Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jog

I have quite shamelessly neglected my blog this week. I'm tired of it to be honest. I think I might just quit.
But not really.
Its been a pretty good First Week Home. We had lots of company over, and I went to a road hockey night (and nearly coughed up a lung-- I really need to get in shape!), and a "surprise" birthday BBQ, and a youth & young adults BBQ, painted my room (maybe I'll put up pics later), and went to Gateway church on Sunday...its a little different than the Presbyterian services I've been attending all year!! It was good to sing some of the newer worship songs I like again.
I was supposed to go to my TRU orientation yesterday, but....apparently someone forgot about it, and that person wasn't me...
So now I have to get in touch with the program coordinator and find out if that is going to happen after all. But she's on vacation until August **th? So we'll see how that goes.
Anyway, its been so great to see everyone again! I really missed you all! I'm so excited about this year :)
This week will be busy as well. I'm hoping to catch up with out-of-town friends who will be IN town, and then Mom and I are heading down to the Island to cook at Homewood for just over a week. I can't wait to see my camp friends again, and of course the 2 Homewood-ing brothers! Contrary to popular opinion I am not going to Homewood for a long period of time! Somehow it seems word got around that I was leaving you all again. Not true! I'm pretty much in Kamloops to stay...for a while.
I start Culinary school on the 27th of August, which seems SO close! I'm really excited, but really nervous too, big surprise there! Its a 12-month program, and I'm hoping to snag a part-time job so that I can do it all in one go. Then...we'll see if I survive before I plan any further ahead :)

Anyway, I should go. If you're lucky, I might update this week :D

Back in my Home and Native Land

I slept in my own bed last night, snuggled up on my feather duvet next to my soft fuzzy green blanket. Oh, how I have missed that bed...
I kind of missed you guys too, I guess.
:P

I don't really remember what time we got into Kamloops yesterday, but it was probably around 8PM. As soon as we hit the Coquihala I was totally gone; mouth hanging open, probably snoring...the works. (no drool though. its too hot and dry here...)

Since around 7AM Monday morning in Edinburgh, I hadn't really had more than an hours' sleep at a time. The train to King's Cross in London was quite pleasant (I think we should have more trains around here) and I arrived between 5-6PM. After a quick search for Platform 9 3/4, I dashed across the street to St. Pancras station and caught to Tube to Gatwick Airport. That took pretty long, and the train was packed, and very uncomfortable. Not nearly as nice as the one from Edinburgh. It clanked and screeched and it was SO HOT. I caught a glance of the Gherkin (sp?) and what I think might have been Big Ben, and the train crossed London Bridge. So that was my experience in London!

Gatwick Airport was smaller than I expected, which was nice because I didn't feel so lost. It was roasting inside though. I bought myself a book (Making Money by Terry Prachett) and settled down for a very uncomfortable night on a bench by the Departures screen! There were quite a few others with the same idea, so there wasn't a lot of room. Around 12AM I decided to call it a night, and bunched up my hoodie for a pillow, and attempted at sleep sitting up. Not so successful.
About 40 minutes later the guy who was sleeping on the rest of the bench sat up and gestured for me that it was now free for me. I didn't argue. With a quick thanks, I lay down and tried to sleep again.
Maybe I'm just a pansy, but I couldn't get comfortable and sleep was nearly impossible.
I caught a few winks here and there, but it seemed like I was awake all night.
Around 4:30AM I sat up and began to read again. I got some breakfast at 7:30AM, and the trundled down to check myself in to my flight. Waited in line FOREVER, paid $ for my suitacase being 7 kilos over the limit (grr). At last I made it through and shopped around for a couple hours, and read my book.
Finally the Gate # came up and then once I got checked in there, it was just a long wait ahead of me...

We took off at 11:40AM July 22, and arrived around 2:30PM (which felt like 10:3o PM for me), but the flight itself took over 1o hours. That wasn't so bad when I flew in October because it was dark and I slept a little bit, plus I had headphones so I watched the movies. This time around it was BRIGHT and i had left my iPod in Karissa's bag, so no headphones...
On top of this, I was so tired and sore, and restless. The poor guy beside me was probably so annoyed with my squirming! I tried to sleep, but that only resulted in a headache from being in an uncomfortable position. Then I got motionsick for the first time in my life! It was intense. I was lightheaded, and my throat was thick and tight, and all the smells around were so disgusting (we were right beside the toilets, and there was food being passed around...yuk). Everytime I looked out the window I groaned. I was just getting out the barf bag in front of me, because all the toilets were occupied. I thought for sure I was gonna puke...it was a terrible feeling.
The only reason I didn't, I firmly believe was by the grace of God! I was praying so hard, "PLEASE settle my stomach! PLEASE don't let me puke!!!"
And I didn't, for no apparent reason, so HALLELUJAH! :P
It seemed like forever before we landed. And then going through customs was fun, as always. Then waiting for my bag took forever, because it was one of the last one's off.
My flight was supposed to land at 1:40, but with the delays and everything, I didn't walk out of there until around 4PM (which felt like midnight).
It was SO good to see my parents again!! I wasn't sleepy at first, so we did get some talking in, but like I said, as soon as we hit the Coq, I was out like a light.
I could hardly believe it when the car stopped and I was home!
So now maybe you can understand how happy I was to sleep in my own bed?

By the way, Kamloops is ridiculously HOT.

So today, I'm planning on unpacking what I can manage, and I'll hopefully have a nap later on, and then HOPEFULLY see good ol' brother Paul tonight! I'm so excited!

It is good to be home :)

The Yogurt Didn't Kill Me

I know its been a long time since my last post about eating expired yogurts...but in fact I haven't been dying from dairy products gone bad.
July has been so extremely busy...
I had a fantastic final week in Fermoy, working with a team from Bloomfield Church in Belfast in putting on a childrens summer Bible club. It was absolutely mad, but very fun!
Last week today I was saying goodbye to all my Fermoy friends. There were many hugs and tears all around, but I hope to go back to visit some day. I will miss them all very much!
On Monday I bade farewell to the Dobsons (the family I was staying with, and have spent a lot of time with over the year!) and Christine drove me up to Dublin airport to put me on my plane to Edinburgh.
I arrived in the afternoon, and was met at the airport by Karen's cousin, Lyn, who has kindly allowed me to stay at her place while in Scotland!
The Wild in Scotland tour left early the next morning, so I headed off there and spent the next 5 days experiencing the Highlands and Orkney.
Just got back last night, and went to Church with Lyn and her husband Phil who is the minister of a church here, this morning. Chatted with a few people after the service, which was great.
I'm planning on taking Lyn's little Scottie terrier, Angus, on a walk today, and hopefully I will get a few nice photos of the city as well. Its a really beautiful place...stunning city.
Anyway, I take the train to London tomorrow, and will fly out of Gatwick airport Tuesday morning at 11AM and arrive in Vancouver in the early afternoon! Gotta love short flights!
So that's what I'm up to.
When I get home I'll be sure to put up some pictures for you, and try to make my posts a little more interesting, but this is all I've got for right now.
2 days and I'm home....WEIRD!

How far will YOU go?

I have a confession.

I've been eating out of date yogurts for the past few days.
They expired on June 29th, and I'm still working my way through them. One to go.
Actually there are 2 sitting in the fridge, but one expired on the 15th of June and the package has been damaged. I'm not quite THAT brave. I guess I should throw it out.

I was listening to a radio program on the subject recently. Someone phoned in and confessed to eating a yogurt that was a month out of date! And they were perfectly fine. (except for a small mental disorder...)

How seriously do you take expiry dates?

Sunny Day!

It looks like we might get some sunshine today! I'm so pleased!
Last night the church got together to clean up the garden (read: back yard) of the manse, because it is fairly large and has become overgrown with weeds!
When we started at 7pm it was not raining, but it had been raining all day (see yesterday's video clip!). We got about 30 minutes in and then it began to rain again! At first we dived for cover until it let up, but then it came again and again and again...there was no point! We were soaked!
However, "many hands make light work" and what would have taken a very long time for a couple people to do was done in 2 hours when everyone pitched in. We were dirty and wet, but the garden has been weeded! They even planted a few new flowers.
Today we're all meeting up again. That's why I'm so excited about sunshine!
I think there's going to be some pruning and trimming done, and some finishing touches. Originally we were going to be working Friday and Saturday as well, but it looks like we're almost finished! Hooray!


(Boring post, I know...but I was desperate to write about something, and I've been doing nothing since I got back)

The Difference Between Kamloops and Fermoy...

Apparently Karissa and I chose the right few weeks for our trip, since this is more or less what the weather has been like since I got back!
While its hitting 42 degrees back home in Kamloops, its absolutely ferocious rain and wind over here, and we're still wearing socks, sweaters, and long pants.
The funniest part is...I think I prefer the rain!

(hot weather makes me grumpy)

I'm Nuts about Crunchy Nut...

Someone please tell me that we have this cereal in Canada and I've just never noticed it before.
Please.

I've become officially addicted to Crunchy Nut corn flakes over the last month. I love it...check out "Crunchy Nut tv ad" on Youtube and you'll see that I'm not the only one. I'm not usually one for peanut-y things, but there's something so right about the blend of honey and peanuts on corn flakes that delights my tastebuds. Its absolutely delish.

I'm not sure I'll be able to bear leaving it behind...


Oh yeah, Happy Canada Day!
(22 days...)

Goofing Off..

What's Up With Me?

So, I'm back in Fermoy since last Thursday, and while I was a wee bit out of sorts on Friday, yesterday and today have been grand. Saturday we delivered about 2,000 pamphlets advertising for the summer Bible camp next week, and then the Teens group went to Perks fun center for bowling, laser tag, and fun racecar games that are a complete rip-off but sooo sweet.

*two minute spider-killing interlude*

ick...it was a big black gross one. I got shivers down my spine looking at it. Couldn't very well go to sleep knowing that it was still roaming the house now, could I?
No.

Anyway, today at 3 some of the teens and I went to the Fermoy cinema to watch Prince Caspian. (One thing that sucks about living this side of the world is all the movies come out later. PC was just released June 26, as opposed to May 2 in North America)
I didn't quite remember how it all went in the book, as it wasn't one of my favorites (wahooo Horse & His Boy!!) so it was all quite new and exciting for me! While it was still pretty predictable (dare I say bordering on cheesy?...I don't know if I dare), I really enjoyed it and would watch it again with no hesitation. I could hardly believe it was 2 1/2 hours long, because it just flew! Plenty of battles and action (without the excess blood and gore, which I appreciate...) and entertaining new characters.
The only thing that really bothered me was how Lord of the Rings Wannabe it came off, with the whole Tree army thing, and the "live" river washing away the baddies. I'm not sure if those things were in the book or not, but it just felt like they were ripping it off LOTR.
As for the 'romance', it was so subtle that it really didn't matter until the end when you're kind of like..."Why?". But you don't really care enough to think about it beyond that.
Strangely enough I found that Prince Caspian prompted more spiritual thoughts for me than The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe did. While the former held more straightforward allusions, I found I was frequently drawing thought processes off scenes in PC, such as when Lucy asks Peter "do you remember who really defeated the White Witch?" (or something like that!). Like Peter I find I'm often trying to do things on my own, instead of remembering that it is Christ who has the power to win 'battles'.
There were plenty more little tidbits in there that I enjoyed, but you'll have to discover them for yourself.

This week will be busy enough to keep me out of trouble. I have a sunday school lesson to prepare, 3 mornings that the church is getting together to have a "gardening party" to shape up the manse backyard, a party at the cafe in Cork, packing and moving to Christine's (as the manse will be used to house the Bloomfield team that is coming down to run the Bible Camp), planning and prep for the coming week, possibly looking after some children at some point!, hopefully meeting with Katherine on Saturday, and I'm sure many more things will come up as well.

Then from the 6 - 13 is the Bible camp week which will be CRAZY I'm sure! On the 14th I fly out of Dublin to Edinburgh, and from the 15-20 I'm touring Scotland! Then I head down to London, and I fly home on the 22nd...I can hardly believe it.

On one hand I am really sad to leave everyone here. I've spent so much time with them, getting to know them, doing what they do, learning so much...
On the other, I'm kind of tired! And I miss home and my family and my friends...and familiarity.
Even though I've spent nearly 9 months here it doesn't quite feel like home. Its always felt temporary, which might be very much my fault, but nevertheless I'm not sure I ever settled completely! There's no place like home, and I am looking forward to it, which is actually kind of hard to admit in a way because I'd like to think of myself as a little bit independent and adventurous!
(Yeah riiiight....)

Anyhoo, now you know what my basic schedule is until I arrive in Canada!
I can't even begin to think about what happens after the plane lands in Vancouver, cause I'm just toooo tired.
And the jet lag is gonna be BRUTAL. whooopeeee.....

Grand Finale

So yesterday was the last real day of "fun travel" for Karissa and I.
We had great plans of seeing the Wicklow Mountains and exploring the great "Glendalough".
And I woke up at 5AM with the urge to spew my innards.
Yes...I came down with a nasty stomach bug on our last day.
I spent the day in bed and within sprinting distance to the bathroom. Not exactly how I wanted our trip to end...
Considering that its the first flu bug I've caught since I've arrived, I guess I can't complain too much. I was just disappointed about the timing of it.
I felt better today...wobbly and weak, but not sick to my stomach. Not that really mattered, since Karissa had to dash off early this morning to catch a bus, and we didn't get to do anything special to celebrate our trip.
Anyway, it was really fun and we had good times and good chats. Not everything went as planned (see above) but we learned to roll with the punches and enjoy the moment anyway! It was a great time, and I think we both did a lot of stepping out of the ol' comfort zone, and experiencing a lot of "firsts"!
I'm pretty tired now though. I think I need a vacation.

First Prize

Thank you Bonnie, for validating my musical abilities, and also for de-lurking. You make me happy when skies are gray....

er....

ANYWAY...

The song I was playing on the bells was indeed, "You Are My Sunshine", and therefore you win First Prize.

I've put 30 seconds of very hard thought into this prize...it will be great.
Since you are traveling vicariously through Karissa and I, this prize will bring you a great sense of accomplishment and achievement, and all those good things. Or maybe you will just feel very cold, because that's how we felt...




In case you didn't understand our babble, the video was taken on the top of this mountain:

Croagh Patrick!
Its incredibly steep near the top...it took us about 4 hours to get up and down again.
Apparently this is where St. Patrick fasted for 40 days before casting all the snakes out of Ireland. Traditionally Catholic Pilgrims would climb it in bare feet, as penance...or something.
Considering that the rock was very shale-y and sharp and pointy, and we're not Catholic, I think its a good idea Karissa and I did not prolong the pain and climbed in good shoes.
The views were FANTASTIC and it was totally worth it, even if we were half-dead by the time we got back to our hostel.
So Bonnie, I hope I enabled you to vividly imagine taking this trip. If you are feeling too tired to speak more than one word within a 15 minutes period, your legs are wobbling like a newborn lamb's, and you are so sweaty you look like you just came out of the shower...
I think its safe to say you have recreated our experience with frightening enthusiasm.
Enjoy :)

Bunratty, Blarney, and Beyond...

Karissa and I had a spendiferous time out in Bunratty! We spent some time roaming the Folk Village...kind of a park of preserved Irish buildings throughout the ages...and exploring the castle. Then at 5:15 our "banquet" started. We were greeted at the door by a very scary frog-like man in tunic & tights, and a young squire who asked if I was old enough to have Mead (legal drinking age is 18 here...hmmm). Karissa didn't even get asked, she just got fruit juice *snicker*. haha...
The mead was nasty.
I wanted fruit juice.
There was a harpist and a violinist performing in the centre of the hall, and it was very good. We were then offered a peice of brown bread dipped in salt. can't remember the name of it, but it was supposed to ward off evil spirits. Interesting theory...
Then the Frog Man called for everyones attention and brought an elderly couple to the middle of the room, and crowned them King and Queen of the night. Later Karissa and I figured they must have come with a lot of their family, and it was their anniversary or something. Anyway, they were really cute, and the "grandpa" was enjoying the attention! Very funny.
Closer to 5:45 we were ushered into the Banquet Hall...a very crowded room full of tables and benches, and a fireplace and a gate to the dungeon in one corner.
The Froggy Man gave a welcoming speech and our first course consisted of a DELIGHTFUL vegetable soup and brown soda bread. It was soooo yummy. I wanted to eat it all, but figuring it was a 4 course meal, I decided to restrain myself :P

After each course we were entertained for a while by Froggy Man and his cast of medieval helpers. They were a fantastic singing group, and we also heard some more from the Harpist and Violinist. Occasinally the Frog Man would require some audience participation, like the time he brought a young man (from a bus tour group) before the King and had him sentenced to the Dungeon for fooling around with the ladies (the guy really hammed it up), or had a man knighted for offering his seat to the Queen previous to the banquet. It was good "Craic" as they say.
The food was also fantastic! After the delicious soup we enjoyed some spare ribs, and then roast potatoes with veg and chicken thighs (no utensils besides a wooden plate and a knife!). Red or white wine to drink (Karissa poured herself a goblet of white wine thinking it was water...her face was PRICELESS when she took a gulp!!!) and water for those less inclined to the alcoholic beverages :)
For dessert there was a creamy little cake on a biscuit-y base, with strawberries and raspberries . YUM!

After the banquet ended we headed across the street to "Durty Nellie's Pub" for some traditional music...it was supposed to start at 9:30, but we waited around for an hour before they FINALLY showed up! It was good when it started though.
We stayed at a B&B as a special birthday treat. Definitely a luxury! Our own bathroom, our own TV, our own HAIRDRYER! It was really nice.

The next morning we traveled and traveled and traveled. From Bunratty to Limerick to Tralee to Dingle.
Dingle is a little seaside town on the Dingle Pennisula (in the West of Ireland, county Kerry) best known for its resident bottlenose dolphin, Fungi!
Apparently Fungi decided to move in sometime in 1983 (I think?) and hasn't left since. Now tourists such as ourselves flock to the sighting boats for a chance to glimpse him.
We were hoping to actually go swimming with Fungi, but that didn't work out...sigh. We ended taking the boats out just like everyone else. Spent about an hour getting a look at the dorsal fin a second before it went under. I'm not bitter. Not at all.

Took the rest of the day busing to Cork, where we crashed at my friend's apartment (she was out of the country at the time, but generously allowed us to stay there!). Took the city tour the next day and rang the famous Shandon Bells. Check out the video for a chance to see my musical talent in action.

We also went to the Cork City "Gaol" (which is Irish for "Jail") and toured the grim buildings filled with creepy mannequins and a scary exhibitions.
Today we headed for Blarney...and it was pouring rain. To lift our spirits we stopped for Tim Hortons in the local Spar...and I got a donut this time! Honey Dip...and very, very good. I heartily approve. The slogan for Tim Hortons here is, "A Taste So Big it has to be From Canada". Catchy...
By the time the bus arrived in Blarney the rain was worse! We decided to do our shopping first in hopes that by the time we were done, it would have let up. No such luck!
We made our way to the castle and explored a few of the outlying bits and peices before climbing the massive amounts of narrow winding stairs to get to the Blarney Stone.
It struck me as strange to go to all this work and wait in line, simply to kiss a piece of rock that loads of other people have just also kissed. Gross? Yes I think so. I really had no intention of kissing the Blarney stone at all. Never have. But there I was trapped between tourists, Karissa + More tourists, and a very far drop on either side. So I did what I thought best. fake it.
I got down in the very unflattering position, grasped the slippery wet bars and leaned waay back. And kissed the air.
"No, lean further back. Get closer" Said the guy that supports you. What could I do? He was obviously not fooled by my act. By that time I just wanted UP! I gave the rock a hearty smooch and got the heck out of there!
(I still haven't got the Gift of the Gab either...what a waste of time :P)
After that whole fiasco Karissa and I decided to get our money's worth and explore some of the grounds. We found a fairy glade, a druid's circle, and a witch's rock. Hooray. The rain was bucketing and were nearly drowned. We ran for the bus stop and got home, only to head out the door again and catch another bus to Fermoy.
Home at last!
So nice to have unlimited internet access, our own music, and my own bed!
Anyway its past midnight, Karissa is sound asleep, and I'm getting pretty sleepy. Hope you enjoyed the few pictures I was able to put up!

Jill

Your Lucky day

Well whoop-dee-do, you get another update! Aren't you the lucky lurker!
I feel like I have had no sleep since my last post. Note to self: do not go to the first hostel on the list. Do not be enticed by "free" breakfast and internet.
The place we stayed in last night was not terrible in and of itself. However it was attached to a neighbourhood pub and our window was right above the terrace, and there was certainly a lot of revelry going on throughout the wee hours of the morning. Lots of noisy noise, which was not conducive to a good sleep, which my poor body so desperately needed. And the bedding was damp. Maybe everything was because we were so close to the ocean and it was a very cold damp sort of place, but my duvet and sheets and pillow were most definitely damp.
My point is that I was tired when I went to bed, and I was even more tired when it was time to get up in the morning. Then Karissa and I walked most of the day so I am even more weary.
I crave sleep.
Anyway, it was a good day overall, and we took quite a few pictures to make up for yesterday. We also tried a second time to track down the elusive Worm Hole, without success.
And I ate...fish and chips. Because I promised Christine I would eat fish and chips at a seaside town, and it doesn't get more sea-sidey than an island. So now I can say I've done it, even though I despise fish.
At first it wasn't so bad because I was STARVING, but then the deepfried crust came off and I saw SCALES and my stomach kind of flip flopped. ICK!!! After that I couldn't look at it, I just had to take a bite and chew and pretend it was chicken. I didn't finish it all because after the near-death-by-starvation feeling wore off I couldn't stomach it.
Tomorrow is Karissa's 20th Birthday and we are going to Bunratty Castle and Folk Village to celebrate! We are also finishing off the night with a medieval banquet inside the castle and splurging on a B&B instead of a hostel. (It will even have a blow drier....ahhh, luxury!)
I am fully expecting to have a ridiculously good time at the banquet...what with cheesy costumes, authentic medieval food, and live music, how could it be otherwise??? I am definitely going to take a lot of pictures!
Can't wait to put them up for you to see!

Jill

Aran Islands

So today marks the Halfway point through our trip! I can't believe how fast its gone!
We took the 1PM ferry to Inishmore today and after dropping our stuff off in a hostel, we made our way to the Bike rental place. They have nice new bikes...yay! Not like the 70's banana seat thing I rode in Killarney! But bikes are bikes and I can't really say we get along too well. That's ok.
It wasn't too long before Karissa and I began to realize just how long its been since we did serious bike riding. The muscles aaaache. Unfortunately we were already a ways in when Karissa realized that she left her extra memory card in the hostel and we had about 12 pictures left on the card we had. Shooooot. So we were very sparing with our pictures. But we have tomorrow, and if we're not too decrepit tomorrow I'm going to try and convince Karissa to rent a bike again and see some more stuff, because we were kind of rushed today.
We did get out to the big ancient stone fort and see the awesome sheer drop off cliffs that definitely have nothing protecting you from a strong gust of wind to your death. Scary and very neat.
I lowered my centre of gravity (aka got on my belly) to peer over the cliff edge. I don't really like heights, but it was pretty cool. huge waves.
Then we got on the bike again and wound through a maze of stone walls. This island is really just an intense labrynth of walls. Its crazy, I've never seen anything like it. The aerial view must make it look like a patchwork quilt.
Eventually after much wandering we got to the general area of what is known as the "Worm hole"...I think its like a big hole with gushing water. The guide book said it was neat, so I wanted to see it. Well, we almost got lost in the vast expanse of limestone and shrub, but we eventually got to the edge of the sea. Didn't find the Worm Hole, but we DID enjoy the absolutely mind-blowing view of the cliffs and ocean and HUGE WAVES! I got right up to the edge and when the big waves came crashing against the rocks I got soaked in the spray! very cool. They were sooo huge. The best thing was that we were off the beaten track, the only people for miles (not really, but that's what it felt like) and just enjoying the un-touristed bit of the island.
Pretty amazing. Probably one of my favorite things about the trip so far.
Now I am so exhausted from all the biking and walking we've done today, and just travelling in general. I also haven't been sleeping really well, so that's not so fun. Anyhoo its been a great time, and Karissa and I often go into crazy fits of laughter over the dumbest things which is a good time. You should ask her about personal flotation devices some time. Or maybe don't.
Oh yeah, she will also probably tell you about The Horse. So let me impart the truth before she exaggerates.
there we were on the side of the road and we saw this house with a horse in front of it and she said, "I want to take a picture of this horse for Kelsey." cool. I got off my bike and sat down on the stone wall, and after she took the picture she sat down and was looking at it and all of sudden there was this crunch sound and a snuffly thing on my ear and a great big beast about to devour my head. it was SCARY. Naturally I curled into the defensive fetal position, and I may have uttered an exclamation of some kind, which may have bordered on the mildly offensive before I caught myself. Long story short this horse almost ate me, and I was severely frightened by its stealthy approach and appetite for human hair.
It wasn't long after that a car almost ran me over, no joke, so its been a fairly life-threatening and very exciting fun day.
I'm sure there is lots more to write about, but I'm fairly brain-dead. You might have been able to tell, because this is probably very rambly and has poor grammar and stuff. I'm sooo tired.
And it doesn't get dark til after 10 so I'm going to have to stay up. waaah. I want to sleep so badly.
Love you miss you. Can't wait to show you pictures. we're having a great time, and fairly safe. It will definitely be fun to see you all again in not-too-long!

Jill

Galway

Arrived in Galway around noon today after being squished and squeezed on an over-full bus on a very bumpy, narrow road! I swear you have to have nerves of steel to be an Irish bus driver (not to mention a passenger!).
Karissa still wasn't feeling well this morning (but she's on the road to recovery and is eating again) so we took it pretty easy today...went to the museum and walked around for a bit.
Its a pretty compact city, and the average age must be about 23...loads and loads of students here. Good shopping too...unfortunately we are poor and we have to carry everything we buy, so we have passed on the retail experience thus far.
the big highlight today was doing laundry for the first time. quite a thrill, let me tell you! I've never been so happy to fold clean underwear.
We are sharing a dorm with 2 girls from Vancouver who were absolutely thrilled to meet some fellow Canadians...fairly enthusiastic. I don't really remember their names because I was so overwhelmed with their welcome.
I feel like I spent half the day at reception because I had to keep going back and forth and back and forth for various reasons, and it was always the same guy there. From around the Niagra falls area apparently. nice guy. who knows I might marry him instead of Liam O'flaherty.
Anyway that's about all that is exciting for today. My facebook is very lonely, and so is my hotmail....I count on blogger for my connection to the outside world. (comment!!)
So far I'm liking the travelly lifestyle. its super fun to be doing different things every day and experiencing new places and meeting new people all the time. I could get used to this.
as long as I have internet access :)
miss you all, and I will put up pictures as soon as we get to fermoy!

Jill

Little Letterfrack

I'm writing from Letterfrack Lodge, a nice clean, new, hostel in the teeny tiny village of Letterfrack, which is located in the Connemara area. In fact its a five minute walk from the Connemara National Park (which I vistied this morning!). Unfortunately Karissa has got some sort of stomach bug so she's been taking it easy since yesterday afternoon. She'll probabyl manage to write a few words of her own later on though.
From Donegal we got a bus to Westport, which won the "Tidiest Town" award or something. Definitely the prettiest and cleanest place we've been so far. We stayed at the Old Mill Hostel, which you may have guessed was a mill at one time. It was pretty cool. We did a long walk and visited the heritage centre (I got to read an original copy of Michael Collins' obituary! Pretty exciting for me), and then we decided (ok I decided and Karissa said ok) that on our second day we would climb Croagh Patrick! Its a huge mountain near Westport that Catholic Pilgrims climb every July to do penance or something. I'll get you more info later. Anyhoo, it was HARD!
It took us about 4 hours to do the whole thing and get back down. I have some amazing pictures to show you all when I get back.
That pretty much wiped us out, but we did meet some really friendly girls from California and attempted to find some traditional music at a pub somewhere with them...unfortunately we didn't find any and we were too tired to stay out very late.
Yesterday we got a taxi (long story) from Westport to Letterfrack...beeeeautiful drive!!! Amazing scenery. We got settled in our hostel and then walked 40 mins to Kylmore Abbey. That is when Karissa started feeling really sick, so we didn't spend a whole lot of time there, and got a ride back to Letterfrack with a really nice couple from Switzerland.
Met a nice girl called Aione last night, and amazingly she works at Bunratty castle and might be able to get us a discount when we go there. Hooray for the Irish!
This morning Karissa slept in and I went to the National Park and ended up climbing "The Diamond". Great views, and it only took me about an hour, so that was good. I'm pretty tired now though. Anyhoo, Karissa wants to get on I'm sure, so I should go. It was nice to get my fix though.
By the way I'm disapointed in you guys! Where are the comments? Are our mothers the only ones who care about us? Sniff sniff. If this keeps up I won't even bother posting pictures when I get back to Fermoy. So there. pbbt.

Jill

Donegal Town

After a very enjoyable and informative walking tour of Derry's city walls yesterday, we walked along taking pictures of the murals, and then got our bags and headed down to the bus station. The bus came an hour later than we were expecting, but we made good use of the time by journalling what we'd seen so far. We met some interesting characters in the bus station, and dozed on the bus ride to Donegal (which I didn't realize was hard to pronounce until I heard Matt L. and Karissa absolutely murder it), arriving in the small town at about 4PM. It was a 2Km walk with our huge packs to get to our hostel, but worth it in the end. Its a quieter place than the hostel in Derry and we have a little more privacy (a commodity which has become high on Karissa's priority list!). We dined on burnt frozen pizza and black tea (we had no milk), we extremely glad to shower at last, and then spent the rest of the evening laughing our heads off in our dorm room. We were just in a weird mood I guess!

This morning I woke up at the usual time...about 5:30AM. I've been waking up at this murderous hour for the past 2 weeks, and I have no idea why. I lay in bed until about 8AM and then I just can't take it anymore, so I get up and inevitably wake up Karissa too.

We've had AMAZING weather the whole trip so far...really warm and summery. Last night it rained, and I thought we would be drowned today, but nope-- sun again! I'm so glad!

We started off by visiting Donegal castle the minute it opened, and then moved on to the old Abbey ruins, and then had a big lunch at the Blueberry Tea Room. Yummy. Then we walked another 2Km to the Donegal Craft Village, which was a bit of a disapointment because none of the displays were on, but we did get to watch a big of weaving on a 300 year old loom!

That's really been the day so far. tomorrow we're hoping to get out to Slieve Leagues and see the highest seaside cliffs in Europe! here's hoping.

My time is almost up!

In Derry

We've spent the last few days in Antrim...totally amazing. Staying with friends: very fun!
Last night we arrived in Derry city around 6PM and made our way to our first hostel...its very interesting! I don't think Karissa is too impressed with the hostel-y lifestyle! But jet lag does tend to suck up all your sense of adventure, so I'm sure she'll be enjoying every minute soon.
Anyhoo, I should go. We're doing a walking tour of Derry today and then catching a bus to Donegal.
There's free internet here so that's why I'm on.I don't know what facilities are like over there, but I'll try and give updates when I can.

Jill

The Day Before the Big Day

I leave tomorrow morning! AHHH! I can't believe I'm actually going after all this time. Its surreal.
Dublin is tomorrow's destination, and I'll be staying with Sam and Karen in their new home. Thursday morning I bus up to Belfast to meet Karissa and we're enjoying the company of the couples I met when I first arrived in October. After that its Ballycastle and beyond!
I'm so excited, but at the same time I get the fluttery butterflies when I think of us trekking around Ireland having no idea what we're doing!!! I have no doubts that we'll figure it out and it will all be fine, its just always nerve-wracking when I have to do new things like this.
As far as packing goes, I'm the worst ever.
I sort of have things set aside that I'm going to bring, but there's a load of laundry that is drying now, and bits and pieces of things lying about that will need to come, and I'm just kind wandering between the piles thinking, "I guess this all needs to go on my back at some point."
An adventure for sure.
In other news, yesterday was my last day at City Gates Cafe. Sigh. I really liked it there. I took pictures of Naomi and Padraig, and I bought that silly magnet for you Mom. I hope you feel terrible about contributing to consumer Christianity now. haha...
I also was given a free book! hooray! I didn't really know what I wanted, but my eye settled on Velvet Elvis, which I want to read again anyhow so I got that. Now I can add it to the pile of things that contribute to my suitcase being way overweight.
Speaking of which I've now posted 2 parcels of THINGS home, so that the said suitcase won't break the scales (and the bank). And there's still more here. How do I manage to accumulate so much? (Christmas, Birthday, and sales, that's how.)
Anyway, you can open them if you want Mom.
So, this is it...possibly the last blog post you will read here at PJ for a while. Or maybe not.
I'm really looking forward to sharing some pictures with you all when I get back! and perhaps some funny stories about two wandering Canadian girls and their experiences with the Irish peoples. Sounds like a bestseller.
Keep in touch!
LOVE-- Jill

I Take It Back.

I'd Do Anything is not the most wonderful tv show ever, in fact its really stupid.
I thought it was a competition based on talent, but apparently I was crazy and its all about who is young and hot, and does what it takes to win over a predominantly male panel.
Saturday night I was rejoicing because Rachel, the girl who would've had my vote if those in the Republic could vote, outshone the rest. She was the only one who didn't receive any criticism from the panel, and rightly so. It was generally agreed that she is fabulous.
Arch Nemesis Samantha, aged 17 and dress size 0, did her usual thing, didn't show the "vulnerability" that the judges had asked for last week, and her pitch was off in a couple spots, but in the words of John Barrowman: "It doesn't matter."
Since Andrew Llyod Webber has the choice to 'save' whoever he wants in a sing-off, I've been getting a sneaky suspicion that he's already chosen who he wants to win the final, and votes have no sway over who it's gonna be. And its no secret that Samantha is a favorite of his.
Anyway to bring my ranting to a close, Rachel and Samantha were in the bottom two, and surprise, surprise: Rachel got the boot.
I must ask why the superior actress/voice was removed from the competition when the judges said only last night that it was Samantha that needed work?
I may be sadly disillusioned but I think it has everything to do with sex appeal, in which case I wash my hands of this ridiculous show. If that's what I wanted to watch, I'd tune into the search for the next Pussycat Doll.
The only good thing about this is that I won't feel I'm missing anything when I'm gone for the last few episodes.
I hope Rachel's career takes off and that she ultimately ends up happier that she didn't become the poster girl for that silly old ALW musical. Hurumph.