-Yep, that quote in the title is what my mom said to me yesterday on the phone.
She’s right though! I’m movin’ so fast I’m starting to lose track of time and location!
My roommates and I at our first hostel ever
I’ll start the re-cap with Scotland, my new favorite place ever. We could only stay in Edinburgh for a day but it was one of the most action-packed days I’ve ever had! We flew in around 9pm, got to our hostel, and immediately set out for the free pub crawl included with our stay. Sounds exactly like my kind of itinerary hahaha!
I’ve never been in a hostel before so needless to say, I was shocked. It was like freshman year of college, summer camp, and hell all mixed into one building. I liked the hangout areas and how easy it was to meet people. This kind of place would be PERFECT if you’re traveling alone. However, my 3 roommates and I were placed in a 15-bedroom co-ed dorm room on crack. It was literally the most insane sleeping arrangement I’ve ever had. I was on the bottom bunk facing a complete stranger as I ‘slept’ and the entire floor only had 2 bathroom stalls and 2 sinks. I have severe insomnia issues as it is so I knew I wouldn’t be sleeping at all that night as soon as we stepped foot in the door. Luckily though, we didn’t have to spend much time there. It was a good one-time experience but I think I’ll definitely be paying a little extra for a more private room next time!
So like I said, we didn’t spend much time there at all so we changed clothes and immediately headed out to the first pub. I felt extremely out of place at first because the theme was a lot more “punk” than I was expecting. I actually love punk rock and usually wear clothes on that side of the spectrum, but some of these people went all out to the point where there was a gothic vibe going on. I wasn’t prepared so I was bouncing around in there with my blonde curls complete with a white flower on the side (haha) but eventually we got into the swing of things and the night took off from there.
We met people from all over the world! Canada, India, Venezuela at the first pub. Next we met some great Australians at a karaoke bar. Then we topped off the night at a dance club with some Germans! The pub crawl was great and when the lights came on at the end, we were not ready to leave AT ALL! At least we made some good friends and got some awesome pictures to remember our only taste of the Scottish nightlife.
At the club with some of the Australian friends we met
The night actually didn’t end there though… One of my roommates and I decided to go on a food mission at 3:30am. To where exactly? No idea. Nothing was open but we kept hearing tales of a McDonald’s nearby so we kept walking until we gave up and asked for directions. Turns out these lads were heading there too! Finally we met some real Scots!! We hungout with them until we pressed our faces in tears to the closed McDonald’s doors. They said they know of somewhere else to possibly get food though so we met up with a few more of their friends and continued searching all of Edinburgh. We had so much fun talking to them and comparing our cultures. They thought I said the word “Cancun” funny so they kept making me say it over and over. I thought they said everything funny so I just tried to keep them talking — haha. A half hour later, with no food, my roommate and I decided to turn back towards our hostel. We didn’t want to leave so it was a long good-bye but I’m just so happy we met a bunch of Scottish kids our age! That’s my favorite part about traveling: meeting people my age and seeing how our upbringings/cultures compare. It’s always so interesting! My roommate and I always meet people in the weirdest ways like that too so I think that may have been my favorite part of the trip. But anyway, the similar-looking streets of Edinburgh stomped on my sense of direction and we couldn’t find our way back so we ended up having to flag down a cab at 5:30am.
Back at the hostel we both agreed to be as quiet as we could right before I opened the LOUDEST possible door in the world! One look at the 12 strangers in all the bunkbeds and I lost it laughing so hard. It just looked so funny. Plus, it was dark so I couldn’t see in my locker to get ANY sleep supplies I needed without being obnoxiously loud. The situation was just completely outrageous so after I caught my breath, I gave up and laid in my bunk decked out in my dress clothes and makeup.
Huge castle in Edinburgh
Time moves very slow when you can’t sleep but finally it was time to get up and tour Edinburgh. We found a free 3 hour walking tour around the city that was so incredibly informative! If you knew me, you’d know that I’m really not all that into learning history… or science… or math… But anyway, the point is that I enjoyed the tour so much that I was actually extremely upset when it was over and bummed that we didn’t have enough time to do another one! Scotland has such a crazy, bloody, old history that you can’t help but get intrigued by all of the stories. I heard tales of gravesnatchers, a woman who came back from the dead, the disgusting uncleanliness of the old city, good luck superstitions, and I saw where J.K Rowling wrote the Harry Potter books as well as the building that inspired Hogwarts! Not to mention how beautiful the city is now in general and the breathtaking castles that are still standing.
This school in Scotland is the inspiration for Hogwarts!
I just could not get enough but it was soon time to board the train to London. I know I’ll definitely be back sometime though to see Glasgow, the northern islands, and try to get a glimpse of the Loch Ness monster! 
It’s funny because when I first moved to Dublin, I asked everyone I met to tell me where their favorite place was to travel in Europe. I got many different answers but the overwhelming majority said Edinburgh! Well, they were dead on! I still don’t even know how to pronounce the city correctly… Edin-borough? Edin-brah? Edin-brow? Edin-burg? They all sound right to me haha.
Scottish lad playing the badpipes!
On the train we saw the most gorgeous views. There was the ocean, cliffs, beaches, waves, different animals, open fields, condensed cities, suburban neighborhoods, beautiful single houses, a rainbow (haha seriously), mountains, and rolling hills. All which made me even more depressed to leave Scotland! Don’t get me wrong ’cause I love Ireland too, but for some reason Scotland really struck a chord with me. I cannot wait to go back already!
Taken on the train through Scotland
Late that night we arrived in London and saw EVEN MORE Harry Potter things. I wish I was a bigger fan so that I really could have appreciated that more. Oh well. My one roommate is friends with a guy from the Global Experiences London program so luckily he let us stay the night at his place and then took us out as our own personal tour-guide the next day! (Thanks again Kevin!) Their apartment building was AMAZING. They shared a little dorm room and we have an actual apartment, which I like having more, but the rest of it was nuts! There was a game room, cafeteria, moving screening room, Apple computers, key cards, lounge areas, huge TVs, a gym, AND working appliances (haha). We weren’t in there for long though and I crashed in his roommates bed from complete exhaustion. Luckily he said I could share it but I probably would have crawled my way into it anyway during the night to avoid “sleeping” on the hardwood floor!
Us and Kevin, a GE London intern at Big Ben
The next day we woke up early and toured… everywhere. The Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the London Bridge, various red telephone booths, and the Tower Bridge where I sipped on a Magners as the drawbridge stopped traffic and opened to let a boat pass through! It was fun to see all the big stuff that you hear about, but, truthfully, I was kind of disappointed with the city. I think I expected a more culture-driven small city feel but London is completely the opposite and flooded with tourists! Sadly, I didn’t meet even one English person while I was there! I met a lot from Dublin though, ironically. Anyway, it was good though because I can check off visiting London on my list and it gave me a much bigger sense of appreciation for Dublin. I couldn’t wait to go back to Ireland but first we all went out that night. It was a fun time, but I think I was over-tired and overwhelmed so I didn’t enjoy it as much as a could have. Then it got worse when a go-go dancer who was on the bar as I was ordering a drink decided it’d be a great idea to dump her entire bottle of champagne on me and a few unlucky others. I was furious because we had to leave for a train to take us to the airport an hour later at 4am! I was damp and reeked of alcohol all the way through airport security and back to my apartment in Dublin. No wonder I got stopped at the metal detector for a pat down check! We made it back safe and sound though, so all is well.
Me at the Tower Bridge
Less than a week later and I was off to Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands of Spain! We were extremely close to Africa and the island is literally shaped like a canary! Crazy! I went with my roommates and another friend from the GE program. I was a bit nervous because I set up this trip myself so I didn’t want anything to fall through but it ended up working out really well! I didn’t know I possessed travel agent abilities. It was a short trip from Thursday-Saturday night but it was so much fun! I’ve traveled around Spain 3 years ago during my senior year of high school with some other kids from the Spanish language classes so I knew a little of what to expect. My Spanish comprehension is pretty decent too so that was a relief! Turns out we barely had to use it though because almost everyone spoke some English.
All of us at our apartment on the island
I used hostelbookers.com to find a hostel for us to stay in last minute that was NOTHING like the Scotland one! I managed to find a super cheap 4-bedroom apartment on the beach with a full bathroom, kitchen, and balcony. There was also a pool, restaurant, bar, and nightly activities there! So we stroll into Las Gaviotas apartments and are immediately met with kindness. We couldn’t check in yet so instead we laid by the pool, ate a ton, and our favorite bartender Markus made me the BEST mango milkshake ever. And that is seriously saying a lot because I usually don’t like mango flavored anything!! All of the staff was outgoing and friendly and really made us feel at home there. The owner even wrote out an entire map of the best places to check out on the island and the best times to do so. We were completely stoked so after we settled in, we decided to go book an activity.
Me and the fantastic Mango Milkshake
We signed up for a 4-hour Dunebuggying excursion through various sand dunes, deserts, and beaches. Finally, we stopped at the beach to start getting rid of our pasty skin color (mine in particular haha!) We were having a great time but soon remembered we were in Europe when our eyes caught people sunbathing… NAKED! Women, men, children, AHHH! I knew people did that but I didn’t realize exactly how open and nonchalant they are about it. I was trying not to stare but I just could not grasp the concept of doing that in such a public area! Slowly, we all got used to it and decided to grab some dinner and head back to get ready for the night. The nightlife started out a bit slow but we managed to get free t-shirts and glowsticks! We called it a night early though to be ready for dunebuggying the next morning.
My roommate and I in our Dunebuggy
We started the tour on these little go-karts and were driving on the road through city streets to get to the off-roading path. I drove the whole time and almost got hit by actual street vehicles while making turns a handful of times. One time we were particularly close to being T-boned by a van but I was able to speed up out of the way just in time. That scared me half to death and I was about to lose my composure when finally we made it to the path. The rest of the tour was great! The beach portion was especially fun because it was extremely bumpy so our little cars flying over the bumps was a good adrenaline rush. We were having a great time doing that and looking at the ocean until our eyes met instead with a naked guy on the side of the road. He was just standing there facing us like it was no big deal! I don’t know. I got used to the topless tanning on the outskirts of beaches but other than that, I just think it’s so uncalled for. Anyway, I pushed that image away as fast as possible and all in all the tour was a success! Afterwards we walked pretty far to a beach we heard was the best around. They were right! The ocean was clear, the sand was white, and it was just the perfect day. I fell asleep on the beach for hours until it got cold and we went back to prepare for the night.
My roommate and me at karaoke
Before we left our apartment, we stopped downstairs to sing some karaoke! One of my roommates and I sang “I Will Survive” and then I sang “Beautiful” by Christina Aguilera. I usually would never cover an incredible singer like her but there weren’t many choices and I got an applause so I guess it went okay! I’ve been dying to sing since I moved to Dublin and it felt good to get it out. After that, we made our way to Flix, which is a more spread out venue and a younger scene. All of us had a great time and danced to the Spanish music for an extremely long time. Eventually we headed back though to enjoy our last day in the sun.
So windy!
TONS of kite surfers
Eventually though, the sand needles were too much and we decided to to back to our hostel and hangout by the pool. We were all completely covered in sand. I’m talking piles of it in my hair, ears, all over my skin, and of course in my swim suit. I managed to get most of it off in the pool and then laid out for a few hours. Unfortunately, I forgot to re-apply my sunscreen when I got out of the pool and burnt to a crisp. I try really hard to not get sunburned because I have extremely fair skin and have been in the hospital for sunburn 3 times already! 
One time it turned into an actual first-degree burn and it was one of the most excruciating pains I’ve ever dealt with that also left me with a scar. If you take any piece of information from me ever from this global experience, let it be this: Your lips CAN and WILL get sunburned so put sunscreen on them! This time I woke up the next day with my bottom lip so swollen I looked like a duck! No joke! It was really painful but, luckily, it only lasted a day.
Roommate & me with a kite surfer between us!
Before we left though we said our goodbyes to the staff and met up with a couple we talked to the day before. They were so nice and said most people there are always surprised to see Americans because the islands are so far away and not built up yet. It made sense looking back because we’d always have to say we just flew in from Dublin! The couple also had this adorable dog, Scruffy, who used to be abused but now has a loving home with them! I’m scared of all animals (don’t know why) but Scruffy was so calm and innocent that I actually let him eat some treats right out of my hand! I want a Scruffy clone. We eventually had to leave though and arrived in Dublin around 2am.
Our favorite bartender Markus who refered to us altogether as "Charlie and his Angels"
All in all it has been a WILD few weeks to say the least. 4 countries in 2 weeks was exhausting but I’ve still got another few days in Dublin to live to the fullest so there’s no time for sleep just yet…
20 years old from Pennsylvania. Senior at Penn State. Interning in Dublin, Ireland for 2 months. 