My life as Irish comes to a close

So today, August 6th, is my last full day in Ireland. It's been a long summer. Well, it seemed like a long summer about 3 weeks ago and now it feels like I've been here a week and I'm already leaving.

First, before I get all nostalgic:

Since we got to visit the Northern Ireland Parliament, it was nice to visit the Republic of Ireland Parliament, the Dail. They were out of session as well, but we got to speak with one of the TDs, a member of the Dail, but the biggest concern in Ireland is the economy, so it wasn't quite as dynamic as our Stormont visit.

On Mondays and Wednesdays I had a really long break between one of my classes so I would walk around. On one of my walks I headed down the Liffey and saw these famine statues. After learning more about the famine and the story behind the reason it hit so hard, it is easier to understand why it has taken years for the Irish to really start to memorialize the Great Famine. These types of statues (the design) are in a few other places in Ireland, but these ones with the famine are particularily daunting, especially in the face.

This is Glas Nevin cemetery. The cemetry has burial sites and commemoration areas for thousands upon thousands of people dating back to the 1800s. The cemetery was opened (and still is) as a non denominational cemetery, but for the reason that until it was opened, the only way Catholics could get buried was in big open pits near Kilmainham jail. The cemetery is almost filled, and as such money will be running low, so they are opening it as a historical site, seeing as Eamon de Valera, Michael Collins, and Daniel O'Connell and other such famous Irish political leaders are here. Or at least said to be here. So the picture above shows how it looks now with some sites being a century in disrepair, and below is how they plan to fix it up over the next however many years with funding they have recieved to make it a historical site:

And the final tour I went on, the one that I couldn't leave Ireland, and especially Dublin, without doing was the historical and monumental tour of.....
The Guinness Factory. Delicious, nutritious, and probably the last time I will drink Guinness, except for maybe one comparison test when I get home, until I come back to Ireland. Interesting fact: Arthur Guinness has been brewing for 250 years on one lease, but no worries, he still has 1,750 years to go, so I think we're safe. So, on the Guinness tour you get a taste Guinness in the middle, try some hops, and then there are 3 or 4 bars at the end of the tour and you get one 'complimentary' Guinness at the Gravity bar at the top which has a 360 degree view of Dublin. So you can essentially get two pints for one if you buy your own, which is about 2 and 2/3 drinks, plus if you are having a night out at the bar you could potentially get a little buzzed before you leave. So what does Guinness put at the exit? A breathilizer? A coffee shop? Bottles of water? Nope! They put a room with a bunch of pillars with moving pictures on the sides and mirrors against the wall so it looks like a freaking fun house. Oh and you can't see the exit sign when you first enter the room, so the potentiality for hilarity is quite high. Well played Guinness:
Alright, so that concludes my site-seeing of Ireland. I may be heading into Dublin today to maybe snap a few last minute pictures, but we'll see. It's noon and I'm still in my pajamas if that's any indicator of how my day is going =)

Okay, time for some nostalgia.

Favorite drink?

Okay, so I had my first Guinness here, delicious. I tried Smithwick's, horrendous. I had James whiskey for the first time, surprisingly enjoyable. Bulmer's Cider, sissy drink, but good, albeit a little filling. But my favorite, and I'm staying true to my gender here, is Fruli, a strawberry beer. I don't even think it deserves to be called a beer, but it is, and regardless, it's delicious.

Favorite site?

This is a hard one, we visited a lot of castles and ruins and fancy places, but I think my favorite was Blarney Castle, mostly for the grounds. I wish I would have had more time to explore the grounds, but you co what you can.

Favorite place?

I think Dublin. Just, I lived here, I went to school here, it was my home base, and it was familiar. I like Dublin, a lot.

What have I learned?

Well, I read an entire History of Ireland focused on politics and war. I sprinted through the history of Irish drama, Irish visual arts, and Gaelic culture. I got to learn about Northern Ireland and things that divide people. Oh man, I just took my finals over the last two days so my mind has been erased. I learned that the Irish do like to tell stories, not a stereotype. Just because you are famous, doesn't mean you have to be a jerk (not a single speaker was rude, mean, condescending, anything, in anyway). Just because your job is in the tour industry doesn't mean you are a nice person (oh man we had some.... interesting tour guides).

What else....

Craic means fun

Tracts of land is always hilarious

They really do eat potatos all the time

They really do eat meat all the time

They actually eat a lot of vegetables

Man they walk a lot

The US really is quite large....

Old men where those hats

Old people are very talkative on busses

Italians in large groups, especially teenagers, are rude (seriously, I'm not being mean, it's just fact)

I would have to live here for at least five years before I could get use to the proximity of the cars on the road

And so much more

Favorite thing I learned?

That they don't hate Americans.

Who have I met?

Michigan kids (the students are great, but Ann Arbor is ... nevermind)

Wisconsin kids (we all acknowledged that we hate each other as far as the choice of schools go, but I became really good friends with some Madison girls)

more Minnesota kids (never seen them before, will probably see them all the time on campus now)

a guy from Princeton (he was a freshman, but I could see the ivy league potential in him...)

Traxi (my hostess, above), her daughter and her son-in-law and their 5 week old daughter, her sister, her other sister, and I think her other sister, her cousin, her other cousin, her neighbors, her mother-in-law, her sister-in-law, her handyman

Professors form the major colleges and universities in Ireland

Guys from Sweden

Girls from the States

An Italian

Guys from Dublin and the country

So many people that I probably won't even remember

What have I done?

(Besides what I've already told you)

I have ran over 40 miles since I got here. The first week I could hardly string together 5 minutes of running, and now I am running 3.5 miles at a time. I have done over 1,000 push-ups and sit-ups, starting with 20 each a day, and ending with 60 each (with some obvious breaks when I was in other places (read: hostels)). I have lost 10 pounds in 7 weeks. My hair is the longest it has been since 8th grade. I have finally started washing my face everday twice a day and I don't know why I didn't do it earlier. I have significantly decreased my daily coffee intake, but I'm probably going to revert right back. I have increased my typing speed from 40 wpm to almost 60 wpm. I got over 150,000 on Bejeweled Blitz. I went to a movie by myself. I have learned better how to budget. I have written about what I have done here so I will remember it. I took pictures. Almost 2 GBs worth. Which is a feat for me. I have successfully finished a book I was assigned for school. I have done what I set out to do.

Regrets?

Nope. With the money I had, with where I am in my life, and with the people I have met here, I loved my trip. If things were different, I would have done things differently, but for what I can control, no regrets.

What am I taking back?

Besides a few trinkets and rocks? A lot.

A new appreciation for family. A new look at myself. A new look at where I'm from. A new look at where I could go. I think that's all I can really understand right now, but I have a feeling more things will crop up as I go.

Okay, so that's about all the nostalgia I can handle.

I love Ireland.

I miss home.

Cheers!

Later,

Anna