Dublin

2:50 done with my thermodynamics class and ready to hustle across campus back to my dorm grab my backpack and head to the bus stop.

The bus stop was packed!  There had to be 60 people waiting to get on the Dublin bus.  Andrea and I pushed our way forward when the bus pulled up only to find they had only SEVEN seats left.  Some how Andrea and I managed to make our way on!

I sat next to an Irish student who talked my ear off the first 45 mins.  I told him about my mission trip to Africa and how I LOVE this crazy guy called Jesus.  After that our conversation slowed and he eventually tried to sleep.  Here in Ireland being a Christian is not the norm as it is in the states.  If a person is religious than they are catholic and they maybe sometimes go to mass or something.  It's definitely weird sticking out more for my faith.  But I love it.  I love being able to be different!  I want to show these people I have something they want.  I have a best friend who's always there, I have peace and joy in good times and bad.  I have been praying for my roommates, many of whom are not saved and I know with full certainty that God put us together for a reason.

Ok, back to dublin.  The bus ride was gorgeous.  The landscape was spectacular.  Every shade of green you could imagine.  The fields were like filled with cows and sheep.  Even the tree trunks were wrapped in a green ivy.

We arrived in Dublin about 6:30, starving.  We found our hostel which was pretty nice.  I didn't really know what to expect as this was my first hostel experience.  Andrea and I were in two different rooms.  I wasn't very worried about it though; all you do is sleep in them.

We headed out to get food right away.  We found a really cute pub to eat at.  We were both feeling very American I guess, because I ordered a pizza and she got a hamburger.

It was Andrea and her boyfriend's two year anniversary, and I go to eat a candle light dinner with her.  Aren't I special?

After we ate we headed back to the hostel to make our plan of attack on the city of Dublin. We woke up early the next day to eat breakfast at the hostel.  It was in an old chapel and made me feel like I was at an old boarding school or something. 

First stop for the day was hitting Starbucks so we could get all coffeed up and Andrea could get her mug.  Inside Starbuck it was almost like we were back in the US. 

After that we were on our way!  We hit the tran to go to our first stop, Kilmainham jail. And no, I did not look like a tourist.  haha

Kilmainham jail was filled with all sort of history.  I loved it!  

It had great little chapel, the altar had been made by one of the inmates.  

The rooms were designed for one person.  However the jail was usually over full.  During the potato famine there would be anywhere from 5 to 8 people in one cell.  

After the jail we walked to the Guinness Storehouse to go on a tour.  To be honest, it was actually probably my least favorite thing we did.  The best part was the view from the top.

 We ate lunch at the cutest cafe!

My meal was great!

We got tea. 

And the best part the TARTS!

We walked around and saw much more of dublin before heading back to the hostel to get ready for dinner.  At the hostel we meet Haley.  She had been traveling around Spain for the past 9 weeks and her friends had just flown out.  We were happy to get dinner and spend the rest of the night with her

 We got dinner at a pub.  I went with the traditional option.

After dinner we went to see St. Patricks Cathedral.  It was amazing.

We had a great day Saturday, and by the end we were exhausted.  The next day we saw some of the Dublin Castle.

And of course we went back to our favorite cafe before heading to the bus!

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” – Jawaharial Nehru

Some Things I've Been Learning

I usually don't allow myself to get stress out about things, big or small, I usually can hold it together and trust in the Lord.  This week was different.  Thursday I went to my 2D CAD class to be told by a very nice professor that I shouldn't take this class... Start the problems.  Things just seemed to go down hill from there.  I won't get into it, because I don't even want to think about it again.  Basically, I'm trying to take five engineering classes while I study abroad.  This is one more class than most SA students take and much harder classes.  However, to graduate in two more years this is what I must do.  So I prayed God would show me what classes to take.  That He would speed up my advisor at home figuring out if the classes transfer or not.  It didn't seem to make any difference.

I fretted all day Thursday.  Thought if I can't take the right amount of credits than I won't be able to graduate in two years and if I can't graduate in two years all God's plans for me won't ever happen.  A little extreme I know.  Friday morning started out as a Thursday repet.  Not sure what to do I finally turned my eyes heaven ward and fully gave it all to God.  I had literally exhausted every posible option.  I was tired.  I had way over worked my self and because of this was emotionally spent.

With in minutes of handing it all over, my day changed.  I got a email from my parents saying they could Skype.  My mom has to be one of the most up beat people I know and my dad is so good about taking the pressure off.  After talking with them for a half an hour I felt much better.  My world would not end!  I decided I would be fine taking three engineering credits and one non engineering class.  In fact, I started to think of the easy semester I would have and kinda liked the idea.  I decided if this this is what God want I can be ok with it, I can find joy in it.

Three engineering credits and one other class is not what God want. By Friday night I had heard back from all my professors and advisors and had the five engineering classes!  Sometimes I wonder why God can't show me His whole plan now.  So I could know exactly what to do, what was coming.  But then I think of Psalms 119:105.  Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.  Have you ever walk with a lamp as your light source?  Not a flashlight.  A good old, oil burning lamp.  Well they don't put off much light.  Just enough for our next step because if we could see everything we wouldn't need faith.

I would not say that Thursday and Friday were fun but I am thankful for them.  I am thankful that God again showed me where to put my trust, who my future belongs to.

Lately, I have been asking God to use me to show his light.  Before Thursday, I was confused.  I wondered why I felt as thou God wasn't giving me opportunities to show His light.  On Friday it hit me like the holy hand of God.  I can just see Jesus with a slight smile on face, maybe a little chuckle saying, "Silly Maria, stars can't shine with out darkness."  Until then, I had been asking God to let me shine but had only wanted good things, not the darkness.  What good is candle in a room of light?

Please don't read this blog and think I'm hating Ireland.  It's the contrary; I'm loving it!  I went to Dublin this weekend and am working on a blog about it.  I have lots and lots of wonderful pictures to share!

First 48 Hours in Ireland

I am still definitely adjusting but over all Ireland has been great so far.  I still feel like I'm on vacation or something.  Here is a little summery of the past two days.
I arrived yesterday at 7am.

I wasn't sure exactly how I was getting back since I was delayed a day.  But sure enough it worked out fine!  God is so so good.  There was a cute old man with a sign saying welcome Maria Rygh.  He drove me to the school in his taxi, talking the whole time so fast I couldn't really understand a ton of it.  I finally got to my room at 8:15.

I meet two of my roommates who are study abroad.  So at 9 we headed off to orientation together.  I meet up with Andrea there and it was such a relief to do so.  God's plan are so much bigger than mine and for that I am grateful. (Andrea and I knew each other as kids.  We haven't been in contact for forever.  A week before arrival I saw on facebook that she was going to be at UL, University of Limerick, too.  How Awesome is God?  She loves the Lord and is a blessing to be with!  So thankful.)

I then sat through a meeting till two when they finally let us take a tour and eat.  The session ended at six with dinner.  I was starting to get over being so exhausted I couldn't think.  (I only slept 3 hours on the flight.)  Andrea and I decided to go to Aldis and get some food.  She said it was a 15 min walk.  Well, we got lost.  So it took us almost an hour to get there....I bought yogurt, cereal and milk.  Then we walked back the right way; 15 minutes later we got back to campus.  After that I headed back to bed and slept great!  Until my roommates got back at one...I finally got up and asked them to please go into the other room.  Ugh

I hit my snooze like a million times this morning before dragging myself up to go on the bus tour with Andrea.  The tour was great.  It was on a two story bus and we decided to sit on the top in the open air.  Bad Idea.

It started drizzling like three minutes in to the hour tour.  We made the best out of it though and still had a good time.  We saw old cathedrals and historical sites.

We went shopping this afternoon got a few more things we had forgotten.  After that we went to a pub.  It was totally legit and we were the only non Irish ones in there.  Awesome!  Andrea and I both got the shepard's pie.  Also did you know chips are fries in Ireland cause I didn't?

Tonight we went out and meet some of the other study abroad students at a campus pub called Stables.  Andrea and I were so tired that we came back and watch a movie.  Kinda lame but I'm way behind on sleep still.  The last thing I did tonight was clean the totally nasty kitchen..........GROSS SO GROSS

Believe it or not I'm very ready for classes to start and to get in a better routine.  I'm still not sure what classes I will be taking.  I know three of them - statics, statistics and thermodynamics - but I can't decide if I should take two more or not.  With the three classes it would be a pretty easy semester but I want to graduate asap.  Please free to leave me a post below to let me know what you think!

God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart 

from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing. 

C.S. Lewis 

My Change of Plans

I had just finished writing this blog about how pumped I was to be leaving, how I knew God had blessed this trip when I looked up and saw that my flight was delayed.  I only had an hour lay over in Newark and now I had no lay over.  I was now getting in at 7:30 and flying out at 7:30.  After talking to the United assistant at the counter and figuring out that every other flight to anywhere that could get me to Shannon was full I decided I was going to try and still make the 7:30 flight.  I was hoping to make up some of the time in the air.

I was staying pretty positive, saying my prayers until they again delayed the flight another half an hour.  Now there was no way I could make my connecting flight.  I talked with the lady at the counter some more and decided the best option was to go home tonight and take the same flight out to Shannon tomorrow.  I guess that's the catch when I pray that whatever will give Him the glory will happen.  Sometimes it's not what I have in mind.

To add insult to injury.  They then couldn't locate one of my bags...  So after another half an hour of talking to a man about my luggage I finally was leaving MSP.  Ironically enough, my brother Jeremiah was getting in from a 3 week visit to Europe so I was able to ride home with Him.

Finding the blessings in the not-exactly-what-I-was-going-for situation.  It was great to talk to my brother Jeremiah. He had lots of good advise, info on the best travel sites and where to stay in the city.  I got to hear a little about his trip at Chipotli and we talked about him coming to visit me!

So despite the fact that I now don't have a ride to school.  (The school only picks us up today and tomorrow.)  I will miss the first part of orientation and that I have one less day to get on the new schedule before classes start.  I'm choosing to have Joy.  I'm choosing to give Him the Glory.  Even when I'm not sure what is going on.

"Faith is trusting in God's plans, not 

trusting He will give us ours."