I was given my first manual car(!) on my last day prior to vacation. I set out to battle Brussels’ congested streets with its trams, buses, bikers and eager pedestrians. I stalled 5 times getting out of the spot (I was nervous and thought the break was the gas!), 6-8 times in the biggest roundabout in Brussels and managed to maneuver intersections by waving my arms like a crazy person, holding my breath and coasting through. I was so shaken I forgot my card at the atm on the way home, freaked out about not having money for vacation, canceled my card, then got a call from a man who managed to track down my brand new home phone number(!?) on the internet and dropped off the card to my apartment!!
The next morning I arrived in Provence. My wonderful host family took one look and ordered me out in the sun (later they tried to find anyone whiter than I at Les Gorges du Verdon) and said it was time to lift my morale. Martine took me out to practice driving – we screeched up the hills of Manosque to the high-pitched tune of Mika “Love Today” – breathless from laughter, Martine deeming us the new Starsky & Hutch. Martine promptly sent me to diving school for the next two mornings! As if I didn’t already feel reverted to 16, she later whipped out her camera to reveal all of the photos she had taken papparazzi-style of me and my cute instructor at the end of our lesson!! Then, in typical French fashion, my host dad reassured me over dinner that the offer to make myself at home extended to the bedroom… though my host mom said, “dans l’herbe est beaucoup plus romantique.” ooooh la.
Next I headed to Dublin to stay with family, then Killarney, the Ring of Kerry (quite happy the county I’m named after isn’t crap) and finally to Galway. Ireland was very green, rainy and low-key – I read 5 books (best ones: A Thousand Splendid Sons and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas) and the most excitement was walking in on one of my aunt’s dinner party guests in the bathroom (he came out and announced to all that next time I should text him prior and stay longer!), then after dinner having a dance party that ended at 3 am with my aunt (slow) dancing on the dining room table and the next morning having a medium-sized bird fly into my aunt’s house when I was the only one awake.
