get your swing on

This weekend, I attended an event that will likely never be surpassed in Indy with regards to the enjoyment factor: swing dancing in Fountain Square.  Every second and fourth Friday of the month, Fountain Square Theater holds a swing dance with lessons from 7:30-8:30 and an open dance from 8:30-11:30.  My eyes have been opened to a whole new beautiful world full of spins, rock steps, and gaiety!

Walking in, I felt slightly under-dressed or maybe just wrongly-dressed.  Many people wear proper swing attire--from twirly dresses to suspenders and vests.  As the night went on, though, people with clothing across the spectrum appeared, making me feel less awkward in my jeans and boots.  The lessons were veerryyy basic.  If you have never swung before, going to this part will be very beneficial.  However, if you've even been swing dancing once, the lessons will completely be review. 

The actual dance, on the other hand, harbored dancers of all ages, degrees of experience, ethnicities, and occupations.  I danced with young men who had never swing danced (or I suspect danced at all) before, and I danced with people who positively whirled me off of my feet.  As a very tall young woman, I can sometimes scare off potential dancing partners, but I was surprised to hardly have a break as man after fearless man swooped me onto the floor.  Ladies, be prepared to dance with all the gents, but also don't be afraid to ask a newb for a turn around the floor.

When I needed a bit of a breather, I went up to the balcony to observe the dancers.  My favorite (of course) was this old man in a bright orange shirt who danced with elegance and expertise telling of his many years of practice.  I cannot help but wonder what it would have been like to be a young woman when swing dancing was all the rage.

As for the music, I would have come if only for the sake of listening to the wonderful band play hits from those lovely crooners such as Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, etc.  I have always loved this style of music, and I was quite impressed at the large repertoire and magnificent talent of the band and vocalists! 

All in all, it was a night to be remembered (and repeated).  I am determined to soon be considered one of the Fountain Square swing dancing regulars. 

jacquie's cafe

One of my best friends, Emily, has recommended that I write a review a week on a new restaurant, venue, store, etc. that I try in Indianapolis.  I guess she's trying to help me not let my life become boring.

So, here it goes.  As you might have guessed based on the two-year gap since my last post, I am not very good at keeping up a blog.  If at first you don't succeed, try, try again, right?

The restaurant I will review this week (before I start on my many catch-up reviews) is called Jacquie's.  Emily and I went to the Broad Ripple Farmer's Market--which had an amazing selection of goodies, particularly the crepes--and happened to try some free pesto samples at the Jacquie's booth.  We actually tried samples at every both possible.  At least once.  Anyways, we were simply blown away by the variety of tantalizing pestos Jacquie's produces.  When the saleswoman told us that they had a cafe in addition to catering (which would be ah-mazing for a wedding), we were sold.

The atmosphere of the cafe was nothing super extraordinary, but I was impressed that they had magazines for people to browse while waiting instead of becoming absorbed in their technology.  I ordered the lemon ricotta pancakes, and my roommate ordered the eggs benedict.  We split them in half to have a sampling of each.  The pancakes, with their contrast of sweet, tang, and savory, were absolutely delicious!  The eggs benedict were also quite heavenly, and the rosemary potatoes were cooked to perfection.  Topping it off with a cup of creamy hot chocolate, we were very satisfied with our excursion.  Next time I go, I will be sure to try one of the many baked goods from their display case and possibly the quiche or crepe of the day.

Overall, the portions were relatively small for the prices, but we were not disappointed in the least.

one day at a time...

    Someone (ahem, Kyle) has challenged me to blog once a week.  It should seem that this would be easy, but obviously, since I've only blogged once before during this trip, it is strangely difficult for me.  It's not that I don't like to process.  It's just so overwhelming.  I feel that so much happens all the time that I cannot possibly put it all on this blog.  (Which is true.)  But then I go to the other extreme and NEVER post.  Instead, I'm just going to try to just post whatever is going on, realizing that it is impossible to describe everything here but knowing that it is valuable to process in some manner through blogging.
    This weekend has been a couple of the best days I've had since coming to Ireland.  It's right up there with the church weekend I went on with my church, Greystones Presbyterian Church.  And it also largely involves those people.  Let's just say I love them dearly.
    Getting involved in a church is so very wonderful!  I am thankful to my parents and older sister, Jessica, for instilling in me the great value of church involvement.  However, it never really became real to me until this year at college.  First semester, I committed to Westminster Presbyterian in Muncie and was greatly blessed by the great preaching, the Sunday school class, and perhaps most of all the people who were earnest in their walks with the Lord and fellowship with others in the church.  Now, coming to Ireland, I knew that I wanted to choose a church quickly and commit.  When I went to the Presby, the church that our professor Monty preaches at, I knew that it was the place for me.  The people were so very welcoming!  And every Sunday I went, I felt that God was speaking directly to me.  So I decided to commit.
    I went on their church weekend with them, which was absolutely wonderful.  I cannot express how much I learned (about being a part of a church community, no less), how much fun I had, and how much I enjoyed having fellowship with these people. 
    Anyways, today started with a beautiful morning on the shore of the Irish Sea.  It was the warmest, sunniest day yet.  Gorgeous.   I went to church and enjoyed talking to people there and at tea and coffee afterward.  Then, Gueb, Paige, Lexi and I went over to Joyce and Andy Lee's house for lunch.  Their house was very picturesque.  A quaint house in the middle of rolling green fields, it seemed to be from a storybook.  They had two dogs, two chickens, two ducks, a cat, a pig, and sheep with little lambs.  We very much enjoyed the meal and interviewed them about their opinions on the Troubles and WWII, which, although they weren't terribly excited about the interview part, went very well.  I gleaned a load of knowledge.
    We then went to the harbour in Greystones and Andy took us out on the RIB (rigid inflatable boat), which was AWESOME!  The sun, the waves, the holding on for dear life; it was glorious.
    I was very humbled and honored by their willingness to tote us everywhere with them, to serve us, and to share their lives with us even though we are only going to be here a little longer.  I hope that some day I am as hospitable, unassuming, and friendly as they are. 
    I find it very convicting that they are willing to be so kind to us despite our short time left here.  I am so hesitant sometimes to develop relationships that I know aren't going to last, but that isn't the right mindset at all.  Instead, I want to invest in people and relationships as much as possible since they might not last long.  I don't want to be so caught up in living my life that I miss out on the very purpose of my life: fellowship with God and fellowship with others.  I was created for fellowship.  This seems to be a theme lesson of my life lately..

great craic

    How do I begin?  I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to get motivated enough to begin to blog.  I've been in Ireland since January 29th.  I live in Coolnagreina, a YWCA of Ireland, in a building that is quite ancient yet already dear to my heart. 

 Above is Coolnagreina, the building that we live in.

 This is the lovely view we have when we walk out of our front door.

 We live in Greystones, which is a village right on the Irish Sea.

 This is the Red Room, where we hang out and do homework (what little we have) a lot of the time.

 This is the DART, which takes us all the way to Dublin or anywhere in between.  It runs along the eastern coast of Ireland.

 This is just one of the thousands of lovely views we have from the shore.

    There are 20 of us-16 girls and 4 boys.  You may think these odd proportions, but really, it's a lot less weird than I anticipated.  In fact, I rarely think of it.  Kyle Lantz and Laura Rodeheaver are our leaders, and Kyle's wife, Kelsey, lives among us as well.  They're all great.  I love our group, and I'm excited to see us become more and more what the Church is intended to be as we live together in close community. 

 This is our group at Old Mellifont Abbey.

    I am rooming with Emily Guebert, or Gueb as she prefers being called.  I am really enjoying it.  Each of our rooms has a sink in it, which is convenient but really strange.

    Anyways, the first Irishman I interacted with upon reaching Ireland in my jet-lagged, lethargic, half-conscious state was the immigration officer.  I went up to the window and said, "Hello, sir," practicing my American politeness that we are taught to use.  He responded with a chuckle, saying, "Don't call me sir.  You're not in America anymore."  This was my first exposure to the carefree, friendly attitude that the majority of the Irish population possesses.  No matter what age, we go by a first-name basis, as Gert, a 70-some-year-old lady informed me at church on Sunday.  Everyone is very friendly.  On our Dublin scavenger hunt, several people approached us, asking if we were lost and needed help.  We weren't even aware that we were sending this message, but we certainly were lost and were happy to accept the directions of whoever wanted to help us.

     I do love Irish accents.  However, I was never expecting there to be so many variations!  Each region of the country, even though it's only the size on Indiana, has a different way of speaking.  Some even still speak Gaelic, the ancient Irish language.  Monty, one of our teachers, is from the North, whose accent I can only describe as emphasizing R's, although it's so much more than that.  Power, hour, shower, all words sound like Parrrr, harrrr, sharrrrr.  It's very interesting.  The accents in Greystones and Dublin are a bit more tame but still have a very different sound with different intonations and emphases. 

    Yet another thing I have to get used to is that you drive on the left side of the road.  Because of this, I have to look right before crossing the street, and whenever I approach people on the sidewalk coming toward me, I have to walk to the left.  It's amazing how difficult it is to change this habit that I didn't even know I had!

    I find that my efforts to not appear like an American work sometimes but most of the time fail miserably for many reasons.  First of all: there are almost no blonds in Ireland. Shocking, I know!  That kind of makes me stick out like a sore thumb, especially as a tall blond.  But I always hold out hope that people will mistake me for being from some other country in Europe.  I actually had someone ask me the other day where I was from instead of, "Are you from the States?".  That was quite an accomplishment and gave me reason to hope.  Second of all: I travel with a bunch of Americans.  By being in a large group in public (something I usually try to avoid in order to be properly immersed in the culture); by my companions' (or my) brightly-colored rain jackets, Ireland Studies Program sweatshirts, or Irish history books, and by the general louder and less subtle American way, the Irish people can typically distinguish our home country.  I try to pick up on whatever mannerisms, social cues, and even phrases I can in order to be less conspicuous, but my accent still gives me away.  (I still, much to my dismay, cannot properly imitate a Greystones accent.)

    So about my classes.  The first class we started is Celtic Christianity, or rather the history of Christian Doctrine followed by a study of Celtic Christianity.  Monty, the Presbyterian pastor, teaches this class to us.  It's very interesting thus far.  Contemporary Ireland is a class in which we are currently learning about the politics of Ireland, since their election is February 25th.  It's quite exciting to be here in the midst of it!  I have a presentation tomorrow on the Sinn Fein party, whose history closely ties in with the history of Ireland itself.  We've also begun Irish History and, although the reading can be dry, I also find this interesting.  The most interesting parts, though, are those that tie in with the places we visit. 

    We have been blessed with sunny days for the majority of our trips so far, except our Dublin scavenger hunt.  Above, I am pictured in front of Newgrange.  This is a passage tomb built in 3200 B.C.  That makes it older than the pyramids!  It is truly an amazing structures, built with quartz, granite, and other stones that were brought by way of the Boyne River from places far away without means of horses or wheels.  Only at the winter solstice, Dec. 21, does the sunlight enter the chamber.  On that day, it lights it up for 17 minutes and then retreats, and this only happens if the sun is out, which can be a rare occasion in Ireland.

    This is at Old Mellifont Abbey, which obviously displays the Roman influence through the arches you see above and below.

Roomie Photo!

    These are some of the beautifully carved high crosses in Monasterboice.  The cross in the foreground contains depictions of the crucifixion and several other Bible stories.  They were amazing!

     Here's Monty on the Hill of Slane.  It was on this hill that St. Patrick lit his bonfire before the pagan Irish King did during a ceremony, which was a terrible act of treason.  Because of this, he was taken to the king, enabling him to share the Gospel with the king.  This is what began the spread of Christianity in Ireland.

    The group in various windows of an old schoolhouse on the Hill of Slane.  In order to get in my window, I had to climb up through a chimney-like hole in the wall.

    Here is the GORGEOUS Tara Hill.  In the mounds are buried people and artifacts from long ago, although they haven't all been excavated.  When on top of this hill, you can see for miles in all directions.  It is absolutely breathtaking when the sun is out!  This is my favorite place we've visited so far.

    This is in the middle of the hike we did at Glendalough, a monastic community in a valley with two lakes.  This was the most physically taxing hike I can remember doing, but it was certainly worth it.  The view was one of the most beautiful I've ever seen.  I didn't take any pictures on this hike because I didn't want to carry my camera and bang it up, but hopefully when I get more pictures from Gueb I can put them up.

    Another class we've begun already is Engaging Ireland, during which we simply talk about how we can get involved in the surrounding community.  I'm very excited to see in what ways I'm led to get involved! (This is something you can be praying about.)  I also would love to make some good Irish friends and relationships, including a mentor relationship of some sort with a local lady, perhaps from my church.  This would be another prayer request, especially since I haven't yet decided on a church.

    Living cross-culturally is a class taught by Jen Lewis, an amazing English woman who lives in Ireland, and is largely a debriefing, thinking sort of class.  I've enjoyed it so far and have already come to realize many characteristics of myself that I've never before noticed.

    The other class we've started is drumming-a class we just started today.  The verdict?  I LOVED it!  We play a traditional Irish drum called the bodhran drum with a stick thing.  It's super fun!  I can't wait to have our next class.  If you want to hear what it sounds like, listen to some Celtic Woman music.

    Now for the group:  I've already mentioned how much I like all of them.  I really do.  They're wonderful.  It's such a great conglomeration of personalities of people from all over Taylor and even the U.S. (Emily McCardle is from California!)  Emily, Ryan Conners, and I are the Personnel Assistants for the semester, which is very exciting but also slightly intimidating to me.  (Prayer request: that I would be wise in my actions and be daily renewed that I may pour into others the way God intends)  We've already completed our first event: a Valentine's Day party.  We had a cookie decorating contest (in the shape of hearts of course), games, love music (including Emily's fave: JB), and Valentine card-making.  It was a great time to hang out and just have fun together (which is pretty much what we do all the time anyways).

    Well hopefully that wasn't too random and disorganized, but I have a lot of time to catch up on.  Hopefully I will be better at posting more regularly, but with a random schedule like ours and so many distractions like the Irish Sea or the pool table, it's hard to tell how faithful I will be.

about me

I don't watch TV.
I love bright colors.
I could care less about sports teams.  I enjoy playing them and even occasionally watching them, but I don't see the point to obsessing over a team of people you don't even know and never will.
Playing games brings out the worst in me, but I love them.  All kinds of them.  Dutch Blitz, Settlers of Cataan, Ticket to Ride, Euchre, Up and Down the River, Canadian Salad, all of them.
If you ask me if I've seen a certain movie, the answer is most likely no.
I like to wear crew neck sweatshirts from Goodwill.
I could play video games all day.  That's why I left them at home.
I have an insatiable sweet tooth.
My favorite color is yellow.
I could spend all day playing the piano.
I love animals.
I usually only listen to two kinds of music: classical and praise and worship.
I like alone time.
I like looking at fashion, but often that's the farthest I get.
I like to make lists and cross things off of them.
In summary: I am not normal.  Some may say I'm weird, including myself at times, but I am okay with that.  I like it.  It's nice being at peace with who the Lord made me to be.

Me. A blogger. Right.

I never imagined myself to be a blogger.  A journal-keeper perhaps, but not a blogger.  I looked at everyone who kept a constant record of their ideas and thoughts online and thought, Well that's great for them, but I will never join their ranks.  However, God has a funny way of turning me towards those things that I previously would never consider.  So, here I am.  I don't claim to be clever, witty, or even interesting, but hopefully something I say sometime will really hit someone. Here comes the onslaught of sporadic ramblings...