One Week Left

Hello, friends!

Week 3 is over and done now, and although it seems impossible, I have only 5 days left in this beautiful country before my flight leaves Saturday morning. It makes my heart sore to think of it, but I will save the sentimentality for my going-away post. For now, I will try to uphold my promise of being educational (a generous way of putting it) and discuss more of what I have learned.

"Learned" seems like such a trite word now, though. I feel reasonably comfortable and at home in this country at this point, and so using such a simplistic verb feels inaccurate. I'm not being educated anymore, I am being enriched. Rather than quantifiable lessons I can jot down in a "study abroad tips" packet, the vibe and overall energy of this place seems to be flowing through me now, making me a more intelligent and understanding person. This trip is no longer about quantity, it's about quality, and I have always been more appreciative of the latter.

For that reason, I have very few tips to share here. Instead, I am being filled with emotions that I am saving for my last post. I want to enjoy this last week, smell the flowers (if you will), so I'll keep blogging to a minimum. Also, all my assignments are due this Thursday, so they require my attention at the moment. I hope you will forgive me for being so brief- maybe some photos will make up for it.

In case you hadn't noticed, I am quite fond of panoramas- they seem to be the closet option for showing what is around me. This is the courtyard of Dublin castle; apparently foreign heads of states are entertained here. It was actually free for us as students, so the tour was a wonderful way to spend the day.

For my Women's Studies class, we took a field trip to Glasnevin Cemetery, where many famous feminists and revolutionaries are buried. The massive size and scale of the cemetery was amazing, but its beautiful headstones and outstanding upkeep made it a place worth seeing.

We also took a trip to Kilkenny Castle, which featured the largest toilet known to mankind (not really, but it was pretty massive) and these amazing tapestries. Although not as impressive as Dublin Castle, it was a good way to spend a day. More enjoyable was the pint of cider and sandwich we went for afterwards!

Myself a few friends spent our weekend at Dun Laoghire and Howth, two suburban areas outside of Dublin. The above was taken in Howth, a lovely town with a pier to walk down into the sea and a small island off the coast. There are also hiking trails, but we did not have time for them.

This was taken at Dun Laoghire, which was my favorite of the two towns. It has these twin piers (Google it, it's amazing) that were actually featured in the movie "Sing Street" and provide a gorgeous view of the ocean. Places like this are what I will miss most about Ireland- rocks on the shore or hilltop churches. It is beautiful without ever being boastful, and something about it calms the soul.

I have mentioned the flowers of Ireland many times before, but I am particularly proud of the art-house quality of this photo from south campus.

And so concludes my week 3 blog post- onto these last few days of living the shamrock life. This has been such a full experience for me, and even as I near the end it's hard for me to believe that I've done this. Now I will just appreciate, and finish what I have started here, and take with me the knowledge that the bigger the world outside of me gets, the bigger the world inside of me gets as well.