Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving has come and gone already! I can't believe how fast this semester has gone by already. It seems like just the other day we stepped off the plane and gathered up our bajillion suitcases and set up house. We came into this empty dorm-ish apartment, and after purchasing the necessary kitchen items, bedding, and the beginnings of a craft stash for me, it finally started to feel like home. At this point, I feel like we're finally established in Dublin, to sit here comfortably for many more months to come until the dissertation in completed and I get that special sheet of paper I came here for. What has really settled it for me--what really makes it feel like it's our place--is playing hostess!

I hosted my first ever Thanksgiving on Friday. We couldn't find a turkey in Dublin (they're usually not available until around Christmastime) so we settled for a prestuffed chicken (thank you Donnes stores!) and a roast to feed about a dozen people that had confirmed that they were coming. I spent all of Friday cooking and cleaning in preparation for the afternoon's festivities and I had a blast putting everything together. I made two loaves of braided bread, an apple crisp, and my Momma's famous pumpkin roll! It was a potluck style celebration, so everyone who came contributed a dish. Mrs. Bee brought stuffed mushrooms (amazing) and Mr. Bee made an authentic green bean casserole! Mika worked hard peeling, boiling, and mashing three pounds of potatoes and it paid off! They were delicious. Other friends brought the utensils, plates, and decorations, puddings, tarts, and meringue cookies for desserts, and yummy appetizers like meat trays, cheeses, and smoked fish! We had an abundance of food and a great group of people to share it with.

Aaron and I are incredibly thankful for the opportunity to be here and have the relationships we have made in this city. It's been a great ride so far! We are so lucky to be able to celebrate like this. Before we started eating, Aaron led us in prayer, thanking God for the food that we were eating that many people in the world would never get to experience. Of course, we followed this up with the Thanksgiving tradition of going around and telling everyone what we were thankful for. Mrs. Bee mentioned Skype--it's amazing how appreciative we are of that!!

Aaron and I both got to talk to our families on Thanksgiving day. At ten pm our time, we saw the Knetzer side of things, as the family celebrated in Indiana. It was really tough for me not to be with them for the second year in a row. Then, an hour later, we talked with the Kopfs--this was the first time we've had a chance to talk to Aaron's brothers since we left, and it was so great! I alternated between laughing and tearing up. It's tough enough to be away from family, but the holidays make it even tougher! We're so looking forward to coming home... one month from today!!

Now that Thanksgiving is over, I'm so excited about Christmas. Everyone knows the day after Thanksgiving is when you start decorating for Christmas, right...? Well, that's what Ireland did for us on Saturday.

It snowed!! We were totally caught off guard (those are the best snow days). Aaron still had to go to work, none of the city really shut down, the buses were still running, so it didn't snow that much... but it was enough to be exciting and to make everything look beautiful!! As of today, Monday, school is still on and students are still leaving Trinity Hall for their classes. I don't know how much snow it takes for school to get canceled, but I heard it wasn't supposed to be much. Ireland doesn't really have the infrastructure to deal with a lot of snow/clean up the roads, etc. Maybe someday it will happen...

For some reason, blogspot isn't letting me post pictures, so I'll upload the most recent ones to my facebook page so you guys can see what we've been up to! Maybe later I'll come back and add some photos here... Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We are counting down the days until we're in America!

Yep, I'm Definitely in a Masters Program.

Hello! Lauren here. If I didn't mention it earlier, last week was reading week for me. Since undergraduates had midterms to study for and take, and graduate students don't have midterms, it was a week of wonderful relaxation for me! I still managed to be pretty productive, since we've got papers to write that are coming up, but for the most part last week was a lot of sitting around in my pajamas, watching tv, or having coffee with friends. It was great after six weeks of school to finally have some free time to socialize with these people I've met, while not thinking "maybe I should be reading now..." It was a welcome break from all the reading, but this past week we've jumped back into it and are marching full speed ahead towards Christmas break!

I've got three papers to write to turn in by mid-January. They give us the break to write these papers, and it's a good thing too because there's no way I would be able to write anything with how much reading we're having to do. All three papers require intense research. The one for research methods is 3,000 words long (about ten pages) and the other two for my core course and for the Victorian Child are 5,000 words each. I've been told 5,000 words will look something like 20ish pages. Needless to say, your prayers are appreciated. I want to have all these papers done by Christmas so that a.) I can enjoy Christmas with my husband, b.) I won't have to worry about them while we're in America, and c.) I won't put them off until the last minute in January. That means from now until December 23rd, I have roughly a month to write 13,000 words or 50 something pages. Don't be surprised if the rest of this month's blog posts are solely written by Aaron... :)

Right before we embraced the freedom of reading week, our class was able to experience an incredibly special privilege. We were the recipients of a private seminar led by best-selling author, knight, and now Trinity professor, Sir Terry Pratchett. Sadly, I've never read any of Sir Pratchett's books, and I've heard it's probably because he's a bigger deal in the UK than in the US, so I feel as though some of the magnitude of this experience was lost on me. Regardless, he still gave one of the most wonderful talks I've ever heard on the subjects of English and writing.  He was so funny, and I couldn't stop writing down all the hilarious things that he said. Here's some tidbits of his talk:

"You just need to grab life by the foreskin."

On making it in the writing business: "You have to work hard to have a bookshelf [in your house] with books high enough to need a library ladder, and I have a library ladder."

"Fantasy has room for absolutely everything. As a fantasy writer, you get the same paint box as every other author, you just have more colors. You have the gold and the silver and the glitter."

"Fantasy is not a genre, it is the original fiction."

"The idea is the engine that's pulling the brain."

He was so inspiring, especially when he discussed his work ethic. He just sat down and said "I will write 400 words a day, and then I can write two books by the end of one year" and he did! And he made millions doing it! When he was asked for tips on how to be a writer, he would always respond "No! You just write a book, that's what I did." Continuing this subject of work ethic, he said "I've worked hard as a writer. On the day my grandfather died, I still filled my quota. But if you have to go to the dentist, you just have to go to the dentist. I started as a journalist, and there you have to fill your quota. They're not going to publish the paper with holes in it--you can't just say you're not in the mood."

The entire lecture, the way he spoke, his ease of discussing his methods, the nonchalance with which he treated the act of just sitting down and beginning to write really impressed myself and my classmates with a sense of "we could do that! I could pick up a pen and start writing now!" It's interesting now, how I find myself with about 32 days to write out 13,000 words--13,000 divided by 32 is 406.25--and I must adopt the work ethic that has worked so well for this best selling author. I must write about 400 words a day to finish by my deadline with my sanity intact, and if he could do it, I can do it too, as his lecture made me believe.

And who knows? Maybe someday, when I don't have essays to write, I can write my own stories, and then I can have a bookcase with books high enough to need a library ladder.

Mika, myself, Sir Terry Pratchett, and Mrs. Bee.

The blurry face in the back right is one of my professors. The face peeking over Mika's shoulder on the left is another one!

 My class, including professors and some PhD students, with someone famous!

We Finally Found Ireland

Hey, all! Aaron here.

Remember way back in one of our first blogs when I said that Dublin isn't really Ireland? You know, how it's not the green, lush, wild Emerald Isle that comes to mind when you hear the word "Ireland"? Well, we finally found the real Ireland, and it's only 30 minutes away from city centre.

A few weeks ago, the Bees told us that they went to a marvelous little place called Howth, which is a large, head-shape peninsula just north and east of Dublin. They told us that the hiking is good there and that we should check it out sometime. Well, last week, I found a 50-Euro bill on the shop floor at work. I turned it in to management, and after a few hours, they gave the bill back to me since no one came in to claim it. Lauren and I decided to save the money for a day-date out of Dublin. Today was my day off, we haven't been out of the city since Glendalough, and Howth seemed the perfect destination. Let me tell you...

We were right.

Without further ado, I present to you more than 40 pictures and two videos from our wonderful day trip. Remember, you can click on each picture to see a large version!

Here we are on the way into town. The nearest train station (called the DART over here) is right next to Trinity. There's nothing like a morning constitutional to get all lathered up for an adventure.

This is the DART. We boarded at Pearse Station and bought two round-trip tickets to Howth for only 8.50 Euro. To put that in perspective, it costs 7.60 just for two round-trip tram tickets from city centre to our apartment! We boarded and, twelve stops later, arrived in Howth (pronounced "hoeth").

We found this map just outside of the train station entrance. If you click on the picture, you can see the railway snake onto the map from the west near the northern coast of the peninsula. The colored lines that run along the north and east coasts are the various trails. Yeah, you read that right--coastal, cliff-line trails. Ooooh man, wait til you see the pictures!

 

Here is a closer shot for those that want to take a good gander.

Howth is a sleepy coastal village by day, bustling tourist attraction by night. We were lucky to visit on a Friday when most people are at work.

 

If you specked out the map, this is the beginning of the easternmost pier. These old ships begged to be photographed (not literally).

We're standing on the pier now, looking east along the northern coast of the peninsula. See those hills off to the left? Yeah, Lauren and I totally climbed those. You'll see the pictures soon.

We're quite a ways out on the pier now. It was WINDY, so windy that we had a very difficult time walking straight. We kept picturing ourselves getting tossed off the pier into the sea.

This is an island you can see looking due north from the pier. If you click on the picture, you'll see the remains of Martello Tower on the lefthand side of the island.

Here's a shot of the lighthouse at the end of the pier.

Another shot of Martello Tower from the lighthouse. On the righthand side of the island, you'll see a rock formation known as "Ireland's Eye."

On the way back, we found evidence of the Hound of the Baskevilles! In Ireland! Lauren is amazed!

Is this a bathroom for local fire fighters? Or perhaps for ents? Or lumberjacks?

Lauren and I started walking along the coast toward those two hills that you saw earlier. The road took us pretty high above sea level very quickly, offering incredible views of the scenery below. Look at the water's edge on the right side of the photo for a crane.

This blew us away. The green expanse is this guy's backyard, and that wall borders the cliffside more than 50 feet above the waves crashing below. Incredible. You can see Howth in the background.

This marks where the coast begins to wrap southward. We'll be back here later. First, we have a few hills to conquer.

Well that was fast. Here we are at the top of one of those hills. We walked up the road below to get to the base of the hill, and you've already seen that island out on the water.

We decided to hike over to the other hilltop, as it had a much better view of Howth village. This is my adventurous wife navigating the steep descent. She totally rocked on this trip.

Here we are! That's Howth down below. You can see the piers off to the right and the road that we walked on the right, as well. The next several pictures are a panoramic of sorts, starting with a look west, rotating to the right, and eventually looking east. Enjoy!

 

 

Thus ends the panorama. Remember that picture where Lauren was standing epically with her hands on her hips? She was standing right where those people are on the other hilltop.

 

Lauren takes a moment to ponder the epic implications of our epic epicness. And to look at the town.

I was really happy to be out in nature again. This may be one of my favorite pictures I've ever had taken of myself. There's another contender a bit further down.

Oh, what's that? You want to see a video of the hilltop? It would be our pleasure! It's a bit grainy, and wind is bit loud, but it's still fun to watch.

Lauren and I decided to head back down to the path and continue adventuring. There were trails leading everywhere through the heather and bracken, like this one.

The beauty of the ocean was simply inescapable. Every time we rounded a corner, there she was in all her azure splendor.

Yup, nothing like hiking in a pea coat. It's too bad we couldn't pack clothing more conducive for backpacking, but our suitcase space was limited.

Okay, so we're back here. Lauren and I continued hiking south along the coast on the eastern side of the island. Oh, do you see that rock jutting out to the left above the waves? Yeah, you know I couldn't stay away from that.

A contender for one of my favorite pictures ever.

A look over our shoulders back at the village of Howth. After a few more steps, the village was hidden from view behind the rocks.

To any and all visitors: If you come to Ireland, we will take you down that path. Seriously, that one right there. Just make the flight and we'll take care of the rest.

Lauren finds a bench and stylishly demonstrates how to sit on something.

Here's another video for you!

See? We found Ireland.

 

Just before taking this picture, we stood still and listened... Completely absent were the sounds of cars, planes, people, civilization entirely. Only ocean waves, seagulls and the lonely wind.

Lauren and I made our way back into town, since our stomachs were rumbling and we wanted to grab some authentic seafood. We passed these houses on the way and decided to live there in 40 years.

Howth Church, located at the top of the hill and just up the town's main road. Even the church in the tiny town is full of character. And probably fish.

Pictured: Quaint sea-town of Howth. Also, a Porsche.

This is where Lauren and I ate dinner. We had steamed mussels for starters, followed by chowder soup, smoked salmon, braised mackerel, seafood salad, fried shrimp and homemade bread. We thanked God for that lost 50-Euro bill with every bite.

Well, there you have it! We had an absolutely incredible time, and there were several moments that I know I will never forget (sitting on the hilltop overlooking the town with Lauren, walking above the ocean along the cliffs, enjoying fresh seafood in an Irish cafe). We are both so thankful for the opportunity to come over here and experience these things, and also very thankful to our friends and family for letting us leave for awhile! We hope these pictures give you a glimpse of the joy we experienced today.

A Day in the Life of a Trinity Student

Can you guess who's writing this particular post? :) For a while now, I've been carrying our camera with me and snapping some photos on my route to school, and of the school itself, and the city it sits in, with the express purpose of compiling those photos here to give all of our friends and family back home a clearer picture of what we're doing here in the first place. We have often mused that no one wants to see pictures of super markets, or bus rides, or the little mundane things that make up so much of our time here, but I thought, why not? Why not take a picture of the Tesco, so you, back home, can have an idea of where we buy our groceries next time we mention it? That being said, I did my best to map out a whole day in order to show you my schedule, the city, the school, and some friends I've made. I hope you enjoy it!

Step one is to wake up, get breakfast, get dolled up, and head to class. The day starts early, and I'm out the door by nine!

 

Coffee or tea in hand, of course.

I walk down this street...

And down here...

To the right is a pub that's being renovated. I like to peek inside it and see its progress as I pass it. :) It's coming along!

This is where the street gets busier... it feels like we're headed toward the city!

I get to pass this magnificent church every day.

And then I walk on a bridge over this canal. This photo was taken before everything got "fallified."

I make a turn, and the closer I get to the city center, the fancier the buildings become!

I pass this restaurant :) It's actually pretty expensive... Every now and then it makes me crave a $5 hot and ready!

Suddenly I'm in Georgian Dublin! See the bright colors of the doors, the buildings squished together?

I cross the tram tracks. On this corner is St. Stephen's Green, and if I have time, I usually pass through the park on my way to school.

This guy greets me as I walk inside. He's a Lord.

In the middle of the city, this is my shortcut to get out of the crowd and among some trees.

Out that gate is busy Grafton Street, already getting covered with Christmas lights!

At the end of this street is my school and Aaron's work!

 

I walk through front square, then between these buildings...

And tah-dah! This is my building. It's called the Arts Block and it looks like a post-apocalyptic shelter on the inside.

 Up some stairs...

... to class! There were four of us on this day instead of the usual six, because Trinity has graduation super late! This was taken before class... everyone is usually very attentive during!

We caught up with one of our missing classmates later--congratulations on graduating from college, two months into a masters program!

Then someone told us to do a "tiger pose" and Ian growled "BA!!"

Off to lunch! This time we went to a place called O'Briens. They give Trinity students a 25% discount :)

Just look at this place, packed with students!

Mika is Canadian, hence the Blue Jays hat.

Then its off to the Graduate Reading room. And here is my set up.

Look how fancy this is. Graduate students only!

Yes, I study in a building that has a rotunda.

We go to another class. We all stand around afterwards and talk about how lecture went. Usually it's like "oh man, my mind is blown!"

I wish I had a better photo to show you the apolalypticness of this building.

Out of the building, and into the hustle and bustle of the city at night!

I cross this busy street when the light tells me it's safe...

And then... oh wait! Who's this handsome fellow?! I pick my husband up from work and then we ride home together :)

Riding on the top level of the double-decker bus, on our way home!

We pick up groceries. Here's our supermarket, the Tesco.

From the Tesco, we have a short walk back to Trinity Hall.

... where I make dinner and banana bread.

And Aaron unwinds by playing video games.

And then we go to bed to start it all over again!