I got back from Ireland last week. I spent a lot of money on hotels and flights but then a man bought me a drink so in the end, I think I broke even.
Traveling alone was not as scary as I predicted. Because you’re not ever actually alone. The girl next to me on the plane was nice and we clinked our glasses (plastic cups of Delta red wine) during our dinner. Dinner was 4 cheese ravioli in a tin. I think 3 would have been plenty but you don’t really have a say in the sky.
As soon as I got off the plane I was greeted with an ad for Kerrygold Butter. Here’s a big difference between here and there- more ads for dairy products in Ireland, fewer ads for life saving heart medication that you can’t afford whose side effects include vomiting, diarrhea, and death. Also in Ireland the customs agent asked why I was visiting and was surprised to hear that I was alone. He kept asking me, so you’re not meeting up with anyone here? You came by yourself? Why did you come by yourself? Where are you staying? Why are you unlucky in love? And I told him I was here to perform stand-up comedy. Which is true, partially. I did a 5 minute set in the basement of a pub but now on my passport, stamped forever, it reads “Reason for visit: Performance.” So finally now me and Cher have something in common.
The greatest gift that this trip provided was perspective. Even though I only left for 5 days, I had some physical distance from my life and the things that were starting to bother me in New York. I had become so preoccupied with getting booked on shows, with comparing myself to everyone else, and with the feeling that I was running out of time and never doing enough. Then, I left the country for a week, and nothing happened. I did not miss out on any great life changing opportunities. People didn’t forget I existed. Because a lot can happen in a week, but a lot can stay constant. I met some comedians in Dublin who were impressed to know that I was once at a party with some of the cast of SNL. (They asked me if I knew any of them and I was like, we were at a party one singular time). I realized that that was kind of cool. But also, they’re just people. The best part of that party was leaving to eat Artichoke pizza on the sidewalk. Then coming back to ask a girl who worked for Glossier what her favorite shade of cloud paint is and why.
On day two of the trip, I went on a hike in Howth, a coastal town right outside of Dublin. I found the hiking tour on AirBnB experiences but had to book it directly through the tour guide’s website because I cannot use AirBnB anymore for personal reasons that I may or may not disclose in a future Pillowtown. This guy Mark, and his dog Missy, led a 3 hour walking/hiking tour along the rocky coast. The sun was out, I got burned, and I made 3 friends (from California, Santiago, and Frankfurt.) All women also traveling alone. At the end of the hike we had fish and chips and talked about astrology, the great universal uniter. Then we talked about boys and jobs and fish.
If you want to see pictures from my trip, refer to Instagram. Or you can text me. Maybe in a month I’ll wake up in a cold sweat and realize what it all meant. What great lessons I learned on the journey. How brave I am to have traveled to Europe alone for a week. Right now, I’m just a bit tired. And I start a writing class next week so you can expect the quality of these to simply skyrocket.
The best thing I ate this week:
Was not beef stew at the church. It was those damn fish and chips. Not to sound like Ina Garten but they caught the fish right by us so it was very fresh. And the batter was so crispy, it never got soggy. The fries, so sorry, “chips” were also crispy, and I dipped them in malt vinegar like a good God-fearing Irishman. There were also mushy peas, which was sort of like if peas were mushy. 9/10. After lunch we had shots of “Baby Guiness” which is Guinness and Baileys in a shot glass which is like if those Horizon organic chocolate milk pouches were slightly spiked. If you go to Dublin, go to Howth, and say hi to Mark and Missy for me. And don’t try and take a selfie on the cliff walks because 2 people die doing that a year. Anyway, have a pint of Guinness in my honor this week. It’s kind of good.