Randomness to the Max

So I was just chillen in my room, killing time online and I ran across my roomie's blog. Why is she so amazing?! I guess I had missed a couple entries on her blog from Chile and so just read them today. She still amazes me, its nuts. She had a post about how all her friends surprised her and came to say bye to her at the bus stop on the day she left. Kinda reminds me of why I love her so much. It still baffles me as to how you can make such close bonds and become such good friends with people you've known for such a little time. I guess at the same time, I'm a bit jealous. I started rewatching some awesome videos from Ireland. It was from a great night, that no one else really thinks is funny, but I guess it just has great memories with it. Watching it though kinda made me sad. I'm still friendly with the people but I guess it was a friendship of convenience. Ok that's a bit of an exageration I guess. Idk, I started rereading some of my posts too, and kinda makes me want to go back. I feel like I could have been good friends with some of the people there. Don't get me wrong, I made some amazing friends that I still keep in touch with, it's just weird rewatching the videos I guess. Wish I could figure out how to post them on here. I also have no idea why I am writing this right now. Completely and utterly random. I guess I have a lot of thoughts in my head perhaps?! Whoo knows.

Ah. Figured it out.

France

Hiya. Well here I am in Colmar, France. I don't have wireless but at least I have internet. Kinda sad how I like need the internet lol. I've literally just been eating and sitting around all day. I mean it's been wonderful but omg, I am gonna gain so much weight, oy vye. I eat breakfast after I wake up, get ready or just hang out and then an hour later eat lunch. After that I either hang out at home till dinner or go into town and walk around. Thank god for those excursions or else I would literally way a ton. But really, what else would you expect with christmas at your grandparents. Off to Strasbourg for the New Year to celebrate with friends.

I kinda miss Ireland when I look at pictures. And since I don't have internet on my laptop, I usually just listen to music and go through pictures before bed. It turned out to be a wonderful semester after a bit of adjustment. I kinda do wanna go back. Wouldn't have minded staying one more month at least. Any more than that, I think I woulda been ready to come home.

K, gonna go be social w/ the grandparents. I'm trying to cram my brain with all the Alsacien recipes I can. I kinda really want a kitchen when I get back to SMCM. Kinda don't wanna come back ironically since I so wanted to be back at the beginning of the semester. I refuse to let myself get insanly stressed again.

Frantic Rush

These past two weeks have been a little nuts. I've spent them cooped up in the library, but really it needed to be done. I had a great relaxing semester where I didn't do much so those 2 weeks weren't all that bad. I did really want to go out however because no one wants to spend their last few weeks in a foreign country studying. However, I know that everyone has been doing this - people in Spain and Argentina had the same work issue.

It worked out really well for me however. I essentially finished my 50o0 word paper on Thursday night along with my physics and this other paper. The kitesurfing and surfing club were having an excellent night out so I was definitly trying to go to that Thursday night. I did and had a wonderful night. Out to a pub w/ some free food and free shooters and then to Bodega for the snow ball which we got in for free. Friday was 12 pubs of christmas which was AMAZING and a highly class and messy night. Was great craic. Started at 3PM. Half hour for a drink at each pub. Saturday was off to Dublin. Brought in my birthday there at Temple Bar, sightseeing on Sunday and back home Sunday. I really wanted to celebrate my birthday here in Cork and I'm glad I was able to. Sunday night after I got out met up w/ some friends at Sober Lane. After that headed over to Liquid Lounge to meet up w/ some more friends and join in on the ISS Party (International Student Soc.). That was great. Got tons of birthday wishes and plenty of drinks of course.

Yesterday wasn't very productive but did some studying. Doing some more now for my Marine Mammals exams, but needed a quick break for food. Back to work as it is 1 and the exam is at 3. Despite all the work, it wasnt too too stressful and it all ended well. All's well that ends well - haha I think that's the saying whatever it means. Tmr is my last night here :( Most definitly going out.

Trinity College - Book of Kells was closed :(

St. Stephens Greens near Trinity

Surprising but welcomed

So on Friday I was working away on research for my paper and stayed at the library till 8 (that's quite late here by the way). It closes at 5:45 on Friday's but they had a reading room open till 9:45. While waiting for the bathroom and listening/speaking with some other Irish folk I heard them say "Well, life before exams right?" and "In my five years of college, I've only been here twice," meaning in his five years of college, he has only stayed at the library "that late" at 8 twice. How amazing is that?!? I've actually noticed that when people tell me they are staying till 10PM I actually think how ridiculously late that is and that when they woke up at 5AM how absolutely crazy that is - this coming from me man!! I kinda like it. I'm realllly reallly hoping I won't revert back to SMCM thought in the Spring and start to think that 1o isn't late and 5 isn't early.

Apart from that, no other interesting things. Oh, yaa, I've had multiple cultural clashes may I add while here. Ive managed to royally piss off one person and I think slightly aggrivate another. I have no idea if it's because I don't know when to keep my mouth shut, if the Irish are just oddly sensitive (which they totally are) or if it's because they don't know me like my friends do and don't really understand what I mean (I do believe it's this one). Ok, that's all I got. Off to bed.

The River Lee that runs through the city.

The living room of my abode.

Me and Amy's room - check out the double bed man.

Ephiphany??

So I think I realized something today. It's great to meet local ppl when you go abroad, but at some level you kinda do have to make friends w/ ppl from your own country as well. You really do need them to bounce your feelings off and kinda just to share your experience with. On another note, I think I'm actually finally becoming friends with the guys on the team which sucks cause now I have to leave of course.

On another note, I have had the most impossible time getting myself motivated to do any work. I literally just waiste time online but I'm not even doing anything online, just looking for something to do. And I couldn't even motivate myself to get ready for class this morning so I therefore was 15 min late. It's rather annoying I must say. Ohhh well. Here are some pictures:

Farran Woods - Where I had my head race this week right outside of Cork.

Novice Men Rowing

Picture from Dingle - Driving along right after leaving Inch Beach.

Inch Beach

Random stop while in Galway - like completely random place to find this.

Cliffs of Moher right around Sunset. I didn't get to go as far as I wanted on the Cliffs cause I was with someone who was cramping my style :( Iactually don't think I woulda had enough time anyways but still! It's the principle.

Chillen in Cork

So nothing new really has happened. No trips or anything, which is usually the only thing I ever write about. Probably won't be any more trips. Still need to go to Dublin but we will see. Had a regatta last weekend near Dublin in County Wicklow but just hung out on the Blessington Lakes most of the day.

This week has been pretty cool though. I think I'm slowly realizing that I have less than a month left. 3 weeks of class. Absolutely ridiculous, where did the time go? Went out a couple times w/ friends this week, which was fun. Last night was pretty chill (needed it). Me and Alessa went over to Peter's house (like a real house house) which I haven't been in in like 3 months now - it was weird but nice. We hung out there, had some food and watched a movie and hung out. We walked to the movie rental place and on the way back we ran into this cat. It was sooo cute!! So I was playing with it and then after it was following me back to Peters when I was trying to catch up w/ Peter and Alessa. Cutest cat ever! They thought they were gonna have to come get me lol. When we got back into the house, I was asking how to unlock the door and Peter thought I was trying to get out to go back to the cat lol but really I just had a rock in my shoe. I had some tea cause I got sick this week and Peter Irished it up for me. T'was lovely. They have these tissues here, it's Kleenex, but it's Kleenex for men specifically. It says like manly sized tissues and 50 years of manliness. It's totally ridiculous! I took a picture of it.

Practice today was kinda shit. Crappy weather, but I also feel like we always have a bad row when I'm there. Who knows. Everyone is gone for the weekend again. Alessa is mia so can't go over to her place :( Kinda lonely here but whatever. Going to a friends tonight to make dinner. Totally learning how to cook - it's great, I love it. I kinda eat a lot of the same things all the time though which gets kinda old but oh well.

Some of the rowing girls and I at Club Classic.

Me and Amy on the way home taking a pit stop at my store.

Galway Trip

So I've been just as bad as this as Molly, except I have no reason because I'm not off traveling for 2 weeks!! Jealous, sounds aammmazing. Not complaining though. Life has been kinda hectic (in a good way) and just all over the place really. I went to Galway last Friday at 5PM and got back on Sunday at 7PM). Since then, I had the weekly mad rush to get my physics done by Tuesday night so that I could then go out. Of course, hadn't started it till Monday but as usual, it worked out fine and got it in. I left my place at 11:30 (last night - Tuesday) and met up with some friends. We went to Sober Lane Pub for about 10 minutes where a lot of drunken soccer players were. Didn't stay for very long and headed over to An Brog for the rest of the night (till about 1:30). It was ok. Night of awkward conversations w/ a french friend. But I did meet a cool American girl so something came out of that. It was us sitting and talking and feeling like 4th wheels to our other American friend and her Irish boy. Umm got home and thought it would be a good idea to watch the 7th episode of Desperate Housewives. Oh ya, did I mention, I'm addicted now?? So anywho, did that till about 2:30. I then lied in bed till about 3:30 unsuccesfully trying to fall asleep so I decided to text my roomate who was still out. She came home right around that time which was grand because I was awake, she was very drunk and it made for some great entertainment (including me pulling her pants off b/c she couldn't do it, me being told to stay awake so I could hear her story, being told to tell her what to do before she went to bed and the like). So, considering it was about 4 when I finally fell asleep, I decided, fuck getting up at 8 for Irish history and so therefore I slept. It was lovely. I should actually be doing physics right now before my Irish language class at 4. Going to trampoline after. Yayyy!! It's so fun. We did flips on Monday so I'm very excited for today and hopefully it won't be a let down.

Now, as to Galway. Yaa this is one of those long posts, sorry. It was ok. We left super late on Friday which I thought was dumb. We stopped at this dumb castle to take "night shots" as the german guy who runs the club kept repeating. Of course, most of us don't have the crazy suppet up cameras so those "night shots" were really just shit. The trip wasn't nearly as organized as the International Club one. When we got to Galway, we all went into town together but then all kinda branched off. It was just kinda boring and not very interesting. No one on the trip was really trying to meet others. It was basically groups of Spanish people, French people and German people. Kinda lame. Luckily, this time I knew 3 girls so we roomed together but at night 2 of the girls would go off on their own so me and Marie would stay together.

Saturday we took a bus tour of Connamara. It's an area, not a place as I found out. It's very baren and I thought it was ok. After Dingle, nothing really compares. Well, it's just different is what it is. Not as green I guess. So did that all day. Saturday night was fun. We went to a Pub and sat and hung out. Didn't have anything to drink. This really awesome DJ came so we decided to dance before we left. That was really fun too. We went to bed at about 12:30 and this is when the weirdness starts. We roomed w/ this Irish guy from Dublin and let me tell you, he was weird! He would just go off on tangents about nothing!! Like "If I stopped drinking and smoking, I think I would grow 10 centimeters." Ummm yaa I doubt it. He was doing some form of master in "planning" whatever that is. I mean he had interesting things to say about Ireland but there were just so many facts and random shit that really, I just wasn't really listening when he talked. So anywho, we're all sleeping and at about 2:30 he comes in, turns the light on and yells "Wake up french girls, it's time for a house party!!" So me, being asleep, assume it's 7:30 AM and that it's just time to get up. I say out loud "Well at least he didn't wake us up last night" to which someone proceeds to explain what is actually happening. Of course, he passes out in his bed w/ the light still on so Virginie goes up to turn it off. He then starts snoring insanely loudly to which Virginie yells "Ta guele!!!" super loud. Literally, it means "your mouth" but basically it's "shut the F**k up." He actually does shut up which was marvelous. Oh did I mention that the night before, he slept in like a speedo like underwear only? Yaaa that was great. Apparently that isn't weird here but umm I just think it's weird for a guy who is rooming w/ 4 girls and doesn't know any of them to do that. Maybe it had been boxers it woulda been a little better (or maybe worse, I'm not sure). In the US, most guys would at least keep their pants on. Well, cultural differences I guess. The thing that actually kinda bothered me about the trip is that we woul stop at random places for "photo opportunities" and I just hate taking pictures of random things when I don't even know what they are. I guess what was I expecting going w/ the photo soc? The organizers were also just kinda really socially awkward lol.

Ok last paragraph I swear. So Sunday we drove around the Buren. Another area. This was much cooler, I thought. There was about half a mile of huge limestone rocks all the way up to the coastline. Hard to explain. Look at the picture. But basically, we just ran along the rocks and screwed around. Super windy. We then drove to the Cliffs of Moher (pronounced More) which apart from Dingle, was the other thing I wanted to see before I left Ireland. The cliffs are sooo high it was kinda creeepy but fun and glad I got to go. So that is it. Going to Dublin for the day on Saturday for a regatta. More on that later.

Me, Sabrina and Virginie at part of the Buren - Muirineach

At the Cliffs of Moher - how could I not go ; ) I had to see the view.

The cliffs. This is the opposite direction of where it said don't go. So view if standing where you shouldn't be.