From a Day of Study To a Night at the Concert Hall

I knew I'd have a very busy day today, so I woke up early to eat before my run. Surprisingly, it was sunny outside, and I was able to run around town in a tank top. My run went a little long though, so I had to go to class in my running outfit. Worst. Mistake. Ever. During religion it started pouring rain, the wind picked up and dropped in temperature, so I had to walk from one side of campus to the other in that weather in just a tank top. I did not make intelligent decisions.

I enjoyed my lunch in my room and was able to call home for a bit. After talking to my mom, I found out that my postcards that I left my hostel owner to send in Scotland never arrived. I emailed him and those postcards should be on their way to people shortly. I continued to study very hard for my exam before I had to go back to class.

For my exam, we had to pick four terms from a list of thirty and write in detail about each of the ones we chose. There were over one hundred terms from the class, so I memorized paragraphs I wrote for about five of them. Luckily, I did more than four because one of my terms didn't make the chosen list of thirty! I felt that I did really well, however, I finished a little early and was really nervous about not having enough detail, so for one of my terms I added in a fact that I learned on my Guinness factory tour. I wrote about how many men during the famine would use what little money they had on beer, and that's why Guinness put more nutrients in it, giving it more iron than a steak and keeping the men healthy. So, thank you Guinness, I hope your knowledge helps.

After my exam, I had to eat dinner and get ready quickly, because all the Saint Mary's girls were headed to Dublin on a field trip. We traveled to the National Concert Hall and listened to the talented pianist, John O'Conor for two hours.

Only half of us are in this photo. I'm third in from the right

View from my seat

This smile is fake. I was bored

The trip wasn't my cup of tea, but he played very well, and it was fun to get a little dressed up. When I got home, I immediately got in my comfy clothes, so that I could work on more of my essays.

I forgot to take my earrings out, but
this is an accurate depiction of how
I felt getting home

This week and the next are going to be very stressful for me, but I know that once they're over, I'm going to continue to have the time of my life. Fingers crossed I can stay focused!

On the Irish Grind Stone

Well, they weren't lying- summer has gone. It's gotten way colder and the rain has come back. Oh, well. I hope that I can find it again when I go on my trip with the SMC girls to the Aran Islands. We leave Friday and come back Monday night (don't worry, Monday is a bank holiday so we won't be missing school). But that'll be next weekend, here's what happened this weekend:

Friday: I slept in after my night at The Roost and woke up to gray skies and a light drizzle. This might be a bit weird, but I found this in one of the stalls when I went to the bathroom at The Roost, and really liked it.

It reads, "Smile, happiness looks gorgeous
on you!" I bet this has made tons of drunk
girls burst into tears

We all had our own work that needed to be done, so my roomies and I all sat in the common room working on our essays. I tried to look for summer jobs, and applied to a ton. For dinner, some of the guys came over and we ordered burritos because being in Ireland makes you really miss the ease of Chipotle.

Saturday: Maynooth was a total ghost town. I tried to study outdoors, but it was far too cold with the sun never coming out. I continued to work on my assignments indoors throughout the day and studied for my one and only exam. The exam is on Irish history so there's a lot of difficult dates and people to remember. I went to the gym (because of the rain) as a study break and greatly enjoyed being able to use the facilities without fifty people trying to fit into the place built for fifteen.

Took this on the way to the gym

When I got back from the gym, I tried to look for jobs again, but it's going to be hard to be hired while I'm here. So, if anyone in Michigan knows of somewhere that can hire me, even if someone needs a nanny or a sitter, I would greatly appreciate the job!

Sunday: Sorry, but I basically did the same things again. I stressed out over all the assignments I have and the exam that's a huge part of my grade. I did, however, take a study break to go to mass, where, instead of the priest giving his homily, a young seminarian from Saint Patrick's (the school we share a campus with and where I take my religion class) came forward to talk to the audience. He was supposed to be recruiting for more people to join the seminary, so he told us about how he got to Saint Patrick's. He started off by telling us that he didn't have some amazing story, he wasn't a convert, nor did he have one big dramatic revelation that he was supposed to be on this path. Apparently, when he was six he told his dad he wanted to be a priest, as he was an altar boy and understood what being a priest meant. (He even said how he understood they couldn't be married, but that didn't matter to him at six years old). His father hit the roof and he decided he no longer wanted to be a priest. As he grew up, he still believed, yet school made him fall away from the weekly attendance of mass. He decided to pursue working in a business, until an advisor at his school told him that Saint Patrick's was looking for more people to become religion teachers. He'd always wanted to be a teacher, and theology could become a part of his life again. So, he took it. I really enjoyed his story, and it gave me more admiration for the men in my religion class, and any who join the seminary at all.

Tomorrow is my exam! Wish me tons of luck and I'll let you know how it goes.

Summer? Or Nah...

The weather truly has been beautiful here. There's nothing like the pink flowers on the trees, and seeing practically the entire campus outside on blankets hanging out or passing around soccer balls together. However, the boys told me that summer doesn't last, which makes me a little nervous! But, let me tell you about my beautiful days:

Tuesday- I only had one class, which I went to even though it was so much prettier outside. However, it's was the kind of weather where if I were to actually go outside and sit down with a blanket, I knew it'd be twenty minutes before I got super cold. I worked out in my room with the window open, which was really nice until the builders So, instead, I played music out my room, and tried to sit outside my window. It's a tight fit (I can't possibly fall because my thighs save me), but it was cool to watch the sunset that way.

After the sun went down, I was lucky enough to get a call from Eleri and all my friends on the varsity and jv tennis teams. I was passed around the bus so everyone could say hello to me, and I felt so loved by all the girls who wanted to talk to me. I'm very proud of them, and especially Eleri, for how well their seasons are going.

Wednesday: I had a quiz in religion, that I think I did pretty well on. I did some zumba, and then got a surprise call from one of my favorite people. We talked about school and I introduced him to my room mates before he had to go. I miss home so much.

After a shower, I went to a picnic for all the Saint Mary's girls. We hadn't really spent much time together outside of class and required trip, so one of them organized a picnic so we could all hang out before going home. We enjoyed pizza and cookies on the grass and told stories about some of the trips we'd taken this semester. It was a great time!

When I came home, all of the girls wanted a wine night in, so we made our dinners, and sat around the table drinking our wine and chatting about things back home. Then, a few of the guys came over and joined us, making our stories a little more interesting.

Today: I woke up to giant inflatable slides outside my window. Apparently, Maynooth was having a  "playground day" with an ice cream trucks and inflatable games, and all the proceeds went to charity. I hung out with my Irish friends on the green and enjoyed an ice cream cone...IN SHORTS. Yes, it was so warm I needed shorts. The boys told me I better enjoy it while it lasted, because Irish summers last less than a week and this was it. Fingers crossed that they're wrong, because I'm loving the sun! That night, I made the girls a cake, just because, and then we all went out to the Roost. I hadn't been in so long, and it was great to get back to live music.

Maynooth is in Bloom

It is simply fantastic to be back in Ireland. I never thought I'd miss it so much.

Saturday: Still trying to stay healthy, I decided to go for a run. Best decision of the day. The sun rarely shines here, but man it hasn't stopped since we've gotten home, and it's WONDERFUL. I hadn't gone running in a while, so I was embarrassingly breathy, but I tried my hardest and couldn't help but stop and take a few photos.

My view once I leave the apartment

These are all over town

One of the main campus buildings

It's so nice!

The rest of the night was me freaking out about Cullen's prom and calling home because I'm always missing them.

Sunday: I let myself sleep in a little bit before getting up and working out. We all had our own homework to catch up on, so it was a quiet afternoon. I went to mass down the street for the first time in forever and greatly enjoyed it. I was able to wear a short sleeve dress and not be cold at all. I opened up my can of Cullen that night and LOVED IT. It's even better than my normal cider. 

Today: I went back to class, and it really stunk. The weather is so pretty and I just want to be outside, but I just enjoy the time walking to class. I'm a little worried about finals, but I think that I can handle it. I'm just glad to be back in a beautiful place where the sun is shining and flowers are blooming. Thank you to everyone for all the wonderful comments, it means a lot to me. So glad to be blogging again!

The Italy Aftermath

Italy took a little bit of recovery time. It was an extremely long trip, and we needed to catch up with so much.

The initial shock (Wednesday): We all needed to go grocery shopping (we had eaten all our food before hand because everything here spoils so quickly), so we went as a group and filled up two shopping carts. After all the apples we ate in Italy, I'm having a strange addiction to them, so I bought a ton of apples. I cleaned my room a bit, then went over all the work that I needed to get done, and began preparing for finals. We went out to Brady's that night, our first night out in weeks, but it was rather dead so we went home early.

The catch up (Thursday): I realized that our trip to Morocco is slowly approaching, so all of us agreed that we want to try to get more in shape. After classes, I was doing plenty of zumba in my room (because the gym here is awful). I looked over some more of my homework and started studying for my history final. I didn't go to The Roost because I was so darn tired.

The "I remember this now"(Friday): I woke up early and felt like I was already back in my old routine. I cleaned my room some more, worked out with more zumba videos, and continued my homework. BUT THEN I MADE THE MOST AMAZING DISCOVERY! Remember how I said I was addicted to apples? Well, I ran out of apples and had to go back to the store in order to feed my needs. When I did, I was walking to the checkout through the alcohol aisle and I found cider (my favorite) with Cullen's name on it! Of course, I bought a can of it to try later.

Isn't it grand?

Row, Row, Row Your Boat

Many of the SMC girls studying in Rome had gone on row boat rides during their stay, and I really wanted to do the same. I had told the girls about it at the beginning of our trip, and they agreed it would be a nice ending to our adventures. We ate our breakfast in the room, tidied it up, and packed a lunch before storing our bags in the reception and setting out for the subway. The park was huge, so the first thing we did was just find a spot in the sun to soak up its rays. We had to be at the bus station  by 4 to get home, so there was plenty of time to kill. After a little lunch, we walked over to where the boats were. It wasn't more than a pond, but we had fun taking turns rowing around and looking at the turtles and the weird statues in the middle of the water.

Cute little pond 

Turtle island

Suze and I had our turns rowing

There was a zoo in the park, so we followed the signs to that after our boat time. However, it wasn't free like we thought, nor did we have enough time to get through it, so we had to walk away. We watched a group of dogs playing for a while, and their owners even let us pet them. We wanted to have one last gelato before we left, so we found one outside the park, only to come back in and enjoy it in the grass.

Finally, it was time to grab our bags and get on the bus to the airport. This airport was the smallest one I had ever been in. There were six gates. Six. It seemed to only have Ryanair flights, and there was not a chain store in sight. Luckily, we found some pizza and cannolis for dinner. Our flight was really late, but it was really cool to look down at the world with buildings lighting up the night. 

We didn't get back in Ireland till around eleven, but it sure was great to be back. 

Can I Have More Fun? You Vat-I-Can!

Our tour didn't start until 3, so we were able to take our time in the morning. Sara's dad is really into Ducati bikes (made in Bologna but the factory was closed when we went), so we headed to the Ducati shop in Rome so that she could buy him a tee shirt. Not too far from the shop, was the site where Caesar was killed. And, once again, there were cats, EVERYWHERE (Mom, you would not enjoy Italy). Right next to the site was actually a cat safe house of sorts, where women would find strays, vaccinate them and try to save those that were in poor health, as well as try to get them adopted. Sara and Suze stepped inside to visit the cats, while Cassie and I chose to avoid the smell.

We should all just stab Caesar!

As we were searching for a place to eat, we found a church with a giant dome that we chose to explore. It was the Basilica De S. Andrea Della Valle, and it was, again, a beautiful place. I prayed for a while and admired the pictures on the ceiling.

We found a grocery store where we bought sandwiches and fruit and ate on some benches in front of another church. We still had a few hours to kill, so we decided to at least make our way to the place where we were supposed to meet the guide, and hopefully find a nice place to sit. In order to get to it though, we had to cross a bridge: an angel bridge. The bridge had so many angels on it, as well as so many selfie stick sellers. We took some quick pictures before having to run away.

Yes, that's a castle at the end of the bridge

I can see the Vatican from here!

A little ways from the bridge was a grassy area where we decided to hang out for a bit. There were many dandelions around, so I made myself a crown, and became a hippie for a while. 

Hanging out down the street

Punk rock

Italian hippie

I love Rome!

A cute little sitting place

I tried not to get sunburned while the girls tried to tan. Finally, we were up and on our way to meet our tour guide. Again, a different guy, but super nice and liked to joke around. Our first stop was to go outside the Vatican, where he talked about past priests, the guard, etc.. We got to fill our water bottles from a fountain just outside the gates, before walking in where he continued to show us the saints on the building and where Pope Francis meets the public. 

Papa, I'm here! Where you at?

It's practically holy water

Next we headed to The Vatican Museum. We were able to look down at the Vatican Gardens, as well as where the Pope goes on his vacation (literally his backyard), before heading inside to check out various art such as famous statues (The most beautiful man in the world), rugs, quilts, pottery, paintings, etc. 

The gardens

The pinecone patio

"Don't faint ladies! This is the most beautiful
man in the world!"- Our tour guide

Limbless man amongst the muses

A beautiful quilt

One of my favorite halls, that was just before the Sistine Chapel, was called the Hall of Maps. It had such a detailed ceiling, with various maps of places in Italy on the walls.

The Sistine Chapel was incredible. Obviously, I can't show you photos, but let's just say it was worth the neck pain. It's amazing to think that one man planned out the entire thing and was able to output his idea so beautifully. There was a hallway that led straight to the top of Saint Peter's Basilica, where our tour guide left us and we went inside. I didn't cry like I did the last time, but I was moved by the way the sun was lighting up the place (it was 5 pm and it literally looked like God was touching the place). There was also a young boy's choir singing Easter songs that just made me swell with Catholic pride.

The most beautiful church in the world 

Truly, one of my favorite places on Earth

I did try to get my passport stamped there. However, the officials said there was no where in the little country to get it stamped. I was upset, but left with a t-shirt with Pope Francis on it, so I couldn't complain. 

Many of my SMC friends who had studied in Rome had given me ideas of things to do in Rome. One of which, was drinking wine on The Spanish Steps. The girls were completely on board. We stopped for some pizza first, then bought a bottle and boarded the subway to the steps. We watched the sun set from near the top, and talked about our favorite moments of our trip. 

I'm incredibly tired

Once the sun set

As the sun was setting

Now, this won't be as funny to you all, but to us, this was one of our best memories. There were many illegal street vendors on the steps trying to sell bags, sunglasses, bouncy ball pigs, selfie sticks, etc. Often, they're laid out on nice blankets and the guy won't leave you alone until you walk far enough away from his "stand". While we were talking, all of a sudden one of the sellers shouts something in Italian, but, we could only understand one word: "polizia". We laughed our heads off as they threw everything in their blankets and ran away. "No, wait! I really want that selfie stick now!" I yelled at one of them who ran past. We teased them all and they laughed with us as they hid behind us while the police walked around. The officers stayed for a while, but the second they left, they all ran right back to where they were before. We made friends with one who didn't understand English very well, who told us that he was sending all of his money back home to keep his family alive. We weren't going to buy anything, but we did teach him a few lines to help him bring in more customers. 

We found a cheap little gelato place not far from the steps, and we were shocked when, jokingly, Suze asked how one of the street sellers stayed out of trouble and he said, "Help from mafia." This then caused her and Sara to question many other vendors about if they worked for the mafia, to which they were honest with us and admitted they were. After a slight freakout at the power of the Italian mafia, we realized we should probably get home to be safe in our room. All the excitement exhausted us, and we all collapsed on our beds with tired minds and feet.