1. Two Countries, One Week = One Exhausted, But Happy Alyssa

    To all my readers and fans,

    Sorry that I have disappointed you! I just have not found the time or motivation to update my blog. I’m always super tired after school and my internship and then on the weekends, I’m a traveling woman. I know, it’s a hard life but someone needs to live it. I promise to update my blog way more during this second half of my study abroad adventures. I swear. Ok so now, I need to majorly get everyone up to speed on my life.

    This week is our midterm week, but instead of being all stressed out and not sleeping, I’m traveling throughout Europe and don’t have any classes. I do have a good amount of papers to write and presentations to work on … but that’s secondary to exploring.   

    On Saturday, several of the people in our program went to a traditional Irish farm, which was surprisingly really fun. It’s not that I thought it would be lame or nothing, but going on a farm is pretty uncharacteristic of me. Well, that’s what most people would think. Yes, I, Alyssa Goldman – a self-proclaimed low-scale JAP—played hurling, milked a cow, Irish soda bread, walked in the bog and walked on stones, did an Irish jig, played the Irish drum and pet some pupperz. Ok, the last two things aren’t really shocking and maybe the fact that I walked barefoot into mud isn’t either since I’m actually grosser than most girls, but you get my point. I wasn’t being a diva. See, I can be out of my element.

     

    SCOTLAND

    Then from Sunday to Tuesday, Carrie, Joan and I had a crammed in as much of Scotland as humanly possible. Our flight was at 6:50 a.m., and I literally did not sleep because I went to bed at around 1:30 a.m. and awoke at 4 a.m. But, none of us were grouchy, just excited that we were going to another country and being independent and shiz. We arrived in Glasgow and almost immediately got on a train to Edinburgh – Scotland’s second largest city, but most historical and tourist-friendly one. Once we were there, we did not stop walking, which is a good thing since I’ve been eating lots of delicious of food. We climbed the 287 steps to the top of The Scott Monument and explored the Edinburgh Castle, which had 25 different sections, lots of stairs and was huge. Anyways, we first went to the National War Museum, which of course, was really interesting, but I was not really invested in learning about it. I joked around with my friend Carrie that if we were alive back in the day we would totes be queens and princesses, and be pampered betches with lots of jewels, clothes and people waiting on us hand and foot. I also said that I was studying peace and glamour, instead of what I’m actually studying – peace and conflict.

     

    We went on a tour of seriously, all of Scotland. We went all over the highlands, which was filled the most magnificent waterfalls, the Urquhart Castle (which is known for the Loch Ness Monster) and went on a boat tour. As I said, our days were jam packed.

     

    On our final day, we visited the Glasgow Museum of Modern Art and then decided to go to the airport just a wee bit early for our 5:45 p.m. flight. Little did we know, we would be at the airport for seven hours because our flight was cancelled and then delayed until 9:45 p.m. It wasn’t too bad. We had a chance to do some homework and received a voucher to get some food. Plus, we were in Scotland so there’s no room for complaints.

    NORTHERN IRELAND

    Last week, I was in Dublin for about eight hours. I was such a world traveller. I spent Wednesday through Sunday in Northern Ireland to see the impact of ‘The Troubles’ (what I’ve been learning about this whole semester) and have some nonacademic fun. So for those of you who don’t know about ‘The Troubles’ here is a very simplistic summary of it. Basically, the country was split 48 to 52 percent – the 48 percent being the Catholics and the 52 percent being the Protestants. Most of the Catholics were nationalists/republicans meaning they wanted a united Ireland while most of Protestants were loyalists/unionists and wanted Northern Ireland to be a part of the United Kingdom. Yes, you read that right, Northern Ireland is not a part of Ireland; it is in the United Kingdom. I was confused at first, too. Anyways, lots of fighting ensued between loyalist and republican paramilitaries as well as with the British Army and police force. ‘The Troubles’ officially lasted from 1969-1999. So, we had the chance to tour the most notorious loyalist and republican areas with former paramilitary members from both sides.

    Just to explain to you how intense the experience was, we sat down with an ex-loyalist paramilitary member who was in jail for 10 years. I asked him what he had done to get into jail and he explained how he was born into the conflict and he felt he did not have choice. But then, I asked him the question again, and he told us he shot/murdered a guy. And then he said, “Does that answer your question?” This normally doesn’t happen to me, but I had no idea what to say. I was sitting one seat away from what some may call a killer, others may consider a political prisoner and some consider a hero. It was unreal to be that close to the conflict, and it made it more tangible. The experience of being in Belfast, the center of the conflict, was an emotional one. The city is divided into different sections: one block will be a loyalist area and is marked the unionist flag while the block right next to it marks a republican area by an Irish flag. A 44 ft. “peace wall” separates the Catholic and Protestant areas. After ‘The Troubles,’ the wall has only gotten higher. I’m not sure how much the wall separates peace, but I got to write a message on it, and it read: “Conflict and war is not worth the many and precious lives lost. Love thy neighbor as thyself. Hopefully, one day peace will be possible.”

    Our tour guide from the republican side, an ex-paramilitary member, took us to the Catholic part of a cemetery, and we went to the graveyards of former paramilitary members who were our guide’s comrades. He spoke of the hardships they overcame together and got a bit choked up at the site. He then took us outside a Catholic all-girls school, which is next to a protestant area, and loyalists would riot outside of it, yell at these young girls and throw homemade bombs at them. This story made everyone tear up. Just thinking about children having to suffer from this conflict was just upsetting and proved that it didn’t matter who you were – you were somehow dragged into the conflict.

    During the nonacademic part of the trip, we visited the oldest whiskey distillery in the world. Thankfully, I hate whiskey. Anyways, just to show you how confusing Northern Ireland is, the whiskey brand had two different advertisements geared toward those who think Northern Ireland is a part of the Republic or considered to be Ulster territory. This confusion over whether or not Northern Irish citizens are Irish or British, weighs heavy on today’s youth and is why many of them join paramilitary organizations. Yes, this is still happening today! Overall, this trip was a life-changing experience.

    I will be leaving for Germany on Friday and promise to blog about it! So come back to visit soon!

    Xoxo,

    Alyssa 

  2. Sometimes ‘I Think I Can’ Just Isn’t Enough

    Imagine yourself seeing the most gorgeous scenery you’ve ever laid eyes upon. Then, imagine that you couldn’t enjoy it to the fullest.

     

    This is not photoshopped, people.

    On my weekend trip to Galway, this is what I experienced. First off, let me start by saying I had a wonderful time and that Galway is such an awesome place. We went to the Galway museum and I learned about my homeboy Padraic O’ Conaire, a journalist who wanted to revive the Irish language. Plus, we saw live Irish music, went to a fun pub, ate amazing food (seriously people it was delish), gendered war propaganda, and got to go to that beautiful beach.

    Always reppin’ journalism. Holla!


     

    #Gender

    Ok, so here’s why I couldn’t fully enjoy the scenery. (I can’t believe I’m telling you this; it’s truly embarrassing). Everyone wanted to go on a bike ride along the beach. Since I knew it wouldn’t be strenuous, I was down to give it a go. I thought it would be fun plus, it would so European of me. Bonus: I’d get to burn off some of that good grub I indulged in. Well, the bike ride had not gone as planned. You see, I haven’t ridden a bike since my tween years, but I thought riding a bike was a skill that could never be forgotten. I found out that (for me at least) this is a myth.

    When I first saw the bikes, I was shocked. They looked like mountain bikes and I was extremely intimidated. Then, I realized that we weren’t just going to bike on the beach, we were going to bike to the beach, which meant we were going to need to bike on the roads. As my friends began to ride, I realized I might not be able to do this.

    My patient lads Joan and Carrie helped me practice on a deserted area of a road for what must have been almost an hour. They said words of encouragement including, “Alyssa, you worked in New York this summer and wrote about women on a budget. You can do this!” Of course, biking and writing about women on a budget don’t exactly correlate, but they tried. I knew it was simple; I just had to get my left leg on the pedal and then keep pedaling. Young children can do this, I thought, which means I can do this. All the self-talk – positive and negative – could not get me to ride my bike. I couldn’t find my balance. I fell just barely moving. It was such a mess that I cried throughout the whole experience. I don’t know what came over me, but I couldn’t stop crying. I felt so bad. I thought I was ruining my friends’ trip and I was truly embarrassed. I mean, I have ridden a bike before and I now I just couldn’t get the hang of it.

    Finally, my friends decided we should go to the beach and I could try there. I knew that what I should’ve done was returned my bike to the shop and then just walk to the beach while they rode their bikes there. But instead, I was stubborn and wanted to continue torturing myself by realizing how inadequate I was. I would periodically stop in between walking with my bike – which is honestly more strenuous and inconvenient than riding a bike – and attempt to move the bike like a normal person. It was of no use; I just couldn’t do it. I think a part of it was fear of falling, the fact that I was riding alongside cars and I felt really uncomfortable without a helmet and any other gear (I’m a safety fanatic).

     

    By the time I got to the beach, I could not keep up with my friends who were riding their bikes – I was too busy pushing the heavy object to every location I went. I finally was so tired, drained and in a funk that I just gave up following them, and took a seat on a bridge overlooking the beach. I was crying with tears streaming down my face, sweat dripping and snot coming out my nose (did I mention I also got a cold on this trip, had a sore throat and semi-lost my voice?). I was in the most beautiful place I had ever been to and here I was more upset than I have been in quite a while. In my desperate attempts to feel better, I tried to call my parents, which made no sense since getting service in that area would be impossible. I sat overlooking the beach, took in the view and appreciated it, but still kept torturing myself because I could not ride the bike.

    I literally, never wanted to get rid of something so badly in my life. I couldn’t wait to return that bike to the shop. I was in a terrible mood afterward, but we went to our hostel and I took a cat nap in my “cocoon”, and once I awoke, I felt like a new person. Especially, since our room no longer smelled of socks.

     

    Me in my cocoon.

    That’s another story: When we first came to the hostel, no one knew what to expect because nearly everyone in our group had never been to a hostel. Of course, it was no Ritz, but as long as it’s livable, I can be housed just about anywhere. Somehow I got stuck in the bottom bunk bed of a guy with his dirty socks lining his bed to dry. Lovely. Our room smelled so bad especially, the area I was in. I couldn’t sleep well because when I would move to the left side a smell of rotten eggs would hit me.

    The next night, we had a roommate who decided to drunkenly and loudly come into the room at around 3 a.m. All of us were somewhat scared for our lives. Just the way this unknown man was acting was somewhat suspicious. He kept the door open while he went to the bathroom, was bumping into things, laughing, turned the lights on and just was overall, creeptastic. Luckily (or unluckily) he left before 7 a.m. and everyone woke up to his alarm. Lesson: Hostels are not a luxury, they are a necessity. So just expect to go in there to sleep and that’s it.

     

    Some of the hilarious women I was with.

    Overall, Galway was a lot of ‘craic’ and the women I went with are all entertaining and hysterical. Not everything you do during your time abroad is going to go perfectly; you might not enjoy a certain activity or you might not be all that good at it. But isn’t that how life works? Studying abroad is about trying new things that you would otherwise never do or never have the chance to do. So yes, this time it was a personal failure, but next time it might be a success. Though I am certain that my future weekend trips will be loads of fun and will be life-changing experiences.

    Until next time,

    xoxo

    Alyssa

  3. The Life of the not rich and sort of famous

    Today’s blog post is going to be all about the not-so glamorous aspects of studying abroad. Just like you – or maybe you are just smarter than me and you already knew this – I always thought studying abroad was just as fabulous as everyone’s Facebook pictures showed. The travelling! The site seeing! Going out! Making new friends! It just seemed like a dream – no responsibilities, all fun and games. Well the truth is, it is kind of a dream and it is fab, but it’s not perfect. The real world and its problems don’t just go away when you, well, go away – they come with you wherever you go. As my friend Mickey and I say, it’s not all glitz and glam. So here are the things they don’t tell you in study abroad orientation:

     1. Life at home goes on without you. Now, I’m not that self-absorbed to believe that the world will stop functioning when I’m away, but I never thought anything major would happen while I’m away. My 15-year-old puppy died last Monday. I knew he was old, but he had had many near-death experiences before and was always such a trooper. If he fell, slid, bumped into a wall or even fell down a flight of stairs, he always got right back up and would literally, shake it off. He was the most loving dog a girl could ever ask for and he had been a member of my family since I was 6 years old. So when I got ahold of the news about his death, it kind of shook my world upside down. I swear, I’ve seen so many schnauzers around Dublin since he passed away and every time I can’t help but get sad. And, my baby sister (she’s 13, but to me she is still little) has been going through a rough time with friends and I just want to be there for her, hold her tight, and tell her everything is going to be OK.

     


    My baby :(

    (Sidenote: My lil’ sis made this video montage of our doggy. )

    And, although my Dublin homies are awesome – I have the best roomies, found a Jew lover and my soul sister – I miss my IU kittenz so much, it hurts! Because my IU friends and I work together, take the same classes and play together we are rarely separated from each other for such a long period of time – so I must say, it is very difficult. But what I’ve decided is that it’s OK to be a little homesick or worried about everyone back home, but you have to live in the present, take it all in and appreciate it.


     Look, I haz friendz.

    2. You’re going to spend a lot of money. It doesn’t matter if you are a woman on a budget, you are gonna spend hella euros. You’re going to shop because there are stores to be shopped at. And you are going to travel and dine out – going to restaurants daily gets expensive. Which leads me to …

    3. You’re going to eat a lot of carbs and will have to use the kitchen. Anytime I have an apartment with a kitchen, I tend to ignore it. Like in New York this summer, I  just knew I wouldn’t cook. I mean, I made sandwiches once in a while or bought something cheaper than takeout from the grocery store. But sometimes even JAPs have to cook. I know, it’s an upsetting realization. In our household, we have loads of bread (and it’s wheat so it’s technically healthy) because let’s face it, bread is good with everything: you can toast it, put jam or butter on it, throw some deli meat on it or eat it plain. When you are a woman on a budget, you have to buy foods that can serve many purposes. Another staple, for those who are too lazy to actually cook is pasta because it’s simple and fast to make and always satisfying if you put the right sauce on it. In fact, my friend/soul sista/fellow woman on a budget Carrie and I were on a mission to not dine out Sunday and we succeeded. We bought some Chicken Kiev, boiled some pasta and cut some delish Italian bread. You know what they say: When in Ireland eat Italian food. Even though it was a simple meal, I still give us major kudos for cooking; it took effort and getting me to cook is never an easy task.


    The meal I helped prepare … huge step toward domesticity.

    Turkey is also essential for sandwiches as is cereal and nutri-grain bars for breakfast. And if you have a sensitive tummy like me, soy milk is another necessity. (Side note: I have not been able to find Lactaid milk yet in Ireland … extremely upsetting!) Our kitchen also has loads of condiments, chocolate treats, fruits and wine (which yes, I have NOT drank … thank you very much, I do have good willpower).

    4. You’re still gonna have to do real people things.  This realization sucks. You think you’re going to go to Ireland and everything is magically fall into place. You think you’re going to travel and not have any responsibilities. Wrong, again! In order to travel, you have to plan and that takes loads of time and in order to travel, you have to money so you must budget. Plus, you’re going to have some homework (not a lot, but you have to read stuff, ugh), show up to class and sometimes wake up early. (I have to be at my internship at the other side of town by 9:30 … it’s rough). And, you have to figure out how to use public transportation, go grocery shopping, do laundry, clean, sleep, shower, etc. Yep, you STILL have to do the same things you do at home or at school. Studying abroad is a fantasy world to some extent, but things won’t miraculously happen just to make your life easier – you still have to take care of yourself and continue to maintain your duties.

    This weekend some friends and I are going to Galway so I will get to tell you more about the fab parts of studying abroad.

    God, love you readers .. you keep me young!


     xoxo

    Alyssa

  4. I’m stronger than Guinness, I’m stronger than Guinness, I’m stronger …

    Hey all! I’ve been in Ireland for four days now and yes, it’s been fantastic. I’m not going to give you all the minor details because let’s face it, you don’t really care. You want to be entertained so, I’ll try my darndest.

    Yesterday, was our group’s first independent venture of going out on the town and yes, it was a good time. Aside from getting to know some people in the program (there is only a whopping 12 of us!) we had some pretty interesting interactions with a couple of Irish lads. We were sitting at a table at this pub and these two guys came up to us, gave us high-fives and asked where we were from. And Brendon, the only guy I really spoke to, was like, “well how can you experience Ireland if you are only with each other.” I mean, this tipsy fellow had a point. So, he said “come with us to hang with the scumbags” (which ended up being an outdoor beer garden type thing that we didn’t know about) so I responded “ok, guys yeah, I like scumbags. Let’s go hangout with them.” So we did. We all just sat, joked around, talked shit and asked about one another.

    So one of the guys in our group asked what the “in” places to go to are. And Brendon responded, “Wherever my friends are.” And, even though I don’t think this young man was the best representative of Ireland (he asked us when were “going to get up and dance and move our bums back and forth” … um, dude never), what he said is true about Irish people in general. Yes, it is true that beer is more available here than water; however, the Irish culture is a very social one. People go to pubs to not only have a drink or two, but also to have a laugh, meet and get to know people, spend time with their friends and watch hurling on TV. Although drinking is a large aspect of this culture, it is only one element of how they socialize and like to have ‘craic’ (pronounced like crack and it means ‘fun’). Here’s an interesting statistic that explains a lot about Irish culture.

    A cathedral ... sorry I don't remember what it's called

    A cathedral … sorry, I don’t remember its name.


    The Guinness factory that’s more than 60 acres. Sorry the pic is so bad … took it while on a tourbus.

    Today, on our tour bus guide, we found out that Dublin has 600 churches and 900 pubs so as he explained, for every church you see, there are two pubs right next to it. That pretty much sums up Dublin: its a city rich with history (not so much that religious anymore although, mostly everyone is Catholic, but they don’t go to mass most days of the year), but it’s also a lively and young city. Half of Dublin’s population is 25 years old or younger, which probably explains all the pubs and clubs.

    Dublin Castle.

    As for me, how do I do this whole pub scene without any alcohol in my system? I’m just myself. I want to talk to people for a living so I can chat it up with just about anyone about almost anything. Just because I don’t drink doesn’t mean I’m some wallflower. Sometimes, I let this whole not being able to drink thing get to me and at school I couldn’t have fun at parties. I just felt super out of place and kind of became isolated because I didn’t feel like I could relate to people my age as well anymore. But I’ve decided not to let my sobriety hold me back. For anyone who feels awkward when going out, just put some cute clothes on, a lil’ makeup and wear your confidence proudly (last night I looked super cute and I’m so pissed I don’t have pictures). So although, I may not be getting what what many Americans believe to be the ‘true Irish experience’ because I’m not drinking whiskey or Guinness (FYI many Irish people think Guinness is disgusting and don’t drink it), I don’t care because I’m experiencing Ireland my way. And guess what? I’m having the time of my life.

    I decided to strike a pose in front of something. Not the best pic of me, but whatevs.

    Until next time xoxo,

    Alyssa

  5. Leaving Tuesday!

    It’s less than five days until I’ll be in Dublin. This summer has just flown by! I was in NYC interning at a women’s magazine, which was seriously a dream come true, and now I’m studying abroad. I’ll be in Dublin for a semester (3.5 months) and will be working in some medium of journalism (I’m hoping for a women’s publication). Somebody pinch me; I can’t believe how lucky I am!

    Everyone asks me: “So why did you choose to study abroad in Ireland?” I never really thought it was that strange, but I guess people wonder since I’m not of Irish decent. Ok, so here was my, admittedly, ignorant thought process. I always planned on studying abroad in South Africa, but due to medical reasons I was too high risk for tuberculosis. I was super upset, but then I was like OK I want to go to Greece. My reasoning? Sexy men, delicious food, its history, and the scenery. But then their economy went down the dumps and there were riots so that was out of the question. So, I chose Dublin because everyone goes to London and I wanted to be different plus, I don’t know Spanish so there goes the Barcelona option. And although I took French for two years, this Jewish Chicago accent can’t pronounce anything and I can’t even string out a comprehensible sentence if I tried. I honestly, didn’t want to go to Israel (waiting for birthright, baby) and I don’t know Hebrew although I took it for most of my life. I know, my language skills are pathetic. So I needed a country where English is the primary language, but still seemed “different” enough for me. And, that’s how I came to decide on Ireland.

    As I said, pretty ignorant, right? Forgive me, I’m not worldly. In fact, it’s my first time traveling outside Ammmuuuurrrrica. Anyways, Dublin is such an amazing and modern city and is known to be one of the best cities in the world — although I’m sure most New Yorkers and Chicagoans would argue with that. I mean, we do have strong city pride. Yes, Ireland is going through hard economic times, but the entire world is falling apart right now so in my book, Dublin is a fine place to go. I mean seriously, where can people “safely” travel to now? Exactly, nowhere. But, I’m excited to go and learn about The Troubles, travel throughout Europe, intern, meet new people, and just experience all that Dublin has to offer including the pubs and restaurants.

    Also, I can’t tell you how many times people have told me to make sure to get a Guinness while I’m there and everyone expects me to be a drunk hot mess. I mean, if I was able to drink, I would probably be that girl. (Sorry, mom and dad!) But I can’t drink. Like, I’ll go to the hospital and have to get an IV if I do (again, medical issues). So, I will not even take a sip of Guinness. Plus, I’m a complete wino so if I travel to France or Italy, that’s where I’ll have the toughest time. I’ll probably cry myself to sleep at night thinking of Pino Grigio and White Zinfandel. Ok, I’m over exaggerating. But basically, I’m doing the impossible and going to Ireland without drinking beer. Most people probably can’t fathom not drinking abroad, but oh well. It’s not worth ending up in another country’s hospital.

    My goals for this blog is to write about things I care about. I mean, it is my blog :) So, I will let you know about women’s rights in Ireland, their feminist movement, the GLBT scene/GLBT rights, Irish celebs and hotties, pop culture news, and of course, I will tell you about my adventures. And I’ll probably slip some YouTube/kitten videos in there. My goals for this trip are to learn a lot, explore a lot, work hard and play harder, eat delicious food all while miraculously losing weight, meet amazing new people, travel throughout Europe, and meet loads of men — hot straight ones and some gay ones. Anyone who knows me, knows I love the gays; ladies, if you don’t have a best gay guy friend you’re seriously missing out.

    Ok, before I ramble anymore, I’ll just end with a goodbye and some questions. For those who have had more experience traveling abroad, do you have any packing tips? And the Irish are known for offering their “new friends” drinks and might be offended if it’s not accepted. So, how should I politely decline an alcoholic drink?

    NOTE: As for the name of the blog, I thought it was a funny spin on the saying “the luck of the Irish.” My blog will not have much of anything to do with Judaism — besides for the fact that I’m Jewish — however, Ireland does have a small, but vibrant Jewish population that I definitely plan on learning more about. As for the term goyim used in the description, I was using that in a humorous manner and it is not meant to offend.

  6. "So what would happen if suddenly, magically, men could menstruate and women could not? Clearly, menstruation would become an enviable, boastworthy, masculine event: Men would brag about how long and how much. … Street guys would invent slang (‘He’s a three-pad man’) and ‘give fives’ on the corner with some exchange like ‘Man, you lookin’ good!’ ‘Yeah, man, I’m on the rag!’"
    If Men Could Menstruate by Gloria Steinem

About me

Alyssa Goldman is a Jewish American Princess (JAP) who can't drink. She is studying abroad on the Emerald Isle – otherwise known as Ireland, the home of Guinness and the land of the goyim (a.k.a Catholics). Read about the hilarity that is her life.

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