Tuesday, December 7, 2010

The Snow Crisis in Dublin

 Last week, I had my first every college snow day!  Actually there were three from just 10 inches of snow.  It was great!  I had three exams postponed, one of which was permanently cancelled!  woohoo!  There really wasn't enough snow to warrant a two hour delay in Indiana, but they don't have snow plows in Ireland.  Lucky us.  And of course, everyone knows what most Irish students' first reaction to a snow day is house party.  So Centra, the only store within walking distance of our campus, did very good business that night.  Their wine supply was quite low the next morning.  However, on the down side, the snow never really was cleared off of the sidewalk.  Now I just about bite the dust every time I try to leave the apartment.  

However, for the snow days, my roommates and I had a grand time as we were trapped on campus.  We built a snow igloo, a snow angel, and a snow man.  There were snowball fights, movies, and Christmas music.  

I got to know my roommates very well over the last couple of days, which is really sad because I have to leave in just 11 days.  My roommate, Debbie, is from Donnegal.  That is the most northern part of Ireland, but she will make sure that you know that it is not a part of Northern Ireland.  Those are two completely different things.  A lot of people make fun of the country folk up in Donnegal, but I think I can identify more with that.  They make fun of their accent and crappy roads.  haha.  Many of the people in her family are musicians and she is studying English and Music.  Sueanne is a Business Major from Telamore, which is a small city or large town in the middle of the country.  Both of her parents are Chinese and she is learning to speak Chinese.  She's loads of fun and she is always having her friends over who are also studying business Chinese and we all hang out together all of the time.  It's nice to get to know people who are actually from Ireland, unlike many of the other American students studying here.  Boshen is studying Business at UCD, but is from Beijing, China.  She is fun because I get to learn more about China and she is teaching me to count in Chinese.  I'm a terrible student, though.  I was never very good at learning foreign languages.  I also have gotten to try a lot of authentic Chinese cooking.  Ginger is from Delaware, but studies at the University of North Carolina.  She studies art history, but wants to become a lawyer.  She is also very fun and nice.  Hannah is from Hawaii and goes to Notre Dame and studies Chemical Engineering.  She actually knows how to speak Hawaiin.  She's not around a whole lot, but is also of Asian Heritage.  Our apartment always smells like Asian cooking!  That's not a bad thing, though.  It smells very good.  

I am sure there is so much more to tell about Ireland from the past couple of weeks, but I can't think of anything else.  I'm having a great time, except when I'm studying for exams, which is quite often, lately.    

This tree lights up in three different colors in the middle of O'Connel Street, the main street in Dublin.

It kind of reminds me of Dickensville.
Me (left), Boshen (middle)
me (left), Boshen (middle), and Sueanne (right) in front of our snowman at midnight.
my snow angel
so pretty!  This was taken at sunset
Sueanne preparing to pelt me with a snowball!
Igloo in progress
They still haven't shovelled a lot of the walkways!  This is 5 days after the major snow.
Henry Street, one of the main shopping areas.  That is supposed to be a brick walkway.  It still wasn't shovelled four days after the big snow.  It just keeps melting and refreezing at night.
This also reminds me of Dickensville

Finished igloo with me inside!