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.