The last week has been a bit chaotic with a heavy dose of rain. Monday started out fine at work, things in the office have slowed down since the Dail is now on recess. However, that does not stop the constituents from sending in queries and other things to be done. There are less and less people around and not as much excitement as there was just in my first week of work. However, I was excited when lunch came around on Monday. My roommate from Maynooth, Helena was in Dublin for the day looking at dresses for a Debs dance she had been invited to. Debs is basically Prom in Ireland and since Helena opted out of the optional year, which most people do here in their high school equivalent, all of her friends at home are graduating and just now starting college. We met up and were able to catch up, it was so amazing to see her and incredibly comforting to see a familiar face. Unfortunately, our lunch didn’t last long and then we had to say good-bye, but thankfully I’ll be seeing her in two weeks when I go to visit her in Roscommon.
Tuesday welcomed nothing special, except endless rain all day. However, it was the annual Bachelorette night when almost all of the house gathers in the living room and watches Alli try and find her husband. Most of us are rooting for Chris, but we will just have to wait for next week to find out if he will stay or go…
Wednesday at work was fun. Margaret took me to get tea and a scone and then we were met by John who was down to get some work done since he is on holiday the next week. For lunch, the three of us went to the Member’s Dining Room for an “end of term” lunch and had a wonderful meal. The party leader of Labour was also at another table and we made eye contact, so that was my claim to fame for the day. Once the meal was over and we each had enjoyed two glasses of wine, we were back to work. When I got home, it was time to try and work on the two papers we have to do for UCD so everyone has been struggling with trying to get them done so we can enjoy the end of our time in Dublin.
Thursday was the last day I would see John due to his holiday during my last week so we had to say good-bye right before lunch. It was so surreal saying good-bye and well being the crazy person that I am, I started to tear up and thankfully made it out of the room before I became a blubbering mess. What an embarrassment I am! The weather was finally sunny and warm so I made it out to Stephen’s Green and relaxed in the sun while people-watching and enjoying the usuals who are always out too. However, when I came back in from lunch John was still here and so another good-bye was said and then it was officially the last time I would see him at least for now. After work, three of my housemates were going to London, a trip I was supposed to go on but didn’t due my debacle with my visa and being bound to Irish soil until August 5th. The few of us left in the house sent them off and then attempted to work on our papers.
Three of us, Marissa, Shelby, and I decided we wanted to get out of the house so we got ready and then went down the street to a beer garden, Tram Co., which a few young Irish people have raved about. Well, there was not much raving to do about the place since no one was there when we walked up, so we decided to head down the street towards city centre and check out a pub. On the way there, the rain which had started, began to get heavier and heavier and we were soaked when we finally arrived at Hogan’s. We had a drink there, but the crowd was a bit older so we decided to leave and head back down Camden Street and try to find somewhere else to go. When we walked outside it was nearly a monsoon. I was the only one with an umbrella so the three of us tried to all get under it, but it was not too helpful. We ended up sprinting from one overhang to the next and resting for a bit under each one. Eventually we made it back down the street to Tram Co., but there still were not many people. We ended up dancing for a bit and then decided to go back home and sleep.
With the two papers looming over my head, I woke up early and made myself some scrambled eggs and rashers and then went to UCD to try and knock out one of my papers. Starting out with 700 words, I made it to 2,000 with only 500 more to go and then headed back home to get some dinner-there is only so much Michael Collins I can handle in one day. Marissa and I had talked about getting Tako (as they spell it) fries from this place down the street so as soon as I got home, we sprinted off and had some of the delicious fries smothered in garlic sauce, cheese, chili sauce, and fresh grilled ground beef. Yes, it is fairly disgusting, but absolutely delicious. I lounged around and then headed to the airport because a friend from Peoria who’s interning in Scotland for the summer came to visit. I picked Sam up and then we walked around Dublin a bit and met with Marissa to go down the street to a pub called the Bleeding Horse. From there, we went down the street to Flannery’s, another favorite of ours, and spent some time there. Eventually after a long day, we made it back to the house and I fell straight asleep.
The next day I took Sam to the Guinness Factory and although it was my third time there, it’s always a good time. We poured our own pints and mine was given a “very good” for which I was proud. From there we ran into a market where you could get 16 plums or clementines for only €1! A complete steal in a city where everything costs an outrageous amount. We stopped off a pub and tried some traditional food. We then walked around Trinity, saw the Dail and Stephen’s Green. Dublin is slightly annoying to walk around in right now due to the large influx of tourists and a recent infiltration of Spaniards into the city-we have no idea where all of these Spanish children have come from, but I think I see more of them than I do Irish. I was incredibly tired when we finally made it back to the house so I needed a nap and then we got ready and Marissa, Shelby, Sam, and I went out for the night. We decided to give Tram Co. one more shot since we heard Saturday nights were fun, but again—no one was there. We then headed to Harcourt St. and went to Copper’s, which can always be interesting. We stayed there for a bit and my endless fascination with the “floor staff” there, as they call themselves, continued. If someone spills even a little bit, they rush over instantly with their mops and have the mess taken care of in seconds. Possibly a little OCD, but it is what it is. We had a long night and I was more than ready to get to sleep.
The next day we lied low and the London travelers made it home and we were able to all catch up. A few of us decided to go see the movie Inception, which was absolutely mind-blowing. The plot made me think like never before and by the end of it my mind was fried. I had never had to think so hard in a movie just to follow the plot. I was even shaking a bit, I’m not sure if that was from sitting too close to the screen or what. I highly recommend it, but certainly be prepared to think. After the movie, I headed with Sam to the Temple Bar area to get some food and listen to some Irish music. I took him to where I had gone many times with my SMC friends. He enjoyed the Irish stew and we listened a bit to the traditional music. Since Sam had to leave the house at 4:45, we headed back early and said good-bye since there was no way I was going to wake up that early and then go to work for my last week.
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