November 28, 2004 - page 2

trying to absorb as much of different cultures as I can and avoid all the things I can easily find back home. In general, I’ve found that people are always eager to share what they think is good about their culture.

I think I’m trying to cram in all of the surroundings I can because I realize my time here is limited. It’s almost December, and you can tell because Belfast is getting all decked out for the Christmas holidays, and there’s a magical, festival atmosphere, especially in the city centre. Christmas lights are up everywhere and street performers are playing holiday tunes. One girl in my German class said that she even saw a little bit of snow late one night, and that’s pretty rare here. It’s hard to believe that in just a few weeks, I’ll have to leave all this behind. I hope that I’ll be able to get the most out of this last leg of the trip.