Following My Bliss

Oh Grey's Anatomy. Even though I knew what was going to happen (because Ireland is wicked behind) I still cried like a baby.
"Bad dreams, bad dreams, go away. Good dreams, good dreams, here to stay."
"You have to do it 3 times or it doesn't work."
Callie & Arizona are the best. I love torturing Emma a bit by reminding her I know what's going to happen and she doesn't. :D Also, Sloan's daughter needs to appear ASAP because I've been holding that one over her head since I got here.
I have to wait 2 weeks for another episode though because of soccer. Ah, just like America!! Except it's never soccer that interrupts our programming schedule.

We're going to Galway this weekend!!!! It appears to be only be myself, Elizabeth, and Garrett. I am OK with this. Kinda wish it would be more people but at the same time not? Elizabeth tells me there's a castle. And we all know how much Dana loves a good castle.

One good thing about all of us though is we're all procrastinating our papers back home. Or more like struggling to write them. Things just aren't as structured here as in America. These aren't social work agencies really, they're social care. They run under the management of a few people, not an HR Department and a Finance Department. It's busy and chaotic and everyone's holding on by their fingernails.
I wouldn't change it for a second. OK, well maybe I'd wish them all a bigger budget. Everyone could use that these days.

GMa's care package made my day. More easy mac, my favorite Keibler cookies, my favorite chocolates, and real hot chocolate packets that you make with hot water and not with milk in the microwave. She also included a thing of Jif smooth peanut butter. Even though we have peanut butter here, it's just not Jif. You all know what I'm talking about.
Hershey's, I have missed you!!!

Of course today was my day off and I wanted to go in to the city centre to shop and it had to rain. Wonderful. Thanks a lot Mother Nature. Real cute. Just get it out of your system before this weekend please.

Kirsten & Kerri arrive next Friday. Wooooo!!!! Trying to figure out what we'll be doing but around my internship schedule. A little tricky but we'll make it work. I really hope I can show them a good time. I'm going to feel bad if they're bored here or something. Also, nooo idea how we're going to pull off the sleeping situation but that's a battle we'll win when they get here.

Dave randomly sent me a text Monday morning to see how I was. Completely made my day and possibly my week. My brother is too awesome.

Pretty much wrote this just to put off my paper a little longer. Guess I should get on that. Tomorrow's my early day at work (11AM) so I actually have to go to bed before 2AM. Bummer.

Hope all is well with everyone. Take care.
<3
Dana

It's been a while.

We didn't have internet from Saturday night to yesterday so I'm going to stick with blaming that and not my own laziness for my lack of entries.

My new internship is stellar. The workers/volunteers are all super fun and amazing. The kids are interesting and fun and keep you on your toes. It's so different from anything I've done before and I think that's why I love it even more. I get to work with girls and boys from ages 8 to 16 (or there abouts). It makes me happy to know I may be able to positively impact them and help them make good decisions in their lives. I have learned the little things truly do matter and anything can be made in to a learning experience.

During my first supervisor meeting on Friday, Louise told me I'm doing really good. She can't believe I've never worked with kids before like this. She praised me for just being like 'Here I am, deal with me' (AKA not being shy and having no shame) and not being afraid to converse with the kids. I take what they throw at me in stride. It's good to know I'm fitting in well and not messing up anything too badly.

This morning I attended a 'training' session with other area youth workers. We learned a bunch of group games we could play with the kids. They are meant to be fun, but there's more to them like learning about one another and instilling trust in each other. It was so, so much fun and I really enjoyed being a part of it. I hope to some day be able to take what I learned here and apply it in America.

Another small world moment: Maggie (the other worker at SHY) and I realized today that her family (I can't remember who specifically) lived in the town near where my brother used to live in Virginia. Absolutely crazy.

Not being able to watch the Olympics is killing me. The coverage is limited here (as the TV stations are even more limited) and online isn't working (NBC said I can't watch because I'm international). This isn't funny anymore.
Dana.Needs.Curling!!!!
Side note: Senior year of high school we had senior study hall which was held in a cafe style room with tables and TVs. During the Winter Olympics, we put on curling on the TVs and I swear mostly everyone ended up watching and getting in to it. 2nd period senior was the best study hall ever. So this whole watching curling thing is a big deal/tradition, if you will.

Tried to go out Saturday night with the crew only to be denied entry to a 'dance club' because I was wearing a hoodie. Are you serious? Seeing as I didn't know this was the place we were going I wasn't wearing a shirt I'd wear in public underneath said hoodie (as in a small white tank top). So I went back to the apartments. Whatever Waterford, the night life in Buffalo is better anyways!!!

I've had a lot of fun lately comparing notes between Ireland and America.

It is cheaper to buy a standard transmission car here than an automatic. As in, it's standard to drive standard. You cannot be licensed to drive both either. You choose what you'll drive and that's the license you have. They also do not have cruise control, hence the title of this post. My 'supervisor' couldn't believe the concept when I explained it to her. Of course, Ireland also doesn't have the highways/thruways like America does so it's a little less usable.

Irish pancakes are not American pancakes. Theirs are thinner, more like a crepe but not that thin. I had my first one on Monday (we're making them all week for Pancake Tuesday). They do not in fact have IHOP here (who knew International didn't actually mean International!) and pancakes are really a once a year deal. I've also begun to understand the love of Nutella. Of all the toppings I tried on their pancakes, it was my favorite.

Mac & cheese really isn't a big deal here at all. When I made Easy Mac in front of Nieve & Louise they about near died (and not in a good way) to see cheese in powdered form. I kept telling them to not judge it because it's the poor college kid version of m&c. Wait till I get some Velveeta or Kraft, they won't be repulsed then (I hope).

They do not have Milk Duds or Twizzlers here. Apparently those that have visited America love them both very, very much. So weird that something so basic to us is a treat for them. Today Maggie got surprised with a pack of Twizzlers. I watched Lindsey (the community drugs worker) and Louise have them for the first time. They kept calling them licorice before eating them (which I wouldn't allow) and understood afterwards that they aren't at all like licorice. They seemed to like them OK enough.

Also on food (what the hell, I must seem so fat with all this food talk!) they do not have graham crackers here like we do. While talking with my one girls' group they asked about smores and if I love Hershey's (something else they don't really sell here because Cadbury is a big deal). They only knew how to make smores because they'd seen it on Hannah Montana!!! That is just NOT acceptable in my view!!
I've asked my mom to ship over some crackers and chocolate so one night with the girls we can make proper smores. Of course, they won't be truly proper because there's not a place to build a fire to roast marshmellows so they'll have to be microwave style. But at least they'll have the real, right crackers and chocolate.

They don't have Pam cooking spray (at least that I've seen). They use something that looks like butter but definitely isn't as cooking grease. Because they don't have Pam, I wonder if the joke in the movie Baby Mama about 'spraying a little Pam down there' isn't as funny to them?
Yes, I think about these things. And I'm a role model for kids! :P Haha!

Topper=pencil sharpener.
Press=cupboard.
Bin=garbage can.
Prom=stroller (for babies).

When you sneeze, no one says 'Bless you'. Ever.

I have my first big paper due to Brockport on Monday. Agency Profile. Thankfully, SHY has folders of info I was able to go through yesterday. They actually have folders called 'Agency Profile' and 'Community Profile'. Of course they weren't nearly as up to date as I would have liked so on Friday I have questions for Lousie to tie up loose ends. Even though it's a longer paper, I can't find it in me to complain because it's technically only one class I'm doing. My internship hardly feels like work 90% of the time but I'm definitely learning.

I am wiped out. Off to reading and bed I go.

Love you all,

Dana

Yes, this is a tad late. My bad. It's been sitting in my drafts and I forgot to publish it.

Friday, 2-5-10:
Hopped a bus to Cork. I really like night bus rides. But what really needs to be said is the following:
Dear Kwells,
You.Are.The.Best. I love you. I love you. I LOVE YOU!!!!
Love,
Me
(Kwells would be the motion sickness medicine that I now won't let out of my sight. Brilliant medicine. Simply amazing).

Anyways, rolled in to the bus station in Cork. Immediately was greeted by a stray dog. Said dog got lots of love and attention from us. (For those of you who ever met the two labs I used to have, this dog was literally Tinker Belle reincarnated. Sweetest personality ever.) This stray actually followed us all the way to our hostel (about a ten minute walk up a hill) and in to said hostel (Shelia's Hostel to be exact) where the lady at reception was like 'Um, yours?' and we were like 'Nope, followed us'. Thankfully this woman was simply grand and promised to call someone to take care of the pup for us.

So we got checked in and went up to our room. Bunk beds!!! The room was just one long, narrow space with two sets of beds on one wall, then the bathroom on that wall, and then two more beds in a back area. Interesting set-up, but it held it's own. We acted silly and got a bit settled in before setting off to explore Cork.

We began to walk along the river towards the city centre. I'm just walking along next to Kate when suddenly she screams and jumps around a bit. I feel something on my foot. I look down and a freaking RAT is running across my feet. I screamed and ran with Kate a few steps a head of me. Everyone else just laughed. Apparently she had felt it and kicked it right in to me. Ew street rat (not the same as Jezebel by any means). Definitely skeeved out by it.

Anyways, walked about the city for a bit seeing what stores they had and such. Lots and lots of stores, be they food, clothing, or anything in-between. There's the main road and tons of side-street/allies along the way with even more places along them. It's truly amazing how many buildings there are. Mostly all were closed being that it was like 11PM on a Friday night. Found an outside restaurant area down one alley that had a WATERFALL. Wicked awesome. We went to McD's for a late night bite before heading over to Shelbourne Bar where we given 15% off drinks through a deal with the hostel we were staying at. Due to the motion sickness meds I couldn't drink and that was totally fine by me.

After they had a round we headed back to the hostel being wiped out and needing to get sleep for the following day.

Saturday, 2-6-10:
Woke up decently early. Everyone got up and around and dressed. Headed down to the bus station only to find out the bus we needed to Blarney wouldn't be there for approximately another hour. (This is where I should probably mention I really should stop being the one looking up buses as I'm not exactly batting 100 on them.)

To kill time we headed back to a bakery we had passed the night before. When they eventually opened we went in. Kate was the most excited for it and got some type of bread. Jenn got this garlic&cheese bap which I said reminded me of the taste of the clam sauce when my grandma makes spaghetti & clam sauce. They did not like this description nor did anyone agree with it. Whatever. It was delicious and I was happy to help her eat it.

So the one guy working in said bakery turned to us after hearing us talk and goes 'So you're all from New York?'. We all literally went 'Uh...whoa...yea'. Turns out his family is from Buffalo, as in his grandmother lives right near Ralph Wilson Stadium. WTF??? How do we keep finding people from back home in these random Irish cities?? He was pretty cool and we enjoyed chatting with him for a bit.

It is truly, without a doubt, a small world.

After we ate we headed back to the bus stop and got on our bus to go to Blarney. Wasn't a long ride until we pulled in to a quaint little town. A few steps away and we were on the Castle grounds.

Instead of going right to the Castle we decided to go see other sights on the grounds. These included Dolmen, Wishing Steps, Witches Kitchen, Druids Circle, Sacrificial Alter, and Fairy Glade. They are all these places where this or that is to be believed happened in the past. All pretty cool. We spent a good time doing this, just enjoying the grounds. It was in fact a gorgeous day and all the greenery and trees was really nice to be around.

Next we headed to the Castle itself. Kate and I ended up split from Garrett and Elizabeth (we had lost Jenn much earlier in the excursion) so her and I began to climb up the 100 stairs to the top.

So I should probably note I'm a bit scared of heights, but I never let myself not do something because of this. I do get a fast heart rate and a bit shaky, but I have never backed out of anything because I'm a tad scared.

That being said, Blarney Castle, you almost got one on me.

The staircase you went up was very, very narrow. It was a spiral, stone staircase the whole way up. It was beyond old looking. And something that should be noted about all these old buildings we've explored; the stairs are ridiculously thin. Like, a few inches thick. I have NO IDEA how they have held up over time.

I eventually made it to the top with Kate. I proceeded to have the most ridiculous grip ever on the metal railing that went along the inside of the Castle, so much so that I actually cut off circulation at one point to my own hand. If you could see the pictures you'd understand why. It was uneven, old, and only a couple foot wide walkway around the very, very open center.

We made our way to the actual Blarney Stone where another group clearly of friends were just doing the kissing thing. Two of the girls were pretty freaked out doing it. You have to lay on your back and a nice man named Dennis holds your midsection while sliding you backwards. You bend backwards over the edge, holding two railings, and you see all the way down to the ground while trying to kiss a stone in front of you.

No thanks.

Kate did in fact brave it and kiss the stone. Hilarious pictures from this as she was a tad freaked hanging over the edge herself. They tried to talk me in to it but I got out of it pretty easily. Thank God. At least some people understand peer pressure isn't cool.

We heard Garrett and Elizabeth beneath us so we opted to wait for them to get to the top. Kate was really enjoying being up so high and the view it provided. I did too, but only looking straight out across. I was not looking down to the ground below. Eventually I got tired of waiting for Garrett and Elizabeth to make their way around (they were stopping to read each info plaque which is good but I was not OK being up so high) so Kate and I went down.

Going down was much better than going up, if only because the staircase didn't seem as deteriorated as the other one.

When we made it back to the lobby we found Jenn. We did a little souvenir shopping before going back out on to the grounds. We walked around a bit more, exploring a cave, a dungeon, and the area around the Castle. Finally after a bit we decided to head out.

We stopped for lunch at a little cafe in town. I got a really good toasted sandwich (ham, cheese, tomatoes, onions) and the others got other really good foods. It was a nice little place and it was good food for cheap. After eating we got back on the bus and headed back to Cork City Centre.

Decided to do a bit of shopping. Kate and Jenn got split from Garrett, Elizabeth, and myself. The three of us ended up exploring the entire city it seemed. We went in to a ton of different stores, walked a farmer's market of sorts, went in to the free Crawford Art Gallery (where an exhibition called 'Terror and the Sublime: Art in an Age of Anxiety' was being put on), and just generally explored the area. It's a really pretty place; gorgeous buildings and no limit on things to go in to. I found a chocolate store and got the most amazing hot chocolate, truffle, and tiramisu EVER. Freaking amazing on all levels. We finished the night by sitting and listening to the best street musicians of the day; a guitar, a violin, and some singing. Beautiful.

My favorite pictures I took are from this night. City views as night falls. I can't wait to share them (hopefully sooner rather than later).

Headed back to the hostel to get ready to go out to dinner and such. Stopped to talk to the receptionist about the pup that followed us back. Turns out she took it home with her. Apparently the pound destroys dogs if they're not claimed in 5 days and this one was just way too sweet to let that happen. Her own dog, a big ol' Sheepdog, was a bit weary of the new dog at first but she said they ended up sleeping together and her dog would bring toys to the new dog trying to engage it in play. Too precious.

When we got back to our room we were informed someone else was staying with us. We had booked a six person room and we figured we wouldn't have anyone staying in the sixth bed. We figured wrong. Apparently a French boy was going to be stuck with us. He apparently came in while Kate was sleeping and an awkward/hilarious situation ensued of 'WTF? Who are you?' and realization a stranger was sleeping with us.

After lounging around a bit and getting pretty we headed out to dinner. Split the group once again with Kate & I going for Chinese and the rest going to a modern restaurant we had found earlier in the day. Kate and I split sweet & sour chicken and I got a side of fried rice as well. It was so good. A big difference between here and home is the lack of grease used in cooking food. It makes the other flavors come out that much more. It was a tad pricey but for a good Chinese meal (my first here) I was willing to spend it.

Ended up finishing before the others so we went over to their restaurant and met them there while they finished up. Sat outside for a bit while they finished their drinks and had a smoke. Took pictures that looked wicked cool due to the glow of the heat lamps (something all bars seem to have on their small outdoor patio areas. How nice of them!). Apparently some people Jenn met had mentioned a couple good bars so off we went.

First stop was Old Oak Bar. It was apparently the place to be. Upon getting our drinks and walking to the back we realized why. The bar is HUGE. As in, there's actually like 3 or 4 actual bars in the entire place. It just keeps going and going. We had a couple drinks (they had a couple, I only had 1) and talked for a bit. It became rather apparent that the bar crowd was more late 20s, early 30s; not exactly our scene. So we left.

Kate and I decided to head back to the hostel and the Jenn, Elizabeth, and Garrett headed off to another bar. Back at the hostel we got ready for bed and eventually fell asleep. I think the others got back like 230AM or so.

Sunday, 2-7-09:
Got up and got ready for the day. Checked out of the hostel and we headed off to the bus station. By asking other drivers we found out what bus we needed to get to the old Cork City Gaol (that's said jail by the way). The actual driver of the bus that went towards the Gaol was wicked, wicked helpful. He at first was a little confused by where we wanted to go but eventually understood and took us on. When it came time for our stop he went on the bus' overhead speaker to tell us (hence the title of this entry). Super hilarious.

We had been told the Cork Gaol would be just up the hill. Um, try like three hills. My legs were unamused. But eventually, a good 20 minute walk later, we reached the old, imposing building.

It wasn't what we thought it would be but was fun all the same. Only one wing was open to us. They gave you a tape player and headphones to listen to a tour explaining the history of the gaol as well as about different people that inhabited it. This went along with the various wax figures they had set-up throughout supposedly being these people. We spent maybe a couple hours at most wandering around and such.

Headed back to the bus terminal in Cork City. There we hopped the bus that was meant to take us back to Waterford. Elizabeth talked with the driver and got him to agree to let us off in Midleton (even though he wasn't supposed to). So Garrett, Elizabeth, and myself got off in Midleton while Kate and Jenn headed back to Waterford.

Upon getting off the bus I discovered a Polish store across the street. Um, yea, I might have gotten a tad too excited. After their cigarette break, they indulged me and let me go over. I found pierogi (pierogi z mięsem pilzneńskie to be exact)!!! Like, legit, real, true Polish pierogi!! Of course I bought some! (I ate those morsels of meaty goodness within three days. I wish I could find good meat pierogis in America.)

Then it was off to the real reason we were in Midleton: The Jameson Distillery. We got to take a tour of the grounds, which is actually the old distillery. They no longer produce any of the liquor there, but instead in a new distillery just beside the old grounds. It was pretty cool though going through the old buildings and having the whiskey process explained to us while looking at real equipment used.

At the end the tour guide asked for volunteers for a taste testing. Originally we believed Elizabeth, myself, and Garrett had all been chosen but someone went up that shouldn't have and thus Garrett got left out. Totally unfair and crappy. But off we went back to the bar.

Everyone was given a ticket for a free Jameson drink so he went and got his while we sat at a table with a few other people. In front of us were three small shots of Scotch, American Whiskey (Jack Daniel's, obviously), and Irish Whiskey (Jameson, obviously). Scotch does in fact have a camp fire taste to it. Did not like, at all. Jack Daniels will always have a little extra 'wha-bam!' on my taste buds (don't ask me why).

I liked the Jameson the best. Yea, I'll say it again: Jameson is better than Jack Daniel's!!! In fact, my Jameson and Coke was so smooth I could have drank them all night. Too bad Jameson is a tad expensive in the USA or it'd become my new favorite drink of all time.

After drinks we headed in to the gift shop. I ended up calling Dave to see what he'd rather get for a birthday present and picked that up, as well as a gift for Al. I also got myself a new hoodie (black and super soft on the inside). I wear it too much already. Probably the best souvenir I've gotten thus far to be honest.

We left the Distillery, sad to say goodbye. However, because it was only 5:30 we went back in to the Polish store so I could get a drink. I got apple juice which actually has a bit of a candy cane taste to it. Garrett and Elizabeth didn't quite know what to make of it, but I chugged it down happily.

Hopped back on the bus and headed home. G & E fell asleep in the back row, all sprawled out while I cat-napped in my seat with my headphones in. Arrived back in Waterford feeling happy and successful over our weekend adventure to Cork.

Last week I found out I got accepted to the UB advanced graduate program. This is what I wanted all along. I wanted UB over anything. I applied to the Brockport/Naz Collaborative (aka GRC) on the off chance I couldn't get in to UB for some reason. I never really wanted to go there but for some reason I wanted a fallback.

The funny thing is when I applied for undergraduate I only applied to Brockport, no where else. I knew I could get in and that's the only place I wanted to go. And I did get accepted no problem.

I really don't know what made me so unsure of my abilities for graduate school. I really don't know why I didn't just apply to UB and be done with it.

I found out today I got accepted in to Brockport though. It's pretty cool to say two schools want me and now I get to choose the one I want.

That being said, here's the letter that I wish I could hold in my hands but can only view via a scan:


May 17th is going to be here before I know it. And the following May, 2011 may be here even faster.

I'll have my Bachelor's in Sociology and in Social Work in 91 days.

It's crazy that in just over one year I'll have completed my schooling (well to the level that I want to take it for now) and will be a real adult in the working world. No longer will I be able to claim I'm a student. I mean, I'll always be a student because we never stop learning, but that will no longer be my full time job.

I'm a big kid now!

History cannot be erased. The future cannot be promised. The present is yours for the taking.

Just something to think about.

(click to enlarge; Cemetery at St. Canice’s Cathedral in Kilkenny, Ireland)

Love,

Dana

So I left off on the weekend. So I shall pick back up on Monday Funday.

Monday, 2-1-10:
Went to Jonah knowing it was going to be the end. Niamh came to me and told me to begin writing up my goals seeing as our meeting with Joe was later. I told her actually I wanted to talk to her about all that. So we went in her office and I just told her I wasn't going to continue. We talked about it for about five minutes and she was totally understanding. She agreed it's very school-based and if that's not what I want, that's not what I want. It was really nice and really good how it went. Like Niamh said, social care in Ireland is much, much broader than in America.

So I just sat around for the following hour or so until Joe came. Then we met with Niamh & Miriam and it went really quickly. They wished me the best, I thanked them for letting me be there, and that was that. I left with Joe after that.

Did some shopping on the way home, picked up a couple books, strolled around town. It was nice to just be solo with no real direction for a bit.

Tuesday, 2-2-10:
Absolutely no recollection if anything important happened; I'm gonna go with no. Pretty sure I slept late and read books and did nothing of significance in any shape or form.

Not gonna lie, loved it.

Wednesday, 2-3-10:
Spent the day doing nothing with my life. Awesomeeeee!!!!

Decided to go out that night with everyone. And by everyone I meant my Americans, the other Americans, the Belgians, and an Austrian. Um yea, holla to the world!! I didn't plan on drinking but just going out and not being in this four walled white room any more.

First stop, Wacky Apple where we met up with everyone. Definitely sat on hobbit stools around a long table with everyone. Pretty legit and felt like right out of a movie. Realized pretty quickly to get through the night I was gonna need a drink. So I had a Heineken (my first one mind you). Yea, I'll allow it and keep going with that. Definitely toasted in Jamaican and Irish. We're so eclectic. WA closed down at midnight-ish so off we went.

Right to Ruby Lounge, everyone's favorite club. The same cover band was playing as last week; fuuuuuuuuuuuun!!! Had a couple more drinks. May have been pulled in to a 'walk-off/strut-your-stuff' party with some strangers to the cover of 'Express Yourself' (N.W.A, not Madonna). We all pretty much cat-walked across the floor showing our best Zoolander and ass-shaking moves. The band even applauded us at the end. I love this country!!

Definitely saw and lost a lot of people throughout the night. We're not very good at staying in one spot it seems. Alcohol makes us wander around in various pairings/groups. Hanne is also my new favorite person in the world; constant fun. There's never a dull moment when we're all together, that's for sure.

Side note: why is everyone here a Giants fan (be they American, Irish, or Belgian)? WTF??? Chris and I tried to hold our own for the Bills but no luck. We all did rally however when one of the girls said she was a Patriot's fan. Good to know anyone can get along to hate on Tom Brady. It all came down to the fact that Chris and I were bummed we couldn't be watching the Sabres at that moment. Also we realized we were both at the same Pens game in December; too crazy.

Anyways, I eventually went to the bar next door to see people and ran in to Dean, Paul, and Alex, the boys we met our first night here in Elizabeth's room. I definitely spent the rest of the night sitting and talking with them. Hilarious stuff. Compared notes between America and Ireland. They asked me a lot of questions; kinda ridiculous. Their idea of America is kinda skewed on some levels. Paul (who I was told to not believe a word from anyways) thinks we're racist as well as saying he thinks America is like the movie Van Wilder. Killed those ideas pretty fast, even if he was joking.

They totally call snaps 'clicks'. Like snapping your fingers. They tried all night to get me to do the 3 snap thing all ghetto style and also the whatever hand. WTF is wrong with America that this is how the world see us?? Marlee and I did end up doing the snaps only because they kept doing it wicked wrong. But we kept telling them no respectable person actually does that in a serious manner. It's all jokes. We also really miss Jersey Shore and the fact they don't have it here.

That bar eventually closed down and off I went with four boys.

Apparently their drunk food is kabobs. The fact I had never had one was beyond them. And no, it's not a shiskabob, much to my disappointment. It's like an Indian kabob, which is really a wrap with stuff in it. Also the fact I've never had curry was not OK either. I did try a bite of a kabob but it seemed too spicy for me at the time. Knowing how my body has taken to food here I was not about to make that mistake that late at night. I wanted a garbage plate. I explained to the boys what that was; awesome reactions of disgust ensued.

Met a boy who said he was American in said kabob place. Apparently he was born in South Carolina? However, he definitely had an intense Irish accent and called it 'South Caroline' at first. I called him out on it. He told me some life story about parents moving and a brother still being there or something. I don't remember. I don't think I really cared at that point. Still don't really.

Eventually headed back towards the building with the boys. Alex and Paul live here so we went in while Dean and Joey (I think that's his name anyways) went off to their own place. They like to do this drunken goodbye thing where they say goodbye multiple times, calling out to each other. Kinda weird, definitely hilarious. They thought they were awesome so I went with it.

Came back to my room and decided to drunkenly IM. Um, Carter/Drews/Al: WTF was I even talking about?? I think Carter got the most win in his conversation but Drews got a couple good moments too. Here are some excerpts to show what I mean:

xoxAmIWrongxox (3:53:48 AM): me and my 5 litre of water are PUMPED UP
xoxAmIWrongxox (3:53:55 AM): arnold schwagneger style
xoxAmIWrongxox (3:53:59 AM): i hope i spelled that wrong
d4rksabre (3:54:17 AM): you did..excellently
d4rksabre (3:54:32 AM): in fact, it's even better that way
xoxAmIWrongxox (3:54:55 AM): hahahahaha
xoxAmIWrongxox (3:55:04 AM): holla at ya drunk irish girl and what she can do drunk
xoxAmIWrongxox (3:55:54 AM): shiest
xoxAmIWrongxox (3:55:57 AM): i need to stop laughing
xoxAmIWrongxox (3:55:59 AM): this is loud
xoxAmIWrongxox (3:56:03 AM): emma will not be pleased
d4rksabre (3:56:06 AM): seriously though, im laughing so hard at schwaganeger
xoxAmIWrongxox (3:56:56 AM): at least i didn't spell negro or worse
xoxAmIWrongxox (3:57:01 AM): also, americans are racist
xoxAmIWrongxox (3:57:02 AM): btw
xoxAmIWrongxox (3:57:17 AM): the irish judge us based on the movie 'van wildler'
xoxAmIWrongxox (3:57:19 AM): wtf man
xoxAmIWrongxox (3:57:19 AM): wtf
d4rksabre (3:57:26 AM): hahaha
xoxAmIWrongxox (3:57:27 AM): there was a lot of alcohol involved in that discussion tho
xoxAmIWrongxox (3:57:30 AM): so it may not be accurate
xoxAmIWrongxox (3:57:35 AM): they tell me paul's kinda BSer
xoxAmIWrongxox (3:57:38 AM): he looks like overholt
xoxAmIWrongxox (3:57:40 AM): it's insane
d4rksabre (3:57:50 AM): lol paul?
xoxAmIWrongxox (3:58:07 AM): WHAT
xoxAmIWrongxox (3:58:09 AM): HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT
xoxAmIWrongxox (3:58:18 AM): !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
xoxAmIWrongxox (3:58:23 AM): o
xoxAmIWrongxox (3:58:24 AM): wait
d4rksabre (3:58:25 AM): you just said his name...
xoxAmIWrongxox (3:58:25 AM): i said it
d4rksabre (3:58:28 AM): lol
xoxAmIWrongxox (3:58:29 AM): hahahahahahaah
d4rksabre (3:58:35 AM): apparently you = more drunk than me
xoxAmIWrongxox (3:58:40 AM): haahaha
xoxAmIWrongxox (3:58:41 AM): that's not good
xoxAmIWrongxox (3:58:44 AM): my liver hates us
xoxAmIWrongxox (3:58:46 AM): hahahahaah


xoxAmIWrongxox (4:02:16 AM): btw drews laughing at me right now
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:02:21 AM): def showed him my moment about paul just now
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:02:22 AM): lol
d4rksabre (4:02:34 AM): lol i think we're all sort of laughing at you a little bit
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:03:01 AM): shhhhh
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:03:09 AM): this is the bes tnight so far in ireland
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:03:11 AM): lemme indulge ok
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:03:15 AM): geeeeeezzzz
d4rksabre (4:03:24 AM): i'm the last person that would stop anyone from indugling lol
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:03:33 AM): lol come here
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:03:34 AM): seriously
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:03:36 AM): omg carter
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:03:39 AM): you'd be a friggenng HIT
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:03:51 AM): did i mentioned i cat-walked in a bar tonight?
d4rksabre (4:03:55 AM): hahahaha
d4rksabre (4:04:01 AM): no, but now you have lol
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:04:29 AM): lol
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:04:32 AM): i totes did
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:04:39 AM): this guy just grabbed me and various friends
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:04:42 AM): and shoved us forward
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:04:47 AM): i def shook my s#!t
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:04:50 AM): i was applauded
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:04:53 AM): it was grand
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:04:58 AM): they say that a lot, 'grand'.
d4rksabre (4:05:02 AM): f#ckin grand
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:05:21 AM): no
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:05:23 AM): just grand
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:05:31 AM): but when they say f#ck
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:05:33 AM): it's hawt
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:05:35 AM): :-)
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:05:37 AM): hahahahaha
d4rksabre (4:05:53 AM): yeah i bet it is ya f#ck
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:06:28 AM): hahahah
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:06:36 AM): i did tell them tho that the accent is lost on me already
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:06:38 AM): they were sad
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:06:44 AM): i told them to go to america to get laid via accent
d4rksabre (4:06:52 AM): it's true
d4rksabre (4:07:05 AM): it works on guys too
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:07:23 AM): you're gay
d4rksabre (4:07:30 AM): gimme a spry irish chick and i'm done
d4rksabre (4:07:35 AM): no homo dana
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:07:40 AM): oooookkkk surrreeee
d4rksabre (4:07:57 AM): i know it's a long shot, but ya gotta trust me here lol
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:08:52 AM): ok


dfdtrumpet (4:03:39 AM): so what time/day is it there?
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:03:55 AM): 4AM
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:04:03 AM): thursday
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:04:07 AM): the time i would normally be leaving a bar
dfdtrumpet (4:04:10 AM): ok, so you're like 5 hours ahead
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:04:13 AM): yep
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:04:20 AM): tho mat hisn't my forte right now
xoxAmIWrongxox (4:04:23 AM): it's 5
dfdtrumpet (4:04:35 AM): lol
dfdtrumpet (4:05:10 AM): i like how you managed to spell forte right in that sentance


Yea, pretty much I was that ridiculous and it still makes me laugh. (Also Drews, I like how you managed to spell 'sentence' wrong in that sentence. Hahaha!)

Moral of the story: I rock.

Thursday, 2-4-10:
Um, who was woken at 930AM by a fire alarm?

Oh right, this girl.

NOT AMUSED MANOR VILLAGE, NOT AMUSED!! Definitely tried to sleep through it (as many students have advised us to do). I almost did pull it off but after ten minutes I texted Elizabeth and asked what to do. She told me to go outside. So I went in the courtyard, still half asleep and somewhat hung-over and what did I do? Stepped in a HUGE puddle soaking through my slippers. Everyone (i.e. strangers) laughed at me. It was not cool.

Turns out Elizabeth overslept and was out front. Um, she's kinda supposed to be at her internship at 9AM. Wut-woh. Heard from her that she was out there with Marlee who was the last to see me the night before (along with Meghan) and was concerned how I got home. They didn't know that I had actually previously met the boys I was with and they weren't strangers I was just gallivanting around with.

Eventually we were allowed to no longer be standing in the rain and I promptly crawled back in to my bed. Definitely did not awake again till 1PM. How anyone managed to go in to their internships after that night was beyond me. Elizabeth, Jenn, and Hanne all said they were falling asleep throughout the whole day though. So thankful I didn't have anything to do till 5PM.

I did however head out in to the crap weather in the late afternoon to get some shopping done. Picked up Kwells, the motion sickness medicine that shall get tested this weekend. Also new Band-Aids for the awful, awful blisters I have that won't go away. Not fun, new shoes. Why must you be so cute yet so painful?

Definitely started to downpour and there was a lot of wind. AWESOME. I knew this sun and stuff was too good to last. Stereotypical Irish weather finally reared it's ugly, ugly head. I trucked on and headed to the grocery store to pick up meat and taco stuff for dinner that night.

Hung around for a bit till 5PM when I went to campus to meet with Joe for my interview at S.H.Y. Project.

It went sooooooooooo well. The girl who will be my supervisor, Louise, is also 21 years old, finishing up in college, and I'm the first person she's 'supervised'. The other worker, Maggie, has been there for a while and will be my other less-supervisor. They are the only two paid workers; the rest are all volunteers, like 50 or so. Amazing.

Louise is super cool and nice. Basically SHY is a place for kids to come to talk and hang out and be in a safe, fun environment. They cook, play sports, have a 'homework club', watch movies, and all that good stuff. They run various 'groups', depending on age and gender. They don't like to run mixed gender groups and I'm OK with that.

Basically I will never start work before 1PM and I'll spend my days with kids making sure they're in a good place. Sign me up! I got to meet one of the girls' groups. They actually requested to meet me because they've never met an American before. They were rocking aviators as they'd just had a fashion show and were playing Twister when we came in. Too precious. So excited to hug kids and support them. This is what makes me heart happy.

I left the interview with Joe with perma-grin. I told Louise this felt really good and she agreed, meaning she liked me as much as I liked her. Even Joe said he wanted to come back and do my internship (Louise sold it that well essentially).

I start Monday at 4PM, an hour before the first boys' group. Kinda nervous, really excited, and can't wait to dive right in.

Came back to the building and had tacos with the crew. Made tentative plans for this weekend. Blarney and Jameson Distillery on Saturday for sure, the old Gaol probably on Sunday.

Back in my room that night I was just getting comfy in bed when Mom called. Um, are you ready for this??

I GOT ACCEPTED TO UB!!!! I will start my social work Master's on May 17th and in one year I will be done with it. Pardon the language but F#*K YEA!!!!!!!!!!!! So pumped, you have no idea. (Side note: 99 days till graduation from Brockport. Woo!!)

Best. Thursday. Ever.

Today, Friday, 2-5-10:
Finally got the laundry situation sorted out. It sucks.

We had tried to find a laundry place outside of here that would be cheaper to do our own at but no dice. So we have to use the laundry service in this building. It's 9.50euro per 5kg. Because this was our first time and I was clearly unsure of the process the lady was really nice enough to not weigh our loads, though she did tell me we'd be over if she had. We had one of whites and one of darks (Elizabeth and I combined our laundry). So a filled laundry basket, a normal load to me back home, is too big here. It really sucks that each week we'll have to spend 19euro to do laundry basically. Totally bogus.

The hostel we're staying at this weekend in Cork does 5kg loads for 5euro so we saved clothes to do there. Sucks we have to lug a suitcase there but we need to save money where we can. Even if we have to do two loads in Cork, it's still the price of one here.

Why did I come to the dirty country that doesn't understand clean clothes and using deodorant?? (Jokes people, mostly jokes.)

Attempted to make plans to go to the movies to see Avatar today. Chris unfortunately had to go to the health office on campus and the plans got cancelled.

So here I sit.

We leave for Cork at 7:30PM tonight. Super excited. Cannot wait to go exploring this weekend.

Before we go Elizabeth is moving rooms. She cannot spend the next three months in a room of people who have their friends over every night to smoke weed and do nothing but keep her up till 2AM. I refuse to go to her room anymore because of the smell. It's not good when you have to reserve clothes to only be worn in said room so not all your clothes smell. Live and learn, right?

When we return on Sunday we'll be heading over to Paddy's apartment to watch the Superbowl. That is going to be so much fun!! Can't wait for some American sports. Heck, I just miss sports altogether. We keep finding random soccer games but it's never ManU. Ah well, I'll take what I can get!

The next blog will hopefully be full of amazing stories of exploring a city we're told is one of the best.

Peace and Love,
Dana

I don't even know where to begin. Lots to talk about. LOTS. Should have done this sooner but now I will play catch-up. It's going to be really long; you may just want to skim for things that catch your eye. I really need to try and update day by day so my entries stop being pages long. Sorry guys.

Friday Night, 1-29-10:
Decided we wanted pizza & wings for dinner. Scoped out the various pizza joints in town (there are a few) before deciding on Mazonni's (I think that's how it's spelled?). Got their special; pizza with 3 toppings (pepperoni, peppers, and sausage), chicken wings (kind-of), garlic bread (amazing), and a 2 litre. It tasted good and I didn't have any complaints (except for the fact they played 90s rap music the entire time we were in there. That's not a joke. Puff Daddy, LL Cool J, and others. Weird.) Overall, good experience for a good price.

After that we decided to go out to a new bar for us, TH Doolans (Google it, yo). It had a more traditional Irish band playing and we were wicked apt to check it out. Apparently it's the oldest running tavern in Waterford.

Upon arrival, we were immediately preyed upon by male cougars. Within five minutes one declared he was married but this did not stop him from getting all up in Kate's business the entire night. They were entertaining for the most part, definitely had no filters on what they'd say to us. We indulged them to a certain extent, but it's really not my thing so I'd find ways to slip away and hang out with Garrett a lot (which apparently led them to think we were dating, something that is now a common theme amongst strangers but more on that later).

When they were getting ready to leave, one of them pulled me in for a hug and to kiss him on the cheek. Fine, whatever. Well, let's just say homeskillet definitely had other plans and had me in a head-lock sort of move and turned it more in to a full kiss. Um, what?? WTF?? I couldn't get out of it until he released me. Everyone just stood there and watched. (After the fact, Garrett & Kate claimed it happened too fast to jump in and it was kind of like a train wreck, you just had to watch. Thanks guys.)

It was not awesome. I am not pleased. I do not like to talk about it. I'm only documenting it becuase it happened and that is what this blog is for; to chronicle our Irish adventures. And that was an adventure. Ugh. I definitely was not drunk enough for that one.

Also, that same guy his friends kept saying was 'the best dancer' and Kate was definitely pulled in to dancing across the bar with him. Hilarious. He was throwing her around like nobody's business. And at one point, he definitely dropped it like it was hot. Awkward. But so funny.

Sometimes ya just gotta laugh I guess.

Two highlights of the night:
Free drinks via male cougars. Yes, we didn't pay for any of them. No, I don't have any shame either. For the way he kissed me, he OWED me drinks.

Second highlight: The band definitely played 'Green Fields of France'. Definitely got to sing along. That was probably the best moment thus far for me on this excursion. Too cool to sing an Irish song I love in an actual Irish pub played by an actual Irish band. I still get dopey thinking about it.

Elizabeth ended up crashing in my room that night because she's convinced she has a ghost in her room. There are sounds of doors opening when no one's around (this place is virtually empty on the weekends). He did turn on the heater for her so I think he's a sweetheart but she's not amused.

At about 5AM, barely asleep, I woke up pretty much convulsing due to too much acid in my stomach/throat (it sounds scary, and it was, but it wasn't that bad). For those that don't know, I have really bad acid reflux (I take a pill each day, my saving grace). The pizza apparently had not settled well, along with the couple beers (and I do mean only a couple) and thus my body was revolting. I had to down a couple pills immediately. I woke up again at about 9AM feeling anything but awesome and took another pill, along with curling in the fetal position and wanting to cry. By about 1PM I was feeling human again but my stomach was still warning me to not try anything.

Really fed up with my body's apparent decision to revolt against anything Irish I ingest. Not funny, body, not funny.

Saturday, 1-30-10:
Originally we had planned to go to a hurling match at 2PM but it was definitely too far away to get to via walking so that got nixed. Instead, Kate found us an alternative: dog races. To pass the time we until it started we did some light shopping during the day. Got more minutes for our phones. Hit up a couple stores to just look around.

Had lunch at Gino's, a great pizza place. Seeing as I hadn't been feeling so hot from the night before's dinner I was more than hesitant to try it. But in the end, I was so glad I did. I had a vanilla milkshake (which was KILLER), some cheese pizza, and then a Death by Chocolate sundae (omg, my tastebuds did cartwheels). We will definitely be back at that place again. And considering my organs did not pull a coup afterwards, I guess they approve as well.

While shopping we definitely stopped at a butcher's and got some steaks. Garrett has been DYING to cook up some meat, as in every butcher shop we passed the first few days we were in town he'd go in and just gawk. We've been teasing him about it ever since so he finally got his wish. Not a bad price either, 4 euro for a decent cut. He was more than thrilled to carry them home.

Grocery shopping turned in to planning meals. We decided that night we'd just do grilled cheese with soup again and make Sunday our big dinner (homemade mac&cheese, steak, and broccoli).

Came back and made dinner and kicked it before heading out to the dog races. It was a bit of a walk through Tramore to get to the stadium but we eventually found it. Got settled in at a table along the windows and watched. There were six dogs in each race, and we all picked which ones we thought would win. (I kept picking trifectas though. What can I say, my horse racing background shined through.) We each went and watched an actual race from outside too, just to see it in person. We stayed for about six races and it was pretty enjoyable, if only because we all know how to laugh together.

I will now get on my soap box.
I do not condone dog racing. My conscience hated me the moment I agreed to go. I am very much against animal cruelty for entertainment. I know all about Greyhound rescue organizations and what these dogs endure just to be kicked to the curb at a whim. It's not cool at all. That being said, I did pay admission (which did support them) but I did not bet. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I am glad I did it but I have no plans to ever do it again.
I am now off my soap box.

After the races, we came back to the rooms to get ready to go out again. Everyone else pregammed a bit. I was pretty tired after not getting solid sleep, and had no plans to drink, but wanted to go out anyways to see everyone. So after who knows how long we finally left the rooms to go back to Doolan's and meet up with our American & Irish friends.

I don't know if I've mentioned it previously, but there are other Americans staying in our building and we met them our first night out. One guy, a few girls. Then there's the Irish guy they knew that we now know. Pretty cool to have people to hang out with from here and there.

Anyways, we go to Doolans and found them quickly. The band was still playing and we got to talk with everyone a bit. A cool thing they do is when the band wraps up, the last song they play is the Irish National Anthem, which is in Gaelic. The night before when they had done that I just thought I was too drunk to understand, but it turns out it definitely is a different language. The whole bar stands up and everyone sings along; it's a really cool moment.

Another cool thing about Doolans is that if you come from another country you can sign a dollar bill and pin it up on the rafters. We had noticed this the night before and even found ones from Rochester and Buffalo. The one from Rochester definitely said 'It's Huge!' a la Billy Fuccillio, and that made us laugh. Anyways, Kate had a dollar on her so we signed it, putting it as Brockport Jan 2010 and pinned it up right above the bar. So cool that it's gonna stay there for other people to see.

So they were closing for the night and we waited for the rest of the group to get together. They had no idea where they were heading so we just walked. I was wicked tired and wicked sober (surrounded by people ready to party) so I decided to head back for the night, just not feeling it. Turns out this may or may not have been the best decision I ever made.

Sunday, 1-31-10:
Had a lazy day in bed. Was really nice to sleep in. I totally back Ireland and their 'Sunday is a day of rest' deal. We can be friends on this one.

Eventually headed up to Kate's room for dinner a bit after 5:30PM. And then story time commenced.

Turns out they got hammered. There may or may not have been peeing on small trains meant for children to play on. Everyone may or may not have gotten randomly separated and went off on their own adventures. People may or may not have gathered in Elizabeth's room (without Elizabeth) and thrown various glass bottles (including a mayonnaise jar) out of the window to shatter on the street below. One of the other girls may or may not have accused Elizabeth of telling her to back off of Garrett because they're sleeping together (this might have made me laugh more than any of the other stories).

All in all, things got bananas on Saturday night. We are now known as 'those crazy Brockport kids'. Kinda happy I didn't lead to the creation of this title. But kinda can't wait to be in that category as well (for far less illegal reasons of course).

Dinner was fantastic. Steaks and mac&cheese. The mac&cheese was good, not fantastic but it satisfied our craving for it. The steaks were phenomenal. I totally love the whole real-butcher-shop deal here.


I think I'll stop here and continue the rest of the weeks' stories in another post.

Love you guys!

The last American standing, right here. Bam baby, bam!!!!!

Drunkest I've felt in the past two weeks but not pass out drunk. Kinda proud, kinda sad. Oh Ireland, how you and I don't see eye to eye is amazing.

Spent the night comparing notes with Irish boys. Things are just not the same here. Totally hilarious, only sometimes awkward.

To say you've 'met' someone means you've made out with them. Who knew. Won't make that mistake again, I assue you.

Some people are just crazy. I hate having to apologize for other people's actions by association. Just don't want this drama; we're big kids now.

Have an interview at 5PM tomorrow with the SHY Project, a part of the Waterford Youth Services whatever it's called. Sounds more social work related than Jonah. Hope it goes well.

Hope I can drink away any impending hangover with water, haha!! Nah, I'm not that bad. Still managed to take off my makeup, change my clothes, and get in to my own bed. That's what I call a successful night.

The boys I was with tonight are funny/nice. Definitely hope to see them out more if only because the conversation flowed better than with anyone else I've met thus far.

I am the traitor America; no shame. Decode as you wish.

Night beeyotches!!!! Those Heinkikens were for you (yea, I switched it up tonight, wha wha!!! Still hate you Guinness lol).