Summer of Lewis

The night I was on a plane over the Atlantic, Prince Caspian premiered in America. For four weeks, I probably didn't go more than a day or two without mentioning how much I wanted to see it. Every now and then I would check surfthechannel.com or tv-links.cc to see if it was available--it was each time--but I knew I would never watch it bootleg on a scratchy internet connection.

Though I didn't even take myself seriously half the times I said that Prince Caspian was number 1 on my to-do list for when I got back to the States, I did go see it the day after I got back. Not even a full 24 hours had passed since I landed in Columbia to when I bought my ticket! There were a few major changes, one subplot in particular, from the book to the film. I vaguely expected to be annoyed, even angered by the changes from the book I loved so much, but I was utterly swept away by the movie. I knew the new subplot (nope, I won't be writing any spoilers) and other changes had not been taken lightly by the actors or the crew, and they were changes I understood. I am intrigued to see how the changes Disney and Walden made to Prince Caspian will affect the next movie they plan: Voyage of the Dawn-Treader.

I just finished the Dawn-Treader today-- I loved it, of course. I read the Narnia books as a child in a haphazard order with little attention to more than the plot, and certainly without the critical eye (in the literary sense) that I have today, nor an appreciation for the religious symbolism and allegory. So I have been rereading the series from beginning to end this summer. I even reread the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, which is the one I've read so many times since childhood. In Ireland, I read The Horse and His Boy, and reread Prince Caspian.

Next is the Silver Chair, of which I remember very little from my childhood reading. Though Eustace isn't my favorite character, I did grow fond of him after finishing Dawn-Treader. I'm excited to revisit his story and meet Jill again.

I'm wary to approach The Last Battle again. I remember it broke my heart as child, because I was too distracted by Peter's words about Susan to see the beauty in the ending. But I read a remark from C.S. Lewis himself on her:

"The books don't tell us what happened to Susan. She is left alive in this world at the end, having by then turned into a rather silly, conceited young woman. But there's plenty of time for her to mend and perhaps she will get to Aslan's country in the end... in her own way."

Lewis wrote this in his Letters to Children. Lewis's remark makes it unmistakably clear that she either survived or was not involved in the train crash, but is the lone Pevensie left in the world after it. I tend imagine the process of grieving would have been harsh and long, but that when she was lonely and old enough to be a child again, she would, like Lewis said, mend, and get to Aslan and the others. Her story is not a tragedy because it is not finished, and that is the greatest hope for Susan.

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The Narnia series will always be dear to me, but this summer, I'm not just revisiting Narnia but studying Lewis' other works as well, such as Mere Christianity and others. These are more difficult, but I take joy in reading these works as well. Leaving the glitter of fantasy for gritty reality is much like leaving Narnia for England, I suppose.

On that note, one of my favorite moments in all of Narnia-verse came at the end of The Dawn-Treader. Aslan tells Edmund and Lucy that they will not be returning to Narnia.

"You are too old, children," said Aslan, "and you must begin to come close to your own world now."

"It isn't Narnia, you know," sobbed Lucy. "It's you. We shan't meet you there. And how can we live, never meeting you?"

"But you shall meet me, dear one," said Aslan.

"Are-- are you there too, Sir?" said Edmund.

"I am," said Aslan. "But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there."

"Already I'm So Lonesome..."

"My bags are packed, I'm ready to go.
I'm standing here outside your door,
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye...

The dawn is breaking, its early morn,
the taxi's waiting, blowing his horn,
already I'm so lonesome I could die...

So kiss me and smile for me,
tell me that you'll wait for me,
hold me like you'll never let me go.

Cause I'm leavin' on a jet plane...

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I'm continually surprised by the people stong enough to break through the walls I've so carefully erected around my heart. Four weeks ago, I didn't know a single one of these people, but only 28 days later, I have struggled to maintain my precious composure as I say goodbye after goodbye. Four girls in particular, I can't imagine not seeing every day.

I've seen them at their worst and their best; we laughed often, complained often, stuck to each other like glue from the minutes we met in the airport four weeks ago. And now we've all tried to hold the tears back as we hug goodbye, uncertain of the next time we should meet. I've watched taxi's drive away, and later today, I will have to watch Kasey walk away to her gate as I part with her for mine. It's harder than I thought it would be to say goodbye to these new friends whom I've known for so short a time.

I've never doubted that God wanted me here this summer, though I've often wondered why, when there were so many other things I could be doing, so many events I missed in the States for this trip. But right now, sitting on my bed in Dublin, a city that was feeling like home, my housemate Kasey asleep on the "Conversation Bed", at 6 am with the birds singing and the sun struggling to break it through the blinds we closed... I know. It was not only for the experience of Dublin and the culture, but to meet these people, make these friends and learn a lesson in endurance and farewells. Also, to teach me even more how much I have back home in America to miss and love and cherish.

I think I will make it through the day without crying. I can only hope to fall asleep on my trans-Atlantic so my mind doesn't have the chance to run wild like it is now! And I know that I'll be okay, that I can say goodbye with a smile, knowing that we will be in contact and knowing that we will be working on a reunion. And, I can be okay, ready, even excited to go, knowing that my parents and brother, friends and family, will be waiting with open arms.

Thank God for new friends, lessons learned, and home on the horizon.

Return Flight Info

Hey, everyone! Tomorrow is my last day in Ireland, and Saturday, I'll be in the airport by 10:30 or 11, so for all intents and purposes, tomorrow is my last day period. I'm sad to leave everyone, but ready to be home.

Here is my flight info.

US Airways

Flight 723: Depart Dublin at 2:35 pm, arrive in Philadelphia at 5:10 pm (Eastern Standard Time)

Flight 939: Depart Philadelhpia at 7:05 pm, arrive in Charlotte, NC at 9:00pm

Flight 4365: Depart Charlotte, NC at 10:25 pm, arrive in Columbia at 11:15 pm.

I am annoyed to have a layover in Charlotte that is twice as long as the flight itself. How stupid. But whatever, it was the cheapest way to go, and these layovers were the shortest.

So, I know it is a late arrival (and in my head, it will feel like 4 in the morning, AND I probably won't have slept the night before, AND I probably won't sleep well on the plane, so don't expect sympathy from me, LOL) but I would love to see people there. Clearly, my mom and dad and brother (especially brother) are required to come or else (yes, even you, Dad!) but if anyone else is in town and doesn't mind a late night, I would love to see some familiar faces when I get off the plane in Columbia!

Just Pictures

Kilkenny Castle

Rothe House and Gardens

Cool sign!

Tower... Climbed this!



Mellefont Abbey Chapterhouse Window

Cross from Monasterboice

View from top of the Tower in Kilkenny

Climbing down these crazy stairs in the tower!

St. Canice Cathedral--lovely!


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So these pictures are in no logical order and come from a variety of places, though the majority are from today, when our class took a day trip to Kilkenny, and then went to a pub for a send off dinner! :-)

Some Trips, and our Last Hurrah!

It's only Wednesday night, but tonight, our Student Director took almost all of us out to dinner at a really cool pub, where we got three courses plus live music and dancing! It was such a great time. And this was a great way to end the day we spent in Kilkenny with our class! As soon as we got back from that trip, we're dropped off at the pub for a great night.

The pub from tonight was called Merry Ploughboy's-- google it. It was such a great time. When they asked for volunteers to sing, my friends pointed and tried to get me go, but lucky for me, I was on the inside corner of a booth, so I simply couldn't get out. ;-)

In a seperate entry (I'm on a roll, three in one night) I'll post just the pictures and video footage I took tonight and the past few days.

Here's a brief recap of what's gone on-- Sunday was a lazy day. I don't believe we left the house at all. Each Sunday I've considered trying to get to church, but as I am the lone Protestant (not to mention my very lacking sense of direction), I've chosen to celebrate privately these Sundays. :-) And since this coming Sunday is Father's day, and despite the fact that I will be most likely be super-messed up due to jet lag and lack of sleep, I am going to attempt to be at my home church! :-)

Monday-- Our class went to visit a few sights in area--we were going to go to the National Gallery of Modern Art, but sadly, the exhibits were closed on Mondays! So we wondered the grounds aimlessly waiting for our bus to return. After that we visited Kilamein Jail (I have no idea how to spell that). It was a solemn but very interesting site! Also, I finished my paper on Monasterboice that night. Did I post pics of Monasterboice? I think I did on Facebook.

Tuesday-- Class, where we had a guest lecturer, who was a retired EU official and diplomat. He gave an interesting perspective on the upcoming (and very big deal!) vote on the Lisbon Treaty. Google it--the vote is tomorrow!

Today, Kilkenny and the pub! Today was a good day, for sure.

Tomorrow-- Last day of class-- turning our essays and taking a test. Also, we might be going out for a last hurrah that night. I suppose I will go, though it is always awkward being the only one who doesn't drink. It will be my last real night with everyone, as we'll be staying in the house and packing, etc, on Friday night. We'll see how it goes. :-)

I have loved my time here, but home is sounding sweeter and sweeter.

Belfast (Its Own Entry!)

View from the bridge in Belfast (I'm telling you, I could sell these to Postcard companies!)

Nifty view of a red street!

Nifty Statue!



The Black Taxi we took on our Black Cab tour-- this is a tour that takes you to both sides, Catholic and Protestant, of the Troubles. The guide gave us a history of the conflict, and showed us murals painted on residences of both sides.



Kasey and I in the Black Taxi.



This a mural painted on a Protestant house. It reads, "Can it change? We believe."



This is the fence that leads into the wall, known as the Belfast Berlin Wall that divides Protestant and Catholic Communities. To this day, it is still locked at nightfall.



The tour guide stopped the Cab so we could get out and write a peace message on the Belfast Berlin Wall.









Me, posing in front of the Paddywagon bus!







St. Patrick's Cathedral--beautiful! And inside, they have some relics, including the preserved head of a saint, St. Oliver Plunkett, but I will not post that picture for any sensitive readers.







This is just a view from the bus. The picture amuses me. ;-)







The Belfast Wheel and City Hall. As you can see, it was a gorgeous day in Belfast!

This is the view from the Belfast Wheel.






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I think I gave a brief description of my day in Belfast with Kasey in the last entry. So, this go round, I added some pictures with some captions to help it along. I definitely want to return to Belfast one day later in life--it was a beautiful city with a fascinating, if sombering history.

I hope the pictures add to what I wrote before! :-D

Last Week!

So, the title can be taken two ways: a) a recap of the previous week, or b) the fact that today marks that start of my final week here! I love the ambiguity of the English language. ;-)

Kasey and I went to Belfast on Saturday! It was much too short of a day trip for my liking, simply because I wanted to see so much! We didn't get a lot of free time in the city, but we did get to see the political and religious tension in Belfast, a heavy contrast to the beauty and elegance of the city itself. I know I want to come back sometime in my life to Belfast for a longer trip. And I will post pictures up and write a more detailed entry on that trip later.

I finally finished the paper for my previous class; that was one thing that kept stopping me from uploading pictures or writing here. Now that that one is finished, I have another one to turn in by the end of this week, but it should be much more straightforward and shorter. My themes in Irish history class is going very well-- the prof kind of looks like a caricature of Mr. Scrooge, but he is the kindest, pleasantest man you ever met. And we take field trips every day, which takes the pressure off of me and my friends to do our own touring!

This last week is bound to be interesting--some people have started to pair off, we're starting to become more aware of how far away we all are from each other in the States, and people who were homesick are more reluctant to leave. We've formed a tight knit group over the past four weeks, and a reunion at some point in the future is as inevitable as it is desirable.

I, for one, will be intrigued to see if any of you new blog readers are going to stick with me after I get back. Generally my entries are much more contemplative than they are a recap of my day, so you may be bored with the change. ;-)

For anyone who is in or around Columbia and doesn't mind staying up a bit late, my plane will land in the Columbia Metro Airport at about 11:30pm on Saturday June 14th. Mark the date! I will post all the details for the flights and layovers at the end of the week. And I promise, more pictures will show up here and on Facebook very soon! I need to make room on my camera!

Ciao!

Handwriting Analysis

So, this is totally random and not about a tourist spot or school or anything! But the lady that works in our student union here at ACD came over to inspect the house to check up on repairs, and she analyzed our handwriting! She studied psychology, and told us what our handwriting told us about our personality. It was odd, but very interesting. She was actually oddly on the money with us.

I seemed to fascinate her particularly. When the other girls immediatly left to go get samples of her handwriting, and I didn't, she looked at me, and said, "You, go get me a sample!" Haha!

I passed her my binder with my class notes on it, and she looked at it and immediately said, "You're an extrovert, you're definitely an extrovert."

I just laughed and nodded. But she looked at me again, and said, "But you can be shy sometimes, I think." Sure, right?

She kept looking at my notes, and here are the other things she said.

"You're very territorial--you don't like people coming in and out of your circle all the time. You don't mind people coming in, but if they try to leave..." She just kind of trailed off here. ;-) I wasn't sure how I felt about this conclusion--it didn't make much sense.

Then she said, "You wouldn't take the spotlight all the time, you'd push someone else into it in some occassions." This amused me, because I (shamefully) enjoy being in the spotlight.

Then she said, "You're a home-body, I think. You like having connections to home." True enough. I laughed a lot, out of amusement, I think, and out of the slight awkwardness of the situation--being psychoanalyzed in front of my housemates, lol!

She moved on to the other girls, and we changed the subject, but in the middle of a conversation, where I was making a comment, she turned her attention back to me, and said, "You're very shy inside, I think. Despite your rough exterior. You're not all you're putting on, and you don't trust as easily as you should. Because you're very likable, you know."

I was a little stunned by this sudden intimate and oddly accurate conclusion. I'd like to hope that I am not putting up a facade. And I wasn't exactly sure how to take her comment about "rough exterior" but she immediately said that it wasn't a bad thing. Maybe she means diamond in the rough, type deal. ;-) lol!

I'm not a very shy person, I don't think. But there is a definite line. There are some parts of myself I give to everyone, and some parts that I give to no one, or very few. I'm not going to confide in people until I really get to know them.

And as far as trust goes, I think she is right on the money here. I'm a very trusting person in that I make friends pretty easily, and I always give people the benefit of the doubt, but when it comes to more intimate, emotional feelings or issues, I trust very few. I am slow to trust, but once I do, I trust fully, I think. The number of people to get to this level with me are fairly few.

If you can't tell, I was slightly rattled by Kathie's visit! The things she said were very intriguing. Some things I think were out there, but with others she was spot on. I remember being pretty interesting in handwriting analysis as a kid-- I once bought a book on it at a Scholastic book fair! ;-)

I don't take what she said too seriously, but it was definitely interesting and fun to hear what she had to say! Thanks Kathie! ;)

Farm and Other Happenings

Hello, all!

It's been pretty busy this week! Sorry for not updating for a couple of days. I forget I have an audience now. ;-)

So here is the Cliff's Notes version of the past few days.

Sunday: Visit to Jameson Whisky Distillery. Nifty place for souveniers and touring, but otherwise not of much interest to me. ;-) I did taste my friend's complimentary drink, Jameson and cranberry juice, though. I knew by the smell I wouldn't like it, and the one sip sealed the deal. Whiskey = not my thing. ;-)

This weekend was the first for another batch of students that arrived, so it was their "orientation" weekend. I am amused that their first activity was the Jameson Distillery and ours was the Guiness Storehouse. Pattern? ;-)

Monday: One of the coolest days ever! We took a trip to an Irish Farm! Sadly, I lost some of my pictures from that day, but one of my housemates backed them up, luckily. I will get them from her later and post a few of the ones I didn't lose.

So at the farm, we made bread, and while it was baking, we learned to play the traditional Irish drum, called the Bodhran. We learned an Irish dance to a reel. (Lots of fun. It should be said that there was a loose board in the dance floor, and someone knocked it to the side, and yes, I stepped in the hole, and fell. This shouldn't be news to anyone, as I am a klutz.) Haha! I try to entertain when I can.

After the most delicious meal ever, plus the bread that I made with the other Hillary (we refer to ourselves as Hillary squared, BTW) We did a bunch of other things together. We herded some cows (for real!), walked around in an Irish bog (barefoot! and some of the boys jumped in to their waste), built some fuel stacks out of turf, herded ponies, wandered around a barn, went on a hayride, and had some freshly baked scones before we headed out. Also, we tried our hand at hurling, a big Irish sport and the fastest ball/stick sport in the world. And I am proud to say that I could whack the ball farther than all the girls and all but three of the boys. ;-) Thank you softball!

It was a great day!

Tuesday: New class started: Themes in Irish History, Study Tour Seminar. So, in this class, we have a lecture for the first part of the day and then take field trips around Dublin and the surrounding area. It is sweet. Tuesday we went to the National Museum and there were cool artifacts and bog bodies! That was very strange!

Wednesday: (Today) Caught up now! Today, our field trip was to Trinity College, Dublin City Hall, and Dublin Castle. Cool stuff. So my paper for my previous class is loosely due on Monday, and I am not done. Therefore, I am getting off the blog to get to work!

Enjoy some pics and vids from the farm!

PS: My camera doesn't record with sound! Sorry! I may invest in a new one some time in the future.

Day Trip to Galway

On the train!

Ruins of a castle with a impossible to pronounce name.

"Best preserved" remains of an old fort.

View from the bus--don't know who's reflection that is though!

The tour bus. Yay!


Sheep!

The wall around the fort.

An ancient Celtic tomb.

Pub for lunch! Delicious for most (Sorry Kasey and Mike, but pricey)

Gazing over at the cliffs. Beautiful!

Many photos were taken.

Cliff edge.

Yes, I took a lot of pictures of these cliffs. They were majestic, okay?! ;-)

The Visitor Center! Carved into the hill like a Hobbit house in the Shire.

There were actually signs that said do not jump or had stick figures pantomiming the consequences. I would think that this would be obvious, but maybe not!

Haha! This is my PO'd face, but I promise, I wasn't angry at all. On the train ride back, we were all a little crazy, and I was just making faces. ;-)

For example--here is Kasey getting very into a song on her iPod. ;-)

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And just to change things up, I will have a guest blogger tonight! Here's the woman herself--Kasey! ;-)

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hi all of you readers out there in blogville , kasey here , i am one of hillary's flatmates. i have had the privledge of living with hillary for the past two weeks and am happy to report to report that she is completley normal. we have been traveling all over ireland and the irish countryside. she deals with my weirdness greatly as i do with hers. i have to admit when i met her i thought she would have more of a southern accent, but surprisingly she talks with just a little one. so this weekend we went to galway and the cliffs of moher and as hillary may soon tell you i was OBSESSED with the cows and sheep. they are just so cute!!!!! :)

we saw the cliffs, and thankfully i talked her out of jumping off for a quick swim in the atlantic. simply reminding her that the water would be very cold lol. the train ride home was quite entertaining , we were all very over tired. as you will see in the video posted , i decided to give a concert on the train. i apologize that i am a bad singer, but i had a blast doing it.

anywhoo i will now transfer the blogging back to its truthful owner the one and only Hillary Beasley ......

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That was Kasey, everyone! And she really took a lot of pictures of cows, and every time we passed some on the train or bus, she was kind enough to alert the rest of the passengers by squealing. ;-) Also, she and the other Hillary tried to call the sheep by cooing, "Here, sheep-sheep-sheep!" It didn't work, sadly.

Our trip to the Cliffs and all the stops made for a great Saturday!!