It's Friday the 13th, good thing I'm not superstitious

So I've had some luck with the Africa research, although most of it continues to point to the negative. How hard it is to find some evidence saying that the natural resource depletion in Africa is not all due to Africans, but that the western world is one of the primary reasons that said resources are extracted at such high rates? Well, evidently it's harder than I thought.

Nothing terribly exciting. I've mostly been researching, unsuccessfully. Today however, I'm really excited to take a 12 hr break. That's right, I'm a nerd and there is a Lord of the Rings marathon today at college with free food and a free t-shirt for those who survive it. I'm totally getting a free t-shirt.

Random: when people have to go to school they say "I'm going to college" not school or the university, but rather college. I kind of love it.

Another random, in Irish we learned how to order from the bar. Although Irish is VERY different from English and other languages in many respects, ordering from the bar isn't too hard at all. For example: Pionta Guinneass, cupán tae, cupán caifé, gloina uisce (that one is actually not whiskey but water. In Irish, ¨whiskey¨is water of life¨). That was your Irish lesson for the day, enjoy!

Gold medal for procastination

I finally got it onto my computer! Sadly though, I tried to let the video upload onto here.... 6 hours later, still no luck.

Oh it sounds like we've got some crazy and/or drunk people having fun outside. Silly Irish.

Hmm, I think I've discovered that in Ireland I have achieved whole new levels of unproductivity! Today, I woke up and worked out, finally! Not that it was much, but at least I did something... goodness I am out of shape! When I tried to take my shower, the water wouldn't get hot for quite some time... grrr. So I wasted time eating breakfast. Really, I don't get my shower. Whenever I go in at 8:15 ish, the water is hot right away. Whenever I try before or after, like today at 9, it's a no go. I think the shower is laughing at me.

I managed to procrastinate splendidly for an hour until I started working on Irish. I should study a little bit regularly, but I never do. I just look stuff over before class. Today in class we learned how to say, "my love" like I tend to at the end of sentences and how to order from the bar. No joke, "Pointa Guineass" and "cupan tae" the easiest thing so far!

After developmental Geography I made the trek back home, ate dinner, watched Scrubs, and then proceeded to procrastinate on the internet watching NCIS, finding a bunch of articles on Africa and only bookmarking them and of course facebook. I also looked at stuff to do in London and thought about maybe visiting Stonehenge. I completely forgot about Stonehenge until today... tsk on me. I don't know if it will work out this time, we'll see.

Anywho, I'm devoid of scholastic motivation and I'm sorry I couldn't get that video up.

Catching up

Hmm, let's see

Sunday: I woke up feeling, let's just say not well. My throat has felt odd ever since arriving and I woke up in one of those "I don't want to do anything but lie in bed all day" moods. The weather outside was snowy/rainy. Needless to say I decided not to go hiking. Instead I watched a movie before beginning some preliminary searching to argue Myer's article "Africa is giving nothing to anyone--apart from AIDS" article. It's really easy to find stuff on how Africa needs help and how bad stuff is there, significantly more difficult to find stuff about good things, contributions or progress being made there. I will find it though! (I have to, by Saturday when I plan on writing this assingment).

Anyways, I later hated myself just a little bit because the forecast was wrong and the weather took a turn for the better and it wound up being a sunny day. Cold, but sunny. Oh well, too late now, let's just hope for sun and no waking up feeling sick for next Sunday.

Monday nothing exciting. School, hw, and then in the evening the College Bar hosted a Ceili. They had a band playing live and some Irish students showing how to dance it. Basically it wound up being chaos, but it was fun before it became too chaotic. I wound up leaving around 11. Too many people on the dance floor to even try to dance... and some were spinning frantically and I didn't want an elbow to the face.

Today: school, bleh, searching for Africa stuff, bleh, watched NCIS yay! Ok, so I procrastinate waaay more here than I do at home. It's gonna bite me in the butt soon.

Oh yeah, we finally booked our hostel! Now we just need to figure out transportation. London/Cambridge keeps coming more and more together : )

Just a little bit further

Today I wrote my scholarship essay. Thank you to the many who helped me with all sorts of useful advice!

I also caught Mom and Dad on skype call and Rachel on skype chat, not a bad way to start off... the afternoon?

I got a text from Mandy around 3 and we met up at 4 to go exploring in search of this castle that you can see from her side of the river but that is actually on my side of the river. None of her Irish friends actually knew how to get there, so it was quite the adventure. As we walked down the road that we figured might lead over there, we asked a man entering his house if he had any idea. He told us to keep along this street until you reach a T in the road and then go left, about a mile and a half total. I think the distance was a lie.

First off, the road that we were to follow was the windiest road, lacking in a sidewalk. So we kept switching what side we were walking on depending if it was a straight part or a curvy part. We were also fighting sundown because we didn't want to risk the walk back on that road in the dark. Honestly, each corner we kept thinking, well, just one more, maybe our T and castle are around the next corner. We almost gave up at one point and then the "just a little bit further" voice kicked in again. Once we reached a ruin like archway we knew the castle had to be nearby but could not, for the life of us see it! Luckily, we did go just a little bit further and lo and behold, we found the castle! Half of the joy was in finding it.

It probably wasn't even a "castle" but it was definitely a huge estate now a ruin and overrun with ivy up the walls and hollowed out inside. It was so cool to step inside of it and feel so insignificant against the size and age of it. It's amazing that things humans make can be around for so long. It's sad when even there you find remains from other humans, like beer cans. Mandy said the world will really wind up like in Wall-E... I'll do my best to keep that from being any time soon...

Anyways, I took a looong video while in it so that way you could get the feel, but for some reason my camera is not connecting well to my computer, lame, and I only could download a couple of images. My camera, while awesome, isn't so fun when trying to upload photos to the computer, I have to turn it off and start again a couple of times. Anyways, I'll get that video up, but for now these photos will have to suffice.

Damn that margarita was expensive!

First, thanks Ellen, I think I now have a direction with that essay, and an intro paragraph or two.

Thursday, nothing special.
Friday, no class, did some hw. I finally worked out. I had a book to return to the library so I incorporated a run into that book return. I also tried to buy the reading packet for my Cooperation and Conflict class. I got there, all rosy cheeked from running only to find out that office was closed for the day. I was so glad that I did it for exercise and to return the book, otherwise I might've been pissed.

Running to the grocery store, let's just say I'm amazed that the "Mexican" section is dominated by Old El Paso products and that they have no beans... what has this world come to?

I didn't get much done for the rest of the day, watched some Office and Bones. Damn, the Office is hilarious! Online searching at different NGOs and Non-profits makes me think I might have to get a masters later on.... but definitely no Grad School right away.

I finally went out last night! I met up with Mandy and her room/flatmates and we went to the Skeff. There, one of their Irish and Italian friends met up with us. The craic was quite mighty. I decided, after two hours there, I was thirsty and would try their cocktail of the day, a Vanilla Margarita. Holy crap, "cocktail of the day" made it sound like it was at a discounted price. I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach when he said 7.50!!! Let's just say the drink was indeed good, but that is probably going to be the ONLY drink I buy myself here. Shoot, that's part of a week's worth of groceries, or two Saturday's worth of food at the Farmer's market... yeah, drinking might have to wait until I get home. No way will I "acquire" the taste here, not that those prices!

Sadly the tattoo wasn't magic

Oh, so the balance tattoo I got back in December was meant to symbolize the balance I am striving to find in my life. I thought coming to Ireland would be easy balance. Well, instead of being on the work too hard play too little, I'm not on the waste time doing who knows what work too little side of things.

That needs to change. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm gonna go out and have fun. Actually, I think I might be going out tonight. But I need to start getting on track with the scholastic part of studying abroad. Ugh.

Sadly, that's not the only area where I'm lacking balance. I think, maybe if I let go of the watch, I'll be able to see the constant reminder more and get back on track. If anything, for my own sanity. If not for that, at least to be ready so that way I can be free to truly enjoy my travels with no worries in the back of my mind.

Ok, so, that's settled. I'll start working on hw, an essay for Developmental Geography and a scholarship essay (oh, that one is killing me), and I will find a way to work out and get some endorphins and clarity back.

Ok, I will make my own magic, the tat will just be pretty decoration and a reminder like it's supposed to.

P.S. Any ideas on a future career and three goals I have for the first five years at that job?<<< scholarship essay

Sat and Sunday

Oh yeah, and to finish Friday off: I feel like we talk about food a lot here. So much in fact that Mandy, Chelsea and I decided to do a girls pig out night. We bought two heat up in the oven pizzas and ice cream, snickers and peanut butter. Let's just say the pizzas were eh but the ice cream combo was divine! We tried to watch Get Smart online but the link wouldn't work. We wound up watching HP5 instead, critiquing it the whole way and enjoying it. (Can't wait for Platform 9 3/4 haha!).

Saturday I met up with Mandy and Chelsea and Courtney at the Farmer's Market. The falafel was amazing! The other foods there look great too, can't wait to give them all a try! I continue my search for dried beans, no luck. Found lentils and raisins though. I'm too poor to afford the other dried fruit but raisins are something. I stayed in instead of going out with Irene in order to do hw, didn't get much done. But Mandy and I did figure out plane stuff and I got to talk to Mom and Dad for the first time in like 2 weeks and Kayla a bit too!

Sunday, hiked the Maamturks. Did the short walk again. This time there were more people and so it was even more fun! Completely different terrain. This was more marshy. I found some of those "you don't know how deep it is" pits on the way down. My foot fell past ankle into water/mud, yeah gross. I feel like that, plus a good 5 foot slide on the descent was my initiation into the club, that and the bruise I've got to show for it.

It was a horribly windy day. I'm saying it took us twice as long to do anything because at some points you just had to stop and fight to keep from falling whichever way the wind was pushing. Stanley didn't come out much. Nor did the camera, sadly. The view however was amazing! We were on one mountain range and past the lake you could see another, the 12 Bens. It was breathtaking (literally with the wind and exercise too!).

I felt like I was in LOTR again. Especially as we reached the top ridge and walked across it to get to the peak. Coming down is always the hardest part, even if you take out the sink pits and the fall. Don't worry it wasn't a bad fall, just kind of scary at the moment. I felt quite proud for being able to make my way back over to the group though I must say and I wasn't the only one slipping and sliding.

We were exhausted by the end of it! At the pub I got myself a good king sized Twix. I loved the Pub scene. Tommy, an Irish hiker, educated us on how chocolate here is better than at home. I've yet to buy chocolate here, other than the Twix and I couldn't tell a difference. Cadburry's only does milk chocolate and I'm a dark kind of girl. But I'll give some of those other chocolates a try later on (I'm almost out of mine!). Tommy was great fun, as were the others. I think this club was one of the best investments I've made so far!

Monday- school, bleh. Plus side, got the news Rachel is coming, sorry, I'm still so excited about that! Oh, and I definitely feel better about having at least one "friend" in my MON and Tues classes lol.