Mass exodus to Ireland for St. Patrick’s Day. That is what occurred, only I wasn’t a part of it sadly. But over in Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day is the equivalent to New York’s Times Square on New Year’s Eve, times about 10.
I would have loved to go, but tickets for flights to Ireland for the weekend were sold out back in January, and all hostels, hotels and bed and breakfasts were booked ages ago.
That is how I knew it would be insane and completely worth it if I had thought ahead and managed it. But much to my surprise, England actually knows how to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day just as well.
We went out to an Irish pub called Kitty O’Hera’s. They had moved the party outside, setting up a stage with a live Irish band just outside the actual pub as well as another movable bar entirely outside.
There were crowds of people, a sea of green and when the music started, everyone began to jump up and down and basically do their own version of an Irish jig. A very drunk Irish jig. When the band started up with “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” I got way too excited. It was country music coming to life with an Irish accent in England, where country music isn’t a fad. That alone would have made my night, but then it started to rain.
Most people would think that this would have mellowed out the party a bit, but it just got more insane. This is England; rain is as second nature to them as breathing.
People were flinging themselves around in circles and singing at the top of their lungs as the rain came pouring down.
It was really cool to experience such a cultural day in that sort of way. Irish music, a little jig, pouring rain and a good pint of Guinness.
Most of my time here the last few weeks has been spent working on essays, final portfolios and the like. Why, you might ask, am I already completing my finals in March? The way they have it set up over here is really different from Longwood.
Instead of just a week for Spring Break, mine will be three weeks long. Now if that in itself doesn’t sound crazy, get this: We come back from Spring Break and have one more week of classes in which you will be basically meeting with teachers for any last minute questions or assistance on your final works for the classes. Then school is over for the English majors around here.
Unlike other majors, we don’t have any final exams, just pretty hefty portfolio works and essays. My plan is to turn in everything before I leave for Spring Break because I plan on taking advantage of it, which brings me to the next thing that has been my main focus for a few weeks.
Central Europe has been calling my name since I arrived here, but I have been saving it for this trip. And like any good American, my planning took me way over the top. I will be travelling to six different countries over the course of four weeks.
My trip starts the end of this month in Spain. From there, we will go to France, Germany, Austria, Italy and Greece. The whole idea originated from my own wild fantasies, and somehow, through careful planning and motivation to see as much as possible, it became a reality.
Planning a trip like that takes a lot of work and getting everything ready for it has been a bit of a whirlwind. I have been taking bets on whether or not I can actually live out of a backpack for four weeks.
For those of you that don’t know me, I value space, comfort and a lot of clothes at my disposal. It will be interesting to note how I go about surviving with the bare necessities. I laugh at myself because I figure it will actually be quite humorous.
I will be trying my best to keep up with writing these columns as I go and updating my blog as often as possible.
Central Europe, here I come.
For more stories and pictures, visit my blog at Volagratis1. wordress.com.
