FALL BREAK!

Finals are officially DONE, OVER, COMPLETE! 
They were not terrible at all, I just cannot believe that the first half of the program is over already! 

I leave in 4 hours to get on my first flight of my fall break.
It goes as follows:

Friday-Sunday: Casablanca, Morocco, AFRICA.
Sunday-Tuesday: Madrid, Spain
Tuesday-Wednesday: Brussels, Belgium
Wednesday-Monday: Almeria, Spain

I am so excited but soooo terribly nervous at the same time.
Expect MAJOR updates and posts when I get back. But also, when I get back I will be heading Right into my Internship on Tuesday and they already told me that my first week is going to be intense because there is one Rugby game and a Soccer game all in my first week so I will be learning a lot and very busy. Sleep is going to be rare for the next two months I have a feeling! 


Going to put a movie on and just relax before I leave in a few hours; doubt I will be able to sleep! So many crazy feelings going on! I have been waiting for this break to travel since I got accepted into the program. Now, it is only HOURS away!

Sunsets

These are photos I took tonight out our common room window.
The sky looked absolutely amazing tonight!

Irish Poem of the Day.

Once upon a time
There was a star falling down
From the shivering autumn sky
Losing Faith and it's golden crown


Once upon a time
A woman raised her wrinkled hands
For not being the last on on earth
Praying for peace in hearts and on lands


Once upon a time
A message in a bottle had gone with the stream
Will anyone find it and answer?
Or was love just a dream or a dream?

Sunday, October 16th

Yesterday was Daddy's two year anniversary so I got up nice and early and headed downtown to explore and ended up at St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral which was built in the early 19th Century on a side street off of O'Connell Street (one of the main roads in Dublin). It is very unique for a church but still quite lovely.

You would not really be able to tell that it was a church, from the outside that is, because it looks like an official office building or such with the large pillars both inside and out. The only true symbol making it look like a church from the outside are the large statues on top of the building that, I learned, were only added in the 20th Century once the trouble from Protestants had decreased. 

The craziest part of my whole adventure of going to mass yesterday was that there were PROTESTS going on in front of it when I had first arrived. People with signs saying 'get the Catholic Church out of Ireland' and so many other horrible things. I have never experienced anything like that before but was glad when I walked back out after mass that they had left! 

I have been to a few different places for mass now, but this one was possibly the strangest. 

CARE PACKAGE!!

after a two week battle with Irish Customs, my box from momma FINALLY arrived at DCU! I have never been more excited to open something in my life! My shoes, scarfs, sweatshirts, winter coat, tops and pants alllll have arrived and I already threw on my sweatshirt! I am so much happier...and the BEST part, was that she threw in a few surprises for me too! Kraft Cheeses & Cracker packets, Reese's pieces, Ritz Crackers, Butterfingers &&&& IDAHO INSTANT MASHED POTATOES! i have never been more excited for mashed potatoes. they will be my dinner tonight and i cant wait.
Ah, I am so happy. This package seriously made this rough weekend So much better!

Procrastination

...it has taken over me completely.
I have two final exams, an essay to write, and two quizzes by the 20th.
I have no interest in doing anything though. Im in IRELAND!!! I can not concentrate on SCHOOL WORK!
ah I know it will all get done and work out wonderfully; but for now, I am much more occupied with living it up in Dublin!

Derry, Donegal & Drogheda

Giant's Causeway & Dunluce Castle, UK

Another Rainbow!

These are the rocks that are all over the Giants Causeway.

This is NOT man made. It was simply created like this.

So Awesome!

Chillen up on top of them!  

The oldest Whiskey distillery! 

apparently the word 'Whiskey' means 'Water of Life'

The most Romantic Castle in Ireland.

The only place that Women are allowed to Propose to Men! 

Another Rainbow!

Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge, County Antrim, UK

This was definitely my favorite part of the trip!

Scotland is only 12 miles away!

These are my Freaking out photos from crossing the Bridge...

Alyssa took this photo of me, and I love it for some reason.

We saw SO many Rainbows here. I LOVED it. 

 This is the best rainbow photo from that day. 

Emily, Kyle, Laura & I all laying down.

The wind was ABSOLUTLY crazy. 

SO STRONG.

The Discovery Channel names Carrick-A-Rede the #5 scariest bridge in the World!!! And I Crossed it!
http://www.weirdlyodd.com/10-most-scariest-bridges-in-the-world/ !!!!

Belfast, UK

October 6th

This is taken on the bus, on the protestant side of the Peace walls

The Peace Wall was absolutely crazy to see. It is something you grow up learning about, but to actually see it, up close is such a shock. It is real and all the history that it holds is remarkable.

These photos are ones from the Mural tour that we went on throughout Belfast.

Another view of the Peace wall

 This hotel is very famous for the numerous bombing that occurred here during the Troubles. 

'Nuala and her Ring'

We only stayed in Belfast for a night but it was still interesting to see, we had a few hours of exploring on our own and it was such a unique city. The only downfall was that Northern Ireland is part of the UK so it is not the Euro, they use the Pound and it is SO expensive!!!