March 15-16, 2011

Tuesday the 15 the school had a Saint Patrick's Day Assembly where our whole year danced to two songs.
All of us did a traditional irish dance to a well known Irish folk song and half of our year did a more modern dance to the song c'est la vie, a popular song from the 90's. There were many other traditional Irish performances from solo Irish dancing to playing traditional Irish instruments like the Ilan Pipes. Even though we only practiced the dance one day we still managed to pull it off.
Today, Wednesday was thankfully a clear day with the sun coming down and little wind. Our whole year had planned to go down to the beach after school but only about eight of us showed up. Raquel, Isobel, and I were the only ones brave enough to go for an arctic plunge in the Irish Sea, while the others watched comfortably from the shoreline. The water was absolutely freezing but we still went completely under and after losing all feeling in all pediments we decided it was time to head to Ellie's house for dinner. Getting in and out of the water is the most painful part because you are already freezing and the sharp stabbing rocks aggravate your numbed feet. When we got to Ellie's house we listened to music for a while and talked then we ate dinner. Dinner consisted of delicious chicken and cooked broccoli in a yellow creme sauce. It was amazing. The chicken was served with white rice and a fresh green garden salad. After we let dinner settle it was time for dessert. Dessert was also amazing and homemade. Ellie's mom made meringues and a spongy cake with strawberry sauce inside. There are HUGE plans for tomorrow, hope they go well!

March 10-14, 2011

Thursday the 10 it was raining and I had no plans and did nothing. But on Friday the 11 it was my friend Andrea's sixteenth birthday and about fiften of us went to her house, ate, talked, messed around and watched a movie. It was very fun and I went home at ten. On Saturday Dana and I went into town on to O'Connell and Grafton Street. We went into a coffee shop to warm up and relax and luckily we did because while we were sitting there it started to lightly snow for about ten minutes. After town I went to my friend Rachel's house to watch some television and get ready for the fourth year club Wez. It was very fun and many girls from our school showed up. The night at Wez was freezing cold!!It was so cold that while we were waiting in line for the place to open my knuckles turned a black blue color, and Raquel's almost did and were turning a dark green color. But luckily there was no rain to mess up my straightened hair.
Today, Monday it rained some more. I was hoping the rain would continue and cancel today's Outdor Pursuits because we had absailing and rock climbing later and I am absolutely terrified of heights. Of course the rain stopped while we were getting changed into our tracksuit. So we walked up Killiney Hill and over to the other side to the quarry where we would rock climb and absail down. There were two sets of rock climbs to do and the man picked me, someone terrified of heights to climb a three story rock face first! I was stuck at one spot for a good three minutes  just standing there shaking holding in my pee with all my might because everytime I would put my foot down it would slip because of my muddy shoes and the wet rock. Then I finally reached the top! I was so proud but that moment of victory was then shattered by the fear of getting back down. Especially when the man said just lean back. It took all of my trust to lean back and hold on to one rope connected to my waist three stories up. But I did that too!! Getting down was fun because you basically just sit and walk backwards. Then it was on to absailing where you walk backwards off a one and a half story rock face. I was freaking out seeing that you walk over the edge rock face backwards but that was fun too. Except scarier because we had to control the rope that let us move down, but the instructor at the top had an extra safety rope. It was more fun than I ever could've imagined and I am very proud of myself today!

March 9, 2011

Today's Wednesday outings took up the entire day. It was self defense class where we learned how to react in certain situations, and kicked and punched these little pads. I really enjoyed the class. Unfortunately I didn't go to mass today because no one told me that there was mass at school before classes started and regular mass in local churches doesn't start until 9 a.m. and wasn't allowed to got to that one. After school my friends Raquel, Isobel, and I all went over to Rachel's house in Booterstown to watch some t.v. Today was much colder than yesterday and there are about 30 m.p.h. winds so when I was walking back home from the Dart station my feet were picking up and dropping in the same spot until there was a break in the wind where I would practically run.

March 7-8, 2011

The seventh was a normal day. But today, the eighth was completely different. Instead of Fat Tuesday here they call it pancake Tuesday where you're supposed to only eat pancakes all day. Since our school doesn't sell food hardly anyone here had pancakes for lunch because they would  get too soggy by lunch time. We did eat pancakes for breakfast though. I found out, while we were eating, that here they don't just put syrup on and cut and enjoy, here they put toppings on like nutella or jam or sugar then they roll it up and then cut and enjoy. So I was getting funny faces throughout my first pancake and then they told me I eat it weird so then I observed while they explained it to me. Also the pancakes are much thinner and more crepeey than most of ours back home.
Ms. Toomey told me to eat at this chipper in Dublin city centre across the street from Christ Church Cathedral called Leo&Burdock's. They sell fish 'n' chips and many other items alike. I have been waiting to go there since I arrived in Dublin so finally today Ellie and I hopped on a Dart to Tara Street station and walked down to the chipper. I ordered fresh cod fish 'n' chips and Ellie just got chips. One of their portions could feed about three people. We ordered our food and then walked up Grafton Street where we ate, walked, and talked.
I had plenty of chocolate today to last me these forty days of Lent. I am going to make my list and follow it better than I followed it last year. Today Ellie got another dog, his name is Rua a ten month old Golden Retriever. To me his coat looks too white, his head looks too broad, and his eyes seem too round to be a Golden Retriever.
Tomorrow we have Wednesday outings again and I am excited.

March 2-March 6, 2011

Nothing exciting enough to write about happened in the past couple of days. Until the fourth when I didn't have access to a computer and then the fifth when I fell asleep and forgot to write. On the fourth I was invited to a sleepover that I was able to attend in Dalkey, one stop away on the Dart. My friend Rachel organized the whole sleepover, there were about thirteen of us. We stayed up until about 6 a.m. watching scary movies. The sleepover was very fun! But most of us had an early start in the morning becase they either had sports, or had to go to city centre and sell lollipops for charity. We all woke up at 8 a.m. but then realized we couldn't handle it so we slept in until 10 a.m. which helped our exhaustion a little. We had a delicious breakfast and headed off our own ways. Well I forgot my keys and Ellie went into town but I thought I would just catch the Dart to get home and try to see if anyone was home but no one was when I got there, so I walked myself down to the beach and just sat and observed. I haven't a clue as to how long I actually sat there for because I have no concept of time, and no way to tell. But I sat right at the water's edge and watched the grey-blue water melt into the grey-blue sky, listened to the tiny waves hit the rocks and observed people and their dogs run by, felt the sharp breeze on my cheeks, and smelled the warm, light saltiness of the sea. After a relaxing and thoughful time on the beach I decided to go home to try to see if any one was home again. Rachel and Ion were both there so I got in. On the morning of Sunday the fifth I walked to a different church today, one much much closer and I enjoyed it. Then after my walk home Anne, my host mom and Ellie decided that we should go to Powerscourt Townhouse. It is more inland and about a thirty minute drive from Killiney in a less built up area. This is no ordinary townhouse. This is a mansion! The inside has now been converted into a little shopping centre but the outside gardens of the house and the structure of the builiding are all the same. This mansion was built in 1731, older than America! The gardens were absolutely fantastically beautiful. The front gardens area is the only are that has changed, it is now a golf course. The back has ponds, a Japanese garden, creeks, flower gardens, statues, wells, defense towers with canons, a pet cemetery, hundreds of steps and trailways. It was gorgeous. When we returned home from our two hour trip Ellie and I were invited to Rachel's house to watch a movie so we went where two other of our friends were. But we had to leave right after the first movie ended at about 6:30 because we had a family dinner at 7 p.m. in Monkstown at Fxb's Pub. Ellie's grandpa is the one who treated us to the dinner, nine of us attended: Ellie, Rachel, Ion, Ion's dad, Anne, Annes parents, and Anne's aunt. The meal was delicious and we even got desert. Diner was extremely enjoyable and pleasant. We got home at about 9 or 9:30 p.m. It's off to school again tomorrow.

March 1, 2011

The plans for the movies were cancelled but that didn't stop Raquel and I from going to Dun Laoghaire. We ran a couple of errands, got some money, put credits on our phones, and grabbed a bite to eat. Today and yesterday were absolutely gorgeous days. My favorite, big, clear, blue skies with the sun shining and freezing cold. The frost on the grass in the morning stays there for hours past when we leave for school at 8:30 so you know it's freezing. Another highlight of my day is that I saw Bono!!!!!! It all started a week ago when this man came flying up the hill on a deafening motorbike wearing a leather jacket with and eagle and the American flag in the background with big bold red letters USA, I only saw him from the back because we were walking to the Dart station. I said to my friends I wonder if that was Bono, then he made the turn up to the road where Bono lives! One of my friends said he had a beard so it wasn't Bono and I believed her. But today as Raquel and I were leaving my house on the way to Dun Laoghaire I heard the bikes roar and looked up and saw a man with a familiar unshaved face sporting yellow sunglasses, a helmet and a leather jacket and I put my head back down but in an instant lifted my head back up to follow the zipping motorbike now behind us with the same USA jacket. I then knew who it was and took off running to try to follow him and tell Ellie at the same time with Raquel trailing behind me. Unfortunately he was making a left hand turn and didn't need to wait for any oncoming traffic and took off. So I went back into the house and tried to explain breathlessly to Ellie what had just happened. To my disbelief I saw Bono, a world renoun rockstar! The first famous person I have ever seen was in Ireland! And this whole time students have been asking me if I have ever met a famous person, now I can say ya, here.

February 28, 2011

I was extremely exhausted this morning trying to get up for school because of how late I stayed up all midterm and the funI had the night before. We started our new schedule today because of the new midterm. Our class, 4-Alpha, now have outdoor pursuits every monday. Today and next week's outdoor pursuits is horseback riding in Bray. We are horseback riding English style though they call it here Irish style, for obvious reasons. I have only rode on a horse about three or four times and each time it has been Western style and along a wilderness trail. So English riding is a new thing for me, but I did learn how to do the rising trot bounce. You'll know when you're doing it wrong, it hurts. I also learned alot of names of the horses tack (straps and buckles that go every which way.) Tomorrow most of our class is planning on going to the movies after school even though we don't know which movie yet. The closest movie theatre is in Dun Laoghaire and a couple of my friends and I plan to hang out there after the movies too.
I finally got the most recent photos uploaded. There's the Usher concert, Victoria Square Mall in Bellfast, New Grange, O'Connell Street in the city centre, and Trinity College. Hope you enjoy!