Gerard Butler was late...

To Ireland In The Coming Times by: William Butler Yeats (Irish poet and writer)

“Now, that I would accounted to be

True brother of a company

That sang, to sweeten Ireland’s wrong,

Ballad and story, rann and song;

Nor be I any less of them,

Because the red-rose-bordered hem

Of her, whose history began

Before God made the angelican clan,

Trails all about the written page.

When Time began to rant and rage

The measure of her flying feet

Made Ireland’s heart begin to beat;

And Time bade all his candles flare

To light a measure here and thre’

And may the thoughts of Ireland brood

Upon a measured quietude.”

The first few days of my travel break were spent in Dublin, Ireland. Dublin is a very industrial city and it has a vibe altogether foreign from any other city I have been in. When compared to other cities, it is not pretentious like Oxford, not grandiose like London; it has none of the buzz of New York, none of the opulence of L.A., nor the trendy-ness of San Francisco. The architecture was practical, there weren’t very many monuments but there were, of course, four-leaved clovers everywhere. This satisfying fulfillment of stereotypical Ireland may have had something to do with being there during the week of Saint Patrick’s day. So classic.

The first day we took a walking tour of the city, so we were “those people”, the clearly touristy mob of fanny-pack laden people being led around like a herd of sheep by the guy with bright red TOURS shirt on. It was a great way to see a quick over view of all the major sites and get my bearings of the city. We had a great tour guide and incorporated in his speech was a quick crash course in a couple thousand years of Irish history. This gave some context to the city, which really helped put into perspective the cultural development. Irish history is one long story of conflict and fighting for independence; really it can be characterized by a resilience to continue getting up and moving forward no matter how many times you get knocked down. This was reflected in what I saw of the mentality of the Irish: basically that contentedness was found in grabbing a pint and drinking up because life is kind of crappy and this is what we’ve got to keep us going. Which, as opposed to being pessimistic, is actually kind of admirable. Going to the pubs was my favorite part because they were much different than the English Oxford pubs, and were such a cultural experience. Looking around at our favorite pub, O’Sheas, I could tell that most of the people around us were locals and in a pseudo “Cheers” like way, it was evident that they had been coming to this bar for years, and would continue coming for years because of the camaraderie and tradition. The best part was the live music because while sitting and listening to the old men with guitars and wind instruments singing about whisky, I was so aware of the fact that this was Ireland! Also, to my great amusement, the crowd would join in the rhythm and jump up occasionally to do a jig! Another venue we went to in the more tourist section gave an entirely different feel to the Dublin pub scene, it was crowded and the good-looking scruffy Irish stud on the guitar was singing bad 90’s music, a la Greenday.  Though less authentic, it was mad entertaining because I felt like I was in a scene from the movie P.S. I Love You, except Gerard Butler was late.

Intermission

“Well that’s that”…and the Complete Works of Shakespeare Volume my tutor was holding thudded shut with resounding finality… a sickening sound which could have only been achieved with that degree of severity by the literature which has been dominating my life for the last two months.

It astonishes me how eight weeks can just fly out the window like that, greedily taking with them my precious time here at Oxford. This realization seems completely unreal, I mean I just got here! Now before I get too melodramatic, I do have to admit that I still have three weeks here in Oxford, and then the very exciting prospect of extensive traveling through out the rest of the UK and then continent afterward. However, at that moment of, “Okay nice working with you…I really enjoyed our conversation…see you….never…”, it all felt very upsetting! (Although I am having no problem whatsoever with the fact that it is the second week of March and I am essentially done with school!)

Reflecting back on these eight weeks is impossible. I am kicking myself for not writing and journaling more so that I could document a day-by-day account of my time here and exactly how I was feeling at every turn. But in some ways I enjoyed simply loosing myself in life as an Oxford student. It very easily and simply, especially in the last month, just became the life I was living. Though, on particularly beautiful days on my way into town through the Christ Church meadows, with my iPod blaring and a skip in my step, I still feel overwhelmed when remembering where I am. The only possible way of coping is to continue to remind myself to look around at the people and the buildings and soak up every second of the incredibly opportunity I have been afforded in spending even a short amount of time in this brilliant city.   

Now starts the whirlwind of activity that makes me feel like I should be jealous of my own life….as in this can’t be real, people don’t really go to Ireland for spring break!

From Saturday 12 March, until Monday 21 March I will be on Travel (Spring) break in the rest of the UK. So two friends and I are flying from London to Dublin, Ireland, spending three days, then flying to Glaskow, Scotland and staying for the day before taking a bus to Edinburough, Scotland and staying for two-ish days, then taking a (10 hour) bus ride to Cardiff, Wales and staying for two days, then heading back to home-sweet home Oxford! Whew!

This is an “Oxford-book-smarts-need-not-apply” moment, considering being in a new country and jumping through the obstacles of travel will require all of our street smarts, rather than a thesis statement and a large vocabulary. We will be reading guide-books instead of Oscar Wilde, living in the same two changes of clothes rather than dressing up for drinks parties, and an asking directions instead of giving them. Welcome back to the real world! (Kind of) And all of this will be done with the total of our worldly possessions on our back, cameras in hand, and blisters on our feet. Now I just have to try not to get “Taken”, a sequel would just not be necessary…right mom?