I'm currently sitting in the library procrastinating on writing my paper. It's for my Irish Women in Society course and I can basically write about whatever I want that compares Irish women to women in America. Sounds easy, right? Not really.
I've chosen to write about dating, relationships, etc. and compare the two countries and their dating rituals. I have a lot to say but I can't seem to say it in a way that gets my point across. Gah. This is hard especially because I haven't done actual school work in over two months. It's also hard because some boy just peeled a clementine and now all that I can think about is eating a clementine. Annoying. Basically, I am just writing this post to procrastinate and because I'm at a road block in my writing. Admittedly, I am not the best writer in the world and I'm not looking forward to all of the papers that I have this semester and this week, I am overwhelmed with work that I have to get out of the way by Friday. Because Friday is the start of one of the best months of my life.
Arcadia is taking a trip to Belfast, Northern Ireland this weekend and I am so stoked. We are going to the Giant's Causeway which is supposed to be phenomenal and I hope to see Paul and Roisin Duffin, exchange students that lived in Carlisle years and years ago. When we get back from Belfast with our extra suitcase full of booze (because the North is supposed to have wicked cheap drink), Rag Week starts.
Rag Week is a week in the school year that is set aside to raise money for a specific charity by having different events each night. For example, The Rubberbandits (the band that sings 'Horse Outside') will be giving a concert on Thursday night. Besides raising money for charity, it is quite possibly NUIG's biggest drinking fest. I've heard stories about the week and I don't have words to express my excitement about it.
Next Friday, the last day of Rag Week, my family arrives!!!! I have been counting down the days since I found out that all six of my family members will be visiting me in Galway!!! I always knew that my mom and dad were coming but about a month ago, they surprised me by telling me that they were bringing all of my siblings too!!! It is going to be an epic week when the Gilroy clan invades Ireland and I can not wait until they get here.
After they leave, St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner. Kelsey is coming to visit for the celebrations and I have no doubt that it will be a grand weekend. At the end of March, I have a trip to Brussels planned with my friend Jon and when we get back, classes are over and April is here!! I have yet to plan any trips for the two months of 'study time' that we get but I'm sure they will be in the works soon enough.
Enough procrastinating, I must get back to my paper. :(
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Stud Abroad
As the train pulls into Norwich Station, my heart starts to beat a little bit faster and excitement overwhelms me. I'm about to see Luke, who I have not seen since August!! I was looking forward to seeing him ever since I got to Ireland but I didn't realize how much I wanted to see him until it was minutes until we met. I walk down the platform towards the exit and I see his blonde hair above the crowd. I start walking faster and there he is!!! We hug and then we are off for a tour of Norwich.
Luke 'knows' so much about Norwich. I say 'knows' because he would point at buildings and say, "That's the Norwich Cathedral," and I would nod and then minutes later he would say, "No wait....THAT'S the Norwich Cathedral." and other things like that. I give him credit though, he knows a lot about the town and the history of Norwich. After a quick tour, we headed to meet his friends at the Adam & Eve Pub (supposedly the oldest standing pub in Norwich...or something like that) for a pint or two. We then head back to Luke's flat to get ready for the night. After a brief stop at Tesco Express for some clutch supplies of alcohol, KX and sandwiches, we are off to Mikey's house for the pregame. 'Saucepan' (it goes by another name but that's the name that we decided on) was our game of choice for the night and after we were all good and ready, we headed to the College Club.
It was 90's night at the club which made for a very interesting playlist...anything from Celine Dion's 'My Heart Will Go On' to B*Witched's 'Cest La Vie' was played. I won't go into detail, partially because the details are a little hazy and partially because no one wants to read every detail of the night, but I will say...that it was an epic night.
The next morning we woke up a bit tot late to really do anything in Norwich, so we just grabbed a bap(favoriteeee!) and headed towards the train station. It was a lovely night in Norwich, one that will definitely go down in history, and I am excited to give Luke an 'informative tour' (of the pubs) in Galway when he comes to visit!
Luke 'knows' so much about Norwich. I say 'knows' because he would point at buildings and say, "That's the Norwich Cathedral," and I would nod and then minutes later he would say, "No wait....THAT'S the Norwich Cathedral." and other things like that. I give him credit though, he knows a lot about the town and the history of Norwich. After a quick tour, we headed to meet his friends at the Adam & Eve Pub (supposedly the oldest standing pub in Norwich...or something like that) for a pint or two. We then head back to Luke's flat to get ready for the night. After a brief stop at Tesco Express for some clutch supplies of alcohol, KX and sandwiches, we are off to Mikey's house for the pregame. 'Saucepan' (it goes by another name but that's the name that we decided on) was our game of choice for the night and after we were all good and ready, we headed to the College Club.
It was 90's night at the club which made for a very interesting playlist...anything from Celine Dion's 'My Heart Will Go On' to B*Witched's 'Cest La Vie' was played. I won't go into detail, partially because the details are a little hazy and partially because no one wants to read every detail of the night, but I will say...that it was an epic night.
The next morning we woke up a bit tot late to really do anything in Norwich, so we just grabbed a bap(favoriteeee!) and headed towards the train station. It was a lovely night in Norwich, one that will definitely go down in history, and I am excited to give Luke an 'informative tour' (of the pubs) in Galway when he comes to visit!
Monday, February 14, 2011
My weekend with the Queen...
A little over a week ago, I boarded a plane at the deserted Shannon Airport to head to London. I was extremely excited about the trip because it was the first place that I would be travelling to outside of Ireland and because I had plans to see Luke who I had not seen in over five months!!
While waiting in the airport, a good 50 to 60 United States Army men and women walked into the waiting area. They were all dressed in their uniforms and we all wondered where they were headed. Were they headed home to be with their loved ones? Were they off to a base camp in another European country? Or were they heading East? Turns out it was the latter of the three. It was crazy seeing all of them in the little Shannon Airport heading to the Middle East and I wanted to hug each and every one of them and thank them for serving our wonderful country.
After getting off the tube in what looked like Chinatown, Sara, Mandy and I walked the streets trying to find our hostel. I ended up asking a cute British fellow for directions and he promptly took out his iPhone and gave us turn by turn directions to the Hyde Park Hostel.
The Hyde Park Hostel: 9EURO a night and you pay for what you get. The three got our sheets from the reception desk and trudged up the four flights of stairs to the third floor(makes complete sense, right?). After settling in (as much as we could) we headed out for a bite to eat. We were all starving from our travels and ordered far too much food that the server/bartender had to ask if we wanted a bigger table. Mandy even almost cut a guys arm off when he tried to take her plate before she was finished, we were THAT hungry. After dinner, we wandered the streets of 'Chinatown' a little bit before heading back to the hostel to get a good nights sleep before our long day of touring.
On Friday morning, we woke up extremely early (really it was 8AM, but that is extremely early for my standards right now) and heading out into the city. The first place we hit was Parliament and Big Ben. There aren't words to describe the architecture of this building or the size of the building. Pictures don't really do it justice either. I always remember seeing it in movies and thinking, 'Oh, that looks cool.' But in real life, when you are standing just feet away, it is breathtaking. The whole area that it is in is just wonderful. The London Eye is directly diagonal from Parliament and the Thames River flows directly in front of both. There are multiple bridges along the river and all of them have different architecture and they are all beautiful in their own way. We then walked towards Westminister Abbey and although we didnt want to pay the 16£ entrance fee(which is around 30$) we got to take pictures outside of it. Buckingham Palace was our next stop. All that I really wanted to do was take pictures with the guards in the fluffy hats and I couldn't wait to get to the Palace! We got there and were disappointed. There were no guards in fluffy hats!! I thought, 'Is that a rumor? No...it couldn't be. People take pictures with them all of the time.' So after being sad for awhile, we took pictures of the normal-hatted guards and of the Palace and we were on our way. We grabbed lunch at a cute cafe and then we headed for Notting Hill.
Notting Hill was my favorite part about London. It wasn't very touristy and it was beautiful. It had so many cute shops, houses, dive bars and a market in the street that sold whatever your heart desired from used books to homemade cheese to knock off designer clothes. I loved it, loved it, loved it and I would love to go back and spend more time in the area.
Later that night, we met up with Mandy's friend, Allison, who is studying in London for the semester. We met all of her flatmates (who all go to Temple) and then we headed out for the night. Allison's friend suggested that we go to Club Koko because they had to live bands and it was only 5£ to get in. It turned out to be an amazingly fun night and the two bands were awesome. Young the Giant was the first band to play and they are supposed to be the next big thing. The Shoes played next and they were awesome!! The crowd was a mix of hipsters, clubbers, foreigners, locals, basically just a mix of the most random people ever. The club had a great vibe and I loved every second of it.
The next morning, we did a few more touristy things before I got on the train to Norwich. Platform 9 3/4 was a huge disappointment. Kings Cross Station is under construction right now and although they still had the platform, it was not real. Now I know what you're thinking...Harry Potter is not real and neither is Platform 9 3/4. But what I mean is that the actual wall was not real. They usually have the luggage cart going into an actual brick wall, but now it is a plastic wannabe brick wall. So sad. We also went to Abbey Road and saw the Abbey Road Studios...so cool!!
After grabbing a bite to eat, I seperated from the group and got on the tube to Liverpool Street Station to start my journey to Norwich...
While waiting in the airport, a good 50 to 60 United States Army men and women walked into the waiting area. They were all dressed in their uniforms and we all wondered where they were headed. Were they headed home to be with their loved ones? Were they off to a base camp in another European country? Or were they heading East? Turns out it was the latter of the three. It was crazy seeing all of them in the little Shannon Airport heading to the Middle East and I wanted to hug each and every one of them and thank them for serving our wonderful country.
After getting off the tube in what looked like Chinatown, Sara, Mandy and I walked the streets trying to find our hostel. I ended up asking a cute British fellow for directions and he promptly took out his iPhone and gave us turn by turn directions to the Hyde Park Hostel.
The Hyde Park Hostel: 9EURO a night and you pay for what you get. The three got our sheets from the reception desk and trudged up the four flights of stairs to the third floor(makes complete sense, right?). After settling in (as much as we could) we headed out for a bite to eat. We were all starving from our travels and ordered far too much food that the server/bartender had to ask if we wanted a bigger table. Mandy even almost cut a guys arm off when he tried to take her plate before she was finished, we were THAT hungry. After dinner, we wandered the streets of 'Chinatown' a little bit before heading back to the hostel to get a good nights sleep before our long day of touring.
On Friday morning, we woke up extremely early (really it was 8AM, but that is extremely early for my standards right now) and heading out into the city. The first place we hit was Parliament and Big Ben. There aren't words to describe the architecture of this building or the size of the building. Pictures don't really do it justice either. I always remember seeing it in movies and thinking, 'Oh, that looks cool.' But in real life, when you are standing just feet away, it is breathtaking. The whole area that it is in is just wonderful. The London Eye is directly diagonal from Parliament and the Thames River flows directly in front of both. There are multiple bridges along the river and all of them have different architecture and they are all beautiful in their own way. We then walked towards Westminister Abbey and although we didnt want to pay the 16£ entrance fee(which is around 30$) we got to take pictures outside of it. Buckingham Palace was our next stop. All that I really wanted to do was take pictures with the guards in the fluffy hats and I couldn't wait to get to the Palace! We got there and were disappointed. There were no guards in fluffy hats!! I thought, 'Is that a rumor? No...it couldn't be. People take pictures with them all of the time.' So after being sad for awhile, we took pictures of the normal-hatted guards and of the Palace and we were on our way. We grabbed lunch at a cute cafe and then we headed for Notting Hill.
Notting Hill was my favorite part about London. It wasn't very touristy and it was beautiful. It had so many cute shops, houses, dive bars and a market in the street that sold whatever your heart desired from used books to homemade cheese to knock off designer clothes. I loved it, loved it, loved it and I would love to go back and spend more time in the area.
Later that night, we met up with Mandy's friend, Allison, who is studying in London for the semester. We met all of her flatmates (who all go to Temple) and then we headed out for the night. Allison's friend suggested that we go to Club Koko because they had to live bands and it was only 5£ to get in. It turned out to be an amazingly fun night and the two bands were awesome. Young the Giant was the first band to play and they are supposed to be the next big thing. The Shoes played next and they were awesome!! The crowd was a mix of hipsters, clubbers, foreigners, locals, basically just a mix of the most random people ever. The club had a great vibe and I loved every second of it.
The next morning, we did a few more touristy things before I got on the train to Norwich. Platform 9 3/4 was a huge disappointment. Kings Cross Station is under construction right now and although they still had the platform, it was not real. Now I know what you're thinking...Harry Potter is not real and neither is Platform 9 3/4. But what I mean is that the actual wall was not real. They usually have the luggage cart going into an actual brick wall, but now it is a plastic wannabe brick wall. So sad. We also went to Abbey Road and saw the Abbey Road Studios...so cool!!
After grabbing a bite to eat, I seperated from the group and got on the tube to Liverpool Street Station to start my journey to Norwich...
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Electronics-2 Ellen-0
The first night in Galway, I broke my camera. No, not my Canon Rebel, but my Canon PowerShot which means that I have taken zero pictures of the night life in Galway. Luckily, all of my friends have been taking a gazillion pictures while we are out, so I have been stealing their photos off of Facebook...but it is just not the same as taking your own photos.
The first month in Galway, I broke my computer. Well technically, water broke my computer. And even more technically, water broke my keyboard, charger and charge port. I took it to Gal Mac Computers to have a look at it because it was semi-working but mostly just not working. They took it apart and told me that the water didn't damage my hard drive but it broke all of the things that I listed above. They also said that my hard drive is old and is damaged from wear and tear and to put over 200euro into fixing my current laptop(and they wouldn't be able to fix the charge port completely), would be a waste.
So....after contemplating and thinking and making a list of the pros & cons...I bought a new computer. I had to order it from the store so that I would get an American keyboard and now I have to wait 7-10 business days. Also, I received my new camera in the mail yesterday from the States (thanks Mom & Dad!!) and I'm pumped to start taking pictures of my crazy adventures in Ireland.
On a happier note, I'm heading to London tomorrow. Hopefully making it up to Norwich for a night to see the Stud Abroad.
The first month in Galway, I broke my computer. Well technically, water broke my computer. And even more technically, water broke my keyboard, charger and charge port. I took it to Gal Mac Computers to have a look at it because it was semi-working but mostly just not working. They took it apart and told me that the water didn't damage my hard drive but it broke all of the things that I listed above. They also said that my hard drive is old and is damaged from wear and tear and to put over 200euro into fixing my current laptop(and they wouldn't be able to fix the charge port completely), would be a waste.
So....after contemplating and thinking and making a list of the pros & cons...I bought a new computer. I had to order it from the store so that I would get an American keyboard and now I have to wait 7-10 business days. Also, I received my new camera in the mail yesterday from the States (thanks Mom & Dad!!) and I'm pumped to start taking pictures of my crazy adventures in Ireland.
On a happier note, I'm heading to London tomorrow. Hopefully making it up to Norwich for a night to see the Stud Abroad.
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