Clicking my Ruby Red Slippers.

So it's been a few days since the last post. I'm still alive, and as most of you in my everyday life know, I've almost reached my limits for stress. My flight is scheduled to leave tomorrow morning, at 9am. In ten and a half hours. That's assuming the snow doesn't cause problems. I'm hoping and hoping and hoping, and praying to the gods that I can get to the airport, get on the plane, take off, and land in Newark and get home with as few problems as possible. I have a back up plan if that doesn't happen. Either way, I'm on a bus at five am tomorrow.

I want to go home. That's been in the back of my mind since mum and nan went home last month. I want to go home. I love Ireland. There's so much that I'm going to miss. Such wonderful people that I'll be thinking of on a regular basis for months to come. I'll be doing something, and I'll have a random thought like, "So and So would love that." Or I'll come across something that only so and so would understand. I'll have great news, and the first person I'll want to tell will be here, in Ireland.

For a few seconds I'll be happy, and I won't be able to wait to tell whoever it was whatever it was. And then reality will sink back in, and there will be a sense of something missing, and I'll feel lonely and remind myself to email them or send them a message on facebook. But it's not the same as telling them in person. It never is. I can email them all I want, send a million messages and maybe even a phone call or two, but it's just not the same. Nothing beats face to face. Nothing beats telling them some stupid joke, and watching them laugh with you. So you try to tell someone else, and they just don't get it. The person you tell instead is not lacking, you're just connected to them differently.

For instance, I could tell you a story about something random like...about the lip gloss I bought while I was here. Go ahead an roll your eyes, but anyone who's tried to help me pick out lip gloss or lipstick knows that I'm really really picky when it comes to a color. To the friend who switched colors with me, you're gonna love it. To the woman who helped me pick a color before I left, this one's a bit more muted. And to the friends who have watched me pine over the same lipstick but not want to spend the money on it, I bought it. Yup, that's right, I caved and bought it. To the rest of you, I'm sure you don't care, but you see my point.

So many times when I first got here that I walked past something in a store or on the street and thought, "Now that's something ________ would love to hear about!" and been unable to share it with them properly. So I turned my thoughts to the friends I have here, and filed away the info for when I get home. Now I'm going home, and I have to switch back. But I know every time I walk past a girl in really tall designer boots, or see the movie Braveheart, or make something with hot peppers, or hear some really lewd joke, or have a gin and tonic, I'll be reminded of different people. Maybe someday I won't, but I'm not looking forward to that day at all.

I'm sitting here in my room dreading schlepping the suitcases down to the bus to go to the airport in the snow. Why in gods name did I buy two suite cases on wheels? They're hard to handle at the same time. But getting home will be worth the stress, lack of sleep, broke nails, and sore muscles. I'll get to see my mom and dad and brothers and cats and the rest of the family in the next few days, and I can't wait.

I'll get to sleep in my own bed, and hear the house creak when the wind blows and the rain in the gutter and the cats fighting and I'll be home. I'll be happy and I'll feel calmer and safer than I have in months. The little every day stresses of being in a foreign country will melt away, and I'll have to deal with the family stresses. I'll look back on my time in Ireland and miss it dearly, want so very much to come back. I don't know when or how, but hopefully one day not to far away, I'll be back. This isn't goodbye Ireland, rather I'll see you later, and I'm looking forward to it. For now, I'm clicking my shoes together and saying, "There's no place like home. There's no place like home" and looking forward to being there.

Food for thought...

So those of you who know me know this: I. Love. Food. Now, that doesn't mean that I'm really adventurous with food, too many allergies for it really, but that doesn't mean that I'm never up for something new. I love to cook, and I love to go out to eat. I love finding food that I well...love Lol.

So today's topic: Comfort Food. More specifically, take-out/away. No, really. I just finished making dinner, and I sat here eating it thinking, 'This isn't good...sooo not what I actually want...' (not something that happens often). Which of course prompted me to think about what I wanted instead. Would you like to know what I came up with? Why might be the more important question though, something I'd like to know myself.

A Fat Sandwich. With chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, french fries, and honey mustard sauce. Yeeaaaahhhh.....I've had my cravings for food from home before, but this very quickly went from whimpering and craving to a full blown obsession. It's all I've been able to think about for the past half hour. When can I get one? Can I find one here? Do I have to wait till I get home to get one? Does this mean I'm going food shopping tomorrow and buying what I need to make one? Well, the sooner the better, I don't really know, I really really really hope not, and it looks like it...

Now, I've had some odd cravings before. There's the desire for chips/crisps with nothing on them but salt, or regular potato chips, as I like to call them. I can't find them here, unless I pretend that 'lightly salted' are the same, which as we all know, they're not. All the chips/crisps here come with some kind of flavoring. I like mine plain. As in slice the potato, fry it in oil and cover it in salt. I'll eat those ones with flavour, but nothing beats a bag of Grandma UTZ's hand cooked chips. Nothing. Not Pringles or Cheeto's, or even Doritos. NOTHING.

While we're on the topic of 'chips', Englishtown Fries and Lemonade. From that little mom and pop stall in the first or second building from the entrance by the parking lot. Fries that are piping hot and salted and/or Limeade, Lemonade, or Orangeade that is mixed in front of you. Divine. If you go to Englishtown, you must, absolutely must stop for these before you leave. They'll be closed when I get home, so they'll have to wait a while, but they are SO on my list of things to do when I get home. Who's up for a trip with me????

Stuff Yer Face 'Bolis. Yup Yup. I miss those too. 'Bolis need no explanation. You either know what they are, or you don't. Check the site if you're confused.

Chicken patties and Spicy Beef patties. I blame a certain friend for this, and he knows who he is. They're sold in this little Jamaican place on Easton Ave, and they're like $1.50 each or something. Cheap and amazing. Word of advice, they can be eaten while walking in the rain, but it's not 100% advisable. Yes, I have tried it. They've got good plantains and roti too, I'm just more of a chicken/beef patty girl.

Pizza. This deserves a whole post to itself, but not now lol. Mum, Nan and I went to Italy last month. There were pizza shops all over Rome. I'm not sure whether I expected it or not, but they were there. You couldn't walk more than a block or two without passing one. It fell a bit like being home. Pizza is huge in NJ. Everybody has they're favorite place to get it too. At home, we have two places we regularly go to for pizza. There's the place down Main Street that has good Jersey pizza, it's everything you'd expect it to be, we just like it better than the...I don't know four or five pizza places we pass between there and home. Hey, it's Jersey, when I say everyone has their favorite pizza place, I mean it. Oh, and we call them 'pizza places', not  'pizzerias'. Then there's Gerlanda's. It's on campus, and has great gourmet pizza. There's Margarita, Chicken Parm, St. Peter's, Hawaiian, and my personal favorite, Chicago-Style Spinach. What I wouldn't do for a slice of Chicago-Style Spinach. When I call to order, it's just a given that's what I want. It never lasts the night in our house...well maybe once...

Ugh. This isn't helping. At least I'll be home in eight days. That's a week from tomorrow...

Snow Kidding!

Yeah yeah, bad pun, but I couldn't think of a better title. You'll have to forgive me, I'm tired and my brain is so fried it's turning to charcoal.

The snow's still on the ground. They still haven't cleared it. In they're minds, they're doing the proper thing, and I don't fault them for that. But I'm so sick of watching every step I take when I open the front door. It's just solid ice. They throw rock salt on it, and when the ice starts to melt, the water and slush doesn't go anywhere, so it freezes over the rock salt, defeating the purpose.

People here walk around like it's not that big of a deal, but I have this theory that as someone who's grown up with Jersey winters (and remembers that big storm from like eight and a half years ago) is intimately acquainted with what slipping on ice and falling feels like. Or maybe it's just my very real (and justified) fear of falling. I hate falling. Messes up the whole damned day afterwards.

The buses are a bit temperamental in this weather, but I did manage to do a bit of sightseeing despite the snow. I wandered into St. Stephen's Green. I walked around a bit back in September, but I thought I might try it again in the snow. A lot less people, a lot less walkway space, and an amazing sense of peace. There's something about snow that just makes me feel peaceful sometimes.

Have you ever walked around in a flurry, not when it first starts, but when it's starting to really get going, before it turns into a full snow storm? After the excitement and thoughts of "SNOW!" fade away, but before the loathing and thoughts of "Oh crap, where did I leave that stupid shovel??" Or even just right after it all stops. When there's almost no movement, and even the animals found somewhere warm to hide. Theres a few moments of peace and quiet, when all I want to do is put on warm clothing and fling myself backward into the pile and stare at the sky and contemplate things.

That moment, I can't explain how much I love it. There's just this amazing feeling of being, where there's no good or bad, there just is. It's peace. It's quiet. It's remembrance. It's hope. I didn't get to really have it this time because of the on and off snow flurries, and the ice issues, but walking around St Stephen's Green, and later Phoenix Park, I got pretty damn close.

I've been wound up all day and I still don't know why, but remembering that moment, I'm calm now. I think I can finally sleep. I posted pictures of St. Stephen's Green and Phoenix Park on both Picasa and Facebook in the Dublin albums. I've reached a moment of zen for me. You can find the links on the link page. I'm feeling to lazy now.

Night all, sláinte.

Well it's about time!

So how about a real post? Not one done really quickly on the bus, or one done just to say 'Hey! I'm still alive!", but a real I-actually-sat-down-and-thought-about-what-to-say post. Well...sorta thought about what to say...

First things first, I apologize for my negligent behavior. While I can't promise that it won't happen again, I can promise that I will work harder to make sure it does not happen again. I am after all a student, and you know how we get, constantly wander off and needing supervision and all that.

Quick re-cap of the major (at least photographically) events of the last two months, with some smaller things thrown in for fun. October - Connemara, Culture Night, Maynooth, and Trim. November - Rome, Florance, Cliffs of Moher, Newgrange. December - SNOW. For the record though, the snow started in November. No really, it did. Also in the last two weeks-ish, I've added another page. This one is called the 'Links for Pictures' page. Guess what it has. Links for picture albums on Picasa! You're right! How did you know? I'll probably update it more than this, simply because it's quicker, and easier around 3 am. It will also provide you with one place to find all the links gathered instead of searching through posts.

I've also updated some of the other pages. Here's a brief highlight:
Things I miss from Home: Thanksgiving. Not having to leave the building to do laundry.
Things I've learned: a trip to a goal can be profound. So can a trip to a whiskey distillery.

Run down of picture albums, links for which can be found on the afore mentioned 'Links for Pictures' page (link above).  Dublin is the new album for random pictures, it includes things like small mini trips like Kilmainham, or a few pictures of our snow days. Yes, I said snow days, but I'll explain later. Cliffs of Moher Trip is everything that happened on the bus ride to the Cliffs of Moher EXCEPT for the Cliffs of Moher. Those can be found in a separate album called, you guessed it, Cliffs of Moher. Newgrange has it's own album. I've also made a whole album for the Castles I've seen, but Trim and Maynooth have their own albums as well. Florance is in an album by itself. My trip to Rome is broken up into two albums. Area Sacra and Rome.

I just finished writing my last paper of the semester...five and a half hours ago. I'm not entirely sure when my first exam is, they rescheduled it, but I'm thinking they might have to do so yet again...if not, well no biggie. Why did they reschedule it you ask, well because of the snow of course! Didn't I mention that? I thought I did...Oh well, I might as well tell it again.

So, as of this past Friday, yes, Black Friday for the US, it's been snowing on and off. My friends have informed me that this kind of weather is completely unheard of for them. Ireland does not know how to deal with it the same way we would at home. While I'm sitting here going, it's just snow guys, the news casters have been throwing phrases such as 'state of emergency' and 'severe weather conditions' around since Saturday. How much snow you ask? Ummm...somewhere between 2-5 inches around campus. Yes I said inches, not feet. I know that some places have more, but I'm not sure how much.  They really don't know how to deal with it. No, really, there aren't any snow plows and I doubt they have shovels or ice choppers like we have at home. It's kinda really pretty though, look at the pictures...just not in front of any little kids.

I've officially survived taking classes in a foreign country. I still have to hand in the last paper, and take the exams, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm not sure I'm ready to start walking towards it yet, but I've already done some small things to prepare. There's a box sitting in my room packed and taped to be mailed home, and another that's half full. I've started a list of things to leave with a friend in the event that I can come back (I'm very very very very hopeful).

I love catching the bus into town and just wandering around. I love walking past the guy by St. Stephen's Green Mall who sings and plays the spoons. Spoons! He plays spoons for instruments for gods' sake! There's a guy near Marks & Spensers who made a guitar out of an oil can. And there's the old man with his bundle of sand who shapes it into a dog named Sandy. There's the guy who dragged this organ like thing into the middle of Grafton Street. And the guy on Henry Street who plays the violin absolutely beautifully. And the random groups of teens who sing or play instruments. There's the dog in the sidewalk in Temple Bar and the golden eye like thing. There's the mosaic by Kilkenny Design, and the bullet holes in the Daniel O'Connell monument. The Molly Malone Statue and the Dublin Spire. The Ha'Penny bridge and the Meeting Square market. There's the food market and the used book market. The ice cream shop and the store with jewelery from around the world. There's just so much to see and take in, even without the shopping. Some days I just love to walk around for hours. Up and down the same streets, feeling it in the air.

My mum and gran came to visit in the beginning of November, and I'm so very glad they were here and I got to see and spend time with them, but when they left, I wanted very much to go with them. I love Ireland, really I do...but as much as it finally feels a bit like home, I want to go home. I want to sleep in my own bed, and see my nephews, and drink with my cousins and pet my cats, and fight with my mom, and bitch about my brothers and yell to my gran (not at, she's really just very very hard of hearing).And I wanna do it in person. While wearing clothes other than the one's I've been wearing for the last four months. I want to wear my favorite jeans and my purple sweater with the hole in the shoulder. I want to wear those brown boots I bought before I left and still have to break in. I want to not have to think about food in terms of how much I can make and have enough to save for later but still be small enough to fit in the fridge I'm sharing with five people. I want to make a pitcher of margaritas and watch my mother get seriously tipsy (sorry ma, it's true and you know it). I want to talk food with my dad without subconsciously thinking about how long I'm on the phone. I want to walk into a supermarket and be able to find things. Like evaporated milk. Without having to ask someone.

These past three months, and the next three weeks have been and will be absolutely amazing, and I wouldn't trade them for the world. I'll remember them for the rest of my life, but I'm starting to look forward to going home and having people understand me and me understand them like 85% of the time. It'll be nice not to have to think whether people will understand the things I say. Not that I'm complaining, that's part of the adventure. I'm just ready for a lack of stress for a while. And I know that within a few hours of being home all I'll wanna do is come back. Mum and I already have a bet that we'll be fighting on the car ride home. Neither of us doubt it, it'll absolutely happen. And then I'll walk in the side door, and get bitched out by one cat, then the other, then scare the shit out of the new cat, then fall asleep in the bed. And then, when I wake up completely disoriented and confused and see my wall and bookshelves and desk and dressers and John, then, and most likely only then, will I feel like I'm home. At which point I'll probably go pick another fight with my mother...or maybe my brother. Yeah, it might be my brother's turn....

Temple Bar Wall

It's been forever, and I wonder if you still remember me, but I haven't forgotten you. Even if it seems that way. I have one or two posts to retroactively post that I wrote on a bus and just haven't found time to post. They're coming soon, no really they are.

I found this this weekend, yesterday more specifically on a wall in Temple Bar here in Dublin. I had to take a picture of it.

There are over 1,000 pictures from Italy and traveling with my mother and grandmother. I'm working on picking out the best ones and gathering them in a common location. They'll show up randomly. There's a link somewhere for the pictures from Connemara....I'll find it for you....

Till next time, Sláinte.

Ummm...ooopies...*

So uh...its ah...been a while... I'm alive I swear. And I'm enjoying myself here. The past few weeks have been mostly the same. The semester is about half way through. And while i don't have midterms, I do have a series of papers and projects i've been working on.  I've had a few, 'wait, that's due WHEN?!?!' moments.

I've been doing work and going to class and carving out time to spend with my friends and time for myself. Its an interesting balancing act, but I like to think I've gotten rather good at it.

So what have I really been up to since the last post you ask? Well, I did go to Connemara as i was telling you about last time. Wow that feels so long ago...don't kill me...

Connemarra was beautiful. There was a bit more hiking then I would have liked, but (and you'll never hear me say this again) the views were worth it. I did have one moment when the guide pointed out an easier path and said 'we could have taken that path...its easier, but its not as much FUN!' I didn't kill him, I promise :)

I've seen three castles since we've talked. There was the one in Connemara that I can't remember the name of...I'll look it up if I have time. Then there was Maynooth, link here, and pictures here. And then there was my favorite, Trim. Now that was an amazing adventure despite the almost torential down pour and standing at the bus stops wondering if i'd ever feel warm and dry again. So totally worth it though. :D

Thursday afternoon I leave for italy. Rome to be more specific. I'm looking forward to it. More importantly, I'm meeting my mum and grandma there. I'm really hoping to get to florence while we're there. I'll have to go back for venice another time.


*Retroactively posted...don't kill me?

Wait! Don't shoot, there's a new post!

Oh dear...it's been a week and a half since my last post...how did that happen? I really...don't know... My apologies guys, last week and this week kind of got away from me. I am still in one piece, there just isn't much to say right now.

I've been going to class and doing some of the reading and homework. Starting next week, I have three assignments due, and I'm still trying to figure out the library system. We have to scan the bar codes on our student IDs to get in and out of the library. We have to buy special cards to photocopy things. Printing, requires topping up the money linked to your student ID (yes it's not that different from home, but we don't automatically have anything on out account).

For my castles class, I have to pick a castle to do a report on. The problem, or its not really a problem so much as a snag, is that I have to go visit the castle. That means I have to be able to get there using the public transportation system. After some discussion with my professor, I'll be doing Trim Castle.  There's a bus that takes me right up to the castle, and back to Dublin, which will make it very easy to get to. I'm trying to figure out a field trip with some friends.

The package from home came in last week. I have Grits, and Double Stuffed Golden Oreoes, and Reeces Pieces. I'm all kinds of happy about that :) I finally have some pictures up of people from home so there's pictures to match the cards given to me before I left. I've recently discovered that grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches are very good, and I now remember how much I love apples with peanut butter.

The weather here is really nice. It stays between 60 and 40, being 60 most of the day, and sometimes it'll drop to 48 at night/early morning, but that's really about it. I actually love the weather.

Friday, I leave for Connemara for the trip organized through Rutgers. When I come back, there will hopefully be tons of pictures for you guys to look at. My camera will definitely be coming with me. I've been told it will be cold and wet, and we'll be walking through bogs and such.

I know it's not much, but I can't think of anything else to say. I'm getting ready for bed right now, so my brain has moved passed fried and into the slightly charcoaled area. I hope everyone is doing well. Till next time, remember, you are not allowed to hurt the little shiiii...I mean students ;)

Yes, I'll have a....

Friday was Culture Night. Find info here. Basically the city's art galleries and museums and such were open late, and open for free. As a student on a budget, it wasn't something I could pass up easily. I wandered around the city for four hours. I saw several live musical performances and wandered into a few museums and learning centers, such as the Dublinia and the Dublin Castle. I should have gotten a pin, but they were a euro apiece, and I needed it for bus fare home. :(

Pictures can be found by clicking the thumbnail below. I walked around for four hours, there's more pictures than I have the patience right now to post individually. There are some pictures that have previously been posted here, and it is where I will post picture publicly in the future. Bookmark it or the blog or make a note, or just come back here for the link if you're interested.

Ireland

There's comments for the pictures only on Facebook (which only has some of the better ones) currently, but I will get around to putting them up on Picasa, just give me time. 

For those of you who have been hassling me, I did finally go to a pub last night. No, I was not hungover smartass. I'm totally fine. I took a page out of my great grandfather's book and enjoyed a few gin and tonics. Ya know, for the malaria and all that ;)

I've added a few pages to the blog which I will update throughout my time here. As of right now, there's a Things I miss from home, Things I've learned (in addition to a previous post), and a Girls Night page.

There are permanent links to the pages to the right near the top of the page ------------>

That's all for now folks, I have a s*** ton of reading to do for tomorrow, I just wanted ya'll to know I was still alive and what not. :)

This is the song that never ends...

It's stuck in your head now isn't it? SUCKER! Ahahaha *cue maniacal laughter*

Sorry, I just had to do it. Did you know that it's not a well known (and hated) song over here? Can anyone else see Lamb Chop and Shari, the two of them bobbing up and down as they sing it?

Now it's really stuck in your head isn't it? Good. My work here is done.

What's that? You still want an update? Well, since you asked so nicely. ;)

I spent most of yesterday afternoon in the City Centre just walking around. For three hours. It was wonderful. I had my headphones playing some old favorites in my ears as I wandered aimlessly. Yes, they are loud and a bit in your face but they suited my mood perfectly. I do like softer, more slow songs too, it just depends on my mood. The loud ones are for when I'm blocking things out or avoiding something and the softer ones are for when I feel calm or want to sing. Yes, I sing and yes, not well. lol

Back to the city. How about some pictures? They were taken with the camera on my phone, so they aren't great quality, but they're not horrible either and they'll give you a better idea of what I've found along the way. I stepped off the bus and turned to walk towards Grafton Street and saw this:

And might I just say, it was not the first time I had seen people in such dress. I believe it's actually the third. The second time, was an middle-aged woman in a beautiful cornflower blue dress walking with a gentleman in a full tuxedo. With duck tales, a cane and a top hat. Made my day, it did! :D

This is the bridge that most people would use when crossing the Liffey to get to the other side. I don't know what the red and green things are, but they amused me and I thought you might want to see something less random...or not less random I guess...

There's a bunch of little shops in the bottom of this building. There's a liquor store, or off-license as they call it here, a cigar/smoke shop and a costume shop I think. And a woman playing a harp on the corner. No, really, a harp. See.

There are always street performers around. I meant to get a picture of the guy who stands in front of Stephen's Green and lays on a bed of broken glass, but I didn't get back there as I planned yesterday. However, fear not, it is coming, and I hope to know his name by then too. Besides the woman playing harp, you're (or I'm) also quite likely to find random musicians on the street such as this man playing the electric guitar.

The street performers amuse me, can you tell? I don't know why, but they do.

There's a bunch of shops of all sizes on both Grafton Street and O'Connell Street and the streets off to the sides and in between. You've got your designers like Chanel, you've got your more main stream stores like H&M and you've got your little shops like the Harlequin which are most likely run by one or two people.

So we all know I'm not some skinny-mini, right? Well, I'm having a problem finding cloths and such that fit me. I haven't given up hope, but its a bit hard. I have found some stores that might carry a few pieces that fit me. For example, I found Monsoon. They have two truly beautiful coats that I might just have to go back and actually try on. They aren't cheap, or even close to my budget, but I might be able to find a reason to justify the expense. I did forget my rain coat after all ;)

This first coat is a beautiful deep emeraldy green. Move your mouse to the picture on the right for a better idea of what it looks like. Or see below:

Again for details: 

http://www.monsoon.co.uk/coats+macs/lindsey-velvet-coat/invt/77201510/

Isn't it beautiful? It's velvet, so I don't know how practical it would be...This second one on the other hand might be much more useful:

Again, for details: 

http://www.monsoon.co.uk/coats+macs/stella-wool-coat/invt/77201003/

I've also found some interesting shoes, in some shopping centres. Yes shoes. Wipe that look off your face or go away. I'm a girl, I like shoes! So there :P

These adorable flats have purple roses and skulls on them, just in case you couldn't see them :)

Below are some gorgeous Doc Martens.

Truly exquisite.

Some heels for the girly girls.

And some sneakers for the more practical girly girl.

More purple roses :)

Okay guys, that's all for now. After three hours of walking, my feet hurt still hurt, but I saw some cool things. I'll try to take more pictures and I hope one of these days to really just be a tourist and just wander taking pictures rather than trying to find stuff on my list of things to get. Yesterday it was a stapler, highlighter and a few *ahem* other things. I found a stapler, but that's it. Low and behold the stapler had no staples in it. I am now the proud owner of a staple-less stapler.

PS. Did you know 'girly' is not a real word? I can't imagine why...

I've survived the first week of classes!

Classes started Monday, yes it seems late to me too. Especially since I still get home in time for Christmas. Not that I'm complaining.


My schedule was finalized this afternoon. What am I taking? Well, since you asked lol. 

1. Pagan Celts
2. Introduction to Folklore
3. Ireland Uncovered (standard study abroad course)
4. The Archeaology of the Irish Medieval Castle

You're jealous. Don't deny it, I know you are. I'd be too. They just sound cool don't they! I mean, a WHOLE CLASS on CASTLES! Lol. I haven't been this excited about ALL of the classes I registered for in...ever. Don't get me wrong, there have absolutely been classes that I was excited about, but I've always tried to balance them with the ones I knew were going to suck (like science classes, no offense to the science lovers, they're just not my thing) so I could still enjoy my semester.

Here's what my schedule looks like: 

Wondering why Friday isn't on here? I don't have class  It just keeps getting better and better doesn't it? :)

So its been a few days since classes started, and you want to know what its like right?  Well...not that much different really. I mean they're half an hour shorter time wise than at home which makes it a lot easier to focus on them surprisingly. They're interesting too, or at least they are to me. 

I've noticed a few things that are different though. We're given a reading list so rather than a list of books to buy so thats a bit confusing really. And they don't tell you what to read or by when. I don't even know which ones are really important and which ones will be used for background reading.  There's no real syllabus for the classes. We're supposed to get a 'handbook' for the classes. I don't really know what that means though.  Its got me a little worried, but I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually.


 Tell me what's going on at home. I feel like a petulant kid wanting to know what's happening. Updates people! I want updates!

Things I've learned...

So it's just after midnight here in Dublin, but I thought it might be time to check in. Between yesterday and today I've been into the City Centre twice. Both time yielded some interesting results. I've learned some strange and not so strange things in the last 48 hours and have the urge to share them. Enjoy :)

Things I've learned in the last two days:

1. I don't think I can find Grits here in Dublin
2. I keep writing/typing "her" instead of "here" and I don't know why. I at least understand why I want to write "befor" instead of "before" we don't really need that second 'e' right? It's just a nuisance after all lol
3. I learned how to sleep with a stuffed toy when I started college. I had hopes to break myself of the habit...turns out it didn't work. I keep reaching for my John bear in the middle of the night only to smack my hand against the wall. Meet my new bear. Any ideas on what I should call him?
4. The specially designed blister band aids really do make a difference when it comes to wearing the same blister inducing shoes three days in a row. (I don't know why they gave me blisters but they did.)
5. I don't have to live in Jersey or even be in Jersey to find a sweatshirt with the words "New Jersey" prominently displayed. No really. I found one here in Dublin.
6. Exploring a city is better done on your own or with someone who thinks like you. Shopping is also best done in a similar manner.
7. Stamps here cost 0.82 euros for an international post card. 
8. I'm not sure if I can find Q-tips or not...(hint hint mommy).
9. Picking a body wash or shampoo when you're really really tired does not mean that you'll like it when it's finally time to shower.
10. Said body wash may have smelled nice when picking it out way back when you were sober....but that doesn't mean it still smells nice when you're drunk/tipsy/what ever the hell I was last night.
11. Drinking half a bottle of wine is not the best idea while trying to write out post cards (the first batch will be in the post by Monday night. I don't know how long they'll take to get there. I probably still have to write yours, be patient).
12. I've still never been hung over despite being drunk/tipsy/whatever the hell I was last night (pauses to knock on wood).
13. Calling home makes me feel better, reinforcing my love of google products. (Calling from google/gmail chat/voice is free from Ireland to the US. GO ME!)
14. Drunk/tipsy/whatever the hell I was last night or sober, the bed here is soooooo not comfortable. I've slept on tables that are more comfortable. 
15. You can buy push pins at a card store
16. In a pinch, a boot makes a decent door stop.
17. I want fuzzy slippers for the cold floors. They have been added to my list of things to find. 
18. My mother will always think Ireland is colder than it really is. It's in the 60s ma, I don't need to wear a Northface jacket, I just need a light sweater ;)
19. I still love her despite it.
20. It very well might be possible for me to go to sleep before 1am....or not...

I've added two gadgets on the right, theoretically, one should work in that if you put your email in it will send you the posts as I create them, while the other will add them to a rss feeder such as Google Reader to make it easier for people if they want to keep up. If the email doesn't work, let me know and for the more technologically challenged, I have room for 8 emails to add to a list to have posts sent to as a last ditch effort to not be asked "How is it?" a million times. Not that I mind ;)

Okay, night all. I still have to...crap I can't remember what I have to do before I can go to sleep...

I am not a first year!

But I"m living with them again. Seems to be my lot in life to live with first year students. LOL I'm just hoping that we'll get along like last year, to any degree. (Shout out to 7202 and our honorary suite mates, you know who you are!)

I just got back from an orientation program and I have to go back out to another one in like a half hour, so this will be short and to the point...I hope.

A friend and I took the bus and went to the City Centre yesterday. We picked up a girl from Maine on the bus and the three of us explored a bit before returning for orientation programs.

We walked in St. Stephen's Green for a few minute. GORGEOUS!  There's a bunch of flowers and trees and pathways and such. There's a lake with birds swimming and people everywhere. I didn't get to look much because I was with people and had shopping to do, but I'm hoping to go back. Maybe this weekend.  Click the pictures, they should get bigger.


Here's one with construction cones. It almost felt like home for a second :)

Speaking of construction, they're repaving the front road...remind anyone else of George Street last week? Did they ever get it finished or is George Street still closed? Are they still doing major construction on College Ave???? Somebody tell me what's going on at home! Please? Pretty please with sugar and whipped cream and cherries on top?

I managed to get some shopping done yesterday. I walked around Grafton Street and a little bit of Stephen's Green Shopping Centre. There were a handful of musicians on Grafton Street and I can't wait to explore it more in depth.

OH! And our last roommate moved in. He arrived yesterday.

Food and then orientation stuff. Hope everyone is doing well. I'm trying to get through the emails you're all leaving me but give me some time. And if i don't get back to you, its not that I don't love you, its just that I'm probably sleeping or my brain is so fried that I don't have anything to say back. But I AM reading them and I'm glad you're sending them. Okay time to go. No really, time to go!

Tell me what's going on at home! A big warm WELCOME to Emily, Zachary Jonathan, and Luna Beatrix! Welcome to the world (and I hope I got the names right)!

Landed!

So yesterday, amid rain that probably followed me from home, I (and several thousand others) landed in Dublin. I have since made it to my accommodations or housing here and unpacked. I've even started to settle in a bit. I just wish getting to this point hadn't taken so long.

Upon arrival yesterday, I and another girl from Rutgers who came to Dublin to study, trekked through the rain with our luggage to find our student ID cards, our housing assignments and how to print things. Not in that order of course. I believe it went more like this: housing, print, id, print, housing before we managed to find where we needed to be. When we finally managed to find our accommodations, we then had to stand in line to get our key. Not that unlike what we'd have to do at home...only the line wouldn't be anywhere near as long and we wouldn't have had to stand in it for almost 3 hours...in the rain... Although from what I understand that was unusual even for them. When I was able to open my luggage to unpack, some of my things were soaked, and are currently hanging around my room trying to dry. I found something that makes Rutgers look simple and people oriented...imagine that...I only had to go to Dublin to do so. Lol.

Okay, enough bitching, you want to know what Ireland is like, right? Well yesterday was damp and rainy. This morning, for it is morning here, I am sitting at my cluttered desk in my single, yes I said single, room with the bed a foot or so behind me and the sun heating up my right side. There are dark ominous clouds outide, but I have no idea what that means. The cabbie yesterday told us to ignore the forcast, that it isn't always accurate. Surprising, isn't it?

The people seem mostly friendly, but I'm not sure if they all mean it. I guess in this I'll always be a Jersey Girl, expecting "Have a nice day" to mean well, Have a Nice Day:


My room? The bed is hard, the door won't stay open on its own, the walls look bare, and the lamp is missing a light bulb. However, the bed can get a mattress pad and the blanket is toasty warm, I'm propping the door open with a suite case and have intentions of buying a door stop, maintenance said the light bulbs are on their way they just haven't come in yet, and i'm going out for push pins and tape today. I have a few pictures and cards and such to hang on the wall and can't wait to get them up. I have a list of things to pick up...like shampoo, body wash, hangers, a warmer hoodie or sweat shirt and such.

Two of my apartment mates are here. One of their friends is also living with us, and as of right now, we don't know who the fifth person it. There are two bathrooms for us...less people than home yet more bathrooms...even toss up in my mind.

That's all for now. Time to try to make some sense of the chaos in my room...and it's raining...something new for a change lol. The suns is out so it should stop soon right?

Let the Countdown Begin!

Chances are that nobody will read this till after I've left but the blog has been sitting here since I set it up a few weeks ago. I've had the urge to type. Or maybe I just can't wait to leave...okay, I'm thinking its that one....

So with 34 days before I board the plane I've wrapped up most of the big details and something like 95% of the smaller ones. I feel like I'm forgetting something though. I'll figure it out later I guess. I do still have 34 days. By this weekend, I'll have less than one month left before I leave....Wow....