I'm leaving for London!

Ok, so I finished the paper this morning at 3:46. Went to school, printed it and my tickets off.

Last minute online checking... gotta throw my stuff into my backpack and make a run for the bus station.

so excited!
I'll have new stories soon.

My first test

So yesterday was probably my first day of hard core work. I had three classes with an hour break in between each and spent each hour in the library reading for one of the classes. After going through three books on desk reserve, you can only check one out at a time, I finally got my last book on reserve and came home.

I spent the rest of the day reading for one class, cooking beans, and studying for the test I had today.

Can I just say cooking those beans really reaffirms the fact that smell is the best sense tied to memory? The smell of the pinto beans cooking made me feel like I was in Memo and Pepo's kitchen, standing next to Pepo as he told me some story (possibly a new one, possibly one I've heard a hundred of times) while cooking beans in the pressure cooker. Definitely an enjoyable slow cooked meal. Although, I do know for next time to use more liquid so I have more caldo to enjoy later.

I got to Skype with my nieces which was very fun! And then I went back to studying more. The studying, even if a little last minute, was worth every hour and minute! I went into today to Cooperation and Conflict and I'm pretty sure I aced that test!

Back at 'home' I saw that Irene got a package from home. She is allergic to gluten and gluten-free products are more expensive here. I guess in Italy she can get them for free at the hospital. So her mom sent her a HUGE box full of breads, cookies, all tons of great Italian stuff. Irene is a doll and on my desk I found some Italian candies. One is "Galatine" a very yummy milky, almost candy, and the other is "Pocket Coffee" and I actually like it despite my so-so feelings towards coffee. Hmm, help me think of an American goodie to have Rachel bring in the suitcase full of food to me that I might be able to share with Irene... I can't think of anything.

And now, after buying my bus ticket online from Galway to Shannon airport and looking at maybe buying my train ticket from London to Cambridge, I approach the time in which I need to start working on that paper due tomorrow. Yet all I can think about is how I'm going to London and I get to see Ellen soon!

Croagh Patrick

Friday: the marathon was long, but fun. The "free food" was a bit of a joke. 3 pizzas for all of those people, I got a slice and was lucky!

Sat: lunch at the market= delicious bean curry! I love Indian food, although not sure how authentic that was... either way, I love Indian food. Then a lot of me blowing off hw, skype and watching an action-flick.

Sun: Croagh Patrick with the Mountaineering Club! This is actually the trip that made me decide I wanted to join. Ever since I hear that people made pilgrimages to St. Patrick's Mountain where a church stood at the top, I told myself I would go there, and now I have!

The bus ride there was a looong one. Mandy and I opted for the short walk, glad we did as always. This was was different. For one, there was a trail. Two, it was a very rocky trail at some parts. Not big huge rocks of limestone like The Burren, but rather loads of smaller ones, making for a bit of a slippery climb at times. Pat and Anne, our friends from the first hike joined us. (I'm a fan of those two). We had a fun bunch of people, but the going was really steep and a lot of it was you just at it on your own. The walk up took a good two hours, two very steep hours. It was interesting because you had people coming down the mountain, encouraging you along the way: children, older adults, people with dogs, completely different than our other treks.

Luck was truly at our side because when we made it to the top the clouds went away and we had the most spectacular view of the bay, beyond the bay, the fields and it was breathtaking! Oh it made the struggle worthwhile for sure! I can't even really describe how beautiful the scenery was. On the bay, not only did you have a lovely blue next to the stunning green of the fields, but there were tons of little islands popping up all throughout the bay. At the top there was a church, no idea how they managed to build that up there (poor donkeys and other labor animals, I'm sure). And we saw St. Patrick's tomb, can't remember if it is his legit tomb or just "his tomb."

The descent down was completed in half the time, although coming down the steep rocky part was slow going for me--I'm overly cautious. Not only did I visit Croagh Patrick, but I also saw the famous Famine Memorial. It was so eerie. Just thinking about how Ireland's population decreased by 3 million during that time, oh, it was just sort of heartbreaking to visit. It also kind of pissed me off when three of the boys from our group started climbing on it. I'm not even Irish and I know not to desecrate the Famine Memorial! Boys...
We followed up the hike with a pub visit like always. We caught the tail end of a rugby match, Ireland vs Italy, in which Ireland dominated, yay!

After an exhausting day I enjoyed my flat 30 minute walk home in my tennis shoes (nothing feels as good as taking off those boots after a hike!). Now I'm uploading pictures, looking at train costs from London King's Cross to Cambridge and bidding farewell to Stonehenge for now---it's just not going to work in our short three day London tour. The way I see it, I'm not dead yet, don't plan on dying soon, and that means there are more days in my life left for seeing it. And I will, just not next weekend. ; )