Saturday, July 28th-Sunday, July 29th
I didn't do much. I watched a lot of Even Stevens and a few films. I cleaned my room and did some cooking. I chatted with friends back home. I cooked and got a few things from the Spar to eat. I sent a lot of e-mails. The usually catch-up days for the apartment and blog. I have almost finished all the chocolates the kids gave me. lol. Maybe I should eat another kiwi....
I decided I wanted ice cream and saw one of my friends in her apartment window. We chatted for a minute, but then i went to get my ice cream. I stopped back at her place and we did a catch up on everything we had not told each other yet about the past few days. Her and her roommates told me they were going over to a new friend's apartment for hanging out and wine. It was a lot of fun. We just relaxed and talked. All the students were international and were taking classes in Dublin to learn english. They were from Russia, Italy, and France. I headed home about midnight and went to bed feeling happy. I was glad I had seen some of my friends after they had all been gone for the weekend.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Good Craic- From Dublin to Galway and back
Thursday, July 26- Friday, July, 27th
Last day of the work week, and the last day of filming. On the way to work I saw one of the kids. Her mom had brought us all gifts. We each got a sparkling juice drink, chocolates, and flowers. It was so sweet. We even got a little card. They were going on holiday and would not be back before we leave. It was so so sweet. I felt so blessed.
This was the last day of filming. Two kids had the wrong outfit on and it was terrible. I had to yell every ten seconds. We cut a bunch of lines because they jet could not concentrate. After one change into superhero costumes we were done and it was lunch time.
I stayed in again and Natalie brought me some fruit. I mostly sat inside with Les and talked about the film and how we were going to edit it. We just talked until they all got back from getting their food. We sat outside for a while but I was wearing black so I was steaming.
When we went back inside I made a map for my mom. It was telling her how to get around to a few places near my apartment. It didn't take too long, thankfully, because we had to record more songs. A few of the boys hadn't been there the day before to record.
Finally done with recording I had to leave to catch the bus. I said a quick hello to Natalie's parents and left. I was going to Galway for the evening. I had made a friend the last time I was there and he invited me out to his roommate's birthday party. On the bus to my bus to Galway I was glad to be able to say goodbye to Julia. I hadn't seen her much lately because we had both been super busy.
I found the bus and was one of the first ones on. The ride was pretty relaxing. I check my e-mail and talked to the lady next to me. She was Celiac as well and carried a book with her everywhere that told her what she could eat. She had two kids and was living in Galway but used to live in Dublin. She had gone back to Dublin the night before to watch her brother play a gig. She was really nice and we had a great conversation.
I arrive in Galway and hung out at my friend's place until his roommate got back. We headed out to a pub called the Skeff. I met a lot of really cool people, and it was good craig (good fun). We all stayed up pretty late, so I slept nearly the whole day the next day.
A few of us grabbed an early dinner and then I grabbed the bus back home. My iPod was almost out of battery and the internet connection was not working very well so I half slept the majority of the ride. Once I got back in Dublin it was about 10 pm and I grabbed a postcard and an ice cream. I got on the bus and headed home. Once I got home I relaxed. Watched TV (Even Stevens is on Netflix here). Made food. The usual.
Last day of the work week, and the last day of filming. On the way to work I saw one of the kids. Her mom had brought us all gifts. We each got a sparkling juice drink, chocolates, and flowers. It was so sweet. We even got a little card. They were going on holiday and would not be back before we leave. It was so so sweet. I felt so blessed.
This was the last day of filming. Two kids had the wrong outfit on and it was terrible. I had to yell every ten seconds. We cut a bunch of lines because they jet could not concentrate. After one change into superhero costumes we were done and it was lunch time.
I stayed in again and Natalie brought me some fruit. I mostly sat inside with Les and talked about the film and how we were going to edit it. We just talked until they all got back from getting their food. We sat outside for a while but I was wearing black so I was steaming.
When we went back inside I made a map for my mom. It was telling her how to get around to a few places near my apartment. It didn't take too long, thankfully, because we had to record more songs. A few of the boys hadn't been there the day before to record.
Finally done with recording I had to leave to catch the bus. I said a quick hello to Natalie's parents and left. I was going to Galway for the evening. I had made a friend the last time I was there and he invited me out to his roommate's birthday party. On the bus to my bus to Galway I was glad to be able to say goodbye to Julia. I hadn't seen her much lately because we had both been super busy.
I found the bus and was one of the first ones on. The ride was pretty relaxing. I check my e-mail and talked to the lady next to me. She was Celiac as well and carried a book with her everywhere that told her what she could eat. She had two kids and was living in Galway but used to live in Dublin. She had gone back to Dublin the night before to watch her brother play a gig. She was really nice and we had a great conversation.
I arrive in Galway and hung out at my friend's place until his roommate got back. We headed out to a pub called the Skeff. I met a lot of really cool people, and it was good craig (good fun). We all stayed up pretty late, so I slept nearly the whole day the next day.
A few of us grabbed an early dinner and then I grabbed the bus back home. My iPod was almost out of battery and the internet connection was not working very well so I half slept the majority of the ride. Once I got back in Dublin it was about 10 pm and I grabbed a postcard and an ice cream. I got on the bus and headed home. Once I got home I relaxed. Watched TV (Even Stevens is on Netflix here). Made food. The usual.
Awake and ready to...record?
Wednesday, July 25th
I woke up feeling wide awake. I knew I must've been better. Especially, because I had gone to bed so late. One of the first things I do after getting ready is make breakfast (one egg with cheese and ketchup). Unfortunatly, none of my roommates had done their dishes from the night before, so the sink was full. It was ok because I normally try to wash my dishes right away, and I knew they would do them a little later.
On the way to work I got off a stop early to grab some water. I haven't been doing well with staying hydrated here because the water that comes out of the tap doesn't taste very good. I stopped at a Tesco (the most common grocery store) and picked up a 2 liter that was only 49c. That's pretty amazing if I do have to say so.
Today was another music day. While everyone else was working upstairs, or should I say trying to control the kids who were in utter chaos, I was downstairs recording people singing their songs to that they could add them to the tracks they had made on garage band. I found out the first hour I had been recording it hadn't been working....so we had to start all over. We ended up finishing only one song that session.
Lunch we headed out to Mannings as a group again. It was Gina, Natalie, Brandon, Anne, Jade, and me. I got two salads and some cheese. It was actually a REALLY good decision. Brandon sat at a table separate from us because our table was pretty crowded. We talked about nonsense and then headed back to the clubhouse for the afternoon camp.
Everyone else worked on crafts and I continued the records. We got almost everyone done this time. Some of them were REALLY cute. The songs varied immensely on subject and how well written they were. The end of the day was spent not he computers relaxing. Gina listened to the records. In the end it had been pretty successful.
After work Anne, Brandon and I decided to grab some food. It had been a long day and we were hungry. We ate at Eddie Rockets. It was actually pretty good. I got a burger in a bowl (a salad with a burger and cheese on top) and Anne and I split a chocolate milkshake. It was pretty satisfying. I headed home from there and said bye to my roommates that evening. Two of them were leaving to travel other places, and then head home. Their program ended a week earlier than mine did.
I woke up feeling wide awake. I knew I must've been better. Especially, because I had gone to bed so late. One of the first things I do after getting ready is make breakfast (one egg with cheese and ketchup). Unfortunatly, none of my roommates had done their dishes from the night before, so the sink was full. It was ok because I normally try to wash my dishes right away, and I knew they would do them a little later.
On the way to work I got off a stop early to grab some water. I haven't been doing well with staying hydrated here because the water that comes out of the tap doesn't taste very good. I stopped at a Tesco (the most common grocery store) and picked up a 2 liter that was only 49c. That's pretty amazing if I do have to say so.
Today was another music day. While everyone else was working upstairs, or should I say trying to control the kids who were in utter chaos, I was downstairs recording people singing their songs to that they could add them to the tracks they had made on garage band. I found out the first hour I had been recording it hadn't been working....so we had to start all over. We ended up finishing only one song that session.
Lunch we headed out to Mannings as a group again. It was Gina, Natalie, Brandon, Anne, Jade, and me. I got two salads and some cheese. It was actually a REALLY good decision. Brandon sat at a table separate from us because our table was pretty crowded. We talked about nonsense and then headed back to the clubhouse for the afternoon camp.
Everyone else worked on crafts and I continued the records. We got almost everyone done this time. Some of them were REALLY cute. The songs varied immensely on subject and how well written they were. The end of the day was spent not he computers relaxing. Gina listened to the records. In the end it had been pretty successful.
After work Anne, Brandon and I decided to grab some food. It had been a long day and we were hungry. We ate at Eddie Rockets. It was actually pretty good. I got a burger in a bowl (a salad with a burger and cheese on top) and Anne and I split a chocolate milkshake. It was pretty satisfying. I headed home from there and said bye to my roommates that evening. Two of them were leaving to travel other places, and then head home. Their program ended a week earlier than mine did.
Last Tuesday- filming, bullying, friends
Tuesday, July 24th
I guess I'm still not used to how early the sun comes up. My blinds were closed, but there was enough room at the bottom for light to get through. I had gone to bed at about 10 to 11 the night before and ended up getting up around 9:45. That is another way you can tell I need healing. I can fall asleep earlier, but I stay asleep longer.
I felt better when I got up, but still a bit off. Today was a film day so I had to be there a little earlier. It seems that whenever I get on the bus nowadays it has to stop and change drivers. It doesn't bother me too much, but it is slightly annoying if I'm late. Fortunately, I wasn't late that day.
We got quite a bit of the film done. One kid forgot his clothes, but we just had to make due. There wash't an option for him to go home and get them or wait another day. Overall, the filming was pretty good. A bit frustrating because you are trying to get 9 year olds to act and be quiet, but good all the same. I spent a lot of time sitting the script. Cutting things out, changing lines. All that lovely stuff.
After that was lunch. I ate in again, as usual. Had tea and my egg/rice combo. It was relaxing and pretty yummy. One of the girls grabbed me a few chocolates. We started watching the movie again, but I was asked to go with Des to swimming. They need one male and one female with the kids when they take them swimming. It's a child protection legal type thing.
Des and I just sat there and talked while the kids were swimming. We ate crisps and I drank my water. Quite peaceful and relaxing really. Unfortunately, there was some bullying between the boys. I'm not going to talk about it on here but it was very saddening. They are all so young, and already starting to bully each other. And this is not slagging or joking around. This is straight out of the textbook bullying. Hopefully, things were fixed. I know they were talked about but it's at least being talked about. I think they are going to do an anti-bullying program soon. Just so they know what is allowed and what will happen if they do bully.
After all that I headed off to the usually place. Diceys was packed. Some of my friends didn't get into the penthouse because too many people had heard about it and gone past the number. Even one of the guys that works for the guy who gets us in got there too late to get in. It was sad. Mainly, I was there to hang out with people because it was going to be my last time. I'm not going this Tuesday because of a work party, and my mom is going to be here. Both very god reasons to not go. I am going to miss everyone I normally see there.
On the way to the bus I always stop and get food. At my bus stop a woman was begin for money and food. We wasn't like everyone else who just stand there with a cup she was going up to people. When I told her I didn't have change she said she'd take my food. I was insulted. It was the first thing I was eating since lunch and I told her that, then walked on. Later she rudely yelled at these guys, saying that they were, "gay anyway." They yelled that there was no problem with being gay, but she yelled it about 3 more times. Then she got on a bus and left.
The rest of the ride home was peaceful. I talked to some people I knew and when I got home I spent about 3 hours searching for houses. I sent out a bunch of requests, then fell asleep at about 3 or 4 am.
I guess I'm still not used to how early the sun comes up. My blinds were closed, but there was enough room at the bottom for light to get through. I had gone to bed at about 10 to 11 the night before and ended up getting up around 9:45. That is another way you can tell I need healing. I can fall asleep earlier, but I stay asleep longer.
I felt better when I got up, but still a bit off. Today was a film day so I had to be there a little earlier. It seems that whenever I get on the bus nowadays it has to stop and change drivers. It doesn't bother me too much, but it is slightly annoying if I'm late. Fortunately, I wasn't late that day.
We got quite a bit of the film done. One kid forgot his clothes, but we just had to make due. There wash't an option for him to go home and get them or wait another day. Overall, the filming was pretty good. A bit frustrating because you are trying to get 9 year olds to act and be quiet, but good all the same. I spent a lot of time sitting the script. Cutting things out, changing lines. All that lovely stuff.
After that was lunch. I ate in again, as usual. Had tea and my egg/rice combo. It was relaxing and pretty yummy. One of the girls grabbed me a few chocolates. We started watching the movie again, but I was asked to go with Des to swimming. They need one male and one female with the kids when they take them swimming. It's a child protection legal type thing.
Des and I just sat there and talked while the kids were swimming. We ate crisps and I drank my water. Quite peaceful and relaxing really. Unfortunately, there was some bullying between the boys. I'm not going to talk about it on here but it was very saddening. They are all so young, and already starting to bully each other. And this is not slagging or joking around. This is straight out of the textbook bullying. Hopefully, things were fixed. I know they were talked about but it's at least being talked about. I think they are going to do an anti-bullying program soon. Just so they know what is allowed and what will happen if they do bully.
After all that I headed off to the usually place. Diceys was packed. Some of my friends didn't get into the penthouse because too many people had heard about it and gone past the number. Even one of the guys that works for the guy who gets us in got there too late to get in. It was sad. Mainly, I was there to hang out with people because it was going to be my last time. I'm not going this Tuesday because of a work party, and my mom is going to be here. Both very god reasons to not go. I am going to miss everyone I normally see there.
On the way to the bus I always stop and get food. At my bus stop a woman was begin for money and food. We wasn't like everyone else who just stand there with a cup she was going up to people. When I told her I didn't have change she said she'd take my food. I was insulted. It was the first thing I was eating since lunch and I told her that, then walked on. Later she rudely yelled at these guys, saying that they were, "gay anyway." They yelled that there was no problem with being gay, but she yelled it about 3 more times. Then she got on a bus and left.
The rest of the ride home was peaceful. I talked to some people I knew and when I got home I spent about 3 hours searching for houses. I sent out a bunch of requests, then fell asleep at about 3 or 4 am.
Glutened...
Monday, July 23rd
I had a lot of trouble sleeping sunday night because I had slept the majority of the weekend.I got up later than I should have but got to work on time. As I dressed I chose my new flare jeans, and they made me feel like hippy :) I've always wanted to be a hippy.
Waiting for the bus I was nervous. I was taking the same number of bus that we met the vicious people on Saturday night. I looked totally different and doubt they would have done anything even if they were on the bus that early in the day. It was a little silly anxiety.
At work we worked with some new students on music. There were a few that had never written anything, so it was really hard to get them going. After the two hours I was a bit frustrated, but two out of the three had lyrics, even if I ended up writing half of them.
At lunch I brought food. It said it was wheat free, but I didn't check the package closely enough because it must've had gluten. By the end of lunch I was really not feeling well. I got sick, but mostly my headache was what bothered me. Drinking a lot of water really helped. I had to warn everyone because when I get glutened I get really moody and irritated.
During art the kids worked on making octopuses out of gym socks. I helped a little, but mostly folded cards that they were going to sell. Some ended up being really cute.
It was a long day so one of the young kids stayed and the normal older kids were there. We just hung out and kind of worked on projects. There was a lot of slagging going on, but that has become pretty normal in our office.
I still wasn't feeling my best, so I think I just headed straight home. I can't quite remember, but with how I was feeling that would make the most sense.
I had a lot of trouble sleeping sunday night because I had slept the majority of the weekend.I got up later than I should have but got to work on time. As I dressed I chose my new flare jeans, and they made me feel like hippy :) I've always wanted to be a hippy.
Waiting for the bus I was nervous. I was taking the same number of bus that we met the vicious people on Saturday night. I looked totally different and doubt they would have done anything even if they were on the bus that early in the day. It was a little silly anxiety.
At work we worked with some new students on music. There were a few that had never written anything, so it was really hard to get them going. After the two hours I was a bit frustrated, but two out of the three had lyrics, even if I ended up writing half of them.
At lunch I brought food. It said it was wheat free, but I didn't check the package closely enough because it must've had gluten. By the end of lunch I was really not feeling well. I got sick, but mostly my headache was what bothered me. Drinking a lot of water really helped. I had to warn everyone because when I get glutened I get really moody and irritated.
During art the kids worked on making octopuses out of gym socks. I helped a little, but mostly folded cards that they were going to sell. Some ended up being really cute.
It was a long day so one of the young kids stayed and the normal older kids were there. We just hung out and kind of worked on projects. There was a lot of slagging going on, but that has become pretty normal in our office.
I still wasn't feeling my best, so I think I just headed straight home. I can't quite remember, but with how I was feeling that would make the most sense.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Sunday Funday
Sunday, July 22nd
I got up. Watched Tv. Relaxed. Wrote 6 blogs. Did my laundry. Made food. and talked to people. That is all I did today and it was nice :) A good way to end my weekend. AND I finally used the machine to do my laundry. Not just hand washing it :D
I got up. Watched Tv. Relaxed. Wrote 6 blogs. Did my laundry. Made food. and talked to people. That is all I did today and it was nice :) A good way to end my weekend. AND I finally used the machine to do my laundry. Not just hand washing it :D
A night on the town
Saturday, July 21st
Ok. Woke up at 3 pm. Watched movies, ate, relaxed. Went outside at about 8 pm because I saw some friends out there I hadn't talked to much. They were all getting ready to go out and tried to convince me to join them. Finally I agreed because one of the guys wanted my help with a girl and I hadn't really gone out with them much.
We get on the bus and there is already trouble. There were some drunken Irish girls in the back and the guy with them called one of the guys I was with a fag because of his jacket. These girls were really feisty and some small fights ended up happening. One girl tried to kick one of our girls in the head for laughing and another hit one of our guys in the face about 3 times for no reason. He just sat their and took it because he wasn't going to hit a girl. The whole ride they were saying stuff and there were a few times where people stood up to fight but we stopped it for the most part.
They were about to get off when one of them said another comment and our guys were on them. After the scuffle they finally got off and one of our guys punched a window. He barely touched it and it broke. We got off the bus at the next stop, and fortunately did not see them again that night.
Our group got separated. Some of us headed one way and the others a different way. A small group of us went to one pub and then we headed to Flannerys. We met up with everyone there, coincidentally. Then we went to a club called the Village. After a few hours there I was in a ton of pain, so we grabbed a taxi and head back at about 2 am. I had been wear new shoes and 4 hours of walking and dancing was a lot for them.
I went straight to bed. I was exhausted. It had been a good night. Maybe a little too eventful at some points but still really good.
Ok. Woke up at 3 pm. Watched movies, ate, relaxed. Went outside at about 8 pm because I saw some friends out there I hadn't talked to much. They were all getting ready to go out and tried to convince me to join them. Finally I agreed because one of the guys wanted my help with a girl and I hadn't really gone out with them much.
We get on the bus and there is already trouble. There were some drunken Irish girls in the back and the guy with them called one of the guys I was with a fag because of his jacket. These girls were really feisty and some small fights ended up happening. One girl tried to kick one of our girls in the head for laughing and another hit one of our guys in the face about 3 times for no reason. He just sat their and took it because he wasn't going to hit a girl. The whole ride they were saying stuff and there were a few times where people stood up to fight but we stopped it for the most part.
They were about to get off when one of them said another comment and our guys were on them. After the scuffle they finally got off and one of our guys punched a window. He barely touched it and it broke. We got off the bus at the next stop, and fortunately did not see them again that night.
Our group got separated. Some of us headed one way and the others a different way. A small group of us went to one pub and then we headed to Flannerys. We met up with everyone there, coincidentally. Then we went to a club called the Village. After a few hours there I was in a ton of pain, so we grabbed a taxi and head back at about 2 am. I had been wear new shoes and 4 hours of walking and dancing was a lot for them.
I went straight to bed. I was exhausted. It had been a good night. Maybe a little too eventful at some points but still really good.
Tour guide and eating down
Friday, July 19th
Today I get to hang out with my sorority sister Laurie! I am so excited. They day started out pretty late because we all were up pretty late. Around noon I head out to a charity shop that I had wanted to visit for a long time. I pass it every day on the way to work on the bus. In Ireland they call them charity shops instead of thrift stores. The one time I asked about thrift stores they had no idea what I was talking about.
Anyway, the main reason I wanted to stop was because there was this gorgeous black dress in the window. I tried on a few dresses that I found and the lady got me a few that looked like the one in the window. Unfortunately, none of them fit and they were a bit too dressy. I need up getting a really cute dress. I reminds me a mix of the 50s and the Navy. A great dress for pin-up. I also picked up a book because it was only 20c. It's called "The King of Torts." Does anyone know if it is any good? It looked interesting. And I've heard John Grisham is a really good author.
After I got my purchase, which included running down the street to the ATM and back, I hoped onto the bus and rode down to temple bar. They weren't ready when I arrive so I just hung out with them and talked until they were ready.
Our first stop of the day was at Trinity college. We walked around and took pictures then got in the LONG line for the Library. Actually the line was for the Book of Kells, but we wanted to see the library. The book of Kells was ok. Not too interesting. A guard told me yawning wasn't allowed, but we was joking. Once we entered the Library, though, it was totally different. It was so breathtaking I almost cried. Beautiful dark wood bookcases reaching up two floors. It was like walking into a dream. I was almost sorry I had to leave.
After Trinity we headed off to grab a bite at McDonalds (I eat there WAY too much). Before we left I saw one of the students I work with at the clubhouse. I waved as we were leaving and he kind of squinted at me then there was a dawning of understand. He waves real big and yells "Hi Melissa!" Haha, close enough. He's only met me two or three times, and even the kids who have been there for longer have trouble remembering my name.
The last stop before going out was Penneys. It was a good time :)
We headed back and talked to the other girls who came for a bit then got ready. We grabbed a pizza and fries (I got all the fries;)) and started with some whiskey and sprite. It was gross. Close to midnight we finally left.
The first club we went to was called club Sin. A person got us all in for free, but it wasn't very good. The DJ was off a bit with mixing. We ended up leaving after half an hour. Next was Club M, we got in there for free as well. I was a lot of fun. We were having a girls night, so we had to keep warding off boys. Finally around 1:30 we went to Madonna. We walked in and then walked out. It was terrible.
We decided to head back to the room for a while just to chill. About 2:45 we went back out, but everything was closed so we got fries and went back to our rooms. The next couple hours we were. We watched some TV and tried to stay awake since they had to get up at 5:30. I ended up sleeping on and off from 4 am to 5:45. So, I got maybe an hour and a half of sleep. We all got packed and they got ready to leave. I said my goodbyes and headed to see if the bus was running yet. It was, fortunately. I didn't think it would be so I scouted the opening times for Starbucks and McDonalds.
I got on at about 6:45 am and headed home. After getting back to my apartment I skyped my mom at 7 am, my time. After getting off at 8 am I fell asleep for the next 7 hours. It had been a really good night. I am so glad my sister was able to come visit after her travel course.
Today I get to hang out with my sorority sister Laurie! I am so excited. They day started out pretty late because we all were up pretty late. Around noon I head out to a charity shop that I had wanted to visit for a long time. I pass it every day on the way to work on the bus. In Ireland they call them charity shops instead of thrift stores. The one time I asked about thrift stores they had no idea what I was talking about.
Anyway, the main reason I wanted to stop was because there was this gorgeous black dress in the window. I tried on a few dresses that I found and the lady got me a few that looked like the one in the window. Unfortunately, none of them fit and they were a bit too dressy. I need up getting a really cute dress. I reminds me a mix of the 50s and the Navy. A great dress for pin-up. I also picked up a book because it was only 20c. It's called "The King of Torts." Does anyone know if it is any good? It looked interesting. And I've heard John Grisham is a really good author.
After I got my purchase, which included running down the street to the ATM and back, I hoped onto the bus and rode down to temple bar. They weren't ready when I arrive so I just hung out with them and talked until they were ready.
Our first stop of the day was at Trinity college. We walked around and took pictures then got in the LONG line for the Library. Actually the line was for the Book of Kells, but we wanted to see the library. The book of Kells was ok. Not too interesting. A guard told me yawning wasn't allowed, but we was joking. Once we entered the Library, though, it was totally different. It was so breathtaking I almost cried. Beautiful dark wood bookcases reaching up two floors. It was like walking into a dream. I was almost sorry I had to leave.
After Trinity we headed off to grab a bite at McDonalds (I eat there WAY too much). Before we left I saw one of the students I work with at the clubhouse. I waved as we were leaving and he kind of squinted at me then there was a dawning of understand. He waves real big and yells "Hi Melissa!" Haha, close enough. He's only met me two or three times, and even the kids who have been there for longer have trouble remembering my name.
The last stop before going out was Penneys. It was a good time :)
We headed back and talked to the other girls who came for a bit then got ready. We grabbed a pizza and fries (I got all the fries;)) and started with some whiskey and sprite. It was gross. Close to midnight we finally left.
The first club we went to was called club Sin. A person got us all in for free, but it wasn't very good. The DJ was off a bit with mixing. We ended up leaving after half an hour. Next was Club M, we got in there for free as well. I was a lot of fun. We were having a girls night, so we had to keep warding off boys. Finally around 1:30 we went to Madonna. We walked in and then walked out. It was terrible.
We decided to head back to the room for a while just to chill. About 2:45 we went back out, but everything was closed so we got fries and went back to our rooms. The next couple hours we were. We watched some TV and tried to stay awake since they had to get up at 5:30. I ended up sleeping on and off from 4 am to 5:45. So, I got maybe an hour and a half of sleep. We all got packed and they got ready to leave. I said my goodbyes and headed to see if the bus was running yet. It was, fortunately. I didn't think it would be so I scouted the opening times for Starbucks and McDonalds.
I got on at about 6:45 am and headed home. After getting back to my apartment I skyped my mom at 7 am, my time. After getting off at 8 am I fell asleep for the next 7 hours. It had been a really good night. I am so glad my sister was able to come visit after her travel course.
Lights, Camera...paper?
Thursday, July 19th
Today we were to actually start filming!! A few kids didn't show up so we worked on one-on-one scenes mostly. It was so cute how much they tried. I was sooo proud of all of them. They kept concentration most of the time and we got a good bit of it all filmed. It was absolutely adorable. I can't help but smile thinking about it :D
I ate lunch in. My normal egg fried rice with tea. Everyone went to go grab food but they came back and ate in the kitchen. We ended up watching some of "Fun with Dick and Jane" on my iPod. It was fun. We all made little commentaries here and there, but we'll have to finish the movie another time.
After lunch we made paper! Well we didn't make paper. We used things to make designs on paper. It was a lot of fun, but the kids got bored with it. How can you get bored blowing bubbles? Maybe it was because there were rules about it... There were two ways we made the designs. There were several different bowls that had paint, water, and soap in them. Then you blow bubbles with a straw until the bubble are higher than the top of the bowl. You let the bubble touch the paper so that they pop and leave color. You then do this with what ever colors you like and let it dry. I made like 10 of them. It was kind of awesome.
The other type of design you could make involved shaving cream. You spread a thin layer of shaving cream on foil then put a few drops of paint. Then smear the paint around to create a design. Then lay the paper on the shaving cream. Lastly, scrape of the excess shaving cream. Let dry. I cannot tell you how much fun I had with both of these designs. After clean up, which was quite a process, we all left and Kelly lead me to the piercing place I went to the week before. I wanted to pick up some individual earrings for my new piercing. I ended up getting four really cute ones. a green butterfly, a pink ladybug, a multi-colored ring and a shamrock w/ a heart.
Now it was time to meet up with Laurie! One of her friends joined us, which happened to be a girl that I knew. We went out and grabbed dinner. In the middle of dinner I realized I had forgotten my wallet at the piercing place. I ran all the way there and they had it! Thank goodness :) On the way back to the restaurant I got a little lost, but I always find my way :) I also met some of the other people who had gone on the history trip with her. All Chapman students, of course. After dinner everyone else split for a nap and Laurie and I went out to a few places.
I showed her Porterhouse (central), the old storehouse, and we stopped into O'Sullivans. Quays, and a few other pubs to listen to the music. It made me really realize that I would have to get a CD of all the Irish pub songs before I left because I would miss them. After all that I had to grab the bus so we said our goodbyes. I was going to spend the whole day with them the next day and crash at their apartment so i could say goodbye in the morning.
Home. I relaxed and stayed up too late. Then fell asleep.
Today we were to actually start filming!! A few kids didn't show up so we worked on one-on-one scenes mostly. It was so cute how much they tried. I was sooo proud of all of them. They kept concentration most of the time and we got a good bit of it all filmed. It was absolutely adorable. I can't help but smile thinking about it :D
I ate lunch in. My normal egg fried rice with tea. Everyone went to go grab food but they came back and ate in the kitchen. We ended up watching some of "Fun with Dick and Jane" on my iPod. It was fun. We all made little commentaries here and there, but we'll have to finish the movie another time.
After lunch we made paper! Well we didn't make paper. We used things to make designs on paper. It was a lot of fun, but the kids got bored with it. How can you get bored blowing bubbles? Maybe it was because there were rules about it... There were two ways we made the designs. There were several different bowls that had paint, water, and soap in them. Then you blow bubbles with a straw until the bubble are higher than the top of the bowl. You let the bubble touch the paper so that they pop and leave color. You then do this with what ever colors you like and let it dry. I made like 10 of them. It was kind of awesome.
The other type of design you could make involved shaving cream. You spread a thin layer of shaving cream on foil then put a few drops of paint. Then smear the paint around to create a design. Then lay the paper on the shaving cream. Lastly, scrape of the excess shaving cream. Let dry. I cannot tell you how much fun I had with both of these designs. After clean up, which was quite a process, we all left and Kelly lead me to the piercing place I went to the week before. I wanted to pick up some individual earrings for my new piercing. I ended up getting four really cute ones. a green butterfly, a pink ladybug, a multi-colored ring and a shamrock w/ a heart.
Now it was time to meet up with Laurie! One of her friends joined us, which happened to be a girl that I knew. We went out and grabbed dinner. In the middle of dinner I realized I had forgotten my wallet at the piercing place. I ran all the way there and they had it! Thank goodness :) On the way back to the restaurant I got a little lost, but I always find my way :) I also met some of the other people who had gone on the history trip with her. All Chapman students, of course. After dinner everyone else split for a nap and Laurie and I went out to a few places.
I showed her Porterhouse (central), the old storehouse, and we stopped into O'Sullivans. Quays, and a few other pubs to listen to the music. It made me really realize that I would have to get a CD of all the Irish pub songs before I left because I would miss them. After all that I had to grab the bus so we said our goodbyes. I was going to spend the whole day with them the next day and crash at their apartment so i could say goodbye in the morning.
Home. I relaxed and stayed up too late. Then fell asleep.
Working hard or hardly working
Wednesday, July 18th
We all thought today would be a pretty easy day for the music camp. Normally a guy comes in and works on making instruments with the kids. So, before he came we made it our mission that each kid would have a song of their own that they had written. We all, including the kids, got so carried away that we didn't even notice that Ed didn't show up. One thing we can say is that we succeeded. Now, a few of them still need to type their songs up and most need to use garageband to add background music. Some kids were a little tougher to get going but we did it!
Lunch as out day. We went to a cafe that I call the "Blue Cafe" because I don't know its name. I had been looking forward to getting the Irish breakfast there for the last couple days. It is always yummy, but sometimes a little too much meat to eat. The three of us girls went and then Pauline and Gina joined us later. We had a fun chat and enjoyed our meal, but it was back to the grind.
In the Art Camp today we were making signs to advertise for the showcase/crafts fair. These signs would be hung around Dublin 8 to try and get people to come and buy what the kids had made. Of course the kids got bored quickly but we did get some signs done. I really do hope we can get people in, so that the kids can feel successful. After working on that for quite awhile it was time for the meeting. There was a meeting with the parents about having a kids fun run to raise awareness and funds. It was mostly a planning meeting to see how people felt about it and what they might want to take place. It was short so we hung out with Kelly and Jade for a little while after.
After work I headed off to a Starbucks with Natalie and Anne. One of my sisters from my sorority was visiting so I needed wifi to try and get ahold of her. At about 9 o'clock I headed home. While I was waiting I had a lovely drink. It was mango and passion fruit. It had tea in it and tasted really good, and it tasted good without begin too sweet. I found out she had fallen asleep and since the sun stays up so long she didn't know what time it was when she got up. It was totally fine because I got to spend a lot of time with her the next two days.
Home I relaxed, ate a late dinner, and went to bed later than I should have (as usual).
We all thought today would be a pretty easy day for the music camp. Normally a guy comes in and works on making instruments with the kids. So, before he came we made it our mission that each kid would have a song of their own that they had written. We all, including the kids, got so carried away that we didn't even notice that Ed didn't show up. One thing we can say is that we succeeded. Now, a few of them still need to type their songs up and most need to use garageband to add background music. Some kids were a little tougher to get going but we did it!
Lunch as out day. We went to a cafe that I call the "Blue Cafe" because I don't know its name. I had been looking forward to getting the Irish breakfast there for the last couple days. It is always yummy, but sometimes a little too much meat to eat. The three of us girls went and then Pauline and Gina joined us later. We had a fun chat and enjoyed our meal, but it was back to the grind.
In the Art Camp today we were making signs to advertise for the showcase/crafts fair. These signs would be hung around Dublin 8 to try and get people to come and buy what the kids had made. Of course the kids got bored quickly but we did get some signs done. I really do hope we can get people in, so that the kids can feel successful. After working on that for quite awhile it was time for the meeting. There was a meeting with the parents about having a kids fun run to raise awareness and funds. It was mostly a planning meeting to see how people felt about it and what they might want to take place. It was short so we hung out with Kelly and Jade for a little while after.
After work I headed off to a Starbucks with Natalie and Anne. One of my sisters from my sorority was visiting so I needed wifi to try and get ahold of her. At about 9 o'clock I headed home. While I was waiting I had a lovely drink. It was mango and passion fruit. It had tea in it and tasted really good, and it tasted good without begin too sweet. I found out she had fallen asleep and since the sun stays up so long she didn't know what time it was when she got up. It was totally fine because I got to spend a lot of time with her the next two days.
Home I relaxed, ate a late dinner, and went to bed later than I should have (as usual).
Emotional talks
Tuesday, July 17th
We were having a meeting today, so we had to be there at 10:30 instead of 11:30. Well... my alarm sucks and I think I pressed stop instead of snooze. I got up an hour later than I was supposed to, but I'm awesome and got ready in 25 minutes. I head out to the bus and didn't have to wait too long, fortunately.
On the other hand there was an accident on the road, so we were stuck for about 10 minutes. Then to make matters worse the bus kept breaking down. It took forever to get there, but I was only 15 minutes late.
The meeting was about how we felt we were connecting with the kids. How we affect them and how they affect us. What it really means to us to work there and why we work there. It was pretty emotional. It lasted for about an hour and a half, so the kids got there and we had to end it. It was inspiring. It reminded my why I always seem to end up working with kids.
Today was a film day. We spent the whole time reading and practicing lines. It was a tough camp because they had to concentrate the whole time. At the end we had them working on costumes for fun.
This was a staying in for lunch day. I made soup and chatted with Brandon. It was an invigorating conversation about all kinds of topics.
After lunch we came back and painted flower pots as well as working on designing mirrors and working on frames. Very fun.
After work I headed off to Dicey's as per usual. I hang out with some new friends I met there and helped comfort a girl when a guy was a jerk. Then grabbed some food at McDonalds before I headed off to catch the bus. We all went home and got straight to bed.
We were having a meeting today, so we had to be there at 10:30 instead of 11:30. Well... my alarm sucks and I think I pressed stop instead of snooze. I got up an hour later than I was supposed to, but I'm awesome and got ready in 25 minutes. I head out to the bus and didn't have to wait too long, fortunately.
On the other hand there was an accident on the road, so we were stuck for about 10 minutes. Then to make matters worse the bus kept breaking down. It took forever to get there, but I was only 15 minutes late.
The meeting was about how we felt we were connecting with the kids. How we affect them and how they affect us. What it really means to us to work there and why we work there. It was pretty emotional. It lasted for about an hour and a half, so the kids got there and we had to end it. It was inspiring. It reminded my why I always seem to end up working with kids.
Today was a film day. We spent the whole time reading and practicing lines. It was a tough camp because they had to concentrate the whole time. At the end we had them working on costumes for fun.
This was a staying in for lunch day. I made soup and chatted with Brandon. It was an invigorating conversation about all kinds of topics.
After lunch we came back and painted flower pots as well as working on designing mirrors and working on frames. Very fun.
After work I headed off to Dicey's as per usual. I hang out with some new friends I met there and helped comfort a girl when a guy was a jerk. Then grabbed some food at McDonalds before I headed off to catch the bus. We all went home and got straight to bed.
Learning to sew...again
Monday, July 16th
Work again. Today started off as a usually day. Alarm went off and couldn't get up, so let myself sleep in just long enough so I could get to the bus on time. I got all ready and wore shorts because it was going to be 67 (that's really warm here).
As I was waiting for the bus I was texting my photographer because I left my little point-and-shoot camera in his car. As I looked up in the middle of my text the bus passed by without stopping (Great!). It meant I had to wait at least another 15 minutes for another bus. I stood and waited in my shorts and huge rainbow colored umbrella. A homeless man was sitting their but he left before I got ob the bus. I seem to see him a lot there. There was even one occasion where the driver drove past the stop a little so that he would have to get on behind me and another girl. Then he wouldn't let him on. I can understand why, but at the same time it seemed really cruel.
I get on the bus and head up to the top floor (saloon) as usual. There is a couple up there being really loud and smoking. You are not supposed to smoke on the bus. It is one of the rules, and it was really annoying that they were doing that. If someone wants to smoke that is their business, but if other people are with you in an inclosed space that's just rude. At one point the bus driver stopped the bus and made everyone get off, including the smokers. The driver told us we could get on the next bus coming, but oddly enough once the group that was smoking walked away from the bus he let everyone else on and we continued on our way.
I ended up being a little late, but the Irish don't care. I could have called in sick and it totally would have been fine. I mean, if I were actually sick. When I arrived everyone was working on there songs, but one girl who was eleven was working on sewing her pants into shorts. I spent the whole day working with her on that. We pinned each leg, sewed it, rolled each leg and sewed again. At this point it was lunch time.
We went to Mannings and got two salads. I chose the wrong salads because they were too similar. I ended up not being able to finish it. What made this lunch so fun is that it was not just means the two girl interns the boy intern and two people who ran the club were also with us. We were slagged and did some slagging as well. It was just a whole lot of fun.
After lunch we headed back to the clubhouse and I continued to work with the girl on her shorts. We sewed on a star and started on the heart when the machine stopped work, again. Once before while we had been working the machine stopped and I had to the thins out and put new things in. It took awhile because I had not had to do that in about 4 years.
At about 4:50 I get a call. I was supposed to met the photographer at 4:30 to pick up my camera but I was so immersed in this sewing project that time had completely slipped my mind. I ran down and hopped on the first bus to city city. We met at the spire and I got my camera back! On the way back the bus broke down a few times and a nice irish gentleman talked my ear off. He was very nice, but I could only understand about 1/2 of what he said. Finally, the driver just made everyone get off and I decided to walk back because I was pretty close.
When I got back all the kids had left and we just hung out. If I remember correctly I just headed straight home that night and relaxed.
Work again. Today started off as a usually day. Alarm went off and couldn't get up, so let myself sleep in just long enough so I could get to the bus on time. I got all ready and wore shorts because it was going to be 67 (that's really warm here).
As I was waiting for the bus I was texting my photographer because I left my little point-and-shoot camera in his car. As I looked up in the middle of my text the bus passed by without stopping (Great!). It meant I had to wait at least another 15 minutes for another bus. I stood and waited in my shorts and huge rainbow colored umbrella. A homeless man was sitting their but he left before I got ob the bus. I seem to see him a lot there. There was even one occasion where the driver drove past the stop a little so that he would have to get on behind me and another girl. Then he wouldn't let him on. I can understand why, but at the same time it seemed really cruel.
I get on the bus and head up to the top floor (saloon) as usual. There is a couple up there being really loud and smoking. You are not supposed to smoke on the bus. It is one of the rules, and it was really annoying that they were doing that. If someone wants to smoke that is their business, but if other people are with you in an inclosed space that's just rude. At one point the bus driver stopped the bus and made everyone get off, including the smokers. The driver told us we could get on the next bus coming, but oddly enough once the group that was smoking walked away from the bus he let everyone else on and we continued on our way.
I ended up being a little late, but the Irish don't care. I could have called in sick and it totally would have been fine. I mean, if I were actually sick. When I arrived everyone was working on there songs, but one girl who was eleven was working on sewing her pants into shorts. I spent the whole day working with her on that. We pinned each leg, sewed it, rolled each leg and sewed again. At this point it was lunch time.
We went to Mannings and got two salads. I chose the wrong salads because they were too similar. I ended up not being able to finish it. What made this lunch so fun is that it was not just means the two girl interns the boy intern and two people who ran the club were also with us. We were slagged and did some slagging as well. It was just a whole lot of fun.
After lunch we headed back to the clubhouse and I continued to work with the girl on her shorts. We sewed on a star and started on the heart when the machine stopped work, again. Once before while we had been working the machine stopped and I had to the thins out and put new things in. It took awhile because I had not had to do that in about 4 years.
At about 4:50 I get a call. I was supposed to met the photographer at 4:30 to pick up my camera but I was so immersed in this sewing project that time had completely slipped my mind. I ran down and hopped on the first bus to city city. We met at the spire and I got my camera back! On the way back the bus broke down a few times and a nice irish gentleman talked my ear off. He was very nice, but I could only understand about 1/2 of what he said. Finally, the driver just made everyone get off and I decided to walk back because I was pretty close.
When I got back all the kids had left and we just hung out. If I remember correctly I just headed straight home that night and relaxed.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Sunday, July 15th
I didn't really do much today. Woke up late. Watched TV. Wrote two blogs. Ate. Talked to a new friend. Went to Pennys. Normally Pennys is really good. The costumer service is usually good, but today they were just not very nice. Also, things are priced differently in the different stores and there are different styles of clothing in different stores. I was pretty disappointed overall. I came home, ate dinner, and watched TV. It was an ok day, but I think I am going to go for a walk before I go to bed. I just need a little bit of fresh air. Tomorrow will be a much better day.
*Pictures once I get my camera back.
I didn't really do much today. Woke up late. Watched TV. Wrote two blogs. Ate. Talked to a new friend. Went to Pennys. Normally Pennys is really good. The costumer service is usually good, but today they were just not very nice. Also, things are priced differently in the different stores and there are different styles of clothing in different stores. I was pretty disappointed overall. I came home, ate dinner, and watched TV. It was an ok day, but I think I am going to go for a walk before I go to bed. I just need a little bit of fresh air. Tomorrow will be a much better day.
*Pictures once I get my camera back.
Beach Shoot DAY
Saturday, July 14th
Today was photo shoot day. I slept in because I didn't have to leave until 4 or 5 to get to the shoot at 6. I watched TV and got ready for the shoot. With everything packed, lunch and breakfast eaten, and a clean face I headed off to meet the photographer at the mall. He was giving me a ride to the beach so that I wouldn't get lost.
It took about 15 minutes to walk there, and then the car ride was about half an hour. We met the make-up artist and I started in on make-up before the other girls got there. The premiss of the shoot was a group of friends just hanging out on the beach. It was a life style shoot, which are one of my favorite type of shoots to do. I was surprised at the end of getting my make-up done because the make-up artist put barely any mascara on. I pride myself in my long lashes, so I was a bit confused. She wanted it to be natural. I know what natural is, but whenever I do natural it usually means no fake lashes, not that I am barely going to wear any mascara to the point where you can just barely see my lashes. Oh well, I'm sure the photos will turn out great, and other than that the make-up artist was really good at what she did and very nice.
The cast of models consisted of 5 of us. There were 3 girls and 2 boys. Even though all of them had been living in Ireland for years only one was actually Irish. One of the girls was from latvia and the other from Nigeria. The other guy was from Poland. It was quite a cast.
The shoot started out with us all walking on the beach to one of the locations. We sat in the sand and on some dunes. We even ran down a sandy hill about three or four times. I fell once. Toppled straight over and ended up landing on my back. Well, I kind of landed on my head and rolled over onto my back. It was a lot of fun. We also took photos splashing in the water. I even got a piggyback ride (jockey back).
At first everyone was pretty quiet but I was goofy and animated and it didn't take too long to get them animated. We were laughing in no time. As the photographer said, "It takes the American." lol. By the end of the day we felt like we were actually good friends. The rest of the night was spent eating and relaxing because I didn't get home until after 10.
Today was photo shoot day. I slept in because I didn't have to leave until 4 or 5 to get to the shoot at 6. I watched TV and got ready for the shoot. With everything packed, lunch and breakfast eaten, and a clean face I headed off to meet the photographer at the mall. He was giving me a ride to the beach so that I wouldn't get lost.
It took about 15 minutes to walk there, and then the car ride was about half an hour. We met the make-up artist and I started in on make-up before the other girls got there. The premiss of the shoot was a group of friends just hanging out on the beach. It was a life style shoot, which are one of my favorite type of shoots to do. I was surprised at the end of getting my make-up done because the make-up artist put barely any mascara on. I pride myself in my long lashes, so I was a bit confused. She wanted it to be natural. I know what natural is, but whenever I do natural it usually means no fake lashes, not that I am barely going to wear any mascara to the point where you can just barely see my lashes. Oh well, I'm sure the photos will turn out great, and other than that the make-up artist was really good at what she did and very nice.
The cast of models consisted of 5 of us. There were 3 girls and 2 boys. Even though all of them had been living in Ireland for years only one was actually Irish. One of the girls was from latvia and the other from Nigeria. The other guy was from Poland. It was quite a cast.
The shoot started out with us all walking on the beach to one of the locations. We sat in the sand and on some dunes. We even ran down a sandy hill about three or four times. I fell once. Toppled straight over and ended up landing on my back. Well, I kind of landed on my head and rolled over onto my back. It was a lot of fun. We also took photos splashing in the water. I even got a piggyback ride (jockey back).
At first everyone was pretty quiet but I was goofy and animated and it didn't take too long to get them animated. We were laughing in no time. As the photographer said, "It takes the American." lol. By the end of the day we felt like we were actually good friends. The rest of the night was spent eating and relaxing because I didn't get home until after 10.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Friday the 13th
Friday, July 13th
It's Friday the 13th, oh no! I slept in late because I had stayed up late trying to Skype with my mom. I haven't been able to sleep in for a while, so it was nice. Answered some e-mails and worked on my blog a little. Before I starting working on my blog I went grocery shopping, first time in almost two weeks.
I went to Henry St. because I have not been there yet. I stopped at the Pennys quick to see if they had a pair of jeans I had wanted. They didn't, but I picked up some nail polish since the stuff from my Friday shoot was badly chipped.
From there I headed to the Tescos across the street. I walked around a lot trying to find stuff. European grocery stores are so hard to navigate. Everything is labeled weird and in weird spots. AND they don't pizza sauce. I just made my own pizza sauce with tomato sauce, italian seasoning, and garlic powder. It didn't taste too bad. Actually, it tasted pretty good. Anway, by the time I got up to the cash register my hands were shaking. My basket was really heavy.
I took everything home on the bus and cooked for the next hour or hour and a half. I didn't taste the pizzas, but they look good, so fingers crossed. I spent the rest of the evening blogging (I did about 5 of them), relaxing, and getting prepared for the next day. I went to bed around 2 am.
Friday, July 13, 2012
The Irish way
Thursday, July 12
Alarm goes off at 8:45. Reset it....forget to activate new time. Wake up at 10:30 (when I was supposed to leave for work). Shower, call work. They just laugh at me and tell me it's no big deal. I got slagged a bit when I got there but they were just messing around. The Irish don't care much about time constraints. Next, finished getting ready, eat, clean my room a little. My room was truly a tragedy pretty much since I got here.
Head off to work and get there around 1:30. Kids are only a break and I "wake" some of them up by tickling them. We design our costumes and tell them what they need to bring (an extra set of clothes they can leave there). The script has been edited by the other interns and it was time for the kids to leave.
The four of us head out to lunch (a rarity). I wasn't very hungry sense I got up late and ate late. We went to Mannings and I got a Spanish Omelet anyway. It wasn't bad but I added ketchup (Did I mention that Irish brands taste a lot more vinegary than American brands?). Before we left we all got a dessert as well. I got a Meringue Cream thingy. It was ok, but not the best dessert I have ever had.
On our way back we stopped at a charity shop (thrift store) and looked at a few things. I might go back and check to see if they have a dress that I like or maybe some shoes that were really cute. We walked about in there for a long time. They had books, records, and kitchen stuff as well. I wasn't too impressed because what I was interested in wasn't my size. :( On the brighter side, new things come in almost every day.
After we got back I stayed down stairs and ate my meringue because I needed a spoon for it. Jade came down to say hi because everyone upstairs told her I was in the kitchen. We both like giving lots of hugs. WenI headed upstairs and everyone was working on frames. They only worked for about an hour then around 4 a bunch of kids left to work on photography. The few kids that left continued working on frames or mosaics. I finished two that had been started. Boy, that glue is hard to get off. After I finished both I felt quite accomplished.
Work ended about 5 and we all headed out. I rode down with the girls to Dame St. because they were going to grab dinner before their Need to Breath concert. We said our goodbyes and I headed out to O'Connell. Since I've been here I've begun to eat a lot of McDonalds. I always get the same thing. A double cheese burger with no bun and either fries or a carmel sundae, except this time I got a fruit pouch. It had apples and grapes. It was as yummy as always:)
I headed home to drop off some of my stuff and then got changed. I went to the Palace Bar (black rum on ice) because I had been given a list of pubs I needed to go to in Dublin and that was on it. Then met some friends at the Old Storehouse Bar (Prickly Melon & Aqua were my drinks). The four of us was joined by one other person and then we met up with three other girls. It was some one's birthday. We went to the Trinity bar and got vouchers for a free shot with any drink. I got a Cranberrytini and the shot was vodka and grenadine. We all cheers-ed to her birthday. Later We also got a Baby Guinness shot (Kaluha & Baileys) and cheers-ed to her birthday again.
Most everyone wanted to stay out late so me and one other girl left to catch the bus (neither one of us wanted to pay for a taxi that night). We grabbed some McDonalds (second time that day) and were able to catch the #1 bus. It was the bus that got off closest to where we live. We chatted with some girls on the bus who were in the same program as us.
Once I got home I stayed up wwaayyy too late Facebook-ing and watching TV, but it was nice being able to relax after a long week.
Alarm goes off at 8:45. Reset it....forget to activate new time. Wake up at 10:30 (when I was supposed to leave for work). Shower, call work. They just laugh at me and tell me it's no big deal. I got slagged a bit when I got there but they were just messing around. The Irish don't care much about time constraints. Next, finished getting ready, eat, clean my room a little. My room was truly a tragedy pretty much since I got here.
Head off to work and get there around 1:30. Kids are only a break and I "wake" some of them up by tickling them. We design our costumes and tell them what they need to bring (an extra set of clothes they can leave there). The script has been edited by the other interns and it was time for the kids to leave.
The four of us head out to lunch (a rarity). I wasn't very hungry sense I got up late and ate late. We went to Mannings and I got a Spanish Omelet anyway. It wasn't bad but I added ketchup (Did I mention that Irish brands taste a lot more vinegary than American brands?). Before we left we all got a dessert as well. I got a Meringue Cream thingy. It was ok, but not the best dessert I have ever had.
On our way back we stopped at a charity shop (thrift store) and looked at a few things. I might go back and check to see if they have a dress that I like or maybe some shoes that were really cute. We walked about in there for a long time. They had books, records, and kitchen stuff as well. I wasn't too impressed because what I was interested in wasn't my size. :( On the brighter side, new things come in almost every day.
After we got back I stayed down stairs and ate my meringue because I needed a spoon for it. Jade came down to say hi because everyone upstairs told her I was in the kitchen. We both like giving lots of hugs. WenI headed upstairs and everyone was working on frames. They only worked for about an hour then around 4 a bunch of kids left to work on photography. The few kids that left continued working on frames or mosaics. I finished two that had been started. Boy, that glue is hard to get off. After I finished both I felt quite accomplished.
Work ended about 5 and we all headed out. I rode down with the girls to Dame St. because they were going to grab dinner before their Need to Breath concert. We said our goodbyes and I headed out to O'Connell. Since I've been here I've begun to eat a lot of McDonalds. I always get the same thing. A double cheese burger with no bun and either fries or a carmel sundae, except this time I got a fruit pouch. It had apples and grapes. It was as yummy as always:)
I headed home to drop off some of my stuff and then got changed. I went to the Palace Bar (black rum on ice) because I had been given a list of pubs I needed to go to in Dublin and that was on it. Then met some friends at the Old Storehouse Bar (Prickly Melon & Aqua were my drinks). The four of us was joined by one other person and then we met up with three other girls. It was some one's birthday. We went to the Trinity bar and got vouchers for a free shot with any drink. I got a Cranberrytini and the shot was vodka and grenadine. We all cheers-ed to her birthday. Later We also got a Baby Guinness shot (Kaluha & Baileys) and cheers-ed to her birthday again.
Most everyone wanted to stay out late so me and one other girl left to catch the bus (neither one of us wanted to pay for a taxi that night). We grabbed some McDonalds (second time that day) and were able to catch the #1 bus. It was the bus that got off closest to where we live. We chatted with some girls on the bus who were in the same program as us.
Once I got home I stayed up wwaayyy too late Facebook-ing and watching TV, but it was nice being able to relax after a long week.
Music, energy, and murals
Wednesday, July 11th
Today is a special day. I would get my phone back and the kids have a field trip to a place called ENERGY, but first we have the music camp. I got up a little early that morning and headed over the O'Connell St. I got off and found the lost properly office. THEY HAD MY PHONE! I had to pay 2 euro to get it back but I was so excited that I didn't care. BUT right after I for it a bird pooped on me os I ran around trying to find a bathroom to wash it off my jacket and umbrella. After that it was pretty smooth sailing. I got on my bus and headed off to work.
At the clubhouse we knew the guy who makes instruments with the kids was coming so we took it pretty relaxed. First we went over the cords and then started on writing songs again. It got really tough because we were expecting to go make instruments, so the kids weren't listening very well, if at all. They were all antsy and there was maybe two or three kids helping us write the song. Finally we went over and made whistles. They are the ones where you pull out the stick to make different sounds. It was slightly annoying but I think they all enjoyed it. After we finished the whistles we had the kids work on individual lyrics. After they finished two verses (four lines each) and one chord (two lines) they were allowed to spend the rest of the time messing on the computers.
We were originally told we were going with the kids to energy so my can of soup was useless, because I didn't know if I could eat it in time to make it only the "bus" they were taking the kids in, so we all went and grabbed some food. They went to spar to get bread, hummus, and tomatoes. I went to a grocer store called Lidl and got deli ham, cheese slices, and yogurt. We got back and ate quickly. We went to join the kids on the bus and then found out that we wouldn't be with the kids at all. We would be in a completely different area just hanging out, so we all stayed. That way Gina (our boss) wouldn't have to drive us.
I spent that 2 hours of time catching up on two blogs then we kind of just hung out with two girls that came in. They weren't going to energy, so they were working on frames to sell and listening to music until it was time for them to leave. After they left we ended up working on ideas for the mural. We decided to just do it on one of the walls by the clubhouse entrance instead of trying to find a wall people could see. This way it could be used for two different purposes. We would do the mural and the little kids could help. We could also have a BBQ and tape people in a more secure location. Secondly, it would help direct people to where the clubhouse was. It can be a hard place to find (I can testify to the) and would help a lot. Plus those back areas could always use more color.
We then chose an image to base it off of, and even figured out how we will write the words and everything. It was brilliant actually. As usual, it was about 7 when we got off. I went home right after, for the first time in like forever. I finally got toilet paper (was out for almost week) and 2L bottles of water. I could only carry two. I had planned to work on my blogs (I was about 5 days behind) but then water to relax a little first. THEN I had to figure out where I was actually going on Saturday. I had to find my way to a beach for a shoot. That took quite a while.
Finally, when I was about to go to bed a got a message on Facebook from my roomie. She had found a place for the three of us to live next year. Yay! But it only had 2 bedrooms. Boo! Well, we talked about it and what needed to be done until about 2 am my time. I was so tired and had to go to bed. Once I was in bed I couldn't sleep :S So I watched a little tv to numb my mind (I know not a good practice, but when I get desperate that's what I do) and eventually feel asleep.
Finally, when I was about to go to bed a got a message on Facebook from my roomie. She had found a place for the three of us to live next year. Yay! But it only had 2 bedrooms. Boo! Well, we talked about it and what needed to be done until about 2 am my time. I was so tired and had to go to bed. Once I was in bed I couldn't sleep :S So I watched a little tv to numb my mind (I know not a good practice, but when I get desperate that's what I do) and eventually feel asleep.
Beads, scripts, and new piercings
Tuesday, July 10th
I called in the morning to see about my phone and they said they wouldn't know until about 1:30 pm that day. I was so anxious to get it back, but I now I'd survive.
Tuesday was a film day, so I was helping lead. Les was really late, so we didn't have anything to discuss. Not long before the kids got there I starting typing up the script. It was only about 5 pages in all typed, but it took me nearly 2 hours. By the time I was done it was 1:30 and the kids were to leave at 2. We had them think about costumes and look at the script for a minute. Then they went home.
I had brought my lunch but I went with Anne and Jade to the fish and chips place down the street. I ate my sandwich and apple then I got chips. After we ate we also got 2 euro soft serve. The soft serve here is really good because it is really creamy. It tastes more like whipped cream or cream you might put in coffee. A lot less milky. Anyway, it was yummy and we head back to start on art.
For art the kids worked on the mosaics again, as well as making beads. A lot of kids weren't there because it was a swimming day. At first we were using the wrong stuff for the ears, but then we finally got the right clay. The rest of the day we made cute, colorful beads to use in our wind chimes, and if didn't use them in the wind chimes we could use them to make jewelry to sell. We are really trying to get money for the clubhouse because the staff would really like to take the kids on more trips. Trips cost a lot of money and have to pay to use the van that they own (lame, but its the rules). THe beading was a bit frustrating, but we (mostly the adults) ended up making some really cool ones.
After crafts it was time to go home. We had to clean up so we got off around 5:15. Before I headed to Diceys to meet up with my friends I went with Anne and Jade to get my ear pierced. I had been wanting to do this for years and it finally was a good time, and a good souvenir. The three of us went and I was a little nervous. After it was done I was super excited about it the rest of the day. I was SOOO glad I got it done. The place was really small and in the middle of the mall. Almost like a kiosk. It was only 8 euro and would have been 6 if I had just gotten the ball instead of the "diamond". I was totally in love with it right after it happened.
I met some new people that I had not known before and hung out with the usually crowd. It was a lot of fun. The guy that gets us into the penthouse every week was there and so was one of his new employees. Towards the end of the night I was trying to teach her how to dance. It was pretty funny since she is a good 5 or so years older than me.
I headed out with my friends and we missed the bus by about 5 minutes. Then waited for what we thought was going to be the bus, but the bus ended up only going to city center (not even close to where we lived) so we had to grab a taxi. I went straight to bed. Or as straight to bed as I tend to go.
I called in the morning to see about my phone and they said they wouldn't know until about 1:30 pm that day. I was so anxious to get it back, but I now I'd survive.
Tuesday was a film day, so I was helping lead. Les was really late, so we didn't have anything to discuss. Not long before the kids got there I starting typing up the script. It was only about 5 pages in all typed, but it took me nearly 2 hours. By the time I was done it was 1:30 and the kids were to leave at 2. We had them think about costumes and look at the script for a minute. Then they went home.
I had brought my lunch but I went with Anne and Jade to the fish and chips place down the street. I ate my sandwich and apple then I got chips. After we ate we also got 2 euro soft serve. The soft serve here is really good because it is really creamy. It tastes more like whipped cream or cream you might put in coffee. A lot less milky. Anyway, it was yummy and we head back to start on art.
For art the kids worked on the mosaics again, as well as making beads. A lot of kids weren't there because it was a swimming day. At first we were using the wrong stuff for the ears, but then we finally got the right clay. The rest of the day we made cute, colorful beads to use in our wind chimes, and if didn't use them in the wind chimes we could use them to make jewelry to sell. We are really trying to get money for the clubhouse because the staff would really like to take the kids on more trips. Trips cost a lot of money and have to pay to use the van that they own (lame, but its the rules). THe beading was a bit frustrating, but we (mostly the adults) ended up making some really cool ones.
After crafts it was time to go home. We had to clean up so we got off around 5:15. Before I headed to Diceys to meet up with my friends I went with Anne and Jade to get my ear pierced. I had been wanting to do this for years and it finally was a good time, and a good souvenir. The three of us went and I was a little nervous. After it was done I was super excited about it the rest of the day. I was SOOO glad I got it done. The place was really small and in the middle of the mall. Almost like a kiosk. It was only 8 euro and would have been 6 if I had just gotten the ball instead of the "diamond". I was totally in love with it right after it happened.
I met some new people that I had not known before and hung out with the usually crowd. It was a lot of fun. The guy that gets us into the penthouse every week was there and so was one of his new employees. Towards the end of the night I was trying to teach her how to dance. It was pretty funny since she is a good 5 or so years older than me.
I headed out with my friends and we missed the bus by about 5 minutes. Then waited for what we thought was going to be the bus, but the bus ended up only going to city center (not even close to where we lived) so we had to grab a taxi. I went straight to bed. Or as straight to bed as I tend to go.
Mosaics and Chicken
Monday, July 9th
Another music day was afoot. Unfortunately, Natalie had found out some bad news about a friend and could not stay. We led the group instead for her. We spent the majority of the day writing songs. We worked on one song specifically. Some of them had worked on the lyrics the week before so we cut up the lyrics so they could reorganize them and they could add other lyrics and a chorus. Some of them actually got pretty creative. It took a lot of concentration so we gave them a break. The whole day we had been having trouble with one girl. She does not want to write songs. She wanted to learn the drums, so she was very obstinate.
The break ended after only a couple minutes because this girl and one of the boys were running and jumping on things. We decided to take them into the music room and work on beats with the drums. Each got a drum and either one or two drumsticks. We gave them each a short pattern to play on their drums. It went good off and on but they would lose their beat on purpose or on accident. Needless to say she kept acting up and got kicked out of the club for the rest of the day. We spent more time working on the same songs we started earlier and then sent them home a little early.
Lunch time! I decided to stay in because I was trying to to spend anymore money on food. I just sat and talk to Ivanna for lunch. I had my rice package and an apple.
Marketing time. Today we were making mosaics. We started out by breaking glass bottles with a hammer. Ivanna did most of the work because it was dangerous. We then went upstairs and started the mosaics. I just watched because I wanted all the kids to participate. The glue was pretty hefty and really hard to get off. The end of it I had to create a bandaid because one kid cut himself a little bit. It was ity bity but we still had to put a bandaid on it.
The time after that is Same but different, but we changed what will happen. There was a meeting about a program they are trying to get older kids to do, and what will happen with same but different. We are only doing a mural. We will paint a tree on a wall with Same but different written across it and a stop-motion camera taking pictures the whole time. Then we will ask people to do their hand prints as leaves, and maybe even record them answering a question. It wass all bouncing around ideas.
Afterwards I went with Anne and we met Natalie at Nandos (so much for not spending money. lol). It was as yummy as usual. I got corn and fries with my chicken. I got medium like I did last time. Cameron met up with us there and it was fun. Afterwards I went home and so did they. Unfortunately, I left my phone on the bus and had to do without it all of Tuesday because they only record lost property at 2 pm everyday. The next day was a film day.
Another music day was afoot. Unfortunately, Natalie had found out some bad news about a friend and could not stay. We led the group instead for her. We spent the majority of the day writing songs. We worked on one song specifically. Some of them had worked on the lyrics the week before so we cut up the lyrics so they could reorganize them and they could add other lyrics and a chorus. Some of them actually got pretty creative. It took a lot of concentration so we gave them a break. The whole day we had been having trouble with one girl. She does not want to write songs. She wanted to learn the drums, so she was very obstinate.
The break ended after only a couple minutes because this girl and one of the boys were running and jumping on things. We decided to take them into the music room and work on beats with the drums. Each got a drum and either one or two drumsticks. We gave them each a short pattern to play on their drums. It went good off and on but they would lose their beat on purpose or on accident. Needless to say she kept acting up and got kicked out of the club for the rest of the day. We spent more time working on the same songs we started earlier and then sent them home a little early.
Lunch time! I decided to stay in because I was trying to to spend anymore money on food. I just sat and talk to Ivanna for lunch. I had my rice package and an apple.
Marketing time. Today we were making mosaics. We started out by breaking glass bottles with a hammer. Ivanna did most of the work because it was dangerous. We then went upstairs and started the mosaics. I just watched because I wanted all the kids to participate. The glue was pretty hefty and really hard to get off. The end of it I had to create a bandaid because one kid cut himself a little bit. It was ity bity but we still had to put a bandaid on it.
The time after that is Same but different, but we changed what will happen. There was a meeting about a program they are trying to get older kids to do, and what will happen with same but different. We are only doing a mural. We will paint a tree on a wall with Same but different written across it and a stop-motion camera taking pictures the whole time. Then we will ask people to do their hand prints as leaves, and maybe even record them answering a question. It wass all bouncing around ideas.
Afterwards I went with Anne and we met Natalie at Nandos (so much for not spending money. lol). It was as yummy as usual. I got corn and fries with my chicken. I got medium like I did last time. Cameron met up with us there and it was fun. Afterwards I went home and so did they. Unfortunately, I left my phone on the bus and had to do without it all of Tuesday because they only record lost property at 2 pm everyday. The next day was a film day.
Bus to ferry then home again
Sunday, July 8th
The three of us got up pretty late. I actually woke up pretty early but the bed was comfortable, so I kept letting myself to fall back to sleep. We got up at 10:30, which means we missed the complimentary breakfast that need at 10. It was ok. We got ready, checked out and headed out to find breakfast. We checked one place and they had stopped serving breakfast at 10:30. We ended up finding ourselves at the Skeffington Hotel restaurant. Which is connected to the Skeff (where the pub crawl was), and the "restaurant" is actually in the bar.
I had an Irish breakfast, but a small one. It had a fried egg, fried tomato (which I didn't eat), ham, sausage, black & white pudding, and orange juice. The orange juice had ice in it. It wasn't bad. Just something I wasn't used to. Right after we ate we headed to catch the bus.
The directions to where we were supposed to meet it were a little unclear, so we ended up running to the bus. It was pretty much like the regular Dublin buses, except it had seats instead of benches. The drive was over an hour to get to the ferry, so I took lots of pictures of all the houses I would like to live in. Both Hanna and Lexi fell asleep.
When we arrive at the dock we had to wait for everyone to get off the ferry (because there are only two times to get on the ferry to go to the islands and two to get from the islands). The boat got pretty rocky because of the waves. It was like being on an amusement park ride, except oddly calming. The seats were comfortable and I took plenty of photos, of course.
We decided to get a little food when we first arrived. We went to a cafe near the docks and I got ice cream (strawberry, chocolate, vanilla) with chocolate sauce and tea. This is the first place I've ever tried having milk in my tea. Now, I'm fallen in love with it. I have a cup of tea w/ milk almost every day, and sometimes more than once a day. Anyway, we realized that we only had a little over an hour left before we had to be on the ferry to leave (which is not enough time to really do anything). We ended up taking a carriage tour. Unfortunately, it wasn't very long, but it was a lot of fun.
When we arrived back we didn't have enough time to check out the sweat factory or the "American Bar." We wanted to make sure we got a place on the ferry. The ride back was just as relaxing, and then onto the bus. We got back around 6 and we had to be at our bus at 7. Just enough time for dinner. I had wanted to get a claddagh ring from Galway, since that was where it had originated, but we did not have enough time. We decided to eat at a hotel/pub we had tried to eat at 2 times before.
 |
| our hostel |
I had an Irish breakfast, but a small one. It had a fried egg, fried tomato (which I didn't eat), ham, sausage, black & white pudding, and orange juice. The orange juice had ice in it. It wasn't bad. Just something I wasn't used to. Right after we ate we headed to catch the bus.
The directions to where we were supposed to meet it were a little unclear, so we ended up running to the bus. It was pretty much like the regular Dublin buses, except it had seats instead of benches. The drive was over an hour to get to the ferry, so I took lots of pictures of all the houses I would like to live in. Both Hanna and Lexi fell asleep.
 |
| what the seats looked like |
 |
| Future house...maybe |
When we arrive at the dock we had to wait for everyone to get off the ferry (because there are only two times to get on the ferry to go to the islands and two to get from the islands). The boat got pretty rocky because of the waves. It was like being on an amusement park ride, except oddly calming. The seats were comfortable and I took plenty of photos, of course.
 |
| View from the boat |
We started out in front of the cafe and rode up into the countryside. We saw the smallest church in ireland (from a distance), a lighthouse (from a distance), and a few other "important" places. Our last stop was a graveyard. Small but kind of cool. There was a old church there and a well known headstone.
 |
| The Graveyard |
 |
| The popular headstone |
 |
| The church |
We went in and the restaurant was closed, but they were serving all the food in the pub. It was tuck in time. I wasn't too hungry so I got a small salad and some potato wedges. I also decided to get a drink because we were in a pub. The bartender brought out the cocktail menu because it wasn't busy at the bar. I ended up getting something called a Jager Mint (Jägermeister & Céme de Mente). It was yummy, and the wedges were heavenly. I think I actually ate all of them.
On the bus we got comfortable pretty quickly. In the bus station a guard let me use the bathroom without having to pay the 20p. Yay! I made a friend on the bus, kind of. I couldn't find him on Facebook, but oh well. I've made lots of friends here.
We arrived in Dublin and caught the 1 straight home. We were all sooo tired. It had been an amazing, yet tiring weekend.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Galway Pub Crawl
 |
| My Girls! |
 |
| The beginning of the Pub Crawl :) |
 |
| Our pub crawl wrist bands |
 |
| First free shot- Baby Guinness (Kaluha & Baileys) |
 |
| Our drinks (Lexi, Me, Hanna)- Long Island w/ Pineapple juice, Mojito, Long Island |
 |
| 2nd pub |
 |
| 2nd free shot- tequila and lime |
 |
| 2nd drinks at pub (Me, Lexi)- Black Rum w. Ice, Guinness |
 |
| 3rd Pub |
 |
| 3rd free shot- Sambucca (tastes like black licorice. Blehck!) |
 |
| 2nd drink at pub- Martini in remembrance of my Grandpa Al |
 |
| 4th Pub |
 |
| Last Free Shot- Moonshine! |
Galloping all the way to Galway
Saturday, July 7th
Today is the day I go to Galway (that rhymed. teehee). I woke up to find out I had booked the hostel for the wrong weekend. I made several calls, and booked a hostel for three of us. It was 7 euro more each, but it was the best I could do at the time. After doing that I was a little late meeting Hanna, but we made it to the bus 15 minutes early. The next, almost, 3 hours was spent sleeping and reading.
When we arrived in Galway we ate and just hung around the town. The place we ate at was called Fagan's. It was a pub below a very nice hotel. The service was good and all the waiters were well dressed. They stopped by at least twice to see how our meal was. It is very cute and friendly. Once our friend Lexi got there were booked tickets to Aran Islands(we decided to change out tickets the next day for the evening). Originally we were supposed to leave at noon, and we had asked a ticket lady to print them and she said we had the wrong bus station (she was wrong), but we fixed it. We also checked into our hotel then walked through the dock area because they had been having dock races. It was cute. I ended up buying some cute wool gloves. My hands get cold easily so it is nice to have them. We walked a long the dock and then just sat on a stone wall in the sun. It was lovely.
Then it was time to eat and get ready before the pub crawl. The place we ate had terrible service. They brought out the wrong thing for me. She was rude as well. I don't think I have ever had worse service. Needless to say, I did not take a picture of the menu or restaurant.
Pub Crawl time. We were all so excited. We had heard from others that it was AMAZING and so much fun. It all started at a pub called Skeff. You get little green wristbands and either a Baby Guinness (Kaluha and Baileys) or a Guinness. I ended up getting a mojito as well, but the mint was a little too strong for my liking. It reminded me of catnip. The three of us just hung out at this one. We talked to the two guides and then they brought everyone together before we left for the next pub and played a game. They asked us three questions. 1. What is your favorite color- but describe its personality in three words. 2. What is your favorite animal- but describe it in two words. 3. Describe the ocean in one word. It was really funny in the end because each meant something. 1. Your personality. 2. Your significant other. 3. Your sex life. I will tell you my answers and then add in a few other people's. 1. Love, anger, lust. 2. Camouflage & Mischievous (at least I believe that is what I said). 3. Vast. My original answers (that I didn't say) were a little different. 1. Love, anger, blood (slightly creepy. lol). 2. Stripped & I didn't get a second word so I chose a different animal. 3. Wet. lol. A few people said salty, calm, and open for the third one. One girl said sneaky for the second one. The answers for the first one varied from calm to green. It was great.
The second bars was called Fibbers Magee (or something, I have a picture). There the upper room we were supposed to go to was booked so we just hung out on the very crowded bottom floor. Our free drink at this one was tequila and lime. This surprised me because it is rare to find tequila in a pub. We all took our shots. The music was the right kind of loud and they also did a contest. The person that could drink the black line of a Guinness to the middle of the E in the cup won a free t-shirt. Hanna was so close. She, literally, lost by a hair. It was that small of difference. We took pictures with the guides and learned a new drinking game. Best in pubs. There are only three rules. if someone hits the top edge and bottom edge of your cup you drink. If they only hit the top you both drink. BUT if you pull away and they miss they drink. Very simple but probably a lot harder the longer you are in a pub. I also got a black rum on ice. Simple and not terrible. We all said a quick goodbye outside to one of the guides because he had to go back to the office.
The next pub was Kelly's. Apparently we weren't actually supposed to go there, so they didn't reserve us a table. It was ok though because we still had a lot of fun. We had sambucca (tastes like black licorice). I had had it once before and it just tastes terrible. They had another contest (all the contests you have to pay for but it was only 3 euro 20p. Basically, 2 teams. 5 people on a time. Chugging relay. I stayed out because I can't have beer anyway. My friends' team lost dearly because Hanna would only sip. It was actually rather comical. Man, I love these girls! lol While there I also met some really cool people who were from Galway. We chatted and it was a lot of fun. I had a martini in remembrance of my Grandpa Al because he and my grandmother would have them every evening.
The fourth pub had a name that was in Irish and I couldn't for the life of me remember the name. There we got a shot of moonshine for our drink. It was TERRIBLE. That's probably why it was one of our free drinks. ;) I met a girl that was from London traveling with some people from Scotland. They had come over for the dock races. I didn't realize how popular these dock races are. We just hung out. Took a few photos.
We headed out to our last stop, a club called Karma. We got free admission when it was usually 8-10 euro (depending on whether you got a promoter stamp or not). It was a lot of fun at first. We were dancing and having a great time until this scumbag ruined everything. He comes and pulls me to the edge of the dance floor away from my friends and tries to make out with me. Fortunately, I know how to handle myself, said no, and just kept dancing then joined my friends again. He does the same thing to my friends and even holds his arms so that they are almost restraint us. He did this twice to all three of us. He tried to do it again to my friend and I stepped in front of her. Then, one of the guys from the pub crawl that we had made friends with stepped in front and pushed him away slightly. The guy who was trying to force himself on us was pulled away by his friends. The a security guard came out and pulled Ryan (the guy protecting us) off the floor. I thought it might be because he had a drink in his hand. About 5 minutes later these two big guards come in, lift Ryan up and force him outside. Being the loyal friends that we are we follow him out. we try and talk to someone but no one would listen. They just said they couldn't do anything about it. I even told one of the guards at the door that I knew he couldn't do anything but would he at least listen. Disrespectfully, he said no and actually walked away into the club to get away from me. I wasn't even yelling.
We all met one of the other guys from the group outside. He had been thrown out for wearing shorts. They didn't even give him a stamp to get back in if he did change into pants. So stupid. We all went to Supermacs (like McDonalds) that also had a Papa Johns. We were there until close to 2:30 when we parted ways. We rang the bell for the hostel and crashed. Most of the night had been amazing, but that one last thing had been terrible.
Today is the day I go to Galway (that rhymed. teehee). I woke up to find out I had booked the hostel for the wrong weekend. I made several calls, and booked a hostel for three of us. It was 7 euro more each, but it was the best I could do at the time. After doing that I was a little late meeting Hanna, but we made it to the bus 15 minutes early. The next, almost, 3 hours was spent sleeping and reading.
When we arrived in Galway we ate and just hung around the town. The place we ate at was called Fagan's. It was a pub below a very nice hotel. The service was good and all the waiters were well dressed. They stopped by at least twice to see how our meal was. It is very cute and friendly. Once our friend Lexi got there were booked tickets to Aran Islands(we decided to change out tickets the next day for the evening). Originally we were supposed to leave at noon, and we had asked a ticket lady to print them and she said we had the wrong bus station (she was wrong), but we fixed it. We also checked into our hotel then walked through the dock area because they had been having dock races. It was cute. I ended up buying some cute wool gloves. My hands get cold easily so it is nice to have them. We walked a long the dock and then just sat on a stone wall in the sun. It was lovely.
Then it was time to eat and get ready before the pub crawl. The place we ate had terrible service. They brought out the wrong thing for me. She was rude as well. I don't think I have ever had worse service. Needless to say, I did not take a picture of the menu or restaurant.
Pub Crawl time. We were all so excited. We had heard from others that it was AMAZING and so much fun. It all started at a pub called Skeff. You get little green wristbands and either a Baby Guinness (Kaluha and Baileys) or a Guinness. I ended up getting a mojito as well, but the mint was a little too strong for my liking. It reminded me of catnip. The three of us just hung out at this one. We talked to the two guides and then they brought everyone together before we left for the next pub and played a game. They asked us three questions. 1. What is your favorite color- but describe its personality in three words. 2. What is your favorite animal- but describe it in two words. 3. Describe the ocean in one word. It was really funny in the end because each meant something. 1. Your personality. 2. Your significant other. 3. Your sex life. I will tell you my answers and then add in a few other people's. 1. Love, anger, lust. 2. Camouflage & Mischievous (at least I believe that is what I said). 3. Vast. My original answers (that I didn't say) were a little different. 1. Love, anger, blood (slightly creepy. lol). 2. Stripped & I didn't get a second word so I chose a different animal. 3. Wet. lol. A few people said salty, calm, and open for the third one. One girl said sneaky for the second one. The answers for the first one varied from calm to green. It was great.
The second bars was called Fibbers Magee (or something, I have a picture). There the upper room we were supposed to go to was booked so we just hung out on the very crowded bottom floor. Our free drink at this one was tequila and lime. This surprised me because it is rare to find tequila in a pub. We all took our shots. The music was the right kind of loud and they also did a contest. The person that could drink the black line of a Guinness to the middle of the E in the cup won a free t-shirt. Hanna was so close. She, literally, lost by a hair. It was that small of difference. We took pictures with the guides and learned a new drinking game. Best in pubs. There are only three rules. if someone hits the top edge and bottom edge of your cup you drink. If they only hit the top you both drink. BUT if you pull away and they miss they drink. Very simple but probably a lot harder the longer you are in a pub. I also got a black rum on ice. Simple and not terrible. We all said a quick goodbye outside to one of the guides because he had to go back to the office.
The next pub was Kelly's. Apparently we weren't actually supposed to go there, so they didn't reserve us a table. It was ok though because we still had a lot of fun. We had sambucca (tastes like black licorice). I had had it once before and it just tastes terrible. They had another contest (all the contests you have to pay for but it was only 3 euro 20p. Basically, 2 teams. 5 people on a time. Chugging relay. I stayed out because I can't have beer anyway. My friends' team lost dearly because Hanna would only sip. It was actually rather comical. Man, I love these girls! lol While there I also met some really cool people who were from Galway. We chatted and it was a lot of fun. I had a martini in remembrance of my Grandpa Al because he and my grandmother would have them every evening.
The fourth pub had a name that was in Irish and I couldn't for the life of me remember the name. There we got a shot of moonshine for our drink. It was TERRIBLE. That's probably why it was one of our free drinks. ;) I met a girl that was from London traveling with some people from Scotland. They had come over for the dock races. I didn't realize how popular these dock races are. We just hung out. Took a few photos.
We headed out to our last stop, a club called Karma. We got free admission when it was usually 8-10 euro (depending on whether you got a promoter stamp or not). It was a lot of fun at first. We were dancing and having a great time until this scumbag ruined everything. He comes and pulls me to the edge of the dance floor away from my friends and tries to make out with me. Fortunately, I know how to handle myself, said no, and just kept dancing then joined my friends again. He does the same thing to my friends and even holds his arms so that they are almost restraint us. He did this twice to all three of us. He tried to do it again to my friend and I stepped in front of her. Then, one of the guys from the pub crawl that we had made friends with stepped in front and pushed him away slightly. The guy who was trying to force himself on us was pulled away by his friends. The a security guard came out and pulled Ryan (the guy protecting us) off the floor. I thought it might be because he had a drink in his hand. About 5 minutes later these two big guards come in, lift Ryan up and force him outside. Being the loyal friends that we are we follow him out. we try and talk to someone but no one would listen. They just said they couldn't do anything about it. I even told one of the guards at the door that I knew he couldn't do anything but would he at least listen. Disrespectfully, he said no and actually walked away into the club to get away from me. I wasn't even yelling.
We all met one of the other guys from the group outside. He had been thrown out for wearing shorts. They didn't even give him a stamp to get back in if he did change into pants. So stupid. We all went to Supermacs (like McDonalds) that also had a Papa Johns. We were there until close to 2:30 when we parted ways. We rang the bell for the hostel and crashed. Most of the night had been amazing, but that one last thing had been terrible.
Studio shoot & Pennys
Friday, July 6
I got up and got ready for the shoot. It was pretty easy because there was a make-up artist. I had looked on a map and figured out how to get there the night before, so I had some directions written down. I got on the bus and head over to St. George's St. (where I was meeting the photog and MUA). It was a pretty quick walk. We then went to the photogs friend's house to do my make-up and pick out outfits. The theme was supposed to be vintage, but I think the outfits ended up turning out a little more retro than I was expecting. When I think vintage I think lace and earthy colors, but it was a little more disco, with bright colors. It ended up turning out really cool.
Anyway, we start to do make-up and we're chatting. It is nice to actually have some good conversation running around while I am being made up. I tend to be pretty quite on set, so usually it is pretty quiet while I am getting ready. All three of them kept up a running dialogue. It was a lot of fun.
After I had my make-up on all 4 of us walked over to the studio. It has been a long time since I have shot at a studio. We had the outfits and accessories laid out. I had 3 outfits. We did standing, laying down, and I also sat on green pillows and a black poof. It was an hour and 15 minutes of almost continual action. Some of the photos are going to turn out amazing.
After the shoot I headed over McDonalds to grab a quick lunch. They had flat screen TVs playing music videos and it was chill. The off to to Dawson St. to meet up with Natalie and one of her friends at a coffee shop called Fixx. It was really cute. They had books you could read and a lot of room to sit. Natalie and I headed out with wandering around. We were looking for a earring/piercing place to find Natalie and earring for her tragus. It was actually kind of cute. It's almost like a kiask, but it has a little room for piercing and stuff like that. We found it and hit up a few more shops. We stopped at Penneys. This one was at least 3xs the size that I'm used to going. Half the time I walked around in awe. I got the small backpack I would use in Galway and a few other gifts for people.
Then we went to a pub for dinner. I got a Cesar salad but it had bacon in it. It was bad, just weird because I wasn't used to it. We met two Americans there. One was backpacking around Ireland because he thought it would be the safest country. The other was traveling after his friend's wedding. It had been in Hungary and wanted to take the advantage to travel while he was already over here.
McDonalds was another must after diner. We got twisty fries (what America calls curly fries) and dipped them in a caramel sundae. I dropped the first thing of fries but they were nice and gave us a ne one. Then we had to get another thing of fries. It was fun and goofy.
Then we had to part ways because we go on different buses. I stopped and grabbed a few gifts for people then headed home. I stopped and hung out this friends for about half an hour then I packed for Galway.
I got up and got ready for the shoot. It was pretty easy because there was a make-up artist. I had looked on a map and figured out how to get there the night before, so I had some directions written down. I got on the bus and head over to St. George's St. (where I was meeting the photog and MUA). It was a pretty quick walk. We then went to the photogs friend's house to do my make-up and pick out outfits. The theme was supposed to be vintage, but I think the outfits ended up turning out a little more retro than I was expecting. When I think vintage I think lace and earthy colors, but it was a little more disco, with bright colors. It ended up turning out really cool.
Anyway, we start to do make-up and we're chatting. It is nice to actually have some good conversation running around while I am being made up. I tend to be pretty quite on set, so usually it is pretty quiet while I am getting ready. All three of them kept up a running dialogue. It was a lot of fun.
After I had my make-up on all 4 of us walked over to the studio. It has been a long time since I have shot at a studio. We had the outfits and accessories laid out. I had 3 outfits. We did standing, laying down, and I also sat on green pillows and a black poof. It was an hour and 15 minutes of almost continual action. Some of the photos are going to turn out amazing.
After the shoot I headed over McDonalds to grab a quick lunch. They had flat screen TVs playing music videos and it was chill. The off to to Dawson St. to meet up with Natalie and one of her friends at a coffee shop called Fixx. It was really cute. They had books you could read and a lot of room to sit. Natalie and I headed out with wandering around. We were looking for a earring/piercing place to find Natalie and earring for her tragus. It was actually kind of cute. It's almost like a kiask, but it has a little room for piercing and stuff like that. We found it and hit up a few more shops. We stopped at Penneys. This one was at least 3xs the size that I'm used to going. Half the time I walked around in awe. I got the small backpack I would use in Galway and a few other gifts for people.
Then we went to a pub for dinner. I got a Cesar salad but it had bacon in it. It was bad, just weird because I wasn't used to it. We met two Americans there. One was backpacking around Ireland because he thought it would be the safest country. The other was traveling after his friend's wedding. It had been in Hungary and wanted to take the advantage to travel while he was already over here.
McDonalds was another must after diner. We got twisty fries (what America calls curly fries) and dipped them in a caramel sundae. I dropped the first thing of fries but they were nice and gave us a ne one. Then we had to get another thing of fries. It was fun and goofy.
Then we had to part ways because we go on different buses. I stopped and grabbed a few gifts for people then headed home. I stopped and hung out this friends for about half an hour then I packed for Galway.
Film, Watercolors, and Cornacopia
Thursday, July 5th
I wake up on Natalie's floor (I had missed my bus and stayed with Natalie and Ann). It was actually a pretty good sleep. I got up and got ready for work. Brushed my teeth with my finger, borrow a few other things I needed, and then we headed out to the bus. We got off near city centre and walked the rest of the way. It was about a 20 minute walk. I had to be there because I am supposed to help plan the film camp. Les, the other leader of the camp, was in a meeting, so I didn't have anything to do except work on my blog.
Once the kids got there we started out by watching the video on camera angles again. Then we split into the two groups again to finish the script. One group worked on situations 1-4 (power goes out through before they start telling each other secrets they have kept from one another), and the other group did situations 5-8 (spilling secrets through superheros walking out of building in costume). I'll post the video in a few weeks when it is (hopefully) finished. We finished it!! Well, mostly. I would have to type it up later.
Lunch time! We went with Jade to one of the cafes around where we work. It is blue and closed around 2:30. I got the Irish Breakfast. It was so yummy. It had sausage, a fried egg, beans, and something called white pudding. It probably wasn't actually that good for me. We just chilled for a little while and then when back to relax in the kitchen until all the kids were supposed to get there.
In art today we were doing watercolor. It wasn't just watercolor though, we used crayons first. I drew an eye using blue and green crayons and went over the whole page lightly with varies colors. It was a lot of fun. The kids had a great time. It was amazing some of the pictures the kids came up with. One boy did a zombie that was really cool, and Ann did this beautiful layered design.
After watercolors it was time for Same but Different, but instead we had a going away party for Boxy. He had been coming for years and recently turned 18. The next day he was moving to Canada for the next 6 months. His girlfriend was there and he had not seen her in several months. We chatted, ate jellies, and gave him a card. It was mostly messing but towards the end there was some crying. Everyone cried. I even got emotional and I had only known him for a few weeks.
Ann, Natalie, and I headed out for dinner. We went to a Vegetarian restaurant. For once a restaurant had a listing of what was GLUTEN-FREE. I was shocked and pleased. They even had desserts, beyond ice cream, that I could eat. I just ate a Cesar salad. fruit salad, and a delicious chocolate/raspberry pie thing. Delicious. I had a shoot early the next day, so I headed straight home.
I met up with the girl I was going to Galway with to actually plan our trip that Saturday. We bought our tickets for the bus, pub crawl, and hostel. Then, bed.
I wake up on Natalie's floor (I had missed my bus and stayed with Natalie and Ann). It was actually a pretty good sleep. I got up and got ready for work. Brushed my teeth with my finger, borrow a few other things I needed, and then we headed out to the bus. We got off near city centre and walked the rest of the way. It was about a 20 minute walk. I had to be there because I am supposed to help plan the film camp. Les, the other leader of the camp, was in a meeting, so I didn't have anything to do except work on my blog.
Once the kids got there we started out by watching the video on camera angles again. Then we split into the two groups again to finish the script. One group worked on situations 1-4 (power goes out through before they start telling each other secrets they have kept from one another), and the other group did situations 5-8 (spilling secrets through superheros walking out of building in costume). I'll post the video in a few weeks when it is (hopefully) finished. We finished it!! Well, mostly. I would have to type it up later.
Lunch time! We went with Jade to one of the cafes around where we work. It is blue and closed around 2:30. I got the Irish Breakfast. It was so yummy. It had sausage, a fried egg, beans, and something called white pudding. It probably wasn't actually that good for me. We just chilled for a little while and then when back to relax in the kitchen until all the kids were supposed to get there.
In art today we were doing watercolor. It wasn't just watercolor though, we used crayons first. I drew an eye using blue and green crayons and went over the whole page lightly with varies colors. It was a lot of fun. The kids had a great time. It was amazing some of the pictures the kids came up with. One boy did a zombie that was really cool, and Ann did this beautiful layered design.
After watercolors it was time for Same but Different, but instead we had a going away party for Boxy. He had been coming for years and recently turned 18. The next day he was moving to Canada for the next 6 months. His girlfriend was there and he had not seen her in several months. We chatted, ate jellies, and gave him a card. It was mostly messing but towards the end there was some crying. Everyone cried. I even got emotional and I had only known him for a few weeks.
Ann, Natalie, and I headed out for dinner. We went to a Vegetarian restaurant. For once a restaurant had a listing of what was GLUTEN-FREE. I was shocked and pleased. They even had desserts, beyond ice cream, that I could eat. I just ate a Cesar salad. fruit salad, and a delicious chocolate/raspberry pie thing. Delicious. I had a shoot early the next day, so I headed straight home.
I met up with the girl I was going to Galway with to actually plan our trip that Saturday. We bought our tickets for the bus, pub crawl, and hostel. Then, bed.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Celebrating the 4th!!!
Wednesday, July 4th
Today is another day I'm not really leading. I was able to come in a little later (thank goodness). It started out with more music stuff. They review the music theory we had learned the first day then a volunteer came in and helped them make instruments. They made drums with tape and tubes then they made shakers with coffee and balloons. It was really hard to get them organized and it was almost painful to listen to. In elementary school and middle school I was a percussionist (I played drums). Listening to them butcher a beat and not work together was, well, painful. After that was all over we still had time and broke up into groups to work on lyrics again. We spent the last 40 minutes trying to get them to write lyrics. It was really hard to get them to write their own lyrics.
Today we went out to the food gallery again and I just got a chai. It was....ok, BUT it was pretty much milk with a little syrup and lists of foam. I had brought my lunch so I ate it when we got back. It was so deliciously sunny that I sat outside with Natalie. She read on her nook as I ate. It never gets that sunny around here. Especially around lunch time.
We get back and it is time to work on brands stuff. Some of the kids are off at hip hop so we kind of start over. We have them come up with a name, name it all pretty, and create a logo. It was pretty lax and chill. One girl who was there was 11. She is very tall for her age, but definitely an 11 year old. She kept having us say things because we say it a lot differently than she does. It was kind of cute, but annoying at the same time. After that was another same but different day.
We made a list of what we were going to do, and how we were going to do it. Boxy was there and so was Jade. They weren't very helpful though. We basically just hung out until clock out time at 7. The three of us interns decided that in celebration of the 4th we would go get burgers. We went to a place called the Gourmet Burger Kitchen. It was fabulous. I got a salad and a hamburger made with Irish aged cheddar cheese. It was sooooo good. I also got a milkshake and it created chaos. To explain; in California they have In-N-Out. At In-N-Out they have milkshakes that have chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice-cream. This sounded really good to me so I asked if they could possibly make it. The waiter seem confused and at first but said they could make it. Later in the meal one of the other waiters came over and asked if I wanted to syrups in it as well. I didn't now these shakes were made with syrups. He said if I wanted the syrups in it it would taste like "muck", his word not mine. He seemed a little distraught and I told him to just use the ice creams and not the syrups. He bring it out and said it doesn't actually smell too bad. Smell? I wasn't expecting that. Later on I am going downstair to the bathroom, a lot of the places have bathrooms downstairs in Dublin. I bumped into him and he apologized, then he looked and me said "milkshake" and chuckled. I come back to the table laughing because the whole situation was so odd.
That was not the only funny thing that happened there. Before the whole milkshake incident my friend Ann had ordered a coke. The same milkshake guy came out looking distraught and told her the machine for the coke wasn't working, could he get her anything else. She said no, that it was ok. He asked again and she said the same thing. As he hurried off he said under his breath (but it was really loud) "Oh, Shit!" Like he was going to get in trouble for it. He ended up bringing her one further into the meal.
On last short funny thing happened while we were there. If you order two burgers you can get two beers for only 5 euro when it is normal 4.50 each. So, she decided to get them. I can't drink them and Ann didn't want them so both were Natalie's. At one point one of the waitresses comes by to talk to us (I don't remember why) and Natalie mentions that both drinks are hers. The girl goes "Oh Are you going to be ok?" After reassuring her about three times she tells us that she doesn't know anything about alcohol because she didn't drink. We all laughed.
It was around 9 when we got done eating, and I didn't think I could find my friends who were doing a pub crawl so the three of us decided to try a new pub that may actually have some Irish people in it. We went to Kehoes. There weren't that many people there, but we decided to go to the upper lounge to check it out. We ended up spending the whole evening talking to the bartender. He was 21 and had been bar tending since he was 15 (sooooo not legal, but it was about 6 years too late). He was fun to talk to and I think we were entertaining him pretty well. He let us pick some of the music, because he DJed for the entire bar on an iPod. Well, he let us pick because we were adorable and wanted to listen to something a little more focused on America. Needless to say I was acting pretty comical that night because I had a high level of endorphins running through me due to the amazingly sunny day. I was silly and maybe a little ridiculous, but Ann and Natalie got to see my dorky side that night, I get it from my dad.
At about 11:18 I run out and try to find my bus. It doesn't take long to find out that I missed it. Seriously? There was no way I was going to pay 20 euro for a taxi so I called Natalie, their bus leaves later. Apparently, the bartender laugh when I said I missed my bus. So, I caught up with them and end up sleeping on Natalie's floor. Fortunately, her friend was leaving at about 3 am for Paris and let me use her duvet and pill. I actually slept pretty well. I was able to borrow a shirt and a few little things for the next day.
Overall, it may not have been a 4th of July focused on AMURICA, but it was one to remember :)
Today is another day I'm not really leading. I was able to come in a little later (thank goodness). It started out with more music stuff. They review the music theory we had learned the first day then a volunteer came in and helped them make instruments. They made drums with tape and tubes then they made shakers with coffee and balloons. It was really hard to get them organized and it was almost painful to listen to. In elementary school and middle school I was a percussionist (I played drums). Listening to them butcher a beat and not work together was, well, painful. After that was all over we still had time and broke up into groups to work on lyrics again. We spent the last 40 minutes trying to get them to write lyrics. It was really hard to get them to write their own lyrics.
Today we went out to the food gallery again and I just got a chai. It was....ok, BUT it was pretty much milk with a little syrup and lists of foam. I had brought my lunch so I ate it when we got back. It was so deliciously sunny that I sat outside with Natalie. She read on her nook as I ate. It never gets that sunny around here. Especially around lunch time.
We get back and it is time to work on brands stuff. Some of the kids are off at hip hop so we kind of start over. We have them come up with a name, name it all pretty, and create a logo. It was pretty lax and chill. One girl who was there was 11. She is very tall for her age, but definitely an 11 year old. She kept having us say things because we say it a lot differently than she does. It was kind of cute, but annoying at the same time. After that was another same but different day.
We made a list of what we were going to do, and how we were going to do it. Boxy was there and so was Jade. They weren't very helpful though. We basically just hung out until clock out time at 7. The three of us interns decided that in celebration of the 4th we would go get burgers. We went to a place called the Gourmet Burger Kitchen. It was fabulous. I got a salad and a hamburger made with Irish aged cheddar cheese. It was sooooo good. I also got a milkshake and it created chaos. To explain; in California they have In-N-Out. At In-N-Out they have milkshakes that have chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice-cream. This sounded really good to me so I asked if they could possibly make it. The waiter seem confused and at first but said they could make it. Later in the meal one of the other waiters came over and asked if I wanted to syrups in it as well. I didn't now these shakes were made with syrups. He said if I wanted the syrups in it it would taste like "muck", his word not mine. He seemed a little distraught and I told him to just use the ice creams and not the syrups. He bring it out and said it doesn't actually smell too bad. Smell? I wasn't expecting that. Later on I am going downstair to the bathroom, a lot of the places have bathrooms downstairs in Dublin. I bumped into him and he apologized, then he looked and me said "milkshake" and chuckled. I come back to the table laughing because the whole situation was so odd.
That was not the only funny thing that happened there. Before the whole milkshake incident my friend Ann had ordered a coke. The same milkshake guy came out looking distraught and told her the machine for the coke wasn't working, could he get her anything else. She said no, that it was ok. He asked again and she said the same thing. As he hurried off he said under his breath (but it was really loud) "Oh, Shit!" Like he was going to get in trouble for it. He ended up bringing her one further into the meal.
On last short funny thing happened while we were there. If you order two burgers you can get two beers for only 5 euro when it is normal 4.50 each. So, she decided to get them. I can't drink them and Ann didn't want them so both were Natalie's. At one point one of the waitresses comes by to talk to us (I don't remember why) and Natalie mentions that both drinks are hers. The girl goes "Oh Are you going to be ok?" After reassuring her about three times she tells us that she doesn't know anything about alcohol because she didn't drink. We all laughed.
It was around 9 when we got done eating, and I didn't think I could find my friends who were doing a pub crawl so the three of us decided to try a new pub that may actually have some Irish people in it. We went to Kehoes. There weren't that many people there, but we decided to go to the upper lounge to check it out. We ended up spending the whole evening talking to the bartender. He was 21 and had been bar tending since he was 15 (sooooo not legal, but it was about 6 years too late). He was fun to talk to and I think we were entertaining him pretty well. He let us pick some of the music, because he DJed for the entire bar on an iPod. Well, he let us pick because we were adorable and wanted to listen to something a little more focused on America. Needless to say I was acting pretty comical that night because I had a high level of endorphins running through me due to the amazingly sunny day. I was silly and maybe a little ridiculous, but Ann and Natalie got to see my dorky side that night, I get it from my dad.
At about 11:18 I run out and try to find my bus. It doesn't take long to find out that I missed it. Seriously? There was no way I was going to pay 20 euro for a taxi so I called Natalie, their bus leaves later. Apparently, the bartender laugh when I said I missed my bus. So, I caught up with them and end up sleeping on Natalie's floor. Fortunately, her friend was leaving at about 3 am for Paris and let me use her duvet and pill. I actually slept pretty well. I was able to borrow a shirt and a few little things for the next day.
Overall, it may not have been a 4th of July focused on AMURICA, but it was one to remember :)
CLOSED and a night of fun
Tuesday, July 3rd
The day started out pretty rough. I was super tired because I had stayed up too late. I ended up hitting snooze on my alarm and got up an hour after I was supposed to. What made it worse was that this was the day I was supposed to late a camp. The camp I help lead is a film making camp. Fortunately, Les had done it about a million times and only needed to talk to me for about 5 seconds. He has made and been in quite a few films.
It started out pretty simple. He made them watch a video about camera angles and focus twice, but this time they were very jittery. Then we broke up into to groups and write two plots. My group decided bombs war a good idea. In summary the plot goes as follows:
The kids get locked into the clubhouse because the power goes out and the doors are electric. While looking for something to eat one of the kids wanders into the music room and bumps into something. It was a BOMB and it started counting down from 30 minutes. A flashback happens to explain that the clubhouse was bunker back in WWII and for that reason the windows are bullet-proof as well. Chaos ensues and they can't figure out how to get out of the building. They can't use their cell phones because they aren't allowed in the clubhouse. Secrets start to pour out. Some are embarrassing/funny while others are sad. They give up and huddle under the tables preparing to be blasted into bits. Then the bond is a dud.
The other group just spent their time coming up with characters there were 5 superheros (goodies) and 5 villains (baddies). The villains all had weird weaknesses like cheese or music. In the end we combined the stories. You may ask how that is possible and it is easier than it sounds.
Basically, instead of the bomb being a dud it actually is a secret project that gives people super powers. So they all get powers. Some want to protect the world but some want to take over the world. It ends with them all walking out in costume. Very cute. We will see how it all turns out.
After this it was lunch time, my favorite our of the day. Today we went to a place called the "Food Gallery". I was cute but I couldn't eat anything there. I went to the fish and chips place done the street and got some garlic cheesy chips. Soo... yummy. They were all I ate for lunch, but they were soo filling and rich that I didn't need anything else. We went back and got ready for the art camp.
Today was a stamp making day. I ended up talking to Les the whole day. We started talking about the camp and then got on to what I need to see in Ireland. He grew up close to the apartments we live in, so he's an old Dubliner. He names off a bunch of places I need to see, and pubs I need to stop at. I asked him to give me a list, so hopefully he'll make one. I went and helped with the stamps for a little while but I wasn't really needed, so I talked to him again.
This was our early day, so we get off a little earlier. I decided to head home and try and grab the stuff I needed from Penney's WELL I found out the hard way that all of the OMNI closes at 6 and I got there after 6 :( No luck for me. I walked home and was pretty tired, so I took a little break. Ate dine, watched a short TV show and headed out the the usual Dicey's 2 euro drink night. It was fun. I had a little bit of a rough start to my day but it was great seeing everyone. I had been sick the whole week before, and didn't hang out with anyone. After another good night we headed home early, so we could actually catch the bus for once. It was to bed I went almost straight away.
The day started out pretty rough. I was super tired because I had stayed up too late. I ended up hitting snooze on my alarm and got up an hour after I was supposed to. What made it worse was that this was the day I was supposed to late a camp. The camp I help lead is a film making camp. Fortunately, Les had done it about a million times and only needed to talk to me for about 5 seconds. He has made and been in quite a few films.
It started out pretty simple. He made them watch a video about camera angles and focus twice, but this time they were very jittery. Then we broke up into to groups and write two plots. My group decided bombs war a good idea. In summary the plot goes as follows:
The kids get locked into the clubhouse because the power goes out and the doors are electric. While looking for something to eat one of the kids wanders into the music room and bumps into something. It was a BOMB and it started counting down from 30 minutes. A flashback happens to explain that the clubhouse was bunker back in WWII and for that reason the windows are bullet-proof as well. Chaos ensues and they can't figure out how to get out of the building. They can't use their cell phones because they aren't allowed in the clubhouse. Secrets start to pour out. Some are embarrassing/funny while others are sad. They give up and huddle under the tables preparing to be blasted into bits. Then the bond is a dud.
The other group just spent their time coming up with characters there were 5 superheros (goodies) and 5 villains (baddies). The villains all had weird weaknesses like cheese or music. In the end we combined the stories. You may ask how that is possible and it is easier than it sounds.
Basically, instead of the bomb being a dud it actually is a secret project that gives people super powers. So they all get powers. Some want to protect the world but some want to take over the world. It ends with them all walking out in costume. Very cute. We will see how it all turns out.
After this it was lunch time, my favorite our of the day. Today we went to a place called the "Food Gallery". I was cute but I couldn't eat anything there. I went to the fish and chips place done the street and got some garlic cheesy chips. Soo... yummy. They were all I ate for lunch, but they were soo filling and rich that I didn't need anything else. We went back and got ready for the art camp.
Today was a stamp making day. I ended up talking to Les the whole day. We started talking about the camp and then got on to what I need to see in Ireland. He grew up close to the apartments we live in, so he's an old Dubliner. He names off a bunch of places I need to see, and pubs I need to stop at. I asked him to give me a list, so hopefully he'll make one. I went and helped with the stamps for a little while but I wasn't really needed, so I talked to him again.
This was our early day, so we get off a little earlier. I decided to head home and try and grab the stuff I needed from Penney's WELL I found out the hard way that all of the OMNI closes at 6 and I got there after 6 :( No luck for me. I walked home and was pretty tired, so I took a little break. Ate dine, watched a short TV show and headed out the the usual Dicey's 2 euro drink night. It was fun. I had a little bit of a rough start to my day but it was great seeing everyone. I had been sick the whole week before, and didn't hang out with anyone. After another good night we headed home early, so we could actually catch the bus for once. It was to bed I went almost straight away.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
MAN EATING CHICKEN
Monday, July 2nd
Today we start all the camps. We start an hour earlier than we normally do, and then work until 7 on Mondays and Wednesadays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays we only go until 5pm. Which is really nice. I was the first one here, right before our supervisor got here. We were starting out with the music making camp. I wasn't leading it, but it was tough to make the kids pay attention. We had tot each them about reading music so they can actually write it later on. Each camp is 2 hours. They all lost attention pretty early on. We survived, and I think they actually enjoyed it in the end. Even with all the complaining. They left and we finally got our lunch. We all stayed in and just ate what we brought with us in the kitchen. I was in a need of some fruit so Ann and I walked to a convenience store and got some snacks. I also got ice cream, of course. Here "Smarties" (the type of push pop I got) is a chocolate brand. It is like M&Ms, but there have M&Ms here as well.
The second groups is called "Battle of the Brands." In it the children first make up a company, a logo, and a slogan for crafts they are going to sell. After they make these they are going to make things to sell (painted flower pots, etc). We only had about 5 kids for this camp (though it seems to change every day). One girl in particular worked really hard. She was super creative and adorable. It ended and it was time to start "Same but Different."
No one showed up so we just hung out with one of the girls who used to come to the club. We learned all about the different popular bands in Ireland. We learned about One Direction, Jedward, Westlife, and Cher Lloyd. Some were good, but others were ehh....
Afterwards the three of us girl interns decided to just hang out because I wasn't ready to go home yet (the sun messes me up so much). We found a food place called "Nandos." You can check it out at: http://www.nandosrestaurant.ie/. They serve something called PERi-PERi Chicken. It was the best chicken I had ever had. We had a great talk with our waitress, got free extra fries, and ate the most moist chicken I have ever had. After that I went with Natalie and one of her other friends to the International Bar. We listened to some really good musicians and a poet. The I went home and hung out with some friends for about an hour. Then I went to bed because it was after midnight.
Today we start all the camps. We start an hour earlier than we normally do, and then work until 7 on Mondays and Wednesadays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays we only go until 5pm. Which is really nice. I was the first one here, right before our supervisor got here. We were starting out with the music making camp. I wasn't leading it, but it was tough to make the kids pay attention. We had tot each them about reading music so they can actually write it later on. Each camp is 2 hours. They all lost attention pretty early on. We survived, and I think they actually enjoyed it in the end. Even with all the complaining. They left and we finally got our lunch. We all stayed in and just ate what we brought with us in the kitchen. I was in a need of some fruit so Ann and I walked to a convenience store and got some snacks. I also got ice cream, of course. Here "Smarties" (the type of push pop I got) is a chocolate brand. It is like M&Ms, but there have M&Ms here as well.
The second groups is called "Battle of the Brands." In it the children first make up a company, a logo, and a slogan for crafts they are going to sell. After they make these they are going to make things to sell (painted flower pots, etc). We only had about 5 kids for this camp (though it seems to change every day). One girl in particular worked really hard. She was super creative and adorable. It ended and it was time to start "Same but Different."
No one showed up so we just hung out with one of the girls who used to come to the club. We learned all about the different popular bands in Ireland. We learned about One Direction, Jedward, Westlife, and Cher Lloyd. Some were good, but others were ehh....
Afterwards the three of us girl interns decided to just hang out because I wasn't ready to go home yet (the sun messes me up so much). We found a food place called "Nandos." You can check it out at: http://www.nandosrestaurant.ie/. They serve something called PERi-PERi Chicken. It was the best chicken I had ever had. We had a great talk with our waitress, got free extra fries, and ate the most moist chicken I have ever had. After that I went with Natalie and one of her other friends to the International Bar. We listened to some really good musicians and a poet. The I went home and hung out with some friends for about an hour. Then I went to bed because it was after midnight.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Photo shoot day
Sunday, July 1st
Yay! We're in July. I have about a month left, and only hope I can get everything done that I want to. Well, today was the day of my photo shoot. I started talking to the photographer about Thursday or Friday. He had had a cancelation and was looking for someone to shoot. Knowing me I couldn't pass up the opportunity. He is a fabulous photographer that really understand about the most important things in photography; light, focus, and angle. The only bad thing was that I had to get up at 6 am.
To tell you a little bit about him: He does photography in his spare time and works as a stage manager for a TV studio. He has been married for 4 years and has two really young kids. He loves photography and would love to do it as a career (which is the same way I feel about modeling).
So the shoot today was supposed to be pretty natural. It was done in a park, but the parks here are not really parks. They are almost nature preserves. They are huge and we even saw deer out today. After natural images we were to take a few high fashion images as well.
The day started out pretty well. I got ready pretty quickly, and it was easy to get out of bed. I even had a little time to eat before I left. On the way to the park we were meeting at I got a little lost. See, I was walking there and the walk took about 40 minutes. I miss understood the directions I had written compared to the map I remembered looking at. I was about 15 minutes late because I went completely out of my way.
 |
| Found this photo on Google. It is not my property. There weren't tat many deer when we were there. |
When I did make it to the park we found out it was actually closed, so we drove over to the park we had originally planned on going to. We had decided against it at first because I could not figure out how to get there, since my only form of transportation is by bus. When we arrived there the shoot started. It started out pretty well but the wind was numbing, so I had to keep putting on my jacket, and the mitts (slang for mittens) he brought for me, due to the fact that I don't have any and can't find any here, between shooting areas. He got the natural photos he wanted within an hour, so we took a few higher fashion ones. He was very considerate and did everything he could to not offend me. He even apologized for moving my hair.
We were trying to figure out how I was going to get home. The traffic was so light he drove me to a place that was only a 15 minute walk from my apartment. Of course, this was after there was some miss communication about where I lived. Many of the names of streets are also names of areas in Dublin. I told that I lived near Ballymun when i should have said Ballymun Rd. One of them is in a different part of Dublin than the other. Very different.
I've been home for a few hours and have just been watching TV and downloading photos. I am tired from getting up so early after so little sleep. I'm also a little sore from the walk today, walking around a lot yesterday, and my workout the day before yesterday. I have no idea what else I am going to do today, but I think it may mostly be just relaxing since I have work tomorrow. We start the summer camps. We will be doing Song writing, crafts, and a little program called "Same But Different."
Off to the Races!
Saturday, June 30th
Today was the day I went with my roomies to the horse races. I had never been before, so I was really excited. We got all dressed up in our dresses and floppy hats. We walked to the bus, did a bus transfer, and then got on the train. After we arrived in Kildare there was a courtesy bus to the track. The walk from the bus to the track was pretty long, and not heel friendly. I was really glad I wore my comfortable heels.
Oh, the outfits we saw. Everyone was dressed to the nines. It made me feel under dressed. There were beautiful hair pieces and very fancy heels. It was spectacular. Throughout the day it rained periodically. The sun would come out, but it was pretty windy the while time. I found it kind of ironic that everyone in their amazing outfits ate tapas and fried food, and beer in cans of cups.
The Arena was HUGE. for both the horses the the spectators. Watching was a lot of fun. After every race almost the whole crowd would leave the stands to either get their winnings or bet on another race (there were 8 races in all).
My roommates bet on most of the races, and it was fun to join in with their victories. There was one in particular where they bet on the winner, not just whether the horse placed or not.
At the end of the races (they went from 3:40-7:40) there was a free concert. It was ok, but we only stayed for three songs. We made sure to take plenty more pictures on the way out, though.
Oh, the outfits we saw. Everyone was dressed to the nines. It made me feel under dressed. There were beautiful hair pieces and very fancy heels. It was spectacular. Throughout the day it rained periodically. The sun would come out, but it was pretty windy the while time. I found it kind of ironic that everyone in their amazing outfits ate tapas and fried food, and beer in cans of cups.
The Arena was HUGE. for both the horses the the spectators. Watching was a lot of fun. After every race almost the whole crowd would leave the stands to either get their winnings or bet on another race (there were 8 races in all).
My roommates bet on most of the races, and it was fun to join in with their victories. There was one in particular where they bet on the winner, not just whether the horse placed or not.
 |
| Their winning and the betting booklet when Probably won. |
From the track we got back on the bus, then train, then two other buses to get home. We were pretty cold, because after a few days of over 70 degrees (a rarity in Ireland) the wind had been FREEZING! After we got home (the train and the buses together probably took an hour and a half) I took a hot hot shower and got my clothes ready for the next day. I had a photo shoot the next day and needed to get up at 6 am. It was a very fun day. Though, next time I go to horse races (which I will) I am going on days when it is warm. Guess that means no more horse races while I'm here in Dublin. Oh well, it just means I have to go to some in California :)
 |
| One more Floppy hat picture just because :D |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)