Happy Bank Holiday everyone! Isn't it a wonderful Monday? Here is my update of the past couple of weeks like I promised!
I had my very first paper due last Monday. It was a 1000 word (about 3 1/2-4 pages) summary review of an article handed out in class. Oh, I'm sorry Mr. Lecturer, did I not tell you I'm a third-year college student? I guess I just have the good luck of still looking like I'm in high school. Well, since you're making this assignment so easy, I will just have to complicate things a little to make it more stressful. Let's see ... oh, I know! I'll go away to Paris the weekend before which leaves me less time to write my paper. So much to do, so little time is every college student's life motto in addition to being a Mary-Kate and Ashley TV show theme song. Unfortunately, I am a Time Management Master so that's not going to cut it. This is my first paper since May? Rustiness factor - I'll take that. I still need something else though ... how about showing up to the empty office of the department's secretary during the only free time I had before the deadline? Oooo, that might make things a little too exciting, Maria. You might want to tone it down. Ok, well, what if I add an unexpected window of free time with an open office? Perfect! Finally, a level of difficulty befitting a college student.
I'm still going to the Irish dance lessons. They are starting to get a little harder, but I am still enjoying myself. The class is a lot smaller now than it was at the very beginning. I think a lot of the girls were scared off by how fast the teacher goes through the steps which is a shame because she's a really nice person. I decided not to go to the salsa lessons hosted by the Dance Society although I finally convinced a few of my friends to go to salsa lessons in town. They really enjoyed themselves, which I am so happy about, and I think we have plans to go again this week. I also found out about a salsa/bachata/tango lesson on Thursdays which sounds amazing.
So I guess you've realized by now that I did not go to Cork this weekend. Alyssa and I decided to push it back a week. Cork had a jazz festival this weekend and while it would have been amazing to go, it probably would have been more expensive. I also heard that most, if not all, of the hostels were full. I wasn't that disappointed. We're still going, we'll be back in time to go out on Halloween night (I'm going to be Pocahontas!), and I had (still have, I guess, since it's not over yet) a three-day weekend to work on homework. Since I was here in Galway on a Saturday for once, I went into town with Jenn to the weekend market. It was really cute! I saw some great potential Christmas presents. The weather was perfect - sunny and not that chilly. I think that was the first time all semester that I was in town on a Saturday afternoon. I loved it. The streets were busy, and Shop Street was packed. It was a great day to be out and people-watch.
I'm looking at my calendar right now to jog my memory about what else happened these past couple of weeks, and I only have five more weeks of classes! This semester has gone by soooooo quickly! I can't believe it. I am still so excited about being here in Galway, as much as I can't wait to see everyone back home. You'd think I'd be tired of living here by now (I know I was expecting it when the halfway mark came around), but nope! Still having a great time. I wish you all were here with me.
love always!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Back from Adventureland!
Hello hello hello! It has been a while since we last talked, and man, do I have a lot to tell you!
Two weekends ago, Butler (my study abroad program) took all of the students studying in Ireland to the Killery Adventure Center. We stayed at an on-site hostel for the entire weekend and were able to do all sorts of cool, adventure/outdoor stuff. And by cool, adventure/outdoor stuff, I mean there was a high ropes course, a zipline, a huuuuuuuuuuuuge swing, a climbing tower, kayaking, gorge-walking, clay pigeon shooting, archery, all sorts of good stuff. We even had the opportunity to jump in a bog! I didn't, but a couple of my friends did, which was probably even more hilarious than if I had gone in myself. I will admit I was a little wary about the weekend since outdoorsy activities just aren't my thing, but I was able to keep myself busy and mostly entertained during the sessions. It really was a great weekend. Everybody was excited to be there (and not just because we were given free meals!), and it was fun to meet people from the other universities. My one big accomplishment during the weekend was climbing all the way to the top of the rock tower. It was actually pretty scary; not because I was afraid of falling (my belayers were great!) but because the tower was so tall! It was actually kind of weird because it wasn't like I was looking out over something. I didn't even have to look down to successfully freak myself out. I was just thinking about how high I was and bam! I was stuck. My friends down at the bottom were absolutely wonderful though. I had my own little cheering squad - I really wouldn't have been able to make it to the top if they hadn't been so supportive and great.
So that was my first amazing adventure weekend. This past weekend I adventured myself all the way over to France for what turned out to be less than 24 hours in Paris to see, as it turned out, two beautiful Scrippsies. It was a pretty crazy weekend. I started my journey at 1:15AM Saturday morning and got back to my apartment around 2PM Sunday afternoon. I didn't get very much sleep that weekend. I was really worried about travelling by myself to a country where I didn't speak the language, but I made it there (and back!) in one piece. My visit was fantastic. Julia met me at the bus stop with two croissants for me (one even had chocolate!) which melted my heart and made my stomach very happy. We went to her foyer (it seemed like a cross between an apartment/college dorm and a hostel) to drop off my stuff. Mirabelle, another Scrippsie who is studying in Paris, showed up and we all went out and had a three hour lunch where we caught up, ate quiche and pasta, and drank the most amazing hot chocolate. It was wonderful. Afterwards, we took the obligatory touristy, Scripps reunion pictures by the Seine River, and then we parted ways. Julia and I ambled along the river for a while on the way to the Musee d'Orsay. Unfortunately, the museum was closed by the time we got there. But not to worry! We simply headed over to the Eiffel Tower. (Good subsitute, don't you think?) By that time it was getting dark, so we were able to take pictures of the tower once all of its lights had been lit. It was so beautiful! We also walked to the Arc de Triomphe then had crepes for dinner off of the Champs-Elysees. We ended the day/night with blues dancing! That's right. I blues danced in Paris. How fantastic is it to be able to say that sentence? It was so great to dance again! We both had a really great time.
That trip was absolutely perfect. Julia was the perfect hostess even though she had to deal with my extremely sleep-deprived self. I couldn't have asked for a better tour guide. It was great to be able to talk to people from my own school, although I will admit talking to Julia and Mirabelle about Scripps made me the most homesick I have been this semester. I am already so excited for Spring semester.
My next trip is (hopefully!) this weekend to Cork, a city in southern Ireland. I'm going with a few other girls, and I don't think we've done any planning whatsoever, but if we are going, we're going this weekend. I'm 85% sure we're going though. I am super stoked.
Now that I've told you all about my past and future weekends, I should probably tell you about my past, present, and future weeks. However, this post is long enough, so we will just have to wait until next time (next week at the latest!). Thanks for reading (and bearing with all of my empty promises about when I will post next)!
hugs and kisses!
Two weekends ago, Butler (my study abroad program) took all of the students studying in Ireland to the Killery Adventure Center. We stayed at an on-site hostel for the entire weekend and were able to do all sorts of cool, adventure/outdoor stuff. And by cool, adventure/outdoor stuff, I mean there was a high ropes course, a zipline, a huuuuuuuuuuuuge swing, a climbing tower, kayaking, gorge-walking, clay pigeon shooting, archery, all sorts of good stuff. We even had the opportunity to jump in a bog! I didn't, but a couple of my friends did, which was probably even more hilarious than if I had gone in myself. I will admit I was a little wary about the weekend since outdoorsy activities just aren't my thing, but I was able to keep myself busy and mostly entertained during the sessions. It really was a great weekend. Everybody was excited to be there (and not just because we were given free meals!), and it was fun to meet people from the other universities. My one big accomplishment during the weekend was climbing all the way to the top of the rock tower. It was actually pretty scary; not because I was afraid of falling (my belayers were great!) but because the tower was so tall! It was actually kind of weird because it wasn't like I was looking out over something. I didn't even have to look down to successfully freak myself out. I was just thinking about how high I was and bam! I was stuck. My friends down at the bottom were absolutely wonderful though. I had my own little cheering squad - I really wouldn't have been able to make it to the top if they hadn't been so supportive and great.
So that was my first amazing adventure weekend. This past weekend I adventured myself all the way over to France for what turned out to be less than 24 hours in Paris to see, as it turned out, two beautiful Scrippsies. It was a pretty crazy weekend. I started my journey at 1:15AM Saturday morning and got back to my apartment around 2PM Sunday afternoon. I didn't get very much sleep that weekend. I was really worried about travelling by myself to a country where I didn't speak the language, but I made it there (and back!) in one piece. My visit was fantastic. Julia met me at the bus stop with two croissants for me (one even had chocolate!) which melted my heart and made my stomach very happy. We went to her foyer (it seemed like a cross between an apartment/college dorm and a hostel) to drop off my stuff. Mirabelle, another Scrippsie who is studying in Paris, showed up and we all went out and had a three hour lunch where we caught up, ate quiche and pasta, and drank the most amazing hot chocolate. It was wonderful. Afterwards, we took the obligatory touristy, Scripps reunion pictures by the Seine River, and then we parted ways. Julia and I ambled along the river for a while on the way to the Musee d'Orsay. Unfortunately, the museum was closed by the time we got there. But not to worry! We simply headed over to the Eiffel Tower. (Good subsitute, don't you think?) By that time it was getting dark, so we were able to take pictures of the tower once all of its lights had been lit. It was so beautiful! We also walked to the Arc de Triomphe then had crepes for dinner off of the Champs-Elysees. We ended the day/night with blues dancing! That's right. I blues danced in Paris. How fantastic is it to be able to say that sentence? It was so great to dance again! We both had a really great time.
That trip was absolutely perfect. Julia was the perfect hostess even though she had to deal with my extremely sleep-deprived self. I couldn't have asked for a better tour guide. It was great to be able to talk to people from my own school, although I will admit talking to Julia and Mirabelle about Scripps made me the most homesick I have been this semester. I am already so excited for Spring semester.
My next trip is (hopefully!) this weekend to Cork, a city in southern Ireland. I'm going with a few other girls, and I don't think we've done any planning whatsoever, but if we are going, we're going this weekend. I'm 85% sure we're going though. I am super stoked.
Now that I've told you all about my past and future weekends, I should probably tell you about my past, present, and future weeks. However, this post is long enough, so we will just have to wait until next time (next week at the latest!). Thanks for reading (and bearing with all of my empty promises about when I will post next)!
hugs and kisses!
Monday, October 4, 2010
Just another manic Monday
All Mondays are long, annoying, inconvenient, and a big hassle.
I know people will believe me when I say that I'm not an I-hate-Monday-just-because-it's-Monday kind of gal (mostly because I've said it before). It just depends on my class schedule for the day, and this semester, my Monday class schedule is long, annoying, inconvenient, and a big hassle.
Today was particularly bad. But (always the optimist!) it was also particularly good. How is that possible, you might ask? It's either one or the other! Well, let me tell you.
I'm sick. For the second time since I've been here. That'll be once every two weeks if this ridiculous pattern keeps up. I caught my first cold while I was in Dublin for Butler's orientation. I would rather not have had it, but it made sense what with the stress of flying, the time change, and coming into contact with new people. The cold I have right now also makes sense (Jennifer and I were both double-dipping in the same ranch sauce, even though I knew she was sick) but TOTALLY preventable which makes it waaaay worse. I definitely felt it today and according to Jenn, it's going to get worse.
A cold? Big deal! People get those all the time! Yes, but you don't understand. I haven't been sick in almost three years! You heard me. Not so much as a sore throat during my entire college career. I don't know how. I don't know why. But that's what happened. I guess I am overdue for a cold, but twice in one month? Really?
Most Mondays, I'm at school from 10 until 6. It's not that I have 8 hours of class. I actually only have four, but I have these awkward breaks in between classes. I have a two hour class followed by a three hour break, then a one hour class followed by a one hour break, and ending with a one hour class. It would be totally worth it to go back to my room during a one hour break at Scripps, let alone three whole hours, but when it takes at least forty minutes to walk to and from the close end of campus? I don't think so! So you will understand when I say Mondays make for a very tired and grumpy Maria. In terms of my schedule, however, today really wasn't too bad. A three hour break is my max in my When is it worth it to walk back to Menlo scale, so when my two hour class finished an hour early leaving me with four hours until my next class, I decided to go to the apartment for a really long lunch break. I was able to eat my peanut butter and jelly sandwich while watching Veronica Mars (Dani, forget dancing! Let's just have a Veronica Mars marathon next time I visit Oxy!), and I was much more inclined to do some reading for class.
Of course this flipside has a catchside. ('Catch' is the closest antonym of 'flip' I could find. Let me know if you have any better ones!) I had to walk back to school when it was drizzling, and let me tell you, twenty minutes in drizzling rain has the same exact effect as two minutes in a downpour. Even with a rainjacket and rainboots! The water just slid off the jacket and onto my jeans. I don't mind walking in the rain, but I do mind wearing wet clothes while sitting in class and writing on potentially damp notebooks. Yeah, that part wasn't so fun.
More good news: I went to my first Irish dance lesson!!! I had to stay at school for an extra hour, but it was totally worth it! I'm not very good at it, because my feet and legs just don't have the level of coordination that it takes, but I'm so glad I went. The teacher is a student at NUI, but she's been dancing since she was tiny and really knows her stuff. She's also a good teacher which is probably the best part. (Just because someone can dance doesn't automatically make them a good teacher.) It was wonderful to be able to dance again. I'm really looking forward to the salsa lesson on Thursday and next week's Irish dance lesson.
Even better good news: I thought I lost my favorite chapstick (ChapStick 100% Naturals for those of you who were curious) BUT THEN I FOUND IT AGAIN!!!! It was hiding in the tissue box I brought to school with me today. Finding something you thought was lost is seriously one of the best highs ever.
The best and most exciting news today? I got to chat with one of my best friends today! If that's not a mood-lifter, I don't know what is. We were finally able to catch up with each other for the first time since our sleepover two days before I left. I can't wait for our yet-to-be-scheduled Skype date!
So what have we learned from this post? Mondays? BAD! This Monday? Could have been worse.
What have I learned from this post? Complaining is so much fun! I feel better already!
hugs and kisses!
I know people will believe me when I say that I'm not an I-hate-Monday-just-because-it's-Monday kind of gal (mostly because I've said it before). It just depends on my class schedule for the day, and this semester, my Monday class schedule is long, annoying, inconvenient, and a big hassle.
Today was particularly bad. But (always the optimist!) it was also particularly good. How is that possible, you might ask? It's either one or the other! Well, let me tell you.
I'm sick. For the second time since I've been here. That'll be once every two weeks if this ridiculous pattern keeps up. I caught my first cold while I was in Dublin for Butler's orientation. I would rather not have had it, but it made sense what with the stress of flying, the time change, and coming into contact with new people. The cold I have right now also makes sense (Jennifer and I were both double-dipping in the same ranch sauce, even though I knew she was sick) but TOTALLY preventable which makes it waaaay worse. I definitely felt it today and according to Jenn, it's going to get worse.
A cold? Big deal! People get those all the time! Yes, but you don't understand. I haven't been sick in almost three years! You heard me. Not so much as a sore throat during my entire college career. I don't know how. I don't know why. But that's what happened. I guess I am overdue for a cold, but twice in one month? Really?
Most Mondays, I'm at school from 10 until 6. It's not that I have 8 hours of class. I actually only have four, but I have these awkward breaks in between classes. I have a two hour class followed by a three hour break, then a one hour class followed by a one hour break, and ending with a one hour class. It would be totally worth it to go back to my room during a one hour break at Scripps, let alone three whole hours, but when it takes at least forty minutes to walk to and from the close end of campus? I don't think so! So you will understand when I say Mondays make for a very tired and grumpy Maria. In terms of my schedule, however, today really wasn't too bad. A three hour break is my max in my When is it worth it to walk back to Menlo scale, so when my two hour class finished an hour early leaving me with four hours until my next class, I decided to go to the apartment for a really long lunch break. I was able to eat my peanut butter and jelly sandwich while watching Veronica Mars (Dani, forget dancing! Let's just have a Veronica Mars marathon next time I visit Oxy!), and I was much more inclined to do some reading for class.
Of course this flipside has a catchside. ('Catch' is the closest antonym of 'flip' I could find. Let me know if you have any better ones!) I had to walk back to school when it was drizzling, and let me tell you, twenty minutes in drizzling rain has the same exact effect as two minutes in a downpour. Even with a rainjacket and rainboots! The water just slid off the jacket and onto my jeans. I don't mind walking in the rain, but I do mind wearing wet clothes while sitting in class and writing on potentially damp notebooks. Yeah, that part wasn't so fun.
More good news: I went to my first Irish dance lesson!!! I had to stay at school for an extra hour, but it was totally worth it! I'm not very good at it, because my feet and legs just don't have the level of coordination that it takes, but I'm so glad I went. The teacher is a student at NUI, but she's been dancing since she was tiny and really knows her stuff. She's also a good teacher which is probably the best part. (Just because someone can dance doesn't automatically make them a good teacher.) It was wonderful to be able to dance again. I'm really looking forward to the salsa lesson on Thursday and next week's Irish dance lesson.
Even better good news: I thought I lost my favorite chapstick (ChapStick 100% Naturals for those of you who were curious) BUT THEN I FOUND IT AGAIN!!!! It was hiding in the tissue box I brought to school with me today. Finding something you thought was lost is seriously one of the best highs ever.
The best and most exciting news today? I got to chat with one of my best friends today! If that's not a mood-lifter, I don't know what is. We were finally able to catch up with each other for the first time since our sleepover two days before I left. I can't wait for our yet-to-be-scheduled Skype date!
So what have we learned from this post? Mondays? BAD! This Monday? Could have been worse.
What have I learned from this post? Complaining is so much fun! I feel better already!
hugs and kisses!
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Menlo Park Apartments: Where 'furnished' means 'complete with a jet engine'
In order to avoid writing another final-essay-long post, as Dad observed during our Skype chat, I figured I should post more often. So here I am. Posting more often. (And by that I mean making the effort to post more often, getting distracted, and ending up with infrequent, super-long posts.)
The jet engine I am referring to in the post title is actually my apartment's washing/drying machine. One of my flatmates is washing her clothes and I can hear the machine all the way upstairs. It literally sounds like a plane is taking off in our kitchen. It's pretty entertaining.
Sightseeing update: I went to the Aran Islands last Saturday. It was a pretty dreary day so the main island probably wasn't at its awe-inspiring best. I did have a couple of mini-adventures though. Our first stop on the bus tour was at a lighthouse and stone fort at the highest point of the island. My accomplices and I had a lot of fun climbing through the holes in the fort walls and taking silly pictures. It was just like being back in elementary school on the jungle gym. I should act like a kid more often - it was fun! We also hiked up to another fort on the edge of the island. It took about 20-30 minutes to get up there and that was probably the first time I had done any hiking since my family hiked the Grand Canyon four years ago. (I was only just a little traumatized.) It was a good first-hike-since-the-Grand-Canyon. We were able to walk to the very edge of the island, and by 'the very edge' I mean one step too many and you would find yourself cliff diving - and not in a good way. I was able to stand at the edge for maybe ten seconds before my fear of heights pulled out the megaphone and told me to slooooooowly back away. The Aran Islands are also really famous for their knitted sweaters, which was probably one of my favorite parts about the islands. There was a documentary about yarn-making and knitting running in the sweater shop and it was SO COOL! There are stitches that only the Aran Islanders know and the families who have lived there since the beginning of time have their own stitch. I love knitting; I can only do the basic stitch, but after seeing the sweater shop, I really wanted to learn something more complex. (Insert not-so-subtle Christmas gift request here) Even though the weather wasn't perfect, it was a fun day trip.
I joined the Dance Society at school and ended up volunteering to teach salsa lessons. The DanSoc was able to get the teacher from last year to teach them, but I thought I was in charge there for a while. I'm actually pretty happy that I'm not the teacher because I was starting to realize how unprepared I was. I don't have any salsa music and I also don't know the lead's footwork for any of the moves, both significant problems unless I was teaching deaf follows. It would have been a really good experience, but it also would have been a fairly big time commitment. And now I get to go to the lessons and imagine how much better my class would have been if I was teaching! So much more fun! I really am super stoked to go to the lessons. I miss CCBDC (Claremont Colleges Ballroom Dance Company) SO MUCH!!!! Salsa nights, Underground Blues, 7AM practice. Wahhhhhhh!!! I have found a bar in town that has salsa dancing but the challenge there is finding people who want to go so I'm not walking around at night by myself. I'm sure I can find someone to drag along at least once, but I WILL GO at least once before the end of the semester.
I also joined the Archaeology Society (cheap sightseeing trips that I don't have to organize!), and there was a meet and greet at the college bar on Tuesday. I went with Alyssa, another Butler student in Menlo. I knew about the free food, but I was not expecting the free glass of wine. It was definitely one of those culture shock moments for both of us (but not in a bad way!). I love being legal.
I don't have any trips planned for this weekend. I figure I should stay here and actually get some work done. Unheard of, I know, but I'm ready to do nothing, er, I mean, be productive, for a change. Alyssa and Jennifer are coming over later to bake carrot cake and make it a study party. I am so excited for this carrot cake. Yum!
Wish you were here!
love always!
The jet engine I am referring to in the post title is actually my apartment's washing/drying machine. One of my flatmates is washing her clothes and I can hear the machine all the way upstairs. It literally sounds like a plane is taking off in our kitchen. It's pretty entertaining.
Sightseeing update: I went to the Aran Islands last Saturday. It was a pretty dreary day so the main island probably wasn't at its awe-inspiring best. I did have a couple of mini-adventures though. Our first stop on the bus tour was at a lighthouse and stone fort at the highest point of the island. My accomplices and I had a lot of fun climbing through the holes in the fort walls and taking silly pictures. It was just like being back in elementary school on the jungle gym. I should act like a kid more often - it was fun! We also hiked up to another fort on the edge of the island. It took about 20-30 minutes to get up there and that was probably the first time I had done any hiking since my family hiked the Grand Canyon four years ago. (I was only just a little traumatized.) It was a good first-hike-since-the-Grand-Canyon. We were able to walk to the very edge of the island, and by 'the very edge' I mean one step too many and you would find yourself cliff diving - and not in a good way. I was able to stand at the edge for maybe ten seconds before my fear of heights pulled out the megaphone and told me to slooooooowly back away. The Aran Islands are also really famous for their knitted sweaters, which was probably one of my favorite parts about the islands. There was a documentary about yarn-making and knitting running in the sweater shop and it was SO COOL! There are stitches that only the Aran Islanders know and the families who have lived there since the beginning of time have their own stitch. I love knitting; I can only do the basic stitch, but after seeing the sweater shop, I really wanted to learn something more complex. (Insert not-so-subtle Christmas gift request here) Even though the weather wasn't perfect, it was a fun day trip.
I joined the Dance Society at school and ended up volunteering to teach salsa lessons. The DanSoc was able to get the teacher from last year to teach them, but I thought I was in charge there for a while. I'm actually pretty happy that I'm not the teacher because I was starting to realize how unprepared I was. I don't have any salsa music and I also don't know the lead's footwork for any of the moves, both significant problems unless I was teaching deaf follows. It would have been a really good experience, but it also would have been a fairly big time commitment. And now I get to go to the lessons and imagine how much better my class would have been if I was teaching! So much more fun! I really am super stoked to go to the lessons. I miss CCBDC (Claremont Colleges Ballroom Dance Company) SO MUCH!!!! Salsa nights, Underground Blues, 7AM practice. Wahhhhhhh!!! I have found a bar in town that has salsa dancing but the challenge there is finding people who want to go so I'm not walking around at night by myself. I'm sure I can find someone to drag along at least once, but I WILL GO at least once before the end of the semester.
I also joined the Archaeology Society (cheap sightseeing trips that I don't have to organize!), and there was a meet and greet at the college bar on Tuesday. I went with Alyssa, another Butler student in Menlo. I knew about the free food, but I was not expecting the free glass of wine. It was definitely one of those culture shock moments for both of us (but not in a bad way!). I love being legal.
I don't have any trips planned for this weekend. I figure I should stay here and actually get some work done. Unheard of, I know, but I'm ready to do nothing, er, I mean, be productive, for a change. Alyssa and Jennifer are coming over later to bake carrot cake and make it a study party. I am so excited for this carrot cake. Yum!
Wish you were here!
love always!
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