The Irish really do love this holiday. They love it from 12:00 am to 12:00 pm, and even a little more on either end. It's a little ridiculous, actually. None of us had plans to go into town last night, but all of a sudden we were being informed left and right that city center is the place to be for the night before Halloween. So out we went. I have never seen so many costumes in my entire life! Every person between the ages of 16 and 22 was sporting a costume (except for some of us foreign kids). We saw people dressed like crayons, monsters, movie characters, and things we couldn't determine. It was hilarious to see all of these people running around. I, of course, was surprised at this display of enthusiasm for a holiday that folks my age generally don't celebrate in the States. I mean, sure, there might be a party with your friends, you might take your kid siblings trick-or-treating, but there is no Halloween celebration like the Galway celebration.
And TODAY is Halloween!!! Last night was just the day before!! We asked the Irish about this, and we were told that because most of the students go home on the weekends, Thursday night is the real celebration. I'm still trying to decide if I want to dress up in a costume tonight. Probably not. Halloween is globally the excuse for girls to dress a little more, ermm, scandalously? Not my thing, not even for a holiday. Not too many plans as of yet, but due to their success on Saturday night, crepes will most certainly be eaten. :)
Friday, October 31, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Four days of fun!
Sleep I did. I feel like my body was hit by a truck, I'm so tight. I probably fell asleep and stayed in one position. That may have been the best night's rest I've gotten thusfar. Now I'm writing this post while staring out my window, killing time to see if those grey clouds are going to split open. If so, I'm not running. It's too cold to run in the rain. Crossing my fingers that they'll pass! Anyway, let me tell you about my weekend. Yesterday was a bank holiday in Ireland, so no classes. Instead, we took a little trip. But let me start from the beginning.
Friday: Carolin started off the evening by asking if I could cut her bangs before we went out. Sure, no prob. We gabbed about what had happened in the past two days, future plans, vacations, and of COURSE, boys. :) Whatever. Then we met up with Stephanie in town and walked to the Quay's, our quickly-becoming favorite Friday night pub. This excellent band plays there at 10:30 every week, and last week we introduced them to Stephan. Well, Stephan's girlfriend Anika just happened to be here this Friday, and he wanted to bring her. The five of us grabbed a table and hung out for a while, then eventually walked upstairs to enjoy the tunes. And by walked, I mean we pushed our way through a mass of people and claimed our spot on the banister. We stayed until 11:30, I knew I'd be having a long weekend and I wanted to get some sleep, and the girls decided to just come with me. End of scene 1.
Saturday: IT RAINED ALL DAY. And not like the soft misty rainy, but a persistent heavy rain that blew horizontal because of the wind. I woke up early and went to breakfast with Stephanie, where we had a beautiful conversation about life, troubles, and God. The coffee was a bonus, too. Neither of us wanted to do much, so we watched movies all afternoon. In the evening, we went to the Great Irish Beer Festival with my neighbors, Darin and Mike. We had a blast. The 'festival' was a big venue where people could walk around at their leisure, sampling beers and ales from around the world. Grab a beer, grab some food, and grab a seat on the floor. The four of us did nothing more than hang out on our floor spot. We stayed until the festival was over, and then walked back into the city center. No one really wanted to go home yet, so we found another bar with live music and stayed there until we lost interest. THEN Darin was hardcore about getting late-night crepes from this place we discovered when we were in town last week. Actually, I knew it was there, but he had never had a crepe before in his life. Poor guy. Anyway, this creperie was open late, and we all got food and made our way home, but not before stopping to play at the public playground! Haha. That was my fault, admittedly, but I couldn't help myself- I am forever a kid at heart.
Sunday: Unbeknownst to me, Sunday was the end of daylight-savings time in greater Europe. I woke up early to get ready to catch the 7:05 am bus to the jazz festival in Cork, only to find out from my computer's clock that I was up an hour too early. After a stilted effort to tell the rest of my traveling party about our error, we all eventually got the bus at the correct time. Going with me were Darin, Derek and Nick M (the last two are from WCU). A bunch of our friends were already in Cork, including Stephen, and we would meet them there. After a four hour ride, we arrived to a sunny day in the southern city. We grabbed a bite to eat and then went to listen to, duh, jazz music at what I can only assume is some kind of conference center. I was enthralled. The first big band I listened to played four of my favorite songs right off the bat, and two of them were sung by a guy who sounded like Michael Buble. In love. After enjoying jazz, Darin, Derek, Nick M and I took a bus to our B&B; we hadn't checked in yet. We hiked literally off the beaten path to a quaint yellow house tucked into the landscape. The reservation was for three people, but Darin decided to come too, so Derek and Nick M asked if they could accomodate us. After an initial "no," they agreed to put a mattress on the floor. The couple who owned the B&B were so good to us. The guys crashed out for a little while; I went downstairs to write and read. Then David, one of the owners, took us in his cab back into town. Shortly after, we ate dinner and found Brett and Nick B (my other neighbor) and headed to hear more music. It wasn't a jazz band this time, but they were still good, and good enough for us to go back later to hear their second set. In between, we walked to the bar across the street where another jazz band was playing upstairs. Throughout the night, the rest of our friends came and went, and new friends joined the group. Since we started early, the evening was long and full of interesting people, drama, music, dancing, conversations, and me giving the guys a play-by-play on girl body language. Hilarious. We caught a cab back to our B&B, hoping to get some sleep.
Monday: We woke up and ate a home-cooked breakfast at our B&B, which was amazing. After taking turns for the shower, we checked out and walked to Blarney, where we met 7 of our friends. On the agenda for the day was a tour of Blarney castle and kissing the Blarney stone, but no one planned on how much fun we were going to have in process. We explored every nook and cranny of that castle (there were plenty), took a million pictures, climbed to the very top of the castle, and goofed off. Kissing the stone was an interesting experience. We quipped about getting herpes or other diseases from the stone, but when it came to it, we all leaned backwards to kiss it in hopes of receiving the famed gift of eloquence said to be rewarded to those whose lips touch the stone. Let me tell you, though, the man who stands there moves everyone along so fast, we barely had time to snap pictures. After that, we walked the rest of the castle, and then set out to walk the grounds. Blarney castle has a beautiful landscape around it, including a lake, gardens, something like a lagoon, caves (I don't know why, but they were very muddy), and the Rock Close, an 'enchanted' area of the castle grounds. More pictures, more exploring, more fun. Highlights were the wishing steps, the witch's kitchen, and the faerie grove. In the places where you could leave money for wishes, we observed coins from all over the world, including quite a few American pennies and nickels. After we killed all morning and early afternoon at the castle, we went back into Cork for lunch and to catch the bus home. Our bus was very crowded, but we all managed to find and keep our seats. After another four hours, we were back in Galway!
Of course, I can never accurately convey how much fun we had, and most of the fun stemmed from random circumstances or the people I was with. There are stories upon stories from the trip, and if you want to hear more, just let me know!
Friday: Carolin started off the evening by asking if I could cut her bangs before we went out. Sure, no prob. We gabbed about what had happened in the past two days, future plans, vacations, and of COURSE, boys. :) Whatever. Then we met up with Stephanie in town and walked to the Quay's, our quickly-becoming favorite Friday night pub. This excellent band plays there at 10:30 every week, and last week we introduced them to Stephan. Well, Stephan's girlfriend Anika just happened to be here this Friday, and he wanted to bring her. The five of us grabbed a table and hung out for a while, then eventually walked upstairs to enjoy the tunes. And by walked, I mean we pushed our way through a mass of people and claimed our spot on the banister. We stayed until 11:30, I knew I'd be having a long weekend and I wanted to get some sleep, and the girls decided to just come with me. End of scene 1.
Saturday: IT RAINED ALL DAY. And not like the soft misty rainy, but a persistent heavy rain that blew horizontal because of the wind. I woke up early and went to breakfast with Stephanie, where we had a beautiful conversation about life, troubles, and God. The coffee was a bonus, too. Neither of us wanted to do much, so we watched movies all afternoon. In the evening, we went to the Great Irish Beer Festival with my neighbors, Darin and Mike. We had a blast. The 'festival' was a big venue where people could walk around at their leisure, sampling beers and ales from around the world. Grab a beer, grab some food, and grab a seat on the floor. The four of us did nothing more than hang out on our floor spot. We stayed until the festival was over, and then walked back into the city center. No one really wanted to go home yet, so we found another bar with live music and stayed there until we lost interest. THEN Darin was hardcore about getting late-night crepes from this place we discovered when we were in town last week. Actually, I knew it was there, but he had never had a crepe before in his life. Poor guy. Anyway, this creperie was open late, and we all got food and made our way home, but not before stopping to play at the public playground! Haha. That was my fault, admittedly, but I couldn't help myself- I am forever a kid at heart.
Sunday: Unbeknownst to me, Sunday was the end of daylight-savings time in greater Europe. I woke up early to get ready to catch the 7:05 am bus to the jazz festival in Cork, only to find out from my computer's clock that I was up an hour too early. After a stilted effort to tell the rest of my traveling party about our error, we all eventually got the bus at the correct time. Going with me were Darin, Derek and Nick M (the last two are from WCU). A bunch of our friends were already in Cork, including Stephen, and we would meet them there. After a four hour ride, we arrived to a sunny day in the southern city. We grabbed a bite to eat and then went to listen to, duh, jazz music at what I can only assume is some kind of conference center. I was enthralled. The first big band I listened to played four of my favorite songs right off the bat, and two of them were sung by a guy who sounded like Michael Buble. In love. After enjoying jazz, Darin, Derek, Nick M and I took a bus to our B&B; we hadn't checked in yet. We hiked literally off the beaten path to a quaint yellow house tucked into the landscape. The reservation was for three people, but Darin decided to come too, so Derek and Nick M asked if they could accomodate us. After an initial "no," they agreed to put a mattress on the floor. The couple who owned the B&B were so good to us. The guys crashed out for a little while; I went downstairs to write and read. Then David, one of the owners, took us in his cab back into town. Shortly after, we ate dinner and found Brett and Nick B (my other neighbor) and headed to hear more music. It wasn't a jazz band this time, but they were still good, and good enough for us to go back later to hear their second set. In between, we walked to the bar across the street where another jazz band was playing upstairs. Throughout the night, the rest of our friends came and went, and new friends joined the group. Since we started early, the evening was long and full of interesting people, drama, music, dancing, conversations, and me giving the guys a play-by-play on girl body language. Hilarious. We caught a cab back to our B&B, hoping to get some sleep.
Monday: We woke up and ate a home-cooked breakfast at our B&B, which was amazing. After taking turns for the shower, we checked out and walked to Blarney, where we met 7 of our friends. On the agenda for the day was a tour of Blarney castle and kissing the Blarney stone, but no one planned on how much fun we were going to have in process. We explored every nook and cranny of that castle (there were plenty), took a million pictures, climbed to the very top of the castle, and goofed off. Kissing the stone was an interesting experience. We quipped about getting herpes or other diseases from the stone, but when it came to it, we all leaned backwards to kiss it in hopes of receiving the famed gift of eloquence said to be rewarded to those whose lips touch the stone. Let me tell you, though, the man who stands there moves everyone along so fast, we barely had time to snap pictures. After that, we walked the rest of the castle, and then set out to walk the grounds. Blarney castle has a beautiful landscape around it, including a lake, gardens, something like a lagoon, caves (I don't know why, but they were very muddy), and the Rock Close, an 'enchanted' area of the castle grounds. More pictures, more exploring, more fun. Highlights were the wishing steps, the witch's kitchen, and the faerie grove. In the places where you could leave money for wishes, we observed coins from all over the world, including quite a few American pennies and nickels. After we killed all morning and early afternoon at the castle, we went back into Cork for lunch and to catch the bus home. Our bus was very crowded, but we all managed to find and keep our seats. After another four hours, we were back in Galway!
Of course, I can never accurately convey how much fun we had, and most of the fun stemmed from random circumstances or the people I was with. There are stories upon stories from the trip, and if you want to hear more, just let me know!
Cork/Blarney castle pictures
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2067670&l=75446&id=44104357
I will tell of my grand adventures after I get some sleep in my body.
I will tell of my grand adventures after I get some sleep in my body.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
"Como ça va?"
I meant to publish this post yesterday, but time got away from me, and I find myself writing it now because I'm sure I'll want to look back on it someday and remember it! Anyway, it needs to be said: I. Love. My. Flatmates.
Afternoons at the Frendutchamerican House is one of my most favorite times, especially when all of the residents come out of our rooms. Yesterday happened to be one such afternoon. By some stroke of luck, Ruben, Anne-Sophie, her friend, and I all ended up in the kitchen at the same time, all of us attempting to make lunch at the same time.
Afternoons at the Frendutchamerican House is one of my most favorite times, especially when all of the residents come out of our rooms. Yesterday happened to be one such afternoon. By some stroke of luck, Ruben, Anne-Sophie, her friend, and I all ended up in the kitchen at the same time, all of us attempting to make lunch at the same time.
That's our kitchen. Imagine trying to fit more than one person in there at a time, let alone four. Well, Ruben and I chilled at the table, telling funny stories about a drunk Anso from the night before while the French mademoiselles made food. It's a little difficult to explain unless you had been there, but from those stories came lessons in basic French and basic/advanced English, so we were all bouncing around the kitchen trying new phrases on for size. And before you know it, we are all tickled and laughing at ourselves and each other.
There's a movie I watched a few weeks ago called "Pot Luck," and it's the incredible adventure of a French grad student who travels to Spain to study under the Erasmus program. When I watched it, I thought, how true is that movie; I imagine any exchange student who has seen it would agree that almost everyone's journey has been similar to that film. In the movie, the guy moves in with a motley crew of international students, and they had intercultural experiences that mirror the experiences Ruben, Anso and I have shared... attempting to carry on a conversation with a parent that doesn't speak your language, silent fights over space in the fridge, sharing the peculiarities of our different cultures. I think I may make my family watch this film when I get home, no doubt I'll stop it every thirty seconds to tell a story.
In the past 24 hours, I've had conversation upon conversation with different friends about Ireland and home and what will happen when people leave and how sad it will be and who will come visit when and scheduling vacations together. It's October! Surprising because I've only been here 7 weeks, and I won't be leaving for another 6.
I may miss home, but how will I ever be able to leave these people?
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Cork trip
Funny how things happen. My buddies and I wanted to go to Cork this weekend for the Guinness Jazz Festival, but we couldn't find a place to stay (everything is town is booked); so I made other plans for the weekend to go to the Great Irish Beer Festival. I just got home from class and saw a Skype message from one of my friends saying they went ahead and booked a B&B for us for Sunday night. Soooo it looks like I'll be doing the festival on Saturday, and then Sunday and Monday I'll be in Cork. Whew! What a weekend it will be!
Monday, October 20, 2008
The end of the road...
PS I was so sad to hear that the Sox lost last night. I thought it would be a Cinderella dream come true if they got to the Series; that fairytale turned out to be just that when I awoke to the worst news... Boston lost Tampa Bay in the decisive Game 7. ::sad face:: I told Ruben that Ireland was mad that they lost (because Boston has so many Irish, duh), hence the awful winds hahahahahaha. I think he almost believed me.
Hurricane weather?
Horrendous winds are ripping through Galway yesterday and today. Yesterday, it was accompanied by bouts of rain and thunder; the storm actually killed our power at one point. Today, it's just wind, but LOTS of it. The noise made it hard to sleep last night. This morning, some gusts were so hard that they would push you to the side, and Ruben and I had trouble walking in a straight line on our way to the college. (Dad, these are the kind of winds that you have nightmares about as far as yardwork goes haha.) Trying to be brave, I headed out for a run after class. Besides the hurricane-like wind, the weather is actually pretty mild. Well, I highly underestimated how hard it would be to pace normally while running into the wind. It was also my first run since I've had this awful cough. So really, it wasn't the smartest decision, but I fortunately was fine. The wind isn't supposed to let up for the next few days, so we'll see.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Photo connection
Dublin pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2066872&l=ad35a&id=44104357
Sadly, there's not much else to say. I'm trying to plan a little vacay for November, but so far it's just been research. But I think it will be England or Sweden. Who knows.
Sadly, there's not much else to say. I'm trying to plan a little vacay for November, but so far it's just been research. But I think it will be England or Sweden. Who knows.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Snippits
I'm stuck in a creative rut. There are these little tricklings of imagination that manage to find their ways into the pages of my class notes or abandoned in the back of my notebook, but I can't materialize anything significant. I wish I could. Now would be a great time to write for the Girls' Retreat or to write for P31, or to start writing my book ;) But I got nothing. Well, that's not true. I've begun to write about what my imagination and dreams are telling me, in hopes that I can figure out what in the world they mean. I'm starting to think that my need for adventure is being personified into these people and circumstances, like my brain is trying to shock me awake and push me back into existence. It's making it hard to stay here and just be still. Who knows what these dreams will drive me to do...
I made hot wings last night for a bunch of friends, including the my three American neighbors. I cooked for hours, making 80 wings and a few pounds of pilaf. Everything was a smashing hit, and I was happy to be supplying new treats for the internationals, and a little bit of home for us Americans. I like making people happy. My mom's hostess gene rang true- I did you proud, Mom!
I'm starting to get my continuous assessment assignments from my classes. I won't bore you with details, I'll just say that I'm sure I'll be fine. The expectations here are much lower, not just for us internationals, but for the Irish students too. They aren't even required to type their papers- handwritten ones are totally acceptable. What?? And they complain about 3 page papers. It's a little silly. Anyway, I have a slight temptation to just do the bare minimum, but this over-achiever knows that won't last very long.
Our apartment will be full tonight! Matt (another guy from WCU who is in school at Castlebar) is coming down with one of our Irish friends, plus Anso has a visitor here from France. It's a zoo!
I made hot wings last night for a bunch of friends, including the my three American neighbors. I cooked for hours, making 80 wings and a few pounds of pilaf. Everything was a smashing hit, and I was happy to be supplying new treats for the internationals, and a little bit of home for us Americans. I like making people happy. My mom's hostess gene rang true- I did you proud, Mom!
I'm starting to get my continuous assessment assignments from my classes. I won't bore you with details, I'll just say that I'm sure I'll be fine. The expectations here are much lower, not just for us internationals, but for the Irish students too. They aren't even required to type their papers- handwritten ones are totally acceptable. What?? And they complain about 3 page papers. It's a little silly. Anyway, I have a slight temptation to just do the bare minimum, but this over-achiever knows that won't last very long.
Our apartment will be full tonight! Matt (another guy from WCU who is in school at Castlebar) is coming down with one of our Irish friends, plus Anso has a visitor here from France. It's a zoo!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Book of Kells
I can't believe I forgot to mention the best part of my trip to Dublin. Saturday evening, we all visited Trinity College, one of the older Irish studies universities in Dublin, and also the home of the Book of Kells. Don't know what that is? Let me give you a crash course: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Kells
So anyway. It was beautiful. No one else wanted to pay the entrance fee into the exhibit, but I literally live for this kind of stuff. I am such a nerd, I know, but I don't care. It was amazing. There were videos playing on how the book was probably written and illuminated and bound, plus interesting historical details about the authors and the time period when the scripts were developed. And then, there were the manuscripts. For me, seeing a religious artifact makes my stomach jump. It normally brings me close to tears. When I saw the Dead Sea Scrolls in Charlotte a few years ago, I thought my heart was going to stop. It's like I have this corporeal connection to religion. I get the same way when I visit cathedrals or any old place or worship, and that's probably the same reason why I'm never anxious sitting through Mass, even though I'm Protestant (the only ties I have with the Catholic church are through my grandfather and my mother, who was raised Catholic). It's a mind-numbing, bone-shaking pleasure for me to be a pious witness to the labors of God's people, who only want to use themselves for his glory. It's intense, and very very cool.
So anyway. It was beautiful. No one else wanted to pay the entrance fee into the exhibit, but I literally live for this kind of stuff. I am such a nerd, I know, but I don't care. It was amazing. There were videos playing on how the book was probably written and illuminated and bound, plus interesting historical details about the authors and the time period when the scripts were developed. And then, there were the manuscripts. For me, seeing a religious artifact makes my stomach jump. It normally brings me close to tears. When I saw the Dead Sea Scrolls in Charlotte a few years ago, I thought my heart was going to stop. It's like I have this corporeal connection to religion. I get the same way when I visit cathedrals or any old place or worship, and that's probably the same reason why I'm never anxious sitting through Mass, even though I'm Protestant (the only ties I have with the Catholic church are through my grandfather and my mother, who was raised Catholic). It's a mind-numbing, bone-shaking pleasure for me to be a pious witness to the labors of God's people, who only want to use themselves for his glory. It's intense, and very very cool.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Some Americans, some Germans, and one French guy
I did manage to get to sleep Friday night, but only for about 4 hours. Then it was up and off to Dublin! At first intake, I wasn't so sure I would like it. Truth be told, I'm not a city girl. I really don't like the congestion of people and cars and pollution and big business. So I guess it makes sense that I feel so at home in the mountains of Cullowhee, and also that a big city like Dublin would make me nervous. I headed off to Dub-vegas with Carolin, Stephan, Charlie, and Fabien. (Stephen, Nick, and Derek were already there.) The weather was great both yesterday and today, so we took full advantage of it by staying outside as much as we could bear. At first we just walked around the city, stopping at various monuments and cathedrals. There was an open-air market that hosted some of the most beautiful fresh fruits I've ever seen, and we couldn't resist. We even popped into Dublin City Art Museum, which was nice and quiet. The night before, Carolin had convinced me to get my hair cut, so after the museum she and I split off to see what we could find as far as available hairdressers, which was nothing, by the way. Sad times. So we wandered, walking in and immediately out of stores because we found that even our sheer determination to shop wasn't getting us anywhere. We simply couldn't handle it. Eventually, we met the guys back by the river and wandered over to the hostel. We stayed at the Avalon House in Dublin 2; it actually wasn't bad at all. Our room was clean and tucked away in the corner. Except for the two guitar-playing hippie chicks next door, it was quiet. Once we checked in, we took advantage of our down time by getting coffee, checking email on the computers downstairs, or getting horizontal. It was nice just to hang out. Later, we met up with the other guys to go to Dublin's 1st Annual Oktoberfest. Haha. Unfortunately, we didn't get very far. In fact, we didn't even get in. There were too many people already inside, so we had to queue, which we patiently did for about 20 minutes before hunger ravaged our stomachs and we got German sausages and decided to pub hop.
Now, what you read next may surprise you. I'm giving you a fair warning. Since we couldn't get into the fest, we started to walk around Dublin, sure that we'd find a pub or bar or restaurant where we could chill. We ended up in the famous (or infamous) Temple Bar district. So, where did we go? That's right, Temple Bar. So that's where we started, but it turns out that you have to be 21 or older to get in. This is very strange, since the Irish drinking age is 18. Anyway, Fabien (who is only 20) couldn't get it, so a few of us had a beer and then we left to find a more suitable location. We ended up in another bar that at first glance seemed pretty sketch. But actually, we had a lot of fun. Then we moseyed to another bar, where they were playing incredible music, so we danced the night away, everyone feeling loose and happy to be among friends and strangers who act like they want to be your friends. Stephen and Derek ducked out after this bar, but the rest of us decided to do just one more. Right after midnight, we struggled to find a place where the party was still hoppin' but wasn't getting too sloppy. We sent Nick on the mission to find a place, and did he ever! The next bar wasn't as chokingly crowded, so we celebrated by taking shots and dancing some more. I am proud to say that was my first ever bar-hop. I've only been 21 for a few months, and I'm not much of a drinker. However, the music, the atmosphere, and the energy of my friends played into a great night in Dublin. Don't worry, we were all very safe about getting around and getting home; no one got sloshed or sick (I only had three drinks over the course of 4 hours); the guys made sure Carolin and I were protected (and we made sure they were good, too); no one's clothes came off. We were all very smart about it. Trust me, I am not magically and suddenly transforming into a party girl. But.. it was fun. That's all.
The only reprieve from my dreams last night was that they were presented like short stories. The upside: they were very short dreams. The downsides: there were a lot of them, and all the normal-length drama was compacted into those short episodes. I can't remember the content, but I do remember waking up often and feeling either scared or anxious. So I have to conclude they were more nightmares. All in all, I figure I slept about 4 or 5 hours. Four hours the night before, and 2.5 before that. At least I'm able to sleep longer? Hmm... At any rate, if I can't rest for longer periods of time, I'm going to get sick. I already have a bit of a cough going.
Because I couldn't sleep last night, I got up earlier than I had planned on doing. I walked around the hostel, sat on the floor in the room, and eventually got dressed and woke Carolin to eat breakfast with me. Stephan and I went to Mass and then met everyone else at the coffee shop to begin our day plans. We went to Stephen's Green, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Christchurch Cathedral, Dublin Castle, and walked around some more in search of entertainment and food. Then, we came back to Galway. On the screen, it doesn't appear that we were too busy, but we saw a lot while keeping a steady pace so that no one would be stressed out. And now I'm home, having cleaned the apartment for inspection tomorrow, unsuccessfully attempting to watch Grey's Anatomy online, and unpacking from the weekend. My two classes are cancelled tomorrow because my professor won't be in Galway, so I have a free day to relax. Who knows what kind of trouble I'll find?
Now, what you read next may surprise you. I'm giving you a fair warning. Since we couldn't get into the fest, we started to walk around Dublin, sure that we'd find a pub or bar or restaurant where we could chill. We ended up in the famous (or infamous) Temple Bar district. So, where did we go? That's right, Temple Bar. So that's where we started, but it turns out that you have to be 21 or older to get in. This is very strange, since the Irish drinking age is 18. Anyway, Fabien (who is only 20) couldn't get it, so a few of us had a beer and then we left to find a more suitable location. We ended up in another bar that at first glance seemed pretty sketch. But actually, we had a lot of fun. Then we moseyed to another bar, where they were playing incredible music, so we danced the night away, everyone feeling loose and happy to be among friends and strangers who act like they want to be your friends. Stephen and Derek ducked out after this bar, but the rest of us decided to do just one more. Right after midnight, we struggled to find a place where the party was still hoppin' but wasn't getting too sloppy. We sent Nick on the mission to find a place, and did he ever! The next bar wasn't as chokingly crowded, so we celebrated by taking shots and dancing some more. I am proud to say that was my first ever bar-hop. I've only been 21 for a few months, and I'm not much of a drinker. However, the music, the atmosphere, and the energy of my friends played into a great night in Dublin. Don't worry, we were all very safe about getting around and getting home; no one got sloshed or sick (I only had three drinks over the course of 4 hours); the guys made sure Carolin and I were protected (and we made sure they were good, too); no one's clothes came off. We were all very smart about it. Trust me, I am not magically and suddenly transforming into a party girl. But.. it was fun. That's all.
The only reprieve from my dreams last night was that they were presented like short stories. The upside: they were very short dreams. The downsides: there were a lot of them, and all the normal-length drama was compacted into those short episodes. I can't remember the content, but I do remember waking up often and feeling either scared or anxious. So I have to conclude they were more nightmares. All in all, I figure I slept about 4 or 5 hours. Four hours the night before, and 2.5 before that. At least I'm able to sleep longer? Hmm... At any rate, if I can't rest for longer periods of time, I'm going to get sick. I already have a bit of a cough going.
Because I couldn't sleep last night, I got up earlier than I had planned on doing. I walked around the hostel, sat on the floor in the room, and eventually got dressed and woke Carolin to eat breakfast with me. Stephan and I went to Mass and then met everyone else at the coffee shop to begin our day plans. We went to Stephen's Green, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Christchurch Cathedral, Dublin Castle, and walked around some more in search of entertainment and food. Then, we came back to Galway. On the screen, it doesn't appear that we were too busy, but we saw a lot while keeping a steady pace so that no one would be stressed out. And now I'm home, having cleaned the apartment for inspection tomorrow, unsuccessfully attempting to watch Grey's Anatomy online, and unpacking from the weekend. My two classes are cancelled tomorrow because my professor won't be in Galway, so I have a free day to relax. Who knows what kind of trouble I'll find?
Friday, October 10, 2008
Sleep deprivation is not my friend
I'm posting this now because there is no telling when I will again see the light of day. It's 1:20 in the afternoon, and I need a nap. Why? Let me tell you. So, last night was Erasmus student party night at The Library, the student bar just up the road. All of the international students (the European exchange program is called the Erasmus program) from both NUIG and GMIT came out to enjoy some free food, table quizzes, and alcohol (well, it IS a bar), with the hopes of hanging out with old friends and meeting new ones. The bar was packed. From wall to wall, in chairs, sitting on the stage, leaning against doors and against each other/ I don't know what the legal capacity is for the bar, but I'm sure we were over it. Regardless of how jam-packed it was, I went up around 10 pm with a bunch of my friends to mingle in the knotted crowd. I had early classes today, so I left with Carolin and my neighbor Darin around 11:30. I was definitely feeling tired, but I managed to stay awake long enough for my evening prayers and my typical mental replay of the day. I nodded off to sleep around 12:30, until I awoke suddenly about an hour later. I didn't hear any noises that woke me up or anything. In fact, all I could hear was the incessant rain. I rolled over, but couldn't fall back asleep. I was still awake when Anne-Sophie came in from the bar. I got up and ate a sandwich with her in the kitchen. Then, I thought I might read for a bit, just to calm me down and get me back in 'sleep mode.' No luck. I tossed and turned for another hour before I got up to light some incense and open my window. When that didn't work an hour later, I grabbed my headphones and turned on some music. Then I turned off my music. Then I got up and went to the bathroom. Then I got out of bed again and stretched and did yoga and pushups. Then I put my headphones back on. Then I counted sheep. Around 5 am, when I still couldn't sleep, I finally got up and went into the living room to watch TV. Around 6 am, I wandered back to bed for one final attempt at what would now be a nap. I think I dozed from about 6:15 until my alarm went off abruptly at 7:45. Time for class! I have NO idea why I couldn't sleep. Sure, my brain rambles on and on occasionally, [and it did last night because a certain someone, who has captured my most recent attention, was occupying my thoughts.] But I can even turn that off at will, and I did. The first half of the night, I lifted up prayers of "God, please help me fall asleep." The second half of the night, I was just angry. Now, it's funny that I had such a hard time with it. Though getting a restful sleep has been a task recently (because I keep having these vivid and/or nightmarish dreams), the actual getting to sleep part has never been an issue. I think if it happens again tonight, I'm going to have to find some sleeping pills. Just when I thought things had rounded a corner... Haha. Fortunately, I did make it to class, even on two and a half hours of sleep. For now, I'll try to get some Z's in so I'm not knocked out tomorrow when we leave for Dublin. Fingers crossed. Cheers!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Lucky number 4?
On my fourth trip to immigration today, I finally was able to register! Well, it had to happen at some point, and I'm so glad it did! I explained to the officer what had happened with our insurance cards and whatnot, and he apologized that I had to come back so many times. He joked with me and made me feel better about the whole experience. So, now I'm legal. :) Hooray.
After immigration, I had a list of things to do. It's really nice out today, so I took advantage of it and walked to the city center, about a half hour or so. I hit up the bookstore to buy a text for class, returned a book at the public library, bought postcards and stamps, bought butter and bread, and was even able to get to the bead store to pick up new hooks for my earrings. I was strolling down Shop Street, humming to myself and dodging passers-by, when all of a sudden it hit me... Ireland said yes. Ireland has agreed to be my friend. Maybe things are looking up...
After immigration, I had a list of things to do. It's really nice out today, so I took advantage of it and walked to the city center, about a half hour or so. I hit up the bookstore to buy a text for class, returned a book at the public library, bought postcards and stamps, bought butter and bread, and was even able to get to the bead store to pick up new hooks for my earrings. I was strolling down Shop Street, humming to myself and dodging passers-by, when all of a sudden it hit me... Ireland said yes. Ireland has agreed to be my friend. Maybe things are looking up...
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
A thought from an email I received:
"Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday... and all is well."
Sunday, October 5, 2008
A simple request...
At the JFK airport, where I connected for Ireland, I got Chinese food (surprise, surprise). My fortune was "There appear to be many clouds, but they quickly pass." I apparently stuck it in my pocket, because I found it when I was unpacking one month ago. I had taped it to my laptop as an encouragement. Well, yesterday, in good ol' Irish fashion, it poured rain all day- ALL DAY. It was incredibly depressing. After a rousing tournament of Uno at Derek's last night, I was walking back to the apartment with Ruben, and of course we were complaining about all the rain, when he mentioned that maybe the water cycle had brought me water from the coast of North Carolina. That warmed my heart, just a little. Today, I woke up to a sky full of sunshine. Eager to take advantage of the nice weather, I met two friends in the city center, one for lunch, one for walking around. When I was waiting for the second friend to get her smoothie, I opted to sit outside. I settled into a little whicker chair outside the cafe and waited. I watched the people walk by, the kids that were chasing pigeons, people lugging suitcases back from the bus station. I listened to laughter and chatter and the nearby street performer singing Johnny Cash. And I realized that Ireland, although seemingly unfriendly to me, isn't all trouble. So with a deep breath, I closed my eyes, lifted my face to the cloudless sky, and asked a simple request- "Ireland, can we be friends?" Let's see how it goes.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Deportation part 2
Well. As if this whole immigration thing couldn't get any worse, the saga now continues. After my second rejection, I complained to Helen O'Reilly, the international officer at GMIT. She promised to call and figure something out. I talked to her yesterday and she told me she had spoken to a man there who was willing to bend a little for us, but we needed to go in before we expired just to show our faces. I woke up at 6:30 am to walk down to registration with three other American students from UW-Platteville. After getting a little turned around, we arrived only to see that 50 other people were in front of us in line. So, we grabbed a ticket and waited for a few hours.
When it was my turn, I explained to the man what Helen had told me regarding her conversation with the immigration guy. Well, long story short, I was turned down a third time! The officer basically told me he thought I was lying and refused to look at any of my documents. Well, he did look at one piece- the document with all of my health insurance information. He immediately handed it back and told me that they didn't take copies. Calmly, I tried to tell him that the black and white card WAS the original, sent to me by the insurance company. He looked at me like I was stupid and repeated that they wouldn't accept a copy. Greeeeat.
So for the big question: Could I still go to Venice? For once, I couldn't get a straightforward answer from him. He told me he couldn't tell me if I could or couldn't, it was up to me to risk leaving the country and trying to get back in. But when I refused to get up, he leaned in a little and told me that even though he wasn't sure, he wouldn't chance it. Sweet. So anyway. I, your daughter, sister, friend, co-worker, and student, will be an illegal resident of Ireland tomorrow at midnight. What are the repercussions of being an illegal alien? Well, I could be arrested or sent home immediately. Feeling really good about that one. I would also like to note that if I am sent home, I cannot graduate in December.
Though I highly doubt I'll be sent home, I also never thought I'd ever be an illegal resident anywhere. I never thought I'd have to cancel Venice. Of course, I'm angry, frustrated, sad, and at my wit's end. I have written emails to my health insurance company, the immigration office, the US Embassy here in Dublin, and ISP back at Western. Oy. To make me even more angry, I got word today that three of the American guys got through immigration today, two of them are Western guys who have the same insurance (and B&W insurance card) that I do. I know all of this will work itself out, but I am really unhappy right now. In light of recent events, I felt that I sort of needed to run away from here and have a nice weekend outside of my own head. Oh well. I'll keep you posted! In the meantime, I will have to be extra-careful not to break any laws!
When it was my turn, I explained to the man what Helen had told me regarding her conversation with the immigration guy. Well, long story short, I was turned down a third time! The officer basically told me he thought I was lying and refused to look at any of my documents. Well, he did look at one piece- the document with all of my health insurance information. He immediately handed it back and told me that they didn't take copies. Calmly, I tried to tell him that the black and white card WAS the original, sent to me by the insurance company. He looked at me like I was stupid and repeated that they wouldn't accept a copy. Greeeeat.
So for the big question: Could I still go to Venice? For once, I couldn't get a straightforward answer from him. He told me he couldn't tell me if I could or couldn't, it was up to me to risk leaving the country and trying to get back in. But when I refused to get up, he leaned in a little and told me that even though he wasn't sure, he wouldn't chance it. Sweet. So anyway. I, your daughter, sister, friend, co-worker, and student, will be an illegal resident of Ireland tomorrow at midnight. What are the repercussions of being an illegal alien? Well, I could be arrested or sent home immediately. Feeling really good about that one. I would also like to note that if I am sent home, I cannot graduate in December.
Though I highly doubt I'll be sent home, I also never thought I'd ever be an illegal resident anywhere. I never thought I'd have to cancel Venice. Of course, I'm angry, frustrated, sad, and at my wit's end. I have written emails to my health insurance company, the immigration office, the US Embassy here in Dublin, and ISP back at Western. Oy. To make me even more angry, I got word today that three of the American guys got through immigration today, two of them are Western guys who have the same insurance (and B&W insurance card) that I do. I know all of this will work itself out, but I am really unhappy right now. In light of recent events, I felt that I sort of needed to run away from here and have a nice weekend outside of my own head. Oh well. I'll keep you posted! In the meantime, I will have to be extra-careful not to break any laws!
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