The Irish are too kind!

Abby Luce and I have been in many education classes together, but we never were really that close. Mostly just acquaintances. We are both abroad, this semester and I heard word that she wanted to go to Ireland. I offered to have her stay with me because I know how tight money can be while traveling. She came and stayed with me for a night. I was wonderful getting to know each other. It was so nice having a familiar face with me for a short while. She stayed last night! Then I got up this morning and went to class, went on a run, ate a little breakfast and showered, got dressed, and then Abby awoke! Then after a little while, we were off to Dublin for the day!

We stopped at the Coffee Mill before we caught the bus. It is a cute little coffee shop that is located in a basement. I asked what the soup of the day was and of course it was Vegetable Soup. The waitress caught on that I was America right away and she seemed pretty excited about it. She said that the other soup was Tomato. Then I asked her which one is more popular and she laughed and said both, "but the Irish would normally have vegetable soup". Winner! As she was pouring my soup she asked if I had ever had tomato soup. I laughed and said that we have some in America. And she said, "Oh it's different here. It's more fresh." I replied, "I believe it!" Then Abby and I sat and had our lunch and then went to the bus stop. We stopped in a Pharmacy to kill time. They had Taylor Swift perfume that came with a free bag. I was SO TEMPTED. But I could hear my mom's voice in the back of my head, "Megan, do you really NEED this?" So I resisted. We got on the bus and girl sat in front of us. She had the most beautiful hair I had ever seen. There is a picture on Facebook! (Yes, I take pictures of EVERYTHING.)

We got off and did some shopping. I only got 10E worth of items. I manage to talk myself out of everything... I feel like my mom is sitting on my shoulder while I shop. Thank you for teaching me how to be a good shopper, mom! I just kept thinking, "Do I NEED this?" And the answer was always, "NO!" After a while of walking around, I decided we should get some ice cream! We stopped at a tourism place and I asked a gentleman behind the counter and I said, "Do you know where we can find Ghellato?" He had no idea what we were talking about. We explained that it was Italian ice cream. He was so funny about it! I love people like that. He asked his co-worker and his co-worker told him where the place was. He then got out a map and showed us where it was. It looked like a long walk and he saw our faces and said, "It's only 10 minutes. Trust me, it will be a 10 minute walk that is totally worth it once you're eating your ice cream." He was right! The ghellato was amazing! It took me 15 minutes to decide what kind I wanted! I finally decided to get a flavor that I thought my mom would like, Teramisu. And it was delicious!

Side note: When we went to check into a Hostel for Abby, the employee was an elderly man. He was such a dear to Abby. He called her, "Miss America" and then the girl behind her, "Spanish Darling". 

Oh! On our way to get ice cream we noticed there were people standing in a circle around this man. We got closer and saw that the man was putting on a show. He is a "street actor" and he was performing with a ten foot unicycle. It was SO COOL! He was too funny. I took a 10 minute video of it. It was a very delightful show. At one point there was boy helping him (probably about 12 age) and the actor gave so much attention to the boy and appreciation and told us all to clap for the boy "because it is hard to get up in front of so many people". Then after the boy was done helping him he said, "I didn't bring any money with me, but someone just dropped 2E for me. Take that. It's yours." It was such a beautiful gesture to see!

Oh! Another thing! We ran into someone we knew! Such a small world we live in.

Then we went to the Disney Store. It was very darling. Then we went to Temple Bar. I realized what one of my favorite things about Ireland is. The cute little cafe's, pubs, and restaraunts. A lot of eating places we passed were tucked away in a tiny little shop, candles lit, peaceful atmosphere, cozy, etc. I loved it! We stopped in one to eat some dinner. O'Connel's. I steered away from soup and got some Bruschetta. It was the same price so I figured, why not? We had good conversation, got to know each other a little better. Then after we paid, we went outside and took a picture of the place we ate at. A gentleman came out and offered to take our picture in front of the place. I only had my phone because my camera died, and it took a couple times to explain to him how to take a picture with it. It was so funny to both of us. I kept laughing and smiling. We did get a good picture, though!

After supper, we found the bus stop and Abby and I parted ways. When I got on the bus I was scrounging for change. I have a story for this: When I was getting on the bus, I forgot to have my change ready so I was trying to get my exact change as fast as I could. I was the last one entering my change. It is 2.80. I had put in 2.75 and was scrounging for a .05 and the bus driver said, "Is that 2.80?" I said, "Almost, I'm sorry!" And then he printed the ticket and said, "It's okay, dear. It's only five cents." The world is filled with good people.

On the bus I had a wonderful encounter. I posted this on Facebook, but I will post it in this blog just in case any of you reading this don't have Facebook. . .  Story: On my way home from Dublin on the bus, the person sitting next to me accidentally dropped her bag and everything went everywhere. I quickly helped her pick everything up. She felt so terrible and kept saying "sorry!" and "thank you!" I kept saying, "Oh no problem! It's fine! It happens." Then we settled back into our "bus silence" and she tapped me on the shoulder and handed me a candy bar and said, "Thank you so much for helping me." I tried not to accept it, but she insisted. Then we spent the rest of the bus ride chatting. :)

After that happened, I couldn't stop feeling blessed. I kept on thanking God and Jesus for everything and just had this overwhelming peaceful/blissful feeling in my heart and soul. 




Irish people are blessing my experience without even knowing it! Their kindness and joyfulness fills my heart!

I hope you all are having a good week!
Cheers!

Living in Ireland. Learning in Ireland

I am awaiting on the arrival of a friend that is visiting, sipping on tea and reflecting on my blessings, lessons, challenges, experiences, and successes in the past 10 days. Here is my story:

Last week was crazy! When you come over to Ireland you have to go apply for immigration within 3 months. The international office had to make appointments for us, we couldn't make our own appointments with the Garda/Immigration officer. Being the procrastinator that I am, I didn't contact the office to make an appointment until last minute and my friends had already gone, so I couldn't go with any of them. When I got my appointment I desperately searched around for anyone who had around the same time as me. Why? Because I didn't want to have to ride the bus by myself! How would I know where to get off? What if I got off at the wrong stop? What if the bus driver was mean? What if I missed the bus back? So many fears and concerns coming from this small town, girl. All of my friends re-assured me that I would be okay. So my appointment was set for Tuesday morning. I had everything laid out the night before, had the exact time of the bus, etc. Come Tuesday morning, I got on the bus, asked the bus driver to let me know when the Garda Office was and he said, "Which one? There are so many?" For a moment I thought I forgot which one! I said, "Leixlip" but I pronounced it "Lexy-lip" It took me about 5 times saying it for him to realize I was talking about LEEKSLIP. I took a seat in the front on the bottom of the bus and looked out the window eagerly (just in case he forgot to tell me when it was). Within 10 minutes he yelled something when he came to a stop and stuck out a pointed finger. I went up there and he pointed out where the office was. Great! I jumped off the bus and went to the Garda office and awaited my turn.

For immigration you need: Passport, bank statement and a card for paying. I had all of the above. Though, when it came time to look over my bank statement, I saw that my name wasn't on it! That's what I get for printing it off last minute before I left the states. So I had to come back the next day. I almost started crying while he was searching for my name. I knew that he was going to tell me to come back. I just didn't know where I was going to find a bank statement! He still registered me, but not officially because of my bank statement. I made an appointment for tomorrow and then went out and caught the next bus. I went straight to my computer when I got back and found a true bank statement online. YAY! Now to conquer the next battle . . . - How to print it off at the library.

I went to the library on campus to print off my statement and do some homework. It took me a few questions to people, and many prayers to keep my frustration under control to figure out how to print something off. The whole time I just kept thinking - "Okay Megan, once you're done with this, you'll look back and see that you have learned something new!" It was such a relief when I figured it out! Whew! Now the next battle I faced that day was finding books in the library. (I had ordered a book at the bookstore that I needed for an assignment that was due the next day, but it still wasn't in. I had ordered it 10 days prior to this day and they said it would be in a while ago. I went to the bookstore and they called the book company and the book company said, "Ooops! Yeah... that book is on back order and won't come in until March." Well... I guess my next option was the Library.) I asked the nice library ladies where to find the book and they were so sweet! I went to get the book, but there were no copies left! How was I supposed to do an assignment without the book? Not sure. So I kept going back to the section and still no books. After searching the library system I found that there was one on reserve! (When a book is on reserve it means that it is in a special spot where students can check it out for 3 hours.) I went to that special spot and got it! Then I copied the pages (I learned how to copy at the Library, too!) And got the assignment done. Then I checked out a couple books. I learned how to check out books, print, copy, get books on reserve and how to find books in the humongous library. What a productive day! I didn't go to class that day because I was so stressed out, which was resulting in homesickness and I e-mailed my professors explaining that and one of them was especially nice and empathized with me and told me to feel better. I felt very blessed with such kind people in my life.

Wednesday, I went to the Garda again and this time my bank statement was golden! I got my immigration card after paying. What a relief to have that done! I felt like such a big girl, being able to ride the bus by myself and knowing where to get off. :)

College story/ learning experience/not proud moment: So I don't usually go out on school nights because I just can't imagine going to class the next day, but I especially wanted to on this Wednesday night. It had been a rough couple of days so it would be fun to loosen up with my girls! Well, let's just say that Megan was reminded that she has limits and that she is a lightweight and when those limits are heavily passed/tested, it's a rough aftermath. My friends let me borrow some extra makeup, a pair of boots, and nail polish. One of those "I feel like a rockstar nights". My pre-gaming was a little too much for Megan. One of my friends  said to me, "I didn't think of you as a shot girl." And I replied, "I'll show you!" I am never going to show her ever again. Because folks, Megan is not a shot girl. It all went downhill from there. I had a few more drinks . .  Everything was fun until it all hit me. I learned who my true friends were that night. I'm not proud of how, but I felt extra blessed to have such amazing friends that night. One of my friends held my hair that night, put my hair back, walked me home, brought me ibuprofen, made me drink water, and helped me change. That is a true friend right there. The next day I felt pretty darn horrible until about 4PM. Ooofta. NEVER AGAIN. I remember after my 21st with my brothers I was sitting in a chair and I told my sister, Gwen, "I am never drinking that much ever again." She said, "Oh you will. Just wait." Well, she was right. Now that I am reminded of my limits, I will not do that again here. The day after I was reminded again of how wonderful my friends are. One of my friends messaged me and said, "What do you need? Food? Medicine? I will bring you anything." I couldn't even leave my bed/room. My roommate made chicken fingers and offered some to me. What a dear! Man, I am blessed! Don't worry, I learned my lesson. -- Don't drink too much.

On Friday I worked out with a friend, went on a solo walk/run and then deep cleaned the apartment. I LOVE deep cleaning. It is so theraputic for me! Then my friends and I had our traditional family supper. It was very delightful! We made pasta, bread and salad. Good friends and good food! What more could a girl ask for? :)

Then Saturday we went to Galway! It was a lovely time! I don't really know what to say about it! It was about a 2.5 hour bus ride from Maynooth to Galway. We got to our Hostel and then we walked around. I found YARN! (Well they call it thread or wool, here.) I was so excited! I had brought my knitting needles with me to Ireland, but no yarn. We then spent the day looking at Claddah rings, shopping, taking pictures, etc. We did go to this farmer's market and there was a doughnut man who made THE GREATEST DOUGHNUTS YOU WILL EVER EAT. I am not usually a dougnut person, but these were AMAZING. He was such a delight! He sang, hummed and talked with us as he made the doughnuts. He found out of a couple of my friends were from Buffalo, NY and he started singing, "Buffalo Gals won't you come out tonight?. . . " Such a delightful person. Then we went to the Spanish Arch, then the Cathedral. We took lots and lots of pictures. It was so nice just walking around. Then we walked along the coast for a while. It was quite cold, but totally worth it! We ate at a seafood restaurant. This is where we saw a group of men of all ages dressed in costumes. We asked them what the occasion was and it was for a Bachelor party. We ended up having a long conversation with them. This is when we were asked where we were from and when they got to me and heard I was from Wisconsin, they said, "Oh! So you're a cheesehead!" It was so cool! I was just beaming the rest of the night. I am really watching my money, so everywhere I go, I usually get soup because it's cheap and never fails to please me. :) I had my first seafood soup. It was delicious! (I love that soup comes with bread, everywhere!) We went out that night and I had my first Guinness (Hate to disappoint people, but I'm just not a beer drinker, so it wasn't that good to me.) We didn't stay out too late because we were all so tired. The next morning we got up and went to breakfast, then walked around the rest of the day and took more pictures because it was SUNNY! One of my favorite times of the whole trip was when we just took a break and sat at the edge of the stone wall near the Spanish Arch. It was so pleasant soaking in the moment. We then headed back to catch our bus. The bus ride was much longer for some reason, this time. I fell asleep and woke up to the smell of a farm. I smiled, "I know that smell! That is a dairy farm!" I quickly spun around and looked out the window to see dairy cows! I was so excited. You don't see many dairy cows around here. Mostly sheep and beef. One of my favorite sites to see was on our way to Galway, there was a farmer in his tall boots, walking down his driveway, just getting done with chores, carrying a pail. :) 

This past Monday was a nice day to sleep in and recover from the weekend. I got an essay topic approved. I am going to be writing an essay about Irish Farming! So excited for that! Today (Tuesday) I got a package from my family! I knew they were sending me some things I needed, but I had no idea they were going to be putting homemade cookies and letters and cards in it! I love my family.  

Things I've learned:
*Ibuprofen is much more expensive in Ireland
*I'm growing in independence
*Irish people are delightful! Especially in Galway!
*Galway is one of the best places in Ireland to have Guinness

That was a lot in one blog post. I'm sorry if it was too much!
I hope you all have a splendid week!
Blessings.

I'm American and I am learning and laughing over here!

I'm sitting at my desk, drinking a cup of tea, dancing in my chair to "Kiss You" by One Direction and reflecting back on the past few days. I've been listening to a lot of Taylor Swift and One Direction, lately. The songs are so catchy and keep me in a grand mood!

I know I just wrote 4 days ago, but some more exciting things have happened since then!


February 14th. I woke up, showered, got dressed, put my headphones in, turned on a good song and walked outside. I had to shield my eyes because of the SUN. Right away I thanked God for giving that day sunshine. It gave me such happy feelings! And I'm sure it helped all of those singles out there who dread this day, fill up with happy feelings, too. God gives the greatest gifts at the perfect moments. I went to class, smiling, and jamming out to my tunes. When I came out of my 3rd class, it was cloudy and then it started to rain. Of course, but I didn't let it put a damper on my day. After class I went to a friend's apartment, another friend joined us and we made scones and just chatted while we waited for them, and then ate up the goodness. They were delectable! We had them with butter and jam. So perfect. I think I ate one too many scones because my stomach wasn't feeling very good the rest of the night, but that still didn't put a damper on my day! After taking a nap, one of my other friends and I got together to bake cookies. We had all of the ingredients except brown sugar, butter and chocolate chips. We went to Aldi and got brown sugar and butter, but we couldn't find chocolate chips. Do they even have chocolate chips in Ireland? Uh oh... what if they don't? We went to a grocery store that was close by and after searching for several minutes, we could only find this very small bag of chocolate chips that was far too expensive. Hmmmm. We searched the store up and down. While looking at the chocolate candy I stopped these two women and asked them if they had ever made chocolate chip cookies. They hesitated, thought about it and laughed and said that yes, they had made cookies before. I asked them what they used for chocolate chips. They told us there were chocolate chips over by the baking goods. I proceeded to say, "Yes, but are there any bigger bags? In America they come in bags this size (I showed them with my hands)." They laughed and said, "Well everything in America comes in large size. Not here in Ireland. It's downsized." I felt SO AMERICAN at that moment. They're totally right! So instead of getting that small bag, we used my leftover chocolate bar and cut it up. We ran into another "problem". I had the recipe memorized from making it so many times at home, but the measurements are different here, and we had no measuring cups... So I eyeballed everything. They didn't turn out too bad! The dough - which kind of looked like batter - tasted good! After making cookies I headed back to my apartment, put in a movie and fell asleep.

Friday. I slept in and it was glorious. Not having class on Fridays is the greatest! We (friends) left around 3pm to catch a bus to Dublin. I picked up a letter from my sister before we left and read it on the bus. It was wonderful and so comforting. We stopped at the ATM and in a store to get a card for the bus. Once we got to Dublin we went to double check we were booked for the trip that we signed for. After a phone call and waiting, we were golden! We then went to the Jameson Distillery to meet up with another friend. Then we checked in at the Hostel that we were booked for. It was my first Hostel and it was grand! Everything was so nice. The people, the atmosphere. In this hostel they had a bar, a game room and a mini cafe. It wasn't your typical hostel (well that's what my friends told me!). In the beds they had outlets and night lights! Once we dropped off our stuff in our room it was time to eat. We were all SO hungry, so we went to the first place we saw. It was a Pizzeria just across the way. I got soup. It was delicious! (I know, I describe all of the food as delicious. It's the truth! I love food.) I love that soup always comes with bread. The bread always tastes so fresh and flavorful. We all went to bed around between 8-10pm. We were so tired and we had to get up at 5am to catch the bus for the trip. We all woke up and got ready. Since we had to leave so early, we ordered the night before, for them to have breakfast boxes for us. They were so nice! They came with a scone, roll, jam, orange, orange juice, and a granola bar. It was all tasty, of course. We waited outside of the building for the bus while eating our breakfast.

The guy who drove the bus was also our tour guide. He was hilarious and so nice! He talked as he drove and he even sang Irish songs! It made the trip that much more wonderful, when it was already wonderful! We went to the Cliffs of Moher, The Burren, an Abbey, drove by castles, drove by a sports facility, and more! It was a long day, but it was filled with so much! I went to the Cliffs and The Burren a couple weeks ago and it was very cold, windy and rainy. This time it was a lot more clear and not as cold. It made the experience much more enjoyable (not that I didn't enjoy it last time). I was able to get better pictures (without my fingers freezing) and walk around without getting blown away. Between destinations I wrote in my journal as the tour guide talked. I learned so much! Here, I'll make a list:

*Obama visted a small town in Ireland last year because he had a relative who lived there. They named a pub after him. (I forget what exactly it was called.)
*Limerick is a city and county.
*There is a different crest for each county.
*Each county seems to have a different accent.
*Each county has at least 2 nicknames.
*Limerick was founded by the Vikings in the 900s. They liked Limerick because there was a main waterway there so they could travel up and down the waterway to attack other villages.
*In the olden days, there were 4 kingdoms. Each one had a king.
*King John's Castle (circa 1200) is all still standing except one wall due to a battle in 1600
*There is a cathedral beside the castle (1178) and it is still being used. It was restored in 2003.
*The battle of Boyne (1690) Protestant vs. Catholic. James was the leader of the Catholics. He ran away after they were defeated. They now call him "James the shit"
*The treaty stone - The Irish asked the English to give better rights to them (Irish). They even put it on a stone after the English agreed to do it. The English decided later on that they didn't want things to change. The stone is propped up in a little town as a reminder of "You can't trust the word of an Englishman."
*After the famine, Limerick was very poor (until the 1990s). There was an economic boom called "The Celtic Tiger"
*When Limerick was poor, there was a period of time where it was called "Stab City" 25 years ago.
*Police do not carry guns, so there are not many offenses with guns. (Imagine of American police didn't carry guns.)
*There are not many sports in Ireland, but they don't like to share stadiums (the tour guide joked about this).
*You know all of those random towers that are around Ireland? They are made out of stone. Well this is the reason they are randomly around: In the 1500s, Henry the 7th was on throne in England. He wanted Landlords to show their authority, so he gave 10lbs to each to build a tower. 15-20 years later, they were taken over by the Irish.
*St. Bridget is a patron saint in Ireland. There are pictures of her carrying a bishop's staff and it is believed that she was a bishop.
*The reason some of the roads are bumpy is because they are built on bogland.
*In the 700/800s Women priests were brought to a stop.
*Our tour guide - Joe - has a baby due in 2 weeks! So exciting!
*We passed a small village. It had 2 BIG PUBS, a small shop, and a church.
*Whiskey means "the water of life"
*Houses in this village reminded Joe of monopoly.
*The movie "The Princess Bride" - there was a scene in that movie filmed on the Cliffs of Moher.
*Burren - means "great rock"
*During the famine, onlookers wondered out the people could be so thin and frail, yet the cows were fat. It is because limestone and grass were really good for the cows and they came from the earth.

The Burren! The Burren was so beautiful. It is a lot of rock. Did you know that they believe that the rock was formed because they believe that Ireland was under shallow water and this rock is left over from reef formations? I went up really close to the water and took pictures of the water below. You can check those pictures out on Facebook!

 

That's pretty much it for the facts. Joe (our tour guide) was just so funny and had the greatest sense of humor. It kept us all in a good mood. We got back to Dublin around 7:30. We were all sooooo hungry, so we went and got fish and chips. It was my first fish and chips! The guys who we ordered from were so funny, too! I love the Irish sense of humor. The fish and chips was the greatest! I got so full close to the end, but I wanted to eat every last bite! They had a tip jar labeled "staff drinking money". After the fish and chips, we went to a tourist store, then we got on the bus to go back to Maynooth. This was one of the highlights of my day. A few of us were listening to our headphones - listening to boy bands - and we'd lip sink to each other dramatically. We were all in such good moods! (Probably because we had full tummies!) Then all of a sudden the bus driver announced that the bus was overheating. So we had to get off at a bus stop and wait for another bus to pick us up. It was about a 20 minute wait. It wasn't too bad. It was kind of humorous, actually. After we got back, we all went to our rooms.

I stayed up late putting pictures on Facebook. I had to e-mail all of the pictures from my phone, to my e-mail so I could upload them to Facebook on my computer. It took forever, but it was totally worth it. I went to sleep around 3:30am. I set my alarm for 8 so I could go to a new church that had 9:30 mass. I was hoping that this church would have music, but when I got up around 8, I shut my alarm off. There was no way I was getting up! I woke up around 10 and finished uploading more pictures, then I caught the 11:30 service at the church I went to that didn't have music. Guess what? They had music at this service! It's a family service. There was an "adult choir" and there were elderly people and families, and children. I loved it! I was so happy and in such a good mood at that moment! They played some of my favorite church songs! "You are Mine", "Be Not Afraid", "On Eagles Wings". It was all in God's plan that I sleep in and go to a later service. I love the way he works! - Mysteriously. The sun started shining through the windows, the children around me kept making eye contact with me and smiling. It was such a sweet service. When I had first walked in, there was a dad lifting up his little boy to reach the blessed water and he said, "Now bless yourself, son!" It was a precious moment.

After church I came back to my room and cleaned it! I vacuumed and did dishes, folded my clothes and set aside my clothes that I was going to get washed tomorrow (Monday). I'm bringing my laundry to this laundromat that does your laundry for you. I know what you're thinking, "Why don't you do your own laundry?" I know I know. The machines on campus are not reliable, and I really want a good cleaning for my clothes, sheets and towels after being sick for 2 weeks. It is going to feel so good! It feels good to have a clean room, too! Then I went on a walk/run and worked out. Then I had soup for supper and went to a friend's apartment to meet some other friends and have "Slutty Brownies" and watch the Breakfast Club. My friend made the best "slutty brownies"! They consist of: cookie dough, brownie, peanut butter, and oreo. I know you're drooling right now. We ate the brownies, but the online movie streaming wasn't really working and we were all tired, so we called it a night. It was a great Sunday to say the least!

My lenten goals are to get closer to God and make healthier choices. I am doing this by doing a devotional and sticking to it! I am going to be working out most every morning/day and eating well. I love the lenten season because it feels very refreshing, and it's such a perfect time to get closer to our Lord. This lenten season is in Ireland, so we will see how God works through me and how I get closer to the Lord. It should be a wonderful, interesting, difficult, heartwarming experience since I am far away from my family, home and comfort zone. It has slowly been hitting me that I am going to be hear for a few more months. I know it will be lovely though. So much to experience and so much to learn!

It was a weekend full of good craic. That means "good fun". It's my new favorite word - craic. You pronounce it - crack.

Tomorrow night one of my roommates and I are ordering pizza and watching movies. It should be a grand time!

I am feeling so blessed and fortunate, especially having a hard couple of weeks. God is doing good things! I love it!
 
Have a splendid and blessed week! Try something new!

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to!

Oofta! Today I woke up, pressed snooze several times, went to class. Came back to find my air freshener spilled over on my desk. So I went to get a sponge and soap to clean it up, then my door shut behind me because I opened up the window, which means that I was locked out of my room because I didn't have my key on me. I went to the RA office to get a spare key, came back and cleaned everything up. Now I'm currently sitting in my room that is airing out.

This was a tough week. 

After I got done writing that wonderful post last week, I went to bed and woke up with a sore throat, cough, a little fever, and no appetite. I just drank a lot of fluids and figured it'd go away. The next day my sore throat was worse and my voice going. My friends asked if I was okay, and I felt alright - besides the fevers at night and the sore throat that seemed to be getting worse by the day - but I was fine! I didn't get much sleep that night - 4 hours - and so when I felt really sick the next day I told myself it was probably because I didn't sleep. I figured I'd sleep that day and maybe go into the doctor (even though my friends kept telling me to go see the nurse as soon as possible!). I woke up the next day and didn't feel much better - my voice was gone, I was a walking fever - but I don't think I need to see a nurse yet. I will sleep all day, take some Nyquil, drink tea and I should feel fine by Friday (the next day). So I woke up on Friday and was at my breaking point. This is not dramatization: I couldn't even get out of bed because I felt like I had the world's worst hangover with a fever. By this time I was nauseous, had headaches, had a fever, would wake up in sweats, had chills, had no voice, could barley swallow it hurt so badly, and I was fatigued (probably partly from coughing all night), and my stomach hurt. The symptoms were endless. I finally got out of bed around 3PM to go to the nurse. She took my temperature and looked at my throat and just kept saying... "Ohh yeah. You are very sick. We need to have you see the doctor." The nurse then paid for a cab for me to go see the doctor across town. The taxi man was such a nice elderly man! He kept telling me to take care of myself. The doctor saw me for a total of 5 minutes. He took my temperature, checked my breathing, checked my glands, then gave me a list of medications to get. I asked him what my temperature was. He said, "104 degress" WOAH. I went and picked up my medications and called the cab driver. When I got out of the cab to go to my apartment he said, "Now take care of yourself and God Bless You!" Such wonderful hospitality. I stayed in my apartment, slept, watched TV and movies, and Skyped all weekend. I became pretty homesick while I was sick in bed. I tried to stay positive throughout the whole week, but there came a time when I just broke down because even though I was in Ireland, I still just wanted to be home in my own bed, hearing my mom and dad's voices. I could feel myself slowly getting better over the weekend. Then Monday came and it was a miracle! I had been at my normal body temp (no fever) for 24 hours. It was amazing! I had forgotten what it felt like to be healthy!

While Skyping with my family, my dad laughed and said, "I know you're a Mitchell, Meg, but there comes a time when you have to go to the doctor." hahahaha. I laughed with him. Us, Mitchells always think we can fix ourselves.

Through this sickness I realized:
*I am blessed with dear friends who would check up on me via facebook and text.
*Go to the doctor after a couple days, not a week!
*I appreciate being healthy a lot more than I used to.
*I need to invest in a hat and mittens.
*Even though I felt like death I kept my dad's saying in mind, "It could always be worse."
*"Soul Surfer" is one of my new favorite movies.
*"New Girl" is one of my new favorite shows.  
*It's okay to cry and want home, even when you're in Ireland. Just don't let it last a long long time.

On Monday, I just relaxed most of the day, went to class, and relaxed the rest of the night. Then Tuesday came and I was still healthy. (I just have a cough that really isn't that bad.) To celebrate what we call "Mardi Gras" at home, the Irish have pancakes! So I went to a club get together (The club is called the Disney Society) and we had pancakes and watched Peter Pan! What a lovely time!

I made an extremely difficult decision on Tuesday. Making difficult decisions so far away from home and family make them that much more difficult, but at least God is with you wherever you go. There was a lot of crying, stress, prayer, talking, and journaling. God puts us through difficult times to make us stronger, right? Right. After making the decision, I put my trust and faith in God that things will workout the way they are supposed to. If not now, eventually. A quote my uncle Chad shared with me, "God chisels us into who he wants us to be through life trials. They hurt, but they're temporary. It means He loves you. If our lives were a breeze, then we'd have need for concern" So true! 

I'm having a tough time deciding what to do for Lent. I usually give up Facebook, but it's one of my only connections to home, so I figured I shouldn't. I try to think of things that will not take away from my experience, but make me a better and healthier person.

New things I've learned:
*Shift - means to kiss or makeout with someone. (No! I haven't done this here. I just heard about the word!)
*Tea is a big deal around here.
*Some Irish people really like American TV shows.
*They celebrate Mardi Gras with Pancakes
*It's normal to not go to lectures regularly.
*I tried these chips. They are shaped like little bacon and taste like bacon.
*One of my Irish friends said that a trend she notices in Americans is that we eat a lot of oatmeal. Guilty!
*She also said that she doesn't think my accent is that American. I couldn't tell you why.
*EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE OKAY. 

My friends and I have started to think of the places we want to go! "Oh the Places You'll Go . . . " One of the places I suggested was Poland - to visit a concentration camp. We are for sure doing that! Also, we would like to go to Rome and London. I feel so fortunate to be able to visit so many places - It's almost overwhelming!

I'm going to Galway this weekend with a group of friends! It should be a lovely time.

Have a blessed week and weekend!

It's really only week 2?

I'm sitting at my desk drinking a cup of tea, reflecting with music on in the background. What an amazing week it has been! It is a lovely experience to have here in Ireland. Homesickness finally started to kick in but I trust in the strength that God gives me to get through it.  As my mom, sisters, brothers, everyone says, "Don't waste your energy being sad. You're in Ireland!" How am I coping with homesickness? Well I brought two DVDs that always are my go-to DVDs when I'm at school. "Friday Night Lights" and "The Sandlot". I watch either of those, pray, journal, listen to music, and spend time with friends and once in a while Skype with people I love right before I go to bed. Even in just little spouts of homesickness, I always keep in mind my mom's phrase that she got from her mom, "This too shall pass."

My week!

I guess I'll start from last Sunday! (What better place to start than the beginning.) We (international students) rose early to get on a bus to visit the Cliffs of Moher and The Burren. On the way to these places, we went on winding roads way out in the country. It was a beautiful sight, but I pretty car sick. I knew it would help to rest my eyes or head, but I just didn't want to miss any of the landscape of God's beautiful creation in Ireland! Our first stop was The Cliffs of Moher.

While I was visiting these two places, I realized that I really do not know the significance of them. I mean they are a beautiful sight, but how were they formed? Is there something really interesting about them that will blow me away? I decided that when I go on field trips like that, I am going to do some research on what I am visiting before I go. It will make the visit and pictures more meaningful. On that note, I just looked up these two destinations on Wikipedia. Here is the link for the Cliffs of Moher: The Cliffs of Moher. After briefly reading it, an interesting fact I learned was that you can find 300 million year old river channels at the base of the cliffs. Wow! It was extremely windy when we visited the cliffs. It was also very cold and a little rainy, too! Though, we didn't let that take away from the experience. In fact, we embraced it even more. The wind was literally pushing us back as we were climbing up the stairs to the top. It was hilarious! We were all laughing histerically while trying to keep our balance. (I have a video of a few of us getting blown by the wind. I will post it on Facebook sometime!) What a workout it was. It was such a blast though. There was one point on the path on the way to the Castle at the point of one of the cliffs that was a blast of wind/rain. We mentally and physically prepared ourselves (zipped our coats, made sure all of our bags were closed, tightened our mittens and hats) and then said "1! 2! 3!" I think it took about 30 seconds to get through it. Through all of this cold weather, my hands were frozen because I didn't have any mittens. I could barely take pictures, but I didn't let it bother me. I was at the Cliffs of Moher! I also couldn't take enough pictures. There are so many different angles and I didn't want to miss one. Side note: I realized at the end of the day that that was my first time seeing the ocean. Lovely!

Next stop - Food. On our bus ride to Doolin (very small little town), it was sunny, but then all of a sudden it started raining, then all of a sudden it started hailing. Then there was this HUGE crack of thunder that made most of us jump. The weather is so unpredictable! We ate at a cute little restaurant. It was the only one open in the little town.

Next stop - The Burren! What is the Burren? I was wondering the same thing. Even when I got there and was taking pictures. I don't have pictures up yet (because I'm waiting for my camera cord to come in the mail), but I can tell you that it was beautiful. It is made up of different kind of rocks on a cliff near the ocean. It is surrounded by country land that looks like it could be in The Lord of the Rings! This is also where I saw my first cattle. A man was leading 3 of them on a trail. It was so fascinating to see in person! Here is a link to learn more about it: The Burren. We took a lot of pictures (just can't get enough pictures), then we all got on the buses. On our way back, the sight was brilliant. Most of the drive was along the ocean. I was so tired and wanted to close my eyes, but I didn't want to miss anything out my window. So I waited until we were on the freeway (even then I wanted to keep my eyes open! so I waited until it was dark).

It felt good to get back to my apartment and jump in a hot shower and end the day with a cup of tea, reflection time, Skype session with Eric, and then a piece of cake and another cup of tea as I wrote out my class schedule. The most nerve racking part is figuring out where all of your classes are. Oofta! Well on Monday I only had class from 3-5 (Ireland Since 1800) It is a history class. My teacher is great! I notice that the Irish sense of humor is slipping in humor, but they don't laugh at their own jokes very much. It almost makes it more humorous. Do we laugh at our own jokes in America? It should be an interesting class!

On Tuesday I had a PACKED day. I have 4 classes, but one of them you meet twice. I have:
1. Hydrology and Water Resources - the teacher is splendid and so enthusiastic about what she is teaching. The funny part about her is that she kept on talking about how unorganized she was and told us how to accomodate if we are last minute people like her. 2. Women in the Celtic World. This class should be very interesting. The professor is passionate about it, and the topics that we will be discussing seem fascinating. 3. Lifting up the Lowly (Theology Class). *Note: there are two sections of campus. A north and south campus. One is Maynooth and the other is St. Patrick's College. I live on the complete opposite side of my Theology classes which are in St. Patrick's, but it still only takes me about 11 minutes to get across campus! (Yes, I timed myself.) This class is about women in the bible. The teacher had us in a circle and we read a book from the bible and together we formed it into a story that we could more so undertand. He was just so excited about everything we were saying. It is going to be a lovely class! I didn't bring a bible with me (due to the weight) so after class we walked to his office and he let me borrow one. It was so wonderful how he was asking me questions and getting to know me. I love it when professors are personable like that! 3. The God of Jesus Christ (Theology Class) The professor knows what he is talking about, but it is a little hard to follow, though I am excited for the content of the course. 4. Women in the Celtic World (again). It was a pretty crazy day, but good! I didn't get lost once!

On Wednesday I had Global Water Resources and then Victorianism to Modernism. Victorianism To Modernism was my first class in a big lecture hall! There had to be at least 100 people in this lecture hall. It was a strange feeling, but kind of cool at the same time! This is an English class. The teacher is pretty monotone, but the content should be pretty enlightening to English material in Ireland. I also officially registered for my classes and received my student ID on this day!

On Thursday! Oh boy.... Well I set my phone alarm, but it never went off! And I was up late the night before because apparently I just don't like to sleep. I missed my first two classes, but I did make it to my other Theology Class - Christian Faith and Contemporary Culture. This professor is lovely. He types up notes for us because he doesn't want us to be taking notes during class. He likes meaningful discussion. When I went up to him during a break to have him sign my form to sign up for the class he asked me where I was from, how I was doing, and said that if I need anything, just let him know. Lovely, right? I felt very blessed at that moment to have such wonderful professors. 

I don't have any classes on Fridays, so I just laid low after going out on Thursday night. Did I tell you that people literally go out every single night, here. EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT. I only go out once or twice a week. I can't afford (financially and physically) to go out so many times a week! It will be so nice not having class on Fridays so I can take 3 day trips with friends!

On Saturday we went to Dublin for the first time! I took so many pictures (soon to come). I've never been to New York City, but it reminds me of what New York City is like, but much prettier and cleaner. We did some shopping, visited Trinity College, and finished the day off by eating at a cute little restaurant on a corner. We picked it randomly because it was so pretty looking. Funny moment: Do you know what prawns are? We didn't. We asked the waiter and he joked around with us and told us in the tone of voice, "Really? You don't know what prawns are?" It's shrimp by the way. After we were done with our meal, he said, "Did you like the prawns - I mean the shrimps?" ha! Throughout the whole day we felt like such tourists: taking pictures of every single thing (stopping in the middle of sidewalks), looking at maps in the middle of the sidewalk, asking strangers where something is, etc. It will be pretty lovely when we are used to the place!

Today I went to church in a really old church building. Fun fact: When I first got here I took a ton of pictures of this building - thinking it was vacant and had super historical fiction. Then I found myself in that church this morning! The masses are very different here. To be honest, I was not a fan of the mass. There was no music, and everyone rushed what they were saying. It seems they just wanted to get it done instead of letting it soak in. So I am going to go church shopping while I'm here. :) I went on my first walk/run in Ireland. I would speed walk for a while then run a short while - repeat. It was wonderful landscape. I just couldn't believe it. I was in Ireland. That's when it was really hitting me. Then I had dinner with two girls and we made pancakes, eggs, and ham. Brinner! Now I'm ending the day with some tea and blogging. That is about all for now.

Random facts learned:
*They call yarn - knitting thread. (I asked a woman at Tesco if they had any yarn and it took us about 2 minutes to communicate what I was asking for. I love those moments!)
*Prawns are shrimp.
*It is true - Irish people really are late, often. Most of my professors arrive at least 5 minutes late.
*They actually do have speed limits here. (I'm not sure they actually follow them though...)
*Black coffee is called Americanoo. I felt so silly as an American buying an Americano one morning. I could just picture the waitress rolling her eyes in her head. ha.)
*Hulu and Pandora does not work over here. It only works in the United States.
*There are no animal crackers here.
*Irish people are very nice! One morning I was having troubles with the ATM. I told the older gentlemen that I thought it wasn't working. It worked for him, then he stayed by my and walked me through how to use it. Kindness. :)
*I've found myself using more of their word choice while talking to friends - brilliant, lovely.
*They play American music in the pubs. No country!
*They say "lovely" instead of "awesome".

People keep asking me what my favorite part of Ireland is. It's tough to say! It has only been two weeks, but I feel like I have been here for much longer than that! My favorite part thus far is the people. I have made very amazing friends. I can't say enough how blessed and fortunate I feel to have made such close friends already. A couple friends and I were talking tonight and they both commented how they feel like they've known me for way longer. They said they commented how when I first saw them at the airport I walked right up to them like we were casual friends and said, "Hi! I'm Megan! What are your names?" I guess not many people do that. haha! It's crazy to think that in less than 4 months we will all have to part ways, but we don't talk about that now! We have so many memories to make before saying goodbye.

I hope you all have a blessed week!