trekking through my twenties

 I have honestly started feeling quite nervous, not prepared what so ever, and a bit frantic. It is coming down to the final days before we get on a plane and go places some of us have never been before. I have read so many travel blogs, watched international packing videos, searching Pinterest for hours on packing tips, gone through my suitcase way too many times wondering if I have enough, too much, or if my clothes even match for the 10 days of the trip. I have made my currency exchanges, double checked that EF has everything they need from me, and called my aunt multiple times asking her if I am over reacting.  I am also really starting to realize that I am so blessed to be able to make this trip happen. Paying for it on my own was a challenge but it was so worth it. I am beyond ecstatic to be going on this trip and experiencing it with my roommate as well as others what I have met over this mini.  I will be posting one more blog before we take off on the plane!! I’m ...

 One thing I would like to do in all of the countries is see the museums. I know that some people might think that is boring but I think it would be really rewarding to see all the history that is engulfed in other countries. I would also really like to see the countryside in countries where that is possible.  some specific things I would like to do in each country are: Edinburgh: - see a highland cow - the scotch whiskey experience  - eat all the interesting foods in the world  London: - experience afternoon tea  - see the graffiti area  Dublin: - see St Patrick's Cathedral  - have a picnic in Phoenix park  I have never traveled abroad before so this will be so much fun. This is also my 4th time on a plane in my life. I am so thankful that I will be able to make this trip! It will be the last big trip my roommate and I get to make together before going our separate ways. I think this experience will be amazing. We are going to soak in every singl...

I will be honest, I really enjoyed the short stories that are in Dubliners. I really do think that is because of I was tasked to just read one story at a time and my attention was grabbed from the start. I chose to write my final paper on "The Sisters," because it really made me think... I had never read a book from James Joyce before Dubliners so I was unsure of his writing style. Joyce writes in a fashion that honestly confused me, he makes you really think while you are reading, the way he writes just makes you speculate what he means and why he wrote it that way. 

 One thing that my roommate and I are really looking forward to try all of the foods, coffee, and mixed drinks. I am 21 but she is 20 so she is very excited to be able to explore all the pubs and try all the different drinks! She has been abroad before so she kind of knows what to expect but I have no idea. one personal thing that I am so so excited about is to experience the culture thing. I absolutely do not WANT to look like a tourist but I'm sure I will stick out!

This reading was much more interesting to me. I feel like there were many more connections made in this connect yet there were distances established. Some characters are very conservative about their lives and then there are some that are constantly airing out dirty laundry throughout the book.  Richard want to say ‘I love you’ to Clarissa, thinks about it, gets her flowers, but then decides not to. From a personal perspective, don’t wait to say those things. Those 3 words can be something that changes someone or something forever. You never know when the last time will be that you get to say those words.  We can sort of infer that Richard does not normally say those things because Clarissa does not seem to NEED those things to be said to her but I’m sure she thinks about them, we all do. She enjoys that her and Richard have some established privacy in their relationship but I wonder how that would work? Would you want your significant to know everything about you? How would y...

 I would like to preface this blog with a quote from Virginia Woolf that I love, "Someone has to die in oder that the rest of us should value life more." Although this is literally nothing to do with the reading we were assigned, it is still a powerful quote that has a lot of meaning behind it. I have read a few writings of Woolf's and I have enjoyed them all. They are a little slow to start but they grow and prosper into great reads.  The start of this book, to me, begins by touching on the "day in the life" of a woman. Clarissa Dalloway is a wealthier woman whose main role is a housewife. She's taking a stroll through London's city when she describes the sounds go Big Ben, run errands, and mentions how she loves walking through the city rather than the country-side. As the pages increase in number, we are introduced to many characters. Peter, who Clarissa has a past with, Septimus, a veteran suffering with suicidal thoughts, Richard Dalloway, the husba...