Lovely, lovely days

Seriously, where does the time go?! I feel like I was just sitting down to write my last post, but that was already a week ago. And what a week it has been! One of the best so far. I'll start from the beginning...

Last Thursday, about an hour after submitting my post, I got an e-mail from Caroline Waters, the Alumni Officer at UCC. I had e-mailed a woman in the International Education Office regarding setting up an internship in the Alumni Office. They had explained certain internships were open to visiting students and this seemed like the perfect position for me. Out of the blue last Thursday, I got an e-mail from Caroline saying she would love for me to work in the Alumni Office! Are you serious?! No interview, application, or anything?! It was quite an unbelievable and unexpected surprise, and I was so excited! I went to see Caroline on Monday morning to sort out exactly what I will be doing. I will be working in the Alumni Office (it's called Glenlee, basically right across the road from Castlewhite - very convenient) 5 hours a week for the whole year. Everyone I met there seemed very nice and so grateful I was willing to help out. I can't wait to get started!

So that was the first great part of the day. Later on in the day, the Holy Cross girls had a meeting with our advisor at UCC, Vicki Pearson, to discuss our ICIP (which stands for Independent Cultural Immersion Project). Every student who studies abroad is required to develop some sort of project based on a cultural experience. It can be about anything - a sports team they were involved in, a cultural event they experienced, or perhaps even a journal they kept (haha such as this blog). So if I decided to do so, working in the Alumni Office would be the perfect ICIP! I told Vicki about the internship and she was very excited for me.

Now on to the best part of last week: the highly anticipated girls weekend with me, Mom, and Grandma. They arrived on a typical Irish morning - rainy and cloudy skies. The weather certainly did not stop me from standing outside Castlewhite, ready to welcome them to Ireland. They pulled up and I could see my Mom flailing her arms, waving to me from a mile away. I was so excited to see them and show them the life I had made for myself over the last two months.

We went over to their hotel and checked in right away. I began to fall more in love with Cork as each second passed on the cab ride to the hotel; it was so amazing getting to show off the places I had come to know quite well. The pubs I had been to, the outside cafes I had sat at, the streets I had shopped on - I was not only pointing out locations, but I was also telling stories that went along with them. I was very impressed with Mom and Grandma. You never would have known they had been up for about 24 hours at this point. They were all smiles and were up for anything the whole weekend! The damp weather was actually not so bad because it was the perfect excuse to head down to the Boardwalk Bar and Grill right next to the hotel for a cozy lunch of seafood chowder and shepherd's pie. We sat there for two hours talking, me filling them in on all things Ireland and them doing the same for me about home.

The rest of Friday was a fairly calm day. I took them around the main city centre streets like Oliver Plunkett and St. Patrick's Street. Mom was very intrigued by every nook and cranny of the city. It's definitely not like New York City where it's a clear grid and easy to follow. Cork is much different, and I like it that way. Like I've said before, you think you're familiar with the whole city, and then after one turn, bam, you are bombarded with a million new places to explore.

Kissing the stone! After the horrible walk up

Me and Grandma in
front of Blarney Castle

Saturday was a day of adventure for all three of us. We took a Paddywagon Tour throughout County Cork. We went to three beautiful spots - Cobh (pronounced "Cove"), Kinsale, and Blarney Castle. They were all great! I had already been to Kinsale so it was nice that I could lead us around that town, but Cobh and Blarney were brand new to all three of us so it was great experiencing it together. I really liked the Paddywagon tour because you pay for one bus ticket to three places and the bus driver tells you a little bit about the site on the way there, but once you get there you get to go off and explore by yourself. Blarney was definitely my favorite stop of the day. Mom and I went to the top and kissed the Blarney stone. Walking up the stairs was - and I say this with full confidence - the SCARIEST thing I have ever done. The stairs were freakishly narrow and I have never breathed a larger sigh of relief once I reached the top. After the climb, kissing the stone was a piece of cake, and walking down was a no-brainer. We wandered around the estate afterwards and it was absolutely gorgeous. I think Mom and Grandma's favorite part, however, would have to be Woollen Mills. I think it was called "The Irish Shopping Experience," or something along those lines. We didn't get a chance to see it when we were initially in Blarney, so once we got back into the city, I went to have dinner for my friend Kristin's birthday, and Mom and Grandma took a cab back. We all went back on Sunday and I agree it's very worthwhile.

Later that Saturday night, Mom, Grandma, and I went to see Fame! at the Cork Opera House. I had seen fliers the week before advertising that the show was coming to Cork, and I was desperate to see it. I knew it would be the perfect night out for our girls weekend. I loved the show! It was loud, vibrant, and every performer so talented. Probably one of the most physically demanding shows I have ever seen. Our final stop of the night was Le Chateau Bar on St. Patrick Street for a "night cap." One Irish delicacy I have been introduced to is the Baby Guinness. It is a shot of Kahlua (a Mexican coffee-flavored liqueur . . . yes, I looked it up) with Bailey's Irish Cream on the top so it looks, literally, like a baby glass of Guinness. We toasted to Ireland and our amazing weekend together! I'm hoping my Mom brings the Baby Guinness tradition back home and the of-age Greenwich Doyles can enjoy them, as well. Once we got back to the hotel that night, I'm pretty sure I fell asleep before my head hit the pillow. It had been the perfect day.

Mom and me in the Main Quad

Sunday was our last day together. We checked out of the hotel and headed back to the UCC Campus because they hadn't seen it yet. Showing the campus to others who don't see it every day allowed me to take it in again for myself. It truly is beautiful. I also realized I do not have any photos of the campus on my blog yet, so I've added one and more will certainly be coming. We went to mass at noon in the Honan Chapel on campus, which is where I have been going every Sunday.

Where did we go after our tour of the campus? You guessed it - back to Blarney Woollen Mills! We couldn't help it! After all, it is the "Irish shopping experience." I won't give away any of the gifts Mom brought back. I am a big fan of the Blarney estate, and I bet I end up there a few more times this year.

After returning from Blarney, we hung out in Castlewhite for a little while until Mom and Grandma's ride back to Shannon came around 6:00. I thought it was going to be a lot harder saying goodbye than it actually was. Not because I won't miss them, but because I have so many things happening here and such a great life and support system forming that I know being here is truly the best place for me to be. Yay!

This is certainly the longest blog post I have ever written, and I am only up to Sunday evening! I'm not even done yet,  but I am going to take a break and finish up with another post later tonight. I need to at least get up to the present before this weekend because I know come Sunday night I will have many more adventures to write about.

Random, nice photo of me, Sarah (Bologna, Italy),
and Lucy (North Carolina, USA) in front of Apartment 58

Slan and love to all!