Germany was one of my favorite experiences in another country! It was fun and I met up with three different friends while there. Our favorite Spanish princess, Helena, met up with me and we reunited for the first time in 5 months! Then, my friend Franz, who lived on the same floor as me at UCSB, was working in Germany so we met up with him for coffee! Finally, there was Teresa who is from Germany but came to UCSB for a quarter to study abroad so she took us out for our first night in Germany! They stay out until 7 in the morning in Germany and their public transportation is open all night long which relieves any motive for drinking and driving. I felt really save in Munich because there was so much transportation and we were always with people who spoke English or our new friend from South Africa who spoke fluent German! Helena and I stayed out until 6 in the morning our last night together because we didn't know when we would see each other again but we really enjoyed our time together! Germany will always be a special place for Helena and I!
Then there was Niamh's sisters wedding. Wow, was that amazing experience! It was at one of the most prestigious hotels in Ireland and located on a golf course. The K Club was its name. Our hotel room was basically like a two bedroom apartment, it was so fancy! My main job was to watch odhran the whole time which of course, I didn't mind at all! He sat through the whole ceremony with no problems so then I got to see an actual Irish wedding! I felt like part of the family, it was great! The whole weekend was like a mini holiday for me. It was perfect!
Now, leaving the Irish kids was definitely hard to do but I had a really good time with them the day before I left. We went to the park and played football (yes, I was playing soccer!) and then we went to Apache Pizza for my going away dinner. They got me the cutest and sweetest gifts and I wrote each family a letter that I couldn't read out loud with out crying. It was the perfect way to end my time with them.
The next morning my flight was at 9am so we had to leave the house at 6am so we woke the kids up and put them in the car and dropped Cillian and Realtin off at their grandparents. I didn't really have time to cry because we were in a rush and it was still pretty early. Aodhan came with us to the airport and Sinead asked if I wanted them to come in with me but I politely declined because I didn't want to fall apart. My bags of course were too heavy so I had to throw some things away but eventually I made it through baggage claim, security and customs and got to my gate right as they were boarding the plane so I literally had no time to spare.
The first leg of my flight was such a breeze because United Airlines has free movies on their transatlantic flights. So I watched probably three movies and tried to sleep but I was already too awake. The fed us a great breakfast and a turkey pretzel sandwich so coming into America I was feeling great.
My layover was in Newark, New Jersey and I tried to walk around as much as I could knowing that I had another 7 hour flight ahead of me. This time, the plane was smaller, there was no free television or free food so I was really anxious to get off the flight. The pilot finally announced we were landing as soon as we did, I got off the plane and basically sprinted down the hallways. As I am riding down the escalator with my backpack that ways about 100 pounds, I can see both my skinny parents waiting for me with huge smiles on their faces. I jumped off the escalator and ran into my parents arms and held back the tears as I got to hug my dad for the first time in a year. We went to baggage claim, grabbed my bags and headed on the San Francisco roads. We stopped at a restaurant in Pleasanton who's name always seems to slip my mind but they give cotton candy with every meal! As we pulled into the driveway at our house in our small town, I was never more happy to be back in Galt.
What is Brittany up to now? Well, I am coaching cheer at Galt High School and I am also a member of two adult cheerleading teams myself. One of these teams will be going to Worlds so its really challenging but I enjoy it a lot and have been making some really good friends. I am waiting for my substitute credential to be cleared and then I will start subbing at the high school. Next fall I will begin coursework to get my masters and credential for teaching high school English. Thank you all for taking this journey with me and following me each step of the way. It was truly one of the best years of my life. Stay tuned to see what the next few years have in store for me!
Thank you!
Brittany Lampson
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