ITALY!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, I am pretty excited and with good reason. I have just booked my trip to Italy! :D Hehe, AND it was pretty cheap too!!! Round trip for the plane tickets, it is only about $50!! The one place that I have been dying to get to since I've got to Europe and it's finally going to happen!!!!! Okay, so not a whole lot of notice, but I'm going next weekend. I leave on May 5 and return May 9. Unfortunately, not a lot of time, but there will be other times to return. At any rate, I think I have worked out a general itinerary.

MAY 5 ---- I leave from East Midlands Airport at 12:45 p.m. and arrive in Pisa at 4:10 p.m. (Italy is an hour ahead of the UK) I'll have another stamp on my passport! Yay! At any rate, I'll see the Leaning Tower and the Cathedral. Then take the train to Florence and stay the night in Florence.

MAY 6 ---- I'll spend all day in Florence and another night. It looks like an incredible place.

MAY 7 ---- Will get an early start, have breakfast in Florence (yes there will be a lot of eating in Italy) then travel to Venice, where I will check into my hotel there. Spend the rest of the day in Venice.

MAY 8 ---- Will have all day in Venice and another night.

MAY 9 ---- Depart from Venice and head back to the UK.

So a bit of traveling around Italy. Like I said not a whole lot of time there, but I'm just happy that I'm going to be able to go there. I'm soooooooo excited. Hehe. Then either that weekend or the weekend after, I'll be going to Greece, lol. Then no more trips, because it's time to say goodbye to flatmates, turn in papers and study for my exam! I shall keep you posted and make an update before I leave!

Photos!

From left to right: Rasmus, Martin and Mikael... the swedish boys! Two of which are my neighbors!
Mick, our host and also birthday boy, who is wearing MY white hat!
Posing like crazy.. Brett is to my immediate left.. and in the foreground is Anette
Um, not paying attention?
From left to right: Justine (our hostess), Carina, Martin, Adam (yes that's him) and Yosh
Then yes here is a photo that we're both in, but it's a horrible photo.. lol... I thought there were better ones but apparently not. Oh well, next time. But here is a glimpse into the crazy hat party.... lol.

Okay, unfortunately there are no good photos of Adam and I. This is why I really should have taken photos that night. Unfortunately my batteries were dead and the temp camera that I have takes a million years for the flash to work. Therefore, I'm strictly in debt to all others who took pictures that night. So here you go.

Just an Update...

Just an update, since it's been a while. I've been busy with sickness and getting essays written. Thankfully I think I am completely over my sickness and I've only got 2 more essays, a presentation and an exam left. Of course with classes ending on the 8th of May, I have a bit of break too, so will probably ship off to Italy and Greece, I just need to figure out my schedule for Drama rehearsals.

This weekend was a lot of fun for multiple reasons. The first being that Adam came out to see me. For those who don't know who he is; I met Adam 2 years ago this summer, while working at Cedar Point. We've managed to stay in touch via MSN and email and I just got to see him again :D At any rate, he came out Thursday night and he left earlier today, because he had to drive home for a show he's playing tomorrow. He lives about 3 hours away from the University... so it was really nice to see him and to get to talk to him and hang out. The second cool thing about this weekend, was the hat party Friday night. Of course we had to go out and buy a hat!!! I bought a white hat and it looked really cool when it was just plain white, but now that it has writing all over it, in English, Finnish, Spanish and Swedish it looks even cooler! I love signatures!!! Hehe, so I got my hat signed by almost everybody at the party. I didn't end up taking photo's so I'm stealing everybody elses, as soon as everybody posts their photos, I'll post some of them on here, it was a good time though, really relaxed and fun. It was nice to, because almost the entire house went over to Mick and Justine's (who are also Internationals, just not living on campus) to celebrate. So was good fun and will be showing photos shortly I'm sure. Unfortunately, Sunday is going to be a work day and I hope to get my entire presentation done tomorrow, so I don't have to worry about it until Thursday, haha. That's all for now!

Fall 2007

This post really has nothing to do with England, because right now things are quiet as people are still away on holiday and the sort and I've just been writing my essays. This has to do with my fall 2007 schedule for IUP. Today I got to register at 8 a.m. state-side time, which was 1 p.m. my time and everything was good until I couldn't register for my last class. However, I sent away an email to the assistant dean and by 3 p.m. I was completely registered for all 7 classes, yes 7, BUT 1 of the classes is a lab and a class... so that's not to bad. So here is my completed schedule for Fall 2007:

PLSC 300 - Research Methods in Political Science - MWF - 10:10 -11:00 (writing intensive)
JRNL 220 - Writing for Print Media - MWF - 11:15 - 12:05 (writing intensive)
JRNL 327 - Layout, Design & Production - MW - 1:25-2:15
JRNL 105 - Journalism & Mass Media - MWF - 2:30 - 3:20
PLSC 283 - American Foreign Policy - MW - 3:35 - 4:50

JRNL 327 - Layout, Design & Production - TR - 9:30 - 10:45 (this is the lab)
PLSC 360 - Classical Political Thought - TR - 11:00 - 12:15 (writing intensive)

All of this is equal to 18 credits. So it's going to be a tough semester, I've had only one of the professors before, but have heard good things about the others. So should be an interesting and tough semester, but I'm ready for it. I'm just so happy that I got exactly what I wanted. Okay, enough procrastinating, off to tackle my final essay!

(Also it may look like I have a lot MWF, but I really don't I have 5 classes Monday and Wednesday, but only 3 classes on Friday and 2 classes on Tuesday and Thursday, so the busiest days will be MW, but still I have a break for lunch between JRNL 220 and JRNL 327)

Dublin Adventures

I didn't have my computer with me on this short trip, however I did have my journal, so I recorded the whole trip in there. Now I'll put it all up for y'all to see, (so if some of it's written in present tense, then other parts past tense that's why)!

4.4.07 -- 10:10 p.m. : My journey to Dublin has officially begun. I am on the train now to Birmingham International Airport, where I will spend the night and then catch the plane in the morning. I'm quite excited about going on my own, I was only nervous about an hour before I left for the train, but now that I am en route I am very excited and tired! It's a short trip to Birmingham New Street tonight at which point I will change trains and head to the airport, where I will then catch the tram over to the actual airport and spend the night. Well tis all for now, I'm when it hits 2 a.m. and I'm struggling to stay awake, I'll be writing again.

11:20 p.m. : I arrived at the airport. It's now 11:45 p.m. and I've gotten myself a coffee in hopes of keeping myself awake. Right now I'm reading my Dublin guidebook and picking out a few more places I would like to go. It's good to know that I'm not the only spending the night in the airport there are several others. Apparently it's a popular thing to do in the UK/Europe.

4.5.07 -- 3:15 a.m. : Well it's officially Thursday and I can check-in in about 2 and a half hours. There is loads of activity going on and there are actually quite a lot of people here. I know I'm going to sleep well on the flight. I've made it through the guidebook picking out locations, it's going to be a lot of walking, but will be awesome and should get some great photos. What you won't see... my exhausted face!!!

3:50 a.m. : The airport is quite alive and bustling. I didn't think it would be this early, but I suppose it makes sense... any flight that takes off at 6 a.m. Quite busy with people checking in and a loud piercing alarm that has now been going off for about 3 or 4 minutes. Check in time is slowly creeping up... thank goodness for music and my new book!

8:50 a.m. : We touch down in Dublin, ten minutes ahead of schedule. I would say it was a great flight, but to be honest the minute I buckled my seatbelt I was out. Though I do remember waking up at one point as we were hovering over the water and I was able to see all of Ireland and thinking wow, that is an amazing photo and then just shutting my eyes again... because really I just couldn't be bothered to bend over, get my camera out of my bag and take a photo. haha. I do kind of regret not getting the shot, because I didn't get a shot like that on the way out either, but oh well another time. At any rate, we got off the plane and I landed in the non-EU line to get my passport stamped :D I was really excited, because this was the 2nd stamp I received and it's just kind of exciting to watch your passport get stamped with another country! I got through and then had to figure my way to the bus. It was actually quite simple though, because not only did I already have directions printed out, the airport had a nice billboard with the buses and their locations outside. I hop on the bus and it's about a 40 minute bus ride with traffic and all, but that's okay, because I got a photo of a palm tree... who would have thought, palm trees in Dublin?!

10:49 a.m. : I am officially checked into the Avalon House, I can't actually have my keys yet because the rooms aren't done until 2 p.m., however I am able to leave my luggage in their free locked facilities, so I do that and decide I'll come back at 2. Driving in we had passed the House of Lords and I wanted a photo of that, because I really liked the building itself. I found the tourist information building by accident, because I thought it was a church, turns out it used to be and then they turned it into the tourist information facility. I didn't actually go in, just took photos! Now at this point I didn't really have a direction was just making sure I made it back. I was walking along and saw this gorgeous building turns out it was another cathedral. (A random fact, that I learned on my bus-tour I took the next day, the majority of cathedrals in Dublin are Protestant not Catholic). Then I got to the outside of St. Stephens Green Shopping Centre, which happens to be gorgeous inside and out. I took a photo of the outside of that and then headed over to St. Stephens Park. It was a really beautiful day out and it was just a nice relaxing walk about. After leaving there, I somehow found my way to Dublin castle, I say it that way, because I thought the castle was in the opposite direction I was going, which was quite unique on the outside, however I couldn't go in, because it was closed for the day. Then I came across another cathedral, seriously they're everywhere and they're all beautiful. By that time I had walked a fair bit and I was getting sleepy and hungry. I was really trying to find this fish and chips shop that I had read about in several different books, called Burdocks. Sure enough it ended up being right near the last cathedral. I had fish and chips wrapped up in newspaper! There was loads of it though and the fish still had it's skin on, it was good, but the portion was so large it easily could have fed two people, I think. I decided to head back, but ended up at Wellington Quay instead, which isn't where I wanted to be at the time, but wasn't far from the where I needed to be and it ended up killing time as well. I got myself turned around and got back to the hostile. I took some photo's of the hostile and of the 12 person room I was in, it was pretty cool, because it also had a spiral staircase in the room. The people who worked there were nice and so were the people that I met. Tomorrow I'm going to take a bus tour around the city, to make sure I get to where I want to go, plus it's easy to hop on and hop off. I'm going down one last time for the internet then I'm calling it an early night. Another long day and night tomorrow.

4.5.07 -- 8:45 p.m. : It's 8:45 p.m. as of now and I'm sitting in the airport. However, my day began a little after 8 a.m. today. I got out of bed and grabbed a quick shower, then headed downstairs to a very light breakfast, which consisted of one piece of toast, OJ and have a cup of coffee. I then turned my key and bought a tour bus ticket. The guy gave me directions to St. Stephens park, but I don't think it was the right way, so I went the way I knw and ended up going through St. Stephens Shopping Centre. I stopped at Carroll's gift shop, the most famous Irish souvenir shop. I got a few things for friends and then bought myself a zip up sweater that says Ireland across it. It was quite a good investment, because it got quite windy on the bus and cold. I've been wearing it all day! I got on the bus and began the tour. We passed St. Patricks Cathedral and I thought I could just go back to it later and get a tour inside, (I was wrong, by the time I would get back around to it, it would be closed). My first hop off stop was the Guiness Storehouse at around 10:45 a.m. It's actually a huge storehouse that covers 70-acres. The actual storehouse that I paid to get in had 6 floors and then the Gravity Bar on the 7th, which has a 360 degree view of the entire city of Dublin. The six floors gave really interesting information about the factory, Arthur Guiness (like the fact that he was so confident in his storehouse he signed a 9,000 year contract), and how they make the beer. I actually learned things from there. I ended up spending loads of time there and didn't leave until a bit before 2. Then hopped back on the bus, the next stop for me was Kilmainham Gaol Museum and Jail. There was a guided tour that you took through the jail after going through the museum on your own. It was really interesting and I learned a lot about the history of Ireland and the road to freedom and civil war and conflict. I got out of there at 4 p.m. By the time the next bus came it was nearly 4:30 p.m. Note that I still had not had lunch, but there were things that I wanted to see and do before they closed! Unfortunately the museums and Trinity College (where the book of Kellis is) both closed at 5 so by the time I got back around to them on the bus they were closed. I was disappointed a bit and wishing I had done the tour bus the other day, so that I way I could have done a bit more. I did end up riding the bus around again for the full hour and fiftenn minutes and the pedestrian traffic was crazy! I did get to see a lot too, I got to see a lot of sights and I got to learn a lot, so I can't complain there. I finally got off the bus at around 6 p.m. and was able to get something to eat. Then around 7 p.m. I decided I should probably just catch the bus to the airport instead of sticking around shopping, seeing as how I was on O'Connell street, the most popular shopping street in the City Centre. So now it's a little after 10 p.m. and I've got about 6 hours before I can check in and I'm bound and determined to get some sleep tonight! We shall see though, it's a lot different than the Birmingham Airport, TV's in the arrival area!! (yes, where I got to watch Friends and Ugly Betty!)

After Thoughts: I did end up sleeping for a little bit, in half hour intervals I think. So wasn't to bad, still slept quite well on the plane ride and I also slept on the train ride home too! Overall I really did enjoy myself. I had a good time, I got to see things that I wanted to see, do things I wanted to do, not all of them, but some of them, and it was nice. I did enjoy it and I came back Friday at about 9:45 a.m. walked pretty fast back to uni and then passed out until 5 p.m. Haha. I was a little tired, but it was all worth it! :)

Dublin In Photos

The entrance I used to come into St. Stephens Park and in the background on the left is St. Stephens Shopping Centre
One of the many fountains in the park
St. Stephens Park
There were signs for Guiness everywhere, but this was the closest one to the Storehouse
The waterfall inside the Storehouse

There was a huge circular thing, where you could leave a message there for others to read for later on and this is my message
One of the views from the Gravity Bar, I took a lot, but just choose a few

This one is probably my favorite, because of the mountains in the background
In the gravity bar, with my free pint of Guiness... That's as much as I drank of it, haha

St. Patricks Cathedral
St. Patricks Cathedral

The main jail
Outside of Kilmainham

The front of Dublin Castle

The side of Dublin Castle
More of Dublin Castle
The spiral staircase in our room
MY BED!!

More of Christ Church Cathedral
The view from Wellington Quay bridge

The random church I found at the end of the street

This statue has been around for a long time, it's in O'Connell Street, and if you look closely at some of the statues, you can still see bullet holes from previous uprisings
This is a huge Silver flagpole... haha.. with no flag.
This is an example of the many pedestrians that were out at 4:30 p.m.
Musuem of Ireland, Art
A shot of Phoenix Park, which is 2x's the size of Central Park

I'm Back!

I'm back from Dublin, I got back this morning at around 9:45 a.m. and walked back to uni and then slept until about 5, lol. Unfortunately not going to make the post with pictures and everything I did until tomorrow. So you'll have to sit tight until then. It's going to be quite long I'm sure. But I had a great time! So until tomorrow..