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.

Bank Holiday Weekend

So I had written this post before, but it was disdainful and angry because physics was depressing me so I rewrote it and of course it got deleted cause my internet is just silly. So, one more time.

Last weekend we had Monday off. It's called a Bank Holiday and I have no idea what that is. So I wanted to take advantage of the long weekend and wanted to go somewhere so thought maybe I would go to Dublin for one night with Anne and her sister, but then me, Yuki, Pierre and his g/f decided to go to Dingle Peninsula. We made the car and hostel reservations on Friday night and went that Sunday morning. So it was a bit last minute, more like spontaneous but everything worked out great and nothing was more expensive because it was done at the end.

Friday night, the International Club had a night out at the Thirsty with Irish music. I was at Alessa's baking most likely, so went late which was fine. Got there and they had karoake and music playing. I convinced my french friend, Caro, to come sing w/ me. So her, this other french girl, an Italian one, and I sang "Staying Alive." Sounded horrible but whatever, it was fine. Had practice the next day. Row kinda sucked but oh well. That night was really fun. It was Oktoberfest so bunch of crew people went. Not many, but it was still great. Hung out w/ some of the guys on my team and they were very nice and walked me home and all. Sunday had to get up early though to get the 8:30 bus. That was a little painful. Woke up at 6 for some reason, and just sat in my bed for 1.30 because I just felt sick everytime I moved. But ya, everything worked great. The driving on buses is a little crazy so just didn't eat anything and I was fine. We got to Kerry Airport from which we rented a car. Renting a car was so fun!!! It was this cute, tiny red nissan and it was just so cool to have a car.

Yuki driving!!!

Felt very independent. So drove up to Dingle Peninsula. We did Slea Head Drive, which takes you all along the coast of the peninsula. It was great. The most beautiful place I have by far ever seen!!

A lot of people here love it as well. I want to live there when I'm old and retired. Well, might get kinda bored after a while, but the view was just soooo pretty.

That same day, drove back to Killarney (near the airport) and stayed at a really cool hostel. It was very small and cosy and run by very energetic Swedish people. Stayed for the night and the next day we left and drove along the Ring of Kerry again. It was raining at first but cleared up so we were actually able to see this time. Ring of Kerry after Dingle really wasn't that amazing but it was still nice to actually see it. Like Dingle, having the car was awesome because we could stop wherever we wanted unlike when you are on the bus. Returned the car and took the bus home. Got home at about 7:30.

Since then, nothing very exciting. Just around Cork. Oh Halloween. Everyone went out thursday here. The lines for the clubs were nuts!! Didn't really go out Thursday. Happened to run into some crew people (Peter and Alessa) on Thursday and they were in line for a club so made me come with them. After like 30 min we decided screw this so went next door to "An Brog" - a pub we go to often. Very chill, everyone is really friendly and they have good rock music there. Friday night, Alessa's flatmates were having a birthday/halloween party so was gonna go to that. Was too lazy to dress up but then I got sad because it didn't feel like halloween so I threw something together super fast. Borrowed my roomate's cowboy boots, braided my hair and wore a collar shirt and TAA-DAAA: cowgirl.

Last night made brownies with Alessa and Peter and just hung out. Practice wasn't too bad today. Had it's moments. Was in a bow-loader so get a bit wet. Oh riiiight ummmm yaa, fell into the disgusting Lee River yesterday. I was on the slip and not paying attention, well just didn't realize that the slip ended sooo kinda just fell in, kinda how Liahna did at HOTO. Soo yep. That was fun. Was kinda funny really. All the girls had their backs to me so no one really reacted. I was like trying to get out of the water but i wasn't very succesfull. Peter saw me fall in and ran down and pulled me out by my lifevest. Haha it was interesting. People who weren't even there yesterday were coming up to me today being like, soo I heard you fell in. Oy vye. It's ok though, just kinda funny. Bout it. Crew night out Tuesday. Yay. That's really the only time I go out lol.

Yuki, Pierre, Marjo and I on top of Slea Head. I love it, I want to go back. Is maith liom Dingle.