I'm Going on an Adventure

At the beginning of this blog, I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the incredible opportunity I have been given to spend three weeks in Ireland. I have always wanted to travel the world, especially Europe, and having this opportunity means more to me than words can express. So I would like to thank everyone who made that possible: Erskine College, Dr. Elsner, my parents, and the many friends and family who have helped me save up for this trip. It wouldn't be possible without you! But it also wouldn't be possible without one special man in particular: my grandfather, Glenn Sturdivant. Even when I was still in a car seat, my grandfather encouraged me to travel the world. We would go on miniature adventures around the Chattanooga area and beyond, but those simple day trips instilled in me a traveling bug I've never been able to shake. I wish my grandfather and I could travel the world together, but I know that he is looking down on me with love.

Now, to talk about the title of this blog. I debated for an embarrassingly long time on what to call this blog. Having never blogged before and having no experience with international travel, I feel rather inadequate to embark on this venture. And then it came to me! Who better to draw my inspiration from than one of the most famous travelers of all? Bilbo Baggins. A reluctant traveler who likes to drink tea, eat cake, and confine his adventures to literature, Bilbo and I share many things in common--namely we like to drink tea, eat cake, and confine our adventures to literature. I may talk bravely about being an international traveler and facing the unknown, but really I'm a lot more like Bilbo was at the beginning of The Hobbit. And just in case you were wondering, "There and Back Again" is the subtitle to Tolkien's beautiful work.

But there are other reasons for naming this blog "There and Back Again." While we are in Ireland, we will be basically making a big circle of the country. We start out in Dublin (we arrive at 8:30 tomorrow morning), and we end our journey in Dublin. In between we will be visiting places like Cobh, Cork, Limerick, Armaugh, Gallway, the Aran Islands, Belfast, and probably more places, but I don't have the itinerary in front of me. And you might be wondering why I'm spending all this time boring you with logistical details about the trip and lengthy explanations of literary sources. Well, the real reason is about the only thing that I could describe to you now is the Philadelphia airport, which is significantly underwhelming in architectural beauty. I could also comment on the MSG saturated Chinese food we got from the mall food court-esque restaurant across from our gate, but you'd probably lose your appetite.

Still, I think these are all good things to mention. So much of what we think about when we think about adventures involves all of the exciting parts, and we tend to leave out the less-glamorous parts like waiting for an hour and a half at an airport gate while the woman behind you Facetimes her boyfriend to check on "Mr. Fluffy" whom she abandoned to go on this European adventure. (Presumably she is not concerned about the boyfriend, but I could be mistaken.) Regardless, I am about to board my first international flight on a 747--the largest plane I've ever been on, and I'm still in denial that I'm actually going to Ireland. It doesn't quite seem possible. But here I am on my first adventure, and I don't know that i have the vocabulary to express how happy I am about it.

Next time I post, I'll be in a different country!