Why Am I Here?

At some point in life I am sure most of us have asked the question, "Who Am I?"Most likely it wasn't as dramatic as the scene from Zoolander, but none the less the question was still pondered. I do not believe this is the best self-reflective question we can ask ourselves because we are always growing and developing as individuals. I know for a fact that I am not the same woman today as the girl I was ten years ago. In 5th grade, I had no idea the adventures and hardships that I was to endure. So I pose a better question to ponder, "Why Am I Here?"

Why is it that you are in this place in life at this exact moment? Who are you there to help? Who is there to help you? What are you supposed to learn from this situation or time in your life?

Many people just go through life and take fore granted the fact that each day is a gift. Every day is a blessing and a lesson should be taken from it. Life would be so much more satisfying if people reflected upon the lessons they learned during the day.

One of the lessons I learned today was the value of a true friend. When times are hard and you feel like giving in friends are the ones who help encourage you to keep going. They are the ones who are right beside you putting in long hours at the library. They are the ones who listen to you vent or give you a hug when you need it most. Friends are truly something to be treasured in life.

Friday I went for a run around an area in Belfast that I hadn't been to yet. It got me thinking about the new experiences I was having. Ireland is another chapter in my book of life. So why Am I Here? Why am I in Ireland for the spring of 2010? What am I supposed to be learning about myself and about life here that I couldn't anywhere else?
All of these are questions that I pondered as I ran the streets of Belfast. I know that I have learned many things by studying in Belfast, but I also know that many more lessons are yet to be learned. I know that I will forever leave a mark in the people lives that I have met, just as they will mine. I know by personal experience that the world does not revolve around small town Iowa like some people back home like to believe. I know that good people exist everywhere, but so do bad people. I know that English comes in many different styles and dialects that can be so different from my own that I hardly recognize them as English. This just shows how different even the most similar of things can be, and makes tolerance for differences even more imperative.

Many reasons why I am in Ireland have not yet been revealed to me. Some of the experiences may not have significance until I have completed more chapters in my life. But I do know that this chapter will be full of adventure and growth. And that this is one chapter in my life that I am trying to slow down because I do not want it to end..

Do Not Worry About Tomorrow For Tomorrow Will Worry About Itself -Matthew 6

I have been contemplating what my next blog post would be about. A lot of different ideas came to mind and I have been meaning to write a post for about a week or so, but tonight I decided to just write. So this post doesn't really have a direction or a purpose. I am just going to write about all the thoughts and topics I have contemplated over the last few days.

1. The fist topic I am going to write about is communication. This topic in itself has many different avenues that I could write about and I will touch on a few of them. Being one of the few native English speakers in my friend group here has opened my eyes to the complexities of language. I have felt many times that these people who are sitting in front of me and conversing in a language that is not the one they have been learning since birth are much more intellectually advanced. I have shared my view with them that I am amazed by their ability to speak another language so well and that I am sorry I cannot repay their courtesy. While I feel ashamed to be a member of an English society that is so far behind on accommodating other cultures and emphasizing the importance of learning other languages, they view learning English as a necessity for communication with the vast majority of the world. It was eye-opening to see that they did not feel they were "catering" to us by learning our language but only improving their ability to communicate on a larger scale.

On the topic of communication, I saw a familiar phrase the other day on facebook and it succeeded in making me cringe, again. If you have ever heard anyone proudly say, "If they want to come to America, then they better be able to speak our language" or any derivation of this phrase, then please direct them to the nearest airport and send them to a non-English speaking country for awhile. The shear ignorance of that phrase appalls me. If you have ever tried to learn another language you know how hard it is. Do these people think that learning another language comes easily? Do they think the immigrants or visitors like not knowing what is being said around them or not being able to communicate with others? When I was in Germany two summers ago I hated not being able to converse with everyone else when they were speaking German. And now two years later, I still hate not understanding what people are saying when they speak in their native tongue. So for all those people who are self-centered enough to believe that these people don't want to learn the language, you should probably try to learn a language yourself and see how easy that is.

Another communication subtopic is communication with me! Some people have been asking for my mailing address and so I figured I should get that out to everyone cause I do love packages.. :) If you are sending a package mail it to this address:

Amanda Finneseth
Elms Village
Grant House Room 202
78 Malone Road
Belfast
BT9 5BW
Northern Ireland

(If you send me a package let me know when you send it out so that I can make sure to go check for it in like 2 weeks. That is roughly how long it takes the package to get here and if I don't pick it up in 3 weeks they send it back. So let me know! Cause I don't normally check that mail collection area.)

Letters ect.. are delivered to my house since they don't have to be signed for and that address is:
Amanda Finneseth
Grant House Room 202
64 Malone Road
Belfast
BT9 5BT
Northern Ireland

I love getting mail whether it is in the post or via email. There is nothing better than waking up in the morning and having a few emails from the ones I love back home. It is a morning ritual to check my email before I go to class and always starts my day with a smile when I see a familiar name in the inbox. So for everyone who has been so great at emailing me: Mom, Grandma, Aunt Maria & Bob, Abby, Kassie.. and a few others have been semigood at it.. THANKS! And for all your slackers, I would love to hear from you.. haha :)

2. The second topic which is weighing heavily on my mind right now is my career path. It is hard to know exactly what I want to do with my life and uncertainty is something that I do not do well with. I know you are probably thinking Amanda it's okay you have plenty of time, but I am a planner and like to do things to the best of my ability the first time around. So that is why the title of this post is the verse from Matthew 6. I am trying to focus on the fact that I know life has a way of working itself out and even though my plan might not be what I end up doing, I will be doing the plan that I am supposed to be doing.

Currently, I have a lot of decisions with my career and life path that I must make before this semester is over and they are weighing on my mind. I wish I could find the perfect path for me, but maybe that isn't possible. Maybe the perfect path is created by stumbling down paths where you were once uncertain or coming to dead ends when you thought the path was clearly paved. Wherever my path leads I cannot see yet. I feel like I am at that moment in time where I am preparing for my big journey. I have packed my essentials: the books of knowledge and guidance, the nourishment of education, and the encouragement of family and friends. But now I am just wandering until I find that path which calls my name. The one that I recognize as my path, the one that was made for me to tread. This path will not be straight, but windy. This path will not be paved but rugged. There will be times when I will not know what is around the bend but it is at those times when I must remember to "not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself." ~Matthew 6

What I L.O.V.E.

The last few weeks I have become increasingly aware of my love for certain things. Living a whole sea away from everything that I know has heightened my awareness of the things I truly love. As I laid in bed on Valentines Eve, I couldn't help but think about all the things I love. So I thought today would be a perfect day to share some of the things I love. Some are truly insightful and others are little things that make me smile. But at the end of the day, I would say I love them all.

1. First and foremost is my family. I just got off a skype call with my parents and probably ten minutes of the hour was me professing my profound love for them. I know I am the person I am today because of the loving family I grew up in. I am one of the rare children in our society that has my two biological parents as the head of my household. I was one of the rare children that had household chores and curfews growing up. Sometimes I resented them for the restrictions I felt they were putting on my freedom, but as I have matured over the years I am grateful for the chores and curfews. I know that even though I was one of the few kids who had chores everyday and couldn't go out every weekend because I had farm responsibilities, I also know I am one of the few who has utmost respect for others, knows what true responsibility means, and has learned by example what it means to put others first. I would never trade all the things I have learned from my family for anything. I know things can be replaced, but my family could NEVER be replaced. They are safely secured at the core of my heart and if anything happened to anyone of them I would be devastated.

2. Secondly of course, is my friends. Being many miles away and in a time zone 6 hours different than all my friends has already been an interesting experience. I have learned who wants to make the effort to still be an integral part of my life even if only through stories and who might think about me once a week. I have learned how much I want to be physically present with some of my friends when they skype or email me with upsetting or glorious news. But by not being able to be there physically, I have also learned how to help others celebrate or cope via the technology our generation is blessed to have. One thing I greatly miss is the ability to send a text or call someone when I think of them. Many times throughout the day I wish I could tell one of my friends about an experience I am having or something I just saw on the street. But I am still very fortunate to have other avenues of talking to my friends. So for all of you who haven't gotten skype yet to talk to me, I know who you are and want you to get it ASAP so I can tell you when I have a daily reminder of you! So get it and leave it on whenever you are there!

3. Certain American Foods. Probably the thing I am most excited about is coming home during sweet corn season. I can not wait to eat through my fair share of cobs this summer. I also miss premixed boxes. For those of you who have not been in a grocery store in a foreign country, you will be amazed by how few pre-made things there are. To give you a good visual, I want you to walk down the brownie aisle the next time you are in the store and count how many different brands and varieties of brownies there are. Now imagine one box, I almost didn't see it when I went in search of a brownie mix to satisfy my craving. There was one variety of Betty Crocker brownies wedged between the one cake mix and four muffin mixes. And to add to the visual imagine them all being 3 times as much as they are now. My brownie mix cost 2 pounds which is as much as the shrimp or chicken in the store! That is outrageous for a brownie mix.. but I still got it. haha I also couldn't finish this paragraph without adding a sentence or two about my favorite food in the world. My skippy double chunky reduced fat peanut butter. Now that is something I will miss in Ireland.. after the two cans I brought with me are gone.. haha But that might be soon since I am already almost through one.. So, if anyone is thinking of sending me a care package make sure to include my favorite peanut butter!

4. The rush of love I feel when I breathe in deeply and look around Coe's campus. I absolutely love Coe and miss walking out into the quad and seeing the gorgeous brick buildings that I have made so many memories in. I have always loved walking around Coe's campus and will definitely love to set foot on it again.

5. The love and sense of comfort I feel when I see all the stars shining brightly on my farm at night. I have always loved getting home and walking inside while starring at the stars. There is a feeling of belonging you get when you see so many bright beacons of hope shining back at you.

So these are 5 of the things that I love on this Valentines Day and I encourage you all to do some soul searching and come up with a list of 5 of your own. And I feel Shakespeare sums my post up quite well when he said, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder." I love you all and wish you a fantastic Valentines Day.

My First Few Steps!

I feel like I took the first steps towards becoming a Belfastinian today. And for all of you wondering, yes.. I did coin that term. It reminds me a little of the sense of belonging I feel when I say I am a true Cedar Rapidian. I have lived there almost 3 years now and it took me far too long to go out and explore the city. It wasn't until I lived there this summer that I could say with conviction that I could get you almost anywhere in the city. So for all of you in a new place of residence, I advise you to go for a walk with only a slight idea of where you want to go. You will not only learn more about the city, but you'll also learn more about yourself in the process.

Today, I did just that. I spent it taking "walks" to wherever I had to go. The wandering started when I found myself sitting in the wrong classroom. Regardless of the confusingly numbered rooms, I was sitting in the right room as far as my syllabus was concerned but it wasn't the right course being taught. So I went to the classroom it had been taught in yesterday, but that wasn't the right class either so I had no clue where it would be and decided to walk around. In that walk I found many things. I found myself in a greenhouse in the middle of the Botanic Gardens. I found my first playground, which is one of my favorite past times as all my Coe friends know. Kory, parks always remind me of that day we went to the elementary school by Coe and tried to name off all the states on that huge map. hahaha I also found many things named Boyle, which reminded me of Billy! Billy you would LOVE it here, and I'm sure you'll visit Ireland someday. They might think you are a native since you're last name is so common. ;)

Besides my walking I also did a bit of running today. I got my membership for the local gym. It will definitely be a good investment, helping me work off the Guinness and huge floor dinners. In the last week, my floor in Grant house has made two communal dinners. The dinners have been one of my favorite interactions since I've been here. There is about 15-20 of us that get together and all make a dish for the floor to share. It is really nice to sit down with such a big group and enjoy dishes that are new to me. I have always been good at baking, but one of my goals for this semester is to become a better cook and I am already taking my first steps in that direction.

Another one of my goals this semester is to become more worldly educated. I get so caught up in my studies at school that I don't make time for what is going on in the rest of the world. Living in such a culturally diverse community, I have to be up on the latest happenings all over the world so I can be in on the conversation. I have already found myself googling topics so that I can become more educated about them. I hope to come back to Iowa with a greater understanding of other cultures and with a greater knowledge as to what is currently happening around the world.

The first few days..

So much has happened in my first few days in Belfast that I don't even know where to begin.. Maybe I will write about certain areas of my new "home" so that everyone back in the states can get a little taste of what my life has been like the last few days.

First, I will start with the people I have met. I feel like I can be completely open with the friends that I have made here. We are all experiencing something new and are all self-conscious about something, so no one is judgmental. It is such a nice feeling knowing that no matter what you say and no matter what you wear, you will be accepted. There is no barbie doll norm here, everyone gets to be who they want to be. And I feel that in our society, even in our circle of friends that sometimes that is a rare novelty. Of course there are stereotypes, and I am supposedly fulfilling all the American ones my international friends have. However, they reassure me that is a good thing, otherwise they wouldn't be spending so much time with me.

Second, the weather. Contrary to my hopes is not much warmer than it is back in Iowa. I just looked up the weather and it is 15 degrees warmer in Belfast than it is in Iowa. Even though I am sure you are all thinking I still have it much better than you. I challenge you to walk an hour in this weather and then tell me how "warm" it feels in comparison. The walk to classes takes anywhere between 10-20 minutes so it is no 2 minute walk like Coe. Also, Iowa is known for its rapid change in weather however I experienced all 4 seasons in one day in Ireland. It snowed, misted, rained hailed, and was sunny all within about 4 hours! And did I mention this was all under a crystal clear blue sky?

Third, the differences I am experiencing as an international student. I thought I would be able to get along easy in another country which speaks English. That was a naive misconception. Even though I know it is an easier transition for me than some, it is not easy. Many things have little differences that make them confusing. Take registering for classes as an example. The website was so confusing that a guy literally had to walk me through it and basically did the whole thing for me. It could have been in Arabic as far as I was concerned. And even though the Irish accent is quite nice to listen to, it is also quite hard to understand at times. A few times non-native English speakers will turn to me and ask what the Irish person said, and even though we speak the same language I have no clue what they said either.

Well, that is all for now. I hope you continue to read my blog and don't forget to keep in touch.

All my love,
Amanda

Preparing for Ireland

Currently, I am sitting in my basement watching the Iowa Hawkeyes play in the Orange bowl. As I listened to the announcers compare the temperature difference between Florida and Iowa, I felt it would be a good time to compare the differences between Ireland and Iowa that I will experience. I thought this comparison would be interesting to look back on in June to see what other differences I have noticed.

1. I will be living in the United Kingdom instead of the United States.
2. My friends will no longer be called my friends but my mates.
3. In spirit of the game, the weather will be 20 degrees warmer than I am currently experiencing.
4. I will be paying for things in pounds instead of dollars.
5. I will be living with students from Germany and France instead of Iowa and Illinois.
6. The bars that I patronize on the weekend will not be called bars but pubs.
7. The fields that surround my house will be replaced by green rolling hillside.
8. Snow which never fails to fall in February will be in the form of rain.

Some of these differences are minimal while others over a 5 month period will affect my life greatly. I am looking forward to the adventures which will expand my knowledge of other cultures and the many life lessons that I will learn.