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Hello everyone!

This weekend was very relaxing. The Irish students go home on the weekends so it was very quiet without them here. I got to hang out with some American friends that I’ve made and it was nice to relax after a crazy week. On Sunday, we went to mass at the Cathedral. This week was much better than last week’s mass. There was a lot of music so I felt like I really got to experience the beautiful Cathedral. Mass is pretty much the same here as it is back home, but they say the Our Father in Irish Gaelic. It’s so cool. We attempted to do laundry here on Sunday afternoon. Everything is pretty much the same as we have back home, but the detergent was a strange consistency. We had to scoop it out with our hands! I guess that’s what we get for buying it at the two euro store. Sunday night, I got to talk to Tami, David, and Grandpa Houlihan on SKYPE for the first time. It was so great to see them! SKYPE has definitely been a saving grace for me here.

This week has gotten off to a pretty good start. I’ve had a few more classes this week in addition to the ones I started last week. I started my Irish Language class this week. I’m not taking it for credit, but I figured I will never get another opportunity to learn the Irish language in Ireland, so I may as well go for it. It’s very hard to learn because I can’t rely on sounding the words out. In some words “bhf” is pronounced with the “w” sound. It’s going to be hard, but I’m excited to learn. Medieval literature will be really interesting I think, but it’s just different to get used to having a lecture for an English class. At home, I’m so used to having English classes discussion based, so this will be interesting. I had Northern Ireland: Politics of a Divided Society today. I think it is going to be really interesting. I never realized how hard it is to learn about history in another country. I feel so behind because I don’t understand some of the terms and specific details that have happened here. I have more new classes this week, so I’ll keep you updated.

I’m getting used to the slang words that they use here. They say “savage” and “class” to mean cool. My roommates like faking American accents so it’s fun to switch accents with them. They still make fun of me for saying things like garbage (they call it “bin”) and a lot of other ones I can’t think of right now. We all get along really well. I’m so lucky to have such great roommates!

Today I went to the College Bar (yes, they have a bar on campus where students go for drinks in between classes) to watch the Inauguration of Obama. It was so cool to watch it with a bunch of American and Irish students. The Irish students are so interested and care so much about what’s going on in our country. It made me feel guilty for not taking more of an interest in my country’s politics. The entire place was packed and everyone was cheering. It was such a cool experience. I know I’m going to remember it for the rest of my life.

I’ve still been getting homesick on and off. My roommates are really good about making me feel better and watching Friends with me to make me feel better ☺ I know this is an amazing experience, but that doesn’t make me miss you all any less. I love you all and I will update again later this week.