Life Abroad & Travel Archives - Page 3 of 3

March 22, 2015March 24, 2015

Why Living Abroad Is Worthwhile; And Why You Should Experience It For Yourself

Republished for Week 3 of our “I Dream Of Ireland” campaign.

I started a bucket list a few years ago back when I was in college. It was a typical school night, a night of reloading my Facebook newsfeed and neglecting my ten-page paper (probably due the next day). Bored of mindlessly scrolling through random statuses (what was the craze back then? FML? Double rainbow? Old Spice dude?), I decided to open up a word doc and create a bucket list. One minute, I was climbing Kilimanjaro, the next minute, I was gazing in awe at the Aurora Borealis.

It was one epic list.

Skydiving was one of the items on the list, something I wanted to do before I die… that is, when I’m 80 years old, having already lived a fulfilling life. But at the age of 20? I wasn’t so sure I was ready. I had my whole life ahead of me. I wanted to fall in love. I wanted to throw a baseball with my future children. I wanted to travel to different star systems and… anyway, I just didn’t want some freak accident to happen (although, I knew there was a better chance of getting into a car crash).

March 5, 2015March 31, 2015

Why We Must Live Outside Our Comfort Zones

We like routine. It’s easy. It’s passive. But when we fall into a routine, we stop noticing our surroundings and start taking things for granted. During my daily commute, I’ll often walk the same route, my mind abstract from my environment. Those streets I walk everyday become a part of the same journey, and the journey becomes an afterthought. It’s familiar and my mind grows lax in its comfort.

in Life Abroad & Travel

January 27, 2015August 26, 2015

A Yank in Dublin: Lost in Translation

To an American, Ireland might not seem as foreign as, say, Italy or France, but if you find yourself in the Emerald Isle, I guarantee you’ll find yourself in some funny situations where things get lost in translation during your time abroad.

As a recent graduate, I came to Ireland on a Working Holiday visa (which let’s US students/recent graduates live and work in Ireland for up to 12 months). After a few months, I’d accumulated more than a handful of facepalm moments. Here are a few stories from my time in Ireland before joining the Stint team…

in Life Abroad & Travel

January 21, 2015August 23, 2016

People Often Ask Me Why Ireland. Here’s The Long Answer…

I’ve been living in Dublin for a little over a year, and there’s one question that I get asked every time I introduce myself to an Irish person.

Why? Why are you here in Dublin? In Ireland?

December 8, 2014July 22, 2015

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

“In the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take.”

A few years ago, I was asked the question “where do you see yourself in five years?” Well, I actually was asked ten years at first but I said that was too far away. I was taking part in “the Rose of Tralee” and my answer was “I will just be finished with University and I want to be lying on a beach in Australia.” Five years later, there I was – lying on a beach in Australia basking in 40-degree heat. I have always stood by plans to the best of my ability and set my sights on my goals and try my hardest to fulfil them.

in Life Abroad & Travel

October 16, 2014January 6, 2015

Why We Love The Irish Pub, At Home And Abroad!

“God invented whiskey so the Irish wouldn’t rule the world.” – Jim Bishop

Let me set the scene. Everyone in Ireland goes to the pub to meet their friends, partners, work colleagues, or just strangers. Some pubs can seem like an interrogation room. The locals want to know who you are, where you came from, who your parents are before you have even ordered a drink. You can forget about being shy in a pub in Ireland as people will talk to you whether you want them to or not. That’s the Irish for you.

September 30, 2014January 6, 2015

Why You Will Never Settle In One Place After Travelling (And Why You’ll Never Feel Completely At Home Again)

“You will never be completely at home again because part of your heart will always be elsewhere.” That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place.

I had spent the last eight years of my life in some form of education and with a PLC in Nursing under my belt, I realised I no longer wanted this as a career choice. After a lot of thought, I decided to do a diploma in Media Moving Image followed by a Degree in Film and Video. Travel was always on the cards and I wanted to see the world, with a degree under my belt I decided to take flight.

September 9, 2014December 16, 2015

Life of a Festival Volunteer: Another Love Story

After the colorful performance of the Guerilla Aerialists, a group of performers reminiscent of old school travelling troupes, the crowd, gathered behind the manor house, dispersed. But in the distance, on the far side of the house, music waxed from the “The Cosmic Caravan,” a remix of Talking Head’s “This Must Be The Place,” drawing the people together, instilling a bout of fever.

Dance fever.

With the sun shining, brightly, but slowly waning, giving way to dusk, the festival-goers, some masked with vibrant facepaint, others in elaborate dress, became entranced by the beat.

And so they danced.

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