During reading week, Jaymi and I embarked on a five-day adventure to England to visit with my family, and friend, Nicola, who was my best friend from primary school.

On the day of our departure, we left Waterford at 9:15 am and arrived in Dublin at 1:15 pm. After a few hours of sitting around the airport, indulging in sandwiches and chocolate, it was finally time to board our flight. We arrived in Manchester within 45 minutes, which was great as it was the shortest flight I had ever been on.

Once at the Manchester airport, we got into a taxi and headed towards the Manchester Airport Inn, which is where we would be staying for the night. While in the taxi, Jaymi and I had a little bit of a scare as the driver drove extremely fast. I remember looking at Jaymi, who was sitting across from me, and she was holding onto the handrails for dear life. At one point, Jaymi and I clocked the driver’s speed at 137km/h through an iPhone app, which was rather concerning to us. After a long and scary taxi ride, we arrived at the hotel and settled in for the night. We slept soundly, to say the very least, after an eventful day.

The following morning, Jaymi and I decided to take full advantage of the English breakfast buffet, which was being offered in the hotel’s restaurant. The buffet offered eggs, sausages, ham, beans, tomatoes, fruit, toast, and a bit of everything else. I really enjoyed the breakfast, as it was a change from my usual breakfast of porridge in Ireland.

After breakfast, Jaymi and I began to get ready for the day, as we were to meet up with my aunty and uncle at 10:30 am. Upon meeting up with them, we went to the Warrington’ Marks & Spencer, a store that sells absolutely everything, and met up with my other aunty and cousin. I was really excited to see my family again as it had been such a long time.  It was also really nice to see familiar faces, as I haven’t seen anyone that I know, outside of Ireland, in over two months.

Preston, England

An hour later, Jaymi and I left with my aunty and cousin to go back to their house in Bretherton, which is about an hour drive from Manchester. Along the way, my aunty decided that she was going to take us on a drive to see my old house and school. I was excited and very surprised to see how little everything had changed since I was last in England, over 14 years ago. On arrival at her house, we had a delicious dinner, and then it was time to go to my friend Nicola’s house. I was nervous to meet with her, after almost 14 years, but once I got there and started talking with her, the nervousness went away and I was overridden with excitement to spend the next few days with her.

The next day, the three of us, and Nicola’s son, Charlie, went out to Preston to explore the city. Preston is absolutely beautiful. The buildings are so old and different from anything I have ever seen and the streets are so lively. While in Preston, we looked for Halloween costumes as we were going to be going out later that night to celebrate my birthday. Jaymi and I couldn’t find a costume to wear, so we decided to just put on cat ear headbands, paint our faces, and call it a costume.

Halloween Costumes

After finishing our shopping, we headed home, made spaghetti bolognaise for dinner, and got ready for our night out.  It was then time to head out and see what the nightlife was like in Preston. Given that Jaymi and I don’t really “party” at home in Canada, we weren’t really sure what to expect. The nightlife in Preston definitely took us by surprise though as there was so much going on, from ‘old hits’ pop bars, playing S Club 7 and Steps, to clubs and pubs. Preston appeared to have it all and after a great night out, it was time to head home.

The following day, my aunty picked us up from Nicola’s house and brought us back to her house to see my uncle and cousins. I was so excited to see them as it had been years since we had last seen each other. On arrival at their house, I was happy to see my uncle and cousins, and also pleasantly surprised to meet my cousins’ girlfriends, Victoria and Hannah, who were really nice. We sat around and talked for a while, then unexpectedly, my aunty brought out a birthday cake which was accompanied by them singing “Happy Birthday.” I had a great time spending the evening with my family and the cake was delicious too.

On our second to last day in England, Jaymi and I said our goodbyes to my friend Nicola, and awaited my aunty who was picking us up. She then took us to meet with my other aunty who lives in Holmes Chapel, which is about 30 minutes away from Bretherton. After an emotional goodbye, Jaymi and I then left with my aunty from Holmes Chapel to meet with my uncle and two cousins back at her house. Later that night, we went out for dinner at a really nice restaurant called “Pizza Express.” The food was spectacular and we had an amazing time. After dinner, I said my goodbyes to my family, and then Jaymi and I went back to the same hotel we had stayed at the first night of being in England, before going back to Ireland the following day.

I had a great time in England and I really appreciated the break away from writing my papers. I enjoyed the experience of seeing my hometown again, and seeing how it has changed over the years. It was also really nice to spend time with my family and friends, but it definitely made me miss my mum, dad and sisters back in Canada. Now that I’m back in Ireland, it’s time to go back to the student life of writing essays and preparing for my final exam. With Christmas fast approaching, the city of Waterford is beginning to get festive with decorations and Christmas spirit. Jaymi has even bought a small Christmas tree for our apartment.

The past two months have gone by so quickly but I’ve had an amazing time and I’ve learned a lot about myself in the process.

Connie