Photo Project Day #8

Day #8: A picture that makes you laugh.

This picture makes me laugh. Every. Single. Time.

The story behind it?

After I graduated from Dartmouth, I spent a year in Belfast, Northern Ireland pursuing a Masters in Comparative Ethnic Conflict. It was, without a doubt, one of the very best experiences of my life. As many of you, I am sure, know by now Belfast is my favorite city. Living there, even if it was only for a year, was a dream come true.

While there, I not only got to study a subject area which I still find incredibly fascinating, I also met many amazing people who quickly became some of my dearest friends. One of these friends was Andrea. We lived on the same floor and I can honestly say I would have been very lonely if I had not had her as a floor-mate. We went food shopping together, cooked meals together, studied together, went to the movies together, and laughed together. A. Lot.

In January 2006, during a break in classes, we decided to go down to Dublin for a few days. For some reason I can't remember-- though I am pretty sure I was the one with the brilliant idea-- we went into one of those cheesy Irish souvenir shops to look around. And that's when I saw it: the leprechaun hat with bead attached. Being me, I just had to put it on. Then I called out to Andrea. She turned around, took one look at me, and we both lost it. Completely.

I love laughing like that. Sharing a ridiculous moment with a friend, laughing so hard you can't quite catch your breath. Andrea and I had quite a few of those moments throughout the year. Like the time I lost two umbrellas in two days (I never went anywhere without an umbrella in Belfast), or the time the security guard on the other side of town saw me and and asked about my morning runs (My running fan club started in Belfast), or the time we (and by we I mean-- I) labeled our food in the communal fridge with signs that said: "Eat and die" because we were sick of people eating our stuff. The list is endless.

And here we have the picture. I was laughing so much I was red-- and I'll bet not breathing. The picture is fuzzy because Andrea was laughing so hard, the camera was shaking. It's a one of a kind, really. All class. Just like us.