Outfit: Ride On

I always joke that when you meet a blogger it can be really awkward because what they're good at is being online. The face-to-face interactions--speaking instead of writing--can be difficult. If after all, we were big talkers, people who needed to be around other people all the time (perhaps textbook extroverts) then we wouldn't have ended up on our computers at 2am pouring out our hearts to the Internet and editing pictures we took early in some quiet, isolated corner of a park (or in the early days snapped in the privacy of our own bedrooms/dorm rooms). I joke because the above is true for me. It's not that I can't function in society or seem really socially awkward when you meet me (or at least I hope not), it's just that it is hard for me to put myself out there in person. I find it hard to insert myself into conversation, meet new people, or even meet up with familiar faces--I'm quick to find reasons (excuses) as to why I have to stay home. Moving compounds the situation, there are less familiar faces, and being abroad means there's a slight cultural barrier. Occasionally even a language barrier with accents and unfamiliar words ("craic" being one of my favorite new words). I've lived here for over a year now, but many days still feel like day one when it comes to connectedness. It's on my mind a lot at the moment since we are heading into the season where people spend more time than ever with friends and family; gathering over big meals and around tinsel-strewn trees. It's like being a kid at summer camp and getting a letter from your mother, "are you eating your vegetables, are you cleaning behind your ears, are you making friends?" Except you're not a kid at summer camp who will go back to their home and old friends in a few weeks; this is your life now and while you will still see old friends on occasion, they can't be part of your day-to-day. But I'm working on it. It's just like riding a bicycle; you might be out of practice for having been off the bike for few months or years, but the rudimentary skills are there and in no time you'll be flying down those hills with the wind in your hair...