. I can't wait.

I also got an e-mail from Jeff and he gave me my visa number. I wasn't quite sure what to do next, so I called the Korean Consulate in Chicago. I gave the woman I spoke to my number and she said she would call me back today before 5:00. Not sure what's next, but I'm ready for whatever I have to do.

I will leave for O'Hare at about 9 am on Monday since my flight is leaving around 3 pm. I should arrive in Dublin at about 8:30 am on Tuesday. Here's looking forward to safe travels!

Clearing things up

After reading through some of these posts, I decided I'm not a very good author. Meaning, I don't explain things very well. I told friends and family reading this that I was going abroad, but that was about it. Not much explanation. Let me clarify.

I'm going abroad twice this year. I'm taking my first trip through a company called EF College Break. I will be flying to Dublin to meet up with other young adults that I will travel throughout Europe with for 25 days. There are various excursions planned and we have several free days to do whatever we want. There's only about 31 days until we take off and I honestly cannot wait.

I'll get back to America on August 5 to start preparations to travel to South Korea. I guess I didn't mention why I was going there, only the fact that it would be my future home. So I'll try to explain it.

A lot of my friends from the School of Communication went to S. Korea because we have a sister school there. Several of my friends from WZND studied there and absolutely loved it. I have one friend in particular who moved there to teach English since he graduated and has no plans to return any time soon. When graduation was nearing, I knew I needed to start making some choices on what I was going to do. And I had no idea. But I knew that I loved to travel and I knew that I didn't want to live so close to home quite yet, so I knew that teaching in South Korea would be a great alternative. I don't know the exact date I'll fly over, but it will be toward the end of August. I'll be living in Busan, South Korea for a year teaching little kiddies all about the English language. How will I do this? Not sure. Updates in a future post.

Hope I've cleared up some of the confusion. Because sometimes I confuse even myself.

Hello, world

Not much of an update. I've officially sent everything off to Busan to complete the first step of getting my visa. Now it's just a waiting game. I've been tracking the package and it's currently in Anchorage, Alaska. It's kind of funny to watch the envelope's journey and all its stops in between.

I am working The Taste of Champaign on Friday night with Q96. Not too sure what I'll be doing, but if you're reading this and you live in the area, come on by. I'll sneak you some swag. Having a fun girls night on Saturday with my mom and aunt, as well. I need to remember to cherish these moments a little more than usual since they will be few and far between soon.

Update: Pictures!

Summer in Rantoul

It's been a great couple of days. I got to spend a lot of time with family and friends. I can't seem to do that enough considering I'll be gone for an entire year. I must admit, this summer has been a bit boring so far and I'm anxious to start my travels. But I absolutely love spending time with the people I adore, so that more than makes up for the lack of activity I've had the past few weeks. Things will start to get a bit busier soon. I start babysitting my niece and nephew next week and I have several weekends planned with family and friends. So hopefully I won't be as bored.

A lot of people have asked me if I'm still planning on going to South Korea with what has been going on as of late and the increased tension on the peninsula. Yes, I still plan on going. I have talked to a few of my friends who are currently in S. Korea, and they don't seem to be too worried about the situation. They see how other Koreans go about their day and they don't pay much mind to the threats from their neighbor to the North. Apparently this has been going on since the end of the Korean war, and the two countries are still technically at war. I read the news every day checking for updates and I will stay safe. But as of now, my destination and future home will be South Korea!