Athena Dublin Spring 2012: Katherine Stubblebine

I hate shopping. Unless there are boots involved, or scarves, it's something I would rather not do. I happen to have an abundance of boots, and an unhealthy obsession with scarves, so I knew these wouldn't be included in my forthcoming shopping trips. Because of this, it wasn't until early January that I sat down and made a list of things I had to buy before I set off for Dublin.

The list included: knee high socks, because I have terrible circulation in my feet and also they're stylish; rain boots, because from what I've heard it rains a lot in Ireland; a watch, because I won't be glued to my iPhone; warm sweaters, because when I wrote this list it was 88 degrees outside and I was wearing a tank top; jeans, because the majority of my jeans are in fact jean shorts; and a suitcase to put all of the aforementioned. My mom helped me with the suitcases, 2 gorgeous blue ones with 4 wheels, the bigger of the two weighing in at 12 pounds. And the watch, which I am still getting accustomed to (I'm not too great with reading analog).

I decided to venture out with my good friend Amy, who is studying abroad in Florence this semester, in search of warm clothes. I should preface by saying that Amy and I are both from San Francisco and we both go to school in Orange County. We don't know what cold is. After several hours of shopping around downtown San Francisco, we felt beyond successful. I'd purchased 3 sweaters, a cute t-shirt that I couldn't resist buying, and a small purse. I took the bus home with a smile on my face, excited to show my mom how successful my outing had been.

When I got home I took everything out of my bags and laid it out for her. That's when she told me something that I'd never known, but I realize now will change my life forever: Just because something has long sleeves, that doesn't mean it will be warm.  It was a hard concept for me to wrap my head around. In Orange I wear tank tops, in San Francisco I wear short sleeves, it just seemed appropriate that in Dublin long sleeves would be best.

She picked up my favorite purchase, a crocheted sweater with blue and black stripes. "This has holes in it," she said. "I can literally see through it." That was the moment when my mom realized that she was going to have to help me out, and the moment I realized I would have to do more of what I dreaded: shopping. Needless to say, my next outing was far more successful. My mom grew up back and forth between Ohio and Michigan, and has a far better understanding of cold weather than I do.

Slowly but surely she cracked my tainted belief in aesthetics, and taught me that functionality should be valued above all. I am happy to report that I am now the owner of 2 pairs of long underwear, 4 pairs of jeans, 2 long sleeve shirts, many pairs of knee high socks, and 2 winter jackets, all of which have been given my mother's stamp of approval. Next up comes the fun part, trying to fit it all in my suitcases. Wish me luck! 

Until next time,

Kati