D'or here

Hi All,

I've been following the goings on at the house, more or less, though I'm always excited to hear more. I am terrible at uploading pictures, but my friends are good at it! so when I get back, we can log on to facebook. Plus, I've been taking some photos, I'm jst technologically challenged...

A lot has hapened since I last logged in... I fell on the footbridge walking home at 11 pm after a pint of cider and unbeknowst to me then, chipped a tooth, which will wait until I get home, since it's so small nobody can notice anyway, but I felt like I had finally joined the rest of the living and done something slightly embarassing while...under the influence? I had a really bloody nose and this really nice woman took me to her house across the street and let me clean up, she even donated a pack of tissues for the cause! It was more embarassing to fall flat on my face in public on an icy footbridge than anything else.

I've been taking Irish-which, let me tell you, is worse than English in terms of spelling. I ahve my oral test (sounds more fun than it is) n the 19th, along with a psych paper.... At least the phleghmy sounds arent' al that difficult for me to produce, since hebrew has worse ones. I suspect I will never sound native in Irish, though. Which isn't bad considering most people here do not actually speak it... It might come in handy in my trip to the ring of Kerry this weekend (what we all think of as we picture Ireland, according to Marian, head of Irish stuff here), though.

UCC is very much like ADP in that there are tons of parties where people dress up in their finest ball regalia, have big meals, get kind of tipsy (very trashed in some cases) and dance and dance. I miss the guys at ADP, though, who would never be so ungentlemanly as to refuse an offer for a waltz... yes, Irish guys (to my suprise) are not always as gentlemanly as you'd expect by your experience with them at Wes... though definitely mant of them are very nice indeed...
I really like the pubs here...there are Irish music sessions in some of them, basically, if you want to hear a trad session, you just ahve to find out where it is that day of the week. I've also discovered i really like cider-and we should all go to Eli's for some (I hear it's cheap and quite good) when I come back... I went to Blarney castle the other week, with my firend Noora from finland and her roommate from germany. It was nice, and I smooched the stone, which is supposed to make me more eloquent (and smooth-talking). However, I haven't noticed the desired effects yet..let's hope they appear while I write my thesis next year....

I miss you all very much. However, academically I'm having a great time here. I'm finding that what the people at the study abroad office said was correct. The people who say studying ehre is easy were not painting an accurate picture. It's freer here. You ahve more free time for research, reading, walking around, socializing. However, professors (or lecturers, as they are called) are very knowledgeable, and most are both entertaining and very informative during class time. There is less supervision here, which makes sense, because students here vary in age and academic experience. One of the women in my history class is probably in her forties, and she isn't the only older student here, far from it... I think some of the visiting students find the variety weird and uncomfortable, but I really like it. After class on Thursdays my history professor walks me into town and we talk about class and just chat, which I like.
Psychology here is different than at Wes and I took a class on group work that I could never have taken otherwise. I need to go to class, but I will continue this soon...
suffice to say:
I like it here, but I really miss you all...
Xaipe and Hugs,
D'or