Home Sweet Oakdale

I'm back! Actually, I've been back for almost a week, but I am just now getting to writing about it. First, give me a moment to complain about the journey. I was traveling from 2 am Friday until 7 am Saturday (though only 11pm California time). I think it will be quite awhile before I regain my love of flying. But enough of my whining. I made it home without getting stuck in a snow storm, for which I am extremely grateful for. Since then I have been slowly adjusting to the thought of being home, which was harder than I thought for the first two days, but is getting progressively easier. I am convinced that I owe this to Miss Rich and Miss Olson. What would I do without you guys? Some of my activities so far have been:
Eating Mexican food. It's become one of my main hobbies.
Decorating the Christmas tree (which was fun for about 5 minutes).
Wrapping presents.
Making seven pans of delicious maple cinnamon roles (which turned out pretty well considering that I did just about everything I could to screw up the recipe).
Re-reading the ends of my favorite novels. This is one of my favorite night time activities when I am at home alone (Umm...is this too geeky to admit to the internet? I think it might be.)
So I am doing pretty well, despite missing my wonderful roommate and beautiful Galway. As for this blog, 120 Days of Galway has seen its last post. From now on I'll be using Footnotes again, as it would be weird to use this blog in SLO. Thanks for reading!

Goodbyes

I am starting to realize that I am not a goodbye person. I hate them! How do you say goodbye to a friend that you have seen everyday for four months? I'm not sure, but I will let you know in a few hours. I have decided to go with "see you laters" instead of goodbyes. Ugh.
Since that is such a depressing subject, I'm moving on. This is going to be a very long day. This morning I am going to scrub down my apartment, which is going to be disgusting. I am then going into town to help Colleen finish Christmas shopping, enjoy the sunshine (hopefully), and get one more Butler's hot chocolate, the fabled "best hot chocolate in Galway." We're then going to an early dinner at the same place we went to our first night, getting a last Bulmers (hopefully accompanied by a last trad session) and then walking back to watch a Christmas movie. I will then wrestle with my too-small bag once more, pray that it decides to zip, and watch my last few hours of Irish television. At 2 am I am taking the bus to Dublin airport, which will hopefully be nap time. After 5 hours of waiting in the airport (yes, I booked the wrong bus, but it was 1 euro, so I'll take the 5 hour wait), I will finally say goodbye to Ireland. For twelve hours. Wish me luck!!

An Anglo-Irish dictionary...of sorts

I know I have mentioned Irish phrases and words on here before, but I thought I would try to give a more comprehensive Anglo-Irish list. Here we go.
Stripey - striped. As in, "this shirt is stripey."
Slippy - slippery.
Gas - funny.
Craic - fun.
Holiday - vacation.
Gorg - short for gorgeous. So..."Patrick Dempsey is gorg."
Lashing - raining hard. Another term for this is wallashing, though that is only used by Colleen.
Grand - apparently I have been using this wrong. It means alright, not great.
Cheers - thanks. As hard as I try, I can't pull this off without sounding over enthusiastic.
Class- great. "Clay Aiken is class."
Your man/your one - a person you are talking about. "Your man went to the store yesterday."
Biscuits - all cookies without chocolate chips. I know, it's odd.

I think I fell in love...

When I first got here, I really liked Ireland. I enjoyed all the quirky differences and the pretty scenery. More than anything, I feel like I was looking for the stereotypes of Ireland, and enjoying them thoroughly once I found them. I loved the green hills because Ireland is supposed to be green, I liked the pubs because there were supposed to be charming pubs in Ireland. While I was busy doing this, trying to find the stereotypical Ireland in the real one, I unknowingly fell in love with the real Ireland. I realized this this morning on my walk into town, with the grass frosty and my fingers slowly turning numb. What do I love about the real Ireland? I love the beautiful, lilting accents. The heavy, stone Cathedral set in the middle of Galway City. The rushing Corrib River that is slowly swelling to touch the bottom of the bridges. The busy weekend market smashed between the old medieval church and bustling shop street. The blue and red of Tescos under a fantastic clear sky. And though most of me is ready to go, to be home in sunny California where my family, friends, and car live, a smaller part of me wants to stay.

Nollaig Shona Duit!

I am slowly, and not so surely, learning Irish. Nollaig Shona Duit means Merry Christmas (just don't ask me to pronounce it). The last two days have been so fun and relaxing, and also very Christmasy. My roommates and I have been decorating our apartment for Christmas. It looks like Buddy the Elf just moved in, considering all our decorations are made out of paper. We have a Christmas tree as tall as me, complete with ornaments, lights, and presents, we have a fireplace with stockings, and we even have a left over hand turkey dressed like Santa. After baking and cutting up a storm yesterday, we went out for a "last supper" with our CEA group. We started out with ice skating, which was so so fun! All my geeky rollerblading days paid off at last. After we were all tired and sore-footed (is that a word?) we went to dinner at a nice Italian restaurant downtown. There's nothing like living in expensive Ireland to make you appreciate going out to dinner! Not only did we eat to our hearts content, and a little more, but they put little Christmas boxes on the table. Inside were poppers, paper crowns, and those little New Years horn things. Needless to say, this kept us quite entertained. It's been so nice, I almost don't want to leave. But home sounds so good, as do my wonderful family and friends!

Lazy Days

"I studied in Galway, Ireland," "It's lashing out," " He's gorg." Imagine this all in a horrendously fake Irish accent, and you see what my poor roommates have to deal with this afternoon. Considering I have far too much free time on my hands, one of my new missions is to learn to imitate the Irish accent. It is proving to be very difficult. Besides that, not much is going on in Galway. Tonight my roommates are having a "farewell dinner." We are going to get really classy, order in pizza, and go see The Christmas Carol (in 3D, which Colleen is overly excited about). In addition, my lovely roommate had decided to make one last apple crumble, which will top off the night wonderfully. And...I come home in nine days!!

Roma!

My four days in Rome was a great mixture of beautiful sights, precious sunlight, and lots of laughter. Colleen and I got there on Wednesday and got back last night, which was just enough time. The first day we went to the Collosseum, Palatine Hill, and the Roman Forum (translate: the history geek's heaven) and then walked across the city to what our tour guide said was "the best gelato in Rome." As I have not tried every gelateria in Rome, I can't say for sure that he was right, but I think it's a pretty safe bet. Not only was the ice cream absolutely delicious, but they topped it with a huge dollop of fresh whipped cream. Yumm. Our second day there we braved the subway and headed to Vatican City. After a slight mishap in which Colleen and I got temporarily separated (and without working cell phones) we emerged from the subway right on the doorstep of the Vatican, and even missed the infamous line. Despite the lack of Pope sightings, the Vatican was well worth the trip. To top the day off we went out that night dressed up in all our new Irish finery and visited the Trevi Fountain. The fountain is absolutely huge and lights up at night; it was gorgeous. Our last day we only had until mid afternoon, so we walked (I'm becoming quite the walker!) to the Travestevere district, which is a cute little neighborhood that looks more like a little Italian town than part of a huge city. We had one last delicious pizza, made one last stop to our favorite gelateria, and were back on our way to Ireland. It was a great trip, but I'm glad to be back in my little home away from home.

It's beginning to feel like...

Christmas! And I love it. This last weekend was perfect for getting in the holiday spirit. The weather has been suspiciously cooperative, so on Saturday Colleen and I went downtown to take advantage of it and we did some Christmas shopping. I got almost everything I need, which was both fun, painful, and quite a relief. I then went over to a friends house to watch a rugby game (I know, shocking) and some disney movies. Not only did Ireland win the match, but Miko was more charming than ever. The next day I caught up on some important reading (Twilight counts as important, right?) and then went to an advent service at the Church of Ireland. It was beautiful. The church is an old medieval church, and it was all lit up with candles. Everyone was wrapped up in scarves and jackets, even in the church, and holding their own individual candle. And the choir was unbelievable! It was like a scene out of a Christmas movie, and I now feel like it is officially Christmas time.

The day in review

Now that I am rested and no longer covered in an attractive mixture of flour and stuffing, I thought I would let you know how my Thanksgiving went. First of all, I cooked all day. Although I had volunteered to do this, I realized that it's more fun to think about and plan than actually to do. My chocolate pecan pie was weird looking but tasty, the stuffing was almost up to par, and the turkey turned out MOIST. Who knew?? It was definitely worth all the work. By 7:00 I felt like I had a little bit of home here in Ireland. What with the cranberry sauce, the dressing, and the apple pie, I really felt like it was Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Update

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I am only doing a quick update because I am exhausted. So far I have baked a chocolate pecan pie (crust and all!), made an Irish-American stuffing (so cultural), made the extra pie crust into delicious pie crust cookie things, put the turkey in, and started the potatoes. I will let you know how it all turns out!

I found him...

My Irish gentleman. He's been in my life for quite awhile now, but I've really come to depend on him in the last few weeks. He's cute, but not overstated. He always puts me first, is a little protective, and never leaves my side. He's pretty quiet, but is a great listener. Oh, and he's my umbrella. Literally. Is that sad? Because I think I'm in love.

Thanksgiving Challenge

Tomorrow Colleen and I am cooking Thanksgiving dinner, and I am slightly intimidated. Only slightly because everyone attending is in their twenties as well and therefore highly unlikely to know how to cook all of this as well. Here's my menu:
Turkey
Stuffing
Rolls
Mashed Potatoes
Cranberry Sauce (homemade!)
Corn
Apple Crumble
Chocolate Pecan Pie
Chocolate Biscut Cake (my Irish roommate is making this one, and I am pretty excited)

Wish me luck! I think I might need it!

A Wet Adventure

Yesterday Colleen and I had an epic adventure. After a very indecisive morning, the weather finally cleared and it looked like it was going to be a good day. We decided to take advantage of the sun and take a walk to the bed and breakfast that her sisters are going to be staying at. Now, we knew the walk is about an hour one way, so we were prepared for quite a trek, and she had persuaded me to come with the promise of a cab ride back. So after making a pit stop at the library, our adventure began. We were about half way when we heard the thunder and started to worry. Although the sky at our backs was a cheery blue, it looked as if we were walking into a hurricane. This was also about the time that she saw lightening, which she didn't tell me because she didn't want me to turn back. Which we definitely should have done, because about five minutes later the rain started to come down in sheets. True, I had an umbrella, but when the wind is whipping around it's not completely useful (especially because it is really cute which forces me to be over protective of it). So we ran into a cafe to take some much-needed shelter. Half an hour later, we set out again, after being lured out with the slowing rain. How wrong we were! As soon as we left it started to pour again. One hotel lobby and two pairs of soaked jeans later, we finally arrived at our destination. This bed and breakfast must be the farthest hotel from the city center (which she has not yet told her unsuspecting sisters). I did however learn some very important lessons from this: 1)Never trust Colleen when it comes to weather and 2) There is nothing like hot tea and pajama pants to make a rainy day well worth it.

Blue Skies

When I was little I love rainy days. If I woke up and heard it storming outside I would peek out the window near my bed, hoping that by some miracle it would be so stormy that the power would go out and school would be canceled. Even now that I'm older I love waking up to rain. There's something about living in California, and even more recently in SLO, that makes you appreciate a rainy day. Here in Ireland I find that I am the opposite. This morning I woke up and saw a little sliver of blue through my blinds. Blue!! I haven't seen a blue sky in just under a week, and then for only a day. Now I am sitting in the front room where my roommates and I have opened up the curtains in order to soak it all in. With the sun shining and New Moon waiting for me this afternoon, not even the threat of my essay looming over me can dampen today!

Update: My blue sky just disappeared behind the biggest, grayest cloud ever. I think I celebrated too soon.

Consequences of Cold

Even though a seventy-degree fall (ahem, SLO friends) sounds fabulous right about now, I am enjoying soaking up the cold weather. Or at least what it brings along with it. As my mom says, I have been "nesting," making comfort foods and bundling up. A few nights ago Colleen and I made homemade macaroni and cheese (which my Irish roommate promptly declared "so American") and last night I made some delcious, buttery shortbread. Perfect for dunking in tea! Which reminds me: I now have a new favorite blog. Check out www.smittenkitchen.com. She tries out delicous recipes and let's you know how they turn out. Besides giving you great recipe ideas, she is really funny and puts up great pictures. Trust me, you'll be addicted too if you like to cook or bake!

Only in Ireland

One reason I love Ireland is because it is so endearing. For the most part, the culture here is very similar. But, like the story of the builders constructing the wrong university building on the NUIG campus, sometimes Ireland is very different than the US. Last weekend I came upon another story like this that reminded me why I love this place. We were on our awesome land/water tour in Dublin and boated past an old ferry. The ferry was docked with one side facing the an apartment building, and the other side facing the opposite side of the river, where there was another, more distant, apartment complex. The side facing the river, and that we saw, was completely run down. It looked like a boat that had (barely) survived the Perfect Storm. The funny part was that the other side was newly painted and in great shape. This was because the people in one apartment complex complained about the boat, while the people on the other side did not. So what did they do? They painted the side that faced those who complained, and left the side that faced those who didn't. It was yet another "only in Ireland" experience.

Senior Project Woes

So, devoted readers, I need your input. The time is coming when I have to make a decision on what to do for my senior project. For those of you who have not had the benefit of hearing me complain about this yet, every History major has to write a forty page paper during their last two quarters at Cal Poly. I am having major problems coming up with/committing to a topic. So...that's where you come in. Here are my ideas so far:
1. The Salem witch trials (and how the role of children in the trials escalated the witch hunt).
2. Joseph Kony and child soldiers in Uganda (pretty much what Invisible Children is dealing with).
4. The Easter Rising in Ireland (the beginning of their independence).
5. The "Troubles" between Northern and Southern Ireland.
Does any of these stand out? Or anyone have any interesting ideas? I know it really comes down to what I am most interested in, but I would love some input anyway. Thanks!

Good News: I was productive today! Considering these days are few and far between, this is exciting.

Bad News: All of the New Moon midnight showings in Galway are sold out. Already!!! No one here quite understands my pain.

Dublin

I LOVED Dublin. It is such a good mix between a typical big city and a typical Irish town with colorful buildings and charming pubs. I think I will just start in the beginning and walk you through the highlights of the weekend. When we first got to the city we checked into our hostel (let's just say a hostel is quite different than a hotel, but this one was mercifully clean and quiet) and then made our way to the "Viking Splash Tour." I know - so exciting! On our way there we walked past stores already decked out with Christmas decorations, saw an aspiring rock band, and stopped in a cafe for coffee (the majority of the group) and cookies (me). Despite this delightful walk through downtown Dublin, I was excited to start our tour, which reminded me of a Disneyland ride. We sat in a "duck" boat (they were from WWII and can go on both land and water...I'm sure you know what I'm talking about Grandpa) with about 25 thirteen year old girls from Spain. Which was interesting. Our crazy (and cute, I should add) tour guide made up for this though, for as we drove through Dublin on our tour he would have us all yell, Viking-style, at unsuspecting passerby. Although this was probably geared towards the hoard of preteens on our tour, it was nonetheless very entertaining.
After this unorthodox tour we headed to Dublin Castle. It no longer looks much like a castle, besides a stone courtyard and a big tower. It was cool to see inside though, because this is the building the government still uses for a lot of their state events. After this we went to the Guinness factory (you can imagine how interesting this was for me) where I got a free pint that I promptly gave away (I haven't warmed to Guinness yet) and wasn't able to visit the only part that interested me: the gift shop. Luckily for me, there is no shortage of gift shops in Ireland. We ended the night at the Temple Bar, which is apparently a famous Dublin pub. It was the Ireland v. France game, playing to compete in the world cup, so it was absolutely packed. I mentioned to one of the girls that it reminded me of the Quidditch World Cup in Harry Potter, and she looked at me like I was insane. Apparently she's not a big HP fan. Oops!
Today we slept in (fantastic) before we headed off to finish our tour of Dublin. We started out at Kil-----? Jail (I don't remember how to spell it) which is the jail that, along with other things, held the leaders of the Easter Rebellion of 1916. The history geek in me was in heaven. I could rave about it forever on here, but I will spare you all. My group finally peeled me away from the jail, and we headed off to Trinity College. We were given a tour by the most "posh" professor ever, and then went to their library, which is the most famous part of the college. It is absolutely gorgeous. It is everything a library should be, and reminded me of the one in Beauty and the Beast, but even better. I even snapped a forbidden picture, despite the guard lurking in the corner. I know, I am quite the daredevil.
So now I am back in my apartment, cozy and ready for bed. I hope you all had a great weekend as well!

Holidays? I think yes.

Is it the start of the holiday season yet? Although some of you might think it is too early to start celebrating, I have decided to give in. It's just so much more fun that way! Take today for example. Even though I walked all the way to the grocery store only to discover that I had forgotten my wallet, and even though it is once again cloudy and gray out, I am still having a great day. Why? Because I have decided to start my holiday season. So I turned on the Beach Boys Christmas album (because in the Hitch house, this is classic Christmas music) and spent the afternoon baking a favorite holiday (or for that matter, anytime) treat: Oatmeal Carmelitas. For those of you who are interested, the recipe is below (all credit to Sue and Sarah Rich). I highly encourage you to try it!

Oatmeal bottom and topping:
2 cups flour
2 cups oatmeal
3 cubes butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups brown sugar

Middle:
3/4 cup caramel
3 tablespoons flour
chocolate chips

Heat the oven to 350 degrees, and grease a 7x11 pan. Make the oatmeal mixture and split it in half. Put the first half in the greased pan and bake for 10 minutes. While it is baking combine the caramel and the flour. Top the oatmeal bottom with chocolate chips (to taste) and caramel. Crumble the rest of the oatmeal mixture on top, and bake for another 15 minutes. Cool and enjoy!!

Scotland

What should I say about my trip to Scotland? Well, to start with, it was cold. Although the first few days were about the same temperature as Ireland (and not quite as wet) by the third day it was so cold we could see our breath, even in the middle of the afternoon. When we first got there Colleen and I were met at the airport by Gloria, my "host mom" from this summer. It was so good to see her and her husband! Not only did they pump us full of scalding hot tea and give us cozy beds to sleep in, but it was a great chance to catch up and have great conversations. The next day Caitlin met us in Glasgow where we met up with some friends from the summer for lunch. Once again, it was so good to catch up with these people, especially because I was never guaranteed to see them after this summer. What a blessing! This was followed by a speedy tour of Glasgow given by one of Caitlin's Stirling friends, and then we headed off to Stirling. Stirling is just what a little Scottish town should be. It is "chockablock" (aka stuffed full) with brown brick buildings and houses and topped off with a beautiful castle above the town. We got to meet her friends (who are sooo nice), go to her bible study, and explore both Stirling and Edinburgh. Now that I'm back I have school work and laundry to catch up on before the next adventure: Dublin!

Living in Ireland

As I begin to really settle into life in Ireland I am beginning to realize that there are things I have grown accustomed to, things I love, and things I will never love about living here. Enjoy yet another post full of my lists!
Things I have grown accustomed to:
Bringing my own bags grocery shopping
Walking EVERYWHERE
Horrible public transportation
Rain
Great accents
Things I love:
Tea time!
Biscuts (closely related to tea time, they are hard, store bought cookies that are highly addictive)
My blue polka dot umbrella
Cozy pubs
Green hills with little white sheep
Lots of potatoes (it is completely acceptable to have two different potato dishes in one meal...my kind of country)
Things I will never love:
Wet jeans
Wet shoes
Wet socks

Happy Ramblings

Life is going well here in Ireland. Why? Because I am temporarily without school work, making new friends in the CU, and made funfetti cupcakes this afternoon. It is incredibly rainy though. The past two mornings I have been convinced of it being a nice day, which meant not bringing a coat when I left for class, only to be caught in a down pour on my way home. When it rains, it pours here. At least this week. When Caitlin visited all she could talk about was 1) How wet she was, 2) How wet Ireland was, 3) How tired of walking she was. Speaking of Caitlin...Colleen and I are leaving for Scotland on Friday!! I am so excited. Not only do I get to see my sister, but we decided to fly into Glasgow so I can meet up with some of my Scottish friends from this summer. Colleen and I are staying with my host family, and then meeting up with some friends for lunch. I can't wait!

Wicklow

Even though I'm a little late, I want to do a post on this weekend. I went on a retreat to Wicklow (near Dublin) with the Christian Union. It was wonderful! The retreat was for groups all over Ireland, so there were about 80 of us there, which meant I got to both meet new people and get closer to those in my CU. We stayed in a manor right outside a tiny town surrounded by "mountains" (or hills, for anyone outside Ireland) covered in red and orange trees. I think the highlight of the trip was being reminded of who Jesus is. To my non-Christian friends, this might sound a little weird and probably more than a little cheesy, but I fell in love with him a little more. There is something about looking past the habits that grow out of Christianity and right to Christ that is so refreshing. I was encouraged to look again at his life and who he really is. And you should too! Whether you are a Christian or not, I challenge you to look at one of the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John) and read it with an open mind. I know I am going to!

Split

I'm split. On one hand, there's home. There's my wonderful family and home where I am surrounded by people who love me. Where the colors are changing and Thanksgiving is in the air. There is Cal Poly, with beautiful sunsets and Avila Valley Barn and Pismo beach. There's Stephanie and Laura, Erika and Sarah, Alex and Amy. There's Taco Bell and basset hounds and waxy Hershey's chocolate. And I miss it. But now I have another side pulling at me. Now there's Ireland. Here there are new friends with wonderful accents, new opportunities and new challenges. In Ireland fall is not only red and orange and brown, but it is set against a constant background of bright green. There are cozy pubs and soup and brown bread. There's shiny euro coins, never-ceasing tea, and lots of rain. No matter how much I love both, I can only be in one place at once. It's hard knowing that the more I invest in people here, the more I fall in love with this incredibly endearing country, the harder it is going to be leave. Despite this, I'm loving getting to know people better, and just praying that I can come back!

Caitlin's gone...

Which means even though my room is cleaner and my bed is now my own, I am pretty bummed. Luckily I get to see her next week as well, but what am I going to do after that???

Sister!

Caitlin's here! It has been great. I met her at the airport, so we had an hour long reunion on the way to Galway, which was perfect. A few highlights have been:
1. Her umbrella dying within 3 minutes of being opened. Picture a thrashing umbrella, wind and rain, and both of us doubled up laughing while people stare. Welcome to Ireland.
2. Mac and Cheese - yumm!
3. Ordering vanilla milkshakes from McDonalds.
4. Surviving the Cliffs of Moher (we survived, despite Caitlin's conviction that we wouldn't).
5. A leprachaun-like tour guide who specialized in inappropriate jokes...which was uncomfortable.
6. Cuddling up to watch the new Grey's Anatomy episode. Now if it will only load!

A Day in the Life

Since Caitlin keeps talking about writing a "day in the life" post, I thought I would beat her to it. Today was an average, but nice, day. I didn't have class until noon, so I decided to give our a apartment a much-needed cleaning. I then trekked to class (Problems in Ireland) to listen to my Jude Law look-a-like professor for an hour. Not so bad. After one more class, I returned back to my freshly cleaned home, which is always a good fealing, called Mom and Dad, and took a walk with Colleen to admire the fall scenery. To top it off, we just finished baking some crumb topping to put on the ice cream that we are hoping to get when the ice cream guy comes by tonight. Cross your fingers, he drives fast!
Oh, and on a totally different (but much more exciting) note, Caitlin comes in two days!!!

Kerry

I fell in love with Kerry this weekend. Kerry is a county in southern Ireland that is absolutely gorgeous. CEA had organized a weekend away for us, so early Friday morning we all traipsed down to the bus stop to begin yet another adventure. Six hours and three buses later, we were at our destination. Kerry was beautiful. We were on a bus tour, so a lot of our time was spent on the bus driving the famous route the "Ring of Kerry", but it was worth it. Not only was the scenery amazing, but the little towns we passed through were perfect as well. Our tour guide was from the area, and since the towns are so small she was able to tell us everything about everyone. She passed the time by telling anecdotes about her family and pointing out which house belonged to who. The night time entertainment was pretty good as well. The first night they taught us how to do traditional Irish dances at a ceidlidh, which was interesting to say the least. Let's just say that Americans aren't quite cut out for it. The second night we got to meet members of the local Gaelic football team (coolest sport ever, coming from a non-sport girl) and compete in a table quiz (which is a popular game here in pubs, and is a type of trivia game). To top it off, for the majority of the weekend we had perfect weather and beautiful fall colors. It was great!

Warm and Fuzzy

Today was such a good day. Not only has it managed to feel like a perfect fall day and remain sunny, but I got a care package, or a "warm and fuzzy" package as Stephanie would say, from Laura and Stephanie. I felt so loved! It was full of American goodies like funfetti cake, reeses cups, macaroni and cheese, chocolate chips (which they sell in tiny bags that cost 2 euros!!), and chocolate pudding. In addition, they put in some pictures of themselves, which might have been my favorite part. I miss you guys!

Blessings

I love it here. I love that they say "glam" and "class." I love that the leaves are turning color, that I can duck into cozy, cute pubs, that I have a funny, kind room mate. But I also miss home. I miss big hugs from Stephanie and Laura, I miss Amy and Sarah making me laugh out loud. I miss Cal Poly's sunsets, and the beautiful backdrop of Bishop's peak. I love the brothers and sisters in Christ I have met here, but I miss Grace Church, Wednesday morning meetings, and Sunday lunches. I miss the coziness of home, and fireplaces, and parents, and sisters. It's not that I want to go home yet, or am homesick. It's just that being gone has made me realize what I have at home, and I am so thankful for it!

Rainy Day

I love rainy days. I love waking up and staying in my pajamas and slippers instead of rushing to get dressed for class. I love catching up on my favorite tv shows and feeling guilt free because it's too wet outside to venture to the library. And I love curling up with a good book and joining the heroine in falling in love with the dashing Lord Orville. Best of all about this rainy day though was a stolen half hour of sun, during which I was able to take a beautiful walk, meet friendly little Irish dogs, and have a much-needed talk with God. Still to come: Mac and Cheese (thanks Mom and Dad!), chocolate chip cookies, and a couple more chapters with Lord Orville.

Is it winter yet?

Although it's only the beginning of October, I feel like it is December. This is probably because living in SLO has made me a wimp when it comes to bad weather. For example, last year I was wearing flip flops only days before I left for Christmas break. So now, when my breath comes out in white puffs and I need my scarf and gloves in order to venture outdoors at night, I feel like we have skipped right over fall and am in the middle of winter. Fortunately, I have a hardened New Jerseyan as a roommate who is used to freezing weather who reminds me that it really is fall and I shouldn't start feeling sorry for myself...yet.

Paris

Parlez vous Anglais? I don't know how many times I said that this weekend, but it was a lot. Besides my atrocious French accent though, the weekend was a huge success. We got to Paris in the early evening, and over two hours of trying to navigate public transportation later, we arrived at our hotel. Since Colleen had never been there before we were determined to see all the major sights. So in the morning we set off to work our way through the major landmarks : The Arc d'Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, Sacre Couer, and the Moulin Rouge (unfortunately Ewan McGregor wasn't there). On the way I had the most delicious pastry I have ever tasted. It was like a thick doughnut bar filled with chocolate. SO GOOD! If you every see one (I think it's called a Beignet) you have to get it. We then left the city and went to the palace of Versailles, which is where Louis XIV lived, as well as Marie Antoinette and Louis XV (French Revolution anyone?). It was gorgeous and has convinced me that I was born in the wrong century. I think I would do very well there. Once we left Versailles we made our way back to Paris and revisited the Eiffel Tour so that we could go the top at night. It was beautiful! Sunday was equally packed with mass at Notre Dame, a visit to the Louvre, and one more beignet squeezed in at the airport. Although I loved Paris, it was so nice to get back to Galway. Not only do they speak English here, but it is so much more homey than big, glamorous Paris. I'm starting to get attached to this friendly, rainy little island.

Ups and Downs

It has been one of those weeks. You know, the week where my last two euros get eaten by the laundry machine, immigration turns me away, it rains during my hour-long walk to church, and I cry out of frustration multiple times. A week where everything seems to be a little more difficult than necessary.
But it has also had some good points. Like neopolitan ice cream, meeting new friends, and long conversations over coffee and tea. Like seeing God come through in the immigration office, wearing tights and a dress, and throwing a surprise birthday party. And best of all? At this time tomorrow Colleen and I will be in Paris!

Faith

I read a really good blog on faith the other day, which got me thinking a lot about it and what it means to trust God with tangible things. I've come to the conclusion that faith is a lot like sitting in an invisible chair. I've been told that this chair is big, sturdy enough to take all of my weight and more, and part of me believes it. But the other part of me thinks that the moment I sit on this chair it will collapse, if it's even there at all. So at first I was perched on it, sitting in faith but ready at any moment to jump up and support myself. When I saw that it didn't collapse, I relaxed a little bit more. And when God came through for me this morning in an ordinary but visible way, I felt like I was reclining in the chair, comfortable enough to lean back and trust him with all my weight. But I know that next time something comes up I will have to start again, and try to remember that the chair is sturdy enough to hold me. Hopefully next time though, I won't have to start from scratch.

Laugh

I love things that make me laugh. Like watching a delightfully cheesy movie multiple times (Twilght anyone?) or weird Irish phrases ("this cake is yum!"). The other day I had the perfect opportunity to practice laughing at myself. I unknowingly went to my history class an hour early, certain that I was on time. The lectures here are all really big, so I am used to not seeing anyone I recognize in the class. Just as I was settling into my seat, a (cute) Irish guy sits down next to me and starts to chat. Perfect, right? So I was understandably distracted and didn't notice that I was in the wrong class until the professor put up a chemistry slide. Um..not quite my history class. Unfortunately, the seats in the class are set up so that I would have to get the entire row (including my new friend) to stand up before I could get out. So instead of embarrassing myself in front of the class and my new found Gerard Butler, I decided to sit through an entire hour of Organic Chemistry. To top it off, I took notes so that no one would get suspicious of the lone History major in the crowd. The entire time I was trying hard not to start laughing, I felt like such a fraud! And, too top it off, I will never see my cute Irish chemist again. So sad!

Life Savers

Right along the road to school runs the fastest river in Europe. Where it runs alongside our apartment it looks relatively slow, but by the time it reaches town it looks pretty terrifying. Apparently, I have cause to be afraid because every twenty yards or so (I really have no idea) there is a bright yellow stand with an orange life saver attached. Colleen kindly informed me as we were passing one of these that if I fell in she would throw one out to me. My reaction was along the lines of "that's all?!" Because, let's be honest, if I fell in I would want her to do a lot more than throw me the life saver and hope I grabbed on.
I'm finding out that looking for a church is a lot like trying to get out of a very fast, cold river. A life saver is great, but what I really need is for someone to jump in the water. I've visited two churches here, and while both have been really nice and welcoming, very few people are actually willing to go out on a limb and really try to make me part of the group. This is hard, because as much as I want to be part of them, I can't invite myself in. Thankfully, last night I went to the Christian Union (which is like their version of Campus Crusade) which had a lot of visiting students as well. Because we are all in the same boat, we were all reaching out to each other. So I'm not writing this so that you all feel bad for me, because really there's nothing to feel bad about. Instead, to all my Grace church and Campus Crusade friends: really reach out to people, even if it means you are giving up sitting with your friends and it makes you uncomfortable. This has really reminded me what it means to be new, and that Christians aren't always the most welcoming bunch. But we should be! So my advice: Stop throwing life savers, and get in the water.

Connemarra

This weekend some friends and I decided to go to Connemarra for the day. It was gorgeous! We stayed in a little town called Clifden, which is near the Connemarra National Park. Clifden was adorable, and I am now convinced that if I ever moved here permanently I would move there. After a warm lunch in a cozy little pub we rented bikes to go explore. The scenery was absolutely beautiful, it was just what you imagine Ireland to be. About half way through our ride we saw a castle off the road, which left us little choice but to go and explore. So we walked our bikes down the rambling dirt road, managed to avoid the freaky looking cows, and discovered a long lost castle (well, that's what it felt like at least). It was the perfect Irish adventure! I will try to post pictures again, but it hasn't been working well lately.

Gifts

My day has been far from perfect. I woke up early to register for a class, got in a line, and waited outside in the cold for three hours. I then shivered my way over to my class, ate my peanut butter sandwhich, and sat in class for an hour listening to a professor who I can barely understand. As I walked back to my apartment I felt that, at best, the day had been merely average, and probably a little less than that. But then something came to mind that I read on another woman's blog this summer. She was talking about the importance of counting our blessings, and despite how cliche it sounds, I completely agree with her. Because once I did I realized that today was a great day, not a sub-average one. To start with, I am in Ireland. Yes, I sat in line for three hours, but I was sitting in a beautiful courtyard surrounded by a 19th c. building covered in green and red ivy. Out of the 100 people waiting, I was one of 8 who lucked out and got a seat on one of the benches. I got the class I wanted, while the majority of those in line probably had to resort to their third or fourth choices, and yes, I was cold, but I got to warm up with a delicious hot chocolate and peanut butter sandwich. To top it all off, on my way back to the apartment the sun came out (something I am learning not to take for granted) and the view of the river was gorgeous. I was reminded in a great way that God is working in both big and little ways, we just need to pay closer attention to see it.

Therapy

A few days ago my advisor told our group about a favorite spot of him and his friends. Right by the water in Galway there is a long walk called the Promenade, and at the very end of it is what he has nicknamed "therapy hill." So a friend and I decided to walk all the way out there the other day and see if it was really as good as he made it out to be. It was. Once we got to the top of the hill we could see all of Galway Bay and across to county Kerry on the other side. It was gorgeous. It got me thinking, what is my therapy? Here's what I came up with.
Escaping into the comfortable world of a favorite book for the hundreth time.
Having (another) girls night.
Getting lost in the car with your best friends, and having way more fun being lost with them than being at the destination.
Singing the same worship songs whether you are in SLO, Oakdale, Glasgow, or Galway.
Watching Bridget Jones' Diary and eating Ben and Jerry's with a new friend even though you miss your old ones.
Driving at night with the windows down and the radio blasting.
Some of these are from home, and some are from here, but these have got to be some of the best forms of therapy, right?

Castles, Kisses, and Cupcakes

Yesterday Colleen and I went to Blarney, which was so much fun. We took the bus to Cork (4 hours!!) and then a smaller one to Blarney, which is a little town just outside the city. First we walked around the castle grounds, which were gorgeous. I kind of felt like I was walking through the set of Fern Gully (anyone remember it?). We then went up to the castle in search of the stone, which we were determined to kiss in spite of the millions of germs infecting it. The castle was cool, but pretty run down, and as we climbed up the slippery, narrow, winding staircase I was sure I was going to slip and die. I'm going to try to post a picture so that you appreciate what I went through to get to this stone. Anyway, we finally got to the top and made our way over to the stone, which is not easy to kiss. You have to lay down on your back, grip two poles, and lower yourself down about a foot or so to kiss the stone on the wall behind you. The man holding on to me did not seem adequately concerned, and I considered faking it and just kissing the wall behind me so that I wouldn't have to slide down so far, but I decided to actually go through with it. And I'm so glad I did! Yes, kissing the blarney stone is listed as one of the top ten tourist traps in Ireland, and yes, I will probably contract some horrible disease from all the germs on the stone. But still, it was pretty cool. Afterward, since we had a ton of time to kill before our bus came, Colleen and I went to a tea/cupcake shop. It was adorable, the cupcakes were delicious, and the chatty owner had a fantastic accent. All in all, it was a great day!
ps. Pictures are soon to come. It doesn't always let me upload them, but I will keep trying.

Worship

I love worship. Most Sundays, it is my favorite part of the service. But because I am so used to worship at church, I often forget that that is not the only time that we can worship God. Tonight I went with my group to a traditional Irish dance and music performance called Trad on the Prom. My favorite musician was this man who played some sort of Irish pipe (kind of like a bag pipe, but you don't blow into it). As he started to play his first song, I was reminded that music doesn't have to have Christian lyrics or be played in a church to be called worship. It can be whatever leads us to worship God, whether it is a man playing the pipes in a crowded hotel ballroom or a beautiful cathedral. It was great that, in the midst of a crazy day full of "craic," or fun, God reminded me of himself when I least expected it.

Scones

So tonight (as you can probably guess from the title) I made scones. In Ireland. It was perfect...until it wasn't. It turns out that our oven is a little over eager, resulting in slightly burned scones. Thankfully, nothing can ruin a scone for me, and with a little jam it was still delicious. It was made even more fun because Colleen and I had them with out tea. Needless to say, I am adapting to the food here very well.
Even before the scones, my day was really good. It was the first day of classes, so I went to a lot to just figure out what classes I wanted. I went to Central European History, Medieval Ireland, The Irish Emigrant Experience, and Stories of Medieval Wales. Most of the classes were pretty good, which means I can't decide which ones to take and which to drop. So many choices! I still have two more to check out, so I think it might be a few days before I actually know my schedule.

Pictures (cont'd)

The internet is being a little weird here, so I couldn't comment and post pictures in the same post.  The pictures are of:  The Corrib River, which is the fastest in Europe, my roommate Colleen and I drinking our favorite (cider, since I am the only person in this country who doesn't like beer), NUI Galway, and Shop Street, which is like Galway's downtown.  Enjoy!

Pictures!

Day 5

This is only my fifth full day in Galway, but I feel like I have been here for so much longer. Summer feels like a distant memory, especially the heat. Although I haven't been here long, there are some definite things I am starting to pick up about Ireland.
1. It rains a lot. I knew this before I came, but it is different to here about it than it is to live in it. It's more a question of when it will rain and how hard than if it will rain.
2. The Irish don't say their th's. So three becomes tree, ect. Unlike the rain, I really like this.
3. Biscuits are amazing. Digestives (my new favorite brand) are going to be my downfall.
4. People walk here. I honestly don't think I have ever walked so much in my life, and that is saying a lot when I look back at my first few weeks at Cal Poly.
5. The people who created Skype were amazing. It is so nice to be able to both hear and see the person you are talking too (especially when it's your twin!).
6. The stereotypes about Ireland are not just stereotypes. People really are incredibly friendly (especially the taxi drivers) and they drink just as much as we think they do.
7. The Irish are really laid back about some things. My favorite illustration of this is the story of the main building on campus. When it was being built they switched the plans with a college up North. Consequently, they built the wrong buildings in the wrong places; the one that was supposed to be built in Galway was built in Belfast and the one that was planned for Belfast ended up in Galway. How does that happen??
8. Although Ireland is cold and rainy and contains some pretty impossible accents, it's also beautiful and friendly, and I'm pretty excited to be living here for a semester!

Day 2

My first full day in Ireland has gone much better than the first. I started the day by searching all over town for a charger for my laptop (I found it!!) and moving into my apartment. The apartment is about the same quality as the dorm I stayed in freshman year, but with the addition of a living room and bathroom that we share with six people. I also met my roommate today, Colleen. She is really nice and down to earth, which is such an answer to prayer. This means that I am no longer incredibly lonely and am feeling much better tonight than I did last night! I will try to add pictures later, the internet is very cooperative.

Arrival

I'm here!! England and Scotland were amazing...I don't really know how to summarize it in one post. Overall, it was great to spend time with the church family in Scotland, because that is really what it felt like. I now feel like I have brothers and sisters in Glasgow. I also got to have some great conversations with non believers, as did the rest of the team, and I really think God used us. If you want more details, let me know and I can get them to you.
As for Ireland, my first thought on seeing it was that it was so green. The drive from the airport to Galway was just as I imagined: green hills, stone walls, and sheep. I was met at the airport by two women who happen to know a family friend of ours. This was such a blessing and made it very easy to get to the hostel. The hostel is nicer than I expected, though I am still very glad I reserved a private room instead of a dorm. After twelve, blissful hours of sleep (don't judge!) I decided to explore Galway. The city is kind of random, in that there are nice building next to shabby ones, with lots of rambling streets and few road signs. The City Center is really nice and has been made into a big pedestrian area, so there are lots of cobblestone walkways and roads lined with cute stores and pubs. I saw a pub that is going to have Irish dancers tonight, so I think that I will go there tonight. Apparently they are second only to River Dance....but I have a feeling that this could be a small exageration.
I miss you all tons and hope that everything is going well at home...and in Italy (Erika :))!

Goodbyes

Today is my last full day in the US for four months.  Crazy, right?  We are leaving this evening for San Jose, and our flight leaves at 9 tomorrow morning.  This morning I said my goodbyes to Sarah and Erika, which was sad.  How did the summer go by so fast?  Sarah did give me a tip for eating abroad: Avoid the five Bs: Blood, Bladder, Balls, Belly, and Brain.  Thank you Sarah.

So for my last day I am just going to try to soak it all up and not be too nostalgic about everything, which I tend to do.  I am all packed, so the plan for today is to have lunch with my family, watch a few Friends episodes (my drug of choice), and shove the last few items into my already bulging suitcases.  Wish me luck!

Prep Work

120 Days of Galway -  my new, improved, and Irish version of Footnotes.  Although I could pretend that there is a deep reason for this change, I will just admit that I wanted a new name and background for my blogging endeavors in Ireland.  I will try to blog faithfully here while I am abroad so that I am not a stranger when I return (in order for this to be succesful, I will have to step up my blogging considerably).  

Yesterday I was looking through recipes and noticed that many of the cooks noted that the prep work was the most time consuming and exhausting part of the process.  I am beginning to get the feeling that it is the same when you are preparing to go abroad for several months.  I am days away from heading off on my European adventure, yet I can hardly see past all the last minute details.  And, to be completely honest, I'm not sure if this is because of the sheer amount of loose ends left to tie up or because I am too terrified to take my eyes off them and to really consider what I am getting myself into.  Every time I do I either get very excited or ask myself, "What were you thinking?!"  I am sure that if I didn't have the guarantee that God was going to be with me every step of the way, I would be a complete mess by now.  The knowledge that my best friend, Comforter, Lord, Love, and Redeemer is going with me is one of the things that is allowing me to approach my pending departure with a measure of bravery.  Not that I'm not screaming inside as I write this, of course!

On a very different note, I found a wonderful site that my multitude of faithful readers (all 5 of you) should check out.  It is called (in)courage, and you can find it at www.incourage.me.  It is a group of women who blog about their lives, families, and walks with Christ.  I am not usually into sites like these, but this one caught my interest right away.

One final comment -- although I am not in Ireland for 120 days, it sounded much better than 110 or 111 (the real number), so I decided to bend the truth a little!