More irish weather.....

The past two days have been more of the typical Irish weather. Rainy.

Yesterday I woke up and finished my assignment that was due and then I went back to bed. I was still pretty tired from my trip, so I nixed going to the gym.

We had an “argument” before the “ethics board” yesterday in class. I was kind of a shit show, but then again, we really had only one day to prepare our argument.

After class I had lunch and then did my laundry.

I spent the rest of the evening working on my reading for class.

This morning I did wake up and go to the gym.

When I got back I finished my reading for class and attempted to nap in the common room for 15 minutes.

Class was more of the same.

This afternoon I’ve been mostly vegging in the flat. I made myself lunch and have been working on class reading with my sporadic add interruptions.

I had planned on walking the path that I take to class everyday, but in the other direction. Apparently theres a castle somewhere. However, because of the weather, I am yet again postponing it to another day.

I finally got a hold of a guy from my class who I told Id lend him my book for class, so we had a quick chat. (he confirmed my suspicions about a certain roommate, so now I don't feel so paranoid) We made plans to get together to check out some music in town, which I haven't really done yet so its great to have a friend to go with :)

Ill probably spend the evening surfing the net and attempting to finish my reading.

Im going to try to get to bed by ten tonight because I get my final for IHL tomorrow which is due in class on Friday :/

This time tomorrow Ill either be feeling really chill about the final or freaking out.

Lets hope its the former.

Im really looking forward to the weekend either way.

Real Irish Weather

I got up this morning and finished my reading for class. I ended up going to bed relatively early because I was so exhausted from my trip.

Today we got some “real irish weather” It was really rainy for most of the day. (which is good I guess, because of the drought) But i was quite moist by the time I got to class this morning.

After class I had a quick lunch and made some rice so I could make rice pudding for breakfast tomorrow.

I hit the shuttle to town to grocery shop and pick up some aspirin from boots. (It was interesting because when I went up to the pharmacy to but it, because you cant pay for it at the regular counter, the girl asked if my doctor had approved me to take asprin and asked if I had asthma. I told her I was ok to take it and paid.) When I was there, to kill some time I went to McCarthy Jewelers, which is just across the street from Boots. When i was there I found gifts for Norah and Becca. I also got some gift ideas for other people.

I then headed to Dunnes to get my groceries for the week. I finished my grocery shopping relatively quickly, so I hung out in the square for half an hour waiting for the shuttle. (it had stopped raining at that point, so it wasn’t too bad)

When I got back I made some rice pudding and banana bread so I would have something to eat for breakfast this week. My granola bars haven’t been cutting it the past few days.

I had a quick dinner and Im contemplating making myself a beer float. I tried someones the other day, and it was pretty fantastic. So I got some Guinness while I was out today.

Im going to spend the evening studying and writing my argument for class tomorrow.

I was going to do laundry- but I think Ill leave that for tomorrow.

Further Legal Lessons from my pal Murphy

This morning I woke up early again and checked out of my hostel in Cork. I took the first train from Cork City to Cobh to check out the city and the Heritage Center. When I arrived I had about an hour before the center would open so I wandered around the city and took some pictures. I ended up climbing up a really steep hill to check out the church. (After the last few days of non-stop walking up inclines, my body officially hates me, also, I somehow got a blister on the bottom of my baby toe?)

The city itself is really beautiful though. Its right on the water and my morning trek was to the soundtrack of waves and seagulls. (Note: Cobh was the Titanic’s last stop before it sailed, also, it was the home of the first irish immigrant to go through Ellis Island)

At 930, I headed back to the Heritage Center only to find that the advert I had LIED and the center didnt open until 11.. FML.... I planned on taking the next train from Cobh at 1130 so I could see Midleton and tour the Jameson Distillery there. So I sat in the train station for an hour and a half and read my book, then at 11 I popped in the center for about 15 minutes to check it out. I didn't pay to go in the museum bit because I didn't have time.

I took the train from Cobh to Glounthaune where I was supposed to catch a connecting train to Midleton.... note SUPPOSED to..... I waited on the platform for a bit. (there were no signs or anything anywhere) About the time my train was supposed to come, I got on the train that came through the station. As soon as it pulled away I knew I got the wrong train. FML... it headed back south east in the direction of Cobh, rather than north east towards Midleton.

Luckily, at 1230 the train from Cobh was headed back to Cork so I didn't have to sit in the station again. When I got back to Cork, I looked at the kiosk to see when the next train to Midleton was, if I could swing it, I would still try to get out there. But the next train didn't leave until after 2pm and the last bus back to Galway was at 6 so, after my mishaps this weekend, I wasn't going to take the chance of getting stuck in Cork tonight. (When it comes to Murphy’s Law, Im the rule, not the exception) Plus, I was exhausted and I wasn't sure how much more my legs could take. As well as my back with all the bags I was lugging around. Further, Im going to try to hit the Jameson Distillery in Dublin next month, so Im sure I wont be missing much.

Exhausted, rather than wandering around Cork more, I decided that I was going to catch the 2pm bus back to Galway and spend the evening vegging and doing homework.

Having an hour to kill, I found a diner that is apparently known for their fish and chips and had a proper meal- having not eaten anything all day, and scarcely all weekend, the huge platter very well made up for it. (Apparently Cork is known for it fresh fish) It was super tasty and now I can check off eating fish and chips off my list of things to do while I’m here.

Once on my bus, I tried to sleep a bit. The bed in my hostel wasn't the bed one I’ve ever slept, plus I was super tired from all the walking I’ve done the past few days. (I daresay I’ve earned myself a break from the gym tomorrow to recover)

I got back to Galway just in time to catch the 530 shuttle back to Corrib Village. (On the drive it started raining, making my choice to come back early that much more of a good decision)

My flatmates just went out, so I’m going to spend a quiet evening studying and just chilling out.

I would be the one to get themselves locked inside the grounds of a chruch

^

The church yard I got myself locked in

This morning I got up super early to walk to town to catch my bus to Cork City. I left the apartment at 645 in hopes that the pretzel guy would be set up when I got to the market. Unfortunately, he wasn't, so I headed to the bus station to wait for my bus.

On the bus to Cork City I was able to read about half of the book that is assigned for my class next session. When we arrived, I got off the bus and just started walking in the general direction that my Hostel was supposed to be in. I ended up walking a little bit out of the way, but I found it.

I was too early for check in, so I left my backpack with the guy at the desk and headed for the bus station. I ended up getting there 5 minutes before the bus left, but I was able to grab a ticket and jump on the bus just in time.

I had about a half an hour ride to Blarney Village. When I got off the bus and was looking at the map a few Americana guys behind me asked which way Blarney Castle was.... I told them that I was following the signs that pointed in the right direction. (It was REALLY easy to find- Blarney Village is super tiny)

I walked around the town square and queued to buy my ticket to the castle grounds. After I paid, I headed in the direction of the castle, but when I got there I didn't go up right away. I decided to walk the grounds a bit and head to Blarney House because they had tours ending at 2 and it was about 1 at that point. When I got to the house, I discovered there was an extra admission fee to take the tour of the house- I wasn't up to paying 5 euro for it, so I walked a bit more of the grounds and saw a few things that were on the map then headed back towards the Castle. When I got there I climbed up the steep and windy steps to the top. When I got to where the Blarney Stone was, there was a girl in front of me flipping the shit about kissing the stone. (You have to hang upside-down over an opening in the stones- its a long drop to the ground below, but theres bars and a guy helping you out) After girl finally got down and kissed the stone, I laid down and leaned back.... It took all of about two seconds. Then I headed back down a different set of steps than I came up. When I got to the bottom, I handed the guy at the gift shop my ticket and got a picture of me kissing the Blarney Stone. It cast 10 euro, which is a bit much, but because I am on the trip alone it was the only picture I was able to get.

I scouted out the poison garden next to the castle, then I headed to Rock Close and walked around a bit, once again, finding the various points labeled on my map. When I finished the walk around Rock Close I headed for the gate.

When I left, I headed for the Blareny Woollen Mills Shop. Aparently its the largest shop of Irish Made goods. I wandered around the shop for a bit and saw a bunch of stuff that I liked, but I was less than impressed with the prices. (They had some decent sales on some stuff, but Ive resolved to stop accumulating a bunch of stuff) I did find two sweaters upstairs on the clearance rack (it was a bit hidden, but Im glad I found it) I paid 30 euro for both of the sweaters together which originally cost over 200 euro. (Score!)

I did try to find some gifts, but like I mentioned, nothing quite stood out :( So alas, the hunt continues for Angela and Joe’s wedding present and stuff for the nieces.

I hit a few more small shops in town. (In Olive’s, I talked to the shopkeeper for a bit. She was a very friendly woman :D) I then had a quick run to the tourist station to ask what time the next bus was (only 20 minutes later) and then headed to the bus stop to wait for my ride back to Cork City.

When I got back to Cork, I headed to my hostel and checked in. After I put my stuff up stairs, I decided to just go and walk around Cork for a few hours because Im probably not going to see anything in the city tomorrow. There wasn't anything specific on my agenda (other than get something to eat. It was late afternoon and I hant eaten anything today besides a bottle of OJ and a bag of almonds in the train station)

As I was wandering, I kept my eye out for a place that would serve food. After about 20 or so minutes, I saw a McDonalds and was going to give up and eat there, until I turned the corner and saw the saturday market with a bunch of street vendors. I stopped and got a kebob pita. It was friggen tasty. Messy as hell to eat, but tasty.

I then continued my wandering.

I ended up passing by a youth art exhibit in the park, so I walked through and check it out. It was super cool. A lot of it was very socially aware stuff..... talking about the environment, diversity, ect.

I found a bunch of stuff that was on the free tourist map that I picked up. I ended up wandering onto the grounds of St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral. (I would later find out this is the founding spot of Cork. And the Church is hella old with a bunch of grave stones from the 1700’s) When I got back to the gate about 15 minutes later - it was locked. (perhaps a sign from God about my lax church attendance) When I saw the padlock on the gate I started thinking about how the hell I was going to get out. I wasn't going to spend the night on the church grounds, and I wasn't a fan of the prospect of jumping the super spiky gate. Thankfully a taxi driver stopped so the passenger could take a picture. When I asked him how I could get out he gave me the emergency number to call the police (911 in the state- 112 in Ireland- FYI) ::SO thankful I have an Irish Mobile:: The police called the priest who came and let me out. I apologized and told him I didn't know that the gates would lock that early. It was only half six and there were no signs saying what time the gates would be closed. (He said he had only locked them 5 minutes earlier, so I had just missed him and he must have missed me as well- I was around the back of the church)

After the Priest told me what time services were in the morning and I apologized again for the inconvenience I forged on with my wandering. I saw a few more things and then headed back in the direction of my hostel. By this point I felt like the walking dead. Im in severe pain from the amount of trekking I’ve done the past two days.

When I got back, I uploaded my pictures, surfed the net a bit and had a shower. I did a little research for my day tomorrow as well, because apparently the Jameson Distillery in Middleton is really close by, so I figured out how Im going to squeeze that in along with my trip to Cobh tomorrow AND be back in time to catch the last bus back to Galway. Hopefully it all works out. Or Ill be here another night and will miss my first class in the morning.

Cliffs of Moher and the Burren: a continuation of the TOMS shoe saga

This morning my flatmates apologized for leaving me at the bar. (It doesn't exactly make up for it in my book, but Im moving on)

We headed over to reception around 9:30 this morning to wait for our bus. The program took a tour to the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher.

At about ten our bus headed out of Galway and towards the Burren. (The Burren is an area more that a specific point) The entire bus ride was very scenic and quite enjoyable. (Have I mentioned how friggen beautiful this country is? if not- Its friggen beautiful and so rich with history)

On our way to the place where we were going to take a “tour” of the Burren, we passed Dunguaire Castle. The bus didn't stop- but I was able to get some pictures of it when we passed it on the way home.

We had our Burren excursion with “Burren Wild Tours.” The tour was founded by our guide John whose family owns the land (and two friggen mountains) that we had our adventure on. He apparently has a degree in Irish history and one in archeology (the director of our program told us this)

We walked through the field behind the family’s houses and up one of the mountain trails. Mind you, the Burren is rocky. (Really, theres noting but rocks) So the path wasn't exactly the smoothest one. And I, having not been told the extent of our walking adventure, was rocking my TOMS. (Had I been told we be climbing a friggen mountain I would have opted for the trainers) My TOMS served me well though- I got up and down the mountain in one piece, thank God. (I think by the end of this trip I will have killed them, which makes me really sad)

The tour was really interesting. John pointed out different aspects of the landscape, told us about the history and customs of the area and had us lay down on some grass toward the top and just appreciate nature. Despite the surprise of more physical activity than I had planned, I really enjoyed it. (and on my way up, out of breath as I navigated the rocky and steep terrain I silently thanked God I didn't actually go to the gym as I had planned this morning- My throbbing calves would not have survived)

When we returned, John invited us to purchase an Irish Coffee or a pint and some of his mom’s homemade apple tart (aka in US speak- pie)

When we were finished, we loaded back onto the bus and headed for Dolan, where we had lunch.

After lunch we then headed for the Cliffs of Moher. When we reached the Cliffs, we had about an hour to walk the two paths and check it out. They were really beautiful, but you couldn't actually go up to the edge. (The statists are 2 people die falling from the cliffs each year) (They are a little more strict that the Aran Islands were about the cliff there- where I literally laid over the edge.) At the Cliffs, I walked both paths so I could see as much of the Cliff coast as possible. They have a viewing tower at one end of the path called O’ Brian’s tower, which you can pay to go in to see a better view. I didn't go up. (I refused to pay two euro to go up, plus it was at capacity and I wasn't going to wait around because time was limited)

After the Cliffs we headed for Poulnabrone “Portal Tomb”. Its a Neolithic burial site. We were there a short time and then we headed for home.

We were originally supposed to take a tour of some caves, but we ran out of time :/

Tonight Im relaxing. Im getting up bright and early to head out for a solo adventure to Cork this weekend! Imma be getting me the gift of gab by puckering up for the Blarney Stone! (which we found out from John, the story originated from the fact that all traditions were passed down orally before Latin and Christianity [along with the practice of recording stuff] was introduced to the island)

Research and a story I hope will one day be funny, when the anger wears off

Yesterday I got up early and hit the gym.

Class again, much of the same, no use boring everyone with the details.

After class I had lunch and worked for a few hours on my research for my ethics paper.

-This I must say, is an impossible and frustrating task, because it seems there hasn't been anything written on my topic. ::Bangs head against desk::

My research is pursuing the question “How does a lawyer resolve the ethical conflict of following/upholding US (immigration) laws [which are contrary in some ways to US obligations under international treaties] and protecting clients who are subject to deportation and are facing certain death or persecution upon return to their home country?”

After a lot of digging and creative thought, I think I have a direction to take my paper in without having to find other peoples opinions on the matter.

Last night I went out with my flatmates and another student from the program. ::Mind you that I wasn't in the best mood, but Im trying to be a “normal” college student type and go out::

We were supposed to go out around 8, but the other four ended up drinking several bottles of wine and talking in the common room. I finally called a taxi to come pick us up around 9:45pm. The others were quite toasted at this point and were having not the most publicly appropriate conversation, so I apologized to the driver. For this I got yelled at by the others.

We then headed around for a bit, popping into several pubs in search of the group of girls we were supposed to meet up with. (two hours earlier mind you) We didnt find them, so we ended up heading in the direction of Monroe’s sort of on the other side of town.

On the way there we stopped at a hotel bar so a few of the girls could use the toilet. While there we had shots. We then hit the road.

Around the corner from Monroe’s we found a Beer Haus that apparently has the biggest selection of beers in the city. We went in. We never ended up making it to Monroe’s. As we were ordering at the bar, one of the women I was with started talking with an older man who turned out to be from Zimbabwe. The rest of us grabbed a table an had some interesting discussions (to have in a bar). Monica at some point got kissed by the Zimbabwe guy and was completely disgusted when she returned to the table. Meanwhile, Wanda kept talking to him at the bar.

At some point we all ended up standing by the bar, talking to a bartender who was on break from Monroe’s (at this point we were still planning on making an appearance there)

Without going into a lot of detail, the rest of the evening turned into a friggen shit show. Somehow I ended up talking with the guy from Zimbabwe about the American education system and who the hell nows what else. Sometime during this point all the others disappear. When the bartender did last call I look around and realized they had ditched me. I started to freak out inside. After I finished my beer, I told Zimbabwe that I was going to head to Monroe’s to look for the others. He decides he’s going to walk with me which is great because I was trying to ditch him in case I couldn't find the others and had to walk home.

When we got to Monroe’s (which is right down the street) the doors were closed. In my head Im thinking to myself Im screwed and Im really pissed. I had no clue how I was going to find them. Note: one of my biggest pet peeves about people when they drink is their irresponsibility. That why I never get trashed, because I want to have my shit together.Then I happened to recognize Monica’s shirt down the street. The rest of the group was together. We said goodbye to Zimbabwe and hailed a taxi back to the apartment.

When we got back to the apartment I paid the driver, again apologized for the groups behavior and headed inside straight to my room. They are all quite drunk so you can imagine the shit show that ensued. I briefly mentioned the fact that they left me at the bar but I wasn't going to get into it with them while they were drunk.

I was really upset and thankfully Lakmini was online so I had someone to talk to while I calmed down. ::I don't usually cry much, but I was balling my eyes out in my room::

I surfed the net for a bit and then headed to bed because we were heading on a trip this morning.

I dont recommend walking a mile in these soggy shoes

Today I got up early and hit the gym (i beat the urge to just hit the snooze button a million times)

Discovery: I grabbed an Americano before IHL today, and the caffeine kicked in enough to keep me from feeling super drowsy in both of my classes. I was super excited. However, Im too cheap to spend the money on a coffee every morning. hmm... if only I had a travel mug for some really strong tea so I could bring from home :/

We had our new prof for IHL today. (We’re having the course taught by two different profs from the Irish Center for Human Rights) He was a lot more straightforward and easier to follow than our other prof. (not that I didn't like the other prof, he’s great as well, I just enjoy the new profs teaching style better. he wasn't completely horrible to look at either) :P

Ethics was... erm... ethics. I had a bit of a row with the prof about the grading of an assignment (we all thought it was pass/fail and it wasnt) she didnt quite understand what I was trying to explain to her, so I gave up. Im counting on that class participation for my A. She did bring us cake today because it was the halfway point for our class..... HALFWAY THROUGH!!!! HOLLER!

When I got back from class I had lunch and worked on more reading for class.

At 5, my flatmates and I went out for dinner (because they had been craving nachos, so we went out in search of a mexican place)

We took the shuttle into town. (Thankfully, because it was raining)

We’ve been getting really good weather in Galway recently (so we’ve been told, unfortunately its led to water shortages on the Aran Islands)

-However, Mother Nature made up for it today. It was chilly and overcast all day. This afternoon we got rain that stayed pretty steady. (all the other rain we’ve had has only been short bursts of precipitation and then the sun comes back out)

Also, I must note, that the rain here isn't like the rain we get in Michigan. Its like a friggen mist. And it comes at you in every fricken direction, so no matter how fit your umbrella is, you end up getting a bit moist.

I have the intelligent idea of wearing my canvas TOMS everywhere, so I ended up with cold, wet feet when I went out this evening. (I was also slipping and sliding on the stone pathway that is Shop Street :/) Im currently blasting the heater in my room in an attempt to dry them out so I can wear them tomorrow. Damn luggage restrictions forcing me to pack light. ::NOTE TO SELF: purchase shoes that dry faster, or just purchase galoshes and wear them everywhere. Who knows, I might start a trend... Oh, right, that was last years fad....behind on fashion yet again.

After a wet walk through shop street and towards the Latin Quarter, we found a place called Jalapeno’s. I had a goat cheese and bean burrito (not exactly an authentic Tex-Mex place, but it was super tasty, I was really full- considering the fact that I dropped more on one dinner that a weeks worth of groceries {mind you Im a super cheap grocery shopper}, its a damn good thing) We got a carafe of sangria as well. It wasn't horrible, but I wont be paying for it again if we go back (which we may because Colleen loved the steak she got, so we may do her birthday dinner there next month)

We decided to walk home. By we, I mean the other 3 did, I just sort of followed. By follow, I mean I was tired so I ended up far behind them.

When I got back from my post-meal leisurely 2 mile plus walk back - I worked on finishing up reading. ::It seems like thats all I ever do any more.... read, read, read, lather, rinse, repeat:: Even in Ireland my life is boring as hell.... Murphy’s friggen law ladies and gentleman.

Thats the extent of the excitement of my day: new prof, dinner out, cake and a soggy-shoed few mile walk.

One more day of classes until the weekend. WooHoo!!!!! (yes, I did just become THAT girl)

More of the same and planning an adventure

Today was another uneventful one.

I ended up going to bed late last night, so I didn't hit the gym this morning.

I spent most of my free time before heading of to class trying to get an internet connection. The access in my flat is horrible.

Class was pretty much more of the same.

After class I worked on some reading and did a little research for my trip this weekend.

I grabbed the shuttle to town and bought my ticket for Cork this weekend. When I got back to my flat I booked a hostel to stay in Saturday. Im pretty excited about my adventure.

Im going to go to Blarney Castle on Saturday and maybe do a little exploring of Cork City if I have time. On Sunday, Im going to try to take a train to Cobh, which is where the Titanic had its last stop before heading for America.

I made dinner and now am just working on keeping ahead in my reading. Hopefully I can get to bed early enough tonight to not be hitting the snooze button at 630 when I should be getting up to get myself to the gym. :/

We’ll see though.

Baking up a frenzy

Yesterday I just had class and ran to town for grocery shopping. I’ve not gotten ahead a bit in my reading so I went to bed at a decent hour.

Today I woke up early and hit the gym.

Unfortunately, I continued my pattern of feeling super sleepy during class. (Maybe because I didn't have any tea today). The second half of my IHL period was my prof giving a lecture to a bunch of students who I think are part of the Irish Center for Human Rights program. It was a lot of what he talked to us about last week though. I cut out the end of the lecture to head to my next class.

Today was really bad in ethics. (Maybe why I was falling asleep?) I had a really hard time sitting through the session.

After class I had a quick salad for lunch and then my flatmates and I walked to town.

We were on the hunt for the pretzels that we got at the saturday market. He was sold out saturday but told us a store in town carries them. When we got to the store though they cost twice as much as when we get them fresh from him.

After that I split from the group to go in search of a custom tattoo shop I wanted to check out- Inkfingers because the shop I visited Saturday was really expensive for what the guy was going to do. I’ve got a good vibe from Joe (the guy I talked to about doing my tattoo) , I like his work a lot better and its cheaper. Trifecta of epic tattoo-ness- so Im going to get inked by him before I leave. He’s working on drawing up a design for me and we’re going to go from there. :) Im really excited!

After I finished up at Inkfingers, I decided to wander a bit because I had time to kill. I walked down the street adjacent to shop street and checked out a few shops. I also stopped into the Amnesty International Coffee shop and grabbed a chai latte.

I then hit Dunnes for a few groceries that I forgot to grab yesterday. After I checked out, I hung out by Eyre Square to wait for the shuttle.

When I got back I made myself dinner as well as banana bread and baked apples for desert.

I also booked my bus and hostel for my trip to Dublin to take the tour to Northern Ireland. The bus only cost 1 euro each way. (Im super stoked about its cheapness)

I cant get cheap tickets for my trip to Cork this weekend, so Im going to hit the citylink office tomorrow to see if I can get a student ticket.

Im just finishing up making some homemade pretzels for my flatmates and Im going to keep working on staying ahead in my reading for class :D

Shopping turned into a night of pub hopping....then we went to a Gay Bar....

My day yesterday was so so. I spent most of it doing reading for class while my flat mates slept in. I didn't finish the reading that I need to get done (Im trying to get ahead so my week isnt as stressful) I did get all my post cards written, I just have to hit a post office at some point and buy stamps.

I had originally planned on grocery shopping yesterday as we had our meals planned for the next week. Then when everyone got up they weren't feeling like shopping so I thought Id go today, and then they decided they want to rework it so we have some nights where we do our own thing. Its a bit frustrating when your trying to plan stuff out in advance, but I guess Ill go grocery shopping for myself and when they decide what they want to do we can go from there.

We headed out around 5 and took the shuttle into town. I thought we’d just be walking around a bit, but it turned into an entire night out. Mind you- I was just rocking jeans and a t-shirt because I didn't think we’d be pub hopping, so I felt a little underprepared for the evening.

We started out walking around shop street and then we decided to find a place to have dinner. As we walked along the streets it seemed like all the pubs were packed with people or they didn’t serve food. We ended up walking back across the Corrib River and found The Crane, which we had wanted to check out on pub night, but it was too far. They didn’t serve food so we went a few doors down and had dinner and a few drinks. (Kimberly and I were amazed to find a coin operated straightener in the bathroom- genius!)

After we headed back to the Crane to just chill out and have more drinks. When we got there there was a group of guys that we ended up sitting with who were on a “Fantasy Football Pub Crawl” contest sort of thing. There was a score card and everything. They had a list of pubs that they were supposed to hit one every 30 mins and accumulate points by doing different tasks/drinking. A few of the guys were quite tanked, but we ended up mostly talking to a guy named John who wasn't so intoxicated (I wagered that he was losing the game) One of the really drunk ones started singing? I taped a bit of it. He was actually quite good for how toasted he was. Then the bartender asked the group to be quiet (they were actually really loud) At one point, really drunk singing guy started waxing poetic to Colleen telling her she was a “beautiful creature that came from the lagoon.”

A bit before 8 they had to head to the next place for “prizes” The Crane was the last stop before the end of their pub crawl. John invited us to go with them to the Spanish Arch and hang out. We told him we’d go if he waited with us to finish our drinks. He said he would, but later disappeared with the group. We ended up having a few more drinks before heading out to find another place to have drinks. (We didn't end up going to the Spanish Arch)

We walked back the way we had come in search of a place where we could actually “fit” it. Many of the places were packed and you couldn't even move. We walked in and right back out of a few places. Then we ended up going back down shop street and happened to see that Dignity West was open. (We saw a sign for a gay club a few days ago and were excited that they have a drag show and bingo on different nights of the week) We ended up going inside. It was completely empty when we got there. We ended up talking to the bar tender for a while who told us the show might start at 11 if it was busy enough, but it depends on the crowd.

We ended up spending the rest of our evening there, drinking and dancing. FINALLY sometime after 12 the drag show actually started. It was really funny because she had a “contest” for a few people who she dragged from the audience (no one really could volunteer, she just picked you) Well- she ended up pulling Colleen up on stage for the “Tyra Banks Modeling Contest” The Contestants had to walk down the stage, swing around the pole, walk past one of the tables and then back to the stage. The other two on stage were another girl and a guy. The guy did really well swinging around the pole, but the middle girl looked like she put no effort into it. Colleen and the guy ended up tying- so she won a bottle of champaign. We stayed at the club long enough to finish the bottle and then we headed out.

As we were walking towards Eyre Square to find a taxi I noticed Carlo (one of the giuys in our program) sitting in McDonalds reading for class. I mentioned it to the others and we went back to say hi. We ended up sitting down and talking with the poor guy. We had a good conversation, but I felt bad that we were keeping him from his reading. A little after 2am the girls decided they were tired and wanted to head home. I told Carlo we’d finish our conversation later and that I was sorry we interrupted his studying.

We then walked the rest of the way down shop street and found a taxi. Monica and Kimberly got really loud halfway through the ride, It was mildly amusing because they were just laughing and I couldn't really even understand what they were talking about.

When we got to the flat Colleen and I apologized to the driver as we got out of the taxi. (He seemed a bit amused though- Colleen had been talking to him on the drive back about working on the weekends and dealing with rowdy people) As he was pulling away, Kimberly couldn't find her phone so we flagged him down and looked for it, but we didn't see it. I tried calling it a few times but we couldn't hear it. I told her we’d go inside and call McDonalds because it may be where we were talking to Carlo. However, when we got inside she found it in her purse- it was on silent so she couldn't hear it ring when I called. Being really late, I went straight to bed.

Today Im going to try to get my laundry and ethics reading done. Ill head into town later to get some groceries. If have time Ill hit the gym, if not, Ill go in the morning.

Pub Adventure and the Aran Island Experience

Thursday I was able to hit the gym in the morning. I’ve come to the conclusion that Im not going to be stressed about finishing all the reading because 1) feckit, i’m in Ireland, 2) no one else is doing the reading, so Im at least ahead of the curve and 3) Id prefer not to lose it while i’m here (sleep and my sanity are more important than knowing the nitty gritty details of the humanitarian work in somalia at the moment).

Im finally getting into the rhythm for class. Ethics has been gradually getting better (collective sigh of relief for those of us who didnt/couldnt drop it)

My flatmates and I have decided that Thursday nights are pub nights. (We’re not going out EVERY night like some of the other students, but we still want to enjoy the local pub culture a bit while we’re here) We ate an early dinner (for us mind you, it was 5 but we’ve been eating after 8 the rest of the week) We headed out to town to hit a pub. We wanted to go to one we knew would be playing music, but we found out it was quite a walk from the shuttle drop off and we weren't in the mood. On the shuttle, a couple of guys from our class mentioned the Coyote bar and that they were having a 90’s music night, so we though we’d check it out. Our bus driver made mention of a pole, but we thought he was just being cheeky. When we got to the Coyote, it wasn't even open yet. We decided to have a drink at An Pucan and wait and see if they’d open soon. When we got there we all ordered drinks and hung out for a bit. (We got the bartender to stick our dollar bill to the wall behind the bar which we had written all of our names on :D) Colleen made friends with a cab driver over the course of the evening, and he said he might drive us to Dingle (score there if it works out with his and our schedule) When we asked what time Coyote opened and mentioned that some people suggest we check it out, our new friend warned us that it wasn't the type of place girls like us should be going. Apparently its pretty skeezy and there are a lot of fights. (Also, the cops get called quite often because of the problems that happen there) Hmm.... not exactly my idea of a classy joint. Also... they dont open until 10-11pm.... er? WTF?

We ended up popping over later after they opened only to find the place was dead. The inside was plastered with American stuff and Coyote Ugly posters.... right.... EXACTLY my kind of place to hang out when Im in Ireland. We ended up not even having a drink. So we went to another pub down the road and had a pint before heading back to An Pucan to listen to some music and find our new cabbie friend to give us a ride home. We hung out for a few minutes and waited to see if Taxi Tom would pop back in as he said he would (he was in and out all night). Because we had an early morning, we decided to give him a call to come pick us up. The bartender called him for us because for some reason it wouldn't go through on my mobile.

After we got back to the flat, I got ready for bed and passed out. It was going to be a long day Friday, so I wanted to get as much sleep as possible.

Friday, we had a group trip to Inis Mor (the largest of the Aran Islands) (we learned on our trip Inis means Island and Mor means large in gaelic- so its the large island in the group of the Arans)

After waiting around for the bus to pick us up we had a 45 minute ride to the ferry. Usually a bus ride isn’t too bad, but we had annoying girl sitting behind us. Without going into detail, I know way too much about this girls life now and I don't even know her name. Her guy friend was pretty obnoxious too.

We then took a ferry from the mainland to the island. It was pretty packed and there were a bunch of really annoying french teenagers, but I ended up falling asleep on the boat.

When we got to the Island, a guy approached Colleen and Monica about taking a horse ride around the island. We decided to go by horse because it wasn't much more than renting a bike and we thought it would be fun. We ended up taking two horses/carts. Monica and Colleen took a cart with Sean and Bob Marley (the horse) and Kimberly and I rode with John and Jack (the horse)

The main language spoke on the island is Irish (Gaelic) -(english is taught as a second language) so it is a bit more difficult to understand their accents, but after a while I got used to John’s accent and it was easier for me to understand what he was telling us. (Also, I noticed they say “you know” and “Luv” a lot. It was mildly amusing when I picked up on it)

The ride to Dun Aonghasa (a prehistoric fort) was really nice. John pointed out a bunch of different things about the island like the school and different houses. (even where he and his family lives). He also pointed out the different villages. Inis Mor is 9 miles long and 2 miles wide and has 10 small villages. The population of the Aran Islands is only about 800, so you can imagine that it isn't very densely populated. Theres lots of open space. John also tried to teach me a bit of Gaelic. I was quite bad, but he thought me trying to pronounce the words was funny.

When we got to the entrance of the fort, John dropped us off and said he’d see us in about an hour and a half. The only way up to the fort itself is by foot, so we were going to be doing some climbing! We each paid for our ticket and then we began our journey up the hill. The terrain of Inis Mor is quite rocky. Thats why there are all the rock walls everywhere- over time people have tried to clear areas to use for farming, grazing cattle, etc. The path wasn't too bad to start out- it was fairly clean and easy to walk on, but once you start climbing up the last bit to the fort you have to climb over rocks in the path (it was like very steep stairs) At this point, the group of us were really glad we had opted for the carriage ride out to the fort, because if we’d have gone by bike we’d be suffering (plus we wouldn't have learned as much as we did about the island sans our “tour guides”)

When we finally made it to the top, the view was amazing. Despite being a very overcast day, we could see much of the island. It was quite beautiful. I tried to take a bunch of pictures, because it’d be difficult to describe the view to someone who has never been there. ergo-go to photobucket if you want to see them. http://s58.photobucket.com/albums/g246/ayeip/Ireland%20Summer%202010/

The fort is right on a cliff as well, so we could see out into the Atlantic. The cliffs were quite beautiful. There are no railings, so we were able to walk right up the the edge. I laid on the ground and hung over the cliff a bit to take some pictures. (Its quite a drop down I must say, so defiantly not a task for anyone who is afraid of heights) We later asked John if anyone had ever fallen over the edge and he said someone did about two years ago. (Considering the amount of people that visit and the lack of safety precautions, I think its a fairly decent statistic.)

After we spent a bit of time exploring the fort, we headed back down the hill. On our way out we met up with a few of the other students who were just arriving (an hour after we did) Add one more reason to the list of why we are glad we took the carriage.

We decided to have a quick bite to eat before we headed over to meet up with Sean and John. We ordered wraps and were surprised to find they weren’t exactly like we thought they were going to be. It was actually really good though. They used a wrap and it was grilled with the stuff inside. I had one with chicken, cranberry sauce and brie... Om Nom. :D

After we finished eating we headed back to meet up with John and Sean. Before we got back in the carts John took us back to see a 6th century church. It was pretty cool. He pointed out a few things that unless you were looking for them, you wouldn't notice them. For example, there was a heart on the wall of the church which was pretty hard to see, but when it was pointed out, you can kind of see it.

We then walked back to the “road” and got in the cart. We had another driver take a picture of the four of us (Kimberly, John, Jack and me) and then we were off. John took us back a different way along the shore so we could see a different bit of the island. The tide was going out so we were even able to see some seals laying out. When we made it back to town John pointed out a tiny building on one of the hills as the smallest church in the world. If we would have had time we could have hiked to it, but we didn't have a huge amount of time to explore the island. (Another reason why we were glad we took the horses and carts- it showed us more than we would have been able to see by bike)

John told us to make sure we told our friends about the carts. (Which I do defiantly recommend to anyone who visits the island, it was well worth it) Sadly, John was telling us during the trip that there are fewer and fewer horses and carts because some people cant afford to keep them us. Because there are now buses that take the tourists out to the fort there has been a significantly increased risk for accidents and the insurance for the drivers has become quite expensive. (Id support a local cart driver over a tour bus any day, because lets admit it, tour buses are obnoxious and you don't get to hear the personal stories like we got to hear with our own personal driver) Jon also told us to tell our friends who had taken the bikes what we had learned about the island. He said that was the traditional way of learning about the island. The stories are passed down- its not something that they learn about reading books. Their parents and grandparents tell them stories about the history of the island. (And the island does have a rich and long history)

At some point during the trip we learned that John and Sean used to be fishermen, but they started driving the horses because the price of fish had gone way down, so it wasnt worth it for them to continue working in the industry.

As we were saying good bye John introduced me to his friend who is “looking for a lady” (aka, a wife) - John’s selling point- he owns a bar. :P I chuckled and said hello and then the group of us said goodbye to John, Jack, Sean and Bob Marley and headed to the sweater shop.

I figured, we’re on the Aran Islands, which is known for its sweaters, so Im going to buy one while Im here. I was able to find one for myself that wasn't too expensive (and by that I mean, it was still WAY more than Id usually pay for a sweater, but it was cheaper than the 200 Euro ones) I would have liked to get one with my family’s clan pattern (different clans have different knit patterns) but 1) I didn't notice them until after I had paid and 2) they were amoung the 200 and up, which I wasn't really willing to pay no matter how high quality it is.

After Kimberly and I bought sweaters and Colleen and Monica finished watching the film in the shop about the island, we headed up the road to SPAR to hit an ATM because I was close to being out of cash. After SPAR we went to one of the “local” restaurants. John said the prices were good- better than the places closer to the hotels. I had a cup of tea and a homemade scone. We hung out there for a bit and then started making our way back to the docks where we would be getting on the ferry back to the mainland.

We had about an hour before our ferry was supposed to leave, so we just kind of hung around the docks. Some of the other students started showing up so we hung out and talked. When the ferry arrived (quite late) we sat on the top deck this time so we could see the scenery. The ride was very windy and quite chilly, but it was beautiful.

We arrived back at the mainland about 45 minutes later and headed straight to the bus. Luckily, we got a seat at the front far from any of the obnoxious classmates. A group of us talked and enjoyed the ride back.

When we got back to Corrib Village, tired and hungry, we high tailed it back to our flat to start making dinner. I was really hungry so I threw the bag of leftover root veg. in the microwave to tide me over until dinner was done. However, I learned that the plastic bags here are not as strong, and the plastic ended up melted in with the potatoes and beets, so I had to toss it and clean out the microwave. I guess I’d just have to wait for dinner to be done.

Colleen made grilled cheese and roasted potatoes. I was mildly amused by the fact that Kimberly and I were drinking red wine with our grilled cheese. Not usually a combination one would put together, but hey- it was a long day and that’s what we had to drink in the apartment.

After dinner, I started working on my blog post, but I was exhausted, so I went to bed and now Im finishing it :D

Some students are partying until 1-2am, Im reading all about IHL and ethics

Today wasn't all that exciting- sorry to report. (My profs mentioned something about us being on vacation and I thought to my self- vacation my ass, I dont even have time to hang out in town with all this reading/class work)

I woke up early again today to work on my reading for class.... (ick)

Im mildly disturbed at how sunny 7am is here.

After working on my reading, I went to class. (Another drowsy day :/)

IHL was interesting. We talked about the UN and peacekeeping operations.

Ethics was.... ethics class.... IDK how to describe it. Sometimes I feel like we’re really ot even talking about ethics, just simply practice in human rights law... (for example- we talked about alliances for part of the class today- not really an ethics issue per se)

After class- I made M&M scones and then worked on more reading.

Had some A.D.D. mental side trips to weekend planning. We’re thinking Cork next weekend.

Still working on figuring out how the hell to get to Dingle. (our best plan at this point is meeting someone at the bar and convincing them to drive us)

We had pizza and salad for dinner.

Then back to more class work.

Im trying to get to bed at a decent hour tonight so I can hit the gym in the AM. (we’ll see how that goes.)

Another LONG day/ LATE night.....

I was successful at waking up at 7 and hitting the gym this morning. I was super tired when I first got up, but by the time I walked to the gym I was wide awake. It was really exciting to have access to a pool to swim some laps :D

Unfortunaly, I got really drowsy during my first class. (I didnt have any tea this morning, I only had OJ with my breakfast after the gym- which defiantly didn't help the situation) Thankfully theres a cafe right next to our class room so I grabed a cup of coffee before my second class.

IHL was really interesting again today. Im really enjoying the topic- however- im currently in the midst of reading for class tomorrow, and I think my night is going to be one where Im super pissed off. Im in the middle of a chapter talking about UN peacekeeping and situations of abuse amongst the peacekeepers. For example, the author (who is my prof) is discussing the rape and sexual exploitation of women and girls- esp. that of underage girls in the congo during the conflict there in the 90’s and how its difficult to get a full grasp of what happened because some of the girls were really young and others were so traumatized by their experiences, they couldn't testify. Further- the issue that there is no way for the UN to directly discipline the peacekeepers-To me, the peacekeepers were not much better than the soldiers who brought htem there in the first place. All around- the rape and sheer brutaltiy these women faced at the hands of both soldiers and peacekeepers is infuriating (esp. because I know of the issues many of these women are still dealing with years later)

Ethics was a little better today. Although- It was kind of awkward that the prof kept bringing up Monica dropping the class. (Monica is from Canada so US ethics really are pointless for her to learn- despite being Int’l law, we talking about ABA Code ethics a lot) I tried to talk a lot to keep myself from falling asleep/ as well as keep myself engaged in the class. Hopefully it continues to get better. Im trying to make the most of it. We’ll see though. :/

After class I grabbed a quick lunch and then my flatmates and I walked into town. Whle we were on Shop Street we saw this guy in costume with a dog (a person in costume as well). Its hard to explain- just see the picture above..... We have no idea what he was doing- He wasn't giving adverts out or anything and was basically just waking down the street and would periodically stop at the dog “jumped” on people. While in town we hit a few shops to get postcards and some other stuff then we grabbed groceries and hit the shuttle back.

When we got back I made dinner, chicken and roasted root veg (sweet potato, fingerling potatoes, beets, and zucchini {which I wanted to use before it went bad}) Dinner took awhile, but it ended up pretty good. We had lots of leftover veg, so lunch is done for tomorrow :D

While I was cooking, I randomly found a slug crawling across the floor in the kitchen. (I got a piece of notebook paper and set it free outside) We’ve decided that random creatures are going to keep infiltrating the flat. There was a spider in the fridge the other day and I had snails in the lettuce when I washed it on Sunday. I told Colleen, we should get a pet spider- we’d let it make a web in the corner and we’d call it Boris.

During dinner we talked about/ pretty much decided to take two tours this weekend. Theres a special deal that if you take the two combined in one day you get a discount. In the morning on saturday we’ll be taking a tour of Galway City and in the afternoon we are taking a Clonmacnoise & Athlone Tour.

After dinner I started work on my reading for tomorrow. Right now Im just taking a break because I was feeling a little aggravated. I have LOTS of reading to do again tonight. I don't think Ill be hitting the gym tomorrow morning. After being up past 130 last night, I think Ill be having another really late night and I would rather not be falling asleep in class tomorrow. I get that Im here for class, but this obscene amount of reading is ridiculous.