Who doesn’t love donuts and shopping?

I went with some friends to the Foyleside Mall because who doesn’t love a little retail therapy more like window shopping. The best thing about the mall is that there is a Starbucks there. It’s been hard to find a nice iced caramel macchiato in town and Starbucks is old faithful.

March 15, 2019

Guess who got their nose pierced?

I just want to make it clear that this was not an entirely impulsive decision. Alaina was coming to L’Derry so we could travel to Donegal together for St. Patrick’s Day. We researched and found a perfectly non-sketchy and sterile tattoo and piercing shop, Holdfast Tattoo and Piercing. No appointment needed, just walk-in. I meet Alaina at the train station and we walked and got our noses pierced right off the bat. It hurt and I almost chickened out multiple times, but I did it!

For lunch, I got the pleasure of introducing Alaina to Patricia’s Coffee Shop which will be even better to go to when it gets warmer because it’s located on the riverfront. Basically we ended up walking along the riverfront, eating pastries for dinner, and clutching our throbbing noses.

I finally got to check out the Omniplex Movie Theater in town. We saw What Men Want (super funny and I would recommend) and the seating there is AMAZING. Enough leg room for people to pass without them being in your lap, seating that is cushioned, and the seats RECLINED. I know I’m being dramatic but I’ve have never experienced such luxurious in a movie theater. Now, the popcorn we need to work on. Apparently, it is not a thing here to put butter on popcorn. Even the at the movie theater the option is only salty, not salty and buttery. However, there is the option of getting SWEET popcorn. It’s not caramel corn but it’s like they put sugar instead of salt over the popcorn-a whole new cultural experience.

March 16, 2019

Most of our day was spent traveling by bus from L’Derry to Donegal. Honesly, it was a very nice ride and the views were amazing. I am always amazed by how most of Ireland seems to be agricultural. I was also able to experience the border situation between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland which is to say I was able to experience why a hard border would be an issue.

Currently, traveling from Northern Ireland to the Republic is like crossing state lines in the United States. It happened so quickly I didn’t realize that we were in the Republic until a while later. From the stories my professor tells us about his childhood growing up with the border and seeing how many lives depends on the freedom of movement between the two countries, I am beginning to truly understand how much an impact Brexit can make on an individual level.

We made it to Donegal and with check-in at 3pm we decided to look into all the cool little shops and checked out the places that the town had to offer. But of course it was raining so it was mostly finding places to take cover. However there was a bit of sunshine as we were touring Donegal Castle.

I got to try a traditional Irish lamb stew, one of the specials at Blueberry Tearoom and Cafe, for dinner. It was truly good and what I needed after the cold and rainy day. The waitresses were super nice and seemed to know every local that came in. Don’t even get me started on the dessert! One of the waitresses recommended it to us and to be completely honest I didn’t hear anything beyond chocolate.

Donegal Town is small and it seems that everyone seems to know everyone. Our taxi driver knew our Airbnb host and was able to navigate with much direction. Christina and Eamonn were our Airbnb hosts and they were the nicest people. The was nice and we had our own full bathroom!

March 17, 2019

It’s Lá Fhéile Pádraig !!!! (St. Patrick’s Day)

If you don’t know, St. Patrick was the one to bring Christianity to Ireland in the year 432 AD which is why he is so important to Irish history and culture.

Christina recommended the Bank Walk to us after breakfast which we had never heard about. It is this pathway along the River Eske that flows into Donegal Bay. It also the cutest fairy doors and houses all along the path in the trees. And it was actually sunny today! Our Airbnb was not particularly close to town, but Eamonn offered to drive us since he had to go into town which was super sweet.

Hot chocolate and a nutella, strawberry, banana crepe constituted a late lunch. By 3pm the parade was starting. It was fun seeing the parade especially since it started with a bunch of children jumping up and down chanting, “Exercise!” Lots of cute children, families, and the random tourists like us. I think that’s why I think we made the right decision going to Donegal, it was mostly local people and not as crowded or touristy as Dublin from what I’ve heard from some people that went there. My favorite of the evening was a float from the Bohemian Rhapsody movie.

We spent some time trying to find a spot to eat because you can imagine that every place was packed. Thankfully a table at The Harbour was open. I have to say that I am becoming a fan of fish and chips. Earlier when Eamonn dropped us off he had recommended McCafferty’s Pub and from how crowded it was it was probably well worth the recommendation. Unfortunately, even the locals couldn’t get into the bar because it was so packed. We went to the Castle Bar instead and it was just as good. We were able to get a seat in the corner and enjoy our drinks in honor of St. Patrick.

Donegal has been great and I almost hate to leave, but I classes to show up.

Until next time, Happy St. Patrick’s Day from Ireland!

First off it was actually pretty warm today.

Irish is becoming more complicated the more we learn but isn’t it like that for everything you learn. Irish is like no other language that I have studied or even been exposed to because it has no roots in Latin or Greek. It is entirely, for the most part, based in Celtic origins. And then there are different ways to say yes and no to questions and it all depends on the verb used in the sentence. That along with the spelling is a lot to wrap my head around but practice makes perfect, right?

This is probably the least exciting, but finding iced coffee has had a trial and error phase on campus. But, I am happy to announce that I have been delivered! There’s a place called Jitters that sells an amazing iced caramel latte and croissants.

March 2, 2019

You know when I said it was warmer a few days ago. That didn’t last long at all. The wind today was INSANE to the point that I actually had to take over or risk being swept away.

Alaina came today and we went in search of Taboo Donuts…again. Now last time we found a stand in the Foyleside Mall that sold Taboo Donuts, but there is an actual brick and mortar shop in town. After getting directions from a really nice woman, we finally found it. Turns out that we have passed the shop before at least five other times in our original search for the shop. Because we could not just pick one, we decided to pick to each and share them. Oh, and did I meant that this was our breakfast.

We walked around Derry looking our the mall. There is a store in Foyleside Mall called M & S (Mark & Spencer) that sells clothes, has a cafe, and a small grocery store. A true one stop shop. We stopped for lunch at Grannie Annie’s which I heard was pretty good and they did not disappoint. The restaurant is also aesthetically appealing in my opinion. It looks like a quirky vintage shop. I would have taken a picture of my food but I was too busy stuffing my face eating it.

Jenny and I checked out Gweedore and The Guildhall Taphouse. Both were super nice places that were a mixture of traditional and contemporary elements. I absolutely love the traditional Irish aesthetic with more contemporary influences. Now to the mini rant that I want to get off my chest.

While I was waiting for an open stall in the restroom, a white woman grabbed my hair.

Wrapping her hands around my twists without a care in the world she exclaimed, ” It’s so long !“.

Now since being here, many people have complimented my hair, but none have touched it. One can give a compliment without touching someone. After a flurry of emotions and honestly being thrown off, I just gave her a nasty look and booked it into the nearest open stall before I said or did something. I figured it would happen, being in a place where the population is 9% non-white and around 1-2% Black. I have had enough people looking at my hair with great interest to know that someone would try it. That, however, does not make it any less annoying. I do not understand the process behind touching someone you do not know, specifically since hair is so personal. I know a lot of other Black women while traveling and in the United States has experienced this. And for the non-Black people who do not understand, it really is not a hard concept to grasp.

It goes hand in hand with consent.

She did not ask my consent to touch me or my hair. She just touched. And I can not help wondering what she would have done if I had just grabbed at her hair in the same manner. The action is filled with the implications of historical power relations and a common racial microaggression. It says that you have a sense of entitlement to my body and my hair. It is not a compliment and there a hundred billion ways to compliment without touching.

Until next time…

This is an ever-growing list. If there is one thing that I have learned in this search, it is that there are more and more people of color breaking boundaries and stereotypes by traveling around the world. I hope someone also finds this helpful.

Enough introduction, here is what I have so far in no particular order:

Black and Abroad:   Black and Abroad is great for reading about other more seasoned travelers on their journeys across the globe. It is a space where black travelers share their experiences as a person of color traveling.

Oneika the Traveller: This is one of the first blogs that I encountered when I started looking into black travel blogs. Oneika Raymond has traveled extensively abroad and here in the U.S. As a fellow black woman, she gives tips and tricks about solo travel, haircare, and a whole lot more.

Damon and Jo: Found this channel a few years back.  Damon and Jo travel on a budget around the world–meeting new people, experiencing life, and learning new languages. I personally enjoy their travel vlogs.

Travel Noire: Like Black and Abroad, Travel Noire is another brand that shares the experiences and tips of travelers of color.

Rachel Travels: Another black woman traveling and sharing her advice. Rachel seeks to redefine the perception of the Black traveler.

On Studying Abroad as a Person of Color: Don’t Believe Everything You Hear: A Huffington Post article written by Thomas Noah. He talks about his experience studying abroad in Florence, Italy. He explores some of the misconceptions of studying abroad and his distinct experience as an African-American.

Studying Abroad As a Female African American: An ISEP blog post by Joy Donnelly who spent a semester in Milan, Italy.  She touches on her status as a double minority: black and female. She also talks about being a minority in her study program and within the country she studying in.

Leave Them Woke in Your Wake: 9 Truths for Black Students Traveling Abroad : This post on GoAbroad perfectly articulated what I was feeling. “As an African-American student studying abroad, your questions go beyond your school or programs FAQ section.” No truer words were ever said. It gives some great tips for black students studying abroad. 

Tara E. : A student in Iowa, Tara has vlogs about her time studying abroad in Copenhagen. She has videos on what she packed, trips through her program, and adjusting to studying abroad.

I am a Black woman. I am a Black woman traveling outside of her home for only the second time of her life. The first time on her own.

Someone send help. But seriously, when I decided to study abroad I was more than a little scared. Since high school, I’ve dreamed of traveling around the world and meeting new people. 

But, I was more than a little apprehensive. Living in the United States my entire life, I know how others perceive me in this space. Moving outside of that space makes me understandably nervous, especially as someone with little travel experience and high levels of anxiety about it.

I started researching other black students that had studied abroad. I wanted to know I wasn’t the only one with these fears. More importantly, I wanted to know that there were others like me going abroad too.

Although I found that I am apart of a minority (no surprise there) with less than 6% of African-American students that study abroad. I also found there is a community of black travelers breaking stereotypes and boundaries in their travels.

This blog is my way of contributing to the community. I just need to figure out a witty title for this series, we’ll think about that later.

Only 22 days until I leave. *silently panics*