What I Learned from Ireland

It's not about the places you go, or the city you live in. 

It's about the people you share your experiences with. 

The Last Weekend

The last weekend of Ireland was the definition of bitter-sweet. Although we treasured every last minute together, we also hated the clock for racing against us. 

Thursday consisted of turning in the final papers for both classes, our classmates in the History class presented some final projects. Instead of heading into Dun Laoghaire, we all spent the break hanging out with each other (some stressfully rushed to finish typing their paper for the next class). At the end of the break, our Director treated everyone to pizza, and we watched a beautiful slide show put together by one of our classmates, Bre. It was wonderful to reminisce about all the great times we had in Ireland. The slide show brought laughs, stories, and tears. It just made the ending even more of a reality. 

After spending our last class (Irish Myth, Legend, & Folklore) discussing ghost stories and the modern belief in Fairies, we all left the Institute of Art, Design, & Technology to go and prepare for our night out at the famous 40 Foot Restaurant. That evening, all of the students were joined by all of the faculty to celebrate the conclusion to a great term abroad. We got rather wild, and yet found the concentration to actually enjoy conversations with our professors. After numerous rounds of hugs and "good lucks" we said goodbyes and carried off into the night.

(The last day of class)

(A final farewell to our beloved faculty)

The final friday.

Elyse and I met up with our Graphic Design professor, Chitra, who was in Dublin for the week. We introduced her to my favorite restaurant: Cafe En Seine. After some catching up, and a good lunch, we met with the rest of our friends to finally tour St. Stephens Green. After a nice afternoon of shopping, we all went home to accomplish our last minute packing, enjoy our last dinner with our host families, and get ready to celebrate our last night in Ireland. 

For our final outing, we went to the beloved Porterhouse, a brewery that ended up being a ton of fun the weekend before. Although I can't recount to much of the night in great detail... I know that it was a night filled with love and gratefulness. We sat outside and enjoyed the live music. I performed "Pokerface" for the entire outside, and then was accompanied by the unique dancing styling of Drunk Lady. Check out the video here! After some good sing-a-longs, people started to leave and the final goodbyes began, and so did the tears. It really became apparent how important all of these people had became to me. 

Once we were done at Porterhouse, we went to the club and danced the night away. Sadly, once the night ended, so did our time in Ireland. The last of us departed and I left for home the next morning.

(Our favorite pub in Bray)

(The last night)

And that, my friends, was Ireland. Cheers.

A Few Last Adventures

So our final week in Ireland was filled with some fantastic excursions. Since our program did so well when we learned Ceili Step Dancing that the owner of the pub invited us to come back on Tuesday night and watch a professional performance (for free). It was fantastic. The dancers even pulled some of my classmates from the audience to dance with them! Everyone performed flawlessly. Afterwards, the musicians and dancers invited us to stay and have a private show. A great start to the last week.

(Ceili Step Dancing)

(Traditional Ceili Music)

On Wednesday, our program director organized our last field trip day to be a visit to Kilmainham Jail and the Jameson Whiskey Distillery. As you can imagine, I was more excited for the latter. Although, the jail was breath-taking. I could literally feel all of the history that the building has seen, and it was huge. The jail has also been a filming location to a ton of favorite movies, and is currently used for scenes from The Tudors.

(Kilmainham Jail)

As I just stated, the Jameson Whiskey tour was the best. Although the exhibits weren't very good (especially compared to the awesome exhibit design I saw at the Guinness Factory), getting to have that free drink at the end made it worth the boredom. What made the trip unforgettable though was that I was selected as one of the 8 volunteers to take part of a Jameson Whiskey Taste Test! I not only got a free drink of whiskey, but I also got to compare a shot of Jameson to Scotch and Jack Daniels... don't worry, Jack came in as my second choice. After the Taste Test, we were all rewarded with a certificate of graduation for being the best critics. I'm totally putting that up on the wall with my Guinness Perfect Pourer Certificate and my future degree.

(Taking the last shot of whiskey like a champ)

(Certificate for being awesome taste-testers)

Cheers!

Once

The Oscar Winning song from Once.

I finally got to see Once tonight. My host family bought it yesterday, and I'm so glad I took the time to watch this beautiful film. It was a nice conclusion to my trip because almost all of the scenes where shot at places I've been: Grafton Street, Temple Bar, Killiney Road, Killiney Hill, Dun Laoghaire, etc. A wonderful movie set in a wonderful country.

Check out the Trailer Here.

Cheers!

iPhone 4G

Everyone in Ireland has an iPhone. Clearly, this means I must get one as soon as I get back to the States.

Just sayin'. Cheers!

A Weekend of Culture

Although I am sad to say that we officially experienced our last weekend in Dublin, we definitely went out in style...

We started Thursday night off with a trip to Bray, for some drinks and dancing. I must say, I definitely got into the groove. You would have all been proud.

Friday mostly consisted of last-minute shopping, making sure I got all my gifts for loved ones back home. We started our shopping marathon off right though, with a fabulous lunch at Cafe En Seine. Think Moulin Rouge meets Sherlock Holmes and you have the inside of this bar. I now know how I want to decorate my future apartment. 

After dinner, the group headed down to Dun Laoghaire to check out the famous Festival of World Cultures (I have never seen so many intoxicated people in my entire life... it put New Years in America to shame). We began at a club featuring latin music, and then concluded at a venue where I was able to purchase something called "Scott's Surprise." As you can imagine, Burger King immediately followed and so did coming home at 2 AM with a kid's crown.

(Smoked Salmon and Prawn Sandwich)

(My favorite restaurant in Dublin: Cafe En Seine)

Saturday was a slow start, considering how exhausting the night before was. I woke up a bit late, and then headed down to Dun Laoghaire to experience a more family-orientated festival (totally different than the night before). It was a lovely festival, very crowded, and it reminded me of all my favorite Summer Festivals back in Michigan. 

(10th Annual Dun Laoghaire Festival of World Cultures)

(10th Annual Dun Laoghaire Festival of World Cultures)

Saturday night was a bit of a hiccup. Since this was my first Saturday night in Dublin, my plan was to check out The George (the city's most famous gay dance club). However, for the first time in my life, we were turned away. Apparently, I was allowed in, but my heterosexual friends weren't... eff that. No bar is "too good" for my friends. We took our party elsewhere, and ended up dancing at The Dragon. It was the best bar in the world, not because of the venue, but because everyone I cared about was allowed in.

Elyse summed it up best in her blog: Somewhere in Between. We both agree that we have met some of the best people on this trip. I am going to miss them all very much. 

Sunday was a simple day. I spent the day sleeping, writing a paper for my Irish Cinema course, and went to our planned social event... IRISH STEP DANCING! I was a natural. 

(We're a hot mess after learning some Irish Step Dancing)

I can't believe that I am already in my last week here. This has been one of the most amazing experiences in my life, and I cannot even begin how grateful I am to be in Ireland. This trip has opened my eyes to so many things, and has created everlasting friendships. I am sad to see this end.

That's all for now. Cheers!

A Good Friend

Elyse and I went into town today, and we stopped in American Apparel. (Apparently, the one in Dublin is the largest store in the world). Anyway, AA just released a new line of their "legalize gay" shirts that now include the equality symbol! Of course, I bought one, and she decided to get one as well!

That's the sign of a true friend. I'm so thankful to have her support and love. 

Click here to buy one for yourself, and support a great cause.

That's all for today. Cheers!