The Family Meal

Since last Sunday evening's dinner with the guys, we have designated Thursday evenings to be "The Family Meal". We decided on Thursdays because the boys do not have school the next day, and the girls and I have minimal classes...plus, its Friday. Really, in our minds, the weekend has nearly just begun. This Thursday was extra special because we were celebrating Jake's 21st birthday (just a few days early).

Elizabeth and my Microbiology professor cancelled class for Friday and decided on his own that we would just have two hours of microbiology our very first class with him instead. I could not help but think this would NOT fly at Purdue. Students would have picked up and left, but the students in Ireland are so proper, polite, and conscientious of their professors (aside from the fact that they call their professors by their first names). Not one student said a word. No backpack zipping. No awkward movements. Only a few subtle rolling of the eyes. I have to admit, I was just about ready every five minutes after the first hour of teaching to just get up and leave. That last hour was spent asking, "Now, what would you say is a virus? ... A parasite? ... A bacteria?" Anybody? ... Anybody? .... Bueller? .... Bueller?" He seems to be pretty cool, it was just not conducive our schedules to spring on an extra hour of class this particular Thursday.

After that class, I ran to the grocery store with Elizabeth, and then home. On our way home, we spotted a little old lady jaywalking (very common here). We hear a SPLAT (she fell face down) in on-coming traffic. People on the sides of the street gasped, but just stood there. Elizabeth and I ran over to her to help her up. I felt like I was in the movie "Pleasantville". The lady was so cute repeating, "The old knee gave out. The old knee gave out. Bless you kindly. Bless you kindly." Luckily, the on-coming traffic swerved around her, so she was fine.

Finally, it was dinner time. The guys were just about due. Monica decided that it would be a good idea to take some of the roses from the backyard, place the petals on the floor, and create a trail of rose petals from the door to the dinner table. It was so romantic ... :)

The beautiful rose petals Monica trailed to the dinner table.

The beautifully decorated tables.

Jeanine made two amazing stews both made with Guinness. I have never tasted such flavorful stews before, one made with beef and the other with lamb. We decided to tell the boys they must try both. However, we omitted the fact that one pot had lamb in it. I was certain that the boys might be disgusted knowing they were eating lamb, but later told us that they all loved lamb. It was my first time eating it, and it was really good actually.

The two pots of stew. The pot on the left is the one made with lamb.

Irish soda bread! It was so delicious .... I could have eaten just that for my meal.

Derrick and Adam waiting for supper.

Jake and Joe waiting for supper.

Brian and I taking pictures of people waiting for supper:)

Now a photo without the blocking camera.

And Mealtime! We have been interrogating the boys since Thursday night as to what they will make us for our next "family meal". After we tallied up the amount of money spent on the meal, Elizabeth said to Adam, "You guys should make us steaks for our dinner!" We are very curious for Thursday ...

Elizabeth, Jeanine, and Joe probably starving at this point.

Brian, Derrick, and Jake (the birthday boy) also probably starving.

Monica, me, and Adam.

PLEASE NOTE: WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE/READ IS NOT MEANT FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS WITH SENSITIVE STOMACHS. VIEWER/READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

A random bit of the my Friday for you. Upon waking to start a pot of hot water, I looked over to the stove only to see what looked like little hands soaking in a pot of water. My roommates and I believe that this is merely a part of Chinese culture. Now, we love our roommate Linda, and are learning more about the culture as each day transpires. However, I can honestly say I have NEVER seen nor heard of any meal that is made with what I assume to be chicken feet. Excuse me while I partake in a moment of indescribable culture shock.

It was just too unusual not to write about. More to come ...

Shopping in Dublin

The thing that I feared most of this trip is what I have found to be most enjoyable: shopping. Not just any kind of shopping... more importantly, grocery shopping. My first trip to Tesco, the common grocery store here, was absolutely horrible. I was so overwhelmed with all of the food products and flavors of foods (prawn-flavored chips are very popular here, and the mere name of the food will prevent me from ever trying these things).

Allow me to elaborate on some other food products. Thin crisp-like cookies that you may find in the states (a tea cookie, wafer, or even something similar to a Girl Scout Cookie 'Thin Mint') are called "Digestives" here. Now, I don't know about you, but the simple connotation of the word 'digestive' makes me think of an old person who has nothing to do but complain about his or her bowel movements (or lack thereof), and the only solution is 'digestives'. One word comes to mind: disgusting. Above is a photo of a really nice Tesco in a mall near Dundrum (where Adam and his roommates live).

Traditionally, grocery stores are very small, older, and found just right downtown....just like if perhaps one of the small, old buildings in downtown Valpo where a grocery you passed everyday, and they are PACKED everyday between 4 pm and 7 pm. Europeans grocery shop nearly every day it seems, and they only buy a few items each day. Since we (my roommates and I) walk to and from school everyday, we pass three grocery stores each day which makes small near-daily trips to the grocery stores ideal. However, our local shops are not nearly as fantastic as the Tesco in Dundrum. That store is similar to an amazing Super Target. The prices are not half bad either.

This is a photo of the really NICE looking Tesco in Dundrum. I only wish I could be so lucky to have this particular store near us. We did locate an Aldi near us which we love, and the 'Besties' (Adam, Derrick, Brian, and Joe) seem to love even more. Elizabeth and I did locate a very clean and well presented grocery store right down the street from us called Dunns Store. It reminds me of a Marsh in Carmel, IN. However, the prices are very high...unfortunatly...I am a poor college student. It will be a good store for the ever infrequent 'special occasion'.

Aside from grocery shopping, we dabbled into a bit of city shopping. The mall in Dundrum is amazing. It is MASSIVE! Below is a picture of a store we instantly found to love called 'Penny's'. I have heard of Penny's from a lot of my Irish friends at Purdue, and experiencing the ambiance of the store reminded me of feelings I used to get at age eight upon entering the toy store at Lighthouse mall; you see things that you have never seen before, and everything is super cheap! My roommate Jeanine got a coat for 21 euro, and let me tell you that this is not just your run-of-the-mill gonna fall apart in one washing kind of coat. Their products are truly good products, and at such low cost, we were all wondering how a company of this nature could afford to stay in business. There is no equivalent in the states.


Shown right: The ever-so-amazing "Penny's".












The Sushi-chef at a food spot similar to 'Gloria Jean's' or 'Dip 'n Dots' that you would find in a typical mall. Those brightly colored bowls move steadily on a conveyor belt. A customer would sit at the "bar", watch to see what dish is in each bowl, and choose as many bowls as he or she wishes. It was pretty cool.







This is the outside of the mall. When walking out one of the back doors, you come across a whole island of restaurants.











The roommies. You cannot really see from the photo, but behind us is a something called Mill Pond. A Dundrum magazine calls this area (part of the al fresco dining experience from the photo above) 'atmospheric dining'. The article says, "We have entertainment covered too, thanks to the magnificent musical fountains, inspired by the water features of the Bellagio in Las Vegas."

The girls and I are eager to check this place out in the evening. After all, the article says, "What are you waiting for? Come outside!" We thought that was pretty inviting. I'll let you know how it goes:)

Football aka soccer, is very very popular here...as is rugby from what we have heard. Our professors were telling us that we may have seen a 'hockey mom' or a 'soccer mom', but we've never seen a 'rugby mom'. I guess it is common where moms are asked to leave the games because they get WAY too involved.

This is a photo of the gigantic big-screen TV in the mall to which I assume the men watch when the women drag them along to go shopping. The younger men here, however, seem to love shopping nearly as much as the women.

This is a photo of the escalators in the mall. They seem very futuristic to me....if you can notice, there are no steps....just gliders.











Our big shopping day was great because we felt like we had left the "old country" and stepped more into a suburb of the city. Dublin is fantastic and very historical, but, sometimes, all you want is something clean and new...something out of the 21st century.

On our way back from the mall, we stopped by Adam's apartment to have dinner: spaghetti and meatballs. It was nice to have a meal with the boys, and it is almost like we have formed our own little American family out here. Of course, the opportunity to hang out with the locals is amazing, but something or someone close to home is all you need to feel....well, ....'home'.


This is a photo of the futuristic apartment buildings as seen from the guys' balcony.












Here is another photo of the buildings across the street. They look so clean and new. :)

More adventures to come.....

Weekend: where are you?

Although we had just arrived in Dublin, no work, no school...Friday could not come any sooner. We are so lucky to have a great group of guys (Adam, Joe, Derrick, Brian, and Jake) who live by the motto "The more the merrier." ie: They invite us to come along on their trips.

Our first Saturday in Dublin, we made it to a great part of Ireland accessible by metro called Howth (pronounced Hoe-th). It is part of the Northwestern Peninsula of Ireland, and it is one of the most beautiful places I have seen. This is the Dart that took us to Howth (photo above):

For about 1/2 hour's time and 3 euro, we got a round trip to this lovely destination--Howth:

The beautiful view of Howth

A sea lion that crept out of the water. We were also able to see his friend.

The boating docks.


Joe (as seen in the bright red) was fearlessly attempting to grasp a better view.

My roommates (From left: Monica, Me, Jeanine, Elizabeth).


The guys (From left: Jake, Adam, Derrick, Joe)


Howth residents' beautifully colored sailboats.


Adam is pondering (I told him to look into the distance...he did...reluctantly).

A group shot! Our new friend Brenan (in the hat) is in this photo:)

An ancient cemetery at Howth

There are flowers all over Ireland, even in the chilly weather. This beauty was given to me by my dear friend Joe:)

The beautiful countryside.

Another view of Howth and Monica, Adam, and Elizabeth.

Sharp cliffs.

You wouldn't want to be pushed off there! (Talk about heights, huh, Dad?!)


A candid photo from my roommate Jeanine.

Yet another candid photo. (Thank you, Jeanine).


That's our trip. Time to head to the pub for a bit of a rest.

Our house

I wanted to create a post for illustrative purposes of our 1,000 year-old house. As follows...

The backyard.

The delicious apples from one of our three apple trees.

Some roses from the garden.

The Kitchen.

The Dining Room.

My and Elizabeth's room (my bed's on the right).

Elizabeth's closet and our dresser.

The skeleton keys to the house and our room.

My bed:)


The foyer.

The fireplace in the family room.

The Family room.

This photo is for my sister Rachel....Teare misses you, and I do too!

At first, we thought this house was horrible....partly due to its smell which still exists, and I am sorry to say that you will not be able to experience. You are lucky in that regard. However, aside from the old oily smell emancipating from the water heater and the sometimes nauseating smell of Chinese food (we have another roommate, Linda, from China), we have come to call 2 Garville Road, Dublin 6, our home.