Video-o-rama

I have been taking a little bit of video to try and show a bit more of the Irish flavor. (And, accents!) So without further ado...


On 6/15 we went to the Aran Islands and hired a tour van to go around the island. It is a fairly desolate but beautiful place. Our tour guide was hilarious and even showed us the house where she was "born and reared."





On 6/22 we took a drive through The Burren region to the Cliffs of Moher. The Burren is an area of Ireland with large limestone mountains. Our guide this day, Jack, told us just about everything you could ever want to know about the area, and was hysterical. The roads through here are suuuuper narrow, and these giant busses just fly around them. It was more than slightly terrifying. 





In the Burren, we stopped to take a walking tour. The guides were all young guys, and were really funny. At the end we stopped at their late grandmother's house, which they have turned into a dessert cafe. Then, one of the guides (I didn't catch his name) just burst into song, because that is what Irish people do.





Our major stop was the Cliffs of Moher. It was beautiful, and very very windy. I do indeed talk in this video, but you can barely hear me because of the wind. Wikipedia told me that "The Cliffs of Moher have appeared on film including in Leap Year (2010), The Princess Bride(1987) (in which they were referred to as "The Cliffs of Insanity"), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009), and in the television programme episodes of Father Ted called Tentacles of Doom and Cigarettes and Alcohol and Rollerblading (1996)."  





On another note, thank you for all of the kind words on my last post. I didn't really realize I had said all of that until the end, and then decided just to keep it in, because that is what is on my mind. This whole thing is mostly a pride issue, so I guess being open and honest about it is the first step. (That is cheesy.) But I will say that it is exceedingly encouraging to know that I am loved and supported like I am. 


:)

p.s. i am in ireland and no, i haven't seen any leprechauns

i am terrible at blogging. sorry.

my first year of law school is over. THAT IS CRAZY. my second batch of exams was not as good as my first, and it kind of kicked my butt. i dont want to feel that again, so i am feeling motivated to stay more on top of things in the future. (don't worry guys, i still did pretty good.)

i am currently in galway, ireland, coming to the end of my second of six weeks. i am taking summer classes at the national university's irish centre for human rights, which is awesome. i am learning lots about international law, treaties, human rights movements, and the sneaky ways countries get around all of it. it is interesting, but intense. over the next week i am going to have to write 18 pages of exams- yipes!

ireland is a pretty cool place. literally, it is cold. today is a typical day- rainy and gray. but the irish people are hilarious and gracious and wonderful, and it really is as green as they say.

i have to be honest, i am struggling a bit with some things. physically i cant keep up with everyone as getting around means walking walking walking walking. its embarrassing to have to take breaks or go slow, and i dont want to inconvenience anyone else. so i have kind of been keeping to myself. i have made some understanding friends, which is encouraging, and i have been a little social. but i am pretty sure this is my breaking point, and when i get home i have to make some changes. i know this is ridiculous and i am not really old and blah blah blah, but i am genuinely almost 30 and i want to enter my 30s being healthy. clearly, i have been unable to do this alone, so i am going to have to just suck it up and open myself to community to help me stay on track, physically, emotionally, and spiritually (i'm looking at you, kim and sivyers). so that has given me some anxiety here and made me question if i should have come at all. but i tend to do that, so i try to ignore myself.

i have been posting photos on facebook, so people who actually read this (if anyone! i have no illusions) are most likely my "friends" and can see them there. tomorrow we are going to the cliffs of moher, so hopefully if i can keep up, dramatic scenery pictures will follow.

bail o dhia ort. slan leat! (that means "the blessing of God on you. good bye!" in irish. it is a crazy, crazy language. dont even try to say it, none of the sounds are pronounced as they look. a lot of people actually speak it in this part of ireland.)

second semester

i made it through one semester of law school.

i even made dean's honors. (hooray!)

this semester is harder. i am having a hard time with my time management. and focus. as an example- i am in contracts class right now. i got cold called at the beginning of class and had to describe a case, so after that terrifying experience, i am mentally checked out.

i am trying to build in time for friends this semester. i have done an ok job, but it is only the first week of february. i need to be held accountable to this.

i am working towards studying in europe for the summer. hoping for ireland, but maybe france. we will see.

have you watched downton abbey? it is so good!