First Week

I have finally settled into life a bit here in Ireland. I am getting comfortable with my room and roommates, though at times I have to just take a minute and pull myself back together. When I finally got to sit down last night and reflect on everything, I started to get very sad at everything I am leaving behind to do this. I think this will be one of those times that is incredibly bittersweet for on the one hand, I am making wonderful friends and connections around the world while I am here, but on the other, I am disconnecting from the world and home I have always known. In truth, I really just want all of my friends and family to visit me now to bring a bit of home to Ireland. I look forward to all of your visits everyday and appreciate how lucky I am to be getting such a wonderful tour of Ireland with you.

Well, again, I don't have pictures just yet, but I did go to my first local pub and had a Guinness, which was quite nice. The traditional loud Irish music and first time freshness of it all made it that much better I think. In addition, on Saturday, we went and did the Bushmills Distillery tour where we toured the facilities and then sampled the whiskey, which was not so nice, but the tour was! Then we walked from Bushmills to the Giant's Causeway (see above), which ended up around 2+ miles in drizzling rain, so that was not so nice either, but the company was excellent so it made the trip a bit easier. I have been making friends with people from all over the world! Many are from France and so I think I need to get up a bit of nerve and just dive in because I'm sure it would improve my own French to converse with them, though, they just seem to want to speak English! Giant's Causeway was quite chilly at this time of year, so I hope when I return with everyone else, it will be a bit more suitable for pictures! I cooked a big thing of chicken divan last night which was the perfect end to a busy but perfect day.

Betsy is the newest addition to Cranagh village. She is one of the most hysterical people I have ever met, honestly, I think I am laughing most of the time when I am with her. For instance, TV in Ireland rarely has commercials, if ever, so you can sit in front of the TV for hours while making and eating dinner because the story never ends! We sat from 6 to 9 last night watching simply the most ridiculous shows about hospitals and people we have no interest in just because they never have breaks. I think its brilliant and something the US should definitely adopt. Also, she didn't have her luggage so we had to go into the main building on campus to carry them back. Well, it was barely spitting rain when we went outside so we figured we would be alright. By the time we had the luggage outside, it was sleeting rain and the iciest(?) coldest storm I have ever been in. And then, we still had to carry her bags up the 3 flights of stairs to the rooms! Again, absolutely dreadful but a riot!

The cold here is different than anything I have ever experienced. It gets in your bones and you are wet all the time it feels like, and there is hardly any point to doing your hair because it just always looks terrible - Hayley, I really mean that, I have tried very hard, but it just isn't happening for me here. :) I am going to start working on that essay today mom, I wrote it on the blog so now I have to do it.

I am sorry for the long posts, but the Internet and phone in my room do not always seem to be working well, so when I get the chance to post I feel I should take the time and do it for a few days in the worry that it wont be available again! And now I am going to end with my new favorite phrase, see you!