ST. PADDY’S

 

IS FUCKING NUTS HERE. MORE LATER WHEN MY EVENING TIME HANG OVER IS OVER!!

Ssssydney says hello.

I love Irish Rugby and do you know why?

Because they’re nothing but a bunch of butch ballerinas.   That’s all I’m saying.  

 

girl goes to the doctor

After Scotland my sore throat, runny nose, hacking cough, fuzzy brain black plague carried on right up until Thursday when I was supposed to be getting ready to leave for Belfast so I decided to go see the campus Doctor. There I waited for three hours with other germy looking students before seeing a man in a carpeted office, rather than an exam room. He lifted up my shirt to check my breathing on my back and I suddenly felt like he shouldn’t be, just because the setting wasn’t correct. (Middle-aged baldies with cold stethoscopes are only allowed to prod me in sterile, tiled, white rooms with pictures of ice cream stacked in trombones on the walls!!)   He proclaimed that I have tonsillitis  and should have them removed soon (um…no?) and prescribed me lots of fun drugs. Which I shouldn’t take with alcohol-so he told me to only have a few beers when I go out. Only in Ireland. 

best holiday ever?

THINGS I LEARNED ON GOOGLE: Apparently before Ash Wednesday the Irish Catholic have Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake day (in preparation of giving up eggs and dairy for lent) which includes many traditions like pancake races where women had skillets and flipped as they ran, and marriage predictions based on flip outcomes (if mine landed on the floor that would indicate…?).We honored the tradition and made nutella pancakes (more like crepes) for dessert tonight from the left-over batter we had from the very first dinner I cooked (traditional Irish breakfast- rashers, eggs, pancakes, toast, oj…but no beans, they didn’t have the spaghetti-o flavor at our market). And by cooked I mean, of course, began making only to be immediately assisted by all 3 of my apartmentmates after I set off the fire alarm, took too long making the bacon and couldn’t get the pancake batter thick enough…but it was a start.       ALSO: I’m giving up cadbury eggs for lent, pray to saint jude for me. 

things I dig about being in Dublin

Two years ago when my car broke down and I had to take it into the good people at Volvo in the middle of a stressful academic week I called my Dad to whine and instead of giving me the princess treatment as expected, he said “Claire, your problems are good problems to have.”

This has sort of become my personal zen mantra since then and now should be no different. A few things have been kind of sucky here lately, but I just need to remember that here is Dublin. I realize I’ve been kind of a debbie downer lately with all my bitching and moanage, and so I thought I should maybe tell you about all the Grrreat things that have come with my study abroad experience so far:

turning negatives into positives…

1. The weather: Ok. So it is kind of perpetually damp here and the wind makes me think I should start always saying yes to seconds and dessert (not that I don’t already…) just to keep my feet on the ground. But today the sun came out and I could just walk around in a scarf and a long-sleeve shirt and I realized the constant grey drizzle makes you that much more ecstatic when it gets temperate. Also, the wetness is continually reactivating my hair product. Yay.

2. The bathroom sitch: Washing your face in ice water wakes you up AND shrinks pores? Right?

3. The saga of registration: For one, when I get back to Scripps I will never take the registration system for granted again. Also it made me realize no one is going to hold my hand here (except you know, my amazing new boyfriend who I’m sure is going to surface any minute…) I need to do this myself and get used to the Irish way of doing things. Also, Frieda is not my friend. Lesson learned.

taking a look around…

4. The view: It’s beautiful here! I come from an essentially beige state and while I miss my mountains, cacti and glass blue sky all the bright grass, trees and green everywhere is so gorgeous. Every corner looks like a fairy story, my 7 year old self in wand, tiara and towel cape would have had a field day here.

5. My rommies: Catherine, Caitlin and Erin are so sweet, fun and amazing. They will not let me starve…or go sober for any length of time.

6. City escapes: Dublin is just 15 minutes away and there is so much to explore and do there. Weekends on campus will never be dull.

possibilities…

7. Music: The musical pub crawl was granted very touristy (we were the only ones there under 30…) but still very tight. The folk scene is very cool, all about song collecting, mapping their personal histories, connecting the past and present Ireland and being social. Thanks to Miss Latto who forced me to go up and talk to the guitarist I now have a sweet map in my journal of pubs in Dublin where they have performances and occasionally lock-ins. Lock-ins are a slightly illegal activity where they lock you in a pub after close and just jam until like 2 or 3 am and everyone in the room has to share a song….time to bring some Britney to Dublin Alissex!?

8. Who taught these boys how to dress??: Zap. The boys here. I don’t even know where to begin. I have never seen so many good-looking, well-dressed guys in my life, in ENGLISH classes! In my Irish culture class I met a particularly cute German guy who sat next to me and proceeded to make cute little comments to me for the rest of class. Sigh. I miss the women’s college, but this is really nice.

9. Travel: Ok, so maybe I will have to just go for random weekends and land in the middle of cow pastures but there are some seriously cheap flights around Europe available, so my loves in Scotland, Italy, Spain, England, France and elsewhere, get ready we’re going to have some play time!