The Great Migration

It's been awhile since I've sat down to write about any grand adventures I've been on but I think taking a trip to Ireland is as good of a time as any to start again!

First, I have to say that there is no such thing as "smooth traveling" for me.  I remember the first time I studied abroad the trip to and from Prague was nearly disastrous for two young college girls traveling alone for the first time, but we survived!  Making the journey to Ireland was a much easier trip but the concept of being on time must have been lost on the weather gods.  Neither of my scheduled flights left on time, nor did they arrive at their destinations in a timely manner, but the bright side is that I MADE IT TO IRELAND and along the way I had some pretty good experiences.

My flight schedule looked like this when I woke up yesterday morning, preparing to leave:

Depart from OKC at 2:30
Arrive in Chicago at 4:35

Depart from Chicago at 6:35
Arrive in Dublin at 8:00 AM

It turned into this:

Depart from OKC sometime closeish to 3/3:30
Arrive in Chicago at 5:55

Depart from Chicago at 6:50, but in reality didn't take off until closer to 8
Arrive in Dublin at 9:30ish AM

The delays were caused by Mother Nature herself; there were storms in Oklahoma and Illinois that prevented a handful of flights from being on time. Now, you tell me what the chances are that both airports your flying through get hit with storms that prevent take-offs and landings (if you know the chances and they are high I don't want to hear it because either way it was quit inconvenient)!

With my complaints about the weather aside, it did give me the chance to talk to two lovely ladies.  One woman I met while waiting for my plane in OKC and the other I sat next to from Chicago to Dublin. 

I didn't get the women's name that I met in OKC but she must have known that advice on what to do after college is something I always need.  We started chatting in the most random way too!  She sat 2 seats away from me and commented on  my umbrella and somehow that simple comment led us to talk about grad schools and possible careers in social work and therapy.  She shared her story with me about how working for Child Protective Services was her second career and how she loved what she was doing.  She offered advice as to what volunteer opportunities to look into and most importantly she reaffirmed my faith in trusting my gut and going for what I want no matter what other people think about it.  Our conversation only lasted about 30 minutes but so incredibly helpful.  I can't say how much I appreciate the fact that she made that comment about my umbrella, not knowing that the conversation that would ensue would be really helpful to a girl that has been questioning every move she makes lately.


The second woman I met was Mitzie. Mitzie was a chatter box, pretty much from the moment I told her I was seat 11A.  We met on the plane ride from Chicago to Dublin, aka the big scary plane ride.  Mitzie was in her mid 50s, a school teacher from Tennessee, and on her way to Dublin to begin a tour of Ireland she had planned.  Mitzie is the type of person that has never met a stranger in her life and wasn't about to start yesterday/today.  She talked to me about all kinds of things: a girl she had met earlier in the day, the guy she was supposed to meet up with on her trip, her 30 year old daughter, and what I found most interesting the - the value of being open and willing to meet new people and the impact it can have on your life and those people you meet.  Mitzie had a bunch of stories about people she had met around the U.S. due to all kinds of conditions and most of the people she told me about she was still in contact with, like one woman that she had met when she was 12 while camping and had been pen pals with ever since. Now, normally I don't take to a complete stranger the way I did with Mitzie but when a stranger holds your hand during turbulence for as long as you want (I was that person that took full advantage and held on tight for longer than I probably needed too, just in case).  I feel like I learned something from Mitzie - compassion and just how connected we all really are.  To not know me and talk to me like she did to comfort me when I was scared was awesome and so appreciated! I also realized that creating relationships, even if they are temporary, with people is really important.  Just being nice and talkative with someone can change their day.  I wish people were more like Mitzie, I took a lot away from our talk on the plane and if we were all willing to be a little like her we could learn so much from each other.

Needless to say, even with all of the bad weather, delays, and turbulence the long trip to Ireland was not only worth it but it was enlightening, even. So here is to 28 more beautiful days in Ireland!