They’re singing CHRISTMAS CAROLS in the student union. The architecture school has a christmas tree in the canteen. There’s Christmas tree by the Spire and “Nollaig Shona Duit” everywhere. No, no holiday bushes here! Thank god this is a Catholic country. This is the Christmassiest Christmas ever and I like it.
Theory: Irish university students must study more than the average American student simply because its so expensive to heat their digs and charge their laptops at home. I must admit, I have been using the library for free electricity while I study. If I didn’t study on campus, I would never be warm. Most of the time I […]
I saw Hausmann’s Paris, and I like it. Indeed, cannot imagine any better way to see it than from below. I came out of the Opera metro, and turned around to his masterpiece. It was everything I have read about- all symmetry and pageantry. Pigeons and crowds parted so I could sit on the steps […]
I think I got a sunburn in Paris. The sun is out an awful lot here despite what you might assume about winter in northern Europe! The weather in Paris was divine. Since it is further south than Dublin, the sun held some heat and it still felt like fall. The light was nearly pale pink and it cast […]
Over the October Bank Holiday weekend, I was lucky enough to visit Cork with my housemate. Cork is a beautiful county and it was pretty fun to get to travel with someone who is actually Irish. She goes home most weekends, but as Cork is in the south of the country it is a fairly long […]
Out of last week’s slump, and into new territory. This was a good weekend for hanging out with myself and enjoying where I am now. My neighbor and I explored the vicinity of UCD. Dundrum shopping cenre is only an hour’s walk away! All in all it was a precious glimpse into the last decades’ […]
50 of your favourite words: An excellent article on an excellent subject. There is an animal living nearby my house that I am beginning to loathe. Every night it makes this yippy yappy half duck half dog bark for a long time. Thank goodness it has finally stopped. [UPDATE: I am told this is a FOX!] Today I had […]
Finally took off on a trip this weekend, it was a good dry run for traveling further afield. We took the train up to Belfast and spent the night in town near Queens. It was very cold. I might take a dedicated trip to Belfast, when it is warmer. Together then, we headed up along the […]
My housemate has returned to Dublin from Cork with all my clean socks. Her Granny does her laundry, and this weekend she did some of mine too. Imagine having that kind of help… I’ve had to do my own washing for a decade! The sun came out this weekend, warming up a lot more than my back. Socialising […]
Last night I went out to the student bar for the first time. It is also known as the “forum”. Notably it is a bar, not a pub, perhaps because the inside is commodious and not at all homey. It sort of looked like a dive bar to me! We did discuss forum-appropriate topics: politics came up […]