i'm here!

I have made it to Belfast!

After a car ride, two flights, several gate changes, an Auntie Anne's pretzel and lemonade, Starbucks' Passion Tea Lemonade and chocolate muffin, lugging three 50 lb. suitcases and a backpack across an ocean, a bus ride, and a taxi ride I arrived at my old/new house on Tuesday afternoon.

I have unpacked both the things I brought with me and the things I left here. I've made a list of things I need from Ikea, mostly curtains as the blinds in my room are broken. So I'm doing pretty well on the settling in phase. Although my body seems to be having a more than usually difficult time adjusting to the new time zone. Normally I'm just really tired for a few days, but this time I've been waking up at odd times, exhausted during random times of the day and just generally feeling "poorly." I think this is because I was running myself ragged the last few weeks at home and I'm sure that a little rest and TLC will have me right as rain in a few days. It's just a bummer cause I wanna go and do but I know that I need to rest...

On Wednesday I went in to the college to pay the remainder of my tuition. It was a funny meeting because I've been here before and already know where things are and have a cell phone, etc. So she was pretty much like, just let me know if you need anything and welcome! Next Friday is my official enrollment day. This is when I will meet my tutors and the others on my course and take care of a bunch of admin things like getting my student id and the letters I need to open a bank account, find a job, etc. (So a lot like orientation for us Americans.)

Until then I have plenty of time to keep trying to get my body used to being in this time zone, settle in, and catch up with friends. The weather has been lovely and cool. It's a little overcast today and we might see some rain this weekend. Perfect!

I guess that's all. I have some pictures of my last few days in the States to post soon...

cleaning out my phone...

I'm switching back over to my UK phone today, so here's a few pics and videos I saved from my US phone:

Will likes his head covered when he sleeps...

Ben's Chili Bowl!

Emily, Luke, and Flower

We fed "Flower" a lot, but we're not exactly sure if she's a girl...

Alternate name if she turns out to be a boy, "Blue"

Graduation!

Will's Birthday!!!

forty four

You know how people have lucky numbers? Well, I have two, of a sort, 11 and 44. Sometimes it's 444, but most of the time it's 44. They're not so much lucky numbers as numbers that have special meaning to me. Sometimes they're just an encouragement, they say, "Keep going you're on the right path." Or they'll say, "Pay attention to this." They've even been used to help me make some course corrections. Anyway, 44 popped up in countless ways this summer. Here are three of them from a few of the books I read:

'"Go, dogs. Go! The light is green now."' - Go, Dog. Go! pg 44

'"I am sure," she said, "that every one of us here will be gratified to learn that after four weeks of unremitting effort and patience on the part of our friend the goose, she now has something to show for it. The goslings have arrived. May I offer my sincere congratulations!"' - Charlotte's Web pg 44

"She glanced back. For a few seconds they look silently into each other's eyes, and the distant and impossible suddenly became near, possible, and inevitable. . . . . . . ." - War and Peace pg 1144

On August 4th, I received an email from the British Consulate letting me know that my visa had been issued. It arrived the next day. I'm leaving for Belfast on August 23rd (Monday!) and I know that I have two years there...

All that seemed distant and impossible suddenly became near, possible, and inevitable.

I can hardly stand it (and I can't wait to be done with the packing, although I wish I didn't have to say goodbye to so many wonderful people) and waking up in a plane over Irish fields on Tuesday morning cannot come soon enough!

the big kahuna

I did it.

I finished War and Peace.

Every last word.

Even the 36 page philosophical treatise on war and peace and what makes greatness and the free will of man (or as described in the summary: "Reflections on history and historian, greatness and power, freedom and necessity) which made up the second half of the Epilogue. Although, I must confess most of this was read out loud, in a funny accent, to keep my attention.

I have very little patience for circular philosophy in the best times and after 1178 pages I.D.G.A.R.A. (really). This quote did make me laugh out loud though;

"What is the cause of historical events? Power. What is power? Power is the sum total of wills transferred to one person. On what condition are the wills of the masses transferred to one person? On condition that the person express the will of the whole people. That is, power is power. That is, power is a word the meaning of which we do not understand."

I do love Tolstoy, despite his longwinded-ness. This is the third of his books that I've read, and it was simply beautiful.

"When she smiled, there could no longer be any doubt: it was Natasha, and he loved her."

"'Princess, wait, for God's sake!' he cried, trying to stop her. 'Princess!' She glanced back. For a few seconds they looked silently into each other's eyes, and the distant and impossible suddenly became near, possible, and inevitable. ........."

I laughed, I cried, it moved me. I was bored, I was riveted. It was like life, well worth the effort.

rigamarole

I'm still moving forward with my plans for returning to Belfast. I think last time I talked about it here I was still waiting to hear from the college. I finally heard back from them mid-May and since then absolutely nothing that could go smoothly has! Everything has been complicated, from loosing my wallet on vacation causing a delay with the processing of my deposit to not being able to have a student loan because my school doesn't work with any banks in the US. But despite all that I'm still plodding forward one weary step after another!

Today, as part of my visa application, I went in to have my biometrics taken. That's the new scary way of saying fingerprints. But these are 21st century fingerprints, digitally scanned, with not an ink pad in sight. I have no idea if the lady who took mine spoke English as she uttered not a word the entire time, just motioned me over, grabbed my hand and started manipulating it as she willed. Ok, I exaggerate, she did answer me at the end when I asked if I needed any other documents, she said, "no."

knitting and purling

I've been doing a lot of knitting lately. Well, I just never stopped. Here are a few things I've finished in the last month or so:

I made three sets of wash cloths as gifts. I read that knitted wash cloths are lovely, especially in the bath. I hope that's true!

For the 7th and 9th birthdays of two of my favorite girls in the world I made sweater skirt sets for their American Girl Dolls. (Man AG's have really taken off. When I was little they had 5 now they have 12! I had Kirsten who I just found out has been archived, that's sad, so has Samantha.)

Blocking in the pleats

All ready to go

Modeled by Felicity, Laura's doll.

i've been missing Belfast

So here are a couple things that cheered me up...

listening to Belfast radio at Feile FM.

and this... classic!