Hi all!
If you are reading this, you probably already know that I am a terrible extremist. Everything is literally ALL or NOTHING with me and my life. So it should come as no surprise that after nearly 2 mos of "nothing," I enjoyed a week of "all"!
Last week was wild. I gave up a crush (before it became a real crush and I risked an actual crushing) on Tuesday. I had seen this guy ONCE outside of class or class-related stuff in the previous 6 weeks since school began. Then, the week I give up my crush (literally within the next 48 hrs), I feel as though he's stalking ME! :) He really wasn't. It was just that Wed, I nearly physically ran into him in the library, and then Thursday, I was having coffee with some classmates and in he walks, sits down for a while at another table and gives us a 'nod' hello as he walks by half-an-hour later... then that afternoon, my friend/classmate, Muireann (pronounced: mweeruhn) and I went to a french guest speaker-thing by a guy from Paris and he's there, TOO. and if seeing him THREE times in 2 days wasn't enough, when I went out with the rest of my class that night, there he was with his friends in the on-campus bar! WHAT?? oh well. I guess it's true what they say (or at least what my mom says!): "it's all in the chase" :) If only he were chasing me. But no! I gave up that crush! REALLY! Not saying that if anything happened, I would be disappointed -- just saying that I won't dream about him in class anymore... :)
and THEN! If that wasn't enough emotional adventure for one week -- last week was also my social week :) I had great fun and made many new friends. Wed night, the classmate from California (Nicole) who lives in my bldg had a party, so I went up there between laundry loads so that I didn't seem like a snob and I met some really great people from Donegal and the States and Sweden. And another classmate came by and he had me nearly peeing myself I was laughing so hard at some of his stories involving electric fence-shock and being chased by goats & donkeys... you really had to be there, but there's a great pic of me on facebook in hysterics about the chasing story!
And Thursday night was "class party" night. There are 11 or so of us in the class (not the class with the crush, obviously), and 8 of us met at the on-campus bar where we listened to this really great band sing "trad" songs (traditional irish songs) for hours. It was SO cool watching people (mostly the guys) sing along to all of these wonderful melodies they've known all their lives! Great craic! (craic, pronounced "crack" = fun) After the trad music (with which that CD Ky told me I needed would have been helpful!), 6 of us kept going. Turns out that it was Brian's 22nd birthday... Ang, that's the guy you met at the Argentenian speaker-thing... so we all went to a "pub". It was a little more "clubbish" than I'm used to, but they played a lot of old stuff, so I didn't feel 32. I was out until 2:30am. WHAT? I am too old for that! haha! But it saved on cab-fare if I stayed, and I was enjoying the craic. :)
Turns out that this will most likely be a weekly event! But I won't be out so late this week 'cause I am going to a "Utopian studies" workshop all day on Friday. Still. It's really nice to have a tiny little social network. Not like having a local assembly, but knowing that I can call someone if I need help, or just to talk, is a reassuring feeling, you know? :)
I LOVE YOU ALL!
30 October 2007
27 October 2007
RTA referral
Hi all,
I have been trying to find the time this week to post about my travels with Ang, and now I see that Ang has pretty much done it all for me! One problem (besides 3 papers, 100pp of reading, and 2 nights of socializing) is that my camera broke on day ONE of the traveling! So my suggestion is to go to the blog of Ang (this computer will not let me use apostrophes tonight, fyi) and find out the juicy details, but here is a summary:
DAY 1: rented a car for the week and headed out through Tralee to Dingle & then made a big circle through Inch Beach and Killarney before returning back to my dorm in Limerick.
DAY 2: kidnapped my 2 roomies from Spain and the mother of Nuria (sorry -- possessive contractions are not allowed tonight!) and toured Cliffs of Moher, the Burren and Galway before returning back to the dorm
DAY 3: just Ang and I this time & we headed out to Cobh and Cork for a rush trip, just to say she went, before heading back early to hear an Argentinian lady talk about her imprisonment during the time of the "desaparecidos" and her exile into Los Angeles.
DAY 4: Kilkenny on the way to Dublin (by the way, I am fairly certain that Kikenny is where all the cute irish boys are grown...) and tour of Dublin with the Molly Malone *slash* (since I cannot use slashes either... what??) Brittney Spears medley guy, Dave, that Ky and I loved so much.
DAY 5: up early to head out to Newgrange (a neolithic burial mound that was built over several generations and can only be naturally lit 4 days a year over winter solstice -- for more info, please refer to RTA), and returned to Dublin for the pub of O(insert apostrophe here)Neill for supper (VERY GOOD AND REASONABLY PRICED) before wandering about town finding nothing to do -- which is weird for Dublin...
DAY 6: return to Limerick via the Rock of Cashel. WAY cool! It is this giant monastery-thing that originated as seat of the high king (where Brian Boru sat) and later came to represent the conversion of Ireland from paganism to Christianity when the (then) high king accepted the Lord as his saviour. The tour is only given through the eyes of its christian history and does not include any info on the high kings. I did, however, manage to hop around counter-clockwise 9 times on one foot under the superstition of getting married within the year. Do not worry -- if, by some MIRACLE, that does happen, I will definitely give God the glory -- because that will DEFINITELY be a MIRACLE!!! But I am so not limiting God. :)
DAY 7: Angie left :(
All other details and any photos must be viewed on the blog of Ang (see RTA link above)
I have been trying to find the time this week to post about my travels with Ang, and now I see that Ang has pretty much done it all for me! One problem (besides 3 papers, 100pp of reading, and 2 nights of socializing) is that my camera broke on day ONE of the traveling! So my suggestion is to go to the blog of Ang (this computer will not let me use apostrophes tonight, fyi) and find out the juicy details, but here is a summary:
DAY 1: rented a car for the week and headed out through Tralee to Dingle & then made a big circle through Inch Beach and Killarney before returning back to my dorm in Limerick.
DAY 2: kidnapped my 2 roomies from Spain and the mother of Nuria (sorry -- possessive contractions are not allowed tonight!) and toured Cliffs of Moher, the Burren and Galway before returning back to the dorm
DAY 3: just Ang and I this time & we headed out to Cobh and Cork for a rush trip, just to say she went, before heading back early to hear an Argentinian lady talk about her imprisonment during the time of the "desaparecidos" and her exile into Los Angeles.
DAY 4: Kilkenny on the way to Dublin (by the way, I am fairly certain that Kikenny is where all the cute irish boys are grown...) and tour of Dublin with the Molly Malone *slash* (since I cannot use slashes either... what??) Brittney Spears medley guy, Dave, that Ky and I loved so much.
DAY 5: up early to head out to Newgrange (a neolithic burial mound that was built over several generations and can only be naturally lit 4 days a year over winter solstice -- for more info, please refer to RTA), and returned to Dublin for the pub of O(insert apostrophe here)Neill for supper (VERY GOOD AND REASONABLY PRICED) before wandering about town finding nothing to do -- which is weird for Dublin...
DAY 6: return to Limerick via the Rock of Cashel. WAY cool! It is this giant monastery-thing that originated as seat of the high king (where Brian Boru sat) and later came to represent the conversion of Ireland from paganism to Christianity when the (then) high king accepted the Lord as his saviour. The tour is only given through the eyes of its christian history and does not include any info on the high kings. I did, however, manage to hop around counter-clockwise 9 times on one foot under the superstition of getting married within the year. Do not worry -- if, by some MIRACLE, that does happen, I will definitely give God the glory -- because that will DEFINITELY be a MIRACLE!!! But I am so not limiting God. :)
DAY 7: Angie left :(
All other details and any photos must be viewed on the blog of Ang (see RTA link above)
19 October 2007
Crete, belated - Part Two
Now THIS is what I call AMAZING!I jumped into this water off of a giant rock and swam... it is perfect. Clear, blue - you can see the floor 10 ft below. I was thrilled!
Highlights of my 60 hr trip to Crete include, but are not limited to:
Beautiful FRUIT!
This is a pomegranate that is growing on a tree in Mike & Mom's FRONT YARD! Less than 5 ft from their porch.
Beautiful HOMES!
This is a view of Mike & Mom's house from the street. Note the crazy-cool blue of the shutters (that was my room!) and the deck created on top of the roof of the kitchen & (outdoor) living room :)
Beautiful STORIES!
This is a house Mike lived in for a couple years as a child. He took us on a tour and told us what life was like when the river was deep and the town was mostly fields... when the only building between this house and his school (200 metres away) was a police station. And he told us stories about the police station itself! lol
Beautiful MEMORIES!
Here, Mom and I are sitting on a bench behind the village church. The priest visits about twice a year, but the people are very dedicated to their faith and take care of this tiny chapel. As we sit and bask in the sunshine and gaze at the beauty of the Mediterranean, we are reminded of Mike's family, history and loss because we sit beside the tomb of his parents (which you see here).
Beautiful VIEWS!
Top to Bottom:
A restaurant off the docks in Chania at night, a reallyreally old building built on top of an open-air restaurant, a view of the spot where we swam from the road, a church on a jetty in a village between Drapanos and Heraklion (sorry I don't know the names of these places...) & a view of the marina in Chania at night.
Beautiful PEOPLE!
Top: Mike's sister-in-law, Tasoula, is one of the nicest women in the world. She invited me to her house for Christmas (and my name Day, December 27) after knowing me for 5 mins!
Bottom: Pella Minoli, one of Mike's many nieces named "Pella." I only wish I was half as strong as she is. Everything about her is beautful... I love that she has such a loving, giving, accepting spirit. And if you're reading this, please pray for her COMPLETE recovery from nearly-fatal car accident 3 summers ago. Last summer, Pella was unable to walk, but you see in this p
hoto how the Lord has blessed her so far. Meeting Pella was the highlight of my visit.Beside: Mike, his brothers and all their wives -- how CUTE! :)
Beautiful FOOD!
Sunday dinner with the family at Apostouli's in-laws' place... 20 ppl easy for a Sunday meal. It's bigger than some of my Christmases!!! :)
DESSERTS. enough said. *sigh*Beautiful PRODUCTS:
Olive Oil, pressed from olives grown on Mike's trees, on Mike's property, at Mike's house in Drapanos, Crete! These are giant and amazing and... I'm speechless every time I think about the fact that my parents have this at their disposal, a product of nature!
Wine. Made from grapes grown on Mike's vines, on Mike's property, at Mike's house in Drapanos, Crete! I am pretty sure that the casks are handmade, too. Now, THAT's craftsmanship! :)I think that is all I can say about Crete for now, seeing as how I have managed to forget almost all the names of people and places. *sigh* Mom, if you read this, feel free to email me some of the info you know I've forgotten! And at the very least, practice how to post a comment on here! :)
LOVE YOU ALL!
more to come: travels with Ang aka 'speed traveler'...
Crete, belated - Part One
Hello everyone!
I shouldn't have waited this long to talk about my trip to Crete, because I am sure I will have to guess on much of the details -- basically, I will just be talking in 'vagueties' (in the words of Corb Lund) and telling you how wonderful it is and encouraging you to make Crete part of future travel plans!
So to begin, we'll go back to the Thursday before my flight. I was flying out of Dublin on Friday at noon, and I had just recently learned that I have access to the libraries at Trinity College in Dublin, so I thought, "why not combine the trips?" So I did. I took a train up to Dublin from Limerick (about a 2.5 hr ride) Thursday afternoon and got to Dublin around 3ish. I had decided to be adventurous and not book a hostel in advance, so my 1st stop was to the tourist office.
The guy at the tourist office was WONDERFUL! I went in and said, "I would like an inexpensive room near Trinity College for tonight, please" and he laughed and found me one instantly!
I paid a deposit through the guy at the tourist office and went straight to Trinity Library for the next 3 hrs. It was HEAVEN! over 400 years of books at my disposal! WOOT!!!
Ok. Enough of that.
I checked into my hostel, asked them to hold my laptop behind their desk because they didn't have safe-deposit boxes, did some reading in the Norton Anthology of Theory & Criticism, and tried to sleep. The sleeping was near-impossible with 9 other girls in the room. All of them were Spaniards and they literally talked ALL NIGHT LONG. And not quietly, either! One girl, after about 20 mins of quiet, got a phone call at 3:30am and talked for a full 10 mins in full-voice before deciding, "hey! maybe I should leave the room for this..."
I woke up at 7:30 to have breakfast and try and find a book that I thought I had to have read by Tues class, which didn't exist AND didn't have to be read. But at the time, I was a little stressed. I got sidetracked by a souvenir shop and picked up a few trinkets for my family and went to check out of the hostel. It had started to rain, and I was running a little late for the airport because of my shopping 'spree.'
So I had a noon flight, which meant that I had to be at the airport for check-in by 10am. I figured, the bus on the way into the city in Aug took about 20-30 mins, so it shouldn't be much different and I planned on a 9:20 or 9:40 bus. I missed the 9:20 because of the shopping, but made the 9:40 and was on the right track - or so I thought! I get 15 mins into the bus ride when I realize that my backpack is extremely light... for holding a laptop... that I left behind the desk in the hostel in my rush to check-out and catch this bus!!!!
So I get off at the next stop at 5 to 10 - Cross the street to wait for a bus, that doesn't come during the next 5 mins - only to catch a cab that gets caught in every kind of traffic imaginable. I make it to the hostel and onto the next bus an hour later than originally planned. But I am on my way!
15 mins into this trip, where I had gotten off the 1st bus, I thought, "halfway there - alright!" It's 11am. 11:30 rolls by... and I go to ask the bus driver if this bus actually DOES go to the airport, getting a little worried... when he says, "yeah. We'll be there in 15 mins or so." not stressful at all. My plane was scheduled to leave at TWELVE O'CLOCK.
I get on the phone with my travel agency who informs me that there is no way I am making this flight and that the tickets are non-refundable, non-transferrable, so I just lose the $$.
By the time 11:40 rolls around, I am literally in tears thinking, "what am I going to DO???" and the bus driver sees me crying. He asks me where I'm from and if I am catching a flight (umm.. YEAH), trying to calm me down, and decided to pull the bus right up to the door for me under the circumstances.
I get to the airport at 11:45.
I run into the check-in area full of about 50 kiosks and find an available agent who looks at me with pity and says, "well, maybe they haven't closed the counter yet... there's a tiny chance!"
But God is good!
No closed counter. Checked in in 30 secs.
On the plane to Manchester!
Now Manchester is a different story that won't take long b/c all it includes is a 2 hr wait and annoying security measures restricting carry-on baggage to ONE. Including a purse. So I checked my tiny bag because I had a laptop backpack.
Next post will actually INCLUDE Crete!
I shouldn't have waited this long to talk about my trip to Crete, because I am sure I will have to guess on much of the details -- basically, I will just be talking in 'vagueties' (in the words of Corb Lund) and telling you how wonderful it is and encouraging you to make Crete part of future travel plans!
So to begin, we'll go back to the Thursday before my flight. I was flying out of Dublin on Friday at noon, and I had just recently learned that I have access to the libraries at Trinity College in Dublin, so I thought, "why not combine the trips?" So I did. I took a train up to Dublin from Limerick (about a 2.5 hr ride) Thursday afternoon and got to Dublin around 3ish. I had decided to be adventurous and not book a hostel in advance, so my 1st stop was to the tourist office.
The guy at the tourist office was WONDERFUL! I went in and said, "I would like an inexpensive room near Trinity College for tonight, please" and he laughed and found me one instantly!
I paid a deposit through the guy at the tourist office and went straight to Trinity Library for the next 3 hrs. It was HEAVEN! over 400 years of books at my disposal! WOOT!!!
Ok. Enough of that.
I checked into my hostel, asked them to hold my laptop behind their desk because they didn't have safe-deposit boxes, did some reading in the Norton Anthology of Theory & Criticism, and tried to sleep. The sleeping was near-impossible with 9 other girls in the room. All of them were Spaniards and they literally talked ALL NIGHT LONG. And not quietly, either! One girl, after about 20 mins of quiet, got a phone call at 3:30am and talked for a full 10 mins in full-voice before deciding, "hey! maybe I should leave the room for this..."
I woke up at 7:30 to have breakfast and try and find a book that I thought I had to have read by Tues class, which didn't exist AND didn't have to be read. But at the time, I was a little stressed. I got sidetracked by a souvenir shop and picked up a few trinkets for my family and went to check out of the hostel. It had started to rain, and I was running a little late for the airport because of my shopping 'spree.'
So I had a noon flight, which meant that I had to be at the airport for check-in by 10am. I figured, the bus on the way into the city in Aug took about 20-30 mins, so it shouldn't be much different and I planned on a 9:20 or 9:40 bus. I missed the 9:20 because of the shopping, but made the 9:40 and was on the right track - or so I thought! I get 15 mins into the bus ride when I realize that my backpack is extremely light... for holding a laptop... that I left behind the desk in the hostel in my rush to check-out and catch this bus!!!!
So I get off at the next stop at 5 to 10 - Cross the street to wait for a bus, that doesn't come during the next 5 mins - only to catch a cab that gets caught in every kind of traffic imaginable. I make it to the hostel and onto the next bus an hour later than originally planned. But I am on my way!
15 mins into this trip, where I had gotten off the 1st bus, I thought, "halfway there - alright!" It's 11am. 11:30 rolls by... and I go to ask the bus driver if this bus actually DOES go to the airport, getting a little worried... when he says, "yeah. We'll be there in 15 mins or so." not stressful at all. My plane was scheduled to leave at TWELVE O'CLOCK.
I get on the phone with my travel agency who informs me that there is no way I am making this flight and that the tickets are non-refundable, non-transferrable, so I just lose the $$.
By the time 11:40 rolls around, I am literally in tears thinking, "what am I going to DO???" and the bus driver sees me crying. He asks me where I'm from and if I am catching a flight (umm.. YEAH), trying to calm me down, and decided to pull the bus right up to the door for me under the circumstances.
I get to the airport at 11:45.
I run into the check-in area full of about 50 kiosks and find an available agent who looks at me with pity and says, "well, maybe they haven't closed the counter yet... there's a tiny chance!"
But God is good!
No closed counter. Checked in in 30 secs.
On the plane to Manchester!
Now Manchester is a different story that won't take long b/c all it includes is a 2 hr wait and annoying security measures restricting carry-on baggage to ONE. Including a purse. So I checked my tiny bag because I had a laptop backpack.
Next post will actually INCLUDE Crete!
05 October 2007
my first real Irish PUB! :)
okay, by "real," I mean one that was just for hanging out - not one for tourists that plays traditional irish music. And I got to go with FRIENDS!!! WOOT!
Before I continue, I will say that I will have a post about Crete in the next couple days... but I haven't had time this week since I got here to write about the trip and actually do it justice, so I am postponing -- and this evening's post will (hopefully) be short so that I can go to BED! :)
OK:
So this week's assignment from my Cultural Theory prof was to watch one of 3 movies currently out in theatres (Death Proof, The Brave One & Michael Clayton - randomly chosen) and write a theoretical review about them according to the questions: "Art reflecting Art, or Art reflecting Life?" and "Who is the intended audience of the film?" Well, I was sad that I couldn't use "Across the Universe" for 2 reasons: #1, I wanted to watch it for personal reasons and #2, he didn't give us a very 'girlie' movie to choose from. So I debated for a couple days about whether I felt comfortable whining/making a suggestion to allow "Across the Universe," when he emails stating that "Death Proof" was off the list (for several reasons). So I took my opportunity - and he agreed!!!
So.
Yesterday, my classmates decided that we'd all go to the movie together tonight (Friday). And turns out "Across the Universe" only plat during the day. *sigh*
But did I let that get me down? NOPE!
I went to "Across the Universe" by myself and sat alone in the theatre at 4pm taking 9pp of notes for my assignment (I want an "A" this time. Got a B+ on the last one, dang it) and returned for the 9pm show because I wanted to be social.
We all went to see Michael Clayton. It's a good movie, but I am SO glad that he allowed the musical! :) After the movie, the 8 of us (7 classmates -out of 10- and my spanish roomie, Nuria) all decided to stop at "The Hurlers" - a local pub - for a "pint."
FYI: I did not drink - actually half of us didn't - and most of the people there were just hanging out visiting or watching the 'Canes play HOCKEY! :)
It was so nice to be able to just sit with people and tell stories and get to know one another -- and also to comfortably discuss some of the stuff going on in class. We kind of bonded! One girl got a photo of us, so hopefully, she'll email it to me and I will post it for you...
After the pub, 3 of us (my roomie & I, plus one of the other Americans in the class who lives 2 floors above me) walked home (about a half-hour walk) looking at the stars and talking about Canada/snow/ice storms in NC with one of the 2 very cute boys in the class! He's a good guy, but I am fairly certain that he is too young for me. Oh Well. We get along grand, like (as they say in Ireland), so I will just be glad that I have such a nice friend and enjoy other, more realistic crushes. :)
I guess the reason why I wanted to post this was because I missed both NC & Canada tonnes tonight - but it was so nice to be able to talk about these great places with nice people who are making me feel so accepted here in Limerick. I talked about the glitter in the snow, and falling off rocks into 2ft snow, and 20-somethings making snow angels, and Canadian & US Thanksgivings, and hockey, and the Superbowl, and the billion stars you can see 5 mins outside of S'toon, and the crazy crystal-like trees/tree branches during ice storms, and the Mile High Swinging Bridge @ Grandfather's Mountain, and Myrtle Beach... and I was totally NOT the only one talking!!! There were 3-4 of us who were all EQUALLY sharing in the conversation, fyi! :)
so that's my night. I am adjusting pretty well, but I have to give God and the small # of students in my degree the credit!
To come: Crete & more
Before I continue, I will say that I will have a post about Crete in the next couple days... but I haven't had time this week since I got here to write about the trip and actually do it justice, so I am postponing -- and this evening's post will (hopefully) be short so that I can go to BED! :)
OK:
So this week's assignment from my Cultural Theory prof was to watch one of 3 movies currently out in theatres (Death Proof, The Brave One & Michael Clayton - randomly chosen) and write a theoretical review about them according to the questions: "Art reflecting Art, or Art reflecting Life?" and "Who is the intended audience of the film?" Well, I was sad that I couldn't use "Across the Universe" for 2 reasons: #1, I wanted to watch it for personal reasons and #2, he didn't give us a very 'girlie' movie to choose from. So I debated for a couple days about whether I felt comfortable whining/making a suggestion to allow "Across the Universe," when he emails stating that "Death Proof" was off the list (for several reasons). So I took my opportunity - and he agreed!!!
So.
Yesterday, my classmates decided that we'd all go to the movie together tonight (Friday). And turns out "Across the Universe" only plat during the day. *sigh*
But did I let that get me down? NOPE!
I went to "Across the Universe" by myself and sat alone in the theatre at 4pm taking 9pp of notes for my assignment (I want an "A" this time. Got a B+ on the last one, dang it) and returned for the 9pm show because I wanted to be social.
We all went to see Michael Clayton. It's a good movie, but I am SO glad that he allowed the musical! :) After the movie, the 8 of us (7 classmates -out of 10- and my spanish roomie, Nuria) all decided to stop at "The Hurlers" - a local pub - for a "pint."
FYI: I did not drink - actually half of us didn't - and most of the people there were just hanging out visiting or watching the 'Canes play HOCKEY! :)
It was so nice to be able to just sit with people and tell stories and get to know one another -- and also to comfortably discuss some of the stuff going on in class. We kind of bonded! One girl got a photo of us, so hopefully, she'll email it to me and I will post it for you...
After the pub, 3 of us (my roomie & I, plus one of the other Americans in the class who lives 2 floors above me) walked home (about a half-hour walk) looking at the stars and talking about Canada/snow/ice storms in NC with one of the 2 very cute boys in the class! He's a good guy, but I am fairly certain that he is too young for me. Oh Well. We get along grand, like (as they say in Ireland), so I will just be glad that I have such a nice friend and enjoy other, more realistic crushes. :)
I guess the reason why I wanted to post this was because I missed both NC & Canada tonnes tonight - but it was so nice to be able to talk about these great places with nice people who are making me feel so accepted here in Limerick. I talked about the glitter in the snow, and falling off rocks into 2ft snow, and 20-somethings making snow angels, and Canadian & US Thanksgivings, and hockey, and the Superbowl, and the billion stars you can see 5 mins outside of S'toon, and the crazy crystal-like trees/tree branches during ice storms, and the Mile High Swinging Bridge @ Grandfather's Mountain, and Myrtle Beach... and I was totally NOT the only one talking!!! There were 3-4 of us who were all EQUALLY sharing in the conversation, fyi! :)
so that's my night. I am adjusting pretty well, but I have to give God and the small # of students in my degree the credit!
To come: Crete & more
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