Over the past three weeks, I have found what I believe to be an important philosophical discovery in relation to travel. The times you will remember most are the ones that happened spontaneously, originally, and that put you slightly out of your comfort zone. All the planned activities were so incredibly great, but I will never forget some of the nights spent with these girls. I don't mean to get all mushy, but as my time in Ireland comes to a close I can't help but feel sentimental. The times I've had with these girls, from spur of the moment sing-alongs, to backyard dance parties, to swimming in the Atlantic Ocean at 11:30 at night… these are the times I will always hold close. These are the times that will make me smile when I look back in 15 years. These are the times that made my time in Ireland so incredibly special.
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7/2/2018 0 Comments host family interactionsI absolutely loved my host family and staying with them really heightened the experience. The household was run pretty similarly to my house; we were always on the go, we had similar food, and were always able to share a laugh around the dinner table. Of course, I missed my family during my time abroad, but I never felt homesick. That is all thanks to my host family. I'm happy I got to know Niamh and Ciara, even though they were frequently working or out of the house. Mark was super friendly and always good for a laugh, while Annette worked so hard to make sure the house ran smoothly. It was very similar to how my family works, but my sisters may be a bit louder. I loved staying with them and I think I totally lucked out in the family department. I always felt very comfortable in the house, and I'm so thankful for the time I got to spend with them.
Ennis is known as "Ireland's friendliest city", and it definitely lives up to its title. No matter where we went or who we were meeting, I always felt welcomed. That may be super cheesy, but it's the truth. One thing I think people should know about Ennis is how important it is to be open to meeting people. It was really easy making connections for us because we were part of the exchange program, but if you don't have that opportunity, make the effort. Anywhere you go, you should be open to talking to people because it can completely change the experience. The Irish people are so friendly, so you should be too, no matter the situation. The other thing that I think is important to take note of in Ennis is that you shouldn't feel the need to stay in one place. Some of the best times I had were in the surrounding areas, like The Burren and Lahinch. Don't get me wrong, Ennis is fantastic and fun place, but if you ever have the fortune of visiting, make an effort to see the surrounding areas. All in all, Ennis is an amazing place full of amazing people and should you ever get the chance to visit, take it.
After leaving Aisling, Aisling, and Muireann at the airport earlier this morning, I am more excited than ever for them to come to Phoenix. Over the past week I have been randomly spitting out places I want to take them to or am excited for them to see. From the Phoenix Art Museum to see the firefly room, to my favorite lunch places, I can't wait to show them what Phoenix is like. The thing I am most excited to share is by far the people. I'm looking forward to introducing my Irish friends to my Phoenix friends because I know they will love each other. Meeting all of their friends was one of the things that I enjoyed most about the trip. I think it is one of the things that makes the hosting environment so unique. If we weren't meeting people and developing relationships with them, we might as well have gone on our own touristy trip. The whole purpose of Sister Cities is to introduce and promote understanding relationships across cultures. The people of a country make up it's culture. If I hadn't met all the girls' friends, I would not have had such a fun and fulfilling trip. I hope that by introducing my friends and family, I can promote an understanding of our culture.
The food here has been so good so far. It isn't very different from American food, except for a few things. For one, there is the obvious increase in potatoes (haha). Another thing that is really common is brown bread. We have it almost every day for breakfast, sometimes with smoked salmon, other times with just butter. It's really nice to have in the morning with fruit and coffee or tea. Speaking of which, I think tea has grown on me during my time here. Today, at Dromoland Castle, the tea I had was incredible. It was called Morgentau China Green Tea and had a "subtle fruity flavor of mango and lemon". I took a picture of the table and wished that I could capture how amazing the tea smelled in a photograph so I could hold onto it forever. Maybe it was just the environment of the traditional afternoon tea or the beauty of the castle, but tea at Dromoland has definitely been one of my favorite meals. Another one would have to be lunch with the mayor. I had duck with plum sauce and mashed potatoes, which was absolutely delicious. One more exceptionally memorable meal was at Bunratty Castle. I had quiche, but it was more the environment and the entertainment that made the night so much fun. Aside from the fancy meals, I'm enjoying experiencing the food that Aisling and her friends would typically eat together. An example are the Spice Bags from the Chinese restaurant in Lahinch. It is a paper bag filled with chips (aka french fries), thin chicken strips, onions, and peppers. The spice is mixed in with everything and made for a big bag of hot spicy deliciousness. The other night, after getting home pretty late from a movie night, Aisling introduced me to a Tayto sandwich. It is ham, cheese, of course Taytos, and it tasted pretty good. Taytos are the Lays potato chips of Ireland, but are mostly commonly cheese and onion flavored. I also am loving all the different sweets they have here (of course). From the Mint Aero bars, to Minstrels, to Crunchies, they are so much better than American candies. All the meals that I have had here have been really good. Everything that Annette has cooked has been delicious, and we've had some good times around the table. Also, Muirreann's dad is really good at baking, so every time we go over to their house there is some new treat for us. I'll post some pictures of some of the meals that I've had here, but the picture just can't capture how good they have all tasted!
6/21/2018 1 Comment cultural observationsThe culture here isn't all that different from American culture, which is probably because of the influence Irish culture has in America. The most prominent aspect of culture is in the music. Even just walking down the street in Galway, we were surrounded by the sounds of an Irish band playing upbeat, fun music. Our group decided to stop for a second and watch them play, along with a sizable crowd. The group had 4 men and 1 girl, who played the fiddle. Instantly, my mind went to the song "Galway Girl" by Ed Sheeran. The lyrics are "she played the fiddle in an Irish band, but she fell in love with an English man." The song fit perfectly, and the music they played filled me with energy and joy.
During our dinner at Bunratty Castle, we were again treated to Irish music and dancing. A guitar, accordion, and fiddle made up the background music for the 4 dancers. Everyone clapping along and cheering on the dancers every time they performed some impossibly fast dance move made for a very lively and exciting environment. All Irish music I have heard gives you the same effect of excitement. The dancing was also incredible to watch. Some of the steps the dancers did were so fast that if you blinked, you'd miss it. It was a style of dance that I was not used to watching, but it was so much fun because the dancers looked like they were having fun. The entertainment at Bunratty made for a very fun night. Finally, last night we got to watch the last half-hour of Muireann's music practice. The group had harps, accordions, banjos, flutes, fiddles, and other instruments that I couldn't even recognize. The songs they played were so lively and engaging the whole time, and I really enjoyed listening. Her music is a huge time commitment, but you can see that it has payed off. Other than music and dance, the importance of sport here is easily visible. On Sunday, we went to the Clare v.s. Limerick hurling match. Clare and Limerick are two counties that have a huge rivalry, so the turnout for the game was huge. It was really hard to get tickets, but so so much fun in the end. Since Ennis is in Co. Clare, Annette bought me a Clare jersey to wear to the match. Everyone around us was shouting and singing songs while waving their blue and yellow flags. The entire town was buzzing with excitement leading up to the match and I heard "are you going to the match" about 50 times. The Clare team won in the end, after a very exciting game. It was so much fun and a great way to experience a sport that is very important here. I am really enjoying the culture here, along with everything else. This trip has been amazing so far, and I'm excited to see what comes next! 6/17/2018 0 Comments first impressionsThe vocabulary I am about to use for my first impressions will be very repetitive and perhaps way overflowing with positivity, as it is currently 1 a.m. and I am exhausted...you have been warned.
IRELAND IS THE MOST AMAZING PLACE! I am absolutely in love with everyone and everything here. The second we stepped out of the terminal I felt so welcomed among everyone. Every time I go to a new restaurant or to someone's house, the question of "would you like some tea/coffee/water?" is repeated about 50 times. You never go hungry and there is always someone here to smile at and share a laugh with. For the past few days we have been going at about 500 miles an hour, but I am loving every second of it. Knowing when to rush around and see everything you can in a short time versus when to stop and smell the roses is super important, but I think I'm getting a good balance of it. The sense of community here is amazing, and that could be attributed to the 20,000 population size, but it's incredible anyways. I'm so looking forward to the rest of my time here. 6/9/2018 4 Comments Intro / before i goHey there, I'm Ellie Treon and I'm 16 years old. Most of you reading this probably know who I am, but nonetheless I will introduce myself. I go to Arcadia High School, I have 2 little sisters, and I am a ballerina. I have travelled to multiple countries all over the world with my family, including Mexico, Italy, France, and Canada. This summer I will be taking the huge step of traveling overseas by myself.
This June I am going to Ennis, Ireland to stay with a family for 3 weeks. I have been counting down the days until my departure, and tomorrow is finally the day. Right now, I am mostly stressed about packing, and I'm terrified that I will forget something. However, I guess there are worse things to be concerned about than forgetting my toothbrush. Aside from packing, I was a only concerned about a few other things. Some questions that were running through my head were "what if I feel homesick?" or "what if I don't like the food?" or "what if my bags get lost during the connecting flight?" I have realized that these concerns are insignificant in the grand scheme of things, and I should focus on the amazing time that I am about to have. The closer I get to my flight, the less I am thinking of anything that could go wrong, and the more excited I get. I have had so much fun thinking of gifts that I think my counterpart and her family will like, and I'm coming up with all different things that I want to show Aisling when she comes here in July. I've spent a ton of time making my "June Playlist" so that we have good summer jams to listen to. I can't wait to go surfing and see all the castles, drink tea, and meet Aisling. I have a few messages to the people I think will be most interested in staying up to date while I'm away: MOM: Try not to cry too much when I leave (I'll be back soon to regale you with my stories) DAD: Enjoy the beach without me! (I'll bring you a refrigerator magnet for your collection) AUDREY & SOPHIE: I'll miss you guys so much! (keep jamming without me) SAVI & JADA: See y'all in San Diego. Don't miss me too much. Annnyyywwwaaayyyyy.... Wish me luck!! As I walk through airport security and onto the plane, I'lll keep in mind the words of the great Dr. Seuss.... "You're off to great places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, So... get on your way!" -Oh The Places You'll Go |