I wonder as I wander

Now, more than at any other time in my life, I have wanderlust. Not the vacationing kind--the life-changing kind. I've vaguely had this feeling before when traveling, that I'm missing out on other things I could be doing, instead of being chained to a desk 8 hours a day, trading adventure for practicality. I got my bachelor's degree in Spanish at NYU with the intention of becoming a translator, but after college my hopes were dashed when Georgetown University rejected my application for the Spanish master's program, and I essentially gave up. During this trip Luis and I both felt an acute longing to try somewhere new. Maybe it's a fleeting feeling; maybe not. Being back in my own cocoon usually engenders complacency. I once read that opportunity is around every corner--it's just up to us to be receptive to it. Maybe we're rounding one of those corners.

For about 10 years I've been talking about getting my Irish passport. Second-generation U.S. citizens can apply to obtain Irish citizenship by descent. There's a lot of paperwork: submission of birth, marriage, and death certificates of parents and grandparents. My father's relatives on Long Island have a lot of the documents; I've just been too lazy to get them. But after this trip I'm really going to do it. I have the application from the Irish Consulate General. I could become an EU citizen, and Luis and I could go to Holland or Switzerland and get hitched. I know it's not all rosy, as I've read, but it couldn't hurt to try. Oh, yes, the job thing. Well, I can teach English, and Luis can renovate properties. At any rate, it's nice to dream.

I'll be posting photos and tales of our trip to the other side of the pond over the next few days.

Ta!