First Post

Hello to all who are patient and lovely enough to be reading this blog! In summers past, I've tried to write massive emails, but this year, I'm adding my voice to the deluge of wonderful summer travel blogs the rest of my friends are writing. This is my last college summer, and I've chosen to spend the second half of it doing research for my senior essay and traveling really by myself for the first time.

For those of you who haven't heard me talk endlessly about my essay, I hope to write about on-the-ground, grassroots-style reconciliation efforts in Northern Ireland and Israel. To prepare, I'm going to Belfast for 3 and a half weeks and Israel for 9 days to interview groups, organizations and individuals who attempt to preempt or supplement political solutions to conflict by creating peace within communities and between people. In the end, I hope to be able to establish a set of best practices, especially from Northern Ireland to apply elsewhere, especially to Israel. I'm hoping that I'll learn interesting things worth sharing with all of you, but I also hope you'll allow me to use this blog as a space to air all of my feelings about the trip. If my last stint in Israel was any precedent, this will be an emotional 5 weeks.

In any case, enough of the academic talk. I hope it's an interesting trip. I'm absurdly unprepared so far, but I'm making a little progress (ie yesterday I bought a Rough Guide to Ireland, and I now know where I'm staying my first week in Belfast. Success!) But, no matter how prepared or unprepared I am, a week from today, I will be in Dublin to see my friend Hannah and have a pint with my friend Smug before I head way up north.

Anyone who knows me knows that I worry maybe a little too much. But besides being afraid that no one will want to meet with me (I mean, really. I wouldn't respond to an email with the title "Inquiry from a Yale University student"), the things I'm most nervous about are traveling alone things. I've traveled by myself, sort of, before. And I've traveled a lot, generally. But almost all the other times, I've been with another person, or in a country I know fairly well, or near people I know. The one time I traveled really by myself was for three days in Northern France. And though it was beautiful, it was SO lonely. And I consistently made my way back to my hotel by 8:00, afraid that I would get lost and mugged in the dark (OK, that's a little absurd, I know).

I've asked a few people for advice about traveling alone. The best so far, I think, was to not get drunk by myself (thanks, James). I've gotten a bunch of good pointers from smart, great people who have experience in this sort of thing. But my friend Liz once spent a week on an Italian hillside with goats and was happy to be by herself and with goats, and I don't think I could be like that. I get bored with myself. I need all the help I can get.

So, gentle readers. Before I leave on this European-Middle Eastern adventure, any advice from avid solo travelers? Ways of keeping yourselves occupied? Ways of making friends? Ways of not being nervous to walk around after dark? etc.

There will probably be another post before I leave, but in the meantime, please stay in touch! I'd love to hear from you while I'm away. Just comment, or email me at sturbow@gmail.com

Until then,
Sarah