Homework, boo.

I know, I know, it’s been awhile. But we actually had homework to do! Believe it or not that’s kind of a big deal here. I wrote an Irish history paper this week worth 50% of my grade! Yikes! And to follow that up I got to write ANOTHER essay for my Middle Ages class. “Critically discuss Judaeo-Christian influences on Medieval geographical though.” I know. You’re all dying to read it. I’ll be sure to get copies in the mail soon. (In all honestly I’m kind of proud of that paper, I was TERRIFIED to write it, but maybe I’ve actually learned something about the Middle Ages in the last month and a half.) And at least that paper isn’t worth so much…I just have to take a final in May for that class worth 80% of my grade. No big deal right? Kinda like my Shakespeare final worth 100% of my grade won’t be a big deal? Yeah…now I get why they give us a month to take finals. Nothing like the US that’s for sure. The good news though, is that I will have NO 7:30 am finals! Whoever created that finals block is just evil, thank goodness the Irish don’t believe in making you take exams worth 100% of your grade at the crack of dawn. And hey! Our Shakespeare professor DID tell us exactly what’s coming. We’ll be identifying and explaining quotes from King Lear for a good hour on May 9th. He read us one of the quotes from last year’s exam, and then told us that “anyone who missed that question deserves not only to fail but to be stripped naked and made to run about the quad.” Thank you professor, that’s semi-comforting. Sort of.
So anyway, I’m done with two of my papers, but still have a HUGE government project and a paper for that class to look forward to. Jumping for joy over that one. And two days after we come back from Spring break…another Irish history paper, worth the other 50% of my grade. Yuck.
So anyway, with all the paper writing and project doing that has been going on we haven’t gotten out to do a whole lot of fun stuff lately L bummer. But this weekend we’re getting the heck out of here! Watch out Cobh! The crazy American students have gone stir crazy writing papers and we’re ready to go DO something.
Valentine’s Day came and went in Ireland and I barely noticed. It’s just not a big deal here? Looks like Hallmark hasn’t taken over the WHOLE planet. A bunch of us got together, donned our pink and red and celebrated as a group. We had chocolate, I baked brownies, and the Irish kids were totally and utterly confused as to why we were making such a big deal out of it. “Valentine’s is only for people in a couple? So why?” Why? Because we’re silly Americans and we’ve decided to let Hallmark dictate which days on the calendar cannot pass without fanfare. Notice the red outfits and the paper hearts on the walls....
We also kind of sort of attempted the Barrack Street Challenge. There are 13 pubs on Barrack Street. I’ll leave it up to you to decide what the Barrack Street Challenge might involve. A few in our group did the whole thing properly, hats off to them. We just showed up in the middle to laugh at the damage.
So, despite the lack of super exciting stuff happening lately, we have a lot of stuff coming up! March 5th I’m going to Dublin for the day to check out a few Grad schools! Ahhh! How scary is that? It’ll be good for me though, I’ll have to be all independent and stuff J I’m taking the train up by myself and checking out Trinity College and that afternoon is University College Dublin.
That weekend we’re going to Galway for the Trad Fest there. And the week after that my Mom and Christine are coming over! Yay for friends and family from home. I’m SO excited to see them. We’re going to be in Dublin over St. Patrick’s day, then they’re coming back to Cork to see what I’ve been up to here! I think they both have to kiss the Blarney stone while they’re in Cork. Although, I’ve been told that “having kissed the Blarney Stone- doesn't make you more eloquent, it reduces the chances that you'll ever be quiet- which for you, may be a problem!” Thanks Evans.
When Mom and Christine head back to the states Beth and I are heading home with her roommate Siovhan for the first part of our Spring break. Siovhan’s from Galway and has a mile long list of things she wants to take us to do, the beaches, the Aran Islands, the Cliffs of Moher (google Cliffs of Moher. Really. Do it. SO pretty.) Stay tuned for details on the rest of Spring break.
Our break is March 20- April 21st, and after that it’s one last week of class and then a month of finals! I ended up with a big break between exams, so one more friend is flying into Cork for a few days and we’re going to London for a few days after that!
And the scariest part of today’s blog…it’s almost March. Which means my time here is going SO much faster then I ever thought possible. So, mentally, I’ve been making a list of all the things I’ll miss in Ireland. (In no particular order)
-Irish accents
-9 am is REALLY early
-if you have a 9am class no one really expects you to be there
-Getting packages, or anything in the mail, it’s seriously like Christmas. No one sends stuff by mail at home, and we really should.
-Cadbury chocolate is EVERYWHERE
-Trad sessions
-The free notebooks they hand out while you’re walking to class
-My Shakespeare professor and my Middle Ages professor. They are completely hilarious.
-Irish slang (eejit, for example)
-The Old Oak, and everything else on Oliver Plunket Street
-Most of all, the people. If you can look at this picture and not smile there’s something wrong with you.

Gold star for you if you actually read through all of this!