Week of last classes

..at least last ones for me, because I was going to basically skip the actual last week so that I can spend time in Dublin with my bf.

Monday - Gender class and 50 shades

As usual, we started out Monday morning with a literature tutorial - and this time our topic was gender, based on Adrienne Rich's and Judith Butler's papers. It was really interesting, I was actually feeling sad when the class was over, partly because I would have liked to talk more about the topic, partly because I already knew that it had been my last literature tutorial here, and I rather liked that teacher and her classes. Then we had lunch at Teach Fáilte (this time I did not go swimming after class due to my injuries that still hurt some) and went over to the library to look for sources we could use for the Irish Language essay we had to submit until Thursday. I found some stuff about Latin and Old Norse influence on Irish language, though one of them was written in Norwegian, from 1915 - definitely not something I could easily or at least successfully decipher. While searching, I listened to Sunrise Avenue and found some of their songs that I haven't heard before! So cool! I've always loved them but haven't really been listening for a long time now and it's so good to re-discover them.
In the afternoon we had a short folklore tutorial where only 6 of us were present and then a BORING Irish language lecture with Aengus. I can't even decide anymore whether it is the teacher or the topic that is boring, or they just make each other boring. After class I cycled home and it was raining so (despite my waterproof pants) I got soaked through - mostly my jacket and jumper and hair. In the evening, I watched the movie 50 shades darker and it is still pretty good and kinda spectacular and sometimes ridiculous. I also cooked some food and then went to bed

Favourite line ever - see how she puts the tea far away from Ana after introducing it? :D

Tuesday - EFL presentation and sign-up for Belfast

We cycled to university a bit earlier than usually this morning so that we could print the EFL essays we have already submitted online. Well, we couldn't, because the printers in the library just did not want to print us anything, apparently. So I hurried over to class because I knew I was going to start the class with my group, finally giving our presentation - Veronika and Eszter however ended up being late and yet not having the essays, fuck library printers. So we had the presentation and it was totally okay, Pontus nailing the music-playing part, of course. After class we went to the Red Raisins café with the girls for the Belfast sign-up, even though it only started at 6, that is, 5 hours later. But we were told that the demand for tickets is big and that there were only 56 or so places on the bus. So we sat down and pretended to study for the Irish language test we were going to have the following day. Mostly just had fun and snacks. Then 6 o'clock finally cam and we signed up, it was only 70 euros (which is actually a lot but also very cheap if you compare to anything else, that's why I decided to go). After the sign-up I cycled over to Sultan's place, Oliver and Pontus already being there, where we ate carrot cake and talked a bit. Pontus actually left quite early because he wanted to watch some football match so it was basically just Sultan, Oliver and me, mostly. But it was really fun, I'll miss hanging out with these guys.

Yup....studying hard, as you can see

It was SO HARD not to buy this...

...and this! <3

Wednesday - Irish test and essay

To nobody's surprise, we skipped Irish folklore lecture in the morning, then had the Irish language tutorials; on the first one, we didn't do anything at all, on the second one we had the test. It was even easier than the first one, mostly just pictures and pairings. After finishing it in like ten minutes, we went over to Teach Fáilte to eat lunch and on the was to the library, as a nice was of procrastination, we decided to go into the UL merchandise shop and look at all the stuff they have there, mostly the hoodies and jumpers. They are really expensive but I still might buy a red hoodie because it just look sooo good and I have always wanted a university hoodie and it would be so cool to have one from here and it is also warm and soft. We'll see how much money I have left (clue: no money).
In the library, I did some more research for the essay and then went to EFL class, where we talked about food so I got pretty hungry by the end. Eszter and Veronika had krav maga later in the evening and I was still contemplating whether I should or should not go to archery so we ended up sitting in Scholars' and sipping our usual white choco mocca. In the end, I decided to cycle home instead of archery as my wrist still hurt (which actually started to make me feel annoyed and worried, why is it not getting better?) and at archery, I have to hold the bow in my left hand. So after cycling home alone, I started drafting an outline for my essay in Eszter's room because mine was too cold and she said I could use her desk until she got home. At one point she arrived home but after I took a shower she still let me go up to hers and sit with her, both of us working on the essay. When she went to bed, choosing to finish hers the next day, I came down to my room but stayed up and finished mine because I knew that if I wanted to go to swimming practice in the afternoon, I would not have time to go to the library to do this. Around 2am I actually finished it, submitted it without any proofreading (which starts to be my thing, this being the third in a row when I don't proofread) and went to bed, more satisfied with it than I thought I would be.

Not all mornings are easy :)

Thursday - school things, Stranger Things

We had to go in to university a bit earlier again, because we had to meet Michelle, the EFL teacher at Starbucks to submit our essays in printed version - this time not fucking up time with the library printers but paying 2 euros each for printing in the courtyard. While waiting for TESOL, we went to the Languages Building and found a PC room to sit in. At TESOL we had two groups to peer-teach us - next week is going to be our turn. Then we had the usual lunch in Teach Fáilte, where the man in front of me was heating his lunch for SIX fucking minutes! No wonder I always have to eat so fast on Thursdays when I have training not much after class. By the way the weather was surprisingly nice, sunny and only a bit cloudy but with no rain.
After a week of doing nothing, I went to swimming practice again, where my wrist and lower leg still hurt some so it's lucky we have only done 2000 meters or so. Conpemtplating hard whether I should go to literature lecture, I decided I should but then Eszter said she is cycling to Lidl and home so I ended up joining her instead of going to lecture. When we got home Veronika and me started watching Stranger Things and it is indeed a bit strange at first but I quite like some of the characters so I couldn't wait to keep watching.

Friday - Stranger Things, cooking, eating, cooking, eating, Stranger Things

After breakfast, we started watching the following episodes of Stranger Things with Veronika, but then she had to go to university, so I went to the kitchen to cook come soup, most of which I ended up eating right away as it was super delicious. Than we started writing our dialogue for the Irish oral exam with Eszter, during which I cooked rice pudding again and ate at least half of that as well. Just when we kinda finished our dialogue, Veronika got home so we could go back to watching Stranger Things in my room, this time not stopping until finishing season 1. In the evening, I packed my bag for Dublin and went to bed, full of anticipation as Saturday meant my bf is coming to Ireland!

Saturday - fish&chips and Dublin

In the morning we walked to the bus stop that is a bit closer to the house than the university, took the bus to the city centre and looked around the Milk Market, where Anna joined us and the four of us went to Nelly's Corner, a restaurant near the cathedral. We had fish and chips and it was a bit expensive compared to our usual budget but it was worth it because it was delicious and it was high time we tried actual fish and chips. And the portions were huge, really, I couldn't even eat mine (actually, only Eszter could).
Following this awesome lunch we went over to Penneys but Anna and me ended up waiting for Eszter and Veronika outside as we did not want to be tempted to buy anything. And since Penneys usually takes hella lot of time for them, they were still shopping when I left for the bus stop to go to Dublin.
On the bus I read some from the Woman Warrior (like, 10 pages or so...) and listened to music. And then I was in Dublin. At the airport. Exactly one month before my flight home from the same airport. It felt so unbelievable that I was going home in just one month - I just arrived!
And then my bf arrived and we bought our leap cards for the local transportation and went to find our apartment for the following few days, since we were both tired and cold and had headache. The apartment was nice, well-equipped and modern, we really liked it from the beginning. For dinner we had sandwiches that my bf hadn't eaten on the plane but in spite of the simple food he made it look and taste great - this is a special talent of him, I guess.
I also unpacked the things he'd brought from home for me - most of it from mom. Sweets, tea, sweets, meat, sweets, sausages and cheese and wine and pálinka and sweets. Even home-made bread that mom cooked using no flour! I was so happy about them.

Fish&chips

Survival pack from home

Sunday - walks in Dublin

We slept kinda late but we really needed it both, then we had breakfast and took the bus (or rather, buses) to the beach. It was rainy and cold, of course, since this is Ireland. Then we took the bus back to the city centre and walked some at Trinity College, which was nice but not that amazing as others told it would be. As we got hungry by that time, we went to Supermac's, wanting to try the 'Irish Mc Donald's' - yeah, I know, I've been here for almost 3 months now and haven't tried before, crazy, right? But it's a low budget Erasmus. Anyways, it was great and not more expensive than McDonald's, in fact, I think it was evena bit cheaper.
Being surprisingly tired, we just ended up going back to the apartment in spite of the early hour, doing a small grocery shopping after getting of the bus. At the apartment we took a nap, then cooked some dinner and watched Big Bang Theory, as we saved up a few episodes for this occasion.

DART

Trinity College

Tea time :)