FINALLY HOME!

Hi guys! IM HOME :) i cant explain how happy it feels to be back! 

I typed this up yesterday on our 24 hour journey home so I thought I'd share the ending of the trip and really FINISH this blog :) it was a long day, but we made it!

so we left the hotel this morning at 7 sharp and we thought, “wow for once something is right and on time!” when we got to the airport we weren’t surprised to find out that we could ONLY have ONE carry on item…not a carry on and a personal item, no just one item. so all of us had 2 bigger bags and purses or backpacks. we ended up having to move items around so things wouldn’t break or get ruined and then we had to check another bag. THANKFULLY they didn’t make us pay for it because on the way here we were allowed to have a carry on and a personal item. I ended up just carrying my computer, wallet and ipod. all my other stuff, including some breakable gifts im bringing home are in my checked bags and im just hoping they don’t break…if one was intended for you and it breaks, I apologize in advance. ANYWAY. we thought our troubles were done after that and happily headed to our gate to wait for  our 10:35 flight. after about and hour and a half of waiting we found out that our flight was delayed for “technical difficulties” AGAIN…the shocker is that it is delayed til TWO PM. that is 3.5 hours more and the kicker is we have to rearrange our flights from Chicago to LA because we are going to miss our connecting flight. they couldn’t fit us all on the same flight so we are all divided between 3 different flights. luckily I got on the one that leaves first and gets into LA at 9:15, but I will not be surprised WHEN that flight is delayed as well. the one thing that we ALL learned on this trip is DO NOT FLY AMERICAN. I don’t know how its possible to mess up 3/3 flights and most likely 4/4…this makes me never want to travel again! I know that I need to be positive and think, “okay, at least they are fixing the problem,” BUT its hard when this has happened before and I am with 35 other people who are cranky and just want to get HOME! we thought Ireland hated us before, but now we realized it just loves us so much it doesn’t want us to leave. I guess murphy’s law didn’t want to reverse itself on this one. anyway,on a happier note- we got a 10 euro lunch voucher. thank goodness because I have NO more euros. it is currently 11:31 AM and im sitting in the airport just WAITING. im sure ill have more to talk about later, but for now that’s all. 

so when 2 PM came along we boarded and took off. throughout the whole flight there was a lot of turbulence, but it was never TOO bad. when we landed in Chicago about 8 hours later we were ready to get off the plane when the pilot told us to take our seats again because we were too far from the terminal. we had to have a "tow tractor" come lift us over so there would not be a gap. this took about 20 minutes--we were almost clear, but of course something had to go wrong. when we got into the airport we had to go through customs which wasnt bad at all then we got our luggage and checked it again. our flight was at 6:45 and was scheduled to be on time. we were so excited and were thinking to ourselves, "this flight better not get delayed!" it felt nice to be on US soil and we were just that much more close to home! we ended up boarding at about 7pm...NOT BAD, but when we were all seated the captain informed us that the plane was too heavy so we had to take a different route because the one we were supposed to take off of was too windy and we wouldnt have been able to lift. on the other runway we were about 10th in line for take off and for every 2 that took off one had to land. we waited on the runway for about 30 minutes or so and then we were off! we landed in LA at 10:10 PM and that was the 24 hour mark. its strange to think that when i got home that night and was going to bed i really should have been waking up. 

anyway, it was so nice to see my parents...they were waiting for me with a sign and everything! i got home just in time to eat a homemade burrito and see my brother come home from midwinter :) it was a great night! sleeping in my own bed was DEFINITELY a plus :) 

I CANT BELIEVE ITS OVER. thank you all for reading my blog...i had SO much fun writing every day! God bless! :)

GOOD MORNING :)

hi guys! so its 6:15 AM and we are ready to go! breakfast is being served early for us and the bus comes at 7! off to the airport yet again. i feel like the last time we were there was months ago. i look back at all my blogs and cant believe what i have been through in 3 short weeks. the theme of this trip seemed to be murphy's law...lets hope that changes today...all that can go wrong, WILL TURN OUT RIGHT! haha anyway, i have a mixture of emotions today. im so sad to be leaving a place i have ended up loving, but am SO overwhelmingly excited to get to that airport and see my mom and dad. 

last night was a lot of fun. we had dinner at a traditional irish place and met everyone in the group for drinks at Temple Bar at 7 :) it was nice to get everyone together one last time...before the big travel day. after drinks we came back to the room and me, brittney, maddy, katie, maritza, megan and stacy all watched mama mia and ate snacks. we were all in there and brittney said, "this is exactly what i imagined my last night in ireland being like." and we all couldnt help but agree. after the movie we finished packing and sat there realizing that this really is our LAST night. 

this morning we all got up with ease. i think everyone is finally ready to be home. after drama, fun, laughs and tears we have all grown a little bit closer together and learned a lot. i have experienced my first world travel and i know this is just the beginning :) 

i keep thinking about that play we went to and how the message simply says, "GOD WINS." I think that is another theme of this trip. through everything that went wrong it was always okay in the end. i just wanna thank HIM for it all, especially the strength he gave me when all i wanted was to be home...i knew i would be eventually. i enjoyed EVERY minute and well, now we are 'on the road again!' see you all so soon. 

I CANT WAIT.

OH MY GOSH ITS OUR LAST DAY!

hi guys! i am sitting in the lobby and it is currently 2:22PM...i look out the window and i see grey skies and wetness. it isnt raining at the moment, but it has been drizzling on and off all day. i am thankful that the weather here is not half as bad as at home! it is strange though because it should be! oh well :) from one rainy country to another. i cant wait! i hope all of you are safe and sound and not drowning!

yesterday was a relaxing day, i have been a bit sick so i slept in then brittney and i went to the national museum of ireland. it was interesting, but a little bit like reading a history textbook. the coolest part was the "dead zoo" where there were tons of stuffed animals! it was really interesting and took me directly back to my childhood when my grandpa would take me to UCR to look at the dead animals. he used to work there and we would go all the time after the botanical gardens :) after that we found a random pub and i had the best broccoli cream soup! it was delish :) we then came back to the hotel and relaxed all afternoon. last night was the play "The Seafarer" it was REALLY good! the first part was boring and we were all kind of falling asleep, but when the climax hit it sure it hit! the last part of the play was really good and really funny. it was all about religion and the devil and how in the end God wins...a great message :) after the play we came back to the hotel and maddy and i proceeded to eat a whole container of tea biscuits along with a whole block of cream cheese (dont judge us...we were made for each other) haha :) then I SKYPED WITH MY MAMA :) that was the highlight of my night, it had been so long and i realllllly miss her! i also got to see my grandparents and david :) he was telling me all about the college visits he has and will be going on! it is so exciting to know that he will most likely be playing football in college :) i am so proud! 

today we slept in a bit then went to the BEST little cafe ever. it is called the queen of tarts and WOW, we pigged out and had dessert for breakfast. its our last day--that was our reasoning :) between brittney, maddy and myself we got a lemon merangue, baileys chocolate chip cheesecake, strawberry shortcake AND a chocolate scone :) oh and also 3 hot chocolates. it was AMAZING. after we were so full and couldnt believe what we just ate, but it was soooo worth it. we then went to the shops again to finally finish up getting souvenirs for everyone...people are going to have issues with packing haha, but im good! :D i hope my bag doesnt exceed 50 lbs! we are planning on going to one last traditional irish dinner then ALL of the group is meeting at temple bar to have one last drink together :) i will be in bed early tonight because we have to be up and ready at 6:30 AM. 

everyone pray that we get home safe, sound and somewhat on time! i know that we will most likely get delayed at some point, but i really hope that it is not as bad as the flight over. 

I CANT WAIT TO BE HOME. looking forward to seeing you all! ina, joe and jeff i cant wait for the 30th! mom and dad i cant wait to see you in the airport! auntieeeeee i cant wait to get to LB and swim to the front door in my floaties :) hahaha friends and family i just cant wait to see you and tell you all about this amazing trip! chipotle here i comeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! along with SO many other things :) we were all talking about how we are pretty sure we will be gaining more weight the weekend we get back than we did on this whole trip :) looking forward to it! ha :)

looooooove! see you soon :)

2 more days!

HI GUYS! warning: i am not going to type correctly in this one cuz i only have a short while but so much has gone on i just have to tell you all!



to pick up from where i left off yesterday...dinner was good! we ALL got nachos! can you tell we are missing mexican food hahaha. after we were done we decided to play a little game called "bigger and better" on the way home. for those of you who dont know this is when you split into teams (we had teams of 3) and you start off with an item that is really lame and small...in our case it was a STRAW. we then proceeded to go off in dublin to see what we could find that was bigger and better. we asked pubs, hotels and random people on the streets. we went from a straw to 2 coffee stirers and sugar to a hotel brochure to a subway bag to a bigger bag with handles to A BOUQUET OF ROSES after that we knew we were as big and best as we could get so we headed back to the judge who was waiting at our hotel. when the others got back we all had to give a speech on why we should win and present our item. people had a book from starbucks, a disposable camera and HUBCAPS. yes you heard me right. they won...just cuz it was SOOOO random! after this we played a game called mafia with like 14 of us in the middle of the hotel. they really love us here :) it was probably one of the best nights we have had and i am glad we have all gotten a chance to hang out together.

TODAY was a good day as well. we woke up early had another great breakfast and thennnn we went on a James Joyce tour. it was interesting cuz it corresponded with what we have been reading for class. after we went to trinity college and saw the BOOK OF KELLS. it was really incredible and something i really dont regret paying for. after trinity, which is a BEAUTIFUL campus in the middle of everything we went to a jail...a jail that at the moment i cant remember the name of :) hahaha this is what i get for blogging in a hurry...anyway it was really cool and i feel like we really learned a lot! after the jail maddy and i had dinner at harry's...it is a burger place and for the 1st time i felt like i was at home haha. they were REALLY good burgers and didnt tase like meatloaf. we then went on a GHOST BUS TOUR. it was a bit expensive, but a lot of fun! i got really scared and we learned a lot about dublin that we wouldnt have learned otherwise...even if they were silly ghost stories. while some of them were silly we did learn about the people who snatch bodies from the graves and a professor who used them in his classes to scare his students. EW! we went to a graveyard and the oldest site in dublin which is a church. it was a fun day of touring and i really am happy because we are getting a lot out of our few short days here!

currently we are back at the hotel and ready for bed. tomorrow we get to sleep in and we are SO excited! plans for tomorrow include a free museum and a play at night! i am really excited for that, it should be really interesting...hopefully we will be able to understand them!

okay have to go for now! home so soon i misssss you all so much! cant wait to get back :D


GOODNIGHT!

DUBLIN!

Hi guys! You don't realize how crutial internet is until you have to pay for it! Man it is so hard to be in another country and have no phone OR internet access! I MISS HOME! Only 3 more days and then I'll be back! I can't wait! We got here yesterday after a long day on the bus. It wasn't too bad and seeing the green countryside made it worth it. We are staying at the Jury's Inn and it is pretty nice! Me, Maddy and Katie Hall are rooming together and we have been spending a lot of time with Justine, Steph and Jenn. I think we make a pretty fun group! Yesterday when we got here we decided to roam the city and since it was Sunday it was pretty busy all over! We saw a street band that was really good and went into quite a few shops. Dublin is a big city and so different from Limerick! It is like I would imagine New York in some places...except when you see the giant, beautiful cathedrals on every corner :) We went to dinner at Madigan's and mine wasnt so great, but it was still fun. After we were tired so we came back and watched The Wedding Date then chatted til about 11pm. I think that's the earliest I have been to bed this whole trip! It is sad that I'm finally getting used to the time and we will be gone in 3 days! I have a feeling I'm going to be a disaster when we get back!

It was amazing to wake up and come down for a FULL breakfast! We got eggs and sausage and bacon and toast and scones and juice! NOT JUST TOAST! We loved it hahaha. After we all met and walked to the Guinness Factory where I had my first sip of Guinness. After that ONE sip I gagged for about 5 minutes and I can say I will never have another again! The factory was fun and interesting, but I think someone who appreciates it would have enjoyed it more...oh well, they can be jealous of me :) After the 6 of us got a horse and buggy to take us to Pheonix Park! It was soooo much fun and worth every euro it cost. When we got there we walked for hours, this is the biggest park I have ever seen! The pictures are beautiful :) After the park we decided to go to a tea house! It was so cute :) We then came back and when to Christ Church. The churches here are gorgeous!

We are now getting ready to go to Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. Good American food! It is nice to be walking so much all day because we get tired at night. After dinner we will probably just come back, watch a movie then go to bed.

Well who knows if I will be able to write again! We will just be here in Dublin...the weather has been amazing, the hottest it has been. It is apparently supposed to snow on Thursday and be clear on Friday for our flight. Let's hope so, I really don't want to be traveling for another 28 hours. I can already taste the Chipotle! hahahaha :)

I miss you all so much! Hope you are all great! Can't wait to be home :)



OH funny story before I log off...When we got here we were in the elevator and there were 6 of us...the capacity was 8...it was a small elevator. We stopped on a floor to pick someone up and there were 3 people. Clearly there was not room for them, but the guy proceeded to walk on then he said to the 2 others, "there is plenty of room!" I was smashed against Justine and we were all shocked. Apparently these people know nothing of personal space. All we could think was THIS WOULD NEVER HAPPEN IN AMERICA! :) Oh the experiences we are having! PRICELESS :)

OK enough for now. Off to explore Dublin!


LOVE YOU and MISS YOU!

Our last day!

WOW I can't believe we are leaving Courtbrack Accommodations tomorrow! This place has seriously begun to feel like home! It will be strange being in a hotel where we won't see each other as much. Although sometimes it is a lot, it is fun to all be together all the time. It has definitely made me see what it's like to live with so many girls! I'm still not fond of it, but it did bring me close to some pretty amazing people. 

Today we got to sleep in and then we all went to a pub to watch the Munster rugby game! It was so much fun, but rugby is definitely a strange sport. I am going to have to do my research! Our teachers bought us lunch...they are so thoughtful :) After the game we walked back in the rain and stopped at the store right by the dorms. We bought snacks for our movie night! When we got back some of us put or PJs on and then we watched movies all night. I had pizza for dinner, a Kopparberg of course and ice cream for dessert! We watched 27 dresses and Under the Tuscan Sun. Now I really want to go to Italy...I think that's next :) Now I have to go pack. You might be wondering if I have started and all I have to say is go back to my 1st blog...the answer is NO :) hahaha This trip has done nothing to fix my procrastination problem. OH WELL! 

I am excited for Dublin tomorrow! The bus ride might be a bit long, but we are going to watch movies! YAY! Off to pack then sleep :) GOODNIGHT! Home in 6 days...I'm really excited to see everyone! Already have plans with Ina, Joe and Jeff...can't wait!

P.S. One of the girls on the trip got really sick today and had to go to the hospital. An infection that she had about a year ago came back and it is really painful for her. She is here now and on medication, but still not doing so great. Keep her in your prayers. Thanks!

"You CONQUERED the stew!"

TODAY WAS A GOOD DAY.

We had class this morning and it was fabulous simply because it was our LAST one! I can't believe we had only had like, OH I DONT KNOW 8 class meetings! Class got out around 1ish and we headed to the dorms to relax for the afternoon. Around 6 PM we all headed into town to go to this pub called Nancy Blake's where our professors were meeting us and buying us all a half pint of either Guinness or Cider. It was really fun and nice of them to do that for us. Hanging out with them was a good time. I decided to get Cider and it was a lot better on tap than when I got it in a bottle. We were only there for a little then left to go to Dolan's for dinner. Since we had been going there so much they decided to give us a deal and charge 10 Euros a person for either a starter and main course or a main course and a dessert. OBVIOUSLY I chose to get the main course with dessert. I got Traditional Irish Stew (again) and a Sticky Toffee Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce :) it was absolutely DELICIOUS. Probably the best dinner I've had. I ate the WHOLE thing and when I was done Maddy yelled, "YOU CONQUERED THE STEW!" It was sooooo nice to eat MEAT and VEGGIES and POTATOES and DESSERT. Yummmmmy :) After we ate everyone who got a Dolan's shirt took a picture with Neil, Dolan's son. They said that they are going to put it on the front of their website :) We were pretty excited! 

When we got back Maddy and I were changing out of our 10000 layers and I decided to show her the silliness of my leggings and socks. From there we got the fabulous idea to put on our most RIDICULOUS items of clothing...TOGETHER and go downstairs acting completely normal. Maddy's outfit was good, but was nothing compared to mine. Head to toe, this is what I am wearing...leopard print headband and scarf, black tank top, green and blue plaid long sleeve shirt, bright polka dot pants to my knees, bright pink leggings, reindeer socks AND tie dye flip flops. IT IS MARVELOUS. Pictures are being put up on Facebook as we speak. We were doing the dishes, talking on the phone, reading books, napping, walking outside, etc. Anyway, now I am doing laundry and procrastinating. We have 2 more assignments due online and then all that's left is the final project, which can be a scrapbook! 

Off to get stuff done...maybe :) Tomorrow we get to sleep in and at 11:30 we are going to a pub to watch the rugby game...I am really excited! Dublin on Sunday morning then HOME Friday :) Can't wait to see my family and eat mexican fooooood! :)

One week left...

Hey everyone! Today was an OKAY day...we woke up early and went to a local elementary school to observe a classroom. We only had about an hour and a half there and it was kind of a bummer because we only got to stay in the classroom for about 25 minutes. The principal was really nice, but talked a lot. When we finally got to the classroom I was shocked to see that the classes only had about 12 students on average. Our teacher was really nice and was telling us about the process of becoming a teacher...they are so lucky, it only takes them 3 years and then they can get their own class! The lesson that we got to observe was an Irish lesson so we were really confused the whole time, but it was fun to see how excited they were. I think it is really great they are learning Irish so early. The one major difference I noticed when comparing their classes to ours was that even though their school was labeled as a "disadvantaged" school it did not seem like it at all. I think the reasoning for this is simply because the majority of the kids are Irish. The US is such a multicultural place, you can often see a difference between the disadvantaged schools and those that are not. 

After our observations we went on a walking tour of Limerick...it was interesting, but to be honest we have walked around Limerick more than enough. It was hard too because we had a semi big group and our tour guide was a small man with a small voice so I don't think people got much out of it. After the walking tour we went to the bank and to get more postcards :) Just to give you guys an idea of how bad the exchange rate is I gave them 184 USD and got 122 Euros :( it really is sad, but in the end so worth it. 

We went to Fennessy's tonight and were mildly disappointed. Live, traditional music doesn't start til NEXT Thursday of course haha so we decided to go to Dolan's to listen to music and have a drink. We are back now and I'm going to read then head to bed. We only have 2 more full days in Limerick and it was funny because we were trying to decide what to do after classes and all we could think of was to NOT walk around Limerick. We are officially done here, we have seen it all :) ON TO DUBLIN! 

I am really excited to get home. We are even thinking that 5 days in Dublin might be a bit much. I just keep hearing that it is a great place, but just like any other city. I will be spending more money there (ugh) simply because we will be in a hotel and have to buy our own meals. I guess there is a plus to that--I will be eating better! I'm glad we aren't staying in a hostel...Jury's Inn should be nice :) 

Well that was today! GOODNIGHT!

P.S. I just skyped with my brothers and shelby and it was so funny because it was delayed on their side like 3 minutes hahahaha! Gosh I miss them all so much! Especially my brotherssssss...and my mommmmy and dadddy. Can't wait to be home!

Dongle? Dangle? NOO DINGLE!

SOOOO today was a great day and probably one of the hottest we have had here! We took another long bus tour to the little town of Dingle located just off of the Dingle Peninsula. The Peninsula was amazingly beautiful and I loved every minute of it! While it was a long ride, we stopped a lot to get out, take pictures and walk around. I got some great pictures and I am in the process of putting them up on Facebook (YAY Ina for FINALLY getting one to look at my pics!) Since the rain finally came...we were right, it was SO incredibly green! We saw a TON of sheep and they came running to me when I called them! It is funny because the owners dye them different colors so they can tell what sheep are theirs. I saw pink sheep, blue sheep and green sheep! They weren't totally dyed, but had spots on them. I have to say they were one of my favorite parts...along with the amazing ocean, sunsets and green country sides. In Dingle we walked around for a bit and went in the shops that were open then headed back to the dorms. When we got back I had fake, disgusting chicken for dinner and then did homework. Besides Dingle's lovliness, today has not been the most eventful day...but it was a lot of fun :)

Tomorrow we get to observe a "primary school" classroom! I am really excited...it should be a really interesting morning. After, we are being forced to take a walking tour of Limerick even though we have been ALL over! I'm not too happy about that, but hopefully it wont last too long. 

I can't believe we have been here 14 days and only have ONE week left! Time is flying by now that we are all used to the time difference. We leave for Dublin Sunday morning and will be there until we leave Friday morning! WOW it is going to be over before I know it! At least I'm doing all I can to experience EVERYTHING! :D I'm not going to bed yet, but thats all for now! Hope you all are having a great evening!

The REAL Ireland..

Well...today we experienced the "real" Ireland...it rained just about all day and the snow is all gone! I am a little sad, but very thankful we didn't have rain the first 10 days we were here. I think it would have been a lot different and experiencing snow was one of the best parts! 

We got up this morning and were trying to think of what to do on our free day while considering the fact that we would probably get rained on all day. With the help of John and Geraldine we decided to go visit the famous Thomond Park. For those of you who don't know this is the home field of Munster Rugby. All I have to say is Rugby is for the REAL man and they are all so handsome! We didn't get to meet any of them because they are preparing for a game this weekend in Italy, but we did see pictures and we even got to go on their field! We took a tour of the whole place and also got to see their museum. I saw where they change and shower! Hahaha :) We watched some rugby clips on TV and WOW is it intense. I think all you football fans at home would LOVE it! I know my brother would be jealous. It was really a fun experience. 

When we got back to the dorms Joe, the guy who works at the front desk, was putting away the christmas tree and he seemed like he was having a bit of a problem. I offered to help and he accepted. For about 40 minutes he and I were trying so hard to fit a christmas tree into a box and was not even a box anymore. We taped it together as best we could and then he realized he dropped something in it that he HAD to get out. He then proceeded to cut apart what we had just done in hopes that he would find it. I ended up finding it for him and then we had to go at it again...after taping it together the 2nd time we decided to bound it with tons of rubber bands that we would connect together. It was a long tedious process and after lots of F-bombs and laughter we finally did it. (I'm telling you the F word is like saying 'the' at home...and because of their accents I can't help but laugh every time they say it!)

After that fiasco some of us decided to get on our Dolan's tee shirts to go there to take a big group picture. Some of the girls still had to buy theirs and they said they wouldn't have any more until tomorrow...so that idea was put on hold. A few of us ended up hanging out there and having a drink (yummy Kopparberg) and then just heading home after about an hour or so of chatting. When we got back some of us decided to continue with the chick flicks and watch Made of Honor...I love that movie! 

Tomorrow we are going to Dingle. According to National Geographic it is 'the most beautiful place on earth.' We shall see! 

GOODNIGHT :) 

P.S. Pictures are up on Facebook! If you don't have a Facebook...GET ONE! (cough, INA, cough!) hehe love and miss you all!

Adventures of Maddy and Jessica

Today we had class...it was okay, but I always get tired! Having class at Mary I is really interesting...I love the campus. Today we listened to one of their professors talk about Oral Language and Literacy. I liked the way she lectured a lot...she included the whole class and kept us all on our feet! After class we pretty much had the day to do what we wanted so Maddy and I decided to go into town and explore Limerick more. We walked to St. John's Castle, which was really beautiful and window shopped all over town. We discovered the cutest streets and stores and had to practice some real self control when going into Penny's where they have such cute clothes for like 10 euros or less! I finally went real grocery shopping today and got pizzas, chicken and some other food that will hopefully hold me over for a while. Being away for so long really makes me appreciate my parents and my aunt who cook good food for me (not that I didn't appreciate them before) and also being able to go out and get Chipotle whenever I want. Mexican is rare here and even if they did have it I would be scared to try it. After we walked around town we came back, ate some really good pizzas and watched P.S. I Love You. That movie is just SO good and we were excited because it's filmed in Ireland :) It is SO green in the movie though and I decided that WHEN I come back it will be such a different experience, I can't wait! 

I'm still making new friends and getting to know people better. It is interesting because you think you have people figured out, but their true colors just show more and more every day. With so many girls I didn't expect to make new best friends, but I'm glad I have met some that I'm sure I'll continue to get to know when we get back home. 

I miss home! I miss my family so much--for those of you who don't know David was awarded Offensive MVP at his football banquet last night! I am so proud of him :) I LOVE YOU DAVID! 

Well, it is late here and I think I'm going to head to bed soon. We are thinking about taking a long walk into the more rural side of Limerick on the way to Cork, I just love to see all the country side! I hope it doesn't rain! Goodnight everyone! :)

P.S. I Love You :) haha yes, I do...but really...I just wanted to let you all know my favorite drink so far...it's called Kopparberg, it is a fruity Sweedish Cider and it is DELICIOUS. I didn't have one tonight, but I thought that was an important thing to tell you all :)

All caught up and HOMESICK..

I guess it was bound to happen. I have never been this far away from home for this long and so I didn't really know what to expect, but it hit me today when we got back to Limerick and I kind of broke down after talking to them on skype. I miss my family so much. I don't think it would be as hard if I could talk to them everyday, but I think I've talked to them 3 times since I've been here. Anyway...I miss you all and Ina and Joe and Auntie and Erik and friends and everyone else. My brother's banquet is in 2 hrs and I am so sad I can't be there, BUT aside from all of that I had such a great day today. 

We woke up in Galway and 3 of us were up at 7:30 ready to explore some more and get breakfast from Pura Vida. We had ham and cheese croissants and they were really yummy :) The bus picked us up at 10 AM and we were off...the plan was to go to the Cliffs of Moher, but since the weather was SO bad we were not sure if we were going to be able to go. We REALLY wanted to because I have heard from so many people it is one of the best parts of Ireland. When our bus driver, Doney got there he told us that we WOULD be going! We were SO happy and excited. When we were on the way it began to snow lightly. We stopped at Kinvara castle and some other smaller cliffs overlooking the Atlantic. While we were driving I was looking out the window and saw a cow eating and pooping at the same time. I immediately thought of Sean and my family and wanted to laugh so loud, but then realized I would be the only one laughing HAHA :) We also drove through a small town called Lisdoonvarna and from the outside it looks like any regular little town, but NO it is home of a Matchmaking Festival that takes place in September. It is Europe's BIGGEST singles event! We laughed and I decided that's where I'll be this September...who's coming with me!? :) 

By the time we arrived at the Cliffs of Moher it was a full on snow storm! I have never experienced anything like it in my whole life! We were on the cliffs and trying not to freeze! I do have to say my boots from Target have done me good :) Thanks again auntie! They call them "wellies" here...haha aka rainboots. I was so thankful for them today. My jacket is GREAT and perfect. I wasn't wet at all after the storm! Thank you SANTA :D hahaha...the only cold parts were my legs and face...but it wasn't unbearable. It was a bit foggy so we couldn't see too well, but the cliffs were still amazing. It snowed the whole time and on the ride back I ate my leftover dinner then slept the rest of the way (mom and dad--are you shocked that I ate leftovers?! hahahha). There is something about that bus that just knocks you out! When we got back to Limerick it was all white and still snowing a bit...but so pretty as always! I showered, did some homework and relaxed. Dinner was rice in a bag...ew, I need real food. The first thing I'm doing when I get home is getting Chipotle :)

Well, all caught up now! Tomorrow we have class then we will probably just hang out and walk into town. For now it is bed time! Miss you all so much!

GOODNIGHT!

"Why would you want to go to Claddagh?!"

[[Blog for 1/9/10]]

So we are back in Limerick! Galway was so much fun :) It is such a cute little town and we were right in the middle of everything! Yesterday was our first full day there and thankfully we had a free day. Sleeping in a hostel with 7 other girls was interesting, but fun none the less. When we woke up I had breakfast there (toast once again) and the other girls went to McDonalds (can't eat it anymore!). After I ate I met them there and we strolled the town looking in all the shops and on the look out for Claddagh rings. It was REALLY cold, but still so much fun...everything was all snowy and it really looked like winter...I found myself singing, "walking in a winter wonderland.." :) We found a cute little coffee place called Pura Vida where we had hot chocolate and tried to warm up. After, we kind of split up and the group I was with walked along the harbor (the boats were FROZEN in the water!) and were in search for the little town of Claddagh where the rings are originally from. When we asked someone for directions she looked at us like we were crazy and said, "Why would you want to go to Claddagh?!" We had our reasons :) When we got there we understood why she asked. You could probably walk from one side of the town to the other in about 15 steps :) It was fun though and we were glad we found it! We met some people for lunch and ate at this pub...I had really good soup and chips (fries)! After lunch we walked the canal and went into the Galway Cathedral. It was gorgeous. 

Throughout the day most of the girls got their Claddagh rings, but there were 3 of us that were still searching for the perfect one. We ended up walking all through Galway and going in tons of stores. We finally found them and the ORIGINAL makers of the Claddagh ring, Thomas Dillon's. They were a bit more expensive, but well worth it. I plan on keeping it to pass to my daughter and there is a lifetime guarantee. For those of you who don't know, the Claddagh ring dates back to 1750 and, "...shows two hands holding a heart which wears a crown. This motif is explained in the phrase, 'Let Love and Friendship Reign,' an ideal poesy for a wedding ring used by a small community for over 400 years." The ring is so pretty, but it is all about how you wear it. If you are single you wear it with the bottom of the heart pointing out signifying your heart is still open to the world. If someone has your heart you wear it with the heart pointing toward you showing that your heart is already taken. This is the one thing I purchased for myself and I am so glad that I did. 

After we found our rings Kim, Maddy and I went to dinner at this place that served traditional Irish food...I ended up getting the best cajon chicken sandwich with mozzarella and bell peppers. Might not be that Irish, but it was so good! We ended up at The Kings Head pup down the street where we heard a live band and met up with a lot of the other girls. Galway is definitely a HUGE party town. There were people giving out stamps for nightclubs and people who were REALLY drunk walking through the town. After the music we went and got ice cream to people watch and then headed home to get some sleep. It was a little difficult though simply because our room was right over a nightclub that played their music SUPER loud, but with headphones and Keith Urban it wasn't too hard to fall right asleep :)

On the road again..

Hi from Galway! We left this morning at 9:30 AM and finally got here after dark. It was a long bus ride but a beautiful one! We went through Connemara and it was so pretty! We stopped in Clifden for lunch and I got broccoli and cauliflower soup and potato wedges...it was yummy! When we finally got to Galway we were all so tired and thankful to finally be here. We showed up to Barnacles and it is really nice :) We were all not sure what to expect, but it definitely exceeded our expectations! There are 8 to a room and we got to pick our roommates. We have our own bathroom and shower and there is a TV room, kitchen and the people are really nice! I didn't think I would be able to post, but I'm glad they also have internet!

When we got here some of us went to McDonalds...it was the nicest one I have ever been to. I feel like McDonalds is better here! Or I'm just telling myself that. OH fun fact...here in Galway today it was COLDER than the SOUTH POLE! It was -2 degrees C there and -3 degrees C here! HOW CRAZY IS THAT?! After dinner we walked around a bit, but everything was closing...we weren't in the mood for a pub tonight so we came back to Barnacles and watched Wedding Crashers...now we are watching How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days :) classic girl time!

We are on our own for the weekend and planning on getting up early to walk ALL around Galway and see as much as possible! I can't wait, it is a really quaint little town and right on the water! It is going to be so cold though! I miss you all so much and BROTHER, I am so sorry I can't go to your banquet...I am still SO sad! Love you...I am so proud! Goodnight all!

TOMORROW...

So we just got home from Clem's a while ago...it was his last night before vacation. The pub was super fun tonight and tomorrow we are headed to Galway! I won't be on all weekend, just because I don't trust my computer in a hostel...I can't wait to write and tell you all about it! Class is class and I'm excited to not have it for a while. Can't believe its been a week! Hope you all have a good weekend! I love and miss you all!

:D

I still can't believe I'm in Ireland..

So my friends and I find ourselves saying, at LEAST once a day, "You guys, we are in IRELAND!" HAHAHA it's funny that after almost a week we still can't believe we are out of the country!

I have to say, I love getting responses to my blog! I felt so happy to see Donn, Denise and Dad reply to my latest post! I am just happy it's doing some good and all you guys back home are reading it! I love that I can keep you updated in this way and I really can't wait to come home and share all my stories with you! I really wish you all could be here! I know that you would LOVE every aspect of this wonderful place :)

Anyway, today was a fun day! It was REALLY cold, somewhere in the low 30s. We looked up the temperature in Galway where we are going this weekend and it is supposed to be 26 degrees! WOW...and to think it's over 80 at home, I just can't imagine it! Today we went to the cutest little town called Adare...google it! You will see why I fell in love! After we went to Bunratty Castle. It was a really awesome place and we got some good pictures there! The castles that we have been seeing are just amazing. It is so strange to think that hundreds of years ago there were actually kings living in them! The history here is unlike anything I've ever experienced. When we got back we just ate dinner (microwaveable shepherds pie for me..yum :/ haha) and hung out/did homework. We are planning on going out tomorrow night and trying out a couple of new pubs :) Friday morning we leave for Galway and we will be staying at Barnacles Hostel...you can google it! Apparently it is a "nicer" one, but we shall see! If you've seen the movie don't say a word! Haha :) it will definitely be an experience. 

Well, im going to post my homework then get some rest! I think I'm still on CA time :) I'm not tired! This is when sleeping pills would come in handy, but we tried to find some and apparently they only have the "herbal" stuff here! Haha, when my friend Brittney asked them for pills that make you drowsy they looked at us and said, "SO YOU WANT A PILL THAT MAKES YOU TIRED?!" HAHAHA I guess they don't have sleeping issues here like we do back home. 

GOODNIGHT! Love you all and miss you so much.

Amazing :)

I am in love with Ireland.

We just got home from the pub Clem Smith's and it was amazing. Clem is such a great guy and loves us! Him and I became fast friends and I told him about my new found love for Limerick. He offered me a job at his pub and said that if I ever did move here him and his wife would look after me. It might sound strange, but he is one of the nicest, funniest people I have ever met. I haven't been this happy in a really long time. Ireland is doing things to me, things in my heart that I can't even explain. I miss you all, especially my family. They are the only reason it would be so hard to move here, but I know that they would LOVE the excuse to visit :) anyway, I know this is short, but I had to post!

Tomorrow we are going to Adare and Bunratty Castle, can't wait! Goodnight :)

SNOW IN LIMERICK

OKAY SO THIS IS GOING TO BE IN ALL CAPS TO TRY AND CONVEY MY EXCITEMENT. TONIGHT WHEN WE WERE AT DINNER AT DOLANS IT SNOWED! LIKE REALLY REALLY SNOWED! IT WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. I CAN'T EVEN DESCRIBE HOW HAPPY I WAS WHEN IT WAS HAPPENING! SINCE IT DOESNT SNOW IN IRELAND VERY MUCH EVEN THE WAITRESS WENT OUTSIDE AND DID A HAPPY DANCE. WE IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED HER AND WERE GOING CRAZY! THERE WERE 14 OF US AND PEOPLE WERE DRIVING BY HONKING BECAUSE WE WERE JUMPING AROUND SO MUCH! I HAVE PICTURES AND A VIDEO AS WELL :D I WILL GET THEM UP WHEN I CAN. 

Anyway, wow it was amazing. Dinner was delish also! Maddy and I split smoked salmon bruschetta and traditional irish stew with lamb in it! It was amazing and I'm happy to say my first "irish" meal was REALLY good :D After dinner at Dolans we went to the pub next door called Clem Smiths and Clem was our bar tender! He gave us a sample of a drink and it was really good! I got a Blue Wicked tonight and it was SO GOOD..thank you Jenny..AGAIN :D 

So, to sum up tonight...it was full of good food, drinks and SNOW! 

I STILL LOVE IRELAND...I really might not come home (hehe).

GOODNIGHT!

OKAY so I lied..

I already have something to write! 

After showering, my new friend Maddy and I went to the store, but it turned out it was completely shut down so plans changed. We ended up going on a long walk exploring a part of Limerick we hadn't been yet. We found a fun looking pub called M. Fennessy that we will probably check out later in the week. While we were walking and talking we discovered that we have a lot in common, our faith just being one example. She is an extremely kind person and I think it's going to be the beginning of a great friendship! We discovered this Redemptourist Community Church called Mount Saint Alphonsus and it was absolutely amazing. I had been told by more than one person to visit as many churches as possible because they are nothing like anything I would ever see, but what we saw was so much more than I expected. It is indescribable. Everything from the stained glass to the mosaics were incredible. Another thing we both found really interesting was the confessionals. We had never really seen a confessional before and they were just like we pictured. It looked like it came out of a movie. I now understand why people said to go to as many as possible...we are going to try and go to a service and visit as many as we can! 

I feel so blessed and still love Ireland just as much! The cold is not that bad, I actually like it..as long as I'm bundled!

Toodles..for now! :)

Pictures thus far :)

OKAY so I figured out how to put up some pictures on FLICKR.COM

Hopefully this works...heres what you do:

Go to flickr.com and click "sign in" in the upper right hand corner.

For the yahoo ID type in jess.kain21@yahoo.com

and for the password type in ireland2010.

After you get to the page go to where it says "your photostream" in blue.

When you go there you should be able to see my pictures!

Please let me know how this works, I hope it does :)

We just got done with class...I probably won't post again unless something crazy happens at the pubs tonight. We are planning on going to get a good "Irish" dinner at a pub! Should be fun...now I'm showering and then going to the grocery store. Hope everyone has a good day! 

:)

"WE'RE JUST FUNNER!"

Hello everyone at home! For some reason it will not let me upload pictures so I am creating a flickr account and when it is ready I will post the info so that you can see the pictures I put up! 

Anyway, it is 8:30 PM here and I am going to get ready for bed soon! Jet lag finally kicked in...I did not sleep at all last night. I tried to from about 5 AM to 7, but it just was not happening! We had to wake up at 7 this morning to get ready to leave for Dingle at 8, but today the roads were really bad so we couldn't go. Instead we drove to Blarney and visited Blarney Castle where I kissed the Blarney Stone! It was an awesome experience and I even bought the picture for 10 euros (it is REALLY funny!). It was beautiful today, but one of the coldest days! After lunch in Blarney, where I had an amazing potato soup, we headed through Cork to see the castles in Cahir and Cashel. The castles were beautiful and one of my favorite parts of the trip so far was when we hiked down a short path at Cashel to see the ruins of an old Abbey called Hore (haha, I know..we laughed too). It was amazing and that was when we also saw what Ireland is really known for...its greenery. Up until today it has been really icy and the grass has been white, but today it was the brightest of greens! 

Driving through Ireland today from Limerick to Cork, I really realized what a small town girl I am. I could see myself living here and loving it for all of its simplicity. I think everyone should come visit Ireland. Even after being here for 3 days I can tell that us Americans have so much, but appreciate so little of it. Life needs to be about the little things, the things that make us happy. I think the people here in Ireland appreciate the little things in life, at least those that live on acres of land and only appear to have each other. One of my favorite things to see while driving are the houses with smoke coming from the chimneys..I like to picture families sitting together drinking hot cocoa. I know that if I were in their shoes I would be doing exactly that. 

Anywho, thats all for tonight. Hope everyone has a great day!

I miss everyone, especially my family! It is strange not talking, but I am thankful you can read what I'm doing...I LOVE YOU ALL :)

OH I almost forgot..tomorrow is our first day of class! I forgot that SCHOOL is the whole reason why we're here! HAHA..oh well, I'm thankful it got me here :)

Ireland? Don't Mind if I Do :)

So, today was our first REAL day in Limerick! I absolutely love it here. We walked about 30 minutes into town and went to King John's Castle, St. Mary's Cathedral, The Hunt Museum and 2 different pubs! We also saw the River Shannon and it was so beautiful...probably one of the fastest flowing rivers I've ever seen. King John's Castle ended up being a LOT of fun. We couldn't go into St. Mary's Cathedral, so that was a bummer, but the outside was beautiful. The Hunt Museum was interesting, but we were a little tired because it was a guided tour and it takes a lot to concentrate on these accents! 

The pubs tonight were a lot of fun! People are nice, but we know that when there are 10+ of us they are all looking at us like we are the "crazy Americans." All I can say is we will definitely be known here before we leave :) I had my first pear cider and it was okay...I could still taste the beer though, so after a while it was hard to get down. We then had an Irish Coffee and that was DELISH :) but what has Bailey's that ISN'T delish? We met some guys with awesome Irish accents, man I really do love it! OH, and I almost forgot...Fat Frogs are AMAZING...thank you Jenny :) they will be my drink of choice for the rest of the trip! 

Final thought of the day...it really is painful to think about how many US dollars are spent when purchasing ANYTHING here. It's all worth it though :) I LOVE IRELAND! Off to Dingle tomorrow :) Goodnight!

PS. Trying to post pictures after this...hopefully it works!

24 Hours Later..

WOW! We finally got here at 7:21 PM. We got settled into the dorms at Mary Immaculate College then went to dinner at Scott's Bar. I got a hamburger and let me tell you, it tasted like meat loaf! Yuck! Good to know though, good to know.

Anyway, since I'm sure you're all wondering, heres a short version of what happened today...We got to the airport around 6:30 AM thinking that our flight was taking off at 9:40. Turns out our flight was delayed til around 1 PM, but we couldn't take that flight because if we did we would miss our connecting flight in Chicago to Dublin. The airport people then had to re book 37 flights to Chicago. Since Chicago is a popular destination they couldn't possibly fit us all onto one flight so we all got broken up on different flights. Take off was delayed about 40 minutes because of "mechanical issues" but not to worry, my friend Melanie and I met an awesome guy named ryan and laughed, talked and slept the whole 4 hours. All was well when we landed and met up with everyone. We then had 2 hours til our flight to Dublin took off, but because nothing was going our way we knew something was bound to go wrong. We got on the plane and it was SO small...I was not looking forward to sitting for 7 hours between 2 people with no leg room. We took off and during the flight we were fed, watched movies and I tried to sleep as much as possible. When we were approaching Dublin we noticed that we were over shooting it by a lot and were wondering what was going on. Just then they told us that it was snowing in Dublin and since snow is rare they closed the airport...yup, they CLOSED the airport. So we headed to Manchester where we would re fuel, defrost the wings and sit for 2 more unnecessary hours. The plane ride back to Dublin would have been bad if I hadn't forced myself to fall asleep. When we got there we landed, got off and then waited for our luggage that took 30 some odd minutes to come off because of the weather.

Side note: On the baggage claim there was a sign that said "Have you the correct luggage?" I found that funny :)

Anyway, after we got our luggage we got on a bus that brought us 3.5 hours to Limerick and here we are. It is COLD and strange because I should feel like it's the afternoon, but I can't wait to get in bed and sleep! GOODNIGHT!

I hope everyone had a happy new year! I tried to post pictures, but for some reason it isn't working. Will try again tomorrow :)