About Me

Who am I? Lifes ultimate pesky question...ugh

Here's me in a bigger than average nutshell:

I am a 22 year old recent graduate of Concordia University located in Montreal, Quebec. I majored in Creative Writing and pursued a minor in Irish Studies which resetablished my long time love and fascination with Ireland, it's people, fascinating history and culture. My dad comes from an Irish background - our ancestors hail from County Antrim in Northern Ireland, a fact I am very proud of because through out my studies the Northern Irish Troubles became my favourite period of Irish history.

So, knowing that I would soon be leaving Montreal - never intending to stay past graduation (four years was enough for a girl who feels a little assulted by bigger cities) I decided that I would travel to Ireland and give myself a few months to relax, reflect and most of all do what I had been dreaming of since I was about 13 - write full time! Yes, I am a writer and this fact is a fundemental one if you want to know anything about me. I have been writing stories in one form or another since I was a very little girl and my imagination has always been something I love most about myself. I realized in grade 10 that I could in fact be a writer, like an actual published author, if I wanted and so I started looking at schools that could give me this dream career in the future. Another thing you should know about me - I suck at math and science so any pursuit of a job that would require either skill of me was promptly crossed off the list. But it's all good. I don't think my parents ever dreamed about me becoming a doctor.

I started writing my first book when I was 14 and then came up with a second idea for a novel around 16. I have been working on and off on both since then - you can imagine how much the stories have been altered and edited since then.

Back to the reason for this trip and subsequent blog. Travelling aimlessly for months in a country I'd never once visited before was a cause of much anxiety for my mom - understandable. So she encouraged me to look up programs of any sort in Ireland that would allow me to do what I wanted and still be secure and taken care of. Over Christmas break in 2010 I found the Masters in Creative Writing program at the prestigious Trinity College in Dublin - founded in 1592, just before the Tudor dynasty had expanded its authority over the whole of Ireland. It is a very small program. They only admit 14 students per year and from North America only about 3-4 sutdents are accepted. So, yes I am proud and still a little bit awe struck that I managed to secure a spot for myself.

So, I set off for Ireland to chase my dreams and make them come true - come hell or highwater. It's an amazing adventure and one I still can't believe I am lucky enough to have. I'm also a very lucky girl to have a family who is so supportive of me.

This blog will document every adventure, every memory, photo and experience of my one year on the Emerald Isle.

I have a second blog: SweetUnrest which catalogues my book obsession - take a look if you're interested :)