A Very English Christmas

This isn't the first time I've spent my Christmas holidays abroad, however the last time was in Australia and I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt.... This year it feels more odd since it's cooler and it actually feels like Christmas time.

I've come over to England- just north of London- to spend the holidays with one of my good friends that I met in Australia. I hadn't seen Chris or his family in nearly 18 months and I was hit with a boatfull of nostalgia when he and his brother picked me up at the airport.

The family home is just far out enough on the countryside that it almost reminds me of where I live back home in the States. I haven't felt as home here as I have in quite some time. It's amazing how open families can be, and at Chris' home everyone has been so welcoming.

Since Monday, I saw an English pantomime and spent the day in London.
I had no idea what a pantomime was besides the fact that it usually consists of cross dressers... Boy it was quite an experience. The theme this year was Aladdin, and Priscilla Presley was the Genie. There was so much audience interaction and jokes for both the children and adults attending. I was so proud that i understood the majority of the jokes referenced even though they were mostly about English pop culture.

Before going to the theatre, we went to the Milton Keynes shopping center and it was huge. Unlike most of the malls in America, this center was all one story so it seemed to go on for ages.

The Theater at Milton Keynes

Today, Wednesday, Chris and I made the journey into London to go up the shard and do other tourist stuff- like see Parliament, Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace. We ended our day in the winter wonderland in Hyde Park. It was very much like a fair or carnival back home but loaded with stalls offering mulled wine and hot cider. I was lucky enough to meet with Allie once again and Nick- another friend that I met whilst in Australia. We stayed in the Bavarian Village for the majority of the night listening to live music's and catching up since it's been so long since we've all been together. Our meeting was to brief but I hope I'll see them again in the future.

All in all a very good break so far. I still can't believe it's been three months since I left. Time is going back quicker and quicker.

Xx kim

PS
I arrived on Monday no problem from Dublin, and the day was very nice and relaxing. Chris brought me up to me up to Dunstable downs- I know confusing, right?- and we experienced some of the most intense wind gusts I've experienced for some time.

Still, the view was pretty spectacular.

Pictures will be pretty sparse this week, because I'm only using phone photos and none from my camera since I don't have access to my laptop.
So long until next time and happy holidays!

Bittersweet

Here’s to Jana and Maxi, my dear German family <3

I came over to Ireland clueless, friendless, but eager for adventures.

Within the first couple of days I had slowly made my adjustment to life in Ireland and tried to

immerse myself in the social life the country had to offer. You guys were a big part of making Ireland feel like home.

Maxi, even though I thought your name was Emma you decided I was worth your friendship and I couldn't have asked for a better Mom. You are so fun loving and always have a smile on your face. You were never one to shy away from a pint at the pub, and you were always there to make sure I got home safely on nights out. I better see you and your beautiful sunshine bag soon!

 Keep laughing and being beautiful babe.

Jana, I’m glad that we decided to have that first date at the Autobahn. It was that night that we discovered we were twins and that night set the tone for our entire friendship. Girly you are so beautiful. We’ve been through some serious stuff together and you were always there to have a casual drink or  walk around Dublin with me when I was bored. What am I going to do without my other half? This is not a goodbye, but a see you later and all I can say is look forward to some more adventure featuring Thing 1 and Thing 2.

The three of us have survived multiple nights out, and we managed to survive Snoozles- forever bonded together by the shock the shock of rooming with a naked drunk Irishman, a terrified Frenchman, and a mystery man that didn't know how to shut a door.

See you soon fam! 

Love you both so much <3

Xx kim

P.S.
Expect a lot of snapchats, whatsapp messages, and endless Skype conversations!

Old Friend, New Adventures

Yes there was no entry last week, however I’m not going to apologize.

The sole purpose for this blog is for me to share my adventures with friends, family, and whoever may want to read it.

But, above all, it’s for me to write down and remember my experiences.

In the past week and a half I’ve done more than my part of socializing; both hanging out with friends and strangers, and finally doing touristy stuff all around Dublin.

My friend Allie- who is from Canada but we met in Australia- stayed with me from Sunday to early Thursday. I hadn’t seen her in almost 18 months and it was a much-needed reunion.

She has been living my dream of backpacking across Europe but I am so glad that she decided to jump the water across to Ireland. She made me realize how much I miss Australia, but also how little sightseeing I’ve actually done since arriving in Dublin nearly three months ago.

I can navigate around Dublin.

Honestly, it’s not that difficult.

Allie and I below some of the lights on Henry St.

I hadn't gone to visit one of the many free museums, and had yet to take a night to explore the amazing lights that Dublin has to offer during this festive season. Allie also kept reminding me to take pictures- which I’m sure my family will be happy to see.

We went to three museums on Tuesday alone and we even got to take a tour of The Irish Sun news office- but that’s another story.

Over the past few days my life has been manic. As part of one of my courses, we had to join a group and start a social media campaign. I was assigned a campaign about craft beer, one of the luckiest chances in uni so far. Through this group I traveled to Galway, made many a new friends, and have come to a better understanding about what craft beer and cider actually stands is. If you want to check out what I’ve been into in that respect here is our Facebook page, it was such a neat assignment: OurLocalBrew

What has taken the most time in regards to the campaign is the video editing. I’ve done a fair share of filmmaking when I was younger so I jumped at the chance to film some interviews with people in the industry. One thing I forgot to remember is how time consuming editing a video can take. Having to put up two videos in the last two days, I spent probably seven or eight hours staring at my computer screen and doing not much else.

I’m glad the way everything turned out and you can check out my videos here: 

Other than that school is winding down- although I should really say up with all the assignments looming in the future.

Ireland is finally starting to feel like home in the sense that I have a solid core group of friends that I can rely on. Although it’s only been three months, it feels like so much longer and I love it.
.......
Also, it has been extremely stormy here. The wind has been incredible and it even hailed a bit last Sunday. Shout out to Teresa Mannion of RTE for breaking the internet when she reported on storm Desmond in Galway.