DIY Wanderlust Jar 🌎

Happy Friday, friends!
I came across this cute little DIY idea while scrolling through my feed. I know making a jar to save some coins probably won’t fund your travel, but I love the idea behind it. Still save whatever coins you have once you make this jar and put it somewhere that you will see it every day. This will remind you of your dreams to go abroad, and remind you to save up some money in the bank!
From personal experience, all of my friends who want to travel all say they don’t have the money. This little jar could serve as motivation to save up– and it’s super cute too!

Enjoy the weekend, wherever in the world you might be reading this from!

Thanks for you post, Laura 🙂

Food Truck Thursday

Happy Thursday!

Today my school hosted its first Food Truck Thursday. You might be wondering how this could possibly relate to going abroad.

When I was in Ireland, I was really surprised that there was such a diverse selection of food available. It might have just been me feeding into the stereotype of my own heritage, but I was expecting meat, potatoes and not much else.

I was really wrong.

I fell in love with one little restaurant called Tucos Taqueria when I was living in Galway. Yes, I found amazing Mexican food in Ireland. Since I’ve been a college student, I have discovered my love for Mexican food (when I was legal in Ireland, I discovered my love of margaritas.)

Today, as I sat down at a table outside, enjoying the 80 degree weather, with my El Camino Bowl from the Lloyd truck, I was reminded how much I missed Tucos. I discovered it late in the semester and I went there every Friday for a solid month.

So, I guess my point in this post is to be open minded about the food in the countries you visit, you might be surprised! Also, if you’re not from the United States and you decide to travel here, I highly recommend eating at any food trucks you might come across!

If you ever find yourself in Buffalo, New York….try the Lloyd truck! 

(Photo credit to me!)

Thinking Back Tuesday: France 2014

(Photo Credits go to me)

When I was a senior in high school I had the opportunity to travel to France with my Advanced French class. It was just six of us and then our teacher and I can honestly say it was one of my most memorable experiences from high school.

It was three years ago basically to the date that I set off on my first trip outside of the United States (Canada does not count when you’re from Rochester, NY.)

The day I left for this trip will always stand out to me.

I woke up and started my day with with a strong sense of anticipation and excitement. I just had to get through a day of school and then at 4:00 I would be off to the airport and in pursuit of the Champs-Elysees.

It was first period and I was sitting in my Dynamics of Citizenship class, a graduation requirement for seniors. The day I was supposed to get on an international flight, I had to sit through an entire documentary on 9/11. Needless to say, I really didn’t want to get on an airplane later that day.

The September 11th documentary was not the worst thing that happened before I left for the Rochester International Airport.

I’ll never forget I was sitting at my kitchen table eating a Wegmans sub with my mom while waiting for my dad to get home from work. The sun was shining through the kitchen windows, it was warm enough to not wear a jacket and I couldn’t stop thinking about how awesome it was going to be to climb the steps of the Eiffel Tower.

I heard the garage door open and my dogs began to bark, so I knew my dad was home and we could load my luggage and I was going to be one step closer to my first international trip.

When he walked in the door, I could feel something was wrong and the look he had on his face seemed to make more sense to my mom than to me. I suddenly felt like there was something they had known for awhile and I was completely out of the loop.

I was leaning against my kitchen counter when my dad started talking about my uncle’s cancer. The only word I can really recall from the conversation is “terminal.”

I should have been worrying about airport terminals but now was worried about terminal cancer.

I got to the airport and blocked out the tears I had been crying and put on a happy face for my classmates. I didn’t tell anyone nor did I really want to. If I wasn’t ready to get out of Rochester before that news broke, I definitely was now.

I spent the week living up my experience and reveling in being able to try out my French for the first time outside of the classroom. I soaked up everything. I forgot about my uncle’s cancer. I wasn’t thinking about anyone in my family at all. For the first time I experienced true escape through travel and I fell in love. This experience was a major reason I decided to study abroad for a semester.

In the months after I returned from France, my uncle continued to get worse. I lost him in the middle of my first semester freshman year of college and it was a huge blow to my family. He was the third brother out of the six to pass away.

I was going through my France photo album on Facebook today when I remembered it was the anniversary of my trip. As I scrolled to the bottom, I got to the comments section of the post. I had forgotten that before my uncle had passed away, he asked that I put up my pictures from that trip. There, in the comments section, still exists my uncle’s comment: “Thank you Claire.”

So, today, I remember not only my French memories but also my Uncle Brian and I remain thankful that I was able to share them with him before he passed.

 

 

Yes, I’m Still Not Over Australia

I came across this blog post when I searched “Study Abroad.” I have been struggling to describe how I have felt since returning from Ireland, but this post put it all into words for me. If you’re planning on going abroad, prepare to change, prepare to experience things you couldn’t possibly experience by staying in your hometown. Prepare to struggle when you return, but prepare to fall absolutely in love with travel! Thanks for your post, ashleyolafsson!

The World Is Spinning

Bryon Bay, Australia

For those who have studied abroad, you can probably relate to me: I’m still not over my time spent in Australia. I don’t think I ever will be. Even when I’m old and wrinkly, I’ll probably still be reflecting on my time abroad as some of the best times in my entire life. For those who haven’t studied abroad, you probably are sick of me talking about Australia (still) but too bad. If you have time to go abroad still, hopefully this will inspire you to get out there and go!

This past week marked one year since I embarked on my journey down under. I can’t believe how fast time flies and that it’s already been a year. I remember so clearly getting dropped off at the airport in Boston with my parents and sister, Sarah, and sobbing hysterically. I was so scared and nervous, having…

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Love Letter to Florence

(photo credit goes to me!)

In the past two weeks, I have been doing a lot of travel outside of Fredonia, NY. I’ve been to New York City, Toronto and Pittsburgh, PA. Getting outside of the small community I go to school in reminded me how great it felt to be traveling around all the time last semester. I’ve mentioned before that I had been feeling very stuck and out of place here, but these experiences were the fuel I needed to get through it. I love trying new things and adventuring around and the past two weeks have allowed me to do so.

I also have been finding myself missing Florence so much. It’s crazy to me that a place I only got to stay for 24 hours left such an impact on me. The cover photo for my blog is actually a photo I took while in Florence. Maybe my love affair with it has a little to do with how I got there…

The travel company Bus2Alps, who offer bus trips to popular student destinations while abroad, departs from Rome and Florence. I was on a Bus2Alps trip to Budapest, Vienna and Salzburg with my best friend Kristen when my plans to see Florence were born.

Florence was completely unplanned. We originally were supposed to head back to Rome, stay in a hostel overnight and then explore the city a little before heading to the airport to fly back to Dublin. When we found out our bus would not arrive back in Rome until about four in the morning, we realized we could not check into our hostel and we had absolutely nowhere to go.

At the beginning of this trip, I ran into a girl wearing a St. John Fisher shirt in the bathroom, and was so excited to see a Rochester reference that I had to introduce myself. Her name is Andrea and she ended up saving my, and my friend Kristen’s, life. When she found out we had nowhere to go, she immediately offered up her apartment in Florence. I have never been so thankful for a person in my entire life. It reaffirmed my belief that life carries us to meet certain people and certain places, and that these experiences are made a part of our journey on purpose.

Exploring Florence was absolutely one of my favorite experiences throughout my entire semester, and the fact that it was so spontaneous made it even better. We spent the day strolling around the cobblestone streets, climbing up to the Piazzale Michelangelo, digging into traditional homemade Italian pizza, sipping on red wine and, of course, enjoying gelato at the Ponte Santa Trinita. It’s safe to say Florence stole my heart, and I definitely want to make it back to Italy one day.

Easter Around the World

(Photo Credit goes to me! That is the church I attended for Easter in Pittsburgh, PA and the skyline is the view from my sister’s apartment!)

As I walked back from Easter Sunday Mass and then sat down for Easter brunch in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, I wondered what the traditions in other countries were. In my family, it’s always ham, scalloped potatoes, asparagus, homemade applesauce and, the best part, homemade strawberry pie. Strawberry Pie has been a part of my Easters for as long as I can remember. It’s my Grandma O’Reilly’s recipe and it’s a once a year treat.

My grandma was raised during the Depression and what she experienced then definitely stayed with her throughout her life. She kept a stash of money in a sock drawer which she would dig into every holiday for the grandkids. Easter meant $5 stuffed in the same plastic eggs from the previous years (we always had to give the eggs back).

Being raised in the Depression also meant she had strong feelings about taking seconds of any foods. I was probably 12 years old and I reached for a second slice of her strawberry pie and she slapped my hand in front of everyone and said, “Now you already ate a slice Lady Jane, not everyone has had one.” If Grandma O’Reilly called you Lady Jane, you knew you were in trouble.

So, Strawberry Pie is one of my Easter traditions, what are some other traditions abroad? I found a really great post about this on the Reader’s Digest website:

France: “French children don’t get treats from the Easter bunny; they get them from the Easter bells. According to Catholic teaching, no church bells can ring between Holy Thursday and the Easter Vigil, on account of the solemnity of the days around Jesus’s death. Eventually, a legend evolved that said the church bells weren’t rung because they grew wings and flew to Rome to be blessed by the Pope. Then they returned Easter day with chocolate and presents for local kids.”

India: “Even though Christians only make up 2.5 percent of India’s population, they still have elaborate Easter festivities, especially in the northeastern states. The western India state Goa celebrates with carnivals, complete with street plays, songs, and dances. People exchange chocolates, flowers, and colorful lanterns as gifts.”

Italy: “On Pasqua (“Easter” in Italian), residents of Florence celebrate a 350-year-old tradition called scoppio del carro, which means “explosion of the cart.” A centuries-old cart is loaded with fireworks and pulled in front of the Duomo, where spectators watch the pyrotechnics go off. It’s meant to be a sign of peace and a good year ahead. South of Florence is the town Panicale, where the big celebration happens the day after Easter (called Pasquetta, or little Easter). Locals gather for the annual Ruzzolone, a competition that involves rolling huge wheels of Ruzzola cheese around the perimeter of the village”

Those are just 3 of the countries on the post. If you’d like to read the entire thing, here is the link!

http://www.rd.com/culture/easter-traditions-around-the-world/

Where To Go?: Top 3 Places

Since freshman year of college, I have been a member of the Delta Phi Epsilon sorority at Fredonia. It’s taught me a lot of the same lessons that study abroad taught me. In fact, sisters that studied abroad before me actually were my encouragement and motivation to go to Ireland for a semester. Just like going abroad, being in DPhiE has taught me independence, responsibility, leadership and connection.

This week, I decided to ask the members of my chapter to tell me where they would study abroad if they could and why. I have compiled a list of the top 3 from their responses!

1. Italy. This really didn’t surprise me. (I went to Florence for a day in November and fell completely in love. I will be posting about this trip later this week!) Most of the girls’ reasons centered around wanting to experience the food and get in touch with their heritage.
2. Australia. My best friend is studying abroad here next semester and I’m so excited for her! I’m also not surprised that this ranked high on the list. In the past 2 years, I’ve known 3 people who have studied here for over a year. One recently moved to Australia full time. The girls who responded to me want to go because they think it’s so beautiful, and who could really blame them?
3. Africa. The third most popular place was Africa. With all of the community service we do through the sorority, I wasn’t surprised that some girls expressed wanting to study here for volunteer related reasons. Raegan Essman said specifically that she wanted to go Africa as many times as possible to give back to the less fortunate and to spread love and positivity. She actually is going on a mission trip there this summer!

Although those were the top responses, Amsterdam, Germany, Ireland, and England also were very popular. My personal favorite response was Japan. I wasn’t really shocked at any of the responses as they tended to be the typical places students go. I haven’t really ever heard of anyone studying abroad in Japan. Isabel Klein said, “I would love to experience such a different culture from ours. I love Japanese food and [I want] to see all parts of the country because I’ve always wanted to go there.”

Kamrie Gademske said she really wanted to tour all of Europe, not just study in one place. She said, “I want to be immersed in [the] culture for an extensive amount of time (1-2 months) truly being able to experience a different part of the world. But I’m poor so [it’s] not happening any time soon.”

I think it’s a common trend in a lot of people my age to worry about the money aspect of going abroad. In a perfect world, traveling and gaining worldly knowledge would be something accessible to all. I understand the financial strain of abroad travel and dealt with the stress over money, but I would never put a price on my experience. Even though it’s expensive, it’s worth the money!

Photo Credit goes to me! It was taken in Florence, Italy.

Reacting to London Attack

After hearing about the attack in London, I felt compelled to write about it.

Being an American, the only foreign attack I have experienced was 9/11. Still, I was only five years old when that happened and I didn’t feel any personal connection to it until years later when I visited the 9/11 Memorial in New York City when I was in high school.

I spent a week in London just a few months ago. The city was beautiful, unlike any city I’ve been to. I loved learning to navigate the Tube and getting to see the red double-deckers, hear Big Ben’s chimes and walk over the Westminster Bridge. My friends and I made London our own and explored so many nooks and crannies. I fell in love with it and was so thankful for the experience.

When I heard of what happened the other day in London, an indescribable feeling came over me. Although I don’t live in London and I am actually not English at all, I still felt a spark of anger and immediately felt protective of the city. Unlike 9/11, I am obviously old enough to fully understand the event and process it. I felt that personal connection.

I guess if I had to connect this to the theme of this blog, I would say don’t let the fear that builds after attacks like this occur keep you from fulfilling your desires to see the world. Fear may keep you in a “safe” little bubble, but it will hinder you from growth and from life experience. 

Readjusting to America

For my past posts, I have been focusing on other people’s experiences and posting tips for studying abroad. After returning from Ireland, I wanted to focus on those currently around the world. This week, if you’ll all bare with me, I’d like to talk about what life has been like since I got off that plane in JFK back in December.

When I touched back on American soil, I was so excited to see my friends and family (and to finally be able to use my phone like normal again). I was very caught up in the happy emotions of returning home that I really didn’t consider how difficult it was going to be to get back into the swing of things.

Being home for a month before having to go back to my American school, The State University of New York at Fredonia, was not the hard part. I loved exploring around my hometown of Rochester, New York and eating at my favorite spots again. Having no responsibility and being surrounded by the comforts of home helped ease how sad I was about leaving Ireland and all of the other places I got to explore for four months. I think those comforts and that initial “I’m back!” excitement masked how I was really feeling in the way back of my head.

Returning to Fredonia hit me like, pardon the cliche, a ton of bricks. I hadn’t had any sort of rigorous coursework in Ireland and I spent most of time wandering around, tasting new foods, exploring Galway and grabbing drinks with friends. As dumb as it sounds, not being able to legally drink has been one of the most annoying things to adjust to. I’m not one to want to be partying all the time, but I miss the simple act of grabbing a glass of wine or a pint with a friend and socializing in a pub. It’s a strange thing to miss but the pub culture is alive in Ireland and I really miss that here.

The school thing has been really hard for me as well. I’m not really sure what the problem is, but I am feeling extremely unmotivated. I’ve been having conflicting thoughts about my future and I’ve started to question every decision I made about college and what to study. Studying abroad is amazing in that it opens your eyes and makes you reevaluate your life, but doing just that has caused an uncomfortable shift and I’ve been feeling very awkward and out of place.

I can’t complain too much, though. Lots of really, really good things have come about for me since I’ve been back. I don’t want this post to discourage anyone from traveling abroad or taking that leap and just getting out there. I knew going into it that I was going to come back a changed person and in a lot of ways I’m extremely thankful. I miss Ireland every day and wish I could go back to what became a second homeland for me. I wish everyone could feel that sort of attachment to somewhere other than a hometown. Studying abroad really helped me to see that home can be a lot of places or even people.

So, if you do take my advice and get on a plane, be prepared to change (even if it’s uncomfortable change).

 

Photo Credit goes to me!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Little trip up to the Sunshine Coast

It’s the first day of Spring, but in Western New York, it’s still 30 degrees. I don’t know about anyone else, but I would much rather be in Australia right now. Plus, my best friend just got accepted into a study abroad program on the Sunshine Coast and reading this got me super excited for her! Check out The Mad Woman in the Attic’s post!

The Mad Woman in the Attic

Lots of pelicans…

Since arriving in Brisbane I have been staying with a friend. However it has been a month and I thought it time to give her a little break from my constant chatter and litany of complaints (mostly about the mosquitos that line up outside my room waiting for me to wander out and provide dinner for them).   So I headed up to the Sunshine coast for a few days by myself.

Less famous with international travellers than the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast consists of around 70kms of towns and beaches stretching to the North of Brisbane.

There are lots of gorgeous beaches wherever you go, although the towns are quite different from each other, with their own bit of personality, so it’s worth taking some time to decide which one is best for you. I had no idea, so the two towns I decided to explore…

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