Restaurant rant.

So. I love my job. And for the most part, waiting tables is fun and a great experience. I love getting to talk to people. I love when people want to joke around with you. You get to interact with really interesting people and hear their stories. I really do love that. But every once in awhile, you get the complete psychopaths. Or people who just do NOT know how to conduct themselves in a restaurant. And, worst of all, the people who do not believe in tipping.

Tip your servers. For the love of God, tip your servers. If they were AWFUL, fine, okay, 10% tip. But when I say AWFUL, I mean AWFUL. Like, they forgot your order, they forgot to put in your order, they did not refill your drinks for the entire duration of your stay, they gave you attitude, they never checked in on you, they never fixed anything that went wrong, they had absolutely no desire to do a good job, ALL AT THE SAME TIME. If it wasn't awful, but nothing was spectacular? 18% minimum. Smooth sailing to great service deserves 20% and above. If you don't have the money to do so, you probably shouldn't be eating out in the first place. Harsh, but true. Also, many restaurants require their servers to tip out the bussers and the bartenders. It varies depending on the alcohol sales and the number of tables you've had, but there are many nights where my tip outs are $10 EACH. So that's $20 LESS that I'm going home with.

It's different in every state but Pennsylvania's minimum wage for servers is $2.83 an hour. Normal minimum wage is $7.25. We are supposed to make everything up in tips. If you don't tip us, we can't make a living. It sucks and I wish it wasn't that way, but it is. I do wish the system could be more like in Europe where servers get paid the equivalent of at least $10 an hour. But that's not how our system works.

I found a list of rules for proper restaurant behavior online. It was hilarious because I could relate to every single thing on that list. Probably every server in America can relate to this list. So I thought I'd post it on here with some feedback.

1. CHILDREN "THE LITTLE DEVILS":
If you have children, DO NOT let them, open and dump anything on the table (ie; salt, sugar, etc). IF YOU DO, you must leave an extra $5 for the server to clean up YOUR CHILD'S mess & to restock the now unusable wasted items. We are neither their babysitter nor their parent. The least you can do is pay us for the extra work. Also make sure you control your kids and don't let them scream or run around the restraunt. It's very distracting and rude to others eating, not to mention dangerous if they get ran over by a server with hot food in their hands.
Oh. My. God. I have NEVER once seen a parent clean up after their child in a restaurant. Or scold them for making a mess. That parent would never allow such a mess to occur in their own homes, WHY would they think it's okay in a restaurant? One time while working at Eat n Park, I was vacuuming my section. A mother came up to me, holding her son's hand, and said, "Um. He threw up," pointed to the puke-ified area, and LEFT. I am NOT getting paid $2.83 and hour to clean up vomit. No.

2. "THE CAMPERS":
If you feel the necessity to stay for longer than 15 minutes after you pay, its an extra $3 every 30 minutes. We make our money from the tables. If you are in one and we can't seat it, we don't make money. Not to mention, if you are our last table we have to wait for you to leave before we can leave.
Really, it's not a problem if you want to stay and hang out. However, you really do need to tip accordingly. Because you are still sitting in my section, you are still my responsibility. I can't ignore you, so I will keep doing my job and asking if you need anything.

Side story: The other night I had a table sit in the bar. They were my first table of the night and one of my last tables to leave. That's right, they were there for about FOUR hours. And I was waiting on them the ENTIRE time. They each had about six rounds of beer. They also ordered four appetizers because it was happy hour and they were half off. At the end of the four hours, I give them their checks. One of the checks was over $50. They left me $6. $6 for four hours, discounted food, and mostly alcohol. And I didn't do anything wrong. Trust me, servers KNOW when they've done something wrong. And servers KNOW when they were GOOD to their tables. I was GOOD with them. And like I mentioned, servers have to tip out the bartender according to alcohol sales. If you order a lot of alcohol, you have to think of it as tipping me AS WELL AS the bartender.

3. COMPLIMENTS:
Telling a server they are the best server they've ever had is not a tip. If we are good, let us know by leaving us more money. We can't pay our bills on compliments. Its not that we don't appreciate the praise, its just that if you say that and then leave 10% it's an insult.
I've had people tell me I was the best server they've ever had and not tip me at all. Nothing. Not even 10%. It happened the other week. Also, at Eat n Park, I had a table get a manager to tell her that I was great. And then they left me nothing. It's nice to hear good things about the way you do your job, but it's also just as nice to see a 30% tip.

4. THE SALVATION PAMPHLETS:
Prayer cards and any other religious pamphlet is NOT a tip. It is insulting that you assume we are without religion and must save us. Again, like ..3, we can't pay bills with prayer cards. We'd go to church on Sundays if it wasn't mandatory to work on Sundays because EVERYONE who goes to church follows it by eating out.
This has also happened to me. People have left cards saying, "I'll pray for you." I work with a girl who once was left a piece of paper that looked like a check. On it, it said, "Cash this check to get into Heaven!" or something like that. The sentiment is nice, but again...$2.83 an hour.

5. TIPPING:
It is not 1960. Cost of living has gone up dramatically since then. 18% is the MINIMUM amount of what you should be tipping your servers. Look at the first number of your bill (i.e. if your bill is $30, double the 3 and you have a $6 tip). If the second number is more than 5 however, you must add a dollar. Remember, our companies pay us minimum wage (minumum wage for servers is $6.75 in CA, $3.13 in FL, $3.09 in IA, $2.13 in NJ, 2.65 in MI, 2.15 in OK, $2.13 in TX). And we are taxed on 10 percent of your meal automatically anyway. So if your meal is $100 and you leave $10 and we tip out $4-5 to the busser, bartender, and whoever else then we pay tax on 10 dollars and we make $5. It seems small but it adds up. How many times do you eat out per week and do this?

6. THE COMPLAINERS:
If you get a discount because your food was prepared wrong or something, do not take it out of our tip. We didn't cook it. The cooks get paid hourly regardless if the food sucks. However, we only make what you give us.
Never take it out on your server unless you had an AWFUL server. Just because they're the ones you see doesn't make it okay to take out your anger on them. If you have a problem with the food, ask to speak to the manager so that they can let the kitchen staff know they made a mistake. This would happen at Eat n Park all the time. It became very apparent that people were making up things that were wrong with the food so they could get a free meal or get out of tipping.

7. THE FREE STUFF:
If you happen to get anything for free and you did not have a problem with your dining experience, most of the time it is because the server thinks you will realize that they are giving it to you for free. There should be extra tip thanking the server for the free item. They could get in a lot of trouble giving away free stuff. You should give them hazard pay for it.
This one I don't have much of a problem with. Sometimes I give people free drinks or free coffee at the end of their meal. I give people free guacamole all the time and it's pretty expensive. But I never expect recognition for it. I DO, however, firmly believe in coupon tipping etiquette. If you have a coupon or you happened into any sort of special, you MUST tip according to the pre-discounted price. Like, the half off happy hour appetizers? Tip as though they were full price. At Amigos, we have this coupon circulating that's Buy One Entree, Get One Free! It's killing everyone's tips. Suddenly a $25 check is $13. A $5 tip goes to $2.60. It doesn't seem like much, but if it keeps happening, the difference adds up. Just because the price is less doesn't mean we did less work.

8. THE LATE ONES:
If you come into the restaurant 10 minutes before closing or any time near closing hurry up and order your food and get out. Closed means closed, not social hour. It is so rude to sit there and take your sweet ass time. We can't leave until you leave because we have to do sidework and clean the table you are sitting at. We don't want to stand there waiting for you for an extra hour just because you don't want to go home. We recommend 24 hour establishments such as Denny's if you wish to sit into the wee hours of the night.
This also causes a lot of tension between the servers and the kitchen staff. They blame us for you ordering food. Chances are the kitchen staff has been gradually doing their closing sidework so they can leave as close to closing time as possible.

9. THE TABLE HOGGERS:
If you only come in for coffee or a dessert, to do paper work, or to have a meeting, don't sit there taking up our booths for hours. We are not Starbucks or a hotel restaurant. If you want to sit for hours, go there or else you better leave a good tip for us and camping fee included.

10. THE GREET:
When we come up to the table to greet you and we ask how you are doing, please let us know. We honestly want to know how you are doing. And ask us how we are doing as well. It's called manners. If you are in a bad mood we want to know that from the beginning. A confused stare or complete silence does not suffice as a reply to "How are you doing?" Also most of us are REQUIRED to say certain things during the greeting, so please don't interrupt our greeting and say "I want coffee", "Can we get some bread?", or "What are the soups?" Just sit tight for a goddamn minute & let us talk. You're not helping us out and saving us time by stopping our greet, you are pissing us off.
Also, many restaurants require you to suggest a drink by name. I'll often ask my tables, "Can I get you guys started off with a Coke or iced tea?" Some people respond to that with a flat out, "No." and nothing else. No elaboration on what they would like to drink instead. Well, now, that's awkward. And "Coffee" is NOT the correct response to, "Hey, how are you?" How would you feel if I came up to your table and said, "What do you want," as if you were the biggest annoyance in the world. Treat your servers the way YOU would want to be treated.

11. THOSE DAMN CELL PHONES:
Don't ever talk on your cell phone in a restaurant. This is probably the rudest thing to do. If you must be on your cell, at least keep your voice down in respect for other customers. If you are on your cell phone when we walk up to greet your table we will walk away and not return until you get off your phone. Just show some respect and give us your attention for a couple of minutes.
I waited on a guy on his cell phone at Eat n Park. Rather than saying, "Hey, hold on for a second, I need to order." and putting his phone down, he pointed at a burger on the menu and waved me away. When the burger came, he was finally off of his phone. But then he said, "But I didn't want onions. And I wanted it medium well. And I want this and this and this and this." Well, sir. You pointed to something and shoo'ed me away. Suddenly it's my fault that you did not take time out from your phone conversation to modify your order.

12. THE PICKY PEOPLE:
When you're taken to a table, sit there. There's a reason you were taken to that table and it's because that server is next on the rotation. If you prefer a certain table, section, window seat etc. specify that to the host/hostess BEFORE they walk you to your table!! Don't wait till they get to the VERY back of the restaraunt then ask "can we have a booth?" "Can we sit by the window?" No! The reason you weren't sat by the window or in a booth is most likely because the server by the window or the server with the booths just got sat and you will receive better service if you stay put. If you ask BEFOREHAND the hostess has time to sit you accordingly. They have time to find you a table where you will be happy to sit AND receive good service!
Getting double/triple/quadruple sat is the worst thing that could happen to a server and is the biggest way to throw them off of their groove. And people who switch sections make this happen.

13. THE WAVERS:
If you wave at me or try to talk to me while I am talking to another table or have a huge tray in my hand, I WILL ignore you. We have other people besides you to take care of and unless we are standing still or hanging out by a computer, we are doing something. It is rude to think we will stop what we are doing for one table just to come help you. Let me put this heavy ass tray down in the middle of the dining room to find out you want more sauce. Do not grab me, or wave, or shake your glass, or call me ma'am or waiter or any other pet-name you want to call me because you were on your cell, or talking, or interrupted my initial greet where I told you my goddamn name!
If the restaurant is busy, it's a pretty safe bet that you are not your server's only table. If your server is good, they will make you feel like you're their only table, but absolutely do not assume this is true. Along the name lines, if you would LEARN your server's name or at least LOOK at them, you won't confuse them for other servers in the restaurant. I've often been grabbed by tables who aren't mine asking for the check. When I respond, "Sure, I'll find your server for you," they get this horrified look and say, "You're not her?" "No, what's her name?" "...I don't know." That's helpful.

Moral of the story, respect your servers. Remember they are somebody's son or daughter. Treat them well. If they're like me, they enjoy being a part of your life for that hour or so.

shoulda, coulda, woulda

I can't:
Ride a bike. Dance. Really do anything that involves balance and coordination. Eat ice cream without throwing up. Imagine where I'm going to be in ten years. Talk in depth about my dad to most people. Do assignments ahead of time. Parallel park when other people are in the car. Beatbox. Stand bad tippers. Tolerate people on power trips. Keep my temper when I'm talked down to.

I can:
Play the trumpet. Act. Make delicious sandwiches. Bake. Watch an entire season of "Weeds" in one sitting. Procrastinate. Laugh off embarrassment. Memorize lines very quickly. Understand phenomenology. Easily step onto a feminist soapbox. Pull an all nighter. Spend hours doing absolutely nothing and be totally okay with that. Make people laugh. Love.

I won't:
Intentionally hurt someone. Compare myself to the standards of beauty and sexiness society has set out for us today. Back down when I believe in something. Eat celery. Finish reading The Twilight Saga. Support the war.

I will:
Stand up for myself and for others. Support a woman's right to choose. Support same-sex marriage. Support you. Listen to opinions that differ from my own. Try to change the world in some way. Always miss my dad.

I shouldn't:
Judge rich people. Watch as much TV as I do. Eat so much Mexican food. Hide my emotions from people. Have road rage. Spend money. Waste time.

I should:
Spend more time with my mom. Spend more time with my brother. Save money. Get a second job. Exercise a lot more. Go running in the park. Tell more people how much I love and appreciate them. Learn to love veggies. Focus on progressing as a performer by doing shows instead of consuming myself with thoughts of financial security.

Took this from my favorite boss ever--Laura! (http://withlovefrompittsburgh.blogspot.com)

In other news, a man named John Wagner is giving out my cell phone number to avoid debt. I've gotten phone calls from two different companies asking for him. I've told both that they have the wrong number. So hopefully that'll be the end of that. So, Mr. Wagner, pay your debt. And stop using my number.

Father's Day.

Father's Day was yesterday. And I survived. Barely.

If anyone doesn't already know, my dad passed away almost four years ago. Four years seems like a long time on paper, but, really, sometimes it still feels like it happened yesterday.



I was scheduled to work yesterday. I thought it wouldn't be a problem. I was kind of looking forward to it so I could keep busy and not think about it.

Wrong.

My first table was a father and his three daughters. They had cards for him and were treating him to a Father's Day dinner. When I was with them, I was fine. But everytime I walked away from the table, my chest would get tight and I couldn't breathe. It also didn't help that I was so distracted that I forgot to put their appetizer in. Like, completely forgot. So their meals come out and the dad asks me what happened to their wings. Of course I realize what happened. I go put the order in and tell the cook to make them as fast as he can. I went back to Grace, the manager on duty, and told her about it in case she wanted to go talk to them and apologize. And while I was talking to her I completely broke down into a full on panic attack.



She was completely understanding about everything. She went out and brought the wings to the table and told them what was going on and that another server would be taking over. And then she just told me to clock out. She said that if she had any idea, she would have never scheduled me on that day. I honestly thought I would be fine, otherwise I would have said something about working on Father's Day.

So, Happy Father's Day, Daddy. I hope where ever you are you're still proud of me and that you know that I think about you every day and miss you.

back!

Yeah, yeah. I've been back. Updating is such a hassle!

So yes. I've been back in the States for about two months now. Of course it took me a month to even touch my suitcases. Eh. Not worried about it. It's been a pretty eventful summer so far.

I got a job at a Mexican restaurant called Amigos. I still haven't called Eat n Park to tell them I'm not coming back, but...I feel like they get the picture. They put me through so much stress and unrest that I'd be happy if I never set foot in there ever again. The Whitehall one, of course. Not South Park. That's the hangout. Clearly. But Amigos is an absolute dream in comparison. The only downfall is that it's not a very busy restaurant, so I don't make much money in tips. But all of the managers are great and so not on power trips, which is the most important thing. We also have a lot of fun at work. It's just a great job. I don't dread going, a refreshing change from Eat n Park where I'd come 15 minutes early to sit in my car and prepare myself for the hell I was about to experience.

My mom also got me the best birthday present ever. She paid for 24 sessions with a personal trainer. It was pretty steep, but it's definitely worth it. I want to get down to a size 10. Or lose at least 5 inches in my hips and waist each. So far it's going pretty well. The first month was spent building muscle so I could actually handle the exercises he's giving me. And now we've bumped it up to all cardio all the time. It's exhausting but really fulfilling.

And the biggest news of all...

On Sunday morning, June 14th, my nephew was born!

His name is Easton Ryder Noderer. And he's beautiful.

He weighed in at 8 pounds, 2 ounces. Which is a pretty big baby, especially since he was 4 weeks early! The doctors said if he went to full term, he'd be between 10 and 12 pounds. So far he's a very sleepy baby. Both Mommy and Daddy are doing well. They all came home from the hospital yesterday and my mom and I are going to visit them today. That's my brother Casey holding him. I'm pretty sure he'd wanted to be a dad since he was 15. Even when I was a baby, he would take care of me. So, of course, he can't stop glowing.

Oh wow.

Listen, guys. I'm sorry for not posting for awhile.

Even Steph tried to nudge me and wanted to know what I was up to.

It's been a bit of a whirlwind. My mom visited the first week of March. And then Eric was here from the 11th to the 17th. St. Patty's Day wasn't anything too special. We all went to the parade in town that morning and just hung out for the rest of the day. And then on the 19th I went to Scotland until Monday. We hit up Edinburgh and Glasgow. I'll (hopefully) do another post in more detail about that adventure.

And now I've returned to face 7 essays that are all due within the next two weeks. Oh dear. But the good news is that once those essays are done, I'm completely done for the semester.

I'm also returning April 15th. I know it's early, but I'm running out of money. And everyone's traveling schedules were clashing so I was left without anyone to travel with. And traveling around Europe alone and completely broke doesn't sound like my idea of a good time.

I'm planning on squeezing in a quick trip to France before I leave. Lisa and I are flying to Paris on the 7th. And we're spending two nights there. Then on the 9th, we're hopping on a train to Lorient to spend two days with the lovely people of Queven. We'll be back on the 11th. Then I have to do some finishing touches to whichever essays aren't finished, turn them in, get my stuff together, and come home!

Time went by incredibly fast.

i wonder if it's contrived to listen to flogging molly here.

My mom left early this morning/last night. It was really nice to have her around for a week. This trip has definitely made us closer. And I think she's completely entered that area where I am her child, but I'm also an independent adult. We just have a really great relationship now.

We went to Connemara on Thursday. It was AWESOME. It's a national park and it's basically just beautiful Irish countryside. Sheep and mountains and lakes and sheep and green and sheep. I need to load those pictures onto my computer and then I'll do a blog post with them. It was seriously so gorgeous.

also:

They play this commercial ALL the time.

It's the best.

whoa.

Sorry about the lack of recent updating!

It's been pretty crazy here.

Kelly's friend Sam is visiting. Sarah's friend Jess if visiting. And my mom is visiting. It's nuts!

My mom arrived Saturday morning. She was exhausted, but I wouldn't let her sleep. The best way to beat jet lag is to not sleep until around 9 or 10 PM in your current timezone. So I took her around the city. We grabbed lunch at the creperie. We went into a couple stores. Mostly just walked around and talked. I got her a Claddagh ring for her birthday, so we went in to see if it needed to be resized.

I took her to Finnegan's for some good traditional Irish food. And we split an entire bottle of wine. It was awesome.

On Sunday, we went to Salthill to see the coast. It's sort of like a boardwalk. They have all these shops and restaurants and casinos. And there's this long path that goes along the coast called The Prom. And then we went to the movies with Lisa and saw Slumdog Millionaire because both of them hadn't seen it yet.

Yesterday was an early exhausting day. I wanted my mom to see The Cliffs of Moher so I booked this tour with Galway Tour Company. It started at 10 AM and didn't get back until 6 PM. But she really seemed to enjoy it. There were a bunch of little stops along the way and she got to see the real Irish countryside.

Unfortunately, my alarm didn't go off today. And I'm missing class. But since I didn't finish my history paper last week, I'm going to try and get that totally finished today before I meet up with my mom. I have about 500 words left. I think I can do it.

academic zen.

For some reason the library is incredibly calming right now.

It's not even a very nice library.

It's just quiet. And I feel like I'm getting things accomplished. But of course I'm sitting here and going on Facebook and updating this while I print things. But whatever works.

I have an essay due Friday of next week. But I'm trying to get it done by the end of this week because my mom is coming on Saturday! Much excitement about her arrival, but not much excitement about pounding out a paper.

Also, this week is RAG Week. Apparently it's the week everyone looks forward to. People come to Galway from all over Ireland for this thing. And it's just absolute debauchery.
Absolute.
Debauch.
Ery.
Yet somehow it's a week geared toward raising money for charity? I'm not really sure how excessive drinking ties in to raising 20,000 Euro for the Rape Crisis Center. Only in Ireland.

I haven't participated at all thus far. It started on Sunday. People are just drunk ALL day and they go out into the courtyard of the apartment and scream and throw things and stumble around and pee on the walls. Wretched.

This morning when I left to go to class, I seriously thought the apocalypse came and went. There were broken bottles and articles of clothing everywhere, not a single person in sight, and a misty fog hanging in the air.

Abby wants me to go out tonight. If I get enough research done (and take a nap, ugh), we might go to Roisin Dubh. Hopefully that'll be a little more low key considering it's a bit out of the way. But I don't think anything is low key this week.

if you were a kiss, i know i'd be a hug

Nothing new to report.

I've been sick for the past few days. I got a stomach virus that just manifested itself out of NOWHERE. No fun.

I need to explore more of Ireland. I want to go to Cork, Limerick, and Dublin. And I haven't done those things. And I'm trying to get to Scotland the weekend of the 19th. I'll probably book my flight for that sometime soon.

But my mom decided she was going to come visit me next week! She's leaving Pittsburgh on the 27th and arriving here the morning of the 28th and she's staying for a full week. I'm really excited. I'm thinking we should go to Connemara, Cliffs of Moher, and the Aran Islands. I'm hoping we can fit all of these in while I have classes. And I definitely need to finish my history essay before she gets here.

She is leaving on the 7th and then Eric is coming on the 10th to stay for a week! He just booked his flight today. It's gonna be a whirlwind two weeks, but I'm so beyond excited that it's not even funny.

ugghhh.

After procrastinatinig all day, my presentation is complete. 1,172 words.

Oh, Patrick Bateman, you silly psychotic fool.

It is also almost 4 AM and I have to get up at 7 if I want to shower. And I do want to shower.

Every semester seems to have a theme for me. Last semester it was feminism. The semester before that was absurdism and existentialism. This semester? I'm thinking American Psycho and postmodernism.

I'm okay with that.

new favorite.

Laundry here is a huge hassle. They have four washers and four dryers for the entire complex (over 200 people). So you have to do your laundry at ungodly hours just to get a machine. Sometimes people from the other complex (GORT na Coiribe) use our machines if their room is full. Also, it costs about 6 Euro for each load (3 Euro to wash and 3 Euro to dry). If you have three loads (lights, darks, brights) that's 18 Euro. Plus the machines are tiny so if you haven't done laundry in a while, you might have to break it up into more loads. And some of the dryers don't even work.

Expensive hassle.

But not anymore. We found this laundry service that picks up and drops off your laundry. I used it this weekend. The guy came by, took my bag. And this morning he dropped it off, it was folded and sorted and CLEAN. I had about a month's worth of laundry and it only came to 10 Euro.

I feel so lazy, but seriously if it's cheaper than doing it myself, why not? Lots of love for Claddagh Laundry.

In other news, Valentine's Day wasn't so bad. Abby and I went on a roomie date to see Vicky Cristina Barcelona which was pretty funny and also made us want to go to Barcelona. So we're gonna look into that. Then we went out with everyone else to Hole in the Wall, then Club K again (only club that was free entry and they had 3 Euro cocktails! Win!), and then to Bar 903. It was a really fun time. Just being with friends. And Eric is visiting in about three weeks! So I have that to look forward to.

My mom is trying to visit the week before, if money issues work out. I really hope she can come.

As for right now, I have to write a 1000 word presentation on American Psycho (Patrick Bateman and women...oh dear). So I should probably do that. Ugh.

3,000 miles.

I actually went out tonight for once! It's apparently so rare that people look at me in shock when I'm all ready to go. I don't know if that just makes me mysterious or a little bit depressing.

Tonight was fun. We started off at Hole in the Wall, which is...legit...a total hole in the wall. I really like it there. Places to sit, a DJ, cheap drinks. I'd be happy spending most of my night there. But we decided to move on and we went to The Quays after that, which is HUGE. Way bigger than I thought it was. We couldn't stay there for very long because they were closing. And we decided to check out Club K.

I'm really not a fan of clubs. I have a hard time dealing with people touching me when they don't have an invitation to do so. We got there and this girl seriously grabs my shoulder and shoves me to the side. Not only was I pissed that I got shoved, but then I looked at HER. She had platinum blonde hair. Was wearing a tight black tanktop, black shorts that barely covered her butt (with rhinestone Playboy bunnies on each cheek), thigh high leggings and heels. Tacky. Just all over tacky. Haaaated it.

There was also a woman who was definitely on some kind of drug. Our guess was E. She kept dancing all over the place and coming over and touching us and begging us to dance with her. It was a little overwhelming.

It ultimately ended up being a good time. I'm just way more content sitting in pubs and talking to people.

Tomorrow (or I guess today) is Valentine's Day. All of the girls here want to go out. Kelly, Abby, and I talked about going to see Vicky Cristina Barcelona and going out after. It's just weird. I'm actually in a relationship for Valentine's Day and it's lost distance. I really miss Eric. He pretty much needs to visit soon. Even if I was home, I wouldn't really want to go do anything special. I just love being around him and wish I could be with him today.

Sigh. Girly night out it is.

I love love and I love London.

Whirlwind adventure.

This may be a lengthy post.

So Thursday afternoon Kelly, Mike, and I got on a bus to Shannon Airport. We then flew from Shannon to London. We took a train from Gatwick to Victoria Station in central London. And then took the tube from Victoria to...Kensal Green? Kensal Green. Where is Kensal Green? No one knows.

When anyone asked where we were staying, we told them Kensal Green. And every time the response was, "...Where?"

Kensal Green is in northwest London. The outskirts of London. The shady outskirts of London. Though probably only shady because of the lack of people milling about.

We got off the metro at Kensal Green (about thirty minutes outside of the center of the city) and in front of us was our hostel. Good old Hostel 639. It was this sort of delapidated looking building. They painted a bunch of country's flags in the windows. And there was LOUD music coming from the first floor of the building. When we walked in, we saw the paint peeling off of the walls, signs taped to the walls saying "Hustlers Wanted: Call Jim", and a BUMPING karyoke party happening with all these kids singing terribly in Spanish. People were pushing past us speaking any other language but English. It actually seemed like everyone in there knew each other. As uncomfortable as we felt, we gave it a chance.

We got a room for four people. And there were three of us. After we climbed the stairs (that were kind of falling apart) four flights, we got to our room and a suitcase was already in there. We had a roommate. There was a note on the suitcase that said, "To Annabelle..." We were all tired so we decided to turn in for the night. We were all in bed, lights out, and Annabelle walked in. Kelly sits up in her topbunk and goes, "Hello, Annabelle." Annabelle CLEARLY freaked out by this voice coming from the darkness goes, "Hi...?" Kelly responds, "Oh, no, don't worry, we just read your note. It's cool." Amazing ice breaker.

Annabelle is Australian and we ended up being really tight with her for the rest of the weekend. She's living in London for the year but she isn't able to move into her house until sometime this week. So she was just staying in hostels to pass the time. We really really lucked out to room with someone as cool as her.

Our first official day, we went to Westminster Abbey and Annabelle came with us. I've been there before but it was really exciting to go back. I have this obsession with Elizabeth I. Probably because she was an ultimate alpha-female. Its' kind of hilarious that Mary is buried underneath her. I wonder if they're pissed about that. And then there's OTHER Mary on the opposite side. They're DEFINITELY pissed about that one.

After the Abbey we decided that we couldn't pass up going to King's Cross and seeing Platform 9 3/4 like the nerds we are. So we dragged Mike to take a picture of us pushing the cart into the wall. There were about five other geeks standing around taking pictures as well. How amazing must it be to write a series of books that has affected the world so greatly that King's Cross Station seriously makes a sign for a fictional platform and makes it look like a cart is halfway in! This train station that's been around forever reacted to the phenomenon. That's insane.

On a total whim, we went to the British Library. We had NO idea that it was basically a land of WONDER. Upon entering, we were greeted with this glorious staircase with ridiculously high shelves of books soaring behind it. We saw a sign that said, "Rare Books Collection" so we wandered over there. You needed a reading pass to get in, but the guard casually asks us, "Are you looking for the Magna Carta?" "...Wait, I'm sorry, the MAGNA CARTA is here?!" "Yeah. The Magna Carta, Shakespeare, Jane Austen. That's all downstairs and open to the public." "..."

Total heaven. All these original handwritten works by everyone who ever mattered. The Magna Carta has it's own room. They had Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, the Beatles, Pinter, even Angela Carter (handwritten copy of Nights at the Circus!). I was delirously happy!

Later that night we went to see Les Miserables. Annabelle came with us. Both Annabelle and Mike had never seen it before and had always wanted to. Our seats weren't exactly the best. (We kind of got ripped off.) But it was still a lot of fun. That show can be so cheesy at times and so powerful at other times. Love it.

The next day Kelly, Mike, and I wanted to go to the Tower of London and the Globe. But it took us a really long time to get moving. And we didn't realize that these things closed relatively early. When we got to the Tower of London, it was closing in a half hour. So we didn't want to pay to only spend a half hour there. We figured the Globe would be closed as well. We went to St. Paul's Cathedral instead. Absolutely GORGEOUS.

Since most of the things we wanted to see and do were closed by this point, we decided to make the most out of our Oyster cards and hop on as many buses as possible and just see where they took us. We basically spent the rest of the night hopping around. We found a cheap French restaurant and hung out there for a bit. Annabelle met up with us and Kelly, Annabelle, and I decided to go to the Shakespeare's Head up the street for a drink or two. A drink or two turned into several drinks. But we ended up making friends with this huge group of guys who were there for a football reunion. It was a lot of fun. One of the guys was wearing a shirt that said, "It's time. OBAMA '08." And I was like, "I voted for him!" And he was telling me how he's a 7th year history teacher and he made a display after the election that was half about the Civil Rights Movement and half about Obama.

The next day we made it to the Tower of London. But we spent a lot more time there than we planned, so we still weren't able to make it to the Globe. It was the off season, and I'd actually really like to see a play there. So maybe I'll be able to go sometime later in the semester. But the Tower of London was cool. We took a Yeoman Ward tour and of course he was hilarious. I feel like that's a requirement to give the tours. So many years in the British army. And hilarity.

Rather than going out, we decided to find a nice Italian restaurant and just have a really lengthy dinner. Appetizer, meal, dessert, wine, tea. The whole works. We ended up staying at this restaurant for a few hours. But I love how you're just not rushed in restaurants here. You have to ask for the bill because they expect you to take your time and talk with people.

That night I went to the internet cafe in our hostel. The next morning, we were checking out and I looked for my wallet in my purse and it wasn't there. I took it out to pay for the internet, but I must have set it on the desk next to the computer instead of putting it back in my purse. So it was left there. It was gone in the morning. I asked the people working in the cafe and they said that no one turned one it. We checked the room, nothing. Finally we asked the woman at the reception desk if anyone turned in a long silver wallet. She looked and pulled it out from under the desk. All of my cards were still there, but it was completely cleaned of any and all cash. 200 pounds and about 30 Euro. And God knows how much in coins. Completely gone. That's definitely over $300.

Yes, it's my fault that I left my wallet sitting there. But why bother returning it if you're just going to completely rob it? I had this weird violated feeling. My wallet has never been that empty. The hostel handled it really well though. The manager came down and he told me that they were going to go over the surveillance tapes from the cafe and see who picked it up after I left. They also called for a car to take us to the police station to file a report. With insurance, I can get my money back. But I had to file a police report and get a crime victim report to send to insurance. Hopefully, I can get that money back. Because that was a severe hit.

So as shady as that hostel seemed, they really have your back. They know they're a cheap hostel and that things like that are more likely to happen there, so they really do their best to fully take care of those situations.

After calming down, we decided to go to the British Museum. We then decided to check out Harrod's (because really...you have to) before getting on the train to go to the airport.

We didn't get back to the apartment until about 2:30 AM.

And that was my weekend!

so soon!

I'm heading to London tomorrow! Technically today since it's 12:40 AM.

Kelly, Mike, and I are leaving the apartment in the afternoon around 2 to catch a 3:05 bus to Shannon Airport. Our flight leaves at 7. And we should land around 8:30 or 9. Then we have to get to our hostel somehow. It's gonna be an adventure.

So we'll be there Thursday night, all day Friday, all day Saturday, all day Sunday, and then we're leaving Monday night around 10.

Yay for trips and adventures! I'll write when I get back!

Also: Today (well, yesterday) February 4th is my mom's birthday! Happy birthday, Mama!

cliffs of moher

Gorgeous.

How scary are those drops? They try to keep you away from the edge, but people go anyway. It's insane!

The obligatory picture of me looking pensive and staring out into the Atlantic.

Pretty sure you're not allowed to to this. Random Dude did not care.

Most of the group from Duquesne. We were missing a few people. But the bottom row L to R is Sarah L., Lisa, me, Kelly. Top row L to R is Caitlin, Sarah S., Rebekah, Doug, Meg.

Got up early and we took a tour bus with two other student groups to to the Cliffs of Moher. Along the way, we stopped at Aillwee Cave. The cave wasn't anything incredibly spectacular, but it was nice and I feel like caves of any sort are pretty cool. It's REALLY old and it was discovered in the 20th century by some guy who followed his dog who was chasing a rabbit. And he kept the cave to himself for 40 years until he decided it could be a tourist spot.

I have some nice pictures from there. I didn't feel like doing the whole upload thing with them. So check out my Facebook if you want to see those. http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/album.php?aid=2014988&id=1476120019 (You should be able to see the album even if you don't have a Facebook).

In other news, tomorrow night is the Superbowl! The Superbowl that the Steelers are in! They're actually airing it here. Apparently there are some Steelers bars in Dublin, but that's a bit far. They show American football in a couple pubs. It'll start airing at 10 PM, but the game won't actually start until 11. We're going to get there around 8 and try to claim a table or at least a section of the pub close to the TV. Its gonna be a long night.

no pictures yet...

Cliffs of Moher were amazingly beautiful. My camera battery is charging right now, but I'm going to upload pictures tonight. Beautiful.

As per Laura's request, if anyone wants to send me notes or any other lovely things of that nature, just send them to:

Rachel Noderer
27A
Cuirt na Coiribe
Headford Road
Galway
Ireland

do it for the living, do it for the dead, do it for the monsters under your bed

I feel so much better than I did in my last post. I've been talking to people here about that "missing out" feeling and everyone is experiencing something similar. So we're all going through it together.

And, yes, four months is a lengthy amount of time. But it can also go by quickly. Actually, we're already at one month down/three to go. I'm in my third week of classes already and I feel like we've just started. So this may not be as hard as I initially thought.

I really can't wait to go to London. That's going to be a lot of fun. It's just Kelly, Mike, and me. All of us want to basically do the same things too. And we're all very laid back. So I think they're going to be wonderful travel buddies.

This Saturday we're taking a day trip to the Cliffs of Moher. Hold on to your seats for some FABULOUS pictures. If you've never seen then, Google Image that right quick. They're breathtaking in pictures. I can't even imagine what it will be like to be there in person. I hope it doesn't rain, but it's probably going to be ridiculously windy.

I don't have any final exams for any of my classes. But they're all assessed by a final essay of about 3000 words. Each of my five classes requires a 3000 word essay. That's a 10 page paper for each class. 50 pages total. That's a short story. WHAAAAT. I think it'll be okay. I honestly think I'm going to start working on those papers as soon as I get topics. I don't want that all crashing down on me. No, thank you.

By the way, if you haven't read Lolita, do it. It will make you feel squirmy, but Nabokov is honestly a master of the English language. It is beautifully written. Beautifully.

oh, the people that i've met are the wonders of my world

I hope this homesickness passes. It does for the most part. I'm better than I was yesterday. But I just keep having moments. I'll get in a really weird funk and then miss everyone from home.

Apparently four months is quite a bit of time. Who knew?

It's just this feeling of missing out. Which is weird because I'm in this totally amazing city in a beautiful country. But I also can't share this with the people I love. That's hurting.

I think I'll feel better when people have definite plans to visit. My mom is still looking for flights.

I'm afraid that when I come back everyone will be reliving some great joke that I'm left out of. Or I'll change. Or they'll change. Or everyone will grow in different directions. But all of these fears seem incredibly blown up when I stand back and look at them.

I have to stop thinking about it. While four months is a long time, it can also be a really short time. And I have to make the most of it.

I talked to Kelly earlier and she said she was feeling the same way. We're thinking about planning bigger trips (like to England or Scotland or the other side of Ireland) every three weeks. It'll make the time go by faster but we'll also be experiencing the rest of the world.

I don't have class tomorrow. If it's not raining, I think I'm going to go out and explore with my camera.

I do feel good about this.

!!

Okay. I just need to explain the ridiculousness that was yesterday morning.

To catch everyone up, here's how the English department at NUIG works:
Your English lecture courses are huge and you don't need to go through a special registration for them. You just show up and eventually register with the university. I'm taking two of these. Modernism & Postmodernism and English Specialist Studies (Nineteenth Century Gothic and The American South--how these two go together, I have no idea.). These classes have about 200 people in them. It's nuts.
THEN you have your English seminar classes. They are much smaller--about 15 people. These haven't started yet because there is a super special registration process to go through. There are about 30 classes to choose from. Each of them has a limited number of spots available to international students. And these spots are given on a first come first serve basis. So it's highly highly competitive.

Yesterday morning, I got out of bed (after NO sleep because I've been sick all week) at 4 AM. Left the apartment at 5 with Sarah, Sam, and Doug. We got to the university at 5:15. And we stood outside in the cold wet suck. 5:15 AM and I was the 61st person in line. Yes. 60 PEOPLE WERE THERE BEFORE US. The girl who was first in line had been there since 2 AM. Apparently she had just been drinking whiskey and coffee the whole time. Oh my goodness, it was wretched. Just sitting there.

Though, the first girl was really smart. She took her notebook and made everyone sign in in the order they got there. Around 8 AM, the registration people came and took the list and gave out numbered tickets according to the list. As soon as we had the ticket, we could leave and go somewhere warm until 9. Then we lined up according to our tickets and went in to register that way. It was NUTS. And there were people rolling in at 9 AM trying to sneak through, they came out bitching and moaning. Seriously. We were warned to come early. They should've come early.

The Jane Austen class was the first one to fill up. I'm alright with that though. It would have been my only Monday class. So there would have been zero motivation to go. But I got my second choice, Contemporary North American Fiction. We're reading Fight Club and American Psycho. Apparently the prof is really awesome. And I do not have class on Mondays. I'm very pleased with how this worked out.

After that exhilarating morning, I came back to the apartment, took a shower, and went to class. After class I passed out on the couch for about an hour. Made dinner and watched Grey's Anatomy with the roommates. And then I took Benilyn PM and made a hot toddie (tea, lemon, honey, and whiskey) to get rid of my sore throat and I had the best night of sleep I've ever.

I woke up feeling SO much better. It's funny how that works.

I think tomorrow is going to be a reading day. I just started Lolita. I'm about 50 pages in. It's really beautifully written. But it makes you feel really creepy.

OH! I booked a flight to London. Kelly, Mike, and I are going the first weekend of February. It's gonna be awesome.

AND I got into the play I auditioned for. It runs the last few days of March/first few days of April. And that first weekend of April, we're taking it to Dublin for some Irish student drama festival.

Excitement!

Oops!

Sorry, everyone. I've been AWOL for a bit. (I recently learned what AWOL stands for. Don't judge.)

Well, actually. The internet in Cuirt na Coiribe went down Saturday afternoon. There was a big storm. And apparently when big storms happen, things break. And that makes me nervous. Because it storms quite a bit. And the office closes for the whole weekend. So we were left without the internet until Monday morning. I know. It was only two days. But when people depend on Skyping and IMing for their connections back home, two days is a long time. But it's amazing how much reading you get done with you don't have the internet. I'm just saying.

So Sarah, Kelly, Abby, and I decided it would be a good idea to go for a walk to the delicious creperie in the previously mentioned storm. This resulted in an absolutely phenomenal lunch (best crepes EVER.) and pretty nasty colds for Abby and myself. For the most part, I'm feeling healthy. My sinuses stopped crushing my face. But my throat hasn't stopped hurting.

Today was Inauguration Day! The college bar had a thing. They were airing CNN on a bunch of different TVs. The bar was packed and everyone was cheering and loving everything. It was awesome. I'm gonna make another post about it later with a whole buncha pictures, don't you worry.

As for right now, I need to get some sleep. Sarah and I are leaving at 5 AM to go stand in line to register for our English seminar courses. There are only 15 spots available in each class and they're given on a first come, first serve basis. There are people going at 2 AM. I'm not even kidding. I'm hoping for the Jane Austen seminar, but if I don't get that, I have some backups. But waiting (probably outside) for about 4 hours isn't going to do much for my cold. Awesome.

you've gotta push all the doubt to the side of your mouth

More beauty for everyone to enjoy. Galway Bay.

More of the Bay. Galway is beautiful.

Better street shot than the one before. It was a muuuuch nicer day outside that day. Bustlin' little town.

St. Nicholas Church. It's real old and real pretty.

This is what I see when I walk to and from school. Yeah. That's right. To be fair, this was on a rare non-rainy day. So I don't see this very often. But I lovvvve it!

I auditioned for a play today. Tom Stoppard's Dogg's Hamlet. It's entirely nonsensical. Like, it's in English, but they're just saying random words and you get the meaning through the acting. I don't know if I'll get in. I was totally the first one to show up though. How very enthusiastic of me!

Everyone went to the pub crawl sponsored by the International Students Society tonight. I signed up to go, but I haven't been feeling well these past couple days. I've had a sore throat that I can't kick. I keep on coughing and sneezing. And I have class at 9 tomorrow morning. I feel like a pub crawl could get really expensive too. I'm trying to make 50 Euro last me until Tuesday. Budgeting is hard. :(

So I'm going to be doing a RIDICULOUS amount of reading during the semester. Seriously. Like, three books a week. I'm trying to get a head start so I have room to fall behind. I'm already halfway through Frankenstein.

I want to go out and do the social thing, but I'm also here to learrrrn. I'm such a nerd. Though, I have gone out quite a bit by my standards.

I'm hoping to go to the Cliffs of Mohrer soon. I think Ann, our on-site coordinator, was going to plan something for us. So hold on to ya seats for some fabulous cliff action in the near future.

And excitement! Eric called a little bit ago. He's trying to come visit the last weekend in March! Nothing's definite though.

On that note, it's time for me to get to bed. 7:30 AM, here I come.

there's a hole in your head, spilled your thoughts on the floor

My second official day of class today! I had British Empire and Modernism & Postmodernism. We watched a really good documentary on India in British Empire. I really think I'm going to enjoy that class. The professor (Simon Potter. He is so unbelievably British.) emailed Kelly and me a course description to send to our advisers. He even said in the email, "I confirm that this is very much a course on global history." He's just grand.

Oh, sidenote. They say "grand" here a lot. It's interchangeable with "fine." Like, if you bump into someone and you say, "Oh, I'm sorry!" They'll respond, "Oh, you're grand!" It's wonderful and I want all of you in the States to adopt it.

Then Kelly, Ryan (our new friend), and I wandered around this huge room by the Student Union for Societies Day. NUI has a ridiculous amount of Societies (clubs). I signed up for a ton. There's really no obligation. It was just to get on the email list. But I signed up for the International Student Society, DramSoc (the theater society!), Human Rights Society, Alive (volunteer program), the Film Society, and a few others I think. They even have a Dating Society where they organize speed dating. Kelly, Sarah, and I think it would be hilarious.

There's an audition for one of the DramSoc's plays tomorrow. It's Tom Stoppard, so that would be exciting. It's just nervewracking! I want to do plays here, but I'm afraid I won't have time to travel, or I won't be able to take people out when they visit. Then again, I don't have any exams so I have the entire month of April to go traveling. And no one is DEFINITELY visiting me yet. So I'll audition.

My Modernism & Postmodernism class...I don't know how to feel. It's a huge lecture class. Seriously, there were over 100 people in that room. And the professor read from notes and told us about the modernist movement. Holy God. I wanted to kill myself. I know I should go to class, but I just don't understand how you can do a lecture based course on literature. Oh, Duquesne, you have spoiled me so.

Tomorrow I have Phenomenology in France and Specialist Studies (American South and Gothic Lit). Phenom should be cool. Dr. Rodemeyer recommended the prof that teaches it and I convinced New Friend Ryan to take it with me.

I'm gonna go see what the roommates are up to.

Peace.

oh dear.

Lil' too much tequila for Rachel.

I can't handle going out every night. My roommates (and the Irish!) love partying and going out and drinking and clubbing and all that jazz. It's nice every once in awhile, but I seriously don't like it THAT much.

I guess that's really all I have. The International Students Society had their Welcome Party for all the international students. It was fun, but wayyyy too many people. It's impossible to mingle in that setting.

Anyway. Food now.

oh internets. you kill me.

It's terribly hard to post pictures on here. It's being all fussy. ANYWAY. I do have some. And I promise to post some pictures of the campus soon. It took about an hour to do just these. So. YES. That is the Church of Galway (?). Maybe? It's right by the NUI campus. Very very pretty.

More gorgeousness. Near the campus. You see this as you walk into town from the school.

Crossing the bridge on the way to town from school. Lovely.

It was a little cloudy, so this picture didn't turn out as nice as it could have. But this is a view of Shop Street. It's, uh. Where all the shops are. It's the heart of downtown. Cars aren't allowed through it. There are a bunch of stores, cafes, and pubs.

The Kings Head is awesome! It is the oldest pub in Galway. It was established in the 1600's and the building is even older than that. We went there on one of our first nights out. It's a really cool atmosphere and they usually have live music. Actually...any pub usually has live music. GLORIOUS.

Another street in Galway. I feel like this was near Eyre Square.

Me trying to be artsy by a fountain in Eyre Square.

Me, my roommate Abby, and our neighbor Jason at The King's Head. Redheads reppin'.

So there are some of the promised pictures. Hopefully this picture thing stops getting sassy with me so I can share more.

I have my first NUI class tomorrow! Well, I don't know if I'm taking it for sure. It's The British Empire: 1880-1945. I'm hoping I can get it to count for my history core back at Duquesne. If it's not going to count, then I'm not going to take it.

The Irish system is sooooooo relaxed. It's ridiculous. We don't even officially register our schedules for another week. But classes started today. It's really something to get used to. They want you to try out your classes for a week before you commit to them.

So far I'm planning on taking that Brit Empire class, Modernism and Postmodernism (We're reading American Psycho and A Clockwork Orange!), Specialist English Studies (it's split into two sections, The American South and Nineteenth Century Gothic), Phenomenology in France, and I'm taking an English seminar.

The seminars don't start for another week. And you have to register with the department. They're very competitive and only have a few spots in them, so they're given out on a first come first serve basis. Meaning, I'm lining up at 6 AM to secure my spot. I'd really like to take the Jane Austen seminar and have it be my 400 level British lit course. But I have some back ups, including American Short Stories (400 level American lit), Contemporary Writing - North America (again, 400 level American), and Contemporary Writing -Children's Fiction (Honestly, I don't know what it could count for. But I really want to read Stardust for a class.)

It's looking like it'll work out. I went into town today to get some of the novels we're reading in the Specialist Studies class and Postmodernism. The gothic class has Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyle and Mr. Hide, Dracula, all this awesome stuff.

I'm also trying to plan a trip to visit my friends in Queven. Kelly, Sarah, and Lisa want to come with me. Jean-Luc and JC are REALLY pumped. They send me Facebook messages everyday wanting to know when when when. JC has a break in February, so I'm thinking we'll pop in for a weekend then. There are planes that fly right from Galway to Lorient! I'm excited.

Not much else to report on. I just really want people to come visit me. So start working on your spring break plans, people! Flights are not that expensive and you have a place to stay whether it's sleeping on the deliriously comfy leather couches or snugglin' with me!

That's it for now.

Peace out!

picture post!

Sorry this is so delayed! I've been keeping pretty busy.

I had a random bout of homesickness last night. I think it's passed. It's just rough realizing that I won't be back next week. That I'm actually staying here for several months. But I think it'll get better once classes start (Monday!). Registration is so weird here. For lecture classes you just show up and eventually register with the university. But you never register with the department. And then seminar classes don't start for another week and there are limited spots available so you have to get there super early to make sure you get the class you want. Right now it's looking like I'm going to have one class on Friday, which I'm trying to avoid. But it's pretty early. And it's a lecture so if I miss a few for a trip or something, it's not going to really matter.

Anyway! Here are some pictures of the city! I may edit this later with some captions. But right now I'm just gonna shove some pictures on here.

EDIT: UGH. I have too many pictures to load and I'm so tired. If you have Facebook, you can check them out there. I'll try to pick my favorites eventually.

mm.

Day Two in Galway has been very successful. Sarah and I sat around and watched Celebrity Big Brother all morning. It was pretty awesome. Coolio is hilarious.

When Kelly got back from the doctor's, we all got ready and took a cab to PC World so they could get ethernet cables. And then we when to McSwiggin's to grab some dinner. It was great and reasonably priced! Then we walked around the main part of the city where are the shops are, even though the shops were closed. We're touring the campus tomorrow, so I'll have some more pictures to share with everyone.

We went back to Dunnes to do more shopping. I got another pillow. Hopefully it'll make sleeping a little more comfy. My mattress is like a rock.

The other three roommates arrived tonight! It's kind of weird because Kelly, Sarah, and I spent the whole day bonding and we got used to it being just us. Now there's a whole slew of girls living in our apartment. The other girls are from a school in Oregon. Apparently there are 12 students from this school living in Cuirt na Coiribe. They all invaded the apartment for a hot second to see the other girls. It was nuts!

But they seem nice. They're really quiet. I'm worried that Kelly, Sarah, and I are going to be a bit too much for them. We're pretty outgoing and these girls seemed fairly reserved. We shall see.

Gotta get some sleep! More pictures tomorrow.

galway flat!

So this what you see what you walk through the front door. It's the main hallway of the apartment. All six of the bedrooms come off of this hall. And the common living room/dining room/kitchen is at the very end of the hall.

Dining room/kitchen

Our beautiful kitchen! It's so huge!

Living room. I can't figure out how the work the TV. And yes, those are leather couches.

View of the dining room/kitchen from the living room

Apparently when I took these pictures I was obsessed with the dining room table.

Here's my bathroom. It's all mine! I'm sure it's very exciting to all of you. There really isn't any sort of cabinet so all the necessities are sort of piled up by the toilet.

My absolutely freezing bedroom. But it's precious and cozy. To the right, out of the frame, is a door to my bathroom. I had to go buy those sheets today across the street. It was pretty awesome. I'm thinking about going to get more blankets because I can't deal with this cold situation.

Here's my desk. Notice the abundance of cords. I can't move the desk to hide them. Oh well. But it's a lovely desk. Clearly.

whoa, emerald isle!

I have safely arrived in Galway!

I had to fly from Pittsburgh to Newark. Then from Newark to Shannon (6 hours). And then take a bus from Shannon to Galway (2 hours). And then get a cab to my flat (...5 minutes).

By the way, my flat is FREEZING. I have the heater on full blast in my room and it doesn't really circulate the air. By my desk it's fine. But my bed is ridiculously cold. I just took a two hour nap that was supposed to be one hour because I didn't want to leave the bed! This is not good for a girl who is always cold! Hopefully it'll get warmer soon. Or I'll just get used to it.

I've only met two of my roommates--Kelly and Sarah. They're from Duquesne and flew on the same flight. We have three more roommates arriving sometime between tomorrow and Wednesday. They're pretty nice. I think it'll work out. All of us have our own rooms. Some have their own bathroom (me!). And we have a shared living room/dining room/kitchen space. I'm going to take some pictures to post in a bit.

I don't have a way of getting in contact with the other girls in the other flat. All of us expressed a desire to go into the city and explore. But I don't know if that's going to happen tonight. Kelly's not feeling well and Sarah just went to take a nap. Maybe Sarah will go when she wakes up.

I'm just bored. My roommates are sleeping. The other girls are AWOL. I'm cold. And the TV in our living room does not work. BUT I'M IN IRELAND! So everything's fine!

The drive in from Shannon was gorgeous. Actually, Ireland really reminds me of Brittany, France so far. Especially Queven. It even smells the same! I really don't know how to describe that smell. It smells comforting and welcoming.

Pictures to come soon!

procrastinationnnnn.

Yeah, that's right. Still haven't packed. I'm leaving at 3:30 tomorrow. I have a toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, and various other bathroom items packed.

I had a wonderful going away party last night! Everyone really enjoyed themselves and it was great to see most of my friends all together.

I should probably get rolling on this packing situation. But the next time I post, I will be in my new home!