I apologize for not updating as regularly as I have promised. It has been an insane week with all the papers and whatnots due. So where did I leave off?
THURSDAY
We rushed off to the Dail in morning to have a quick tour and sit in on some meetings. The meeting we sat in briefly on was pretty intense, as it concerned helping out AIB and the Bank of Ireland, which are currently in trouble with the recession. Someone got suspended! We got to stay to see it get so heated that someone had to be asked to leave the House several times and then suspended!
We then rushed back to campus for the last history lecture (OH THANKS GOODNESS YOU HAVE NO IDEA). I then did something crazy and then just headed back out to the city again to walk around and do some shopping. Shopping was a definite failure, but it was nice getting out and walking around, out of this campus.
Then it was a night out for the first time in a long time. Eh...it was okay. I think I was just too tired to really make the most out of it, but trust me - going out is way too expensive and it will be a while before I do that again!
FRIDAY
I had to do a lot of errands today: laundry, student card, spar, cleaning/organizing. And then I went into the city again (this time I walked to save some money!) to do some more shopping. I wanted to look kinda nice/decent for Alan's arrival, but ended up failing again. Even so, I decided that I wanted just a tiny success from the two excursions into the city and bought him a CD and some chocolates. =)
The city was insane this night because of the Jameson Film Festival, Valentine's Day prepping (or overnight-ing, you know), and it just being the weekend in general. There were so many ambulances, traffic, people, and the smell of roses. Goodness me!
Then gchat with Ana Jessica!!! Or was it Skype? I don't remember. In any case, 'twas good.
After some more cleaning and such, Alan came and we just chilled for the night.
SATURDAY
Happy Valentine's Day!
Alan and I decided to walk into the city, grab something to eat. Deciding what to eat between the two of us is quite difficult, and it took a lot of going in and out of stores, walking back and forth to decide where we'd go to eat. We finally settled on an Italian Restuarant on Dame Street, where we experienced decent food and the most horrible customer service. The waitress wasn't mean in any way - she was just the only one working in a pretty sizeable restaurant. On DAME STREET - street of the tourists and students combined!
Anyway, we made our way to the Guinness Storehouse and it was absolutely lovely! So much to see about the way Guinness is made, and all the stuff they show you is pretty cool. We also were able to get a complimentary pint of Guinness, which tasted quite nice - just what we needed after a lot of walking and standing. We did not get them at the Gravity Bar like everyone else did because it was too crowded, but we did stop there to take some pictures of the view of Dublin. I warn you, it's not the prettiest view because, well, Dublin isn't that pretty of a city.
Then we caught the bus to the Santry Omniplex cinema, where we got 9 euro tickets to see "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." Pretty good film, in my opinion. It was very very long, but so beautifully sad in a way. The makeup was actually superb - they were really able to make Brad Pitt look like an adolescent!
SUNDAY
Alan and I checked out the service at Abbey Presbyterian Church. Still very traditional, which I don't mind, but the congregation was very...old. The people were nice enough, it seems, but I do need to find a place where there are more people my age. The two churches I've been to in Dublin, though, have all been absolutely tiny. Is it that I'm in Dublin and the Protestant attendance just isn't that high?
After the service had ended, we headed to Cafe Divino, where we sat for a while drinking coffee/soda and eating our scones. Then we went to The Winding Stair, where I bought Canterbury Tales for 2.50 euro! And it's a really pretty cover!
Anyway, after that, we just strolled around the city and chatted, then headed back to the apartment where we chilled out for a while. Alan left here at 6pm to go back home in the north.
So yes, now I am uploading picture sonto FB, updating, and then will attempt to study for the quizzes and the tests that are coming up this week. Blah.
BUT!
AFTER THIS WE HAVE NO MORE OF THESE HORRID CLASSES!!!!
Oh my, that is quite exciting.
