Nil maith liom fhliuch - I don't like being wet.

Yesterday it rained like all day. Stupid sideways rain. My jeans got all wet and that was just not fun :( Oh hahah and my umbrella riped out of it's metal steam - it was kinda funny really. I almost didn't go to my 9am class yesterday and I probably shouldn't have lol. My 11 o'clock class got cancelled so I coulda stayed at home till noon. Meh, whatever it wasn't that bad.

I'M SO EXCITED FOR THIS WEEKEND!! Ok but no, I'm gonna try and not get too excited and keep my expectations a little low so that it's not a huge letdown lol. I have practice tomorrow morning, which I'm walking to for the first time. I usually get a ride from one of the guys but I don't feel like asking. I'm sure I'll get a ride back however so that's cool. Then I'm going kite surfing (hopefully). Tomorrow night the crew team is going out again to a Pub. We went out on Tuesday night and hung out at a Pub and then all the novice went to a club. But this Saturday is Oktoberfest, like the German Oktoberfest. It's sorta a mini-version of it I think. This weekend is also the beginning of the Guiness Jazz Festival, which is the third biggest in the world so that should be pretty chill. Sunday I'm not going to practice cause we're only taking one boat out and so I'm taking the bus to back to Kerry. This time we're going to the airport, renting a car and driving down to Dingle Peninsula. We're gonna spend the whole day there and then drive back to Killarney and spend the night in a Hostel. Monday is a Bank Holiday (don't ask me what that is) so that's why we are able to do this. So anywho, Monday morning we're gonna drive the Ring of Kerry which should be cool because we will be able to stop wherever we want since we won't be on a Bus. It's going to be Me, Yuki, Pierre and his girlfriend.

Making apple cinnamon muffins with my friend right now. Yay for learning how to cook.

Old picture from Cobh:

Us and the statue of Annie Moore (umm I think that's her name) and her brothers. They were the first to land on Ellis Island. And yes, the little boy is "picking" Ben's nose. That's Ben from Bethesda, my friend from high school, here, in Ireland!!!!

Weekend to Killarney

So I'm not lonely anymore. Hehe, I know they are just phases, just like I would get at home, but I think they mean more here and I am more aware of them.

Went to Killarney this weekend. It's a city in County Kerry. I went by myself and I'm veryy veryy glad that I did. Well not completely alone. I went with the International Club but I didnt sign up to go with anyone I knew. I tried to get friends to go, but really glad that I didn't. I sat next to this Finish girl on the bus. She also came alone so we talked and roomed together for the weekend. We had to be in houses of 6 so this french guy, Pierre, asked us if we wanted to room with the person he was sitting next to (Tim - the only other american on the trip) and his two girl friends. We did end up rooming with them for the weekend and we spend all weekend together basically and took pictures together and what not. It was really fun and they were all really nice. One of the girls was from Japan but studying in the US and the other from Poland (Yuki and Monika). There were a ton of French people on the trip and a buncha Italians. Italian people are just nuts. They were the life of the party.

The bus ride to Killarney was about 1.30. Once we got there we went food shopping and then to our Family Vacation Homes. Then into town for a bit just to walk around. The homes were really nice. It was a living room with a full kitchen downstairs as well as a bedroom with a double bed. There was a bathroom for them downstairs as well as a shower. Upstairs it was two rooms with single beds, one toilet and another room for the shower. So ya, was pretty sweet. There even was a backyard. Friday we all got together at the people's house who organized the trips and had a little party. They taught everyone flip cup and the Italians went nuts over it. It was Italians against French but friendly game. They started calling one French guy Zidane and an Italian one Materrazi so they took pictures of "Zidane headbutting "Materrazi" and then made "Zidane" leave the room. One of the Italian kids actually lives in my building so he Saturday he started teaching me Italian. We are doing one phrase a day and so far I know "Hi my name is Sheena. What is your name" and "How are you? I'm good. Thanks and you?" Also learned "cheers" in Finish and Swedish.

Saturday we rented bikes for the day and biked around the National Park in Killarney. We went to Torc waterfall and Ross Castle. Had another good party that evening. Sunday we did this bus tour that everyone does. It's called the Ring of Kerry and you drive around the coast. It's just suppose to be gorgeous views but it was raining and foggy so we couldn't see anything. I'm glad it rained on that day however because biking in the rain would have been miserable. So overall, great weekend. Met lots of cool people and it was fun.

This is the National Park. It originally belonged to some peeps and then was donated to the Gov. when they kurked out. Started as 11,000 acres, kilometers (I have no idea) of land and now it's 25. It was the first national park in Ireland. And yep, that is a boat. It's a rowing boat. It's a 5 person rowing boat! The cox could stand up in the boat like it was nothing. It had a much wider base and only 5 PEOPLE!!

My roomate, Anne, for the weekend at the Torc Waterfall.

Ross Castle.

This was also at the Castle. It's the amazing view if you have your back to the castle, and those are some of the people I lived with. Yuki, Me, Monika and Pierre.

At the Atlantic Ocean during our Ring of Kerry tour. It was so windy that you would get pushed when walking.

Earlier this week I was kinda getting kinda tired of hanging out with International Students but this was really fun. I was with a wide range of Nationalities and I think it was cool because it wasn't only French people that I was hanging with. Pierre also didn't want to talk French because he is here to improve his English so that was cool. Funny because when I first got here I found it soooo weird to be in Europe and talk English. I still like practicing my french but just hearing people only talk their native tongue seems a little silly considering they are here to improve their English.

: (

Poop.

Double Poop.

I feel a tad but lonely. Not like fully blown, I'm sitting-in-my-room-crying hating every minute lonely, but just like oh it would be nice to have someone to talk to lonely.

A friend was/is trying to visit me in November and just thinking about what we're gonna do and where we're gonna go out is sorta just making me sad because it makes me realise I don't really have anyone that I would go out with. I can't decide if coxing the men's team was a really bad idea. I think doing it at home would have been fine because I have all my amazing friends, but here I don't meet anyone coxing the men. They're all very nice, don't get me wrong, but it's not like I would call them up and ask them to hang out - it's just not like that w/ your boat. Or at least w/ a boat full of guys. I feel like maybe if I was on the women's team I would legit have friends? I dont even know.

Ok, I do have friends. I have international people I hang out with which is all fine and dandy, but I still would really like to meet some Irish people. I love the internationals, I mean at home I'm the one who always becomes friends with them, but here it's like it would be nice to have other friends as well.

As of now, I don't think there is a single person here I would stay in touch with and I guess thinking of it that way just makes me sad.

Well, here's another old pictures from Cobh. Or not. My computer and the internet hate me.

Headache

I think I'm getting into a rhythm here. I haven't taken pictures in forever and I really don't have anything new to right about anymore. I guess that's a good thing? I do still want to take more pictures though - I feel weird not having anything new to put up. I am going to Killarney, it's in county Kerry (where Dingle Peninsula is) so I should have some awesome pictures by this weekend. My roomate and her american friends have been going to different places every weekend. They are going around Europe as well. I don't feel bad that I'm not going, most of the time. I think just settling in and being here on weekends sorta helps to have more of a normal experience? I guess I want something different from being abroad than they do. They really only hang out with each other - I'm looking to meet new people and Irish people, and I would rather enjoy Ireland. I do have crew which is on weekends, which keeps me here but I think it's better that way. I feel more acquainted and more "in" a normal semester. It's hard to describe, don't know if this makes any sense.

I've been getting a lot of headaches though which is really annoying. They always start in the afternoon. I have multiple theories. The first one was that I was having too much chocolate and tea. I was having about a bar of chocolate a week and tea maybe once or twice a day - both of which I never do. I've cut down on both, I think. Sometimes I eat chocolate and half way through realize what I'm doing. Someone told me maybe I'm having too many carbs so the rest is turning into sugar, resulting in the headaches. I guess that could be true as well. I feel like I eat the same 3 things here - grilled cheese, stir fry, and pasta. I really need to find something else. I bought fish but it won't frickin work. I think it's cause you're suppose to make it in the oven, which I realised today. I bought a pomogranate and opened it but I have no idea if it's ripe - it tastes kinda biter.

Crew teams don't get decided till this week. So I will legit find out who I'm coxing. It's fun w/ the guys, I mean ya, good for my coxing I think b/c there is a coach so I can hear their comments to the rowers but at the same time, it's just so much easier for me to be friends with girls that it is with guys. And the novice practice at a different time than us, well everyone has different times, so it makes it hard to meet the novice. I guess practice tmr would be a good time to talk to some of them. I'm still sick so I think I might take it easy tmr but still go. Well, I need to write a paper on Easter Monday 1916: Rebellion or Rising? Yay. Ugg.

I hate not having pictures, so I'm putting some from Cobh, which I just realized I never put up before. Of course this stupid thing only lets me upload one picture b/c my internet sucks so another one from Cobh next time.

We walked down their main street which runs along the water. It took about 20 min to walk through their main street

Crew

So had land practice today. Should not have gone. My nose is killing me and it's bloody evertime I blow my nose (sorry for the details). We had practice on Tuesday as well but I just sat that one out. Practice this weekend too. Have no idea who I'm coxing. Last weekend I did the Varsity men. It was fine but a bit weird. I didn't get a single one of their names and it just felt very unteam like. They also do their 2k's on their own and I offered to cox any of them but my own fault - most of them don't have my number. Saturday night the team went to a Bar and went bowling. It's cool cause here the school pays for all that so free bowling and free food. It was a good way to get to meet the novice since I didn't get to meet them at practice bc they're at a different time.

Nothing is really new here. I've just been going around w/ my daily life. I spend a lot of time on campus just cause it takes 30 min to get there and it doesn't make sense to go home a lot of the time so I just bring a shit ton of stuff w/ me which gets a bit tiring. Wanted to go to a salsa lesson today and then was gonna go to a Pub to meet some Surfers but my friend adviced me well and told me it was probably not a good idea. After practice, my nose was just all kinds of crazy so I decided that ya, she was right. I'll go dancing next week. They also have ballroom. And I really want to go to the trampoline club practice as well. It's soo hard to fit so many things into a day. There are so many things I want to do but just not enough time. I just need to be a little more realistic and maybe switch off during weeks or something. I'm realizing that 3 months is nothing. I have 2 months left and my weekends are all booked w/ trips and practice. I try and space the trips out so that they I'm not flacking out too much on the team.

Going kitesurfing this Saturday. Probably a bad idea w/ this cold. But I'm not getting in the water as it's only a land training - learning how to work the sail and all so it should be ok. Surfing club is going this saturday as well. Reeaaallly want to learn but I guess it is better that I commit myself more to crew which is more regular and has more potential for friend making.

Just because I haven't had pictures in a while:

I walk by this everyday to get to school and I dont understand it. Pot isn't legal here yet this store exits. I mean, hemp is just another part of the same plant. And at night, they definitly have shit growing in the two upper windows. You can see the fluorescent heat lights and the plants. It's very strange and mind boggeling.

Holding My Breath

I dont understand why everyone smokes here. What is so attractive about the idea? I try and hold my breath when I walk people at the bus stop who are smoking but even when I feel like I'm far enough away, I still smell it. It's even harder when I'm walking behind someone - I can't hold my breath for the duration of their whole cigarette man, especially when I have a cold and can't already breath. Everyone is getting sick here. During my "Making of the Modern Irish State" lecture, I couldn't hear anything because everyone was coughing.

I think things are finally getting normal. Hopefully. Maybe?? Last night was the Crew meeting. Right after they were going to a Pub - originally The Thirsty Scholar, now just the Thirsty - and then to Fast Eddies aka FEddie's, which is a night club. Yaaa, I sat in the front during the meeting haha and talked to a couple people on the team. They have a PR, Jean, who is super cool and really fun and her job is basically to make sure the team has fun. Now I think we need one of those. I think our crew team needs to plan outings to the Door after general meetings, especially the first one. Not many people came to socialize, but after I went home and made dinner I just walked into the Pub by myself. I felt really awkward right before I walked in cause it wasn't crowded so I couldn't really blend in, but Jean was right there so it was fine. Met the men's coach, their president, who actually reminds me of Dwight, and a couple of the rowers. I'm going to their first learn to row practice Saturday morning. We leave at 10:30 but I'm actually going at 7 and gonna cox the guys and then the novice later on, so I'll basically be there from 7-2. I'm really ok with that though cause these people are the first who have finally made Ireland seem ok. And I've only hung out with them one day. Pretty crazy right?? It's kinda funny though because not a single one of these people would do crew if it was at 5AM. It's totally a cultural thing because they like to go out too much.

I've been contemplating doing Crew or not at SMCM in the Spring, and Jean said something that is so true and kinda reaffirms my desire (just a little lol) do still do it in the Spring. "What keeps you dedicated and motivated to keep coming is the friends that you make on Crew." Never thought if it, but kinda true. Of course, our 5AM thing resulting in lack of sleep is also a big factor.

At SMCM, my planner is always full of meetings or appointments I need to go to. I find it amusing that it's the same here but in a totally different way. It's full of meetings that are actually awesome (Surfing club, kitesurfing club, trampoline club...). Haha ya, all clubs that I really want to do. The thing was that the first 2 are on weekends and that's when practice is for crew. I was talking to them and yes I have to be commited, but I think they would totally give me a couple weekends. They said they can get people to cover for me so that means that I would be able to go travel one weekend or at least go surfing once or twice.

Last thing, the amount of blind people here is unbelievable!! I don't think I've gone one day without seeing one. I was sitting at the library and a man was trying to find the way out and it just made me think, can you image how hard it must be to not be able to see? They have scanners when you walk out (kinda like what they have in stores to make sure you're not stealing) and he was trying to get out using his stick. It was just very weird to watch because it was almost like he could see. He knew where to go and when he hit the wrong side of the scanner with his stick he knew to go to the right and not the left. I just think it's so crazy, I guess it takes practice? I've also seen a boy, a lad, or a gent (as they say here) who is clearly adjusting to being blind. It's kinda sad to watch. Anywho, just an observation.

Oh, I have tons of great new music. Yay.