Serious study and not-so-serious romance
On the topic of seriousness: It might be lacking at times but it is absolutely inevitable if success at Trinity is the aim. Things might look, feel and even smell like a dance on valleys of roses but there in the end it is only hard work that will pull you through. Reason for these words of wisdom: two weeks until exams. Gah!
Reasons for gasp: four hours of studying Business... yawn.
Reason for yawn: yawn.
It's been a good but relatively studyish week.
Monday held hours in the library and boxing. I'm pondering over my Sociology essay.. I'm writing on different theories of the masculin dominance in society, mainly Marxist theories and it really is rather interesting but "How do you wright an essay in University in Ireland!?".. hm, a question that needs answering..
I didn't do very well in boxing, mind distracted.. not a good move in boxing, aouch.
Tuesday was actually rather lovely... I didn't have soccer so I was home early and then I actually had a... humdidum... date. You can spare your questions (if you have any) cause I'm not gonna answer them I just wanted to point out that even single girls have a little romance... and a quite nice time... *cheeky smile...
Wednesday; More boxing and attempted studying...
Thursday: Hang out at Naomi's and Fia's for hours, had exquisit broccoli-cheese pasta made by Naomi and dessert from Fia's café. Then off to the Celt; hugged by ambiance, music warmth and friends; the Celt will always be my Dublin haven... providing a break from life, the universe and everything.
College, then Tesco (grocery shopping) and four hours of studying business constituted the first part of my Friday. Now I'm off to make meatballs for Naomi and Fia. A night in over movies, meatballs, popcorn, gossip and Bailey's is the plan. Heavon is a place nearby.. Tomorrow's football tournament makes for an easy night tonight...
On the matter of nothing: I have to work on my pokerface.
By the way: Travelling parents; stay away from Marijhuana, maffia and dodgy lambchops.. and Enjoy!!!
MT Week 6
Life's picked up the pace since I last wrote. I didn't think it was possible but now time is moving in f(x)=3x^7 or whatever power function you can think of. I am tremendously happy but sometimes I just have to sit down, close my eyes for ten seconds and breath.. just breath.. "Suck in the air!" as my boxing coach says it.
Monday held just boxing. I went back to the boxing gym for the first time and sparred against the coach. It was really fun! Right now we are two girls in the boxing club and about 40 or so boys.. intriguing. We'll see how it goes. The other girl (Yvette ) is lovely so we'll train together. I hope to go my first fight sometime in January (now don't gasp too much, girls don't punch too hard and I will be no Million Dollar Baby). But it made my day that the coach thought I was good (he even said I was fit haha!). Took an easy night and tended my bruises (again joke haha).
Tuesday was football practice and studying. Wanted to save up time, energy and money because both Regina and Maria was over visiting this weekend. Great craic! I'll get back to that.
Woke up Wednesday to awful, Irish rain.. pouring down. Studied all morning and then went into College to play Maynooth in the first game of the University Cup. Very important game. It was a semi-fun game in the rain but I played okay and we won 4-0. Not too bad after all. That means we are now in the quarter final.
I went home for changing and showering and then back in again to meet up with Regina at the Celt. Great to have her over!!! And to see her in her right backdrop at the Celt. Smiling like a sun and with the whole room's attention. It is a shame she had to move back to Switzerland right before I moved over. We had a great night at the Celt with Anja and Marina, good old gang back together.
Thursday was long and tiring as Thursdays are here. But Maria coming over was a big plus. We made spaghetti Bolognese and caught up on old times. Then of course off to the Celt with a good crowd. I almost have to start keeping the Celt a secret, cause once you brought someone along for a Thursday it's hard to ever loose them. As it is now it's almost hard to hear the music. But of course good too. Conor was there and the whole Hounds of Chulainn, Regina, Maria.. just like passed times a year ago and I enjoyed it. Maria and I had ourselves a bit of a dance at Doyles on the way home. Another "local"; it's getting fairly obvious which my favourite bars are...
Friday I was dead tired after a busy week.. Maria and I went to the Pav for the usual Friday hang-out and people joined one after the other after their last lecture. After a while we were a good bunch of friends.. Really nice tradition, so relaxing, just very, very nice. It came to a good few hours.
We were all quite knackered so Hanna, Maria, Jenny, Christine and I decided to take a night in. We got some nice Friday food at Dunnes and settled for a traditional Swedish Friday dinner; tacos! Haven't had tacos since I came and it was lovely. Then we watched Constant Gardner (God, I love that movie!) and thus all was well.
Saturday I spent a good few hours over Math. It is difficult. I recognize some stuff from Math C in Hersby but that was one and a half years ago and this is much more complicated. I will make it but it will take some serious work. It's not helping that most of the Irish already did this in high school and therefore the teacher is going fast as crazy. Amandine, my Belgian friend, comforted me by saying that the stuff (Differentiation) we're doing this week they took 3 months learning in high school. Don't know if that is comforting or not?
Well, Maria and I went into town and we caught half an hour of the boxing championship that's on in Trinity this weekend. Barry, Conor's brother was fighting for UCD and we got to see him win. Then Maria went off to meet up a friend and I met up with Conor over coffee. Got to see his new teeth; he can take them out and put them back in again. Very fascinating!
Saturday night was the last night of the big Fresher's theatre production that the theatre society puts up every year so a bunch of us arranged to go see it. I met up with my friend Pranesh and we defeated the rain to go see the Co-op as it's called. Really good comedy, everyone are beginners and there is a lot of improvisation and hilarious, unexpected sketches. I laughed my head off when suddenly, in the middle of a scene this guy walks on in nothing but a towel and says "I was just looking for the showers, have anyone seen them?"
The Co-op was on until rather late and afterwards all of us headed to Doyles. We had a great night! Good crowd, good friends, good music... the only down was me falling down the stairs to the bathroom. This was before I had a single beer! Tried and failed heals one might say. It came to quite a late night..
Sunday morning was throbbing and rainy. I did laundry and drank a lot of water. I went into College to catch some of the finals in the boxing and then I had soccer practice. Met up with Regina to say goodbye, she's leaving tomorrow, and then went grocery shopping (very much needed). Now I have some more maths to do and practice my presentation for tomorrows Business seminar. I am very tired...
Tomorrow is Monday.
Yesterday they turned on the Christmas lights at Grafton Street. It is very pretty. They tell me that I will see you all in not to long.
First goal of the season (in more ways than one)
I did try very hard. I spent Monday-Wednesday nose-in-book, only pausing for cleaning, seeing Naomi and Fia, grocery shopping and excercising. I also got a fair bit done.
Tuesday held the second soccer game of the season and I'd looked forward to it quite a bit. After the first game's "fiasko" I had high hopes for the team. I knew we could do better. And we sure did! 3-0 victory on the Trinity pitch in the middle of campus was sweet. Oh sweet, sweet victory. I scored the first goal, also Trinity's first goal of the season and the whole team played marvelously. It was so much fun to play! And the team is such a good group of people. Afterwards a bunch of us went to the Pav to celebrate the victory. The coach bought me beer as the first scorer of the season and we had a good laugh. Continued to Doyles for more laugh and another beer before heading home just in time to get a quick meal and then change to go to UCD for my friend Sophia's "21'st birthdayparty". Actually her birthday was months ago but I guess we needed a good cause to celebrate. After geting abit lost at UCD's enourmus campus we finally found the flat and the party within. It was a good crowd of people and we had a good craic playing drinking games and singing along to the "troubadour" (a.k.a. guy with guitarr).
We continued the night with a very loud busride into town and Citi Bar where we meet up with some TCD friends. All in all a darn good day.
Wednesday held careful preparation for my mum's arrival. Cleaning, laundry and grocery shopping and just for the fun of it, some studying. After a well deserved run I went into town for a drink at Doyles with Naomi and then to meet my mum. My mum!! Lovely, lovely, lovely to se my lovely mum again! It's only been one and a half months but you know the deal.. mum is mum. I had such a nice time in the taxi back to Halls, pointing at everything going: "Mum look there's my college/ favourite pub/ grocery store/ post office/ bank... Look mum! Look!" Very good Mickan, very good. Good feeling. It got better when we got back and mum opened her luggage/ goodie bag. Marabou, Kalles Kaviar, Bosses limpa and newspapers, clothes from back home and some other unnecessary, but oh so homey stuff.
Thursday we spent the whole day in Dundrum (shopping centre). The whole day! Bought some clothes and a pair of rocking red boots and then we spent hours talking in Starbucks and over sushi at Yo!. Also went to Tesco and bought pricy stuff I really needed/ wanted such as olive oil, spices, shower gel and whiskey (it's medecine!). Mum spent some time in Boots buying some new miracle cream I've never heard of, Nr. 7 something.
In the evening I got to chose a restaurant and we got shnazy with some new clothes on. To everybodys surprise (not!) I picked an Indian place. I think mum liked it, despite the fact that the messy sauses left her nice white shirt a little less white. I loved it though! Nan galore.
Since it was Thursday I had arranged to meet up with some friends from TCD and Naomi and Fia in the Celt so that mum got to meet them all (and so I wouldn't miss a Thursday at the Celt of course). When we got in a saw a familiar face and puzzled I went to say hi to someone I really didn't expect to see there. I didn't need to question his presence though because when Conor turned around he left my questions answered. He had no teeth and his arm was in plaster. Apparantly a drunken fall down German escalaters is enough to get a week off school to go home and see the dentist.
Friday me and mum spent in town; walking around, having nice coffee, looking into some shops and of course I got to show her Trinity. My Trinity that is. The "here's my lecture theatre"-Trinity, not the "In 1592 Trinity was founded by.."-Trinity that anyone may enjoy. No this was a private little tour eventhough we took the opportunity to get in free to see the Book of Kells. We had a pub lunch and then she was off. It was lovely having her over. Somehow it made all of this seem more real, more anchored in reality. It also put a bit of perspective into this whole thing: Living in Dublin, studying at Trinity College. I keep having to tell myself that it's real. Now my mum can tell me that too. I think she got the feeling for why I am so increadibly happy here. I can't really recall when I was this at peace with where I am in life. I am just so lucky!
Friday evening I hosted a little dinner party with Naomi, Fia, Hanna and Christine. I made splendid chilli con carne and the guests brought drinks and dessert. Very pleasant. Myself, Fia and Naomi headed out for a night on the town at Spy club, which Naomi had scouted. We had such a good time. Party like a rockstar! There were such nice, colourful people there and the groove was on at the dance floor. We were rockin the beat and Fia was doing swiming exercises in the sofas: "Jag danschar ju..!" was her comment to that. I had some very fun conversations with some very fun people. What a good night!
Today I was dead tired but I did math all day... I pat myself on the back for that... pat pat..
Oh by the way. I won a very nice award. Trinity Entrance Exhibition award, apparently it's for my high school grades and I get 250 euro! Wihi! There's also a really fancy ceremony and I have to find a dress. It's quite a big honour so I am super happy. I am just sucking on that caramell right now. Oh and I get to have my picture taken with the Provost (the boss of Trinity College, a real hot-shot).
Boggy, barefooted wisdom from the west (where the craic is on)
Even the good can be a bit too much at times. Old Swedish saying. In my meaning very much true. Even lovely Dublin can be a bit much after a while. Too much fumes, too much studies, too much of the same people and too much running around, too crowded Luas and too much to do. Then you take a break and when you're back again you remember why you love it so much.
This week is reading week (no lectures or tutorials) so Hanna and I thought we'd take the chance to get out of town for a bit. We got an invitation to Westport to stay with our friend Eòin (pronounced Owen) and to go to the Oireachtas na Gealge (Irish festival). Very tempting indeed and we thought why not?
Westport is five hours away by bus on the complete other side of Ireland, namely on the west coast. It is a boggy, beauty of a land with marshes, sheep and windling roads. There is also the Croagh Padraig, the holy mountain, where St. Patric pondered religeuse matters and which Irish pilgrims climb barefoot. Someday I'll climb it, but this time there was not enough time.
We arrived late Friday and met up with Eòin who took us straight to a concert with the blablabla Cajun Band(?). Great craic! The festival promotes Irish language and it took about ten minutes before this artsy looking guy came up to me and Hanna and started jabbering away in Irish. This happens at times and it is always a bit of a mess because in the noisy room it is darn hard to hear if people are speaking Irish or just some heavily accented English. It's not really polite to go: "Excuse me, but what language are you speaking?". Evidently Hanna and myself started speaking Swedish to eachother (thought that would make him realize we didn't understand nada) which just rendered him very impressed at the level of Irish we were at; he didn't understand a thing. After a while we overcame our communicational difficulties; when we all finally understood that English was the shit, and Hanna and I realized that he wanted to interview us for some TV-thing. So if you happen to put on Irish TV one day, just look out for us, ok?
The rest of the night was a blast. When the blablabla Cajun band (!?) where through we headed to the pub and had us some lovely Bulmers and gossip with Eòins hillarious bud Thomas and then the four of us headed for the one club in town: Mojo. The mojo was on at Mojo and we got the grow going to disco beats and old goodies. At 4 o'clock we found ourselves happily exhausted in Eòin's kitchen eating pizza and massaging our feet.
In the morning we woke up to find the family gathered around the breakfast table. Eòin's mum cooked full Irish breakfast and we smiled like little suns at everything and everyone. In town the festival was on with a barreldancing competition, which basically is: So you think you can dance?" ....In that case try doing it on a barrel. With the one difference that the contestants could actually dance. Traditional dancing of course.
Hanna and I went for a coffee at a lovely little coffee shop and as we sat there giggling about who comes in but not Eòin's ex. boyfriend and his new boyfriend. We were readily introduced earlier on so we had a nice chatt, and then Eòin joined us and the laugh was on.
After dinner at Eòin's grandma's (I miss my grandma!!!) he took us for a ride around town. A bit of a drive and then down to the harbour. Westport surely is very pretty. Hanna and I was presented with the choice of pub or mass for the hour to come. We chose pub (don't judge us) and had a real good time at Matt Molloys. Another concert was on at Hotel Westport and Eòin got us in for free. This one was absolutely amazing and we were spellbound for two hours eventhough most was in Irish.
To finish off the weekend and the festival there was a big bash at the Plaza hotel. As usual Eòin got us in for free and the craic really was on. There was a trad band and Cailie (trad Irish dancing) and we picked up the steps rather fast. It was such amazing fun and we danced and danced until our feet were beaten, brused and aching. I couldn't stop smiling.
Sunday held a boggy walk and a long journey home. It is good to be back though in my little room at Halls. I've gotten a fair bit done today and I had a good boxing practice. Taking it easy tonight because we have a game tomorrow. Wednesday mum is coming over. It will be so good to see her, can hardly wait!
Oh, just remembered I've forgotten to wright about Halloween. But too tired now. I was Superwoman and we had a good laugh.
Some words of wisdom:
Do remember to forgett
all your worries and regretts.
Live while you have life to live,
give while you have love to give.