French keyboqrds qre the zorst

This will be a short post because this is difficult. Next time you are in Paris, I hope you have better luck with a keyboard than I do. On that note: I am in Paris! I would have used a contraction, but I have no idea where the apostrophe is on this thing. Ok I give up, but I will add pictures later and tell you all kinds of hilarious stories. Au revoir!

A Fairytale

Being on a study abroad with other English Language nerds, we tend to find things fun that maybe other people wouldn't. We like to make up stories a lot. So yesterday, my dear friend Rachel and I were playing this game where you write three lines of a story, then you fold over the first two and the next person writes the next three lines based on the last line of that last person's. Hope that made sense, because I want to share the story we wrote. Yes, it was that exciting to me that I want to share it. Rachel's lines are normal and mine are italicized.

Once upon a time there was a beautiful maiden named Erica who only liked raisins if they were chocolate covered. It was unfortunate, therefore, that she only
had seven months to live. She had wanted so much out of life and now it was falling apart. Luckily, she thought of a plan to solve this
which was: find Harry Potter! Off she went, after class with Sister Hallen of course, and on her way she took Liz and a broomstick - which was absolutely necessary
because how else are you supposed to get to Hogwarts? They flew threw the night and tried to catch sight of the train. This adventure made her feel like
a cupcake. After all, cupcakes are yummy, pretty, and pink. She was also yummy, pretty, and pink. (Editor's note: I am writing this as is, and Rachel chose to use the Oxford comma. le sigh) How do we know she is yummy? Because an ogre ate her with frosting
Or tried to anyway. But Harry Potter was there to save the day. She asked Harry if he could cure her disease. He happily agreed and they went to find
the fountain of youth. Everyone wants to live forever, after all. But it turns out that to live forever you have to give up all of your chocolate raisins and Erica was not willing
to share because raisins were her death wish. In the end, Harry Potter was an idiot and couldn't help her, so she died of cancer. The End

Happy Independence, America!

I wish I was there to celebrate you.

But don't worry, I'm over here sticking it to the Motherland.

Overstimulation.

Let me just start by saying that I am loving absolutely every second of this Study Abroad. I love the people, I love the places, I love everything. This is the reason why the phrase "It's the best!" has become so readily used at every turn. People keep scoffing at me and being skeptical: "Oh really Erica? This church is the best? I thought you said the last church was the best. They can't both be the best."
Yes they can. Don't be rude
Here are some things that I have said are the best over the past week:
1. Dublin
2. London
3. The rain in Wales
4. My mom
5. My dad
6. Wesley Holley
7. My shoes
8. Ryan Miller
9. Dr. Pepper
10. The Beatles
11. Any movie the Beatles are in.
12. My family
13. Every other thing ever.

This list goes on for days. Obviously. Because I've been making it for days.

On another note, I have been getting mad exhausted lately. Too too too much is going on and I was starting to get the grumpies. I like that word. Grumpies. I don't like that attitude though. Because then I was not having as good of a time as I should have been having, and that's just pointless, isn't it? So I stopped. Here's how:

Well, first of all. I told myself to stop. And when that didn't work...
I had lunch with Katelyn. That sounds so simple and yet it was the nice breather that I need to recharge my batteries and be ready and willing to do anything and everything that I was asked. It's like how I kept not being able to charge my camera battery, so I had to take less and less pictures every day so it wouldn't run out. Then even when I wanted to charge it, I only had one adapter, so I would have to rotate between my camera and computer. So it never quite got back to its full self and I would be running it around everywhere again. I am a camera battery.

But anyway, this lunch. Think of this. I'm sitting in Cambridge (not the campus but nearby) at an adorable outdoor Italian cafe. Oh man. I'm sitting there eating some heavenly lasagna for a pretty awesome price, and the owner of the restaurant is out there chatting with customers and making everyone feel welcome. There is a street performer in the square filling the gaps between the hustle and bustle of shoppers going by. This is the perfect atmosphere. We order our dessert. Katelyn goes for the Coconut Sorbet (yes, please!) and I get a cake that uses the word "chocolate" at least 6 times in its description. mmmmmmm

There is no rush. They aren't hurrying us through our meal so they can seat a more expensive lunch like they might in the US. They give us time to breathe and relax and just envelop ourselves in this moment. The owner talks to us for a bit and he was so charming. I asked him how many languages he speaks and he wonders if I am from immigration. Funny guy. He speaks French, Italian, English, Spanish and Arabic. He can also speak in an Italian accent. I was fascinated.

It was perfection. I am recharged.

Also, this happened today:



Pretty much a dream come true. Of course it's the summer, so nobody was there. But still, the campus was lovely. Hagrid says hi.

Killarney! Dingle! Muffins and Squash!

I wish more than anything that my internet was the best thing ever and I could upload some sweet cool pics from IRELAND. I'll do my best. On another note, but really the same note, I'M IN IRELAND. Did you know? Probably you did, but seriously. It's awesome. There is nothing wrong with life at this moment. We have gone to so many places and done so many things, and I feel like I should be more specific, but I probably won't be. Not right now at least.
Maybe some highlights? K
1. Buying a concentrated juice mix instead of an actual fruit drink and proceeding to try and drink in, most likely with a bunch of Irish people thinking I'm crazy sauce.
2. Singing in the bus and realizing that I still know all the words to pretty much every Backstreet Boys and N'Sync song, and other songs from this decade.
3. Rain and cold and wet and rain and cold and rain and wet. Then the one day I'm smart enough to wear long sleeves, warm and sunny and hot and beautiful!
4. Castles.
5. Katelyn Gentry, Liz Ballif, Mariah Krauel, Janelle Barrett, Katie Hutchings, etc.

I. Love. Ireland.

Maybe here's some this:
haha! Tricked ya! Photos still not working. Death.

pet peeves

i know that sometimes when you are just writing a quick text it can be super easy and understandable to skip out on the punctuation and capital letters but dont you feel that if a person is trying to sound intelligent and witty they should probably conform to proper punctuation rules? i mean its really difficult to read a sentence that has no pauses or periods or any kind of guiding force to help us through it

I just read Eats, Shoots, and Leaves. It's turning me into a jerk/punctuation elitist.

Also, video:
Watch. Embrace. Love.

London Calling

What a cliche song to use. Shame on me. But on the other hand...

Can we just talk about the fact that I'm going to Europe in THIRTEEN days?
What?!

This is insanity. I'm jumping out of my skin.

Oh, hey, more cliches. How ya doin?

Anyone wanna help me pack?