THINGS I'VE MISSED ABOUT AMERICA:
1. Family + Friends: Duh. Sorely missed, however I secretly wish that everyone could just join me in Ireland so I could get the best of both worldz. However then I wouldn't have...
2. My house: Nothing beats waking up in your own bed, rolling out of said bed, stepping over mounds of clothes piled on your floor, skippin' down to the kitchen, pourin' yourself a nice cup of joe (whilst batting the dog away from the cat food) and watching t.v on mam and pap's bed / living room couch with kitties perched on your shoulder and the family dog going ape shit that someone else is awake. Substitute "your" for "my" and "kitties" for Shoo Shoo, Wally and Macy, and "family dog" for Murphy and t.v for "Bravo" or as I fondly remember it, "Channel 44".
3. Pandora: Ireland/ Europe in general should hop on the Pandora bandwagon RUL QUICK. They don't know what they're missing. But I do.
4. Wings Over Burlington: I CAN'T QUIT YOU.
5. Vermont: Next best thing to Ireland in terms of beauty and people that generally rule.
6. SMC: Because you stimulate my mind and offer me free chicken patties on the weekend.
THINGS I'LL MISS ABOUT IRELAND:
1. Irish time: Which differs from real time and by real time I mean whatever your watch or cell phone or whatever other form of technological time table offers. Irish time is slower, real-er (and by real-er I mean what your watch or cell phone or whatever other form of technological time table offers doesn't offer which is just LIVIN' and gettin' there when you get there) and doesn't just pertain to idle minded lazy sleepy heads as you might think be thinking. Grown ups follow Irish time too. Heck, they almost enforce it! I don't think one of my professors was in class before I was. Restaurants and cafes don't rush you out and make you feel weird, they wait for you to ask for the check and pay at your own convenience. They let you REST..aur..ant...
2. Animals : Especially Sheep maybe. Especially lambs. Especially lambs takin' naps with their bb brother or sister or cuddled next to their mam. Or a lamb jumpin' and runnin'. So cute and soft lookin' and makin' cute noises and decorate pretty much every road in Ireland.
3. Ruins: Give me an old stone castle or church with a roof caving in, covered in ivy and flowers at any time of day and you'll have me gushing and gasping at its beauty.
4. Green EVERYWHERE: Just incomparable.
5. Taking walks past any of the above said things, especially with Isabelle, Brenna and Liza (we took many throughout our sojourn here) singing the Sound of Music, or attempting to sing an irish song, or simply Rihanna.
6. Dare I say it, Ryan Air: Only because it brought the lolz (the countless times I somehow messed up checking in and having my boarding pass almost being rejected and me almost being fined but not) and for allowing me to travel easily enough to nearby beautiful countries.
7. Pubs: And how its totally normal for families to hangout there, toddlers and babies included, enjoying the best trad music ever, which also happens to serve delicious soup to boot, and some even have adorable middle aged people irish dancing in the middle of the floor, who at times will dance up to you and ask you to join in. You can also strike up a conversation with virtually ANYONE and most often that not, they rule and make you happy for humanity.
8. The Doughnut man: I wish I could stuff you in my carry on and have you create those doughy balls of heaven on the daily.
9. NUIG: Because you were practically optional and gave me lots of free time to wander around Galway.
10. FRIENDZ; American or Irish, I'll miss everyone so much. Which is weird because we didn't know each other for that long, but we did in a way. And I wish I could see everyone often but I know I can't. Which is actually the saddest thing. And how I miss my family and friends now is how I'll miss you guys. And how I skype my family and friends now is how I'll skype you guys. Which is weird. And Sad.
And I'm not ready to leaveeeee but I am. But I'm not. And I'm sure within the next few days I'll think of more things to add to the Things I'll Miss List.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
How ye gettin' on?
This weekend was spent in Donegal with Cara and the lads, and was possibly my favorite weekend in Ireland. Friday afternoon Isabelle, Brenna, Alex, Odhran D. and myself took the bus which passed through some gloriously picturesque fields and hills, sprinkled with many adorable sheep, cows and horses (whom I will dearly miss when I'm back in America. I dread driving along a highway that doesn't involve passing by old ivy covered ruins and farm animals, but instead mini malls and parking lots LIVIN' ROOMS BEDROOMS DINETTES HAY HAY. Anyone? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ3oHpup-pk ...I digress.) When we got to Donegal Town we met up with Cara, who just arrived herself from Dublin, and we went to a cafe, drank cups of joe and made a plan for the night which involved taking a party bus to Killybegs for their friend's birthday party (but more on that later. And by party bus I guess I mean a kind of taxi bus but party bus offers a more accurate description). Odhran D. and Alex walked to his house, as they were staying there for the weekend, and Cara's mom picked us gals up and drove us to their house. About a 5 minute drive from town, we barreled through what looks like a one way windy street decorated by a canopy of trees to their house which over looks Donegal bay and flowery hilltops. Most of the lads live next door to her so we "dandered" (which means a "wee walk" according to Odhran D.) over to Odhran N.'s house and jumped on his INGROUND trampoline overlooking the bay and played with his cat (jealous?) . There are donkey's in the front yard and her family pretty much shares a dog that actually belongs to Brian's family who lives next door to them but is love with her mom so the sweet lil dawg instead splits her time between both homes.
Friday night everyone came over and we hung out in the shed behind her house blasting tunes and waited for the party bus which certainly delivered. Good times that is. To give an idea of how much fun the party was, I found out the next day that there were about 3 rooms and free food I had no idea about since I literally only left the dance floor a handful of times only to use the ladies room. We then took the party bus back to Cara's and hungout until the wee hours of the morning. The next day we hung around, laughed about the night before and listened to what the boys did after they left Cara's (holy water might have been involved) walked around town a little, watched Doritos Ads (which, you're right dear reader, doesn't sound like a typical pastime. But you see, Cara and some of the lads entered an ad contest and we were taking a looksie at their competition. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iLF5qpBQMQ&feature=related ...watch it and weep suckers). We then went to the town over for an outdoor concert which featured bands and singers from the area, but the grand finale was this Harry Potter Hagrid looking character whose guitar skills are greater than or equal to my map skills (see below). We then got shuttled back into Donegal town and went to the Abbey Hotel bar and then to the dance club Sky. Which in a word, ruled. We finished off the night with some Shamrock Chinese Food, yes thats right, Shamrock. Chinese Food. If that doesn't bring the lolz I'm not sure what does. Then more late night convos at Cara's ensued until the wee hours of Sunday. We woke up for a second to wisely decide not to take the 9:45 am bus back to Galway but instead the 4:15 pm, and then ate a gracious and delicious and massive brunch prepared by Cara's little sisters.
We were seriously sad to leave as Donegal is one of the most beautiful/ fun places I've ever been and Cara's parents, sisters and brother could not have been more generous, hospitable, or sweet. This weekend has made me even SADDER to leave Ireland, and I'm already planning on moving here next summer. I could gush about the weekend and Ireland in general forever but I have things to do and by things to do I mean take a walk to what we coined the "fairy forest" which is a castle and accompanying magical forest land about 40 minutes from my house which we found last week and never want to leave.
Friday night everyone came over and we hung out in the shed behind her house blasting tunes and waited for the party bus which certainly delivered. Good times that is. To give an idea of how much fun the party was, I found out the next day that there were about 3 rooms and free food I had no idea about since I literally only left the dance floor a handful of times only to use the ladies room. We then took the party bus back to Cara's and hungout until the wee hours of the morning. The next day we hung around, laughed about the night before and listened to what the boys did after they left Cara's (holy water might have been involved) walked around town a little, watched Doritos Ads (which, you're right dear reader, doesn't sound like a typical pastime. But you see, Cara and some of the lads entered an ad contest and we were taking a looksie at their competition. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iLF5qpBQMQ&feature=related ...watch it and weep suckers). We then went to the town over for an outdoor concert which featured bands and singers from the area, but the grand finale was this Harry Potter Hagrid looking character whose guitar skills are greater than or equal to my map skills (see below). We then got shuttled back into Donegal town and went to the Abbey Hotel bar and then to the dance club Sky. Which in a word, ruled. We finished off the night with some Shamrock Chinese Food, yes thats right, Shamrock. Chinese Food. If that doesn't bring the lolz I'm not sure what does. Then more late night convos at Cara's ensued until the wee hours of Sunday. We woke up for a second to wisely decide not to take the 9:45 am bus back to Galway but instead the 4:15 pm, and then ate a gracious and delicious and massive brunch prepared by Cara's little sisters.
We were seriously sad to leave as Donegal is one of the most beautiful/ fun places I've ever been and Cara's parents, sisters and brother could not have been more generous, hospitable, or sweet. This weekend has made me even SADDER to leave Ireland, and I'm already planning on moving here next summer. I could gush about the weekend and Ireland in general forever but I have things to do and by things to do I mean take a walk to what we coined the "fairy forest" which is a castle and accompanying magical forest land about 40 minutes from my house which we found last week and never want to leave.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
I Survived a Volcanic Explosion and All I Got Was This Stupid T-Shirt
Sadly, after 17 days of traveling I did not receive a T-shirt. However, I did make new friends, see new places, eat new foods, learn new things and ultimately had the most unbelievable experience. By new friends I mean the many people I stayed with at the many hostels I called home for a few days at a time (I also think I fell in love at first sight at least 3 times. My theme song during the trip was Roxette's "It Must Have Been Love (But Its Over Now))." By new places I mean Venice, Florence, Rome, Barcelona, Madrid, and the side streets, parks, museums, apartments, cafes, gardens, boardwalks, docks, metro stops, bus stops, and train stations sprinkled throughout each. By new foods I mean dragon fruit, cactus flower, and fois gras (HUUULGH). (That was me evoking a vomit sounding noise). By learn new things I mean, for example, how well I navigate myself through a new city thanks to my newly discovered inner compass and shockingly good sense of direction. I'll humbly admit that I kick ass and take names with a map. Its like I'm the Kanye West of map reading. A little bit cocky but rightfully so. Dare I say, I'm the Cesar Millan of maps- The Map Whisperer. A topographical wizard, as it were. Want to to the Vatican? BAM your'e already there and back and took the scenic route. Lost and looking for David? Don't worry guys let me just get my map, oh wait I don't even need it I'm that good.
I also learned that good company can make a seemingly horrible and frustrating situation perfectly fine. I'm sure you guys watched the aftermath of a practical joke MN pulled on us a few days ago (MN= Mother Nature, keep up with me here):
Mother Nature: Knock knock.
Humanity: Whose there?
Mother Nature: Eyjafjallajokull.
Humanity: Sorry what? Did you sneeze? Ethwjhgojsngejgn!@% who?
Mother Nature: Lol. You guys crack me up. Enjoy finding your way home after this ash cloud seeps its way into your perfectly organized lives and transportation plans.
We first found out about the ash cloud while in Barcelona after we visited the Guell Park and wanted to know how Antonio Gaudi died (freak tram accident), Conor was using his Black Berry to settle our morbid minds and read an email that the heads of our program sent informing us travelers about the explosion. We hardly batted an eyelash as we thought there was no way it would affect us. Silly, stupid mortals. Of course it would. It would spread and settle and infiltrate its way pretty much all across Europe, stranding thousands and frustrating even more, as everyone's parents and professors grew worried for our well being and safe return. We were able to fly to Madrid, which was supposed to be the last leg of our 2 week vacation, and what was supposed to be 3 days ended up being 8. I felt like a cartoon character being followed like a shadow by a thick, ominous gray cloud; once they smugly think they finally got a way, the sonofagun cloud pours and soaks them to the core. When we found out that our return flight to Ireland was canceled, our friends rallied against the imminent cloud hanging above our heads, not an ash cloud, but just a cloud of gray gloom which turns a good mood into a bad one and ruins appetites. Food was ordered, wine was poured laughs were had and somehow last minute plans to get back to Ireland 5 days later were made. The ordeal made us a tight little family, and now leaving in two weeks is an even sadder prospect after this.
We passed the time by hanging out in Parque del Buen Retiro everyday, picnicking, reading aloud to each other from Witches of Eastwick, giving each other haircuts, and eating ice cream. Although we wanted nothing more than to be in Ireland enjoying the good weather with our friends, I kept reminding myself that there much much much worse things in the world than being stuck in Madrid for a few days.
I also learned that the world is so much smaller than I could have ever imagined. This might have been attributed to the fact that since I had my traveling eyes on and was taking in everything wide eyed and observantly, I ran into at least 5 people I know and countless people I had seen on a bus or train or plane which delighted me to no end. Like, what are the CHANCES that right after I try getting in touch with my only friend staying in Florence (but of course our phones won't connect) I run into her on the street? What are the odds that I run into Sam, who I have barely seen since Israel, at the same museum? Who would have ever thought that I would brush shoulders with a girl I went to high school with while running to catch a train to Rome? These encounters won't stop blowing my mind. Especially because there are so many that happened within the past few days.
I also learned that people rule. But then sometimes they don't. Take for example, Susan Rogers, a Spanish high school teacher from New York. We met her while waiting online to get our money refunded from the bull fight that was canceled. (Talk about major bummer. Although we were apprehensive and sad for the bull's imminent death, it would have been such a cool experience but WHATTA YA KNOW a RAIN CLOUD ruined it). Anyhow, if it weren't for the rain cloud we would not have met Susie, who bestowed lots of Spanish knowledge, shared great tidbits of information and words to the wise, as well as acting as a much needed mom-like figure all of needed in the midst of the ash cloud (she even gave us her number, the doll). Then again, there are people like the ones who sat behind us on the overnight bus from Madrid to Barcelona, who kept us up. The entire. Time. A sleepless 7 hour bus ride can really spoil a mood, especially when caused by four loud disgusting drunken men. I think I felt my blood actually boil. I wished desperately that I knew how to say anything besides "Hola" and "Gracias" because there was so much I wanted to scream I mean say to them.
But I am finally finally finally back in Ireland and it feels so good to be in my own bed. Although, I really do miss our hostel in Madrid, which was like someone's apartment about 20 people happened to be staying in. They would play records all day and it was so cozy and I want to live there. But nothing beats here. And I'm sure nothing will beat when I'm home home. But anyway, I need to go to the market and catch up with friends but I will give actual details about the trip later. Hope everyone is as happy and cozy as I am now!
I also learned that good company can make a seemingly horrible and frustrating situation perfectly fine. I'm sure you guys watched the aftermath of a practical joke MN pulled on us a few days ago (MN= Mother Nature, keep up with me here):
Mother Nature: Knock knock.
Humanity: Whose there?
Mother Nature: Eyjafjallajokull.
Humanity: Sorry what? Did you sneeze? Ethwjhgojsngejgn!@% who?
Mother Nature: Lol. You guys crack me up. Enjoy finding your way home after this ash cloud seeps its way into your perfectly organized lives and transportation plans.
We first found out about the ash cloud while in Barcelona after we visited the Guell Park and wanted to know how Antonio Gaudi died (freak tram accident), Conor was using his Black Berry to settle our morbid minds and read an email that the heads of our program sent informing us travelers about the explosion. We hardly batted an eyelash as we thought there was no way it would affect us. Silly, stupid mortals. Of course it would. It would spread and settle and infiltrate its way pretty much all across Europe, stranding thousands and frustrating even more, as everyone's parents and professors grew worried for our well being and safe return. We were able to fly to Madrid, which was supposed to be the last leg of our 2 week vacation, and what was supposed to be 3 days ended up being 8. I felt like a cartoon character being followed like a shadow by a thick, ominous gray cloud; once they smugly think they finally got a way, the sonofagun cloud pours and soaks them to the core. When we found out that our return flight to Ireland was canceled, our friends rallied against the imminent cloud hanging above our heads, not an ash cloud, but just a cloud of gray gloom which turns a good mood into a bad one and ruins appetites. Food was ordered, wine was poured laughs were had and somehow last minute plans to get back to Ireland 5 days later were made. The ordeal made us a tight little family, and now leaving in two weeks is an even sadder prospect after this.
We passed the time by hanging out in Parque del Buen Retiro everyday, picnicking, reading aloud to each other from Witches of Eastwick, giving each other haircuts, and eating ice cream. Although we wanted nothing more than to be in Ireland enjoying the good weather with our friends, I kept reminding myself that there much much much worse things in the world than being stuck in Madrid for a few days.
I also learned that the world is so much smaller than I could have ever imagined. This might have been attributed to the fact that since I had my traveling eyes on and was taking in everything wide eyed and observantly, I ran into at least 5 people I know and countless people I had seen on a bus or train or plane which delighted me to no end. Like, what are the CHANCES that right after I try getting in touch with my only friend staying in Florence (but of course our phones won't connect) I run into her on the street? What are the odds that I run into Sam, who I have barely seen since Israel, at the same museum? Who would have ever thought that I would brush shoulders with a girl I went to high school with while running to catch a train to Rome? These encounters won't stop blowing my mind. Especially because there are so many that happened within the past few days.
I also learned that people rule. But then sometimes they don't. Take for example, Susan Rogers, a Spanish high school teacher from New York. We met her while waiting online to get our money refunded from the bull fight that was canceled. (Talk about major bummer. Although we were apprehensive and sad for the bull's imminent death, it would have been such a cool experience but WHATTA YA KNOW a RAIN CLOUD ruined it). Anyhow, if it weren't for the rain cloud we would not have met Susie, who bestowed lots of Spanish knowledge, shared great tidbits of information and words to the wise, as well as acting as a much needed mom-like figure all of needed in the midst of the ash cloud (she even gave us her number, the doll). Then again, there are people like the ones who sat behind us on the overnight bus from Madrid to Barcelona, who kept us up. The entire. Time. A sleepless 7 hour bus ride can really spoil a mood, especially when caused by four loud disgusting drunken men. I think I felt my blood actually boil. I wished desperately that I knew how to say anything besides "Hola" and "Gracias" because there was so much I wanted to scream I mean say to them.
But I am finally finally finally back in Ireland and it feels so good to be in my own bed. Although, I really do miss our hostel in Madrid, which was like someone's apartment about 20 people happened to be staying in. They would play records all day and it was so cozy and I want to live there. But nothing beats here. And I'm sure nothing will beat when I'm home home. But anyway, I need to go to the market and catch up with friends but I will give actual details about the trip later. Hope everyone is as happy and cozy as I am now!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
...modernism and postmodernism are not entirely different, although have stark differences.
What does the title mean you ask? Just a snippet taken from a paper I've been working on today. What's that? The sentence is trite, trivial and nonsensical and I should delete it and write a new sentence? I'm aware and hardly care enough but my brain is melting and so I'm going to finally get out of the house. But not before writing more trite, trivial and nonsensical nonsense here! However, since my brain is half melted (I really have nothing to be complaining about- I wrote two papers yesterday, almost done with another one today, and then have two more due by tuesday and then I leave for Spain and Italy for two weeks. What's that you say? Shut up your spoiled and lucky and have nothing to complain about just get your work done and then have fun exploring two beautiful countries? Okay.) from writing papers which is difficult since my brain hasn't been in academic thinking mode since roughly about last semester. My writing methods have included such activities as me staring at the computer screen with an expression looking something like this:
0_o
or this:
>_<
or this:
-_-
and then I check facebook 500 times even though nothing new has happened, or I check my email for the 60th time even though I have no new emails or I read blogs or articles or ANYTHING that has NOTHING to do with what my paper is on.
But anyway. Mam and Lizzie left a couple days ago after we had the BEST GURLZ ROAD TRIP EVER (sPriNg BreaK '10 wo0o) and I have stories and pictures and videos up the wazz, but I won't have time to share those until I'm done with my papers (see how responsible I am?) and am back from Spain and Italy. So wait patiently please. Also, I booked a trip to Scotland in May! Hopefully I have time to travel to Prague, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Berlin before I come home but I doooon't know if I will. But then that just means I can wait for another trip. Also, another great cool (or should I say, grool) thing that happened is that I found out that I got the summer research grant that I applied for which means my summer will consist of me living in Burlington, getting paid to read and write, AND most of my friends will be in VT. What's that you say? Best summer ever? More like after these god forsaken papers are done, best LIFE ever. Idk. Sorry. Going now.
0_o
or this:
>_<
or this:
-_-
and then I check facebook 500 times even though nothing new has happened, or I check my email for the 60th time even though I have no new emails or I read blogs or articles or ANYTHING that has NOTHING to do with what my paper is on.
But anyway. Mam and Lizzie left a couple days ago after we had the BEST GURLZ ROAD TRIP EVER (sPriNg BreaK '10 wo0o) and I have stories and pictures and videos up the wazz, but I won't have time to share those until I'm done with my papers (see how responsible I am?) and am back from Spain and Italy. So wait patiently please. Also, I booked a trip to Scotland in May! Hopefully I have time to travel to Prague, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Berlin before I come home but I doooon't know if I will. But then that just means I can wait for another trip. Also, another great cool (or should I say, grool) thing that happened is that I found out that I got the summer research grant that I applied for which means my summer will consist of me living in Burlington, getting paid to read and write, AND most of my friends will be in VT. What's that you say? Best summer ever? More like after these god forsaken papers are done, best LIFE ever. Idk. Sorry. Going now.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Fo Shoenfelt
Hello dears. I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW FAST TIME IS GOING. Sarah just left Friday and now I'm expecting Mom and (COUISNS) Lizzie on Wednesday. I am beyond excited to see them and had such a lovely time with Sas, but I feel like I had been expecting them to come for so long but time is whizzing by and I only have 2 months left which sounds like a long time but I can assure you, at the rate things have been going, by the next time I blink I'll have been graduated from SMC and married with kids or cats and living on the moon (or something futuristic and weird to think about, IDK) . Another gauge of how fast time has gone is by looking at the ipod playlist, "Ireland Travels," I created when I first got to Galway. What was at first only about 6 songs (yes, including 'Galway Girl' and banjo beats) to get me in what I thought was an Irish mindset for roadtrips and plane rides is now 100 and something songs that have been recommended by my Irish friends (who in fact don't enjoy listening to Galway girl or banjo beats) or just cool jams I found from t.v commercials (which I think could be a field study in itself for anthropologists). All I can do is continue what I've been doing: absolutely adoring it here while having so much fun roaming through Galway and the country hills talking to cows and not wanting to leave (sorry mam and pap). I've already started looking into doing Graduate school here. I was talking to Tyler yesterday who is in Costa Rica, and it's the same deal with him. It's just so funny to think about 3 months ago when we knew NO ONE here and felt weird and almost like it was freshman year all over again, but even before a month it felt like home and I already didn't want to leave. It's hard to explain. But even being in a pub with strangers who are mostly 20 years older and playing the banjo (at least the demographic of ages 36-90 share my love for banjo beats) feels so comfortable and like you belong there (I can see how that statement can be frightening and alcoholic seeming, but I swear its a healthy love affair between me and this country).
Anyhow, last weekend our program took us to the Aran Islands which was one of the best days filled with bike riding, picnics, stopping every 5 minutes to pet and feed horses, playing on the dunes, laying in the grass, visiting a 2, 0000 year old fort, sitting on the edge of a cliff, speeding downhill, and witnessing an old irish man herd baby cows across a residential neighborhood/ street (I can't tell you how delighted I get when I see things like that, the old man herding cows I mean, the sitting on the edge of the cliff was whatever. Just kidding obviously it ruled.) Lily captured a moment one of the horses and I had and she submitted it to the Arcadia newsletter which won herself 10 euro and the horse and I a spread in the newsletter/ online website. Booya.
Anyhow, last weekend our program took us to the Aran Islands which was one of the best days filled with bike riding, picnics, stopping every 5 minutes to pet and feed horses, playing on the dunes, laying in the grass, visiting a 2, 0000 year old fort, sitting on the edge of a cliff, speeding downhill, and witnessing an old irish man herd baby cows across a residential neighborhood/ street (I can't tell you how delighted I get when I see things like that, the old man herding cows I mean, the sitting on the edge of the cliff was whatever. Just kidding obviously it ruled.) Lily captured a moment one of the horses and I had and she submitted it to the Arcadia newsletter which won herself 10 euro and the horse and I a spread in the newsletter/ online website. Booya.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Strands of Doolin
Hello all. Again, so much has happened that I hardly no where to begin. Although matters most fresh on my mind are how I need to replace the DVD Everything Is Illuminated to the school library before march 15th or else I'll be fined $75 dollars. See, I rented it the last week of last semester to have some R & R in the midst of packing and moving out/ finals. And see, I usually refrain from renting movies from the library due to my utter forgetfulness of returning them which results in a fine of a dollar a day which results in me getting lots of fines which finally resulted in me relinquishing my DVD renting privileges. A self inflicted punishment. Responsible, if you ask me. However, flash forward to me ultimately forgetting to return the ONE DVD I rented the entire semester (I actually returned the box, but left the dvd in the dvd player which belongs to Liza, which she packed and brought home, which her parents now can't seem to find, which leaves her and I in Ireland and me incapable of producing said DVD and the school library emailing threatening emails about outrages fines). However, of course I can count on dear old Dad to simply buy a new one, mail it to SMC and laugh at my endearing mindfarts.
Also fresh on my mind is how I REALLY need to find time to write my final papers which aren't due until the end of April-ish yet I really cannot seem to find anytime to write them. Life is so hard isn't it? I've had VIRTUALLY no work to do at all, and now that work is upon the horizon I already can't find time to do it. You see, this week is RAG week (Raise a Grand) which means that from now until the end of the week, every student in Galway wakes up, greets the day and drinks all day and night. For the entire week. The clubs are open at noon, pubs are even more filled than usual, and every dollar they make is donated to charity. Drinking for a cause. Oh those Irish. And although I can't even PRETEND to keep up with them, I don't think I'll be getting any school work done. The week after that my Best Friend Sarah Cunningham (alter ego Scott Cunni) will be visiting, and then immediately after that Mom and perhaps and hopefully Ben and Lizzie will be visiting for eight days. And then after that is spring break which I was planning on spending in Spain and Italy and then after that my papers are due. And so there lies my dilemma.
But anyways, this weekend I went to Doolin with Brenna, Liza and Isabelle. A small town of about 500 people, three pubs and many cows, it's only about an hour bus ride away. We got there Friday night (during the day I walked to Salt Hill with Audrey and had ice cream cones, and a nice chat beside the water while people/ dog watching, and then went to a cake contest in the museum where we got to sample every cake fo free! Teal and I go to a cooking class every Thursday and our teacher is a local baker and invited us to it. And as if we would pass up free cake) and whipped up a quick meal, drank tea and lounged by the fire and then went to one of the pubs which is famous for its live music. The next day we woke up and Matty, the owner of the hostel, drove us to the market so we could buy milk and cheese, and after a fast breakfast, his wife Carmel drove us to the Cliffs of Moher which offered exquisite views and fun photo opportunities. It also wasn't too crowded so it was even more enjoyable and even peaceful. Then we walked the seven miles back into town along the water and farms. We stopped by one of the farms to talk to the cows make make googely eyes at the bb cows. I don't think they enjoyed our company too much because they would make eye contact with one of us and then proceed to unload what looked and sounded like 30 pounds of urine and cow pies. We walked onwards and stopped in to one of the pubs for some soup and browsed in the few shops that were around, and stopped off at the Clare Jam Shop to buy some homemade jam. Of course I got one for Nonnie, I know how she loves her jam. I bought myself Blackcurrent and Port and Nonnie Strawberry Champagne. Nothing but the best for my girl.
On the way back to the hostel we passed a beautiful white friendly horse who I had a moment with, and then we took a glorious nap, woke up for dinner (I made my famous Riceotto) and then we sat by the fire with tea in hand while Matty whipped out his projector and slides of photos he's taken of the area over the past 15 years and explained every slide and answered our questions. I was so impressed with him- he fixes the roof/renovates the hostel by day, and somehow finds time to work for the coast guard and take beautiful pictures and learn/ teach about the history of his home to passing by tourists. He also has a lot of work cut out for him as the coast guard because the Cliffs of Moher has the highest suicide rate. Although its a beautiful place, its also so sad and almost creepy because of all the signs urging people to call for help and there is a memorial on one of the cliffs. That night we went to one of the pubs where a 21st birthday was taking place, and then this morning we woke up to watch the sunrise and went for another walk to an old graveyard and then went to feed the horse down the street.
Oh also this last week Brenna, Isabelle, Zach and I threw Liza and Teal a 21st birthday surprise party which went perfectly according to plan (except for the part where Zach was supposed to have them over for dinner/distract them while we got my house ready and I ran to the store to buy birthday candles. Good ole Zach lets them out of his sight so they could run to the store, so I had to hide in the frozen fish isle for 15 minutes so they wouldn't run into me) we had the homemade vegan red velvet cake we made at my house, went to a house party as Isabelle's and then went out dancing. A good time had by all.
Also fresh on my mind is how I REALLY need to find time to write my final papers which aren't due until the end of April-ish yet I really cannot seem to find anytime to write them. Life is so hard isn't it? I've had VIRTUALLY no work to do at all, and now that work is upon the horizon I already can't find time to do it. You see, this week is RAG week (Raise a Grand) which means that from now until the end of the week, every student in Galway wakes up, greets the day and drinks all day and night. For the entire week. The clubs are open at noon, pubs are even more filled than usual, and every dollar they make is donated to charity. Drinking for a cause. Oh those Irish. And although I can't even PRETEND to keep up with them, I don't think I'll be getting any school work done. The week after that my Best Friend Sarah Cunningham (alter ego Scott Cunni) will be visiting, and then immediately after that Mom and perhaps and hopefully Ben and Lizzie will be visiting for eight days. And then after that is spring break which I was planning on spending in Spain and Italy and then after that my papers are due. And so there lies my dilemma.
But anyways, this weekend I went to Doolin with Brenna, Liza and Isabelle. A small town of about 500 people, three pubs and many cows, it's only about an hour bus ride away. We got there Friday night (during the day I walked to Salt Hill with Audrey and had ice cream cones, and a nice chat beside the water while people/ dog watching, and then went to a cake contest in the museum where we got to sample every cake fo free! Teal and I go to a cooking class every Thursday and our teacher is a local baker and invited us to it. And as if we would pass up free cake) and whipped up a quick meal, drank tea and lounged by the fire and then went to one of the pubs which is famous for its live music. The next day we woke up and Matty, the owner of the hostel, drove us to the market so we could buy milk and cheese, and after a fast breakfast, his wife Carmel drove us to the Cliffs of Moher which offered exquisite views and fun photo opportunities. It also wasn't too crowded so it was even more enjoyable and even peaceful. Then we walked the seven miles back into town along the water and farms. We stopped by one of the farms to talk to the cows make make googely eyes at the bb cows. I don't think they enjoyed our company too much because they would make eye contact with one of us and then proceed to unload what looked and sounded like 30 pounds of urine and cow pies. We walked onwards and stopped in to one of the pubs for some soup and browsed in the few shops that were around, and stopped off at the Clare Jam Shop to buy some homemade jam. Of course I got one for Nonnie, I know how she loves her jam. I bought myself Blackcurrent and Port and Nonnie Strawberry Champagne. Nothing but the best for my girl.
On the way back to the hostel we passed a beautiful white friendly horse who I had a moment with, and then we took a glorious nap, woke up for dinner (I made my famous Riceotto) and then we sat by the fire with tea in hand while Matty whipped out his projector and slides of photos he's taken of the area over the past 15 years and explained every slide and answered our questions. I was so impressed with him- he fixes the roof/renovates the hostel by day, and somehow finds time to work for the coast guard and take beautiful pictures and learn/ teach about the history of his home to passing by tourists. He also has a lot of work cut out for him as the coast guard because the Cliffs of Moher has the highest suicide rate. Although its a beautiful place, its also so sad and almost creepy because of all the signs urging people to call for help and there is a memorial on one of the cliffs. That night we went to one of the pubs where a 21st birthday was taking place, and then this morning we woke up to watch the sunrise and went for another walk to an old graveyard and then went to feed the horse down the street.
Oh also this last week Brenna, Isabelle, Zach and I threw Liza and Teal a 21st birthday surprise party which went perfectly according to plan (except for the part where Zach was supposed to have them over for dinner/distract them while we got my house ready and I ran to the store to buy birthday candles. Good ole Zach lets them out of his sight so they could run to the store, so I had to hide in the frozen fish isle for 15 minutes so they wouldn't run into me) we had the homemade vegan red velvet cake we made at my house, went to a house party as Isabelle's and then went out dancing. A good time had by all.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Don't worry guys I'm alive.
I think this was just about the shortest month ever. In this short month I've realized that time flies when your having fun. And that life just gets in the way sometimes. And that life is what happens when your busy making other plans sorry cliche vomit. Actually, I have been so busy that I haven't even had time to take out the garbage in our bathroom which actually contains a moldy avocado pit. Sorry Liza.
Anyways, I just got back about an hour ago from Belfast and the weekend before that I was in Paris so we have SO MUCH so catch up on. I hardly know where to begin but I guess I'll start with that today is the first day of the rest of your life. And by that I mean another cliche. But I guess I'll start with Belfast because it was a short trip and fresh in my mind. Our program organized it so they picked us up bright and early in the morning. It was only a 5 hour drive which was a pleasant surprise because there were rumors that it would be 9 hours. We had an hour long break at a mall which made me feel like I was in America because a) a mall is a mall is a mall and b) they too have annoying salespeople in the middle of the mall who barrage you and who I have to quickly walk by and lie to ('SORRY I'M MEETING SOMEONE' is my go to excuse) and also the women who curl little girl's hair whose scalps are covered in millions of bejeweled hair clips and fake hair extensions.
We got to Belfast around 3 where they called out our names and room numbers. Of course I got put in a room with 22 other girls. TWENTY TWO. I'm all for hostels and saving money and kind of living in squalor but 22? girls in one room? That means 44 feet, about 15 pairs of Ugg boots which collectively smell like 879 feet, and at least 15 girls I knew would be coming home at an ungodly hour which was a horror to imagine because I was still EXHAUSTED from Paris.
But I of course smiled and took my key, put my things down and then walked around with some friends to explore. However, it was cold, rainy and the 9 euro boots I bought at Penny's (the equivalent to Target) were living up to their 9 euro reputation and pretty much asked mud and cold water to slosh around and inside my feet. Even with the dreary weather the city was still bustling and my friends and I wandered around City Hall, the Theater and did a lot of people watching (which I think is one of the best and most interesting ways to get to know a new place). The next morning we woke up early and went to the Giant's Causeway (ranked the 4th greatest natural wonder in the UK, BOOYA) which was very cool and so beautiful. The weather cleared up which was really nice, blue skies and sun so we could see the Causeway in all its glory and listen to all the funny myths and also learned about the geology of the place. Our tour guide is also a geology teacher at a nearby secondary school- she told us how Gaint's Causeway used to be a volcanically active place which is why the rocks look the way they do (like flat 6 to 8 sided cylinders) because the water that ran down them cooled them into how they look today. She also told us the myth, which the trusty and true Wikipeida explains as, "Legend has it that the Irish warrior Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn McCool) built the causeway to walk to Scotland to fight his Scottish counterpart Benandonner. One version of the legend tells that Fionn fell asleep before he got to Scotland. When he did not arrive, the much larger Benandonner crossed the bridge looking for him. To protect Fionn, his wife Oonagh laid a blanket over him so he could pretend that he was actually their baby son. In a variation, Fionn fled after seeing Benandonner's great bulk, and asked his wife to disguise him as the baby. In both versions, when Benandonner saw the size of the 'infant', he assumed the alleged father, Fionn, must be gigantic indeed. Therefore, Benandonner fled home in terror, ripping up the Causeway in case he was followed by Fionn." And there you have it.
When we got back to Belfast we went to a pub to watch the rugby match (don't laugh, I actually get really into it albeit I don't understand, I just scream loudly and mimic everyone else's reactions). The heads of our program did warn us however not to go into one pub because it would be extremely unsafe as they are a Loyalist pub. Of course that pub was located directly across the street from our hostel. But we found an Irish one which was warm and welcoming. Then we had a big dinner at a nearby Hotel which was exciting and fancy seeming. We went to pub next to it after and but when everyone else left for a club, I stayed with a couple of people to finish our Guinness and then hit the hay. That night I was so tired (and also made a make shift curtain/fort with towels) so I had a very good night's sleep. This morning we woke up and went back to the hotel for a lecture about the murals around town depicting the politics of the area. It was so interesting and really sad, some of them are so disturbing and violent. The lecturer is a professor at the college in Belfast and as a hobby has been documenting the murals for the last 30 years. He explained it not as Protestants vs Catholics but Nationalists vs Unionists, which makes it a political issue not so much religious.
Then we had a bus tour of all the murals, some areas we had to drive by because it wasn't safe enough to go out. They told us that its safe nowadays, but just in case they only let us walk around certain areas to take pictures. We also went to the place where the Titanic was built! It looked waaaaaay smaller than what I was expecting, but I can see how in the early 20th century it was mindblowing. Then we journeyed home and here we are.
Moving right along. I left with three friends last Thursday for Paris. Remember my London/Uezbakistani boarding pass mix up? Well this time I typed my name as Abby Moly Robbins instead of Abby Molly Robbins. Not that big of a deal you would think especially because of how graciously they reacted towards my more major mistake on my last boarding pass. It was no big thang on the way TO Paris but on the way back? Wow. First of all the airport was a zoo with lines up the wazoo and then once I was almost through it, a man told me I had to go ALL THE WAY BACK because it said Moly but my passport said Molly. I felt that wave of panic I've described before because I just waited on that God forsaken line and what if I missed my plane and what if they charged me because it was spelled Moly but alls well that ends well and it ended well.
I'm not sure why I started describing the end of my trip either. But we landed in France and had to take an hour long bus to get to Paris which was easy enough, and then had to take the metro to our hostel. Not so easy. After 5 years of French classes I'm embarrassed of how little I remember, but being in France made me realize I remember more than I thought, I just need to move there I think and be forced to speak it all the time. But anyways. We get to the metro, I ask for my ticket, and then its Audrey's turn which ends up with her getting yelled at and money and a ticket thrown at her. Teal and Dayna somehow manage getting yelled at but not money thrown at them, and then we stared at the metro map for far too long and then realized it was the wrong map and then called the hostel for directions. We soon made it and the hostel was a few blocks away from the Eiffel Tower which was all lit up sparkles every hour on the hour. It was such a pleasant sight. We checked in, ran to a small food store to get things to make dinner (always tryna save a buck) ate real quick and then ran to see the Eiffel tower. I was just so happy to be there and hear French and see beautiful old apartments and cafes and wishing I lived on every block I walked past.
Now I'm sleepy and will make this a To Be Continued Post. Keep you on your toes and asking for more.
Liza just informed me she took out the trash and that the avocado pit looked like it was growing cotton on it. What a gal.
Until tomorrow!
Anyways, I just got back about an hour ago from Belfast and the weekend before that I was in Paris so we have SO MUCH so catch up on. I hardly know where to begin but I guess I'll start with that today is the first day of the rest of your life. And by that I mean another cliche. But I guess I'll start with Belfast because it was a short trip and fresh in my mind. Our program organized it so they picked us up bright and early in the morning. It was only a 5 hour drive which was a pleasant surprise because there were rumors that it would be 9 hours. We had an hour long break at a mall which made me feel like I was in America because a) a mall is a mall is a mall and b) they too have annoying salespeople in the middle of the mall who barrage you and who I have to quickly walk by and lie to ('SORRY I'M MEETING SOMEONE' is my go to excuse) and also the women who curl little girl's hair whose scalps are covered in millions of bejeweled hair clips and fake hair extensions.
We got to Belfast around 3 where they called out our names and room numbers. Of course I got put in a room with 22 other girls. TWENTY TWO. I'm all for hostels and saving money and kind of living in squalor but 22? girls in one room? That means 44 feet, about 15 pairs of Ugg boots which collectively smell like 879 feet, and at least 15 girls I knew would be coming home at an ungodly hour which was a horror to imagine because I was still EXHAUSTED from Paris.
But I of course smiled and took my key, put my things down and then walked around with some friends to explore. However, it was cold, rainy and the 9 euro boots I bought at Penny's (the equivalent to Target) were living up to their 9 euro reputation and pretty much asked mud and cold water to slosh around and inside my feet. Even with the dreary weather the city was still bustling and my friends and I wandered around City Hall, the Theater and did a lot of people watching (which I think is one of the best and most interesting ways to get to know a new place). The next morning we woke up early and went to the Giant's Causeway (ranked the 4th greatest natural wonder in the UK, BOOYA) which was very cool and so beautiful. The weather cleared up which was really nice, blue skies and sun so we could see the Causeway in all its glory and listen to all the funny myths and also learned about the geology of the place. Our tour guide is also a geology teacher at a nearby secondary school- she told us how Gaint's Causeway used to be a volcanically active place which is why the rocks look the way they do (like flat 6 to 8 sided cylinders) because the water that ran down them cooled them into how they look today. She also told us the myth, which the trusty and true Wikipeida explains as, "Legend has it that the Irish warrior Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn McCool) built the causeway to walk to Scotland to fight his Scottish counterpart Benandonner. One version of the legend tells that Fionn fell asleep before he got to Scotland. When he did not arrive, the much larger Benandonner crossed the bridge looking for him. To protect Fionn, his wife Oonagh laid a blanket over him so he could pretend that he was actually their baby son. In a variation, Fionn fled after seeing Benandonner's great bulk, and asked his wife to disguise him as the baby. In both versions, when Benandonner saw the size of the 'infant', he assumed the alleged father, Fionn, must be gigantic indeed. Therefore, Benandonner fled home in terror, ripping up the Causeway in case he was followed by Fionn." And there you have it.
When we got back to Belfast we went to a pub to watch the rugby match (don't laugh, I actually get really into it albeit I don't understand, I just scream loudly and mimic everyone else's reactions). The heads of our program did warn us however not to go into one pub because it would be extremely unsafe as they are a Loyalist pub. Of course that pub was located directly across the street from our hostel. But we found an Irish one which was warm and welcoming. Then we had a big dinner at a nearby Hotel which was exciting and fancy seeming. We went to pub next to it after and but when everyone else left for a club, I stayed with a couple of people to finish our Guinness and then hit the hay. That night I was so tired (and also made a make shift curtain/fort with towels) so I had a very good night's sleep. This morning we woke up and went back to the hotel for a lecture about the murals around town depicting the politics of the area. It was so interesting and really sad, some of them are so disturbing and violent. The lecturer is a professor at the college in Belfast and as a hobby has been documenting the murals for the last 30 years. He explained it not as Protestants vs Catholics but Nationalists vs Unionists, which makes it a political issue not so much religious.
Then we had a bus tour of all the murals, some areas we had to drive by because it wasn't safe enough to go out. They told us that its safe nowadays, but just in case they only let us walk around certain areas to take pictures. We also went to the place where the Titanic was built! It looked waaaaaay smaller than what I was expecting, but I can see how in the early 20th century it was mindblowing. Then we journeyed home and here we are.
Moving right along. I left with three friends last Thursday for Paris. Remember my London/Uezbakistani boarding pass mix up? Well this time I typed my name as Abby Moly Robbins instead of Abby Molly Robbins. Not that big of a deal you would think especially because of how graciously they reacted towards my more major mistake on my last boarding pass. It was no big thang on the way TO Paris but on the way back? Wow. First of all the airport was a zoo with lines up the wazoo and then once I was almost through it, a man told me I had to go ALL THE WAY BACK because it said Moly but my passport said Molly. I felt that wave of panic I've described before because I just waited on that God forsaken line and what if I missed my plane and what if they charged me because it was spelled Moly but alls well that ends well and it ended well.
I'm not sure why I started describing the end of my trip either. But we landed in France and had to take an hour long bus to get to Paris which was easy enough, and then had to take the metro to our hostel. Not so easy. After 5 years of French classes I'm embarrassed of how little I remember, but being in France made me realize I remember more than I thought, I just need to move there I think and be forced to speak it all the time. But anyways. We get to the metro, I ask for my ticket, and then its Audrey's turn which ends up with her getting yelled at and money and a ticket thrown at her. Teal and Dayna somehow manage getting yelled at but not money thrown at them, and then we stared at the metro map for far too long and then realized it was the wrong map and then called the hostel for directions. We soon made it and the hostel was a few blocks away from the Eiffel Tower which was all lit up sparkles every hour on the hour. It was such a pleasant sight. We checked in, ran to a small food store to get things to make dinner (always tryna save a buck) ate real quick and then ran to see the Eiffel tower. I was just so happy to be there and hear French and see beautiful old apartments and cafes and wishing I lived on every block I walked past.
Now I'm sleepy and will make this a To Be Continued Post. Keep you on your toes and asking for more.
Liza just informed me she took out the trash and that the avocado pit looked like it was growing cotton on it. What a gal.
Until tomorrow!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Goodge
So London was a successful first trip, Uezbakistani nationality and all. The good people at Ryanair were actually surprisingly nice, helpful and didn't charge me an extra dime. They even played a song each time we landed, the same song they play at horse races, I don't really see the connection but it certainly put us all in a spirited mindset. I sat with Liza and Zach on the way there, she sat in the middle holding our hands since she's a nervous flier. I sang my version of the Reba McEntire theme song to relax her as well as the 90s classic, "Said Boom Boom Boooom Errybody say Wayo0o" to which she would respond, "Wayo0o0". We are perfect traveling buddies since her yin is my yang, my yang is her yin, she is the Dingle to my Dangle.
We left Thursday afternoon but we were up at 6:30 am because we had to register with the police here. Since we didn't need to get visas we had to do this instead. I didn't have to register until 7:40 but it took us 30 minutes to wake up and get ready and somehow 40 minutes to find the place even though it was only 10 minutes away. I don't know if its due to the off season or just if its being out of America, but it is easy as pie to get through the airports here. Everything went smoothly, we met up with some kids from our program who were also going to London, so we all traveled together except when we landed in Gatwick Airport, we parted ways since they had booked tickets for a train and Liza and I decided to save a buck and take the bus. Bad Thing #1. Long story short, Liza sat next to a Very Creepy Man who said things like "Do I scare you?" and insisted that he would show us a place to stay when the bus got to London. Obviously we were planning on going towards the complete opposite direction of him when the bus got to London, but I grew worried while getting my luggage from under the bus when a woman expressed her concern for us and so Liza and I ran to the bathroom, locked ourselves in a stall and came up with a game plan which was to tell him we would wait at the bus station because a friend was meeting us. Thank goodness he got the hint and left.
But then I realized that my phone shut off and I didn't know my PIN number to unlock it so I could call Sam since we arranged that we would be staying at his apartment for the weekend. Bad Things #2 and #3. I couldn't turn my phone on annnnd of course didn't write his phone number down. Luckily I asked a nice fellow at a taxi stand if he knew of a cell phone place around, but he said better yet, ask my friend Martin over there in that cafe. Martin was nothing less than a life saver and my phone was on and working but Bad Thing #3 was that Sam's phone wasn't working. Bad Thing #4 was that Martin informed us that since it was getting late and it was so last minute, a hostel would be so expensive (and London is already expensive enough thank you) so of course our Plan of Action was to call Dad I mean Zach. Zach was staying with Kiley and the rest of the gang we traveled with but had to split up with at the airport and who were all staying with Kiley's cousin Sally. Long story short we end up spending the night at Sally's. After that there were no more bad things; she and her husband were SO gracious, hospitable, fun, sweet, and lived in the most BEAUTIFUL apartment. We all had pizza, drank wine, went out to a pub and then we all had a sleepover in the living room. Zach and I both forgot pajama bottoms but we made do with what we had (he his boxers and rug/blanket and I with my dress/makeshift nightgown) and might have made everyone else a little bit uncomfortable. Pretty perfect.
The next day while everyone did touristy thangs, Isabelle and I met up and went to Portebello Rd. which I will forever love. We went there everyday after that too just enjoying the vendors, shops, music and food. Oh the food. Then I FINALLY got in touch with Sam, went to Sally's to get our stuff, handed them a bottle of wine as a Big Fat Thank You and made our way over to Marble Arch where Sam lives. It was so great seeing him, I hadn't seen him for two whole years but I tell ya it felt like I saw him just yesterday. It also felt SO GOOD TO FINALLY SHOWER and then also so good to eat and not just eat but to eat Shwarma which I hadn't had for two years and which I've only had in Israel. This shwarma did all shwarma justice. And the chips? Get out of here. So good. Too good. With hot sauce? See ya later. That night we went to Nottinghill/Portebello Rd. again because Isabelle were under the impression that it would be the best place ever 24/7. Wrong. We went to the one pub that was open, felt weird, had one drink there and then went back to Marble Arch to smoke some hooka and then went to bed.
The next day we wandered all over having so much fun and that night planned on meeting Sam and his friends at the SECOND BEST CLUB IN THE WORLD buuut that was a bust and we stayed in and had so much fun at the Second Best Apartment in the World. The next day we went to Hyde park and Abbey Rd. which we got to when it was getting dark/rush hour. I had already been there years before but will never stop being one the coolest places ever so I just as excited as everyone else and just as frustrated at the amount of cars preventing us from getting a good cheesy touristy picture walking across. I was also getting VERY into it whenever I kiiiiind of sooooort of got a good picture of everyone. When I looked at the picture of me walking across I noticed an ORB OVER MY FACE. You know what that means. John and George are with me. I mean, all of them are but I've always felt akin to those two. That orb is like a big fat kiss of approval. I bet they even read this blog.
That night was also the night of the Superbowl which means 100% Nothing to me but everyone else cared a little bit. We planned on watching it in a pub but then Sam enticed us with the prospect of homemade Chili and so obviously we stayed in and ate bowls of chili and half payed attention to the game. Since I'm such a seasoned vet at chopping veggies (thank you Foodtown) I was a skilled helper and had a hot burning sensation all night in my hands from chopping up chili peppers. Totally worth it. The next day we went to the Tate Modern Museum which I've also already been too but I loved it even more this time around. Then we had to get going by the time we got out, said goodbye to Sam and his roommates and headed back to Gatwick. No buses or creepy men this time. When we got back to Shannon Airport in Ireland we SPRINTED through because we thought we could make an earlier bus to Galway. Picture a gaggle of girls running with backpacks and the smallest one screaming "WE CAN DO IT! RUUUUUUN!" (yes, the smallest one is yours truly). Turns out there was no earlier bus, and we had to wait for the 12:45 am. Needless to say we were exhausted and I didn't wake up until 12:45 pm.
I had so much fun and I'm so glad we were able to stay with Sam. So fun, so comfy and so free. One of my favorite parts was taking the Tube (but BOY is that expensive) and giggling at funny names of stations like Goodge amongst other things that are only funny to the immature mind. I'm excited to relax this weekend though and I guess get some work done (I literally haven't done anything yet. Don't worry Mam, nothing is due until the end of the semester) and I can't wait for the Market on Saturday and to eat the doughnuts there. It might be unhealthy how often I think about them.
We left Thursday afternoon but we were up at 6:30 am because we had to register with the police here. Since we didn't need to get visas we had to do this instead. I didn't have to register until 7:40 but it took us 30 minutes to wake up and get ready and somehow 40 minutes to find the place even though it was only 10 minutes away. I don't know if its due to the off season or just if its being out of America, but it is easy as pie to get through the airports here. Everything went smoothly, we met up with some kids from our program who were also going to London, so we all traveled together except when we landed in Gatwick Airport, we parted ways since they had booked tickets for a train and Liza and I decided to save a buck and take the bus. Bad Thing #1. Long story short, Liza sat next to a Very Creepy Man who said things like "Do I scare you?" and insisted that he would show us a place to stay when the bus got to London. Obviously we were planning on going towards the complete opposite direction of him when the bus got to London, but I grew worried while getting my luggage from under the bus when a woman expressed her concern for us and so Liza and I ran to the bathroom, locked ourselves in a stall and came up with a game plan which was to tell him we would wait at the bus station because a friend was meeting us. Thank goodness he got the hint and left.
But then I realized that my phone shut off and I didn't know my PIN number to unlock it so I could call Sam since we arranged that we would be staying at his apartment for the weekend. Bad Things #2 and #3. I couldn't turn my phone on annnnd of course didn't write his phone number down. Luckily I asked a nice fellow at a taxi stand if he knew of a cell phone place around, but he said better yet, ask my friend Martin over there in that cafe. Martin was nothing less than a life saver and my phone was on and working but Bad Thing #3 was that Sam's phone wasn't working. Bad Thing #4 was that Martin informed us that since it was getting late and it was so last minute, a hostel would be so expensive (and London is already expensive enough thank you) so of course our Plan of Action was to call Dad I mean Zach. Zach was staying with Kiley and the rest of the gang we traveled with but had to split up with at the airport and who were all staying with Kiley's cousin Sally. Long story short we end up spending the night at Sally's. After that there were no more bad things; she and her husband were SO gracious, hospitable, fun, sweet, and lived in the most BEAUTIFUL apartment. We all had pizza, drank wine, went out to a pub and then we all had a sleepover in the living room. Zach and I both forgot pajama bottoms but we made do with what we had (he his boxers and rug/blanket and I with my dress/makeshift nightgown) and might have made everyone else a little bit uncomfortable. Pretty perfect.
The next day while everyone did touristy thangs, Isabelle and I met up and went to Portebello Rd. which I will forever love. We went there everyday after that too just enjoying the vendors, shops, music and food. Oh the food. Then I FINALLY got in touch with Sam, went to Sally's to get our stuff, handed them a bottle of wine as a Big Fat Thank You and made our way over to Marble Arch where Sam lives. It was so great seeing him, I hadn't seen him for two whole years but I tell ya it felt like I saw him just yesterday. It also felt SO GOOD TO FINALLY SHOWER and then also so good to eat and not just eat but to eat Shwarma which I hadn't had for two years and which I've only had in Israel. This shwarma did all shwarma justice. And the chips? Get out of here. So good. Too good. With hot sauce? See ya later. That night we went to Nottinghill/Portebello Rd. again because Isabelle were under the impression that it would be the best place ever 24/7. Wrong. We went to the one pub that was open, felt weird, had one drink there and then went back to Marble Arch to smoke some hooka and then went to bed.
The next day we wandered all over having so much fun and that night planned on meeting Sam and his friends at the SECOND BEST CLUB IN THE WORLD buuut that was a bust and we stayed in and had so much fun at the Second Best Apartment in the World. The next day we went to Hyde park and Abbey Rd. which we got to when it was getting dark/rush hour. I had already been there years before but will never stop being one the coolest places ever so I just as excited as everyone else and just as frustrated at the amount of cars preventing us from getting a good cheesy touristy picture walking across. I was also getting VERY into it whenever I kiiiiind of sooooort of got a good picture of everyone. When I looked at the picture of me walking across I noticed an ORB OVER MY FACE. You know what that means. John and George are with me. I mean, all of them are but I've always felt akin to those two. That orb is like a big fat kiss of approval. I bet they even read this blog.
That night was also the night of the Superbowl which means 100% Nothing to me but everyone else cared a little bit. We planned on watching it in a pub but then Sam enticed us with the prospect of homemade Chili and so obviously we stayed in and ate bowls of chili and half payed attention to the game. Since I'm such a seasoned vet at chopping veggies (thank you Foodtown) I was a skilled helper and had a hot burning sensation all night in my hands from chopping up chili peppers. Totally worth it. The next day we went to the Tate Modern Museum which I've also already been too but I loved it even more this time around. Then we had to get going by the time we got out, said goodbye to Sam and his roommates and headed back to Gatwick. No buses or creepy men this time. When we got back to Shannon Airport in Ireland we SPRINTED through because we thought we could make an earlier bus to Galway. Picture a gaggle of girls running with backpacks and the smallest one screaming "WE CAN DO IT! RUUUUUUN!" (yes, the smallest one is yours truly). Turns out there was no earlier bus, and we had to wait for the 12:45 am. Needless to say we were exhausted and I didn't wake up until 12:45 pm.
I had so much fun and I'm so glad we were able to stay with Sam. So fun, so comfy and so free. One of my favorite parts was taking the Tube (but BOY is that expensive) and giggling at funny names of stations like Goodge amongst other things that are only funny to the immature mind. I'm excited to relax this weekend though and I guess get some work done (I literally haven't done anything yet. Don't worry Mam, nothing is due until the end of the semester) and I can't wait for the Market on Saturday and to eat the doughnuts there. It might be unhealthy how often I think about them.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Ode to Ryanair
Oh wait. Just kidding. I HATE THEM.
So like I said earlier, leaving for London tomorrow. Today after class that ended at 3 I met Seamus and his wife Beatrice for "afternoon tea" at the Spanish Arch Hotel which one of his niece's runs who I was also able to meet. Silly me to expect tea for afternoon tea. Instead we had a pint/wine and then went out to dinner and had more wine. I didn't get back until 8 because we had such a lovely time. If I had to describe Beatrice with one word it would be Sassy. My kind of woman.
HOWEVER since I was being wined and dined I missed checking in online and printing my boarding pass with the rest of the girls. Since Beatrice is such a standup gal she drove me home so I could get my passport and then drove me back to school so I could use the printer. Of course I don't know how to use the computer/printer/machine you use to put credit on your account to print things so I asked the person standing nearest to me if I could just pay them if they signed in and let me use their account. Marissa is also a stand up gal and we walked all over campus trying to find open computers and she wouldn't even take the money I owed her! Granted it was 20 cents but still. A stand up gal.
HOWEVER maybe it was the pint/winewinewinewine/chocolate cake Seamus and Beatrice insisted I had or maybe it was the SLOW AS MOLASSES computers in the computer labs at school but by the time I checked in online and printed my boarding pass I realized that my nationality is listed as Uzbekistan. UZBEKISTAN. You can imagine the wave of PANIC that came over my body. I was so panicked that I broke out into a cold and DAMP sweat, the kind that makes people around you look at you all bewildered and ask if you're okay, but I didn't even CARE because I was so panicked. Because Ryanair, the bane of my existence, charges you up the you know what for god knows what. For example, they charge you 100 euro if your name on your boarding pass if different than on your passport.
So lets imagine what will happen when my passport says my nationality is United States of America and my boarding pass says I'm Uzbekistan. A) I'm charged 100 or more euro. B) I'm deported. C) I'm jailed in a foreign country for stealing my own identity and then years from now appear on the National Geographic Show "Locked Up Abroad" which usually features people who try smuggling some kind of drug into a country and then are locked up in said country for a ungodly amount of years. Don't they realize at this point that smuggling drugs never ends well? or D) Have to take the bus back to Galway which after talking with Seamus and Beatrice wouldn't be THAT bad because this weekend they and their (and I guess my) extended family are going to their weekend home right on the water for a cousin's birthday/horse race/rugby match/party in their local pub.
Of course I tried calling costumer service to explain and try to check in again and print out a boarding pass that says my correct nationality, but naturally they were closed.
Jamie Fox was right when he sang "blame it on the a-a-a-a-alcohol." Or maybe its more accurate to say blame it on Ryanair's DUMBO policies. Or on computers that freeze up. Or maybe I should just blame it on the alcohol. Can't be too sure these days.
So like I said earlier, leaving for London tomorrow. Today after class that ended at 3 I met Seamus and his wife Beatrice for "afternoon tea" at the Spanish Arch Hotel which one of his niece's runs who I was also able to meet. Silly me to expect tea for afternoon tea. Instead we had a pint/wine and then went out to dinner and had more wine. I didn't get back until 8 because we had such a lovely time. If I had to describe Beatrice with one word it would be Sassy. My kind of woman.
HOWEVER since I was being wined and dined I missed checking in online and printing my boarding pass with the rest of the girls. Since Beatrice is such a standup gal she drove me home so I could get my passport and then drove me back to school so I could use the printer. Of course I don't know how to use the computer/printer/machine you use to put credit on your account to print things so I asked the person standing nearest to me if I could just pay them if they signed in and let me use their account. Marissa is also a stand up gal and we walked all over campus trying to find open computers and she wouldn't even take the money I owed her! Granted it was 20 cents but still. A stand up gal.
HOWEVER maybe it was the pint/winewinewinewine/chocolate cake Seamus and Beatrice insisted I had or maybe it was the SLOW AS MOLASSES computers in the computer labs at school but by the time I checked in online and printed my boarding pass I realized that my nationality is listed as Uzbekistan. UZBEKISTAN. You can imagine the wave of PANIC that came over my body. I was so panicked that I broke out into a cold and DAMP sweat, the kind that makes people around you look at you all bewildered and ask if you're okay, but I didn't even CARE because I was so panicked. Because Ryanair, the bane of my existence, charges you up the you know what for god knows what. For example, they charge you 100 euro if your name on your boarding pass if different than on your passport.
So lets imagine what will happen when my passport says my nationality is United States of America and my boarding pass says I'm Uzbekistan. A) I'm charged 100 or more euro. B) I'm deported. C) I'm jailed in a foreign country for stealing my own identity and then years from now appear on the National Geographic Show "Locked Up Abroad" which usually features people who try smuggling some kind of drug into a country and then are locked up in said country for a ungodly amount of years. Don't they realize at this point that smuggling drugs never ends well? or D) Have to take the bus back to Galway which after talking with Seamus and Beatrice wouldn't be THAT bad because this weekend they and their (and I guess my) extended family are going to their weekend home right on the water for a cousin's birthday/horse race/rugby match/party in their local pub.
Of course I tried calling costumer service to explain and try to check in again and print out a boarding pass that says my correct nationality, but naturally they were closed.
Jamie Fox was right when he sang "blame it on the a-a-a-a-alcohol." Or maybe its more accurate to say blame it on Ryanair's DUMBO policies. Or on computers that freeze up. Or maybe I should just blame it on the alcohol. Can't be too sure these days.
Strands of Dingle
This has been such a busy busy week already after such a nice and relaxing weekend. I leave for London tomorrow afternoon, but I have to register with the Guarda tomorrow morning at 7:40 so I don't get deported or something BUT I also don't want to miss my plane so I'm sure I'll be all kinds of frazzled tomorrow. We have a place to stay Friday and Saturday night but we don't know exactllly where we'll be sleeping tomorrow night or Sunday night but we'll figure something out. If anything Rick Steves said that spending a night homeless is a worthwhile experience.
But anyways, on to more interesting things. This weekend my friends and I took a 6 hour long bus ride to Dingle which simply ruled. Not the bus ride, actually it was kind of horrible. Weird smells were wafting and other people's flesh was slowly but surely creeping towards my body. I spent a VERY uncomfortable two hours on one the rides. But we got there Friday night and the Rainbow shuttle picked us up, driven by Scott, a friendly as can be Austrailian who has traveled and worked all over the world. We got situated in the Rainbow hostel, an old little cottage with two little kitties roamin' around, and then Scott drove us into town to hit up da pubs. Since its the off season it was pretty dead but we made friends with some locals (of course I became fast friends with Sean O'Connor an ancient looking farmer whose family has been farming Dingle ground for over 150 years. We're lucky we met him because he only comes into town one night a week, he's got too many sheep to worry about to be out drinkin' on the town) and then we danced to a cover band in the next pub over and had a grand time.
We went home kind of early because we knew the next day would be a long one. However, poor Courtney is pretty much allergic to Life Itself, but severely allergic to the previously mentioned little kitties roamin' aorund. She had to sleep in a separate room than us because she was wheezing up a storm the poor thing, and the next morning when we went to go rent bikes she took a bus back home. So we walked into town and rented bikes from a place that is half pub half hardware store, with bikes in the back. Soon enough we riding off into the distance, ready to bike the 25 miles all around the Dingle Penninsula. (As an aside, the word Dingle was and is hilarious to us, and some of the names of the stores were just as hilarious, like "Strands of Dingle" or 'It must be Dingle!' and we made up many Dingleicious phrases over the weekend). We made a pit stop for some yummo sangwhiches in a small town and some cake for us all to share. We biked onward and the scenery was literally so beautiful that I thought I died and went to Aesthetically Pleasing Heaven. Also the Dingle Gods were on our side weather wise, I had my jacket bungied to the back of my bike and it was sunny and warm all day. We found a church and while in line formation did Dingle Doughnuts in the parking lot and then lit a candle inside for Courtney. We also trespassed a little bit because lets face it, what's a trip without some trespassing? But actually, the fence might have just been there to keep the sheep in and not us out...but we can't be sure. But we got an even better view of the cliffs and water from inside the fenced area, and the moment called for some Sound of Music outbursts, so we naturally obliged. We even found what we coined "Dingle Death No. 1" which was a sheep skull laying the grass. We documented it and then hopped back on our bikes and rode on. Also there were some points in the ride where we realized there was literally no one around us for miles which was such a good feeling. I love traveling but its exhausting always been around so many tourists at the same time, so it felt so great to be on our own Dangin through the winding roads of Dingle. It wasn't until the last half hour that our bums were really starting the feel the last 20 miles and some "good" samaritians told us a "short cut" that was completely uphill and we almost wanted to die. However, it was worth it in the end because going downhill full speed was quite exhilarating.
When we got back into town we rewarded ourselves with some hot chocolate and pie, and then walked back to the hostel where we died/napped for an hour. Then we woke up and made dinner and chatted with Scott and Brennen, an American who came to Europe looking for the perfect place to write/think about his "projects" which deal with poetry/sociology/architecture/anthropology but we found out as the night wore on that he's a bit nuts. Also Collin, a teacher from Cork was staying for the weekend to Surf and we all went out to a pub later that night. We met some more characters there too, but I could hardly keep my eyes open so I was in bed by 2 am. The next morning we woke up and hiked around where the bay meets the ocean and enjoyed some more breathtaking scenery. We found a little beach cove with a waterfall and of course by that time it starts getting cold and rainy but I had left my coat at the hostel because just an hour before there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Damnation. Also, while running to get into a picture KAPLUNK I'm ankle deep in water and sand. But soon it became sunny again and we walked into town for some warmth and food and then we had to catch a 3 o'clock bus back to Galway. Suffice it to say it was a long journey back home but it was one of the best weekends ever and I cannot wait to go back.
I'm sure London will be just as much as an adventure. I'll keep you posted if and when I find a place to stay. Maybe a park bench in Hyde park won't be that bad. Sleep with the stars. And ehhhh homeless people.
But anyways, on to more interesting things. This weekend my friends and I took a 6 hour long bus ride to Dingle which simply ruled. Not the bus ride, actually it was kind of horrible. Weird smells were wafting and other people's flesh was slowly but surely creeping towards my body. I spent a VERY uncomfortable two hours on one the rides. But we got there Friday night and the Rainbow shuttle picked us up, driven by Scott, a friendly as can be Austrailian who has traveled and worked all over the world. We got situated in the Rainbow hostel, an old little cottage with two little kitties roamin' around, and then Scott drove us into town to hit up da pubs. Since its the off season it was pretty dead but we made friends with some locals (of course I became fast friends with Sean O'Connor an ancient looking farmer whose family has been farming Dingle ground for over 150 years. We're lucky we met him because he only comes into town one night a week, he's got too many sheep to worry about to be out drinkin' on the town) and then we danced to a cover band in the next pub over and had a grand time.
We went home kind of early because we knew the next day would be a long one. However, poor Courtney is pretty much allergic to Life Itself, but severely allergic to the previously mentioned little kitties roamin' aorund. She had to sleep in a separate room than us because she was wheezing up a storm the poor thing, and the next morning when we went to go rent bikes she took a bus back home. So we walked into town and rented bikes from a place that is half pub half hardware store, with bikes in the back. Soon enough we riding off into the distance, ready to bike the 25 miles all around the Dingle Penninsula. (As an aside, the word Dingle was and is hilarious to us, and some of the names of the stores were just as hilarious, like "Strands of Dingle" or 'It must be Dingle!' and we made up many Dingleicious phrases over the weekend). We made a pit stop for some yummo sangwhiches in a small town and some cake for us all to share. We biked onward and the scenery was literally so beautiful that I thought I died and went to Aesthetically Pleasing Heaven. Also the Dingle Gods were on our side weather wise, I had my jacket bungied to the back of my bike and it was sunny and warm all day. We found a church and while in line formation did Dingle Doughnuts in the parking lot and then lit a candle inside for Courtney. We also trespassed a little bit because lets face it, what's a trip without some trespassing? But actually, the fence might have just been there to keep the sheep in and not us out...but we can't be sure. But we got an even better view of the cliffs and water from inside the fenced area, and the moment called for some Sound of Music outbursts, so we naturally obliged. We even found what we coined "Dingle Death No. 1" which was a sheep skull laying the grass. We documented it and then hopped back on our bikes and rode on. Also there were some points in the ride where we realized there was literally no one around us for miles which was such a good feeling. I love traveling but its exhausting always been around so many tourists at the same time, so it felt so great to be on our own Dangin through the winding roads of Dingle. It wasn't until the last half hour that our bums were really starting the feel the last 20 miles and some "good" samaritians told us a "short cut" that was completely uphill and we almost wanted to die. However, it was worth it in the end because going downhill full speed was quite exhilarating.
When we got back into town we rewarded ourselves with some hot chocolate and pie, and then walked back to the hostel where we died/napped for an hour. Then we woke up and made dinner and chatted with Scott and Brennen, an American who came to Europe looking for the perfect place to write/think about his "projects" which deal with poetry/sociology/architecture/anthropology but we found out as the night wore on that he's a bit nuts. Also Collin, a teacher from Cork was staying for the weekend to Surf and we all went out to a pub later that night. We met some more characters there too, but I could hardly keep my eyes open so I was in bed by 2 am. The next morning we woke up and hiked around where the bay meets the ocean and enjoyed some more breathtaking scenery. We found a little beach cove with a waterfall and of course by that time it starts getting cold and rainy but I had left my coat at the hostel because just an hour before there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Damnation. Also, while running to get into a picture KAPLUNK I'm ankle deep in water and sand. But soon it became sunny again and we walked into town for some warmth and food and then we had to catch a 3 o'clock bus back to Galway. Suffice it to say it was a long journey back home but it was one of the best weekends ever and I cannot wait to go back.
I'm sure London will be just as much as an adventure. I'll keep you posted if and when I find a place to stay. Maybe a park bench in Hyde park won't be that bad. Sleep with the stars. And ehhhh homeless people.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
ALSO!
Belated birthday shout to Nonny! I don't know if you read this Nonny but I love and miss you and hope you had such a special day and didn't do anything I wouldn't have. One skittle in yo face (inside joke everyone else, get over it).
Body Odor
I seem to be picking seats in class that somehow leave me trapped behind, in front, or next to someone wreaking of B.O. And not the kind of B.O that could possibly just be delicious smelling soup. There is a difference, and as a optimist, I always choose to believe I'm whiffing in delicious soup rather than a stranger's sweaty and dank scent. However, I seem to be trapped in class with a smell that definitely cannot be confused with delicious soup, rather, it smells like someone ran/biked a few miles and then put on a musty smelling wool sweater thats been in the attic for a couple of months. There comes a point where its so overwhelming that I convince myself that it must be me thats producing such a pungent and offensive smell, but so far it hasn't been. Just a rude or forgetful stranger who didn't spray themselves with their areosol cans of deoterant (they don't have rub on here...)
Anyway, besides choking on B.O throughout class and subtly smelling my own hair to block out the stench, classes have been great, although my castles class and section 1 of my 20th century lit class are BEYOND boring. Its hard enough sitting through a lecture style english class (I'm just so used to discussion so its hard to pay attention because they just repeat the same information over again, not to mention since they're lecturing I almost don't see what the point of me going to class is since they do all the work and put all the slides up online so I don't even have to take notes. It makes me REALLY appreciate SMC and our small classes where discussion is so encouraged and I actually know my Professors) and my 20th century lit teacher littttttttterally talks like a robot with a British accent. I realized at the end of class I wasn't paying attention to what he was saying but how he was saying it. And that. Means. He puts. A period. At. The end. Of. Mostly. Every single. Word. It certainly makes what he's saying sound utterly profound but utterly painful to listen to. All of my other classes are really interesting though. I'm excited for my first time going to my "Poets of the 20th Century" seminar tomorrow. Its all about women and African American poets of the 1960s, the Beat poets of the 50s and the modernists in the 20s.
My friends and I just planned a trip to Dingle this weekend (heh) and just booked a hostel which took FOREVER but we finally have one, The Rainbow hostel which is a 15 minute walk from Dingle Town (heh). The Dingle Penninsula (heh) is filled with scenic areas perfect for biking and hiking which I'm so excited for. AND I just made lists of things I want to see while I'm in London and Paris, and I think I'll be branching away from the people I go with so I can see little markets and shops and streets while they see da main attractionz which I've already seen. I'm excited to go back to London and Paris, I spent a very special week with Dad in London for my 16th birthday and a day in Paris, I loved both places so much so I'm glad I can go back and see them again but with New, Older and Wiser eyes and a list of things that aren't as touristy.
Time to go to some pubs to hear some more music. I'll be giving Jimmy a call one of these days. Make him work for his money. Actually I won't since he said he gives lessons for free.
Anyway, besides choking on B.O throughout class and subtly smelling my own hair to block out the stench, classes have been great, although my castles class and section 1 of my 20th century lit class are BEYOND boring. Its hard enough sitting through a lecture style english class (I'm just so used to discussion so its hard to pay attention because they just repeat the same information over again, not to mention since they're lecturing I almost don't see what the point of me going to class is since they do all the work and put all the slides up online so I don't even have to take notes. It makes me REALLY appreciate SMC and our small classes where discussion is so encouraged and I actually know my Professors) and my 20th century lit teacher littttttttterally talks like a robot with a British accent. I realized at the end of class I wasn't paying attention to what he was saying but how he was saying it. And that. Means. He puts. A period. At. The end. Of. Mostly. Every single. Word. It certainly makes what he's saying sound utterly profound but utterly painful to listen to. All of my other classes are really interesting though. I'm excited for my first time going to my "Poets of the 20th Century" seminar tomorrow. Its all about women and African American poets of the 1960s, the Beat poets of the 50s and the modernists in the 20s.
My friends and I just planned a trip to Dingle this weekend (heh) and just booked a hostel which took FOREVER but we finally have one, The Rainbow hostel which is a 15 minute walk from Dingle Town (heh). The Dingle Penninsula (heh) is filled with scenic areas perfect for biking and hiking which I'm so excited for. AND I just made lists of things I want to see while I'm in London and Paris, and I think I'll be branching away from the people I go with so I can see little markets and shops and streets while they see da main attractionz which I've already seen. I'm excited to go back to London and Paris, I spent a very special week with Dad in London for my 16th birthday and a day in Paris, I loved both places so much so I'm glad I can go back and see them again but with New, Older and Wiser eyes and a list of things that aren't as touristy.
Time to go to some pubs to hear some more music. I'll be giving Jimmy a call one of these days. Make him work for his money. Actually I won't since he said he gives lessons for free.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
I had the Best Doughnut in the Universe this weekend
That might sound like an exaggeration. But I can assure you, it realllllly is not. Saturday morning me, Liza, Teal and Zach woke up early and walked to the market in town which is easy on the eyes, ears and nostrils. Music was played, food was sampled and bought and it was such a beautiful day! People had stands with handmade hats, paintings and also fresh cheeses, olives, spices, fruits and vegetables annnnnnnnd doughnuts. Its one man (from New York actually) with a straw hat and chipped tooth (but a lovely smile) who makes the doughnuts right there and sells them for 70 cents (so hard not to buy in bulk) and then sprinkles coco or cinnamon over it. Naturally I couldn't decide, so I asked him what he likes. The conversation went something like this:
Him: Coco or cinnamon?
Me: (drooling) Ummmmm I dunno! What do you like?
Him: What are you gonna give it to me after you buy it?
Me: (laugh and wipe away drool)
Him: How about I give you both?
Me: Booya.
Then I took a bite and almost passed out because of how good it was. It almost falls apart in your fingers, crunchy on the outside, doughy on the inside, and angles fly around inside your mouth and sprinkle love on your taste buds.
Backing up though. Friday I only had one class so I was all done by 10 am so I came home, lounged, and then went to Isabelle and Courtney's house which was filled with Courtney's visiting friends from Trinity. It was SO beautiful outside so me Liza and Zach went to Cladda (I'll be spelling things phonetically to make it easier on both myself and my loyal readers) which is right along the river and has beautiful fields and boats. THEN we went ate dinner at Nimmo which is a cottage right on the river and attached to the Spanish Arches. I had beet risotto with goat cheesh (loves me some goat cheesh) and split a homemade raspberry tart with homemade whipped cream. Also it was the most adorable place ever, next time I go back I'll be sure to take some pictures. Definitely bringing Sarah when she visits in march (!!!) and Mammy (and hopefully Dad and Lizzie) at the end of March. Then went to The Quays which is one of the best pubs which looks like the entire interior was carved out of one giant tree and listened to suuuuch a good band. I think I fell a little bit in love with the bass player.
Saturday night we went to Taffe's to listen to traditional Irish music and since everyone there was so drunk besides Liza and I, the band appreciated how much we were really enjoying the music and they dedicated the next song to us. When they were done, the accordion player and I got to talking, and long story short, Jimmy will be giving me accordion lessons. Also we got to talking to his friend from Australia who has traveled all over the world and sounds like he had a girlfriend in every country. I really seem to be hitting it off with men here over 65.
This morning me and a few people took a bus tour to Cannamara (again, phonetic spelling) and saw the Kylemore Abbey and Garden, saw where The Quiet Man was filmed, saw the beach, lots of sheep, cows, fields, stone walls, mountains, lakes, and pretty much everything that made me want to come here. I'm a sucker for a lovely lookin' landscape (not to mention stone cottages with thatched roofs. Don't even GET me started).
Also, I don't remember if it was over my beet risotto and goat cheese or my homemade tart, but I had a revelation that I should be a food critic. I really think its my calling. Also, since Saturday night I discovered I'm actually kind of really good at cooking. Since then I've made risotto with the help of a bullion cube and with the garlic, onions, peppers and fresh parm I got from the market. And tonight I made Salmon (first I had to google "is it okay to eat brown salmon" but the brown went away when I cooked it...I feel fine so far) with zucchini, garlic, onions and the fresh parm. I'm really discovering hidden talents here (I'm assuming I'll be just as amazing at the accordion and banjo as I am at cooking and making friends with senior citizen males).
Also, I booked a ticket this weekend to Paris! I'm going with a couple of girls here and since I've already been to the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and all the other major attractions when Daddy and I spent the day there for my 16th birthday and somehow saw all of those things within a few hours (even walked halfway up the Eiffel tower when we got on the wrong line), while my friends do those things, I'll wander around at flea markets, bakeries, parks and maybe take a train to a neighboring town. We're also planning on spending a day in Normandy and some time at Versailles! I have to make sure I pack light but chic so I blend in while I stomp around the Champs- Elysees.
Him: Coco or cinnamon?
Me: (drooling) Ummmmm I dunno! What do you like?
Him: What are you gonna give it to me after you buy it?
Me: (laugh and wipe away drool)
Him: How about I give you both?
Me: Booya.
Then I took a bite and almost passed out because of how good it was. It almost falls apart in your fingers, crunchy on the outside, doughy on the inside, and angles fly around inside your mouth and sprinkle love on your taste buds.
Backing up though. Friday I only had one class so I was all done by 10 am so I came home, lounged, and then went to Isabelle and Courtney's house which was filled with Courtney's visiting friends from Trinity. It was SO beautiful outside so me Liza and Zach went to Cladda (I'll be spelling things phonetically to make it easier on both myself and my loyal readers) which is right along the river and has beautiful fields and boats. THEN we went ate dinner at Nimmo which is a cottage right on the river and attached to the Spanish Arches. I had beet risotto with goat cheesh (loves me some goat cheesh) and split a homemade raspberry tart with homemade whipped cream. Also it was the most adorable place ever, next time I go back I'll be sure to take some pictures. Definitely bringing Sarah when she visits in march (!!!) and Mammy (and hopefully Dad and Lizzie) at the end of March. Then went to The Quays which is one of the best pubs which looks like the entire interior was carved out of one giant tree and listened to suuuuch a good band. I think I fell a little bit in love with the bass player.
Saturday night we went to Taffe's to listen to traditional Irish music and since everyone there was so drunk besides Liza and I, the band appreciated how much we were really enjoying the music and they dedicated the next song to us. When they were done, the accordion player and I got to talking, and long story short, Jimmy will be giving me accordion lessons. Also we got to talking to his friend from Australia who has traveled all over the world and sounds like he had a girlfriend in every country. I really seem to be hitting it off with men here over 65.
This morning me and a few people took a bus tour to Cannamara (again, phonetic spelling) and saw the Kylemore Abbey and Garden, saw where The Quiet Man was filmed, saw the beach, lots of sheep, cows, fields, stone walls, mountains, lakes, and pretty much everything that made me want to come here. I'm a sucker for a lovely lookin' landscape (not to mention stone cottages with thatched roofs. Don't even GET me started).
Also, I don't remember if it was over my beet risotto and goat cheese or my homemade tart, but I had a revelation that I should be a food critic. I really think its my calling. Also, since Saturday night I discovered I'm actually kind of really good at cooking. Since then I've made risotto with the help of a bullion cube and with the garlic, onions, peppers and fresh parm I got from the market. And tonight I made Salmon (first I had to google "is it okay to eat brown salmon" but the brown went away when I cooked it...I feel fine so far) with zucchini, garlic, onions and the fresh parm. I'm really discovering hidden talents here (I'm assuming I'll be just as amazing at the accordion and banjo as I am at cooking and making friends with senior citizen males).
Also, I booked a ticket this weekend to Paris! I'm going with a couple of girls here and since I've already been to the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and all the other major attractions when Daddy and I spent the day there for my 16th birthday and somehow saw all of those things within a few hours (even walked halfway up the Eiffel tower when we got on the wrong line), while my friends do those things, I'll wander around at flea markets, bakeries, parks and maybe take a train to a neighboring town. We're also planning on spending a day in Normandy and some time at Versailles! I have to make sure I pack light but chic so I blend in while I stomp around the Champs- Elysees.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
The day Shoo Shoo got herself fixed
I've been thinking about Shoo Shoo all day. While getting ready for school today I was Skyping mom and dad and they told me that Shoo Shoo is getting declawed today (or as mommy calls it, "she's getting a manicure"). I hope she still feels like a woman after the procedure- I always think of Erin's cat Polly who suffered from depression after getting fixed. But Shoo Shoo is a tenacious little booger, she'll be fine. I do wish I were home to see her with a cone head though.
I finally booked my first trip the other day! Feb 4-8 I'll be in London and hopefully I'll take a little trip to Bath. It was a nightmare booking the tickets though- I hate buying things online anyway, especially with Ryanair which a notoriously cheap yet aggravating airline. It took us 40 minutes to book the tickets because we were so nervous to get fined for dumb things, but then we had to do it all over again because we took too long...or something...and then we do it again and RIGHT when we book the flight and gave our credit card information they conveniently had technical difficulties with a message saying even though we paid, our spots MAY have been saved. We were so frustrated that we just went to bed but luckily by the morning they emailed us with our itinerary.
Last night we went to tha cLubZ~ Actually first we took a cab down with the nicest cab driver who was from Ghana so we got to talkin and was saying about how he's been in Galway for 4 years but there's nothin like when he visits home and spends time with his parents and friends. All of us in the cab rel8ed and adored him and then went to the most Irish pub for the International Society meeting/party/they gave us free drinks and food (so good). While there we ran into Marizzle Dizzle and I met Basile, my dear friend from Toulouse, France who is having a house party tomorrow which we might probably most definitely will be attending. We met some other really nice people from all over and THEN we went to a CluB (but not really, we went there once and had SO much fun dancing but when we told our Irish roommates about how fun it was they were horrified because apparently the dance floor is upstairs...so we were dancing so hard in the middle..of..the..bar..such ignorant Americans) Then we went to Supermacs which SWARMS with intoxicated college kids tettering around in heels and inhaling cheesh burgers (but they aren't really cheesh burgers, just some kind of cheesey mayonnaisey ketchupy sauce with onions... I didn't hate it.). All in all it was such a fun night and met such pleasant people.
Other things happened this week I can't remember but tonight was so fun, made a deeelicious Indian inspired dinner with Teal then hung out with our Irish roommates who I really love. They remind me a lot of mah gurlz back at home. They made Liza and I dinner the other night which was so delicious and sweet of them. We'll reciprocate next week, I've got a few cheeshy ideas up my sleeve. This weekend I think we'll go bowling, take a day trip somewhere and hopefully hiking or kayaking somewhere. I'll give a more detailed post later I swear. Love and miss yawlz!
I finally booked my first trip the other day! Feb 4-8 I'll be in London and hopefully I'll take a little trip to Bath. It was a nightmare booking the tickets though- I hate buying things online anyway, especially with Ryanair which a notoriously cheap yet aggravating airline. It took us 40 minutes to book the tickets because we were so nervous to get fined for dumb things, but then we had to do it all over again because we took too long...or something...and then we do it again and RIGHT when we book the flight and gave our credit card information they conveniently had technical difficulties with a message saying even though we paid, our spots MAY have been saved. We were so frustrated that we just went to bed but luckily by the morning they emailed us with our itinerary.
Last night we went to tha cLubZ~ Actually first we took a cab down with the nicest cab driver who was from Ghana so we got to talkin and was saying about how he's been in Galway for 4 years but there's nothin like when he visits home and spends time with his parents and friends. All of us in the cab rel8ed and adored him and then went to the most Irish pub for the International Society meeting/party/they gave us free drinks and food (so good). While there we ran into Marizzle Dizzle and I met Basile, my dear friend from Toulouse, France who is having a house party tomorrow which we might probably most definitely will be attending. We met some other really nice people from all over and THEN we went to a CluB (but not really, we went there once and had SO much fun dancing but when we told our Irish roommates about how fun it was they were horrified because apparently the dance floor is upstairs...so we were dancing so hard in the middle..of..the..bar..such ignorant Americans) Then we went to Supermacs which SWARMS with intoxicated college kids tettering around in heels and inhaling cheesh burgers (but they aren't really cheesh burgers, just some kind of cheesey mayonnaisey ketchupy sauce with onions... I didn't hate it.). All in all it was such a fun night and met such pleasant people.
Other things happened this week I can't remember but tonight was so fun, made a deeelicious Indian inspired dinner with Teal then hung out with our Irish roommates who I really love. They remind me a lot of mah gurlz back at home. They made Liza and I dinner the other night which was so delicious and sweet of them. We'll reciprocate next week, I've got a few cheeshy ideas up my sleeve. This weekend I think we'll go bowling, take a day trip somewhere and hopefully hiking or kayaking somewhere. I'll give a more detailed post later I swear. Love and miss yawlz!
Monday, January 18, 2010
O'Greaty. Heh.
I finally met Seamus O'Grady today! For those who don't know, Seamus is my relative (thats all I call him because we don't know exactly how we are related, I think my Grandpa's cousin..) I found his office easily enough with the help of the receptionist and hung out with him for about an hour gabbin our our family tree (I brought the little one mam and poppy made up during dinner a few weeks ago which he was grateful for) and school and work and traveling and everything else. He was so nice and he wants me to meet other O'Gradys sprinkled throughout Ireland which would be so exciting. He also gave me his copy John McGahern's memoir (one of his old friends and an incredibly revered writer who I just found out is considered to be right up there next to James Joyce) and I'm so excited to read it and more of his work. He's actually being taught in one of my English classes I think. I'll definitely be seeing more of Seamus, we'll get coffee or lunch together and hopefully I can meet his family soon and he can meet mine. He has two kids around my age who I am exited to meet, Aoife (pronounced Effa) and Nile. It just feels good knowing I have family so close here when everyone else is so far away. But I was finally able to skype mam and pap after a week or so without seeing them, I'm slowly getting used to the slowness of the internet here and have begun to use it less (and by use it less I mean not check facebook 4843 times a day). I just exclaimed to Liza how the internet rules when I googled "rice and cheese recipes" from the comfort of my own bed. However, we don't have any other ingreidents to use with the rice and cheese so we'll have to save it until we do a Dunnes or Tesco stop this week (I might have found a piece of mold on the grilled cheese I was eating this afternoon. And I might have picked it off and continued eating).
Time to make dinner and then I think I'm meeting my "friend" James for a drink tonight. He's not really much more than a facebook friend yet- Sarah met him in France last year where he was bartending and she was studying for a couple weeks. When she came back she told me about him and how fun he was, and before I left she mentioned how he's from Ireland but she wasn't sure where. Later I looked at her facebook and realized that he is in the NUIG network, which is the same school I go to here. A click and some inboxes later we became fast fb friends but I'll finally meet him tonight.
Time to make dinner and then I think I'm meeting my "friend" James for a drink tonight. He's not really much more than a facebook friend yet- Sarah met him in France last year where he was bartending and she was studying for a couple weeks. When she came back she told me about him and how fun he was, and before I left she mentioned how he's from Ireland but she wasn't sure where. Later I looked at her facebook and realized that he is in the NUIG network, which is the same school I go to here. A click and some inboxes later we became fast fb friends but I'll finally meet him tonight.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Greetings from a Snot Goo Ball
Just got back a few hours ago from doing my homestay with an Irish couple who live in Tuam. As I write this Liza is gagging at my breathing- purty sure I have the flu. Symptoms including extreme congestion, heavy head, achey body, and eeeeeh goin to the eeeeh bathroom. I felt a bit crummy getting on the bus that was driving me 40 minutes north to Tuam and by Saturday I felt real sick. Before going into detail I'd like to say that the family was so nice. That being said I'll continue my tale.
So I get there Friday and Caroline and Joe pick Miranda and I (a girl from my program) up and drive us to their house. Caroline is recently divorced and she and Joe just moved into their house with his 14 year old son Ryan and she has 4 other kids who don't live with her. We had a BIG dinner: a heaping portion of mashed potatoes which she said she makes every single morning and some kind of meat slathered in some kind of gravy always served with colorful beans or cooked vegetables which I never ate (its a texture thing). They chain smoke (kids included) in the house but as a guest I don't want to impose (although I'm asthmatic and eeeh frankly find the smell shtanky). They asked us if we go to church and I said I do at home but not on my own time but I was looking forward to experience it in Ireland. They asked us if we drank and we said yez and they said Saturday night they would bring us out to the pubs in town which I was also looking forward to.
Next morning we have a nice breakfast but she says she has some things to do but that we should walk into town and explore. We do and its adorable and then find a cafe to relax in and so I can git some reading done for class but are soon surrounded by so many people from our program whose homestay families told them to explore the town also. I didn't wanna be rude buuut I felt like I should be spending more time with my homestay family rather than the people I always spend time with, so we walked home only to read and watch t.v until about 10 pm (although we did eat another heaping portion of potatoesmeatandvegeatalbes somewhere in there and I was feeling sicker and sicker). I almost thought we weren't going to the pubs which at that point my groggy head wasn't totally against. I asked if she had any meds for me which she supplied only to soon offer me an irish coffee. I asked if i could drink after taking medicine to which she enthusiastically responded with "OF COOOURSE DEARY". I didn't wanna be rude so I slowly drank it but decided I would refrain from drank the rest of the night. We finally got to the first pub around 11 pm and went to two more after that (Joe's sister Peggy joined us at the second, a real doll, as well as other assorted friends, including one elderly man I danced with to Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" and Tina Turner's "You're Simply the Best". I used my best moves on him considering being sickly. Even the flu can't keep me off that dance floor). I was getting weaker and whiter as the night wore on and we finally got home around 2 am when I ran upstairs to fall into bed yet Joe and Caroline didn't go to bed until 7 am (they were busy downstairs listening and singing along to some ditties). As you can imagine, we missed Sunday mass because Miranda and I didn't wake up til noon and they didn't wake up until about 1:30. We got the bus at 3:30 and we exchanged numbers with them and they told us we could come back annnnytime.
I really did enjoy my time with them but I would have liked to spend more time with them getting to know each other instead of watching weird European reality shows or the equivalent to ESPN (I don't even like watching those things in America!). But it was certainly an experience and I thank them for their hospitality and a night out on the town (boy did we paint Tuam red!)
On another note, last Thursday I attempted to visit Seamus in his office (he works in the oldest building on campus that looks like its straight out of Harry Potter) but I literally felt like I was trapped in a labyrinth and 40 minutes later and 7 fruitless attempts of asking people around me where to find him I walked home and emailed him for directions to his office. When I figure out how to post pictures on this thing I'll show you how beautiful the building is yet terrifyingly maze like (oh I documented my rat-in- a-maze moment alright). But I have fluids to drink and books to read so I'll say goodnight. Hope erryone is well!
So I get there Friday and Caroline and Joe pick Miranda and I (a girl from my program) up and drive us to their house. Caroline is recently divorced and she and Joe just moved into their house with his 14 year old son Ryan and she has 4 other kids who don't live with her. We had a BIG dinner: a heaping portion of mashed potatoes which she said she makes every single morning and some kind of meat slathered in some kind of gravy always served with colorful beans or cooked vegetables which I never ate (its a texture thing). They chain smoke (kids included) in the house but as a guest I don't want to impose (although I'm asthmatic and eeeh frankly find the smell shtanky). They asked us if we go to church and I said I do at home but not on my own time but I was looking forward to experience it in Ireland. They asked us if we drank and we said yez and they said Saturday night they would bring us out to the pubs in town which I was also looking forward to.
Next morning we have a nice breakfast but she says she has some things to do but that we should walk into town and explore. We do and its adorable and then find a cafe to relax in and so I can git some reading done for class but are soon surrounded by so many people from our program whose homestay families told them to explore the town also. I didn't wanna be rude buuut I felt like I should be spending more time with my homestay family rather than the people I always spend time with, so we walked home only to read and watch t.v until about 10 pm (although we did eat another heaping portion of potatoesmeatandvegeatalbes somewhere in there and I was feeling sicker and sicker). I almost thought we weren't going to the pubs which at that point my groggy head wasn't totally against. I asked if she had any meds for me which she supplied only to soon offer me an irish coffee. I asked if i could drink after taking medicine to which she enthusiastically responded with "OF COOOURSE DEARY". I didn't wanna be rude so I slowly drank it but decided I would refrain from drank the rest of the night. We finally got to the first pub around 11 pm and went to two more after that (Joe's sister Peggy joined us at the second, a real doll, as well as other assorted friends, including one elderly man I danced with to Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" and Tina Turner's "You're Simply the Best". I used my best moves on him considering being sickly. Even the flu can't keep me off that dance floor). I was getting weaker and whiter as the night wore on and we finally got home around 2 am when I ran upstairs to fall into bed yet Joe and Caroline didn't go to bed until 7 am (they were busy downstairs listening and singing along to some ditties). As you can imagine, we missed Sunday mass because Miranda and I didn't wake up til noon and they didn't wake up until about 1:30. We got the bus at 3:30 and we exchanged numbers with them and they told us we could come back annnnytime.
I really did enjoy my time with them but I would have liked to spend more time with them getting to know each other instead of watching weird European reality shows or the equivalent to ESPN (I don't even like watching those things in America!). But it was certainly an experience and I thank them for their hospitality and a night out on the town (boy did we paint Tuam red!)
On another note, last Thursday I attempted to visit Seamus in his office (he works in the oldest building on campus that looks like its straight out of Harry Potter) but I literally felt like I was trapped in a labyrinth and 40 minutes later and 7 fruitless attempts of asking people around me where to find him I walked home and emailed him for directions to his office. When I figure out how to post pictures on this thing I'll show you how beautiful the building is yet terrifyingly maze like (oh I documented my rat-in- a-maze moment alright). But I have fluids to drink and books to read so I'll say goodnight. Hope erryone is well!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Yellow, everyone.
How are we? I'm well thanks. Had my first 9 am class today which meant I got out of bed at 8:20, didn't have enough time to grab coffee or breakfast but sat through another interesting class. Afterwards I was waitin' for some friends so I finally got some coffee (such a let down here unfortunately. Picture a cup of joe thats somehow both watery yet strong and then be grossed out because its really quite disgusting) and a croissant and took a load off in the foyer. I now know what foreign exchange students feel like at SMC, and that feeling is feeling Awkward. Ireland is not tooooo different from America, yet as I was sitting in the midst of old Irish friends, I felt ignored and goonish. I'm so glad I befriended the Spanish exchange students last semester because now I know how weirdy it feels to be stuck on a couch with people who kiiind of feel like they want to talk to you buuut then don't.
Anywizzle, just finished ichatting Mona and Erica with a guest appearance by Nate which was darling. I'd like to publicly apologize to Mona for hating on Desperate Housewives for a good portion of last semester. We watched an episode at a friends house last night since their Irish roommates consider it the only good soap on t.v and boy was I captivated, albeit utterly confused by the seriously complicated storylines.
I'm really getting a hang of this blogging thing as you can see, I'm all about making paragraphs now.
A few kids and I are planning a weekend trip at the end of this month to Killarny which is a 4 hour bus ride away, a hostel worth of sleep but apparently beautiful scenery and adventurous biking and hiking and boating. I also want to start planning trips across Europe when I get comfortable with classes and all. Although I'm not eating much here I'm a bit concerned about what will happen when I visit Italy for the first time. There is a very good chance I'll come back as a bloated and garlicy balloon but would for sure deflate shortly afterwards due to walking to and from class and town and solely eating cheese toasties and apples.
Speaking of cheese toasties, I have to go to my dear friend Brenna's house to make dinner. We've been joining forces for dinner along with Isabelle, Zach, and Liza for the past few days which makes it that much more fun and a little bit more delicious. We have a piece of frozen chicken to contribute to tonight's dinner (which by the way- frozen food is differently packaged than in America which is so wasteful yet certainly protected from the elements. We opened up the chicken the other night and were alarmed to find two slabs of frozen chicken in a box...no plastic wrapping around it. I'm realizing how wasteful we really are since were still alive after eating it). But if anyone has easy and cheap receipies they would be much appreicated. Oh, I had fish and chips today from McDoungah's which was delicious and now I truly feel like I'm in Ireland.
Anywizzle, just finished ichatting Mona and Erica with a guest appearance by Nate which was darling. I'd like to publicly apologize to Mona for hating on Desperate Housewives for a good portion of last semester. We watched an episode at a friends house last night since their Irish roommates consider it the only good soap on t.v and boy was I captivated, albeit utterly confused by the seriously complicated storylines.
I'm really getting a hang of this blogging thing as you can see, I'm all about making paragraphs now.
A few kids and I are planning a weekend trip at the end of this month to Killarny which is a 4 hour bus ride away, a hostel worth of sleep but apparently beautiful scenery and adventurous biking and hiking and boating. I also want to start planning trips across Europe when I get comfortable with classes and all. Although I'm not eating much here I'm a bit concerned about what will happen when I visit Italy for the first time. There is a very good chance I'll come back as a bloated and garlicy balloon but would for sure deflate shortly afterwards due to walking to and from class and town and solely eating cheese toasties and apples.
Speaking of cheese toasties, I have to go to my dear friend Brenna's house to make dinner. We've been joining forces for dinner along with Isabelle, Zach, and Liza for the past few days which makes it that much more fun and a little bit more delicious. We have a piece of frozen chicken to contribute to tonight's dinner (which by the way- frozen food is differently packaged than in America which is so wasteful yet certainly protected from the elements. We opened up the chicken the other night and were alarmed to find two slabs of frozen chicken in a box...no plastic wrapping around it. I'm realizing how wasteful we really are since were still alive after eating it). But if anyone has easy and cheap receipies they would be much appreicated. Oh, I had fish and chips today from McDoungah's which was delicious and now I truly feel like I'm in Ireland.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
A Late Night Musing On Technology. Oh yes.
As Liza sleeps like a darling baby in a crib I am listening to the Irish ditties and bluegrass banjo music I have recently downloaded as I cannot sleep. You all know how I am with technology (if not, suffice it to say I am technologically challenged which may or may not be attributed to my incredible impatience and Grandma like tendencies to get worried and anxious quite quickly). For the past week I have been typing with 9 fingers since the first day moving into our apartment a VERY heavy door closed on my unassuming left index finger. Luckily it has been getting stronger by each passing day but it makes every day thangs that much more challenging yet that much more fun to annoy Liza (I miiight complain about the pain often and I also have apparently been mentioning my insatiable desire to see the movie "Shutter Island" which doesn't come out for another month which haunts my thoughts and now Liza's because of how often I mention how good it looks... But really how good does the trailer look?) Anywayz 9 fingers makes Keeping In Touch that much harder (but not really, skype is really magic) and at the moment as not to wake baby, I have plugs and wires all over. Earphones and power cords and ether net and a USB cord to put the newest downloaded ditties on my ipod- which is not working of course...it just keeps repeating "FireWire Connections are not supported" to which I reply, 0_o
On top of it all, while facebook chatting Sarah earlier tonight she informed me that my blog posts look like her 5 year old niece wrote them ("AND THEN I DID THIS!!!!") which is absolutely true but since she's such a wizard she taught me a trick to make paragraphs which I'll humbly attempt here. Also I have no idea how to post the few pictures I've taken while here and anyway I always seem to forget my camera when we go out which I guess isn't such a bad thing since I can tOtallY live in the moment. Not to mention, while creating this blog I somehow deleted Microsoft Word which besides Internet Explorer is literally all I use my laptop for (besides finding aesthetically pleasing photos on the web and plopping them in a folder I entitled "Nice Things") but thank goodness dear old Dad is a real computer Wizz and helped me rescue it. On top of all THAT, during orientation in Dublin we were informed that internet is MUCH slower than what were used to in the states which is definitely frustrating at moments but then I realize I am huffing and puffing because I am waiting maybe a minute instead of 10 seconds for something to happen. But anyways I'm glad I wrote this lil pointless musing because now I'm sleepy but also hungry since all I eat are two small meals a day, mostly bread and nutella and grilled cheesh. But my stomach will just have to wait until tomorrow morning. Goooooodnight
On top of it all, while facebook chatting Sarah earlier tonight she informed me that my blog posts look like her 5 year old niece wrote them ("AND THEN I DID THIS!!!!") which is absolutely true but since she's such a wizard she taught me a trick to make paragraphs which I'll humbly attempt here. Also I have no idea how to post the few pictures I've taken while here and anyway I always seem to forget my camera when we go out which I guess isn't such a bad thing since I can tOtallY live in the moment. Not to mention, while creating this blog I somehow deleted Microsoft Word which besides Internet Explorer is literally all I use my laptop for (besides finding aesthetically pleasing photos on the web and plopping them in a folder I entitled "Nice Things") but thank goodness dear old Dad is a real computer Wizz and helped me rescue it. On top of all THAT, during orientation in Dublin we were informed that internet is MUCH slower than what were used to in the states which is definitely frustrating at moments but then I realize I am huffing and puffing because I am waiting maybe a minute instead of 10 seconds for something to happen. But anyways I'm glad I wrote this lil pointless musing because now I'm sleepy but also hungry since all I eat are two small meals a day, mostly bread and nutella and grilled cheesh. But my stomach will just have to wait until tomorrow morning. Goooooodnight
HAY YAWLS
I went to my women's studies class today- there's only 9 of us in the class and the professor is so cool and sweet and interesting and she knows Seamus O'Grady! She asked all of us if we have Irish roots and I told her about him and asked if she knew him. She not only said yes but that if you ask an Irish person if you know someone they most likely do or at least know of them or their mother. And then I had an english class that sounds so intersting but it's so werid because im used to SMC English classes with not alot of kids in it and a loooot of discussion (I just have so much to say)- and today it was in a lecture hall so packed that people were sitting on the steps. But the professor was also adorable-it was so exciting for me to hear an English professor say things with such a beautiful accent- it makes everything sound so much more profound or at least fancy. Also today I signed up for the mountaineering club and the kayaking club! I'm so excited- the kids involved in the clubs seem so nice and fun. Every sunday we go hiking in different areas in Ireland and Saturdays we go Kayaking. Obviously I'm also going to join the Irish dancing club (the need to dance is in mah blood now) and the massage club and chocolate club sound enticing, but I can't join everything now can I. Gaelic football sounds fun too- it's basically every single American sport in one. I was watching it on t.v on Sunday while making brunch with some friends and my heart couldn't take all the aggression. One guy on the white team (as if I know team names) was soaked with blood (I'm not sure if it was his or another person's but his nose was caked with dried blood). It was horrifying but incredibly entertaining and so unlike American sports I (as if I'm some kinda expert). But anyway, I have to miss the first hiking excursion because we are doing our homestays this weekend. All I know is that the mom is a house cleaner and they have 4 kids ranging from ages 14- 21 and three dogs. I'll keep everyone posted on how it was but I'm sure it will be an experience. Time to hear Irish music at a pub, cHeErZ!
Friday, January 8, 2010
Dia dhuit, Conás átá tú?
Dia is Muire duit, tá mé go maith! Oh, don't worry, thats just some gaelic I've picked up in the few short days I've been here (...I might have Googled "Gaelic Greetings...). It means "Hello, how are you" and "Hello, I'm doing well" but literally means "God is with you" and "God and Mary are with you". I hope everyone is doing well in America, I loooove Ireland! It has been such a hectic and exhausting week but so much fun that I haven't even found the time to blog! Liza and I flew from JFK into Dublin on the 1st and took a bus to our hostel (we had simple directions but got a bit lost after walking right past it, shleping our bags behind us and whipping out the map every block, but Irish people are SO nice and helpful and we made it back to the Abbey Hostel with many a good Samaritans help). We got there around 11 but couldn't get into our rooms until 2 so we went to the pub next door (the first costumers) and ordered Guinness and nachos for brunch. We surprisingly got some looks from the locals- I guess 11:30 am is too early to drink...I think 12 is the norm. We tried to explore Dublin a little bit but we were so exhausted that we stumbled back to the hostel and begged to just sit in the room we stored our luggage in and THEN they told us about the common room downstairs where everyone from our program was sleeping. So we plopped down on a couch and slept until we were able to get our room keys. We shared the room with four other girls - it eh was eeeeeeeeh alright . No, it was fine but I'm SO glad to be nice and situated in my new townhouse in Galway. After 3 days in Dublin (where we went to some great pubs with great Irish music and a Hop on Hop off Bus Tour where we toured an old jail, the Guinness Factory, Museum of Modern Art and the Christ Church I ran into a girl I go to school with who was visiting family! Small world!) We got to Galway Wednesday morning- the townhouses are so nice and a 10-15 minute walk to school and to town. We went dancing last night at a club with some of the Irish people who are our neighbors and moved back from being at home for the holiday (one kid Kieran, the equivalent to a 5th year senior in America, looks like a bear and is missing a tooth but is SO nice and fun- he gave us all giant hugs where he lifted us up which cracked my back and felt like HEAVEN after all the shelpin' I've been doin'). Classes kind of start today but not really because for the first couple of weeks you "shop" for classes and see what you like and then you sign up for them. The people in charge of our program are so sweet and we have a dinner tonight with a woman who feels like an old family friend (she spoke at our orientation in Dublin and Liza and I spotted her walking around campus on Friday and ran after her where she invited us into her office and chatted and warmed us up.) Speaking of warmth, heat is the one thing that is really hard to get used to- they conserve energy like I've never seen. All houses are set up so differently than in America where all the rooms blend into each other. Here, doors separate every room and have their own heaters which you shut off during the night and every outlet has a switch you have to turn on before you use it. But Liza and I couldn't figure it out when we got here and our Irish roommates weren't here to explain it so we slept with mittens on and tons of layers our first night. This has been the coldest week since 1960 something so we've left it on the whole time we've been here. You also have to set the water heater 30 minutes before you want to shower- which reminds me that I have to go and git my day started. I'm meeting some friends for coffee downtown (I had an irish coffee at lunch/dinner the other day after a freeeeeezing walking tour of Galway and it was so strong that I think I'll stick to regular. I'm not a whisky kinda gal.) I write again soon, I love and miss everyone!
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