study abroad

wow i have not blogged at all or written anything since coming to rome! i dont even know what to say. upon first arriving here i definitely noticed the changes but now im feeling uninspired idk oh its coming back to me now here we go

well...i guess the first thing is that i was pleasantly surprised to discover that i'm perfectly capable of surviving without erick, which is a good thing :) i'd say that for the most part, since leaving the comforts of home, erick has pretty much taken care of me all three years of college. this is really the first time i've been independent, on my own, without anyone to take care of me, physically, mentally or emotionally. and i'm doing great!

there have been lots of changes and new situations that i've come across. for one, i have 6 roommates instead of just one. i have an actual roommate that i share a room with. i was nervous about that. but we haven't had any conflicts at all except that i snore....but as living partners, we get along just great. 

the whole 7 girls in an apartment thing is also going well. going in, i had no idea how many roommates i'd have or what the living situation would be like but i've been able to adjust fairly smoothly to a full house. there are 2 bathrooms, which alleviates morning rush, but it would be nice if we had a bigger fridge. one medium-sized fridge is not enough for 7 people's food. 

i'm also finding i don't really miss madison at all. i was definitely over that campus long ago....i'm so so so so glad i decided to come abroad. i really think it was the best thing i could have ever done. like it just came at the right time. spending a summer in chicago living on my own prepared me really well for coming abroad. i don't think i would have been able to transition as easily if i had come straight from madison. i'm comfortable being on my own, navigating a new city, figuring out public transportation, living with strangers...i've matured a lot just over the summer!!

mentally and emotionally i think i've matured a lot this past year alone. 21 was a big year for me. started out in a back brace in the lowest place i've ever been to living abroad in a historic and cultural landmark of a city....unreal. i think coming abroad has shown me that i want more in life than what i thought i wanted. 

what i thought i wanted before - to get married, start a family and have a job and be rich

what i want now - travel more, live independently for a few years, possibly live in a completely new place for a while and omg i have never voiced these thoughts out loud even if its just words on a screen. but talking to people from all over who have different perspectives on life and how it should be lived has definitely influenced me, if only in slight ways so far. like honestly my mind was definitely inside a midwest-esque box before coming here. but there are other ways to live life!! 

part of me wants to be responsible and try to secure a job immediately after i graduate. but once you enter the working world, that's kind of it... 

idk. so far this whole experience has been so positive and i can't believe i ever had any doubts about it at all! 

xoxo steph lulz

11 years

ireland
competing
competing in ireland
doing shows
wearing sparkly dresses
wearing a wig
wearing 6 pounds of makeup
late night practices
early morning practices
summers at the studio
winters at the studio
being able to leap
winning trophies
standing on podiums
making friends with other girls
seeing said friends all summer
driving long hours to feises with my dad
our talks
playing the sims for 8 hours on aforementioned long drives to feises
crowded venues
feis food
gaelic park
maryville
long summer days spent outside 
medals
getting medals engraved
seeing my name on the results wall
hearing my name called at awards
the oireachtas
the dinner dance
singing christmas carols at awards at oireachtas because it's running late
every
single
year
that feeling of magic at the oireachtas of being in another land
hating the crash when you have to go to school the next day
dance friends
walking around irish fest
workshops with jean butler
the ichc
the old studio on forest home
eating suckers at the pre-oireachtas pep rally that were given to us to shut us up
learning new steps
getting good at new steps
bar exercises
wall squats
getting along with kids 6 or 7 years younger than you
changing in the trailer at irish fest with 70 other people
dingle
the ring of kerry
the glen eagles hotel
killarney
aran sweaters
shopping
aer lingus
inside jokes
that stage
those lights
nerves
so many nerves
leahy's luck shows
buying new tights
new solo dresses
new ghilles
new hardshoes
camp cashel
mount mary college
kathy dennehy
endless hornpipe music
the practice room in embassy suites
rosemont
the hyatt
the walkway
akron
cleveland
indiana
FEISES
so 
many
feises
so
little
time
cold too much air-conditioned venues
too hot venues
cheese fries
high stages
jim shea
maureen doyle
pj mccafferty
red fleece jackets
eye of the tiger
christmas in killarney
the pabst
miller lite
zoo a la carte
the petit center
midwest airlines center
choreography
metallic gold leos
red plaid skirts
blue school dresses
jama jama 
everybody dance now
sleepy maggie
rhapsody in blue
the children's stage
hawaiian shaved ice
minnesota feis
mall of america
kansas city feis
gaelic storm
 


so
many
memories
.

 


 

the shamefulness that is glee

highlights horrors from the latest episode "naked":

rachel sings a duet with......herself. about whether or not she should go topless. LIKE COME ON IS THAT REALLY THE BIGGEST PROBLEM YOU HAVE IN LIFE GET REAL

nelly's "hot in here" playing while high school senior boys pose for a 'sexy' calendar just NO

finn to artie: "it's great that there's a part of your body that you want to keep private" um

"chicks dig guys who are willing to get naked emotionally"

guy to another guy: "you are special...even without your body"

rachel, quinn, and santana singing together. it was awesome, except SINCE WHEN ARE RACHEL QUINN AND SANTANA FRIENDS? DOESNT MAKE SENSE. MAJOR FAIL, GLEE

honestly glee is getting so ridiculous i cant even take it like what is happening