So, it's been nearly a month since I've written... sorry about that... but there hasn't been too much excitement to write about.
On the 10th of April, Val, one of my best friends from Saint Mary's, came to visit! (She chose a bad weekend to book tickets because I was gone for most of the weekend, but at least I got to see her on Thursday night). So, on Thursday after class, I went to picke her up at the train station. It was SO crazy to have her here! We walked back to my apartment, grabbed some pizzas at Dunnes on the way back for dinner, and made them in my apartment whilst talking to Lisa and Elyse (my other BFF's from Saint Mary's) on Skype. Then we got ready, and I did Val's hair... which made us a little late for the Roost. But we still got in and danced the night away. After the Roost we went to Maximus to get garlic cheese chips (of course), and then took them back to my apartment to eat them. When we finally got into our PJs and into bed, we ended up staying up until 4am talking. It was a much needed sleepover, and I'm SO glad Val got to come visit! I didn't realize how much I missed her and how much I needed to talk to her. She sadly left in the morning to go to Dublin, while I stayed back to pack and get a few things done before we left for our last big Saint Mary's trip.
So, the next day we left for our big 4-day Aran Island trip. It was a very long bus ride over to Doolin, and when we finally got there, all we had time for was tacos and showers before bed. The next morning we rose early from our hostel bunks at Paddy's Doolin Hostel and boarded the bus for a short ride to the Cliffs of Moher. I woke up with a sore throat and felt a cold coming on, so Katy gave me some Sudafed to calm my symptoms. I'd been to the Cliffs with my family, but it was still breathtaking none-the less. Debbie and I were feeling rebellious, so we hopped the stone wall and walked down to the edge of one of cliffs for a better view (because Rick Steves told us to). It was BEAUTIFUL!
Next Eugene dropped us off at the Doolin Ferry dock, and we all lugged all of our stuff onto the VERY tippy "Happy Hooker." The island of Inishmore (Inis Mor in Irish) was about an hour and a half boat ride from Doolin, and I wasn't expecting to get motion sick... so I didn't take any dramamine before we left. That was a BAD idea. I've NEVER felt sick on a boat before, but on this particular day, the sea was quite uneasy... which made my stomach quite uneasy. I made my way to the back of the boat to sit outside and get some fresh air. Debbie gave me some Dramamine, Elizabeth gave me some gum, and they both told me to focus on the horizon. I'm not sure what it was that helped, but eventually I was feeling fine... well enough to actually talk to people at least.
So, we finally got to the island, got off the crazy boat, and made our way over to Kilronan Hostel to check in. We dropped our things off in our room and had sandwiches and Pringles in the kitchen before leaving for our bus ride around the island and up to Dún Aengus ring fort. The view from the ring fort was beautiful, and we got to see more cliffs! Our tour guide told us all about the ring fort and its history. It was built during the Bronze Age and dates from 1,000 B.C. or before. It is located on Inishmore at the edge of an approximately 100 metre high cliff. The fort consists of a series of four concentric walls of dry stone construction. Although clearly defensible, the particular location of Dún Aengus suggests that its primary purpose was religious and ceremonial rather than military. The view was amazing, and we got to see some cows on the walk down to the gift shops. Lots of girls bought knit hats at the little gift shops, as the Aran Islands are famous for their wool sweaters and other knit items. The land of the Aran Islands and the rolling hills of the rest of an area known as "The Burren" are composed of limestone pavements with crisscrossing cracks known as "grikes", leaving isolated rocks called "clints". The fields on our walk back down to the gift shops were covered in these rocks. Formed by glaciers, the stones made for some very interesting landscape-- it was pretty much the coolest!
However... on our walk back down the hill, I started to... not feel so well. I started feeling really really weak, and I felt like I was dragging my feet. I made it down the hill and onto the bus, but while everyone else was intently listening to the tour guide and getting on and off the bus to see the sights, I stayed on the bus and could hardly keep from shaking and crying. It was the strangest sensation... I just felt really weak and achey and like I just wanted to cry. I survived the bus ride and made it back to the hostel where I collapsed into my bunk and started to sob. It seriously was the weirdest thing... I was shaking and crying uncontrollably... it wasn't because of any emotions running through my head... it was literally just my body going CRAZY! Roberta, our coordinator, came to check up on me after I'd had my cry and a bit of a nap. We never did figure out just what it was that made my body go into some kind of crazy shock... whether I was dehydrated, or it was a reaction with the Sudafed and Dramimine I'd taken that day, or if it was just the beginning of the illness that would progress during the rest of the weekend... but Roberta put me on a strict regiment of different combinations of advil, tylenol and aspirin to keep my aches at bay and to try and keep my temperature down... cuz i was DEF burning up!
Well, that night was pretty rough. I tried to drink as much water as I could, and I made it through the cold sweats and hot flashes to the morning. My throat continued to get sorer and sorer, and all I wanted to do was lay in bed all day and sleep. So, while the rest of the girls went off to rent bikes and explore the incredibly beautiful island of Inis Mor, I was stuck in a hostel room by myself with a fever all day! There was no TV, no computer, and no mom to take care of me. Roberta did her best, but I just wanted to be on the couch at home with my ginger ale, saltines, and Price is Right. We were able to get me some ginger ale and saltines, but we couldn't find a thermometer on the whole damn island so we could make sure my temperature wasn't dangerously high. Roberta called the ONE doctor on the island just to see if we could scamper over and find out what my temperature was, but she had to fly out that day to deliver twins! So, there I was, stuck on a remote island off the western coast of Ireland with no thermometer and no doctor... I could have gotten sick ANY other place or ANY other time, and it would have been fine... but I was stuck on Inis Mor. Well, I made it through that night... but I had to wake myself up every two hours to take a different pill and try to drink a bottle of water. My throat was SO sore that even drinking water was really painful. Our diagnoses oscillated between mono, tonsilitis, strep, and the flu... but we just weren't sure what was wrong with me.
Well, the next morning, I was finally able to make my way over to the doctor's surgery. She attempted several times to take my temperature with her mercury thermometer (probably the only one left in the western world, as she said) before she finally got it. My temperature was normal at that point because of the tylenol that had kept it down, but I still wasn't feeling well. She took a look at the back of my throat and said "oh, you poor thing. You've got cottage cheese on your tonsils." Nice, right?
Well, at least we had figured out that I had strep throat. Oddly enough, it seems I've gotten strep in the spring every three years since 8th grade. Dr. Broderick told me that was just a coincidence... but it's kinda weird. She gave me 10 days worth of Penicillin and sent me on my way.
I did survive and even enjoyed the boat ride back to the mainland (it was MUCH calmer on the way back, and really nice out). We stopped for lunch on the long bus ride back and also stopped at a ruined monastery called Clonmacnoise. It's situated on the River Shannon and was very beautiful. The gorgeous day made it even prettier. I slept on and off on the bus ride back and drifted between dreams and Bridget Jones (that was playing on the bus). We made it back that night, and it was good to be in my own bed.
Now, I've had strep throat twice before, but I've NEVER had it this bad. I'm sure it was because it took me so long to finally see a doctor, but it took me a good 5 more days in my bed before I was better. Being in my room by myself for so long was MISERABLE. I watched the whole season of House on my computer, and got addicted to Law and Order. My throat was so sore that it was still hard to swallow the gallons of water that everyone insisted I drink, and I didn't eat for days even after I got my appetite back because my throat couldn't take it... It was awful, and all I wanted was to be at home where my family could take care of me.
But, I finally got out of bed and made it to class on Friday. We had planned on going somewhere that weekend, but the weather wasn't great, and nobody was up for another weekend of traveling, so we just stayed in and hung around Maynooth.
Last week Emma, Elizabeth and I went to see my friend Jackie in the musical "The Little Shop of Horrors." It was definitely a very INTERESTING show... and very weird. But it was fun to see lots of friends on the stage. My Irish friend Mark played the crazy dentist and was HILARIOUS! We went to Supermac's after for some junk food (now that I was finally able to swallow whole food, all I wanted was a greasy burger and chips!) Tuesday we all went to our weekly pub quiz at the Roost and got our BEST SCORE EVER! (which is only 15/20... but at least we don't cheat like the people who always win... what do we want a bunch of Coors for anyway? None of us like beer.) Wednesday Elizabeth and Micheal went on a DATE to the cinema! (pretty exciting), and Katy and Debbie and I watched Casino Royale at Debbie's after some discussion and some apologies that day and early that week, ironing out a few hard feelings we all had had. Thursday night Elizabeth, Debbie, Katy, Laura and I went to the Roost and sat downstairs to chat and listen to the band for awhile. Some crazy 45 year old man in a business suit was cutting a rug by the bar, doing high kicks and jumping in the air. It was pretty hilarious, and we caught it on film. After Debbie, Katy, and Laura left, Elizabeth and I made our way upstairs, stopped to talk to my friend Richard on the way, and ended up in the back by the dance floor. My friend Johnny spotted us and pulled us out to dance. It was SO hot and sweaty in there that night, but we had a blast dancing! We left a little bit before closing time and ran into Richard again on the corner outside the Roost. He was with Paul Donnelly from Drama Soc, and another girl who was in the First Timer's Festival but who I don't know the name of. We chatted with them for a bit, and when they left for a house party, they invited us along, so we decided to go for a bit. It was the cast party for Little Shop, so we knew Jackie would be there, along with a few other Drama Soc. members that I knew. So, we walked 8 miles to the house, kissed some birthday boy on the cheek, witnessed Jackie's end-of-the-show celebrating, and talked to Richard for a long time. He did his best American accent for us and entertained us until we decided it was time to leave. He walked back to the apartments with us, and we ran into his friend Brian Dooley on the way back (who was pretty much hilarious). After deciding we didn't need to go save our friend Katy (who had fallen asleep at Micheal's apartment), we went our separate ways and went to bed.
The next day was Colin's birthday... which doesn't have much significance to this story telling, but is important none-the less. Jackie and I watched RENT in my apartment and she let me borrow her computer (since my power adapter decided it was going to break-- fabulous!) And on Saturday Jackie and I went into Dublin for the day. We went to Subway first which was my first subway in 7 months and Jackie's first in 7 years and was AMAZING! They even had ranch dressing! Jackie's been a vegetarian for 7 years, but has been eating meat little by little for the last few months in preparation for her long-longed-for Subway meatball sub. Her stomach was, understandably, a bit angry with her, but her tastebuds were delighted. We walked it off and made our way to Penney's to do some browsing. I ended up buying a dress for the fourth of july which is SUPER cute (well, I'll obbs wear it on other days BESIDES the fourth of july, but it is very appropriate for independence day because of it's navy blue star-spangled print). It's very springy and brightened my day immediately. I actually almost bought it in two different prints, but managed to control myself.
We then strolled over to Carroll's where I picked up a few items that I'd been meaning to purchase before I leave this country, and even found a sweatshirt that I'd been searching for since I saw it in Killarney with Jim. I was very excited. We walked down Grafton Street and stopped for some juice and candy to take with us to the St. Stephen's Green. It was a beautiful day, and our feet were tired, so we sat around on the grass with our backs against a tree in the park for an hour or so. The tulips were incredibly pretty, and our spot was perfect for people watching. I took some pictures, and a bald italian man even came up and took a picture of us. It was a little weird, but we were excited at the thought that he probably thought we were Irish.
We then walked around St. Stephen's Green Shopping Center for quite some time, and I performed another act of self-control at TK Maxx by not buying anything. We finally met my friend Teresa at the Ha'Penny Bridge and made our way to the Vat House Pub in Temple Bar for dinner. Teresa is a friend of mine from leadership camp. We were delegates together and met at level 3; Teresa's studying in France this semester, and we'd been trying to find a weekend to meet up for months. It was SO great to see her and meet her friend Lindsey! After a fabulous meal of fish and chips, some live music, and a walk along a quiet part of the river, we were as caught up as we could be before Jackie and I had to catch the train and Teresa and Lindsey had to catch a bus to the airport. I love meeting up with people in Europe-- it makes me feel so fancy!
Sunday Jackie and I went grocery shopping, had a pizza lunch, and chillaxed at my place until it was time for our pre-planned pancake dinner. Jackie's friend Anung came over, and we had some lovely pancakes and apple juice before I had to kick them out and go to Elizabeth's to make travel plans for our study week coming up. After some frustrating planning, Elizabeth and I booked our flights for Sweden and Spain! We're going to Sweden first to see Stokholm and visite her distant relatives there. Then we're flying to Valencia, training it to Seville, and visiting my friend Val (who came to visit me here). I'm SUPER excited to travel again and to see Val!
That night we went to Debbie's to watch Anchorman and Snatch-- both of which I loved. Micheal, Elizabeth and I were up late watching the second movie and talking about the mumps outbreak on campus. One of the Saint Mary's girls got the mumps, as well as 18 other people on campus! Elizabeth got me scared that I needed to be vaccinated, so I called my mom, and she called the doctor, and while Elizabeth's doctor said she SHOULD get the vaccination here, my doctor said I SHOULDN't. So, I guess I'll just be taking my chances with that one... Strep and Mumps in the same month would NOT be good.
Monday night we went to Debbie's for dinner and Emma, Katy, Debbie, Micheal and I played this play station game calle "Buzz," I believe. It was a music trivia game, and I won both times! (Which, was actually a little unfair since I was in 3rd place for most of the game). It was really fun, and good practice for pub quiz!
And finally, last night after Micheal's pancake dinner (he likes to back and cook for us), we went to Jackie's birthday dessert bash at her apartment and played spoons amongst the giant crowd of Irish/German/American friends of Jackie's. Then Debbie, Elizabeth, Katy, and I met up with Laura, Matt and Micheal, and we all went to pub quiz yet again at the Roost. The questions sucked, and we only got 13 right. Plus, Chris Daughtry was there, and he was totally flirting it up with this ugly girl. (Okay, so it wasn't the REAL Chris Daughtry... there's this math tutor at NUIM that looks EXACTLY like him, and I totally have a giant crush on him/I just really want to get a picture with him). But it was still a fun night.
And today I've only gone to class and spent some time in the office so far... Now I'm spending a little bit more time in the office to update by blog, since my computer cord is still broken and my new one won't be here until Friday at the earliest. But it's another beautiful day, and I'm thinking of taking a walk down to Carton House, so I'm going to get out of this stuffy office and get some fresh air.
To those of you who have made it to the end of this entry, congradulations! I've very impressed... I hope your eyes aren't sore. Now you get out and get some fresh air too! You'll need it after all this time in front of the computer!
:)
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