Ricardo & Roller coasters

    Wednesday during our lunch break at Emmaus Scripture School our professor John explained the pigeon problem they are experiencing. The incredible amount of pigeons on the roof are pooping everywhere causing a nasty mess. The problem extends beyond a gruesome clean up, as they are also very loud in the morning. Students living on the top floor of Emmaus do not appreciate waking up to the sound of very loud pigeons. Can't say I blame them. Ricardo from Spain had a perfect solution. With a completely straight face and serious tone of voice he told John to get a hawk. The ensuing conversation is probably one of the funniest I've heard in quite some time. Joe, John and I laughed and stared at Ricardo with blank faces after realizing he was serious about the hawk. Really? a hawk Ricardo? Since when do people sell hawk's on the street corner? Apparently in Spain you can get a hawk and train it to eat the pigeons. Since John has nothing better to do than train a hawk why not? Oh wait, he does have a wife, two small children, teaching job, and is currently completing his dissertation. Other than that he's got nothing going on, so it'll be interesting to see how he fits buying and training a hawk in his schedule. The argument continued for 10-15 minutes with Ricardo convinced it was a completely logical solution as John, Joe and I laughed in disbelief to what we were hearing. I requested the right to name the hawk if John purchases it. No worries I will most definitely post a picture of my new hawk friend if he comes around....Henry maybe?

     I can't believe I've been here for almost two months now. The time has flown by with it's fair share of ups and downs. It's been quite the roller coaster of emotions. There's been a tricky balance to recognize emotions, feel and deal with them, but not allow them to rule me. For example Tuesday night I sat in The Crane loving the trad music and atmosphere so thankful to be here. Moments like these reaffirm my decision to study in Ireland. In stark contrast the next evening I laid in bed annoyed with Irish accents and frustrated with the culture wishing to be home surrounded by familiar sights and sounds.

Thursday after my final hour of class I was a bit overwhelmed by the tutorial, tired and desperately wishing to be in my apartment. I went outside to wearily get my bike and head home. As I began riding I realized the sun was out and it was quite beautiful outside. I put on what I call my "Jesus glasses" corny? maybe so, but it helps me think of things from His view. Suddenly I wasn't focused on how I felt, but I was grateful for the warm sun and nice sidewalk to bike on. I prayed for fellow students as I passed them on the bridge and thanked God for providing me beautiful scenery to bike past. The idea of Jesus Glasses was not my own, but from this video clip 


http://vimeo.com/11280995


It's amazing how dramatically my thought process changes when I take the focus off of myself. 


   There is celebration and props to be given out to Mr. William Peasley. From what I've heard he can now boast he's officially dunked during his high school career. Quite bummed I wasn't able to see it, but congratulations Will! Oh more like "welcome to the club"...I mean I've dunked my fair share during my high school career...or was that in my dreams? I forget, anyway nicely done Will!

      Last night Abby C and I hosted CU @ the Movies at our apartment. Cooking a meat and potato dish along with a brownie dessert we hosted 8 other friends to join us. Crunched for time our dish didn't quite turn out like it had last time, leaving us concerned about it's taste. Thankfully everyone loved it as we received many compliments. As always the brownies were delicious and received rave reviews and inquiries on the recipe. Finishing dinner we sat in a circle to play catch phrase. Such a fun and competitive game, but until last night I had not realized how many American phrases and words it contains. Often times Erasmus students would flip through a dozen words before they would find a familiar phrase to describe. A few humorous descriptions came from Francois as he sat next to me and described chewing gum as "the thing you Americans are always gnawing on." Tempted to tell Francois that isn't true! I caught myself and realized...it's actually a pretty accurate description. 

     Here are a few photos from last Saturdays trip to the market and Mutton Island Causeway. You can see from my hair the was wind quite strong. 

     Today there is no wind and beautiful blue skies. Not able to peel myself out of bed quite as early as I had hoped I still made it out by 8am for a run. Reluctantly I forced myself out of bed for a much needed quiet time in the kitchen and then off to get some exercise. Hating to be cold I had on my under armor leggings and top, however I could have run in just shorts and a t-shirt. 

     Once again Abby C. and I have opened our windows to enjoy fresh air. Time for homework, seeing as though I was just assigned a large presentation the day my family will be in Galway :  (   Oh well, I will work ahead and plan on finishing it before they arrive. For now I will enjoy the beautiful sunshine and blue skies!


With Love from Galway