Stateside

I've been back in California for more than four days now and it's still a little strange. The landscape is still pleasantly surprising after the relative flatness of Ireland. I somehow had forgotten that I grew up amongst foothills and minor mountains. There have been a few days of warmth but the weather turned rather cold today. Autumn is definitely in the air.

I find myself censoring the Irish-isms that have been incorporated into my vocabulary. Surprisingly it's the 'your man' and 'sure' that come out with the greatest frequency. And I almost always get a strange reaction to mentioning the 'toilet' rather than the 'restroom' out here.

Mostly I am pleasantly surprised at how easily I am picking up with my loved ones. I have also been fortunate to bump into many familiar faces from previous lives. I'm on such a giddy high being back from the novelty of everything and of everyone...I don't know how long it will last or how long I can sustain this level of absorption of stimulus. I think it will last a few days more. And I think I can make it.

Packing, packing, packing

I leave Dublin in approximately 36 hours and find myself resisting packing. It's one of those things I don't particularly enjoy anyway, but I didn't expect the emotions to come so freely and so painfully. I look around this tiny flat and find little memories that I didn't anticipate lingering in my mind. I didn't realise leaving would feel so strange.

In some ways, I feel like I was just getting settled during this past month, finally feeling at home in Dublin. I guess that makes sense because it coincided with feeling settled in my work. Perhaps this connection is part of the pain I feel in my heart. This city (and this country) feels like a creeping vine that has worked its way into my heart and made a pretty little home there. I don't know if it will survive the distance.

Meanwhile, the minutes keep passing and my bags will not pack themselves. So I finish this journey as it began: alone and ambitious, hurting and hopeful, loved yet lonely.

Carmelised biscuits

So Bewley's makes these little carmelised biscuits with a touch of cinnamon. They are delicious! But they are not available for purchase at the Bewley's cafe in Dublin...

And then I found Rombout's biscuits at Dunnes Stores! They are almost identical in flavour. The individual packaging seems a bit unnecessary, but that means the entire package won't go stale before I get these back to the States to share.

whirlwind travels

My sisters and Jeff came to visit for the past week and it was great fun. We covered a lot of kilometres and had a lot of laughs. Who knew watching Die Hard at a B&B in Dingle could be such fun?

It was a nice farewell to Ireland to be able to share the things I know and love about my year here. They said they had a good time, but I don't really know what their experience was because mine was so different.

I am sad to go, but I know that now is the time. I can always come back to visit.