Friday, July 30, 2010

MMM... Irish Whiskey > Essays :D

I am THIS CLOSE to being finished with summer school. I am done with my essay test and I am done with my third essay and I feel pretty great about both of them! All that I have left to do is write my last 1500 word essay on Yeats by August 13th and I’m golden! Hooray!



This last week has been pretty awesome, although it has been hard to concentrate on school work, knowing that I only have a little bit of time left in Ireland. Monday was pretty mellow. I decided not to go to Blarney Stone again with Kelsie, Liz, and the LA boys (Stephen, Aaron, and Jason…this is what I am calling them now so I don’t have to always type their names out haha) in favor of getting my essay started. Tuesday was a lot of fun though. Liz, Diana, the LA boys, and I went to Midleton, which is about 20 min away by train ride, to go tour the Jameson Distillery. We got to see the drying and distilling processes, which was way cool, and we also got a complimentary drink at the bar afterwards. Jay and Stephen were chosen to become official whiskey tasters. They were given little shots of Jameson (Irish), Johnny Walker (Scottish), and Jack Daniels (American) whiskey. They both said that they liked the Jameson the best, although I think that might have been because it was first haha! They were even given little certificates that said they were certified whiskey tasters!


Stephen and Jason with their certificates

Once we let Liz go a little crazy in the gift store, we headed back to the train station. Stephen was hungry, so he read the sign of Every. Single. Restaurant. Between the distillery and the train station. We got him a snack and went to find someplace to eat as soon as we got back to Cork. After ditching one restaurant before we even ordered (it was WAY too expensive...oops. I told the hostess that we were meeting people somewhere else. Haha) we found a nice Chinese place on St. Patrick St. After that the boys went to An Brog for another night of bingo and Liz, Diana, and I headed back home to be responsible students and get our essays finished (riiiiiggghhhttt.... haha).


Diana, Kelsie, Me, Kaitlynn, and Liz at Gougane Barra

Wednesday I got most of my essay ACTUALLY finished in the breaks between classes and got in a nap after class. We all headed out on our third, and final, class field trip at four. We went to a place called Gougane Barra (Gugán Barra in Irish), which is where St. Finbarr’s Oratory is located. The ride down was a little bit rough, even for someone like me who doesn’t get motion sickness very easily, but the view once we got there was SO worth it! The evening was gorgeous and sunny. There’s a big lake surrounded by sheer, green cliffs that were (literally) crawling with sheep and a really pretty old forest. I’ve posted some pictures, but they don’t really do it justice.



We had dinner at a nearby hotel (it was tasty! I had prawn salad, chicken and potatoes, and apple crumble...mmmm...) before we went to a performance at Theatre on the Lake. The show was called O’Sullivan Beara, the Last Gaelic Chieftain which was performed and written by a very talented man named Aidan Dooley. The play was about the leader of one of the last bands of rebellion against British rule and their struggle to travel from Cork to Northern Ireland to join friendly forces. It was very engaging and interesting. I was also interviewed along with some other students for the second half of the Irish Summer Studies video, so keep an eye out for that! I’m going to be famous! :D Then, on the way home, I was treated to the DJ-ing skills of Stephen Walden, who picked the songs I got to listen too. haha



Yesterday was also pretty relaxing. It was the last day of classes, so our teachers took pity on us and didn’t make us think too hard. I spent most of my day putting the final touches on my essay and studying for the test I had this morning. I did go out and have dinner at the Gusto Cafe with Kelsie, Liz, and Kaitlynn, which was as delicious as it was the first time. I got to skype with my parents and Jeff, which was super nice as I hadn’t talked to them for awhile. Today we have a closing lunch-thing for the program, which I’m sure will be sorta sad, and then I think everybody’s planning on going out for one last hurrah before people leave tomorrow. I think my day tomorrow’s going to be spent packing and doing some last little things I haven’t gotten the chance to do yet (like drinking an Irish/Bailey’s hot chocolate). Then on Sunday I’m headed back across the pond. I can’t wait to see you guys at home!!!

Amelia

P.S. Some more Gougane Barra pictures!



















Me, Liam (seminar teacher), and Kelsie

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