Hello all! It has been a month since the last time I posted my latest update on my adventures abroad and I must say that it is quite exciting to reflect on everything that has happened in the last 4 weeks. With having visitors for the last 3 weeks, creating new relationships and exploring new territories I can say with great enthusiasm that this month has been one for the books!

Although I have had an absolute blast this month, the beginning was not too grand. I got super SICK! I mean call my mother at 3 a.m. crying while hovering on the bathroom floor type of sick. Being sick is undoubtedly awful no matter what but when your thousands of miles from home with no Nyquil or a mom to take care of you it really sucks! I went to pharmacies all around Dublin and I swear I could not find any acetaminophens.  So not only was I not feeling well but I also could not reap the one and only good benefit of being sick and that is to sleep for 12 hours a day without feeling guilty or lazy. So while lying on my bathroom floor I realized I should see a doctor. I did the next day and I must say that it was well worth the money. She prescribed me a steroid, 2 antibiotics and 1 over the counter med. Needless to say I felt better soon after. I look at this week of sickness as a sign from God telling me to slow my roll in Dublin and get good rest. Lesson learned!

The next week my good friend Meg Greehey and her father, Doug Greehey visited me! The week spent with them was a blast and much needed. I felt very close to Texas and that is always nice. My friend from France, Pauline and I also did some travelling with the Greehey’s around Ireland and saw some amazing sights like Bunratty Castle and Cliffs of Moher. It was also a cool coincidence that the Irish holiday, Arthurs Day fell on the Thursday while they Greehey’s were here. Arthur was the inventor of Guinness Beer and at 17:59 (1759 is the year he signed the lease) on that Thursday every one raises a pint of Guinness and says “To Arthur”. We celebrated this holiday in the Guinness Warehouse located in Dublin. That will definitely be a day that I will never forget. That night Meg and I pursued the Irish pubs with a few of my girlfriends and needless to say it was great craic! I can’t thank the Greehey’s enough for flying all the way over to hang out with me.Not only this but Meg managed to stuff a warm jacket and two bottles of Nyquil from my mother in her suitcase. I really owe you Meg! I had a blast with you and love you and your family so much!

The next two weeks my boyfriend Nils came to visit! This time instead of him waiting at the airport for me with a flower in hand I got to wait at the airport for him with FOOD in hand!  I can’t even begin to describe how special the two weeks spent with him were. He is the kind of person that makes every situation fun and so you can only imagine the kind of fun we had exploring Ireland together. The first night we ate dinner with 18 of my closest friends and went to the student bar and the next days were spent with him following me to classes. He really enjoyed this seeing how I am taking a German language course and he is from Germany. He sat in the corner of the classroom and still the teacher (who knew he wasn’t in the class) paired him with a girl for group practice. Within the first 3 minutes of being paired with this poor girl I heard him bossing her around and telling her that she was saying the words wrong. That is my German boyfriend for you. I still love him thoughJ.  That following weekend he and I got on a bus and headed to the legendary town of Galway. We stayed there for 2 nights and this is where I had my first hostel experience. I absolutely LOVED it! Nils always made fun of me because he mentioned that every time he stepped away from me for 2 seconds I was already meeting someone new. The hostel environment is incredible because of this and if you are someone who likes to surround yourself with others that travel and have amazing stories, stay in a hostel! From Galway we took a tour to see Burren National Park and Cliffs of Moher. The following day we stayed in Cork and saw the Blarney Castle and got to kiss the Blarney Stone which is supposed to give you “the gift of the gab” which basically means that you get the gift of speaking well. After Cork we headed back home.  The following week we just went to villages near Dublin called Bray and Howth which have scenic cliff walks that leave you speechless. We also went to a pub in Dublin on Thursday that I have been to once before. The pub has an awesome band that plays a mix of modern and Irish music. This was a very relaxing night filled with music and hot chocolate. What could go wrong?! The following day we took a Paddy Wagon Tour to Giants Causeway which is located in Northern Ireland. Here I got to walk across a rope bridge that was a little terrifying, see the gorgeous sights of Giants Causeway and spend an hour of free time in Belfast ( the city the Titanic was built).The next day Nils had to leave and of course I was all kinds of upset. However the bus driver that took Nils to the airport saw Nils give me a kiss goodbye before getting on and while Nils entered the bus and I was crying the bus driver told Nils to turn around a give me another kiss, so he did J. Everyone on the bus was laughing and the bus driver continued to make jokes saying that once he dropped Nils off he could come over and keep me company. This made me laugh and made it easier as the bus drove away. Those two weeks spent with him went by so fast but regardless I had an amazing time. Thanks Nils for coming to see me!

Since Nils’ departure yesterday I have had the pleasure of having a lazy day with my roomie Mary and her medicine friends. They are all lovely people who had me laughing non- stop and made me very thankful for what I have going on here in Dublin. Today I went on a day trip with 7 good friends to Dun Laoghaire ( the town the girl is staying in P.S. I Love You). It is a cute little village on the seaside with an outdoor market every weekend for things such as veggies, meats, jewelry, clothes, and children’s toys.  The town looks like it came from a movie and I couldn’t help but feel extremely happy to be there.

So that is my story, for now at least. In the weeks to come I will be taking my first quizzes for classes so please say a little prayer for me! I will also be looking forward to my trip to Rome that will take place at the end of the month.  Thank you to all that read my blog! Until next time!

Cheers,

Bobbi