Back Online Again!

The internet here at the Y has been going in and out, but we have steady service for now... Hopefully it will stay that way. Things have been going pretty normally around here after the profs left last Saturday. I cooked all weekend because it was my group's turn to do the weekend meals. Saturday night I went with another friend to help out a this place called the Lighthouse Mission. They give a free meal along with clothes and other things out to the homeless of Dublin on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. If you guys back home could pray for them, they would really appreciate it. They're trying to build new facilities so that they can offer more, but they still need a lot of funding.

Since then, I've just been doing homework and hanging out at the Y, except for yesterday. My friend, Katie Moore, and I decided we wanted to go to Dublin Zoo, so we headed out on the Dart to Phoenix Park, where the zoo is. Easy, right? Not exactly. The Dart ride there took forever, and then we got off in the middle of corn fields. Phoenix Park was about a 15 minute walk from the station. Then we walked for 2-3 miles through the park itself towards the zoo. By that time, we didn't have enough time to actually go into the zoo because we had Irish dance class at four. So we slowly made our way back using multiple modes of Public transportation as the Dart broke down and such... It was a fun adventure, even though we didn't actually get to go into the zoo.

Tomorrow we're heading off on another trip to Hook Lighthouse and some other places. I'm not exactly sure where, but it should be fun. Our Art as an Experience final is due on Friday, and then we have a Halloween Party. We're all attending this party with different roles to play in an Italian mobster family, so it should be great fun. In the game, we're trying to solve who killed the head of the family, and I play his daughter Angel. I'm definitely looking forward to it. The costumes should be just as outrageous as 80's night.

Whew!

We've been going nonstop with two of my profs here to teach the Art as an Experience Course, all over Dublin and county Meath.  On Monday, we saw three monastic sites and an ancient site called Knowth, and then had Irish dance lessons followed by a short class at night.  Tuesday, we had class from 9:00 until 4:30 and then I helped with our ESL class at the Y.  Today then, we headed into Dublin at 8:30 to do an architectural tour of the area.  We hit the first public library in Ireland (which has remained unchanged since the 1700's). St. Patrick's, Christ Church, an art gallery, and Dublin Castle, followed by a long sprint to the DART station.  Let's just say we're all exhausted at this point and looking forward to our free days on Saturday and Sunday.  Tonight we still have class at 8:00 and then tomorrow will be class all day again... Hopefully we'll all survive until Saturday.  As of right now it's looking doubtful.

Big Hair and Pink Eyeshadow... Agh! 80's

Yesterday, I was sick all day for my birthday... ugh.  But it was still a good birthday.  My roommate and my friends put signs up all over the Y, and I got a cake with my name on it.  I got some cards, presents from home (thanks everybody!), and a present from my roommate.  We had class all day, and then headed into Dublin to see a play.  It was a pretty abstract play by Samuel Beckett, and then I headed home and fell asleep thanks to some good medication : )

Today, I feel better, thankfully.  We had our pick-a-date earlier tonight.  It's a Taylor tradition where you go out on a "date" with a guy's floor, and it's a lot of fun.  The guys in the group picked their dates out of a hat, and then had to come up with a creative way to ask them to go.  I got asked with cookies in the shape of a bowling ball and pins because we were going bowling.  We actually had a group of three (two girls and a guy) because we don't have that many guys on this trip.  So my group and another date group went out to pizza and ice cream and then headed out to meet the other groups to bowl in Bray.

The thing is that the theme tonight was 80's night... and the Irish did not dress the same way that Americans dressed in the 80's.  Let's just say we got a lot of strange looks walking down the main street of Greystones towards the DART because our costumes were pretty much all-out craziness!  Then, later at the bowling alley, a song came on that a group of guys had used to ask their dates out.  They created this dance to a pop song, and did the whole thing in the bowling alley.  Again, we drew a crowd... All in all, it was a very fun night.

Home again, home again!

Well, after surviving on baguettes, cheese, and apples for four days, let's just say that I'm glad to be back at the Y where I'll get meat and veggies and a big meal for free!  Paris was incredible, with all the fall colors in the trees, but I'm glad to be back in green Ireland.  We saw the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Musee D'Orsay, Sacre Coeur, Sainte-Chappelle, the Tuleries Gardens, Les Invalides, and a bunch of other stuff all within three touring days.  I successfully navigated the metro, and didn't get us lost too many times.  We had church Sunday morning in the Tuleries Gardens, we survived the the sea of people trying to sell Eiffel Tower keychains, we ate Nutella Crepes along the Seine River, bartered for apples and bread in an open air market, and did a whole bunch of other stuff that I don't have time to talk about.  Ask me for stories when I get back, because there are some good ones...

But we're back now.  I think tonight Lauren and I are going to curl up with a cup of tea and a good movie.  Homework and all that other stuff can wait for tomorrow.

Attacking Paris

Well, after taking the DART to Dublin, a bus to the airport, a plane to France, a bus to Paris, and a taxi to our apartment, we finally made it at about 1:00 in the morning. We were just going to rent hostel rooms in Paris at about 25-30 euro per night per head, but then my friend had the brilliant idea of renting an apartment. It was much cheaper, we have a kitchen, our own bathroom and bedrooms, as well as internet. It is also very nice to have a place to hang out at night that is not shared with complete strangers!

Today was a fun, but very stressful day. To start it off, one of us got locked in the bathroom accidentally. After we sprung him free, we bought croissants for breakfast at the bakery across the street. Then we had the daunting task of navigating the French metro with our terrible grasp of the French language, but we succeeded in figuring out the system after some wandering around aimlessly. We saw Napoleon Bonaparte's sarcophagus, Les Invalides, le Arc d'Triomphe, and Sacre Coeur. (I know I'm spelling that name wrong, but it's this beautiful basilica with a wonderful little market outside.) Finally, we made it back to the apartment, had a great adventure finding a chicken, some bagguettes, and some cheese that smelled seriously like BO but tasted pretty good. All in all, I'm exhausted, but excited to see the city after figuring out how to use the Public Transport today.

Tomorrow we're off to see Notre Dame, Saint Chappelle, and the Musee D'orsay. It should be exciting...

First Day in Paris

Well, after taking the DART to Dublin, a bus to the airport, a plane to France, a bus to Paris, and a taxi to our apartment, we finally made it at about 1:00 in the morning. We were just going to rent hostel rooms in Paris at about 25-30 euro per night per head, but then my friend had the brilliant idea of renting an apartment. It was much cheaper, we have a kitchen, our own bathroom and bedrooms, as well as internet. It is also very nice to have a place to hang out at night that is not shared with complete strangers!

Today was a fun, but very stressful day. To start it off, one of us got locked in the bathroom accidentally. After we sprung him free, we bought croissants for breakfast at the bakery across the street. Then we had the daunting task of navigating the French metro with our terrible grasp of the French language, but we succeeded in figuring out the system after some wandering around aimlessly. We saw Napoleon Bonaparte's sarcophagus, Les Invalides, le Arc d'Triomphe, and Sacre Coeur. (I know I'm spelling that name wrong, but it's this beautiful basilica with a wonderful little market outside.) Finally, we made it back to the apartment, had a great adventure finding a chicken, some bagguettes, and some cheese that smelled seriously like BO but tasted pretty good. All in all, I'm exhausted, but excited to see the city after figuring out how to use the Public Transport today.

Tomorrow we're off to see Notre Dame, Saint Chappelle, and the Musee D'orsay. It should be exciting...

Fall Break... in France?!

Tomorrow, four friends and I are flying out for Paris for our fall break. I never in my wildest dreams though I could say that I was going to France for Fall Break... It's a strange feeling. I'm excited to go and see the gardens and all the different sites. Hopefully the food will be good too, and the exchange rate is at its lowest since I've been in Ireland, which is great news! Anyway, please pray for safety and that we won't get too lost in the city. Thankfully we have two people who've studied French extensively in school and travelled there before.

I still have a lot to do before tomorrow. I have a class at 10:30 downtown Dublin to discuss the AIDs epidemic with an Irish graduate of Taylor, and then we fly out at 7:00 in the evening. But I still have to finalize our itinerary, and turn in some homework. Today, we started Irish drumming classes! (Yes, I'm getting credit for that) It's an ancient Celtic instrument called a Bodran or Bohran, or something along those lines. Definitely a unique experience.

Well, the dinner bell just rang. I'm off for Paris tomorrow!