I haven't blogged in a while, so I have a LOT to write about. I apologize in advance for the randomess of this post...
1.) Parents came to visit me the week before Thanksgiving!!! It was SO good to see them :) I surprised them at the airport the night they got here. We went to a pub for dinner, then parted ways for the night. For the next week, we went sight-seeing/shopping around the city, and we sampled some of the local cuisine at the better pubs in Limerick, like Dolans and The Locke Bar. Over the weekend, we took a private tour around Ireland--one of my favorite day trips by far! We went to La Hinch (popular surfing spot on the west coast), the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, the Ailwee Caves, Galway Bay, Bunratty Castle, the Dolman, etc. etc. etc. It was WONDERFUL. I miss them already!
2.) I've decided to FINALLY give a shout-out to the wonderful people I've been living with for the last semester (happy Julia?? :) here yall go-->
Rachel Shinsky--I love this girl. We've gotten to know a TON about each other this semester (like the fact that we can't drink together without fighting...haha) She keeps me sane. What started out as a daily lunch session in the upstairs kitchen (usually tomato soup, pizza, salad, or mac n cheese) has become an everyday campout session in my room. Rachel practically lives in my room. She works in my room. She watches tv in my room. She even SLEEPS in my room. Her sarcasm cracks me up, and I've definitely learned way more about Michigan life than I ever dreamed of wanting to know....can't wait to hang out with you in the states missy! :)
Julia Malanka--hm..what words come to mind when I think about Julia? homelessly chic, creepy, funny, ridiculous, partly insane, wonderful. Julia lives directly above me, and I always hear her rolling around in the bed or turning on the faucet to wash her hair. Every morning, I wake up way early and text her "WAKE UP. Come play with me." And slowly but surely, I hear her roll outta bed, open the door, and make her way downstairs for some girl chat. She MUST have her back rubbed everyday or bad things will happen to good people. She's a fan of random knick-knacks, like a walking stick named Waltar and homeless animals like the infamous "Moo-cow." When I make my way out to D.C., you better show me a good time Julio!!
Maureen Case--Mo money, Mo problems! Mo and I are very close. She lives directly across the hall from me, so we can see each other from our desks. The first day here, Mo and I both sat down in our desk chairs, looked at each other, and said "this is a lot." From then on, we've been besties, haha. Mo knows how to calm me down when I get heated about something, and the way she says "it's kinda like a wet burrito" NEVER gets old. We're both interested in the health professions, and we share a mutual love of "back-cracking." I'll never forget our crazy night out in London, our delightful vacation in Venice complete with nightly massages and 12+ hours of sleep, or our semi-failed girls trip to Dublin and daily girl chats in Plassey. You are a truly wonderful person Mo! :)
Kate Moran--aka KITTY!!!!!!!! This girl is pretty fantastic. I got to know her better on our trip to Florence, Italy, in October. That night in the hostel is one for the history books...but we won't talk about that now... ;) Kate is such a chill, laid-back person. I wish she and Rachel lived in the same house as the rest of us so I could see her more. Kitty is always down for a good time, and when she's not hangin out with K-dawg, she's usually trying to be a bad influence ;) haha...thanks to Kate (and Julia), I know incessantly check my facebook for any obscene messages or other random changes to my profile. I'm gonna miss you kitty!!!
Becky Gallant-REBECKY!!!!! rebekah has no emotion...and she's gonna KILL me for saying that ;) My first memory of Becky is when she christened our family dinner tradition by making pasta with chicken and vegetables. So yummy!! Becky and I had biochem together, and we shared a mutual disgust for the TA's grading system in our lab. Probably my favorite memory of Becky is when she yelled "NO NO NO NO NO" at the Bunratty castle waiter for trying to take away her food before she was done....Hahahahah PS-I want that ridiculous apple clock of yours & your gray Dunnes zip-up, k? Thanksssss ;)
Tara---Tara lives directly in front of me (while Mo is across from me). Tara and I often yell at each other through the walls (since they are super thin), or we get lazy and just facebook chat each other from the room. We know everything about each other's home life because of our skype convos and the lack of privacy that Plassey Village walls provide. I'll never say the word "sauce" again without thinking of Tara's VERY New Yorkish way of saying it. Tara and I are "splitters"; since our first meal together at the Hunt museum, Tara and I have always split desserts or meals together. Splitter fo life girl! :)
3.) The reason why I haven't blogged in a while is because I've been busy with school and traveling. I had 5 major papers due all within 3 days of each other. I took a girls trip with Mo, Rahchl, Kate, Julia, Becky, Katrina, and Mo's friend to Dublin during the middle of all the paper-writing madness. We went out for a musical pub crawl in Dublin, and that turned out to be a DISASTER. The pub crawl was NOT a real crawling of pubs; the guys who headed the organized musical debacle made fun of us, so Mo's friend got all of our money back (80 euro in all) and we left the pub crawl with free stuff, our refunded money, and our pride. Afterwards, we went to Urban Outfitters to buy out the store (I wish), and then headed off to Temple Bar to get some drinks. At Temple we met these ridiculous guys from Holland and a crazy few hours of random conversation ensued. The next morning we went on a tour of Wicklow, where movies like P.S. I love you and shows like The Tudors were filmed. The tour ended up being a bit of a bust because the mountains were iced with sleety snow, and we couldn't see everything we wanted. We still had fun though..
4.) I got back from Rome, Italy, last night around 4am. Julia was waiting for me at the bus-stop :) such a great surprise!! I spent the majority of my time in Rome alone because the friend I was supposed to meet up with got stuck in Scotland due to wintery weather. Even though I only know Italian words like "Ciao, non parlo italiano" (hey, i dont speak italian), I managed to find my way around and have several "Eat, Pray Love" moments of my own. I got blessed by the pope, saw the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, and the Pantheon. I read a book and people-watched from the steps of the Trevi Fountain and ate some of the most delicious pastries I've ever had in my life. I ventured outside of Rome for one day (to Pompei), and while Pompei is exciting, I don't really want to talk about it (some of you know why...haha). Naples was a little frightening, but I did have some incredible mushroom pizza while i was there. On Sunday, I went to the Roman market and was sufficiently overwhelmed by the massive amounts of junk and treasures sold. I bought a couple rings and an old bracelet--I would've bought more, but there were SO many different stands that I just got really indecisive and couldn't decide on what to buy. While the trip was nothing like I thought it'd be, I still had a blast and feel like I've finally done Italy right (I've been to Bologna, Florence, Venice, Rome, Naples, and Pompei).
5.) So I've got 2 weeks left abroad. I have mixed feelings--I'm excited to go home, but I'm really not ready to leave here yet. I don't know when I'll get back over here, and that saddens me. I've had such a blast in Ireland and traveling-its gone by SOOOOOO fast! This week I've got to study a TON for my biochemistry exam on Friday, and then I'm planning on doing some last minute traveling before I head back to the states in 2 weekends.
Until next time:
May peace and plenty be the first
To lift the latch to your door,
And happiness be guided to your home
By the candle of Christmas
Lindsey
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