Time for some updates, yes?

MANY APOLOGIES FOR THE LONG TIME DELAY SINCE MY LAST POST.

now that I've said that...

I am currently at the Clarion Hotel close to the Dublin Airport. My study abroad program ended on July 21, and my parents arrived in Dublin a day later. We have been traveling around together since then. To fill in some of the gaps (or the large gap):

On American Independence Day, Sunday July 4, our group got to watch the Leinster (one of the 4 provinces of Ireland) hurling final match between Kilkenny and Galway, which Kilkenny won. We learned later that the Kilkenny hurling team is one of the best in Ireland's history. If they win the all-Ireland final in September, they will be the best and most victorious team ever.

A couple days later, some friends and I discovered a really great Indian restaurant, Afsana, in the Temple Bar area. I took my parents back there a few days ago.

On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of meeting up with a few friends who graduated from TU a couple years ago - James and Eleanor Bailey. We went to the Turk's Head in Temple Bar, where I discovered Dublin's best fish n chips. We also watched Spain defeat Germany in the World Cup semifinal match. It was great to see Spaniards in the pubs and out on the streets of Dublin celebrating like there was no tomorrow.

The next weekend (Friday), the six new people and I headed out to Galway and checked in to Snoozles hostel. Some of them went to see the new Twilight movie (I did not go...), and the others and I found a restaurant that serves up some really fantastic crepes. The next day, we headed out in the morning on a bus tour of the Cliffs of Moher and surrounding area. The weather was a bit worse than the first time I went; it was raining for most of the tour, but the rain stopped temporarily when we were at the cliffs.

Before coming back to Dublin on Tuesday (no class Monday or Tuesday!), we ate at the crepe place one last time and then headed to bed. I, however, upon returning to my room at the hostel, discovered two cute French gals who were also staying there, and they invited me out into town. How could I refuse? and thus ended my last full day in Galway.

I have more stuff to post later. stay tuned.

new hobbies and a new session

Time for another blog update. In Ireland, a lot happens in 9 days, and we are now a week into session II - The Shaping of Modern Ireland.

The period in between the summer sessions was a relaxing one. A couple of the first session students were staying in Dublin for a week after it ended, so most evenings we got together for dinner downtown. On Saturday, June 26, I encountered a stroke of luck, and I obtained some bravery from the wizard. The stroke of luck was finding on the ground a 30-day, 100 euro bus pass that still had 16 days left on it. I used the bravery to make myself an open coin container out of a cereal box, take the box and my recorder downtown, sit on the ground, and begin playing. For 2.5 hours that afternoon, I pounded out the same three tunes over and over and made myself 10 euros. And bought a milkshake. An Irish guitarist even invited me to play with him later that evening, but I never found him again. And then Ghana defeated the USA in the World Cup and ruined my whole day.

The next morning, six new, sleep-deprived ladies showed up on campus for the second session. After meeting them, I headed back downtown with my box and recorder and earned 3.56 euro in the afternoon. After dinner, I cruised the street and played a couple songs with a Jamaican drummer and another guitarist for another 3.40. I had developed a new hobby, but I haven't had time to work the street since then.

On Monday morning, we had breakfast and a tour of city centre for the new people, and then I took them to O'Neills pub and the milkshake bar. Had to get the local favorites into their brains. Our afternoon tour the next day was of St. Michan's church and crypt, in which there were several naturally well-preserved mummies dating as far back as 800 years. Wednesday was highlighted by a visit to St. Patrick's cathedral and a chance meeting with a friend from college back home. We met up for dinner and drinks in the evening. As it turns out, the walk from city centre to DCU campus is feasible with comfortable shoes and something to occupy the mind.

There was no class on Friday, so four new friends and I headed up to see Howth and Malahide (for the castle, which is overrated in hindsight). On Saturday, we hit some of the southern coastal villages; we did the hike from Bray to Greystones and stopped by Dun Laoghaire on the return trip. In the evening, we had dinner at Bewleys Cafe and hopped around in the Temple Bar area for a while before returning to campus.

In other news.....Happy Independence Day!! I hope all of you will party all day.