The Final Post!

I’m a terrible person. I’m so sorry that I let this blog fall to pieces. And what’s worst is that I’d get everyone’s hopes up by saying a new post was coming and then I’d never post it! I really am sorry, I don’t know what happened. Though I suppose I should have seen this coming since the exact same thing happened with my Harry’s Law and Italy blogs. I start them with so much enthusiasm and consistency and then slowly but surely down they go until they are nothing but another deserted blog on the internet… However! I may neglect my blogs but I never let them die. This will be my one final resurrection post! To recap on the months of April, May, and June and just my Irish experience as a whole. You may need to take breaks while reading it to stretch your legs and rest your eyes because it’s going to be a whopper!

Highlights of April!
-My friends Barbara, Philip and I went on a day trip to the neighboring town of Adare. Here’s this insanely magnificent manor house that we visited there:

-The end of the year Ultimate Frisbee Potluck where “Shooter McGavin” made an appearance.  The potluck itself was fantastic and it’s just so nice to feel like such a part of this team of extraordinary people. And then because so many people on the team are such big Happy Gilmore fans, and just the idea of meeting a famous person was so exciting for them, I arranged for Dad to skype us and boy did it make their night! He showed us the New York skyline, which was met with many “Ooh”s and “Ahh”s from the audience and answered a few questions here and there. But I think their favorite part was when he showed the Shooter McGavin golf bag- they actually started cheering! Here’s a picture of a few of the happy skypers while they talked to him:

-Another great thing that happened this month was that I won a photo contest! The international department put on a competition for who could capture the “International Community on Campus” best and I thought hey, I’ll give it a go. I knew they wanted these pictures for their websites and brochures so I just gathered a group of my international friends, had them stand around an iconic statue on campus, started acting silly to make them laugh, and bam. Took the picture that won the competition! I received 100 euro and a handshake from the Mayor of Limerick. It was pretty cool! Here’s the picture since I’m sure you’re curious, it isn’t one of my favorite picture in Ireland by any means but it had what they were looking for so it worked:

-School was school and I completed my last lectures this month as the only thing that happens in May is lots of studying, exam taking, and anxiety overloads.

-The Aran Islands with Barbara! Which were easily one of the most serene and peaceful places I’ve ever been. You could sit on a beach for an hour and not see another soul. And just wandering through the fields of cows and grass it really felt timeless. People have lived on this island since 2000 B.C. I can’t even comprehend that! Also this two day trip really was the cornerstone in Barbara and my friendship and in the next few weeks that followed we became closer than ever! Her friendship is one I will always cherish and was such a big part of my Irish experience. Here’s a few pictures of our Aran Islands exploration!

On the way to the islands I was on a bus writing an e-mail to my Grandmother. This is an excerpt from that e-mail where I talk about how it feels to be in Ireland and I thought I’d share it with you all here:

“It is so amazing to look out the window right now and see the epitome of Ireland all around me. It’s just fields on fields with stone walls and cows. Then there’s the occasional church, maybe some sheep, more cows, and more fields. And yet, there’s something about it that is just so beautiful! I’m really going to miss the atmosphere here. I don’t think I’ll notice it directly, but subconsciously it will be an adjustment from seeing so much green and land and history all around me. That’s another big thing – the history. We just drove by the ruins of an old stone house that most likely is older than America. How crazy is that?! Ireland is just so full of people that do what they do and have been doing for hundreds off years. There’s a real sense of grounding and pride in this land and all the struggles its people have overcome.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately with the end so in sight about how normal I feel living here. I look back on that first email I sent this year and just can’t believe this all once felt so foreign. But then I think back to home and I can’t believe that all still exists! I feel like I’m living a double life! There’s the California film school Hannah who’s always hustling and bustling and filling every moment with things to do and people to see, and then there’s the Ireland Ultimate Frisbee playing Hannah who takes long walks and could spend an entire day simply relaxing and be satisfied. They are just so different but equally good in their own way! This semester has been a vacation for me really, a change of pace in life. It has given me a chance to take a step back and reflect and has removed from everything I know that so that I could truly define who I am. And I feel like I have. And I so look forward to going back to my busy and productive life with a much stronger grounding of what I want in this world. I’m just incredibly happy I’ve had this experience. It has meant so much to me and I feel like a part of my heart will always belong to Ireland. “

Moving on to the magnificent month of May! Highlights:
-Hiking (or as the Irish say “hill walking”) with my friends to blow of some steam from final exams. Here’s a picture of us after a two hour rainy trek up a Mountain to see this big lake nestled away:

It was really cool as we walked up and down without seeing another soul and knowing that we most likely were the only people to see that lake that day (Probably because it was raining and Irish people have more sense than to climb a Mountain in the rain). But even so it made it all the more magical as if it was there especially for us.

Another one of the hikes I went on was really fun because as we were driving through the National Park in Connemara, we simply saw a Mountain range that looked good, pulled over, and climbed it! For almost 6 hours we trekked up and down through bogs and up rocky slopes. But oh what a feeling to get to the top of the highest Mountain and look down over all the land you covered and the rest of the world so tiny in the distance.

-Copious amounts of muddy Ultimate playing! Oh it was such good fun. Here’s a video my good friend Ruari made after a particularly wet day of training: https://vimeo.com/66679241

And here’s a picture of me gleefully playing in the mud:

Anyways, the school year ended great and after many goodbyes and promises to visit each other, me and the rest of the international students left the University of Limerick forever! But unlike all of them my adventures in Europe (and Ireland) weren’t over yet. My Mom arrived and we were off!

We began our trip with a visit to what I believe to be the most quintessentially Irish town- Kilkenny. The cobble stone streets were filled with colorful little shops and pubs, some that were hundreds of years old! Here’s my favorite picture taken there of the most picturesque reflection on the river:

The best part about visiting Kilkenny though was having one of my good friend from the Ultimate Frisbee team’s Mom to show us around! The kind and generous spirit of the Irish people has been what I loved most here and I really wanted to be able to share that with my Mom. Well luckily I could, because Caroline was the best example of a sweet and generous Irish “Mammy”. She spend her entire afternoon and evening walking us through the streets and telling us the history of the town, on which she was an expert because both sides of her family had lived in Kilkenny for the past 150 years! So we stayed in this town that was supposed to be just a 3 hour stop for close to 7 hours. And even after all the rest of Ireland we saw, I think Kilkenny was my Mom’s favorite.
Here she is with Caroline in the gardens of a Manor House:

We went on to spend two nights in Cork in the south of Ireland. We stayed in the small and equally colorful harbor town of Kinsale. It was amazing to wake up in the morning after arriving late and in the dark and see bright green hills and the clear blue sea outside the window. It was so picturesque! Here’s Mom and I  on the edge of the cliffs right by our B&B:

Day 1 in Cork we visited the Blarney Castle, had some authentic Fish & Chips and Guinness Beef Stew in a pub, met up with a few of my friends so I could show my mom another bit of my life here, and then spent the evening sipping tea and eating homemade cheesecake at my friend’s mom’s house. The Irish Mammy strikes again with kindness.

Day 2 we spent the morning wandering through Kinsale. We saw Charles’ Fort which dates back hundreds of years, ate some exquisite seafood, and then went to our next town of Kilkenny! This time we stayed with my housemate from school. I had stayed there already during the weekend of St.Patrick’s Day and when his mom heard that my Mom was visiting she insisted that we visit and stay with them. Have I proven my point that Irish Mothers are the greatest yet? So we stayed in their lovely modern home and had a great time exploring the area.

Warning! Prepare to shield your eyes from the blinding green vibrancy of the landscape! Killarney is beautiful:

Our time in Killarney was filled with many churches, gorgeous scenery, and the hilarious banter within the family we were staying with. It was such a laugh to watch! Here’s a picture of the Cathedral, which is one of the most magnificent I’ve ever seen:

We woke early and drove across the entire country (it was only 3 hours but I just like saying that) to Dublin! We stopped in a town where there was supposed to be a “McDonald’s Pub” so that we could prove once and for all that we were Irish, but alas our GPS lied and we couldn’t seem to find it. I think we may actually be Scottish because pretty much every Scottish person I know tells me that McDonald is a Scottish name, and I haven’t met a single one in Ireland. My whole life is a lie!
Anyways, we spent the afternoon in Dublin seeing the sights and taking a really informative but embarrassing “Viking Splash Tour” of the city. Here’s us on our aquatic vehicle:

Yes we wore viking helmets and everything:

And that just about sums up Ireland! We spent our night in a hotel and woke up at 4am to catch our flight to Italy.

Chapter 3: Andiamo a Italia!

Mom and I had a wonderful time in Italy. First we went to Rome and were so happy to stay with our family there. Mujah, Luca, Fosco, and Ondina in their beautiful home. Mujah was such a gracious hostess and boy did we eat well! During the days we explored the sites, ate gelato, went to a fair at the kids school, ate gelato, did a little Italian shopping, ate gelato, and then at the end of the day we’d usually eat gelato!
Here are a few pictures from our Roman adventures:
  

And then Mom and I snuck away for a 3 day trip to the Amalfi Coast! It was perfection. We stayed in the quiet and non touristy town of Salerno and then every day went off to go explore other picturesque towns near by! It’s so fun travelling with just my mom and I. This is is the first time it has ever been just the two of us for so long probably ever! The only thing is no one will believe she is my mother. I kid you not EVERY person we met in Ireland and Italy thought we were sisters or travelling friends or lesbians (the owner of our B&B was very skeptical of our request for one bed). But once I convinced them that she was indeed 48 and my mother after a lot of “Oh my gosh no way! You look fantastic!” they’d understand. What can I say though, if I’m still getting carded for buying alcohol when I’m in my forties I’ll be happy!
Here are a few pictures from Positano and Salerno:


We then came back to Rome, had two nights spending time with Mujah and the kids again and just like that our Mommy-Daughter Vacation was over! It was such a blast and I feel so lucky to have such a great Mom to travel with.

And then it was June! And I was back in Ireland for 12 days just hanging out and soaking up as much as I could. Anyone else who was studying in Ireland and left at the end of the semester won’t believe me, but somehow I was lucky enough to see one of the rarest Irish phenomenon- a week of warm happy sunshine! And I’m talking WARM. I had foolishly sent almost all of my shorts home with my mother since the entire semester all they did was sit there and gather dust. So to spite me Ireland gave me a week of short wearing weather! Well I was happy to be spited because it was beautiful to spend all day outside soaking up the sun with the beautiful green rolling hills around me.

I went down to West Cork to the town of Bantry to spend a few days staying with my friend Eilene and her family. It was lovely! A beautiful town on the sea. We went swimming (fully equipped with wetsuits and it was still so cold that I couldn’t even put my hands in the water), horse backriding, and went to the most Southerly point in all of Ireland!
Then I visited my friend Max in central Cork for a night for a delicious barbecue! Irish people are hilarious. They all own barbecues but only get the chance to use them 3 or 4 times a year. But luckily I was around for one of those days and it was an evening of great food, boardgames, laughter, and a jolly good time.
I then spent my last few days in Ireland up in Mayo staying with my friend Gary and his family! Mayo is up in the northern part of southern Ireland and is mainly known for its bog and farmers. And lucky me got the true experience spending my time surrounded by cows and squishy mud!

And then it was time for what I’d been waiting for the past 2 weeks- the biggest most extravagant European Ultimate Frisbee tournament that takes place in Amsterdam! Windmill Windup is its name and when I heard about it upon coming to Ireland I extended my trip just to have the chance to go. So off the UL Ninjas went! Ready to play with the 80+ other European teams at what is better described as an Ultimate Frisbee Festival. Well needless to say, it was awesome. Playing Ultimate all day and then partying all night with the coolest people from all over Europe! It truly was a once in a lifetime experience.  Then after the tournament we spent a few extra days just to explore the exciting and unique city! And finally it was time to go back to Ireland for my one final day.

If I had to describe my experience abroad I’d say it was life changing. Not in the first I was a bad person and now I am good person kind of way, but I am just such a different person after it. I’m enriched, I’m inspired, I’m touched, and I’m changed. I have a fuller perceptive on this world and the people that inhabit it. I have a better understanding of who I am and how I want to live my life. I have a much better knowledge of Ireland and it’s history and traditions.  And I have all these new friendships to appreciate and cherish.

I am just so grateful that I had this incredible opportunity. Thank you to everyone for their love and support!
Here’s me during my last evening in Ireland sitting in my favorite spot at the top of the tower of Solitude and looking out over the place that I have grown to love so much:

If you’ve made it this far I congratulate you. This post was 3,000 words long! Thank you for reading, it really means a lot.
Now on to the next adventure in life! Happy summer everyone.
Cheers!

Hello friends,

Remember when I said this would be a bi-weekly blog? That unfortunately was a lie. My life has just been geared towards less blogging and more living! However, I do think documenting my Ireland experience on here is great and I appreciate you all reading and supporting me so much. So within this next week there will be a post to talk about all that was April. And then there will be a post in the future describing everything in May. And then I’ll do one final post when I’m back in the states at the end of June to sum up my experience.
I appreciate your patience and understanding! I think this new plan will work out best from here on out.
As always thanks for reading and look for my new post sometime around this coming Friday!
Thanks a million. Cheers!

-Hannah

March Madness!

Hello Everyone!
I’m back after weeks of neglect to resurrect my pitiful excuse for a weekly blog. A big thanks to all of you faithful readers who stayed even when days were dark and all hope seemed lost. Fear not my friends, the blog is back in business!

I write to you today in the warmth of the bright Irish sun- a true phenomenon! We’ve had such lovely weather lately and you can really see it’s effects on everyone. Sunshine just makes people happy!

My last real post was after the first weekend of March when I explored the bright and exciting city of Madrid! So let’s pick it up right after that. Buckle your seat belts everyone, because the roll coaster that was March is about to begin.

I returned from Spain to go straight into a week anticipated by the University of Limerick’s student body for the entire year- RAG (Raising and Giving) week. Now every college in Ireland does this and basically it is a week dedicated to raising as much money as possible while having as much fun as possible. The studies are few and the drinking is plentiful and by the end of the week thousands of euros are raised for charity! There’s events like mud wrestling, pub quizzes, the nearly naked mile, huge concerts, and “Shave or Dye” where tons of students get sponsored to shave or dye their hair into the craziest hairdos possible. It was an absolutely wild week that started the month off running!

That weekend I went to yet another Ultimate tournament, this time up in Dublin!
Here’s a group shot of us all after the wettest, muddiest, and wildest day of Ultimate playing that I’ve ever experienced:

I had another week full of classes and then I was off again to my next adventure- this time a weekend in the beautiful town of Killarney to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with my housemate Mike and his family! Now contrary to popular belief, St.Patrick’s day is not that big of a deal here. Sure towns will have their parades full of adorable children all dressed up waving and throwing candy at you, and then people may go out for a drink in a pub, but other than that it’s just a normal day. Much to Mike’s dismay I enjoyed the parade with my American-Irish pride displayed proudly as I war all green and danced along to the Irish music. I had an incredible weekend filled with hiking, fishing, and the most delicious food. Irish people still remain to be the most hospitable in the world. Here’s a picture of Mike, his mom, and his sister who were my own personal tour guides for the weekend!

Their house was so lovely and the view out the windows was like the epitome of Ireland. Equipped with mountains, huge fields, a flowing river, and of course sheep. Every morning I drank my tea and wrote in my journal in this spot:

It was perfection.

The highlight of the weekend for me was when we hiked up the gorgeous Torc Mountain to be rewarded with the most breathtaking view at the top!

It really was magical. As was the giant waterfall near the bottom:

Will Ireland ever stop being beautiful? Let’s hope not. 🙂

I came back from my fantastic weekend to go straight into another 3 days of classes and then by that Thursday I was packing up again this time for a 9 day trip to London for my Spring Break!

It was incredible. I’m sorry, I feel like I’m being really redundant in my positive adjectives but there is no other way to adequately describe my experiences!

Anyways, while I was in London I stayed with my old roommate Zanny from back at Chapman. Every day we’d get up, take the train into the city, and have the time of our lives! The buildings and monuments in London are astounding. My favorite thing to see was Big Ben. Though his name is deceiving as it was a lot smaller than I expected!  I think what makes it remarkable isn’t it’s size but rather it’s exquisite details and splendor! They should call it “Medium Sized Ben that is really pretty!” Doesn’t really roll of the tongue but it fits.

Here’s me admiring Ben in all his glory:

And here’s one of my favorite pictures I took with Big Ben and then the London Eye in the background:

This city is extraordinary!

Another of the best parts was the first few days I was there and it was snowing. The peaceful snowfall contrasting with the bustling city was really neat. Here’s me and a few of my friends from the University of Limerick that we met up with for the day:

It was great to have so much time in London because I didn’t feel like I had to rush from one site-seeing destination to the other. But rather I just got to leisurely amble from one place to the next enjoying long stops in coffee shops in between. It was just perfect!

The one thing that could have gone better was our theater seeing experience. I decided that while in London I had to see a show on the West End! Every day for 5 days in a row we went to participate in the Book of Mormon Lottery, but unfortunately we never got to see the show. We did however win the lottery one day, but unfortunately Zanny was running a bit late so I put her name in for her and by some crazy chance her name was drawn as she was literally running down the street to the theater. She got there two minutes too late and missed it. It was tragic, especially because I had to stand there as they counted down the seconds before they gave her tickets away. But I suppose it wasn’t meant to be so we instead saw Singing in the Rain from the second to last row…but it was a West End experience nonetheless!

Here’s Zanny and I outside the beautiful and well decorated theater:

And here’s one more picture I really like from London of the Tower Bridge:

I returned from London with 800 pictures on my camera, 3 more pounds on my waistline, and memories to last a lifetime. But the fun wasn’t over yet! Zanny came back with me to Ireland and now it was my turn to show her the sights of the country I now know and love.

We started our weekend with, you guessed it, another Ultimate Tournament! This time down in Cork in the South of Ireland. It was a beautiful day for playing and I got to show Zanny what my Ultimate obsession is all about! Here’s a picture of our happy team at the end of the day:

What really amazes me looking at this is the fact that I am the only american in this whole photo. I love that no matter where you’re from we are all so fundamentally similar that you can be friends with anyone! And I really cherish the friendships I’ve made with these girls, I’m  going to miss them so much when this school year is over.

Anyways, Zanny and I then had the lovely experience of staying in a warm Irish home of my friend Max from the Ultimate team. And yet again the Irish showed their wonderful hospitality. We stayed in a beautiful room overlooking the ruins of an old castle, we were awakened with tea in bed every morning, spent the days getting shown around Cork City and the beautiful countryside around it, and then ending each day with some whiskey and Irish coffee as we chatted around the warm fire into the wee hours of the night. Nothing could have been better!

One of the days we even went on the Jameson Whiskey Brewery tour where we got to see the whole process of how whiskey is made and learned all the history that’s behind it. And then we were given a lovely sample of some of the finest Jameson whiskey at the end!
Though I’m still trying to acquire a taste for it: 

Haha anyways the following day we left Cork and I took Zanny up to the Cliffs of Moher and then we spent the next day in Dublin! So it was go go go for a whole 2 weeks as I experienced London and Zanny experienced Ireland. And even after 2 weeks of constantly being together we somehow weren’t sick of each other! Here’s a picture of us by the Irish sea side:

(I think I should be a hair model with that wind blown look)
Also, I’m a ninja:

And now I’m back into the swing of things with staying in Limerick and going to college. We’re getting to that time of year where tons of final assignments are due and exams are right around the corner. So now I’m actually having to be studious and do school work- what is this nonsense?! I guess it’s called “Study” Abroad for a reason…

So that’s what I’ve been up to! I’m sorry again to cram an entire month into one blog post. But! I’m only officially halfway through my abroad experience. I’m 10 weeks in with 10 weeks to go! So never fear, there are many more posts to come.
Thanks again for reading and I wish you all a wonderful weekend! I’m off to my last Irish Ultimate Tournament this weekend up in Maynooth. It should be great craic. 🙂

Also, my favorite view walking over the River Shannon is still beautiful as ever:

Cheers!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151514981200218&set=a.10151461717550218.523999.659860217&type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151514981200218&set=a.10151461717550218.523999.659860217&type=3&theater

So I was fairly optimistic when I thought I’d edit an entire “Weekend in Killarney” video last night. But now I leave fore London in 2 hours and I can’t leave you guys with nothing so here’s the link to my Facebook Album that I just updated with my Killarney photos! If you’re reading this, we’re probably Facebook friends so it should be grand. I’m sorry if you don’t have a Facebook! But really, get with the times. 😛

Thanks for reading and prepare for a humungous picture packed post when I return from London! 

Happy Easter Break everyone. 🙂

Quick update!

Hello lads!
So I’m currently in the process of compiling all the footage I took over my St.Paddy’s day weekend in Killarney into my first ever video blog of sorts! So now instead of reading my rambles, you’ll get to hear them as you watch my adventures happen before your very eyes! Hopefully I’ll have it up tonight, so stay tuned for that. Also, I leave for my Spring Break in London tomorrow! The fun never stops!
Cheers.

España

Hello Everyone!
First off let me say I’m sorry this post is so long overdue! I went to Spain for the weekend and then came back and went straight into one of the craziest weeks of my life. But anyways, more on that later. For now let me tell you all about my wonderful weekend in Madrid!
WARNING: You are about to see a ton of pictures. Most of them are extreme close-ups of delicious Spanish food. Reading while hungry is not advised.

I was up and off to Dublin at 8am Friday morning with all my possessions on my back ready for the incredible adventures ahead!
Unfortunately the airport wouldn’t let me bring my poison. Ugh, they are just so strict these days!

My view as the plane came down:

And this is Matt! My good friend from back home who visited me in Ireland a few weeks ago and now will be my tour guide for the weekend as he shows me around the city he’s spending a semester in.

I was greeted by the beautiful view from Plaza de España as the sun set on the palace and the city below:

And naturally the first thing I had to do was get my Spanish noms on. So we stepped into this delicious little restaurant and had some paella, ham, and fries:

And then we explored the city! Madrid is just so alive at night. Especially because Spanish people do everything much later than I’m used to. Eating dinner ar 10pm is the average and you wouldn’t even bother going out to clubs until it was at least after midnight! Crazy.

We then indulged in one of Spain’s favorite dessert dishes. Churros dipped in hot rich and creamy chocolate. Oh. my. goodness.

This is healthy… right?

My first full day began with Matt taking me on a beautiful walk along the river. It was a nice warm Saturday it was lovely to see all the locals out enjoying the warm weather riding their bikes, walking their dogs, and playing on the countless playgrounds! Seriously though Madrid has some awesome city planning as there are playgrounds everywhere they could put them. And not just your average slide and swings either. But zip lines and obstacle courses and all sorts of awesome things as well! I was in heaven.
  
We then walked up from the river to the city center and explored a bit more of Madrid.
And then of course indulged in some more incredible spanish food.
This hunk of meat was interesting… It took a lot of heart to eat it.


(That flan may look good, but my Mom’s is better 😉 )

And now that we were nice and stuffed we decided that nothing would be better than going back to the grass by the river and taking a good ‘ole Spanish ciesta! Easily my favorite thing about the spanish culture. There is no shame in an afternoon nap! 🙂
Also, somehow the camera took a picture of us sleeping again… weird.

We finished that day with some lovely dinner and tea in a cafe, and Matt even had hot wine! Which was soooo delicious. I stayed with a few of Matt’s friends who are from Boston and are studying here. And it was really awesome because 2 of their housemates just happened to be visiting Ireland this weekend which means there was a free bed for me. Hooray!

Day 2 we began by visiting the giant park of Spain and had the most scrumptious picnic while laying in the grass and watching  all the people out enjoying their days.
Look at this food. It’s all you need to be happy in this world: 
The park was really beautiful it reminded me a lot of Italy. Filled with gorgeous building and monuments and people just relaxing and enjoying life!


By the way the girl on the right is another friend from Chapman named Jenna who is also studying in Madrid!

There were plants on this building and I thought it was quite cool:
  
We spent the rest of our day going to the Prado art museum which was incredible. I don’t have any pictures to show of it but it was awesome to see all these giant Biblical paintings with so many details it was hard to believe they weren’t photographs! It was also really convenient that Matt and Jenna are both in a European Art History class so they are learning all about these artists we were seeing so I just got to stand there as they informed me about all the interesting fun facts about the significance of the art. |My absolute favorite painting we saw was this:

It’s “The Garden of Earthly Delights” by Bosch and it was the most intricate thing I’d ever laid eyes on. I also really liked that he had a sort of fantastical style when the rest of the world was painting things in a very realistic way.
Anyways looking at art was great and afterwards we went to go grab some delicious café con leche and had some sangria too which was so refreshing! It’s basically like a fruit, wine, and bubbles concoction that hit the spot perfectly.

This is your average meat shop in Spain… There is so much ham here!

Matt and I said farewell to Jenna and finished our day with some much anticipated Tapas from a delicious little restaurant!
We had pork meatballs and french fries:

The most delicious croquetas in the world:

And some exquisite chili rellenos:

We then retired to a friends house for the evening and at the crack of 1am went out to a club! Yes 1 am we we went OUT to the club. Only to return at 5:30 am. Oh Spain. No wonder they need afternoon naps!

My final morning in Spain was spent going to the Reina Sofia Art Museum. In contrast to the Prado from the day before, this museum was filled with all modern art from the past 200 centuries. I saw work from Picasso, Salvador Dali, Diego Rivera, and more! It was really fascinating. And I always feel so sophisticated leaving an art museum. Well I guess we’ll use the term “sophisticated” loosely since upon leaving I did pretend the statue outside was a giant piece of bacon…
 
But anyways! I finished my spanish escapade with one final great meal of a ham and cheese sandwich and some sardines and olives!

 

And alas, it was time to bid farewell to this great city! I couldn’t have asked for a better tour guide and I am so glad I had the opportunity to go to another country and experience such a different and wonderful culture! 

Thanks for reading everyone! And sorry this post was a bit rushed. But hopefully I’ll get back in the swing of nice little weekly updates! I just have to stop doing such awesome stuff and taking so many pictures.
So far I’ve taken 1,457 pictures in Ireland (and those are just the good ones!)

Anyhoo, I hope you all have a lovely week!
Cheers.

Short and Sweet

Well Lads!
Another week has come and gone and that good ole’ phrase “Time flies when you’re having fun!” remains truer than ever.
The phenomenon that is sunshine continues! I’m actually a bit concerned now because it has almost been two weeks since the sky has shed a single drop. This isn’t what I signed up for! Watch- right now is probably the beginning of this crazy apocalyptic drought and in 5 months we’ll all be remembering that the last day it rained was February 13th. If it happens, you heard it here first!

Anyways enough predictions about the future, let’s talk about the now!
The big highlight of my week was “The Siege of Limerick” Ultimate Tournament that took place here at UL this past weekend. It was incredible! There were over 300 Ultimate players with teams coming from as far as the UK and Germany! And I tell you there is nothing like being surrounded by Ultimate players for a whole weekend. You just can’t not be happy! There is just such a positive spirit and camaraderie amongst Ultimate players. And we had such ideal playing weather!
Here’s the best action shot of me from the tournament:

And for the record, I totally got the D.
Ultimate players also throw the best parties, so of course the costume theme for Saturday Night’s party was “Kids TV Show Characters”. It was so much fun! The Teletubbies were there, Scooby and the Gang, Popeye, and Big Bird even made an appearance!
My friend Neill and I went as Cosmo and Wanda from the Fairly Odd Parents, and I don’t have the picture from the beginning of the night yet that shows how awesome our costumes were when fully intact, but once I do I’ll post it here. I mean we basically looked exactly like this:

And my last picture from the Ultimate Weekend is for all of those people who say Ultimate is not a real sport. Check out this for a hardcore battle wound!:

Other than that, Ireland still remains beautiful as ever. Here’s yet another picture to add to my collection of river shots:
Nutella is still my weakness. I must say I impressed even myself with my thorough jar licking skills:

Last Thursday a few of my girly friends and I had a lovely girls night in all the stereotypical ways. We ate cookies, drank hot chocolate, painted our nails, and giggled. It was wonderful! Here’s proof of the giggling:

I also received a pleasant visitor surprise from one of my friends back home- Scott Wild! He is studying abroad in Germany and was traveling through Ireland for a few days. I only had a few hours with him so naturally what did I do?
Took him to the Tower of Solitude and then had some tea and biscuits.
And it was a marvelously sunny view from the top of the tower that day. Man the tree reflections here kill me!

Here’s Scott, quite pleased with the view. 

So though it was short, it was a lovely visit from a friend. And if all goes as planned I will be visiting him in Berlin in a few months! This whole ‘Tons of Chapman Students are studying abroad in Europe this Semester’ is really working out to be great for visiting other countries!

And lastly, I forgot to mention that I recieved the honor of being my teams “Most Spirited Player” at the tournament and was rewarded with fresh butterscotch made by our very own Daragh O’ Céilleachair! (Hah, try pronouncing that one). I don’t think I’ve ever really had butterscotch in it’s liquid form before and I had no idea what I’d been missing!
Look at that golden deliciousness:
That’s all the updates for now! Life is incredible and I can’t wait for all the adventures to come. Speaking of which, I’ll be going to Spain this weekend! So prepare for tons of pictures of glorious spanish food in the next post. I. Can’t. Wait.
Thanks for reading and I hope you all are having a lovely week!
Cheers.

Oh goodness, I almost forgot. My housemate Mike has started a list comparing the differences between America and Ireland and he wanted me to tell all my American readers that our beer cans are shite. They are evidently much too small.
Spoken like a true Irishman…

Kissing stones and seeing cliffs!

Hello Everyone!

Alright so just for the sake of getting all these pictures onto the internet this post will be entirely photos (with a few captions here and there) from my “Ireland in a Weekend” trip with Matt. We went to the Blarney Castle, the Burren, the Cliffs of Moher, and of course had some great meals and drinks along the way!
I’ll be posting another regular summary of my week next Monday. I hope you all are having a great week!

Limerick City on a Saturday morning at 8am.

This picture sums up Ireland- Guiness & Rugby.
We started our Blarney adventure with some lunch and I had the best freaking seafood chowder I have ever tasted in my life!
And of course a delicious steak sandwich too:
My creeper shot of the lovely ambience in “Christies”.

The Blarney Castle!

Unbeknownst to me there are a bunch of caves and tunnels underneath the castle!

Being a rebel has it’s consequences.

The first of many “selfie” shots of Matt and I!

A questionable room…

Just hanging out in the Family Room…

And of course, I kissed the Blarney stone!

But Matt got rather intimate with her sister…

The castle grounds were absolutely gorgeous!

And I found the Manor House to be almost more impressive than the castle.

Crafty camera placement to photograph Matt and I in the “Witches Kitchen”. Tree Tri-pod!

   
Matt wants to live inside this tree.

And I am getting really good at framing “selfie” shots with cool objects on the background.

And we finished the day with a visit to a lovely pub in Limerick where we had a drink, watched a rugby match, and lived the Irish life.

Also, best smoked salmon of my life!

The ambiance of the pub.

Day 2! First Stop- The Burren.

Oh the Irish Seaside…
  
The best mashed potatoes I have ever had in my life.

So many “selfie” shots, but we’re pretty darn cute so you’re welcome!

And then finally, the cliffs of Moher!

The wind was fierce, so we became ninjas to battle the cold.

And Matt takes on the Ninja persona quite well. So. Awesome!

Pretty clever bathroom art.

Oh silly Camera, taking pictures of us sleeping.

And our final stop was at the beautiful Bunratty Castle.

And there you have our adventurous weekend in a nut shell! May I point out that miraculously it didn’t rain the entire time! Magic. Also I forgot to explain earlier that Matt is my schoolmate from Chapman University and is studying abroad in Spain this semester. Which is really convenient when it comes to traveling around Europe.  So I gave him the Ireland experience, and in 2 weeks time I’ll be having a weekend in Madrid! 😀

Cheers!

Week three. Yippee!

Hello hello hello!

I’m back again a week later with countless new adventures to report! Let’s get right into it theI started this week out right with my first official Irish “fry” made by my wonderful housemate Mike.

The typical fry includes sausages, rashers (sort of like bacon), black pudding, white pudding, fried eggs, toast, and a fried tomato. It was 11pm on a Monday night when we decided to indulge in this fry (normally considered a breakfast meal). We’re college students which means naturally we didn’t have all the ingredients, such as the tomatoes and eggs. But we decided to work with what we had! Now as an American I’m thinking “Ooh pudding! That wonderful custard like dessert item that I love so much.” Boy was I wrong. White pudding is made of pork meat, fat, and oatmeal. Black pudding is made out of congealed blood, and grain. And they are in no way the consistency of custard! However, disgusting as the ingredients sound to someone like me, they were actually quite good! Though it probably helped that Mike didn’t tell me what they were made of until after we’d finished eating.
Here are the uncooked puddings and sausages:

And here they are after all being cooked into a delicious pile of meat:

My favorite part is definitely the rashers, which (and I can’t believe I’m saying this) are more delicious than our American form of bacon!

Anyhoo, that’s the food portion of the blog today. And the moral is- even if something is made of buckets of congealed pigs blood you should still try it…

Moving on! I don’t know why, and I don’t know how, but for some reason this week had more not rain then rain. It was glorious! And now I’m starting to think that Ireland was just testing us all out when we first got here. It was like “Hey all you exchange students, I’m going to rain every day  for two weeks and see if you still are glad you chose me. Mouhahaha.” To which we responded with a forced smile through gritted teeth “We love the rain!” And Ireland was like “Aw man, you’re no fun. Well then, just to spite you I will have beautiful dry weather for a while.” Reverse psychology at it’s finest!

Here’s a picture a took of my consistently favorite view from the middle of the bridge on a blue skied day:

By the end of this semester I’ll probably have 100 pictures of this exact same shot with all the different weather and skies that I’ve experienced here. And then I’ll make a collage!

Now I feel like I’m getting pretty accustomed to the Irish life and have managed to act natural in most social situations. But there has definitely been times where my ‘American’ is showing. For example I bought yogurt a few weeks ago and was giggling with my housemates about how small their yogurt was over here. Turns out, I bought yogurt for babies. Touché. In addition I wanted to buy some tissues at the store and  saw a set of two boxes packaged together for a great deal. Turns out, when they advertise “Man-sized tissues” they mean it! And true to their stereotypical classification these tissues are huge.
But these silly blunders in life are what keep us laughing at ourselves: 😛

For Valentines day this week our school had tons of events that ended up being great craic!
The “Raising and Giving Club” organized an event in the plaza where you and your special someone could light a paper lantern and watch it float out into the sky. And just like in the movie Tangled t was a beautiful spectacle!

Though we did have a couple close calls when two lanterns B-lined towards the big tree nearly setting the University on fire. But good ‘ole Ireland came through and the wood of the trees were evidently too damp to catch fire.

I continued my Valentines celebration by making and eating dinner with a few of the lovely ladies from Ultimate Frisbee. We compensated for our inevitable chocolate consumption later by eating mostly veggies, and boy were they delicious! You know you’ve been deprived of vegetables when you actually crave more salad. I’m starting to think my bread, cheese, and biscuit diet isn’t really the healthiest way to go…
Here’s a silly picture of us girls after our meal:

I am  so glad that I’m making such wonderful friends over here. 🙂

I continued my night by eating tons of chocolate at an event put on by the chocolate society. Yes, you heard me right, MY SCHOOL HAS A CHOCOLATE SOCIETY. And then I ended the evening by being hypnotized along with 6 other people in front of a group of 300 students. Now that was an interesting experience to say the least! I ended up participating in a horse race, chasing an imaginary dog around, and many other odd activities. So it was a great Valentines Day to say the least!
But now I am aware that every student I walk by on campus may have been at that show watching me look like a fool. But hey, what else is new!

In my Irish Folklore Class (which is turning out to be one of my definite favorites) we got the chance to make a cross of St. Brigit. This traditional Irish act is done by taking fresh rushes from the fields and bending them over one another in a way where at the end you’ve made a four armed cross. The teacher supplied us rubber bands to tie off the arms, but I was feeling pretty crafty that day and decided to use other rushes to weave around the ends holding them secure.
Apparently, no one has every thought of this before because my teacher was so amazed with my innovation that she said I was most likely the reincarnated St.Brigit herself. Quite the compliment! Here is my masterpiece which I have traditionally hung above my door to protect the house from evil and fire:

You know that tower that always is on the left side of my bridge pictures? Well I went out to explore it again, this time equipped with my camera and friend Andy and it was just as awesome as last time. This spiral staircase is all that is left of what was once a 7 story castle!

Up and up and up the 99 stairs we went (yes that’s exact) and just as you reach the 87th stair there is this a big gap testing the true courage of the climber:

But Andy and I are conquerers and up we went to sit on the top and gaze at the beautiful Irish landscape before us:

Does the pattern on this stone wall look familiar to anyone else?
Eh? Eh? Well regardless, I thought it was pretty darn beautiful.

Here’s Andy and I happily enjoying our gorgeous spot on top of the world:

And I’ll finish this post today with this picture of a funky colored boat by the River Shannon with my apartment complex in the background.
This. is. paradise.
But in all honesty I just want to take a moment to say that this really is the most incredible experience of my life. I mean, you may have gathered that already but it just really hit me the other day. I’m in Ireland, surrounded by a stunning environment, meeting incredible people, thriving in the energetic nightlife, learning things with a new worldly perspective, and just living the life! I am just so grateful and happy to be here right now.

Anyhoo, that’s all for now! But I will be posting again in the next day or two with all the pictures from my fantastic weekend trip to the Blarney Castle and the Cliffs of Moher with my friend Matt. (The new cover photo is just a teaser).
Thanks for reading and I hope you all have a lovely week!

Cheers! 🙂

Where’d that week go?

Hello lads!
(Oh quit yer whining, lads can go both ways).

Wow, the moment I step into a routine the days start flying by!
I blinked and it was Saturday, but it’s all grand. I think my posts may start being a weekly thing. Like every Sunday I post and sort of sum up the week. Sound good? Okay, cool. Let’s carry on then.
This week we were rewarded with more dry days then wet ones. Which was wonderful because it gave me the chance to take some beautifully sun lit pictures of my campus!
So now I’ll take you through a brief tour of my everyday walk to campus.
First I leave my house and start to walk across the University Bridge, referred to by my housemate Mike as “The Bridge of Fear” because on a normal day you never know how the wind and rain will terrorize you on the way to class! And if I look over my shoulder I see this- Thomand Village, my home for the semester:
(HELPFUL TIP: You can click on the pictures and they’ll open in a new tab and be all big and glorious.)

Continuing across I get the full panoramic view of the big beautiful River Shannon:

See that tower sticking up right below the sun? That’s the one I mentioned earlier with a still almost fully intact spiral staircase to the very top. I still need to go back up there and take a photo of the view of the beautiful Irish landscape around me.

Next I come off this bridge and cross over the road through the next Residential Village:

Goodness, when the sun comes out the grass grows like a million smiling er… green people.

Next I cross over this bridge, through the car park, and on to campus:

Oh, and see this pole thing? It’s a structure that is in perpetual motion:

So even if it’s just ever so lightly, all the joints are always rotating and gliding around.

Anyhoo then I’m on main campus and I go to my lectures which I’m enjoying quite well so far! Mostly because the hard work hasn’t begun. They don’t grade like Chapman at all here! Every class you are graded on two things- your mid term and your final and that’s it! Whether they are essays, tests, or presentations, it is only those two things that make up your grade. So this will be a semester of self motivation, many hours in the library, and as little procrastination as possible!… at least, I hope it will be.

On to greater and exciting things! I officially immigrated on Friday so now I can legally well, just be here I guess. So if anyone doubts my legitimacy I can just pop out my green card and bam! Proof that the government knows I’m here. They took our fingerprints and everything which made me feel like a really highly dangerous potential criminal or something. I just better wear gloves!
Here are some cool shots I took on that sunny day in Limerick City:

Oh and during the immigration appointment all five of the Chapman students studying here were reunited so we just had to take a group photo:

When I returned back to the college, my friend Casey from the Ultimate Frisbee team took me on a crazy adventure to see the ruins of a castle near campus. It was AWESOME.
We’re just walking along dodging the giant mud puddles and admiring the pretty riverside landscape:

When BAM! Out comes this castle out of nowhere:

This place put that tower near my apartment to shame. It was the remnants of a full blown 4 story castle! Well technically it was a manor house since it wasn’t terribly huge. But it was castle enough for me and we had a marvelous time exploring it’s structure and appreciating it’s history.
There is only about half of it left or so, but enough that you can imagine it’s size and splendor:

And so much of the “floors” were still intact. You walk down this hallway and think that hundreds of years ago someone was casually walking down that hallway every day.

Though graffiti on a  beautiful historic thing can be negative and rude, sometimes it really does just look awesome:

Casey also pointed out this peculiar hole on the top floor that went all the way to the ground and dumped out onto the marsh land. What ever could it be?:

A good ol’ fashioned toilet of course! You know to be fair that would make going to the bathroom rather exciting as your “feces” fell down four stories. Everybody does it, might as well make it fun! …moving on. 

Look ma, a castle!

Here’s Casey in a hole:

One of the coolest parts of the structure was the “windows” which literally were just slats up the sides of the building:

They were designed that way for protection against attacks, and they were just wide enough for an archer to shoot through them. Crafty, but crazy that that was a common and necessary thing!

Here’s the bit of the spiral staircase that has started falling away and leads to the roof:

Isn’t it so cool that the grass is growing on the fourth floor of a building? That kept freaking me out. How did it get there? Silly grass, that’s not the ground!

And lastly, here’s an awesome picture Casey took of me looking up the spiral staircase:

That was probably one of the coolest experiences I’ve had since coming here. It was just so surreal imagining how this building was back in the 16th century. And Casey was really fun to talk to especially because he comes from one of those nice big Irish families who have been in the same place for the past 400 years. And when I say big I mean big. His Dad comes from a family of 17 and he has about 50 cousins just on that side! And here I thought I was cool with my whopping 23 cousins. I am humbled.

And the last notable event of my week was going to the “Milk Market”, a big flourishing farmers market that goes on every Saturday in the heart of Limerick city. It was everything I wanted it to be and more! Filled with knick-knacks and do-dads:

The freshest of fresh vegetables:

(I love that they don’t even bother washing the dirt off. They’re like “Heck, carrots come from the ground. Give ’em a rinse before ye eat and you’ll be fine.)

And of course incredible baked goods, and cheeses, and other food delectables:

I was in heaven.
I left equipped with a big fresh loaf of bread (the good kind with nuts and seeds in it), a jar of black current jam, a big hunk of fresh delicious cheese, a handfull of sun dried tomatoes, 3 apples, and 2 really cool vintage post cards of Ireland from the 60’s.

I finished my Saturday with a spontaneous cinema trip to see Wreck-it Ralph with my friend Ollie (who’s super awesome, Irish, and in a band). I really appreciated their glorious use of puns and the nostalgia of seeing all those old video games. And it was one of those heart felt stories that sneak up on ya. There you are chuckling away at the adorable animation and bam they rip your heart out. But like all good Disney films they are sure to stick it back in your chest and end on a happy note. So that was a grand time and I returned home to feast on the glory that is melted cheese on bread with sun dried tomatoes on top. Life is good.

That’s pretty much it for now! Oh but first I wanted to point out how extremely talented my friend Dillon from Ultimate is:

He’s got mad skillz:

I’ve been playing loads of Ultimate Frisbee here and I’m absolutely loving it! I’ve also found that it’s really necessary to cancel out my extreme consumption of biscuits. Ah, the beautiful balance of life.

And I’ll end this massive blog post with one of my favorite pictures I’ve taken thus far of your average stunning Irish landcape:

Thanks for reading! I hope all is well back home and in the rest of the world where this is being read. And I give mad props to the teleporting reader who somehow managed to be the only visitor one day and yet was in four different counties:

Haha oh silly wordpress.

Top of the evenin’ to you all.
Cheers!