Me with enough Stuffing to feed an army :)Saturday, November 28, 2009
Last week of class, THANKSGIVING, etc...
I can't believe it, today, I have officially been in Ireland for 3 months and only have 3 weeks to go. The time here has been going by so quickly it's hard to believe! I'm excited to come home and see my family and friends, but I will most definately miss it here on this beautiful island!! I have experienced so many things in the last 3 months and I am hoping that these last 3 weeks will be just as amazing!
Some random info: I am currently addicted to the song, "Haven't Met You Yet" by Michael Buble- check it out! Also, I no longer feeling silly about listening to Christmas music :) --currenlty my favorite is "It's the Most wonderful time of the Year!" or anything that Bing Crosby is singing!!
A few things that have been going on here:
I went with a bunch of girls to the midnight showing of New Moon. No, I have not read the books, but I thought it would just be fun to go with them and check out this anticipated movie. I would have to say my favorite Cullen is most definately Emmett, he's not really in the film but twice, but he's the best! haha.. All in all, ther were about 7 of us girls that stood in line for about 2 hours with some crazy Twilight fans and got to enjoy the movie. I had a lot of fun and even though I'm not the "scream when the lights dim" girl, it was really funny to be there with all of those girls! haha..
This past week was the last week of classes at NUIG! SO WEIRD!!!! I am officially done going to class in Ireland. Next week is a study week so we can prepare for the 2 weeks of finals that follow. I have two 3000 word papers due on Monday and I'm happy to say, THEY'RE DONE! I just finished the last one today. I didn't think I would be done until tomorrow, but it sure feels good to have it all finished.. now, just to print! Printing is a little bit of a challenge around here! I think that the NUIG Library has just about as many printers as Concordia (with about 10 times as many students!). I guess I'll haveta head out early tomorrow! Next on the agenda, STUDY!
Last, but most definately not least, Thursday we celebrated THANKSGIVING! I hope that you all had a fabulous day, ate too much, and enjoyed the company of loved ones! Although it was weird not being home , my new friends made it seem like Thanksgiving all the way across the globe! The other Americans and I decided that we wanted to have a traditional Thanksgiving. We then all invited some of our other friends and it ended up being a feast for about 30 people. It was potluck style with all the Thanskgiving yummies! I made stuffing for the first time ever! It takes a lot of stuffing to try and prepare for 30 people! haha.. I am happy to say, it turned out quite lovely and I am currently enjoying leftovers!! My friend Erin, was in charge of the turkey, and although at the beginning of the semester was living off of peanut-butter sandwiches, did an EXCELLENT job of preparing the bird :) Needless to say, I ate way too much! I'm so glad that I had all these people to help it feel like it was Thanskgiving for real!
I am so thankful for this experience and for all the people that are supporting me as I venture on this amazing trip! I have definately found a love of traveling and would encourage anyone to venture to Ireland if they have the chance! :)
Have a lovely weekend and I hope you had a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Connemara and such
Well... Christmas shopping last Friday was a complete success. It was exciting because a lot of the stores having stuff up for Christmas (LOVE IT) and they even have a few outside city decorations! I've already been made fun of for being so excited for Christmas, but it IS the most wonderful time of the year.
Saturday was a day filled with homework! Saturday night however, we went into town. Saturday was a BIG football game (by that I mean Soccer). Ireland played France--It was so much fun to be in a crowded pub to experience the fans and the excitement. It wasn't a great game, 0-1, France won. The atmosphere was so awesome. Everytime Ireland even had the ball in their possession people would cheer and get very excited. It's hard to explain, but it was a LOT of fun!! My friend Kallie and I then talked to our new friend Jarek. In Galway, they have these bicycles with a bench attached and you can get a ride, of course you have to pay. One of the drivers I met on my birthday because it was his birthday too and he gave me a free ride on the bicycle thing. He was super nice and we've seen him a few times since and became friends. So, we got to go on another free ride, because we're friends, and then headed home.
Sunday morning Shannon and I headed to the bus station to get on a day tour bus through Connemara. Connemara is like a county that is close to Galway. It is very beautiful and mountainous. We had a really awesome bus driver, Martin, that gave us a little tour. We even got to see Kylemore Abbey. A great tour, I would suggest taking Lally Tours for a day trip if you're ever in Ireland!
Now back to class.. Not too many plans for this week. Ireland and France play again on Wednesday so I might have to watch that! haha.. Otherwise it's definately time to be studying and getting my papers done! I just found out that my exams are done on December 11th. Since I'm here until the 19th I'm still thinking about what to do with my week!
Getting excited that next week is Thanksgiving (we're having our own here!)
Have a great week!
Saturday was a day filled with homework! Saturday night however, we went into town. Saturday was a BIG football game (by that I mean Soccer). Ireland played France--It was so much fun to be in a crowded pub to experience the fans and the excitement. It wasn't a great game, 0-1, France won. The atmosphere was so awesome. Everytime Ireland even had the ball in their possession people would cheer and get very excited. It's hard to explain, but it was a LOT of fun!! My friend Kallie and I then talked to our new friend Jarek. In Galway, they have these bicycles with a bench attached and you can get a ride, of course you have to pay. One of the drivers I met on my birthday because it was his birthday too and he gave me a free ride on the bicycle thing. He was super nice and we've seen him a few times since and became friends. So, we got to go on another free ride, because we're friends, and then headed home.
Sunday morning Shannon and I headed to the bus station to get on a day tour bus through Connemara. Connemara is like a county that is close to Galway. It is very beautiful and mountainous. We had a really awesome bus driver, Martin, that gave us a little tour. We even got to see Kylemore Abbey. A great tour, I would suggest taking Lally Tours for a day trip if you're ever in Ireland!
Now back to class.. Not too many plans for this week. Ireland and France play again on Wednesday so I might have to watch that! haha.. Otherwise it's definately time to be studying and getting my papers done! I just found out that my exams are done on December 11th. Since I'm here until the 19th I'm still thinking about what to do with my week!
Getting excited that next week is Thanksgiving (we're having our own here!)
Have a great week!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
A few pictures from my Birthday!
I thought I would share just a couple pictures from my Birthday! :)
Really awesome birthday cake that Linde and Silvia made for me! :)
Erin and Shannon were super excited about pin the tail on the donkey!
With my really awesome roommates!
Really awesome birthday cake that Linde and Silvia made for me! :)
Erin and Shannon were super excited about pin the tail on the donkey!
With my really awesome roommates!Rain, Rain, Rain
This week has been a good week to start off November. It has begun to get a little chilly and has been raining a lot more, but we've been pretty lucky with weather so far so I can't complain too much. The only thing I don't particularily enjoy about the rain is the way it soaks up your jeans and the squishy noise it makes when your shoes and socks are all wet.
The week started off pretty uneventful. On Sunday Shannon and I went to town because it was a beautiful day and I used my Eason (bookstore) gift card. Needless to say, I've been reading my new book since and in true James Patterson style, it's awesome! I got an email on Monday letting me know that next week Dawn Duncan (professor from Concordia and the lady that got the Ireland program started) and Kirsten Buccholz (from Concordia Global Education office) will be here next week and they are taking the three of us out for dinner next Monday! They will be here checking on the program and visiting with professors from NUIG.
Last night was my friend Nick's birthday! We had a little potluck with lots of delicious food and enjoyed some great company. We then headed into town to a pub to finish the night. Nick's aunt and uncle were here visiting so it was a lot of fun to meet some of his family and they joined us in the festivities. For some reason, everywhere in Ireland has a lot of sparkling, sequinned clothing and we found a silver vest for Nick. He has been quoted from earlier that if we bought it, he would wear it. I think that statement has come back to bite him in the butt! It was a fun night--I'm still full from the delicious food!
End of the semester is coming upon us and you can tell on campus. The library is always full and people are all working on papers or starting to get ready for the big exams. I have two papers myself and a test in a few weeks. After that it'll be time to get down to business with the studying for these huge exams. I'm a little nervous because the exam is the only grade you get for these classes. Nothing else has been graded so it's kind of all or nothing. I have talked to one of my professors to try to get the low-down about how all this works and I'm hoping it won't be too bad, but I'm still a little nervous!
I'm very excited for tomorrow because I am going Christmas shopping with Shannon and Erin! I love Christmas! In case you didn't know, it IS the most wonderful time of the year. Yes, I have already begun listening to Christmas music. The Monday after Halloween I thought was a great time to start that!
This weekend might bring about a day trip (still trying to figure that out!) and, of course, lots of paper writing.
Enjoy the rest of the week! :)
The week started off pretty uneventful. On Sunday Shannon and I went to town because it was a beautiful day and I used my Eason (bookstore) gift card. Needless to say, I've been reading my new book since and in true James Patterson style, it's awesome! I got an email on Monday letting me know that next week Dawn Duncan (professor from Concordia and the lady that got the Ireland program started) and Kirsten Buccholz (from Concordia Global Education office) will be here next week and they are taking the three of us out for dinner next Monday! They will be here checking on the program and visiting with professors from NUIG.
Last night was my friend Nick's birthday! We had a little potluck with lots of delicious food and enjoyed some great company. We then headed into town to a pub to finish the night. Nick's aunt and uncle were here visiting so it was a lot of fun to meet some of his family and they joined us in the festivities. For some reason, everywhere in Ireland has a lot of sparkling, sequinned clothing and we found a silver vest for Nick. He has been quoted from earlier that if we bought it, he would wear it. I think that statement has come back to bite him in the butt! It was a fun night--I'm still full from the delicious food!
End of the semester is coming upon us and you can tell on campus. The library is always full and people are all working on papers or starting to get ready for the big exams. I have two papers myself and a test in a few weeks. After that it'll be time to get down to business with the studying for these huge exams. I'm a little nervous because the exam is the only grade you get for these classes. Nothing else has been graded so it's kind of all or nothing. I have talked to one of my professors to try to get the low-down about how all this works and I'm hoping it won't be too bad, but I'm still a little nervous!
I'm very excited for tomorrow because I am going Christmas shopping with Shannon and Erin! I love Christmas! In case you didn't know, it IS the most wonderful time of the year. Yes, I have already begun listening to Christmas music. The Monday after Halloween I thought was a great time to start that!
This weekend might bring about a day trip (still trying to figure that out!) and, of course, lots of paper writing.
Enjoy the rest of the week! :)
Saturday, November 7, 2009
LUCKY!
I would like to thank everyone at home who thought about me and sent me birthday wishes yesterday!! I'm so lucky to have such amazing friends and family :)
I am also lucky to have surrounded myself with the people that I have here in Ireland. They made my 22nd birthday a success. Thursday night, I headed out with Shannon and Erin. I was lucky enough to be serenaded at midnight--my birthday had begun! Yesterday was a great day! I slept in--I have no courses on Fridays, perfect!! -- I was demanded by my roommate that I could not do any homework, because it was mybirthday. I didn't mind this demand! I had a fairly lazy day which I thought was quite grand!
For supper, everyone in my apartment as well as our neighbors decided to make some pizza! It was my first time making pizza dough from scratch and let me say, it was a success! I had a delicious birthday meal surrounded with amazing people. After supper, there were about 20 people that came over to our little apartment. It was a lot of fun! We played pin the tail on the donkey and everything! I was surprised with a WONDERFUL cake and a tshirt with my picture on it. It's probably my favorite souvenier from Ireland so far...haha! I was also blessed with a blow-up husband. Later on we went into town and danced the night away. It was a great day!
I can't believe all the wishes I got from home and from my new friends here in Ireland. I surely am LUCKY! Love you all!!
Have a great weekend! :)
I am also lucky to have surrounded myself with the people that I have here in Ireland. They made my 22nd birthday a success. Thursday night, I headed out with Shannon and Erin. I was lucky enough to be serenaded at midnight--my birthday had begun! Yesterday was a great day! I slept in--I have no courses on Fridays, perfect!! -- I was demanded by my roommate that I could not do any homework, because it was mybirthday. I didn't mind this demand! I had a fairly lazy day which I thought was quite grand!
For supper, everyone in my apartment as well as our neighbors decided to make some pizza! It was my first time making pizza dough from scratch and let me say, it was a success! I had a delicious birthday meal surrounded with amazing people. After supper, there were about 20 people that came over to our little apartment. It was a lot of fun! We played pin the tail on the donkey and everything! I was surprised with a WONDERFUL cake and a tshirt with my picture on it. It's probably my favorite souvenier from Ireland so far...haha! I was also blessed with a blow-up husband. Later on we went into town and danced the night away. It was a great day!
I can't believe all the wishes I got from home and from my new friends here in Ireland. I surely am LUCKY! Love you all!!
Have a great weekend! :)
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