A short one. Relatively speaking.

Things I love about Ireland:

-The funny expressions Irish people use, like jeepers creepers and super-de-duper. And grande, of course.

-They drink tea. All the friggin time.  Eimear took Siomha, Mike, and I out for tea at the Merrion Hotel. A little welcome for the Trinity kids. The hotel was absolutely beautiful...can't wait to bring my momma.

-Irish boys
a) they don't run in the other direction, screaming, when you mention that you have a boyfriend. No they do not. In fact, they continue to buy you drinks, and then invite you out again the next night. And they say "we should hang out sober! Do you like concerts? Do you watch madmen?" How delightful.

b) they LIKE that I'm weird. The louder I laugh (ahem, NORAH), the more honest I am, and the more silly things I say, the more they say "this one's a keeper!" American guys (ok, MOST american guys. like...the american guys that go to notre dame and don't do theatre) look terrified of me when I act myself, so I always end up quieting myself or acting more "normal."

Free drinks? Yes please. 

-Irish women say "lovely!" all the time and are fantastic conversationalists. at least some of them are.

-Plough and the stars...I saw the play the other night at the Abbey theatre. It was wonderful. I've never seen such fantastic acting in my life. One of the lead females, Norah, was especially impressive. I didn't know a person could completely transform on stage like that. In the first act, she was a beautiful perfectionist. In the second act, she had lost everything, and she wasn't keeping quiet about it. When the second act begins, her husband has left her to join the volunteer army. she is screaming, she is sobbing, she is covered in blood and dirt. When she miscarries her child (because her husband threw her to the ground... heartbreaking), she goes mad. I've never seen someone play such a range of emotions, and so brilliantly.  It made me want to take acting classes at Trinity.

-the O'Connell house staff likes me. Especially the Irish ones (Eimear and Kevin). Kevin said I had a "wonderful spirit" and my personality is "very Irish."

My friends Walker and Caroline at Messers. 

Things I don't love so much about Ireland: 

-the skinny men that look like gremlins that might attack you if you aren't careful.

-popped collars, gelled hair, and track suits.

-the painfully sophisticated and stylish women (but only south of the liffey...) that make me feel painfully unsophisticated and unstylish.

-it's an island. thus, you have to fly to travel anywhere. and ryanair flights aren't 12 euro anymore. They're more like 90.

-the diet consists of carbs and dairy. So...my diet is starting to consist of carbs and dairy. I'm working at the O'Connell house a few hours a week (what a perfect job!) and the O'Connell house always puts out lots of bread and butter and digestives (mmmm) and tea with WHOLE milk. So what do I eat all day long? I'm trying not to. I swear. I just went grocery shopping and got fat free milk and brown rice and green beans and chicken. So there.

-it's a different country. And therefore, everything is different. I know that sounds silly and obvious. But it's not. It's the little things that get ya homesick. And even though I'm having fun, I'm also missing my family, my friends, my Kevin, my life back home.

-The Trinity launderette is terrifying. You have to go through three dark, narrow, sharp-cornered alleyways (so narrow that literally only ONE person can walk through them at a time)...I was very afraid for my life. Only doing laundry in the middle of the day.



Alright, I have to go. I'm on my way to a pub-crawl with all the Notre Dame kids. Tomorrow morning I'm headed to Howth with my friend Caroline...I'll let you know how our adventures there pan out.

Slainte,
Clare Mairead