Don't Sweat the Small Stuff, Cherish it!

My favorite things in life are the small things. The things that make me sit back and say, wow. When I can cherish the feeling of awe in the moment that just happened and I didn't even plan it out. Several things like that have happened to me recently, some ethereal, and some funny, but impactful just the same.

Last Thursday, I was on my way to class, with just a few other people around, when someone started to whistle. Now of course I've heard people whistle before, but this boy (I believe I pinpointed it to be him) was a freshman looking, dark haired, Irish boy, and he was whistling If I Ruled the World (notably sung by Tony Bennet, but originally from the musical Pickwick). The pitch was so clear and the phrases so beautiful, it was truly shocking. I can't even describe the chills it gave me. 

Upon first hearing it, I couldn't believe how talented of a whistler this guy was! He was truly singing the song with such grace, and not even using words. But as he followed me down the sidewalk, I realized how happy it was making me. Without thinking about it, I had previously been walking on a mission: get to class, suffer through the material, get home, and keep the eyes down and shoulders up. This music completely broke that barrier down. The tune was coming straight from his heart. There is no other way to describe it! 

So the second thought that I have kept with me since I heard this, is about the songs we all carry in our hearts and in our minds. Most of us have some sort of tune we revert back to (I think mine is Dancing in the Moonlight) when we daydream, and I have been so impressed that this kid sings the classics, and then had the guts to share it with those of us around him. Wow. And what's more is that he doesn't even know I have been obsessing over this moment! It makes me wonder how many small things we all do on a daily basis that stick with other people. I want to strive to make mine good things. 

The next small thing I cherished was also on the same Thursday. I had a small dinner with a few friends, two Germans and one American. We fixed some sort of French meal that was almost like thin crust pizza, but it was phenomenal. Then we watched the German national team play football against Sweden (I rooted for Sweden of course, since I had just gotten back from there), but Germany won. We spent the rest of the night and wee morning hours just talking and listening to music (Rammstein...), but the simplicity of it all that still created such fun shocked me. A lot of the time here has been spent planning hikes, parties, cab rides, club training sessions, etc. I needed to be reminded that a good day of rest could be just as nice as a full day of planned activities.

Small thing number 3: I went to take a genetics test in one of my large lecture classes. The professor passed out the exam face down, and we all waited to flip it over until everyone had one. While we waited, it became quite obvious that some sort of grid was printed on the last page of the exam. It was a 30 multiple choice question exam, so why would there be a grid? Well.... the professor actually printed out each test with the ANSWER KEY stapled onto the back!!! NO ONE  said a word. We all began to take the test as usual (is that cheating?) and it took her about 10 minutes to notice what she had done. The entire class erupted in laughter, and the teacher was definitely in shock, but there is a first time for everything! Now we have to take a different test in two weeks with a lot more information... so the joke is on us I guess.

The fourth thing I have fallen in love with here is walking. Most of the places we want to go are in Portstewart or Portrush, which are approximately 3 and 6 miles away. At first, we were taking taxis everywhere, but that is expensive and we have perfectly capable legs. So now, we are walking! To Portstewart, anyway. The 2.8 mile walk is along the River Bann, and has some of the most beautiful farm fields I've seen. The hour journey (and sometimes less) goes by quickly if you're walking with the right people, and the opportunity to just talk, rather than be on the internet, is much appreciated by all. 

Number 5 is about cooking. I've never really had to cook that much in my life, nor have I had much of a desire to. If I have a recipe and the necessary ingredients, I can make just about anything. It's all chemistry, after all! But here in my flat on campus, I share a full kitchen with 5 other girls. We go to the grocery store at least once a week, and we all have our own food for the most part. It has forced me to buy things for meals, and then be creative as to how to spice up the same chicken breasts after I've had them with the same pasta for three days. So you know what? Cooking really isn't that hard! Unless you use the smoke detector as your timer, it's hard to make a truly inedible meal. The weird thing about it, is that I have come to enjoy the process of making the food more than I do eating it. Of course it is nice to not be hungry anymore, but there is a strange satisfaction in stirring the pasta and chopping the vegetables... I will have to contemplate that a little more.

So far, nothing catastrophically bad has happened to me here in Ireland (knock on wood). I have yet to suffer a mental breakdown, get so homesick I cry myself to sleep, or be pulling my hair out over studying science. Not that those things haven't been on the horizon at least a little bit... But Ireland has had this magical effect on me where it has become easier to be in the moment. I think it's because I know I have to be, there is no other option, because otherwise this will fly by faster than it already is. The best piece of advice I have ever been given was from Dr. Lou Fox. His catch phrase is "Don't sweat the small stuff," but I would like to add on to that and say "Don't sweat the small stuff, cherish it."

Kanelbullar och den Dalahäst

So three Americans went to Sweden, and here is what happened:

Wednesday:
Gavin, Victoria and I left our home in Coleraine, Northern Ireland with bright eyes and bushy tails. We boarded the train to Belfast, bus to Dublin, and then tried to sleep in various places in the Dublin airport. The floor was hard and cold, and not until 3 a.m. would the sandwich shop worker let us sleep on the benches. Nevertheless, we stayed excited and ran on maybe 3 full hours of sleep until Thursday night in Stockholm. Being young is awesome. :D

Thursday: Our flight from Dublin to Stockholm, Sweden left at 6:45 a.m. and I didn’t sleep one wink sitting by the window. Gavin had no problem stretching out, however (see picture). The view outside was much too beautiful to miss as we chased the sunrise over Sweden.

Once in Sweden, we took a bus from the airport into the city center of Stockholm; talk about culture shock! Away from the bus station, signs are NOT in English. You have to pay for the use of unisex toilets in foreign currency, which makes you think you just spent 10 dollars to use the bathroom. Utfart and infart are the exits and entrances. And ‘gay-dar’ takes on a whole new meaning from the rest of Europe! Everyone was clean, and tall, and beautiful, and well dressed.

After about four hours wandering around the city, we finally found our way to the City Lodge Hostel, which included wifi, free breakfast, and a location directly in the center of the city.

Our BEST decision of the entire trip was to take a free tour of the Old Town (Gamla Stan) in Stockholm. Old Town consists of German architecture dating back to the 13^th c. We had a fantastic tour guide named Ira, who was born in Russia, raised in Israel, and now calls Stockholm her home. We saw the main square, Stortorget, where they have any political rallies, dances, and while we were there, an MTV snowboarding exhibition. We saw their parliament building, the main river Norrström, the Royal Palace and guards, a Viking stone, and all of the tourist alleyways full of wonderful Swedish food smells.

We wound up wandering the streets in the cold and the rain, but found refuge in an American style sports bar with the Irish name of O'Leary's where we had hamburgers. Can you guess how much they cost? 150 KRONA! That's really only 15 british pounds...still expensive but better than 150. The menus were also in Swedish, so those context clues and pictures came in very handy.

Interesting fact: Almost every Swedish king has been named Gustaf or Karl; the current one is actually named Karl Gustaf.

Friday:
We ate a free breakfast of bread, jam, salami, cheese, eggs and toast with the ever popular Nutella from the hostel, and ran to catch a train to Mora, Sweden at 9:30 a.m. This was only the first of three trains we sprinted to catch. On Friday it was because the ticket kiosk wasn’t working properly, and Victoria just had to buy her ticket on the train.

The trip to Mora was another good decision because it let us see the countryside of Sweden. Ireland is depressing us with its rain and lack of fall leaves, but Sweden satisfied our longings for fall more than we ever could have imagined. Every other tree had leaves of pure gold, and the houses in the countryside gave a great contrast because they are all painted red.

Interesting fact: We found out they use the rust from an old copper mine to make the paint that 90% of the population uses for their houses.

The other cool thing about the train ride was that I started reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which is set in Stockholm, Sweden. I had tried to read the book a few times before, but after actually being on several of the streets the author described, the story went from good, to great.

In Mora, we actually had a hostel booked ahead of time: the Prinsgården Hotel. We found it within 10 minutes of walking from the train station through the small, rural town. The owner (whose name we still aren’t sure of) welcomed us very warmly. I HIGHLY recommend the next time you visit Mora, Sweden to stay with the Prinsgården! (More on this later). But we made it to the factory and saw the symbol of Sweden: a hand carved, wooden horse, usually painted red, and illegal to manufacture outside of this one factory in Mora. TOO. COOL.

This woman has been painting for 50+ years!

After the factory, we took the bus back closer to the hotel, bought some gloves and emergency chocolate in the “Dollar Store” (even though they use Krona), and ate kebabs in a neat little diner where no one spoke English very well. We got very good at using context clues to determine what we were ordering.

We then had a strange encounter with a drunken Swedish girl who wanted us to follow her to her car. We said no, of course, and that was the end of that story. But it was still worth documenting.

So this is the part where I tell you why you should stay in the Prinsgården hotel in Mora, Sweden. When we arrived on Friday morning, we told the owner (we think his name was Erik) what our plans were. At first he offered to let us drive his car there because it was too long to bike, but he personally drove us there instead! On the way there, we were trying to describe a cinnamon bun to him, because we thought they were a traditional Swedish food, and wanted to find one. They even have a holiday for them in October. We tried saying cinnamon, but he didn’t know that word. Sweet bread for breakfast? No. Icing on top of a roll? No. Cinnamon is a spice? What else do you have it with, apples? No. It wasn’t until later that evening when we had the internet to show him a picture did he understand.

AAAHHH! Kanelbullar! Apparently it is a very popular thing and we got to have one for breakfast the next morning.

Erik exemplified the beauty of our time in Sweden. He told us he wants to treat his guests like he wants to be treated when he travels. Truly following the “do unto others” rule, he drove us to the factory in his own car. He looked up bus timetables for over an hour with us. He looked up train timetables after that. He offered us his own beer and let us sit and talk with him in his house, among his friends, for several hours that evening. Erik told us his life changed when he almost died from a motor bike accident. He spent a year in a hospital and came to realize what life truly means. Now I know that sounds cheesy, but it’s the truth! Life is so much more than materials; it is kindness to strangers and building relationships that last, and will maybe one day fix the world.

Saturday:

We got up early and headed into town for a quick hug on the dalahast, a kanelbullar breakfast, and a SPRINT to the train back to Stockholm. We needed the exercise.

On the train, we wound up in first class without knowing it. We stayed there for an hour before we had to move, but it was so worth it. ;D

4 hours later in Stockholm, we went back to the Old City and caught the last tour of the Royal Palace.

Interesting Facts:
 Until 1905, BRAND NEW, just born, still icky, crying new born royal babies were placed on a silver platter and brought out to be displayed to a crowd… No one knows why.
At one point, the palace caught on fire and the only man who died was hit in the head by the Devil’s Bible being thrown out of the library window.

We had dinner on the go (more kebabs and leftover baguette sandwiches) as we meandered around the clean streets. We also went back by the main square in town and found a huge MTV snowboarding exhibition! Don’t ask us what was going on, because we never knew, but basically they had a fake snow platform at the top, rails they would slide down, and snow to land on at the bottom. No one had on helmets. One girl busted her face while we were there. And everyone was grooving to the ever present dup step music. The Swedish know how to party, I guess!

After that, we made our way back to the hostel by the Skavsta airport we flew out of. We got back to Coleraine by 11ish Sunday night, and I’m sure we all fell asleep with smiles on our faces.

So thank you, Sweden. I will never forget you.

La Vie Bohème

I apologize if you can't see the video in America. For the full effect, go watch La Vie Boheme from RENT on YouTube before reading this. It will make more sense that way.

La Vie Bohème - RENT the Musical: An Elaboration on the lyrics

• To days of inspiration, playing hooky, making something out of nothing
• From the first time I heard this song, it inspired me. I was a nervous little 14 year old girl being thrown into a large high school when I found RENT, but when I had this song going through my head, I gained a pep in my step. It reminds me to be brave, and it reminds me that I have nothing to lose by being who I am. So here in Ireland, I am 20 years old, and I continue to find inspiration in this song through these lyrics. But I find the lyrics change meanings for me as I go from place to place in life, so I guess this is the Irish version!
• Playing hooky? Well... I may be playing hooky next week to go to SWEDEN. I booked spur of the moment plane tickets to visit Stockholm, Sweden from Thursday, Oct. 10th to Sunday, the 13th! I am uber excited about it, and so are the other two Americans going with me!
• Making something out of nothing: My nothing was sitting on the couch at home, which I have turned into something by getting to Ireland!
• The need to express, to communicate
• This lyric has never been more real for me than here. I can't go one day without hearing someone speak German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Italian, or Irish. The miracle to me is that even when English fails us, we express to communicate. Hand gestures and eyebrows have a whole language of their own. I expected a lot of things out of Ireland, but I must say, this language diversity has been one of the best buried treasures I did not expect to find.
• To going against the grain, going insane, going mad
• Going against the grain, you say? Yes, I am, and I am enjoying every second of living in a foreign country. Every second of being a woman in the field of science who also has a political opinion. Every second of having short hair. And every second of being single.
• Going insane? Going mad? Yeah...maybe. But I enjoy that, too. It's stress free.
• To loving tension, no pension, to more than one dimension
• Tension keeps things interesting; it keeps you on your toes. Ireland is having this very strange effect on me, because they are so relaxed about absolutely EVERYTHING here. I told my professors I wouldn't be here in January for exams? No problem. You're late for the train? No big deal, it's always 5 minutes late, too. 
• To more than one dimension: Europe in general is a different dimension. 
• To starving for attention, hating convention, hating pretension

• I think we are all starving for attention; it's just one of those basic needs we have. 
• Hating convention and pretension? Yeah, we should get rid of those. One thing I have found with the internationals is that convention and pretension have no place among us. We came here knowing we were different, and yet we have no problems being friends. No fights or drama (at least that I have heard of). We wear different styles of clothing and speak with different accents. What's sad is that I don't get that same feeling in America. Besides the Thundering Word, you hardly see eclectic groups of people walking around Huntington, but I think we might be better off if we could all find a group of people who we think we have nothing in common with, then work to find the similarities (and there would be more than you first think).
• Not to mention, of course, LOVING dear old mom and dad
• I will send your postcards soon, mom and dad! Thank you for encouraging me to live my life. You are awesome and I make sure that everyone knows it!
• To riding your bike midday past the three piece suits, to fruits, to no absolutes

• Maybe it's the syncopation of this line, but it always makes me smile. :) Life is fun. Ride your bike (or surf board) along the coast in Northern Ireland. Set no absolutes. I'm kind of starting to have a life crisis here because I'm realizing I don't want to wear a suit every day. I know, I know, you can't always be young and free; you have to grow up and do what you have to do. But there are different ways of growing up, and I like this road less traveled by...
• To Absolut, to choice, to the Village Voice
• I didn't know this until I just looked it up, but Absolut Vodka is actually made in Sweden, where I will be in 6 days! AAAHHHH!
• To the fact that we all have choices and a voice, I will prost to that!
• To any passing fad
• People here wear a lot of vans, boots and keds. You are not allowed to leave the house without a scarf, but it doesn't have to match your outfit. If you wear tennis shoes, you must also have on a football jersey. If you are going out tonight and you are Irish, put on the shortest dress you have with the tallest heels, and make sure your hair is teased to rat's nest quality. If you are international, wear a classy dress with tights and flats for walking. Maybe pin your hair back, and go with the intention of having fun and watching out for each other in a foreign country.



• To being an 'us' for once, instead of a 'them'
• The first time I truly felt like an 'us,' as in an Irish person, since I've been here was actually just this past Tuesday, Oct. 1st. I went with 3 other guys to The Queys Pub in Portrush to watch the Champion's League football games. We saw Barcelona, Arsenal, and Chelsea win their matches. It was something about the relaxed atmosphere, with friendly people, all watching a very familiar game, that I guess it suddenly felt like a version of home. It's funny how that feeling never comes when you expect it to; like maybe while eating fish and chips, or drinking a Guinness. It comes when you treasure the moment, rather than the materials. 
• La Vie Bohème
• Urban Dictionary says a bohemian person is: 
• Someone who tries to live by the ideals of truth, freedom, love, and all those beautiful-sounding concepts. 
• To hand crafted beers made in local breweries
• Bushmills Whiskey is made in Portrush, just two miles down the road from me. Also, the Irish Baileys Cream and Harp beer are made in Ireland. Not to mention the infamous Guinness.
• To yoga, to yogurt, to rice and beans and cheese

• 30 Day Yoga Challenge on YouTube with Erin Motz has kept me sane this past month.
• I feel like these ingredients have been in every meal I have had since I got here. I REALLY miss American food.
• Emotion, devotion, to causing a commotion
• My emotion for the day has been meeting with my International Friends mum, Linda! A wonderful program they have for international students here is to place them with an Irish family who will invite them to their house and really give them a feel for Irish traditions. I met Linda for coffee this morning and instantly made a new best friend. She is a mother of 6, with only 2 left in the house; 2 are married and one is about to be married.  They live on an Irish dairy farm with 160 cows, I believe she said, and that is fine with me! On Sunday, Oct. 6th, I am going to their Presbyterian church with them and coming back to their house for lunch. I really miss my friends from Beckley Presbyterian Church, so maybe Linda and her family can fill that gap for me a wee bit.
• Compassion, to fashion, to passion, when it's new
• Compassion: Life is a lot easier with it, and luckily, it kind of came programmed into my personality. Apparently, it comes programmed into Coleraine natives' personalities, too!
• Fashion? Eh. All I know is I want to buy a real, Irish, wool sweater.
• Passion: My passion for sports and horses are being fulfilled! I have joined the Equestrian team to take beginner riding lessons, as well as the Gaelic Football club to get back into the cleats. At training on Monday and Wednesday, I realized just how different Gaelic Football is from soccer. You have to slow way down to pick up the ball, then run and bounce it off your feet as you go! We did a shooting drill that I thought I could rock, but they punt the ball way over a goal post, and only occasionally shoot it into the net. I hit the net every time... but that didn't count for our drill. I'll get it eventually.
• To Sontag, to Sondheim, to anything taboo

• To be honest, I didn't know Sontag until I just looked her up.
• Sondheim: Yes. Just yes. 
• Anything taboo: And actually what this means is that nothing should be taboo. I really don't think God will smite you for having an addiction, or saying a swear word, or being human. 
• Bisexuals, trisexuals, homo sapiens, carcinogens, hallucinogens, men, Pee Wee Herman
• Oh, yeah, that taboo thing. One of the last sermons I heard from John McKinnon was on the good Samaritan, and his closing line has stayed with me everyday since: Live with EXTRAVAGANT LOVE for ALL people. Love even the people who are named Pee Wee to the ones who were born without a clear sexuality.
• German wine, turpentine, Gertrude Stein, Antonioni, Bertolucci, Kurosawa, Carmina Burana
• I will also admit that I didn't know Gertrude Stein, Antonioni, or Kurosawa. But this song did make me look them up!
• I do know Carmina Burana and Bertolucci, so I think that's still better than most of my generation. I am also learning a lot of interesting facts about French and Irish history and German politics from my friends, and then they want to know why my home country is currently shut down!
• To apathy, to entropy, to empathy, ecstasy
• Sometimes you just have to be apathetic, like when all of your classes are a review of basic biology. Or when someone asks you if you think Northern Ireland should be part of the Republic again... talk about tension.
• Entropy just makes me think of Rocket Boys, which makes me think of Theatre West Virginia, which just makes me sad.
• Empathy leads to an interesting story. I guess it was more like sympathy, but really, how much difference is there? Last Thursday, Sep. 26th., I got sick with a cold, but it started out with a sore throat. I tried to see the doctor, but they couldn't get me in until Monday, so the secretary sent me to see the 'chemist.' I actually think this is a much more suitable name for a pharmacist, but eh, whatever.
  Anyway, while I was explaining my symptoms of a very rough, red, sore throat to the chemist, a sympathetic old woman came up and gave me her advice. She was dead serious when she told me to take a spoon full of sugar (no, she was NOT Mary Poppins) and add vinegar to it, then swallow it. She swore up and down that my sore throat would be completely gone in less than an hour. Of course I had to pretend I was taking her seriously, but there was no way I was going to do that!!! Witch be crazy. 
• Vaclav Havel, the Sex Pistols, 8BC

• I now know Vaclav Havel was the first president of the Czech Republic.
• The Sex Pistols, Anarchy in the UK must be listened to at least once while you are actually in the UK.
• 8 BC can either be a year in time, or a nightclub in NYC. We have Kelly's, which can either be a male or female name, or a nightclub in Portrush, Northern Ireland.
• To no shame never playing the fame game
• This is the line that reminds me to be myself. You don't have to be popular, and ironically, you usually become more popular the less you worry about being popular. It was nice coming to Ireland and starting with a completely clean slate. It's a rare, and short lived thing to be completely unknown by everyone around you.
• To marijuana, to sodomy, it's between God and me, to S&M
• This is a very bohemian line, but to each his own, and between each man and his own God will he have to confide in. I thoroughly enjoy being a part of this rising, progressive generation. I can count on one hand the number of international peers here who do not have an open mind about politics and religion in the world today. Most people are very willing to have an intellectual discussion, and often they have more of a compassionate attitude towards America's problems than we do for the rest of the world. 
• La Vie Bohème
• So here is a toast to the life of bohemians, which means nothing more than being yourself within a group of other people doing exactly the same thing.