Well, it’s here: This is the last blog post of my summer, and what a week to end things off! I took my first ever trip to a different country on my own, and I feel really proud of it. But first, we need to rewind to last Thursday.

Thursday night, I decided to go out since I was going to be away the whole weekend, so I decided to go to a bar that I learned about from reading other blog posts. I went to Dohenys and Nesbitts, and it was really interesting. They had lots of booths so you could really feel like you could slip away for an evening with friends, but I just sat at the bar for a bit. I noticed that people were going upstairs, and there was a musician playing a really great set and I really enjoyed it. I got to listen to “Galway Girl” again and it brought back a lot of memories from Galway. It’s really hard thinking that I’m going to be back in America soon and my small little PA town has no nightlife!

Next thing I did was that I started walking over to Whelan’s, which is supposedly a very famous bar from the movie “P.S. I Love You”. As I was walking over on Camden street, I walked by Bambino’s pizza and I remembered people were telling me that it was really good pizza. So I got in line and grabbed a vodka slice. For 6 euros 50, it was good for a one-and-done but I don’t think I would regularly buy it. Still, I enjoyed the crispiness of it, but I’m a stickler for sauce on my pizza (anyone can melt cheese on bread, but the sauce is where the magic is!)

As I was walking over to Whelan’s, I also noticed that I passed by O’Donoghue’s, which someone also mentioned to check out. It was a really great vibe with lots of tables in a hallway setting between bars, and it really feels cozy and friendly. Still, I think it’s better to go with friends and I’m more of a lone traveler, so I didn’t stay long. But then I finally got to Whelan’s where I had to wait until 11pm to do the one thing I set out to do that night.

That’s right, karaoke! I haven’t done any karaoke this entire time and I was feeling like I was missing out. I remember people telling me they did karaoke in Belfast and it’s been on my mind for a while. There were lots of great singers that night, and there were lots of great acts as well. There was a group of guys who had choreography for “I Want It That Way”, “Where Is The Love”, and other songs and they were hilarious. What took me by surprise was Francesca because she said she was going to sing “Mr. Brightside” in Japanese, but she actually ended up singing the Naruto theme song and she thought we wouldn’t notice! I’ve watched too much Naruto not to notice, but a few other guys called her out. It didnt’ really matter because we all sang the English version and drowned her out.

As for what I sang, I chose the songs “Somebody That I Used To Know” (Gotye), “I’m Still Standing” (Elton John), and “Somebody To Love” (Queen). I don’t usually say this, but I sounded great that night, and taking on a Freddie Mercury song is not for the light-hearted. But I have this great rundown on the final “somebody to love” and I left the crowd speechless. People were getting out of their seats to hug me, and I thought that was too much, but I felt really proud. After that performance, people were waiting for me to get back on stage and they knew my name, but the bar was closing soon and a lot of French people took over the song selection so I decided to head back and call it a night.

So where did I go for my free weekend? That’s right, Paris! The flights and hotel were cheap since I booked early, and I thought it was a once in a lifetime opportunity so I said what the heck! Even though I don’t speak French, I figured that it would be a fun experience anyways and there’s lots of things I wanted to see. The first thing I did was go to the Eiffel tower. I didn’t get to take the tour, but I just walked around the area for a while and took lots of pictures. Fun fact about the Eiffel Tower: there are lots of French names written in gold that wrap around the bottom balcony, and there’s also a restaurant in there too! The next thing I did was go to the cathedral of Notre Dame (like the Disney movie!) Afterwards, I went to the Luxembourg Gardens which is a very nice garden with a fountain, and because it was a nice day there many people there. Then I went to the Arc de Triomphe (the Arc of Triumph), and right next to it was the Champs Elysees, which is a very nice shopping district. I also tried to go to the palace of Versailles but the bus route was closed on Sunday for the Tour De France (I got a video!) and when I went on Monday, the palace was closed but the grounds were free to walk around. I really wanted to go to the palace because king Louis XIV is one of my favorite historical figures, but at least I get to say that I’ve been to Versailles.

The last thing I did in Paris before I went back is go to Trocadero, which is one of the best views of Paris you can find. Right next to Trocadero was the Musee De L’Homme, or “The Museum Of Man”. It’s a museum that explores the origin of man and it tries to answer the questions, “Who are we?” “Where do we come from?”, and “Where do we go from here?” It was really interesting because most of the exhibits were written in French, but I can undersand most of the French I read because I took a French class. Even though there was a language barrier, I have to say it’s one of the best museums I’ve ever been to. I learned a lot about how anthropologists and biologists have been working in this exact museum for the last 200 years to map out the origins of humanity and try to piece together our existence, and there are over 100 scientists that still actively work in the museum. One of the strongest connection I made was how there’s a strong connection to the study of anatomy and the age of democracy. It seems that the more that scientists understood the inner workings of the human body and how we’re all the same, the more people questioned whether a divine lineage really existed. Indeed, I believe knowledge that we’re all more similar that we appear is something that can unite us through hardships and strife.

Many people wonder where we came from, and though religion has many explanations, scientists are trained to always lead through impassionate observation. We’ve dated the fossil records of similar species to humans dating back millions of years, and only in the last 300,000 years do we see homo sapiens start to appear in the Earth. And what have we accomplished in those 300,000 years? Simple carvings on rocks became enormous cathedrals and religious works, tiny beans in the ground were genetically engineered to be hearty stalks of corn, and we’ve domesticated dozens of animals, including dogs and cats. But we’ve also created war, chaos, and permanently changed the global ecosphere. We are on the brink of another mass extinction, the planet is become inhospitable to human life, but that leaves the question: “what is the purpose of the human race?”

I find our purpose is three things: the first is to survive. If we can keep existing as a species, then I have no doubt that we will eventually find the answers that we are looking for. In the last 200 years we’ve been able to affect the planet in a more profound way than the 300,000 years preceding it, and it’s all thanks to our accumulation, preservation, and dissemination of knowledge. So after survival, we must also teach. In the movie “Lucy”, it’s said that the purpose for knowledge to “pass it on”, and I hope that I can pass on everything I know before I leave. And the last thing that we have to do is to experience emotion. As an individual, we can’t ever know where everything will lead, but we can find love, joy, and pride in the simple things in life. We can all make a little bit of progress every day that someone eventually will be thankful for the work that we do today. Past humans had to pick off the flesh from a measly spec of corn until they had the inspiration to selectively breed the plants to be bigger and bigger. It didn’t happen in a lifetime, but we have a lifetime to be grateful for it. If we can take a step back and appreciate the work and efforts that humans have made before us, it will make living our lives today that much easier. As far as we know, we are the thinking and feeling component of the universe, so never be afraid to think, and never be afraid to feel. That is my take-away from this museum, and I’m so glad I got to see it. As the poet Walt Whitman says, “Answer. That you are here—that life exists and identity, That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.” Never be afraid to write your verse.

Anyways, that’s all I have to share. I’m back in Ireland now and I don’t know if I’ll go out anymore, but I’ve really enjoyed my time here and I’ve had a lot of experiences that will forever change my outlook on the world. Now any time I’m caught in the rain without an umbrella, or I’ve had a little too much to drink, I’ll think of Ireland. If you’re reading this, I hope that you have or eventually will, have as much fun as I did in Ireland. Have a grand day!