on the inauguration from across the pond

I've been looking at every body's pictures from the inauguration and i find myself so jealous that i couldn't be there and at the same time so grateful that i am where i am.
one of the best things to see is the int'l. reaction to something that to Americans feel so personal and that we connect to and attach so much of ourselves too.

we all knew the reaction when he got elected but seeing the response to his inauguration is better cause i can see it, touch it and hear it. i have my own Irish Times with him on it AND my own supplement of the 90th anniversary of the Irish Parliament so there ya go!
I mean no one was excited as we were about it but it's funny to watch their reactions to OUR reactions. And i cried. it was a beautiful moment and is a very perceptible and inevitable shift in the future of our country.
and for the first time that i've been abroad i didn't feel like people were hating me because of where i'm from...i get handshakes instead of hate.

in other news:
last week we got a chance to run up some mountains in Glendalough and even though it was an absolutely NASTY cold and rainy day ( which oddly enough with so many of them, i have a new found appreciation for!) it was soooo nice to be outside and walking and hiking and just being in the elements and the views were BREATHTAKING (also these were the source of the water used to make guiness so what could be wrong..?!)

and this week i've just been laying low, waiting on the fund-age, which is FINALLY in my account and available as of tomorrow! there will be celebratory tapas and wine and we're hitting a street market tomorrow morning! could NOT be more excited!

ALSO i had my interview with Medecins Sans Frontieres this past Monday! AND found out today that i got it for sure!! very VERY exciting! i know a lot of the work i'm doing is grunt work but i'm very curious and interested just to see what i could be doing when i graduate and just figure things out and solidify them a bit more! (plus they're giving me a travel and meal stipend so WOOTTT!)

out tonight for some much-needed adventures on the town (first time i've let myself out since the first weekend) we shall seee

new heights

in every sense....
today i introduced my poor, unsuspecting roommate to an aspect of myself that not many people get to see, my secret love for Hannah Montana/ Miley Cyrus music! i credit this to my dear dominique and the darlings for whom i've babysat and all the kids i've volunteered with...cause i mean if you don't know Hannah Montana even now, you're NOTHING with these kids, i tell ya!

but in other news on my actual journeys through the great land of eire...

i have to go all the way back to last Sunday for the purposes of a well-documented and accurately time-framed adventure

last Sunday we decided it'd be a swell idea to journey to the coast, in particular the Northern maritime petit village of Howth (pronounced like the rhyme friend of "both) which was really cute and with a nice farmers market, if rather small but the best part in the rainy wind was walking out on the stone pier thing and now i'm too tired to finish this, i wanna read my book that i got from my history teacher entitled the Twelth of July

day 3

the love affair continues, today we went to the Guinness storehouse, after of course, waking up at around 1:15 in the afternoon, i honestly don't remember the last time i did that... and it was wicked cool! then we found an all you can eat Chinese buffet....b/c what else do you do after the Guinness storehouse and before the pub?

the food was alright but it was a cheap dinner and thus enabled us to get a drink at this very cool (in terms of atmosphere and look) pub called O'Donohgue's near Trinity and then hop a last bus back

I'm more excited for our plans for tomorrow which include Howth ( a little fishing village about 20 mins north of Dublin by the DART) with an old abby and monastery and a farmers/fishers market!

OHHH IRELAND!

So, made it into Ireland yesterday and today discovered that there is nothing bad about it...at all.
I know eventually i'll find something, but for the moment i haven't found a thing i don't like!

yesterday got into the airport (i had packed up my entire room in like 5 hrs and raced to pack for the trip which is why i was 6kgs over BUT was NOT charged! but that's the only excuse for poor packing when i'm otherwise such a pro!)
found everyone as soon as i got out of security and waited for half an hour or so and then hopped on the plane, sat next to a very nice man from Dublin but who now is a Professor at Dartmouth; got into Dublin made it through immigration or whatever and got in and collapsed which is what i need to do right now cause i'm wiped after running around ALL day in city centre

yesterday we just had a little orientation thing and then went and got food to make a pasta dinner followed by a little time at our nearest pub for my first poured, Irish Guiness (and bringing it across the sea really does changes EVERYTHING)

today we had a scavenger hunt that we actually WON, and we were chilling taking our time, stopping for coffee and Errythin! quite proud really (also we did this SANS map)

then we got irish cell phones en masse and then all separated for lunch and my lunch crew ended up at this really cute restaurant/ pub that a bunch of locals were at and grabbed a sandwich and chips BUT next time i go i'm getting the Guiness beef stew!

and then we ran around the main like shopping, but just the big department stores for our basics and what not, good times though and now we know where to find the cheap stuff! good sales right now too! lovely lovely
and now back in our cozy apartments with my super cool German roommate could i be more excited that i got the only int'l. girl in our program...NO! totally stoked and she's super sweet and LOVES some BBC Pride & Prejudice... we will get along SPLENDIDLY!