Ireland: December 2012

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

I cannot believe that I am actually going to be home by the end of the day. I am the happiest person in the world!

I was up bright and early this morning at 2AM after only have gotten 4 hours of sleep. But I am so excited that doesn't even matter.

My next post will be when I'm back in the States!

My Family

I think the most obvious thing that I am looking forward to is seeing my family. I have missed them so unbelievably much.

Actually, as a matter of fact, my Dad doesn't know that I am coming home early. My Mom and I have devised this whole plan to surprise him. It will be his early Christmas present.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Wow, 2 days left and still so much to do. This post will be short because I am trying to get some last minute studying in!

I am looking forward to coming home to my bed and the washing machine and dryer.

The bed here is comfortable, but there is nothing like your own comfortable bed.
I cannot wait to do as much laundry as I want and not have to pay for it. I am super excited. It cost 2.50 Euro per coin. So that means to wash and dry one load of laundry, you have to pay 5 Euro!

Monday, December 10, 2012

#3:
So now there are three days left! I cannot believe how quickly time is flying by here.

The #3 thing that I am looking forward to coming home to is home - cooked meals. Though I have learned to be quite independent and have been able to make myself some very healthy and yummy meals, there is nothing like a home - cooked meal!

Sunday, December 9, 2012

#4:
I am looking forward to returning home to my HOUSE. There are certain amenities in the house that I have missed.

1. bath tub
2. dishwasher
3. unlimited high - speed internet
4. DirectTV Tivo
5. Hulu

These things may seem trivial, but they are quite essential things to the average American family!

1. Bath tub: Some days after a long day of classes and walking (reference to Day #5 post) I really just want to take a nice, long, hot bubble bath. But I can''t because there is only an itty bitty shower that you can barely fit it.

2. Dishwasher: Thankfully my roommates and I keep up on washing our own dishes. We have a system, "If you use it, you wash it right away and put it away." But there is nothing like opening up the dishwasher right after it has finished and feeling the hot steam hit your face.

3. Unlimited high - speed internet: I have internet in my dormitory, but it is limited. Once you have reached a certain limit, you are put on the "slow" internet. And believe me, it is quite slow.

4. DirectTV Tivo: I miss being able to know that no matter what my shows will tape and I can watch them whenever I want without commercials.

5. Hulu: Since I have so many tv shows that I like, I am not allowed to tape them all on the Tivo. So I watch them on Hulu. But, haha to my surprise, Hulu does not work outside of the United States. Enough said.

Christmas Market

Grand Parade, Cork City

Santa's Village in Bishop Lucey Park

Christmas Tree in Bishop Lucey Park

Grand Parade Christmas Market

Vendors at the Christmas Market

Carnival Ride for the Children

Saturday, December 8, 2012

THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS!

Well, as my days here in Ireland come to an end for the Fall semester, I feel it is obligatory to fulfill my countdown as I did before I can to Ireland.

So each day I will say 1 thing that I look forward to at home. Each day the thing

will be something that is more and more important to me.

I am looking forward going home and being able to drive. Actually, it is a whole collaboration for #5: driving, not walking as much, and a pedicure. Since I have been in Ireland, I have walked so much I have actually gotten holes in my shoes (reference to previous blog post). My poor feet need a nice long soak in hot water. Also, as much as I have gotten used to it, I still occasionally don't know which way to look before crossing the street.

I know that I am studying abroad in Ireland and that this phrase is British, but I just find it so catchy. It is also very popular over here.

International Dinner Party

Tuesday, November 27th, 2012

My roommate from France loves arranging dinner parties. She arranged an international dinner where all of our friends brought a dinner that is native to our country.

The countries represented were:

France

Italy

The United States

Sweden

Germany

Malaysia

Singapore

The dishes were:

pasta

bread

chicken

beef

olives

cheese

soup

Rugby Match

Munster vs. Scarlets

Sunday, November 25th, 2012

I was finally able to go to a rugby game this semester.

Munster: represents Munster area in Ireland; red jerseys

Scarlets: represent Wales; black jerseys

Here is a link to the Munster Rugby Website:

http://www.munsterrugby.ie/

I could not believe how violent and rough the sport is! It is very similar to American football, except the players do not wear any padding. They only have mouth and shin guards.

Unfortunately, we were not able to stay for the entire game. It had been raining on and off the entire day. But, when the game started it was clear. After half - time was over, it was pouring rain. We had umbrellas, but we were soaking wet. It was very cold outside also, so the rain was making the sidewalk very slick to walk on.

Here is a link to a segment of the game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymQhB0CwG_0

The players waiting to resume the game.

The players lining up for the kick-off of the second half of the game.

A Munster player injured.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Thanksgiving in Ireland 2012

Though I am in Ireland, the tradition of celebrating Thanksgiving by eating way too much food was not overlooked.

As a matter of fact, I had 3 Thanksgiving celebrations! (European friends, study abroad group, and American friends)

My contribution to the European Thanksgiving & American Thanksgiving was an apple crisp. I'm going to be honest here. I nearly died making it. And no, I'm not kidding. It took me 3 hours to peel, core, and slice 3 bags of apples.