I love Ireland. I love the green. I love the rolling hills. I love, love, love the black-faced sheep frolicking on the green rolling hills. I'm a great fan of crumbling castles. My heart melts when I see one of the few remaining sod-roofed houses surrounded by a stone wall.
Tractors?
Love 'em.
Sad-eyed cows?
Bring 'em on.
But for Pete's sake, why does it have to be so bloody cold?
And if you're thinking of answering this rhetorical question, don't. I don't want logic, a geography lesson, or a lecture about wearing the right clothes. The plain truth is, Ireland is f'ing cold. It might as well be winter. The other night it was 5 degrees. FIVE degrees!!!!! (That's something like 41 degrees Fahrenheit!)
Ugh. Ggrr. Bah humbug. It' s June!
Thank god I brought my sleeping hat.
But aside from turning into a popsicle, the trip is grand. This morning, Galway (in the cold, lashing rain); this afternoon, a warm hotel room in Westport.
And this afternoon, a swim in the pool with Tully and Andrew. I haven't swam in SO long. Like swam, swam. Not splashed or frolicked, but swam. Lengths. Back and forth. Freestyle. Backstroke. Freestyle. Backstroke.
But today I left Tully in Andrew's splashy care and did a dozen or so lengths. Not a lot, but they felt good. And they reminded me of my first days in Shanghai in 2006, when I swam every morning and chanted as I stroked, "Baby. Book deal. Baby. Book deal." And here I am, three years later, with both of my dreams realized: Tully and Thirsty. Amazing.
Manifest. Manifest. Manifest.





Hi Kristin!
Just found your blog...so interesting! I'm also an expat and writing teacher living in Okinawa,Japan and enjoying my time traveling around Asia. I noticed you in one of your pictures with a giant panda... is that the Panda reserve in Chengdu...would you recommend it? Went to Shanghai last winter, but never made it to the pandas...
Posted by: Mary R | June 08, 2009 at 06:29 PM
Proud to say you were my first fiction tutor - congrats on the book deal and baby deal!
Posted by: Paul Massigani | June 08, 2009 at 07:01 PM