Before I go into detail on my Easter weekend trip to Ireland, I will take some time to talk about how my program is going. I am just about to head into my last week of regular classes. I have class on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday with rehearsals in the afternoon. Next week is only rehearsals leading up to our final showing. I am sad to finish my classes because I genuinely enjoy them, and I enjoy spending time with my classmates. At the beginning of the program LAMDA preached about creating an ensemble atmosphere, and I wasn’t really sure about it. I thought that maybe it would be all about group work and no individual discoveries would be made, but this was wrong. Although we did work on creating an ensemble mind in some exercises, we were still allowed to follow our own rhythm. It was more about finding what you can bring to a group and listening to what they are giving back. I had a wonderful time working with my classmates throughout this process, and I feel like we have grown a lot since we started working together in our Histories project. Since our rehearsal groups have been different for the past couple months, it makes the time we get to spend together in our classes really great. Now, this has nothing to do with the program but more to do with advice for actors, students, and generalized professionals, be aware of what you say, it leaves an impression. Some students on the course have been displaying some unprofessional behavior and it really upsets me. I’ll overhear them complaining about teachers or assignments or just the course in total and it makes me sad. I mean everyone is entitled to their opinion, it's okay to be frustrated with an assignment but, if you go around complaining all the time it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Lucky no one in my class section has been behaving like this but, I’ve heard about how some of the other students in different sections have been acting and it makes me sad, especially because I have heard they would apparently complain and whine IN CLASS IN FRONT OF THE TEACHER, and that is just rude. Things like that stick with people, so all I have to say is professionalism is a necessary trait to have in this field, so be aware, your ego speaks louder than your ‘talent’. Well, with that important message aside, I have really enjoyed the program and I have learned from all of my teachers, and learned a lot about myself. I will do a final reflection blog probably when I return to the states.
Now, my weekend trip to Ireland!!
On thursday after class, I went to London Heathrow Airport to catch my flight. Unfortunately my flight got delayed! So what was supposed to be a 1.5hr flight leaving at 9pm ended up getting delayed until 11pm! OOF. But I made it safely to Dublin and took a taxi from the airport to my hostel. I was super nervous about this trip, even though I have solo traveled before, but I think since it was such a short trip I just wanted it to go well. Finally I got to bed around 1:15am on Friday, only to have to be up again at 7am to leave my hostel. I had planned to take a bus tour from Dublin, that was scheduled to leave at 8am. So, on friday morning I loaded up my tote bag and walked to where the tour bus picks up from. I was headed to Cork and the Blarney Castle, with a stop at the Rock of Cashel on the way. The tour bus was sooo touristy but, I loved it. It was green, had shamrocks and a leprechaun on it, and was called Paddywagon. Our tour guide Paul was so great! The bus wasn’t packed full so I got to sit by myself which I loved. Paul gave us some Dublin facts/Ireland history on our way out of the city and then played some chill music all by female Irish bands/singers. It was great! I dozed off for a bit and after a rest stop we arrived at the Rock of Cashel. Going into this trip I didn't know much about this place but it was so cool. On top of this rocky mountain there was a ruin of an old church. Right when we arrived it started raining but it kinda made it cooler because since there was no roof, it was like the heavens were coming down on top of us, very trippy. The rain cleared up and we headed on our way to Cork. Once at Cork we had about two hours to wander and grab lunch. I made my way through the city streets and thankfully it stopped raining. There were people busking on every corner. After walking through the “english market” I went towards the bus pickup point to a pub called Gallaghers because our tour guide recommended it. I had a pint of cider and a really yummy chicken wrap before getting on the bus. At this point I had made friends with another solo traveler in the group, she was from Milwaukee. When we got to Blarney castle it was really handy to have her take my photo kissing the Blarney stone. After we arrived to the ground of Blarney castle, I wandered up to the tower, climbed the 100+ steps to the top and followed in the tradition of kissing the stone. For those that don’t know here is a blurb from about the stone tradition. “According to legend, kissing the stone endows the kisser with the gift of the gab (great eloquence or skill at flattery).” After heading back down the castle, I made my way around the rest of the land. There was a fern forest, a poison plant garden, and a rock garden. There are also the wishing steps, “Legend says that if you walk down and back up the Wishing Steps with your eyes closed while thinking only of a wish, that wish will come true within a year. The wish will be granted by the Blarney Witch, because she steals firewood from the Estate for her kitchen. In order to pay for this stolen firewood, she has to grant the wishes of those who walk these stairs.” So obviously I did it because I believe in these things and also why not! It was actually kinda fun! Either way Blarney castle and gardens were beautiful and I am so happy I visited. When I arrived back at my hostel that night, I wanted to get dinner but I suspected I would be eating a lot of pub food in the coming day so I walked to a Thai food place around the corner, it was perfect! The next day I had planned to explore Dublin. On saturday I woke up, got dressed and wandered around to find some breakfast. I ended up finding the hop-on hop-off tour bus instead. I was very happy I did. I got on and there was live tour commentary, what I didn’t know is that I would be hearing the same things all day, but the first tour guide was honestly the best so, I am happy I got on. Ross gave the facts with a very personable tone and added in his own jokes. When I hopped on and off later in the day all the other guides couldn’t compare and the jokes were stale. However, the bus was a perfect idea because it ended up being on and off raining all day. I went to all the sights; Trinity College, Guinness Storehouse, St.Patrick’s Church, and Temple Bar. I got lunch at a pub called Nancy Hands near Phoneix park. I mainly went there because I got a free Guinness with my bus ticket and I wanted to try Guinness but not pay for it since I suspected I wouldn’t like it. (I was right). I got a really great beef and guinness stew with mashed potatoes and went back out into the city. During lunch I made the decision to splurge and book a dinner experience. It was a three course dinner with live Irish music and dancing. I got there early so I grabbed a pint of cider in the bar attached, then I went in for my dinner. I had potato soup to start, Lamb stew for my main, and they had a selection of mini desserts. Oh, and I had another pint of cider haha. The music was great! There were four instrumentalists (a fiddle, guitar, banjo, and concertina) and four dancers. The show lasted two hours and it was a great way to get to listen to traditional music and watch dancing as a solo traveler without having to sit in a pub chatting to people lol. I quickly went to bed when I got back because the next morning I had to be up early. On Easter sunday I woke up and walked to the pick up point for my bus tour to the Cliffs of Moher and Galway. This tour was with a different company than the other. Our tour guide was Ciara (pronounced like kara) and it was only her third tour but she did a great job. The Cliffs were so pretty and peaceful. We lucked out with a really good day weather wise. I loved just staring out at the ocean and breathing in the fresh air. When we got to Galway there was not much going on, being easter and all, so I went to one of the many pubs and got Fish and chips. The chips were really good but I miss the way my dad makes fish. After wandering around the streets of Galway and the mini art market they had, we loaded on the bus to head back to Dublin. I honestly could not stop thinking about that Thai food I had on friday and I was indecisive so I went there again for dinner. I called it an early night because I was really exhausted and I had to leave by 6:30am to go to the airport for my flight back to London. The trip was so wonderful and I am so so glad I did it.
On the tour I did on Sunday, I was sitting next to another solo traveler and I was talking to her about what it is like solo traveling since it was her first time. There are many pluses and minuses so I know it is not for everyone but, I kinda like it. I enjoy traveling by myself because I can take things at my own pace. I never have to please anyone but myself. If I don’t feel like doing something, I don’t have to do it. The downside of this is when I do end up traveling with other people, I get frustrated when things don’t go my way since I’ve been independent for a while. I honestly enjoy my own company and it is something I’ve had to work on for a while. It is not gonna be easy right away, even for someone as independent as I am. It does get lonely, like when you see families or couples sharing laughs and memories and you know you are the only one who lived your experience. However, it does mean I can observe people and learn about cultures a lot easier just by being on my own. Obviously the biggest downside of solo travel is safety. I am always aware of my surroundings in a way I never was growing up traveling with my family. It means I pick my places I stay with more care and personally I try not to stay out late alone. The one thing I have been working on is eating at restaurants alone and I’ve gotten way better at it. I honestly eat slower by myself and I have been able to focus on that which is cool, because if you know the Jackson family, we are fast eaters. Long story short, there are good sides and bad sides to traveling alone but, my own company is not a negative.
I hope you enjoyed my long blog this week. If you want to hear some of the music from the Celtic nights dinner I went to, as well as clips from my trip, then check out my vlog too! Enjoy your day! Thank you for reading :)
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