Manfull's Handfull

I have recently found myself double checking my memories- making sure things really happened, that I actually did the things I think I did, and saw the things I swear I saw, because with all this adventure going on in my life nothing seems real any more; like it's one big dream that I don't want to wake up from. It's a good thing I always carry my Nikon around with me to back up my illusive memories- for proof that my life is actually as exciting as my thoughts tend to illustrate. For the past two days, I found myself in Amsterdam . The best part is, I was able to explore the fascinating place with my friends who flew in from Rome, Florence and London. It was such a glorious feeling to have Katie in my arms, to chow down with Lindsay and Maria, and to do stupid things with Mallory and Heidi- all while being in a foreign (seriously, so foreign) land. Before I landed in the city of canals, I knew very little about it. I suppose research would have been a standard idea, bu...

People say a picture is worth a thousands words. People are wrong. I spent my Valentines day weekend following the Ring of Kerry in SW Ireland, and to the people's surprise, my pictures don't do the natural beauty justice. I tried, countless times, to capture the breath-taking sights, impeccable sun-drenched mountain tops, the essence of Ireland in general- but a picture isn't worth a thousand words here, a simple picture just doesn't cut it. The Ring of Kerry is by far the most amazing thing I have ever seen. It's a 179 km tourist loop that winds through mountains, beaches, and cute little towns. Even though it is a tourist attraction, you never feel the presence of people- it seems as if it's just you (and the 50+ people you're with I guess) and God's own creations. With sheep spotting the mountainsides like cotton balls, and the road that wraps itself so perfectly (and terrifyingly) close to the edge of the mountain, you truly feel immersed into...

" Wine Comes in at the mouth, love comes in at the eye "- Irish drinking song (seriously). Although it was no "gift of gab", this week actually turned out to be a bit more adventurous than I had ever intended. It started out with a few trips (ok, three) to the cinema where we oogled over Leo DiCap  (and thank you Lord for the return of  Coach Taylor ) in Wolf of Wall Street , which left us feeling a little too Scorsese-y , requiring us to rejuvenate our innocence and see Frozen , twice. My advice to you, go see it asap if you haven't already. It's Disney's most progressive movie yet, forgetting the "Prince's save Princesses" story line and empowering women everywhere. Yeah! Feminism!   No scrub! Besides spending copious amounts of time at the Cinema (guarantee we'll be back soon for That Awkward Moment- no matter how good (or inevitably bad) it may be ), we've also been learning some more Irish. I can now properly say hello, in...

 "All that is gold does not glitter. Not all those who wander are lost."- J.R.R. Tolkein After a weekend full of London adventures, and spring break planning to far away lands (coming for ya Barcelona, Rome, and Budapest!), it hit me that we hadn't even really began to explore our own backyard. Thus, the wandering began. On one of our first days in Cork, Heidi and I wandered past St. Finn Barre's Cathedral and ooh-ed and ahh-ed at it's magnificent beauty, we even questioned whether or not it was real (it is, don't worry). But this time, we decided to actually go inside- oh, what a revelation . Upon our entrance, we were told that because we go to UCC, we get free admission- thank you God  for free things, amen. The inside was glorious, spectacular, and breathtaking . Full of vibrant stained glass, huge vaulted ceilings, and such intricate detail it was almost hard to look at everything.  The stained glass literally glowed throughout the church, due to a ra...

After a wanderlust adventure in London these past four days, Heidi and I have landed back safely in home sweet, Cork. Only to immediately stop into our Holy Land, that is Tesco, and grab some frozen pizzas, chips and salsa, and ice cream. You could say we're pretty fit . Although it seems as if four days is a small amount of time to conquer a city, I assure you- it was indeed packed full of meaningless adventures, scrumptious food, and of course a picture of Big Ben from every angle possible (I swear, it's necessary). Our first trip out of Cork began on Thursday, catching the bus to the airport. Apparently, riding a bus to an airport is no easy task because the girl behind you is blasting N*SYNC through her headphones, people ignore you when you ask where to get off- causing you in turn, to get off at the wrong spot (who's to say a business building isn't actually an airport- amirite Heidi?). Anyway, we finally figured out that if a bus was dropping us off at an ai...

It's like Green Day once said, "I don't want to be an American Idiot". That stupid song has taken over every thought I've had whilst in this foreign land. You see, even though they speak English here, the accents are so thick I often find myself just nodding in agreement followed by a polite giggle after the third time of asking for clarification. For instance when I was at the FINE Wines store (sorry mom and dad), I couldn't understand the cashier and gave up asking the desperate "sorry, what?". Ironically, the only thing I did understand was when he handed me the receipt and under his breath said, "sign your life away here"…he was utterly shocked when I finally heard what he said. Then we briskly left the building, arms full of wine and imminent ragrets  (thats my creed though). But other than being the definition of an American idiot and continuously being told, "Oh, you're American.."(still haven't come up with a cl...

So the first week of 'class' has officially ended (well, technically my last class of the week is on Wednesday, but whatever). This week was all about testing out different classes, yes even the Irish students get this glorious opportunity. We register for the ones that look most interesting today, which is quite the concept if you ask me. So far, I'm really challenging myself (I wish I could send sarcasm through blogs) by taking Irish History, History of archaeology of Ireland, and Intro to Gaelic. If anyone asks, I'm fully emerging myself in this culture, ok? Also, I've gotten really good at making pasta (boiling water and putting noodles in), and shopping for the groceries and goodies at really cheap places . With all this free time we have, Heidi and I have also really acquainted ourselves with the city. We have often wandered around aimlessly only to stumble upon some pretty incredible places. 3 euro for a ride? sure, we'll get on. St, Fin Barre...