My Northerm Irish Adventure

I am starting a new blog **no worries I am keeping this one for personal and spiritual blogging** My new blog is going to just be about the experiences, thoughts and feelings I have before during and after my study abroad experience in Northern Ireland. I wanted to share with my college community the types of experiences a person who studies abroad has. You are welcome to follow me as I take the next journey in my life! (click on the title to this post to visit my new blog)

With all my love...

Many of my dear friends who have been studying at my college are have left or are leaving very shortly. Even though many of them have not been in my life for a very long time, it is hard for to me picture my life without them! Thankfully I will be able to visit most of them with I am in Northern Ireland and can't express my excitement for that! Here is a photo from our final night out on State Street! Thank you so much for making this semester so much fun and a time of many laughs and great growth! I love each of you!

Happy Day, Mom!

Dear Mom,

I am so thankful for you! You help me to live, learn and grow. You are my best friend. Someone that I am 100% myself around. You love in my bad times, you comfort me during the valleys and you cheer for me I am at the top of the mountains. I love you!

Your, Katie B

Niamh & Pj

My dear friend Niamh has been parted from her "special" friend all semester while she was studying abroad at my school. I edited these photos of the two of them as a special little gift! I am so excited

Booking Flights...

I have booked my flight for Northern Ireland. I will be leaving on August 19th and spending the weekend with Niamh. I will then head to Paris to spend a week with Audrey. I have also booked a flight to London for the last weekend of September with Niamh to visit Audrey for her birthday! I will soon be booking a flight to Slovakia. A trip is the in the works to go to Rome with all the Edgewood students who will be studying abroad in Europe in the fall. During my mom’s visit over Christmas we will be going to London, Dublin and touring Germany. There is also a chance to meet up with a friend in Egypt or the United Arab Emirates. As I think about all of these plans and as I think about the adventures ahead of me I can’t help but feel overwhelmed that I am able to get this chance and overwhelmed with the feelings of excitement that I am about to such an amazing experience. I am so excited to be able to continue to develop the friendships that I have made this semester and continue to grow in my knowledge and abilities in interacting with people of different cultures. I am truly blessed.

What Wonderful Friends...

I have some wonderful friends, who mean so much to me! My birthday started was welcomed by a paper which I worked on until three in the morning. It was filled with a long and tiresome day at work. It ended with a "surprise" party from my friends! The "surprise" was not so much of a surprise because they needed to borrow my pan to bake the amazing from scratch cupcakes that Audrey made! I received beautiful flowers (this is only the second time anyone has given me fresh flowers). I was also given the wonderful gift of a coupon to use when I am Paris and it is good for an entrance to a museum of my choice and my ticket to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower! I have been truly blessed with friends who I can laugh with, joke with and even cry with! I truly love you girls!!! Please enjoy my birthday flowers:

Birthday Bash...

Many of my friends, myself included, have birthday's in April...so we did a BIG Birthday Bash! Here are some of the photos I was able to edit!

Goals for Growth in Northern Ireland

I have started to think of some of the goals I would like to accomplish during my study abroad experience in Northern Ireland. Some of them are personal, some of them are academia based and some of them are just for fun! Here is the start of my list...
1. I want to do something that I never thought I would do! Something that isn't dangerous or illegal, but something that I thought I wouldn't ever do. What? you may ask! I won't know until the opportunity presents itself!
2. I want to gain clarity into what I want to do with the rest of my life. I know that I would like to work in the field of international education, yet I have no idea what the next step for me is. I would be nice to gain some insight unto this issue.
3. I want to make every single day an adventure. I want to get out and see the city of Belfast everyday! Either take a walk to a park or find a new coffee shop. I want to have a story to tell!
4. I want to visit at least 5 countries!

This is it right now, but I plan on coming up with a couple more! Super Excited!!!

Fun Edits

A Weekend of Fun with Audrey and Niamh!

This weekend I took two of my exchange student friends to my moms home and had a wonderful weekend! Audrey (France) and Niamh (Northern Ireland) are two friends who I will be spending a good deal of time with next fall. On Saturday we had a night in talking with my mom and grandma. Audrey also went to Wal-Mart for the first time ever on Friday! She was shocked with the size (It was a super Wal-Mart). On Saturday Audrey made a a wonderful breakfast of french toast! It was seriously the best french toast I have EVER had, Food Network worthy. Later that morning my mom, Audrey, Niamh and I headed out to an Amish community in Cashton, WI. We were able to go into the little shops in the front of their homes and try many of the sweet treats like homemade donuts and turtles. We also stopped at a cheese factory where we were able to eat from fresh cheese curds (Audrey and Niamh's first time!). They were the best curds I have ever had, they were super squeaky! They saw the Mississippi River for the first time and saw the largest 6 pack in the whole world. Oh, and they ate at Applebees for the first time as well as I CULVERISED them! Did I mention they saw a lock and damn and went to Minnesota! No wonder why I was so tired this morning...we did a lot of stuff!

Pictures Coming Soon...