letgo2grow

London held endless possibilities for me in September. Throughout the entire time I spent fundraising for this trip, I knew that I was working towards one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I didn't know anybody when I got there, but I felt that I would leave with a family, and I did. 

From this experience, I've learned that I can grow and adapt to any situation and make the best of it; I've learned that I can depend on myself and budget my money; I've learned that although I can think of more fun things to do than work, working is important for my stability and independence; I've learned that just because things are different doesn't make them right or wrong, just different; I've learned that as long as I know myself and I hold the things that make me happy close to me, I can be at home anywhere I go; and I've learned that everyone plays an important role in my life, and if I pay close attention to my interactions with each of them, I can learn something of value.

Last Friday, we made our way to Phantom of the Opera!! It was a lovely show and my first opera :-)

How would you spend your last day?

On my last day in Ireland, I planned to go to the cliffs in a nearby village called Howth. After telling my host that I enjoyed photography, he suggested that I'd end my trip with going there and capturing breathtaking shots. I thought I'd get dressed, have breakfast and head out for my day, traveling the streets of Dublin alone, but in good enough company. Little did I know, my host had other things in store. There was another traveler staying there for the same amount of time that I was and it was his last day as well. My host, Des, arranged for the two of us to go to Howth together.

When I went down for breakfast, Des called down Edras as well (pictured above), and we ate together. Immediately, we started talking about our experiences traveling and how we liked Ireland so far; where we were from and why we felt the need to get away and see the world: we clicked instantly.

When we were dropped off at the cliffs, I thought that we'd spend an hour or so together and then go our separate ways exploring Ireland in whichever way we wanted, but when we got to the cliff, we began laughing, taking pictures and keeping each other from falling to our dooms. In between jokes, we talked about family, friendships, people around the world and our aspirations for the future. It was like I'd known him for a few months and we were extremely comfortable with one another. After about an hour and a half trying to get around the cliffs, taking pictures and trying to stay alive, we wandered around Howth, where we went to a cozy cafe, had a late and pumpkin soup, and from there stopped in a street market where there were vendors selling hats, scarves, pastries, jewelry and all kinds of merchandise. I purchased a hat and Edras purchased a pastry which was delicious until a fly sat on it like a decoration.

From the village, we took the Dart into town and wandered into the National Museum of Ireland, which we didn't stay in too long because of our short attention spans. However, we did see many talented works, such as the painting above, which is a self portrait. From there we stumbled upon street performers in City Centre, which took me back to the subway performances of NYC -- needless to say, I was right at home and had my camera recording every second of it.

After walking for miles around Dublin, we agreed that we were hungry and had dinner at a restaurant with poor wifi. They had delicious ribs though, so we were both pleased. From there, we spent an hour in a lively pub and made our way to another before heading home. 

We spent 14 hours together and made an entire day of companionship that was supposed to last for an hour or two. When retelling the days events to our host, Des, he kept saying that our fun-filled day was all about "Timing." He said that we were both at the perfect times in our lives and our trips to meet each other and just spend one day together exploring and getting to know one another.

Going to Ireland, I knew that I would learn something, I just didn't know what that would be. What I ended up learning was that doing things alone can be enlightening: This trip was a gift, because it allowed me to "be receptive to the people around me," as Edras said earlier in the day. Had I been with a friend, I would have been only focused on us and our experience rather than the experiences of everyone I encountered. I enjoyed feeling part of other people's lives for just a moment and really listening to them without the distractions of phones and Facebook news feeds. I even realized last minute that I conveniently left my camera USB cord back at school and therefore couldn't upload pictures until I returned. This benefitted me because it forced me to be one with Ireland and not think about the uploading and posting that would come later. I had to make the best of the "now." I took hundreds of photos of people I'd met and places I'd visited without thinking of the audiences that would look at them later, and I ended up spending my last day better than I could have planned, with great company. 

Traveling alone to and within another country was a beautiful experience, because I was forced to depend on myself for everything. I had to trust my intuition, follow it and believe that I could pick myself up if I fell. I had to stay on top of flight bookings, create an itinerary for each day and have an open mind for a country, culture and group of people that were completely foreign to me -- and I had to be okay with all of that.

People say that traveling alone is self-revealing and enlightening and one always comes back changed. It sounds like a cliche, but it's absolutely true. I often depend on my family and friends for a lot. Not that it's a bad  thing, but I tend to look to them for the answers to my problems, for constant encouragement and for motivation. But the truth is, it really comes from "self." When that fire started burning to go to Ireland, I couldn't look to my Mom, Dad, Nana or Grandpa to book flights, research multiple hotels and book them too. I had to do it, and more importantly, I wanted to, because this was for me. When my flight was cancelled just hours before take-off, I couldn't look to them to call the airline relentlessly and go up to the airport without a flight and stay there for 5 hours until I got on the next plane out. I did that. I didn't give up for one second, because I knew that this was meant for me. I did it and I am so proud of it. Ireland 2014.

The love that emanated from the people in Ireland is unforgettable. 

Cooking with Marie: Curry Vegetables and Macaroni Pie