One of the most wonderful things about being back in school is that each fall and spring, I get a week-long mid-term break called Reading Week, and in between terms, get an entire *month* off. Well…the Irish system is a bit different in the sense that where I’m used to having all of my papers and exams done and submitted before the end of the term in December, my essays here aren’t due until the start of next term in January. This is a mixed blessing in the sense that while it’s nice to have the extra month to work on my final essay, it’s not the complete freedom of break that I was used to in the States. Still, that will have to wait until I return to Dublin because I am off to see the world this break!
Week 1: a little fun in the sun in Morocco
Weeks 2 – 3: a white Christmas and New Year fireworks in Switzerland
Week 4: work on that last pesky essay, with a class trip to Belfast for a few days too
Can’t wait!!!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Rombo Table Quiz
The Dublin Central Rotary Club had a table quiz fundraiser last night for the Light of Maasai charity that the club and district support in Rombo, Kenya. Elaine Bannon, a Dubliner, moved there to do community work after visiting the community during a safari about ten years and has been dedicating her life to improving the living conditions and food security for the local Maasai people ever since. You can read more about her story here – pretty inspiring and definitely giving me some ideas for a charity project at the end of my Rotary year.
It was also a fun opportunity for me to bring some friends along to see where I disappear to each Wednesday night. We had a great time at the quiz, though I realized just how much I need to brush up on my contemporary Irish knowledge:
- Who is the current Lord Mayor of Dublin? (Andrew Montague)
- What year was the Battle of the Boyne? (1690)
On the other hand, our table of international students was able to put our knowledge to use on a few questions here and there:
- What country is home to the Tamil Tigers? (Sri Lanka – we’d had a lecture on it just days earlier)
- Chicago is located on which Great Lake? (Michigan, where I vacation most summers)
- What is the currency in Mexico? (The peso – more common knowledge in the US than in Europe though).
It was a rough couple of rounds for those of us not raised in Ireland and a few years ‘less wise’ than our fellow competitors, but in the end, both the first-place and last-place teams won a bottle of wine, and while I’d rather not say which place we took, we did go home happy!
It was also a fun opportunity for me to bring some friends along to see where I disappear to each Wednesday night. We had a great time at the quiz, though I realized just how much I need to brush up on my contemporary Irish knowledge:
- Who is the current Lord Mayor of Dublin? (Andrew Montague)
- What year was the Battle of the Boyne? (1690)
On the other hand, our table of international students was able to put our knowledge to use on a few questions here and there:
- What country is home to the Tamil Tigers? (Sri Lanka – we’d had a lecture on it just days earlier)
- Chicago is located on which Great Lake? (Michigan, where I vacation most summers)
- What is the currency in Mexico? (The peso – more common knowledge in the US than in Europe though).
It was a rough couple of rounds for those of us not raised in Ireland and a few years ‘less wise’ than our fellow competitors, but in the end, both the first-place and last-place teams won a bottle of wine, and while I’d rather not say which place we took, we did go home happy!
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Santa "Fun" Run
A few months ago, my classmate Sarah told me about this amazing event in Dublin: the first weekend in December, you can get dressed up in a Santa suit and run a 5K along Clontarf – who wouldn’t want to do that?! As many of you know, I am not a runner, but I figured I could handle a 5K and hey, you get a “free” Santa suit with the entry fee, so why not?
Well…it turns out that the run is along the beach of Bull Run Island, which is a bit different than running on pavement. We got there nice and early since the nearest stop on public transportation was about 3 – 5K away from the starting line and we weren’t entirely sure where we were going, but it was easy enough to find and it was good to get out and breathe in some fresh (if a bit chilly) seaside air. Still, by the time we arrived to pick up and put on our suits, we were a bit chilly and less enthusiastic than we had been when we booked the adventure months before, so decided to take a few pictures jumping up and down for warmth and pre-race entertainment.
That was before the wind picked up and the rain came. The combination of splashing along through the puddles on the beach as I tried not to trip on my “one-size-fits-all” Santa pants, carrying my bags and camera on my back really wasn’t quite my cup of tea (and all along I really just wanted a hot cup of tea!), but the Santas of all shapes, ages,
and sizes running along did provide some good entertainment and upon reaching the finish line, I was awarded a pretty cool Santa medal that combined with the hysterical ho-ho-ho-ing along the way made the day memorable, if not one I care to repeat anytime soon. I think for next year, I’ll leave the real Santa to do the deliveries in the future while I sit by a fire awaiting his arrival warm and dry and in clothes that fit me.
Well…it turns out that the run is along the beach of Bull Run Island, which is a bit different than running on pavement. We got there nice and early since the nearest stop on public transportation was about 3 – 5K away from the starting line and we weren’t entirely sure where we were going, but it was easy enough to find and it was good to get out and breathe in some fresh (if a bit chilly) seaside air. Still, by the time we arrived to pick up and put on our suits, we were a bit chilly and less enthusiastic than we had been when we booked the adventure months before, so decided to take a few pictures jumping up and down for warmth and pre-race entertainment. That was before the wind picked up and the rain came. The combination of splashing along through the puddles on the beach as I tried not to trip on my “one-size-fits-all” Santa pants, carrying my bags and camera on my back really wasn’t quite my cup of tea (and all along I really just wanted a hot cup of tea!), but the Santas of all shapes, ages,
and sizes running along did provide some good entertainment and upon reaching the finish line, I was awarded a pretty cool Santa medal that combined with the hysterical ho-ho-ho-ing along the way made the day memorable, if not one I care to repeat anytime soon. I think for next year, I’ll leave the real Santa to do the deliveries in the future while I sit by a fire awaiting his arrival warm and dry and in clothes that fit me.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Trinity Christmas Tree
During the final week before winter break, it can be a little hard to get into the Christmas spirit with all the work that has to be done before the end of term, so it was a nice break from researching and essay-writing in the library to go watch the TCD Provost and his kids light Trinity’s first ever Christmas tree in the center square. With Christmas carolers singing and students sipping cocoa, it was a great way to kick off the Christmas season.
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