Spring Break Pleaseeeeee

Spring break cannot come soon enough. I need to rest, mentally and physically. My body is rebelling against me and I need a break from training and papers and traveling for a week to just rest. Sit on the beach on my ass with my sunglasses and a beer and just rest in the sun. Between class, rugby and all five of my papers due this week, I'm pleading with God to just let it be break already!
All the work I haven't had to do this semester has finally come full circle, and is biting me in the ass. Hard. I've got five papers, a presentation and blogs due this week, all of which I'm struggling to concentrate on because I haven't had to write a paper in 12 weeks. It's frustrating to struggle at something last semester I was a pro at pulling off. I'm distracted by the thought of the beaches of France and roaming the streets of Spain in the springtime. I guess after being pampered with easy lectures and tutorials for the last eight weeks, Ireland is showing me what the school system is truly made of. It's time to buck up and start writing, suck it up and quite whining about my work, which I probably could have spread out over the last few weeks. Although to my credit, I did have a lot going on.
First of all, it was St. Patrick's Day in Ireland, so of course I had to go to Dublin to watch the parade. It made for a long day — up at 6 a.m. to catch the bus and start the festivities, back at 4 a.m. passed out on the bus from celebrating. Enough said.
Second, UL ladies rugby had our League Final against the monstrous girls of University College Cork. Although they outweighed us by a few hundred pounds and were out to avenger their prior 22-0 loss from us earlier this season, we scrapped it out and come out on top. It was a close match, tied at the end of regulation 12-12. The tie was a motivating slap in the face for our team, a team that'd only allowed one try scored on us all season. We kicked it into high gear and dominated the 20 minute overtime, winning by a score of 24-17. Watching my teammates hold up that plaque made me feel a sense of pride and accomplishment that I haven't felt in a while. The brutal game and tough play was worth it.
But Playing 100 minutes of rugby was hard on my body, and I'm sure the celebration we had the night after didn't make things much better. I came back that weekend with an aching body and dead on my feet. There wasn't much time to lay around because I had to start all my essays Sunday.
Third, focusing and writing is also a challenge when Rag Week is going on right outside your window. Rag Week, in theory, is a charity week, where portions of money spend on alcohol and concert tickets bought on campus go to a charity of the day. I fully support this tradition, where people can get drunk for a moral and just cause and blow off classes for a week with the understanding of many professors. It's hard to have fun at Rag Week though when you're sick and have five papers to write.
I guess it's the universes' way of telling me to take better care of myself and quite being a procrastinator.

The Sullivans Come to Ireland

It's been about two weeks since I've last written, not because I don't enjoy sharing my little escapades, but simply because I had zero time to sit at my computer and dabble. My parents, brother and boyfriend arrived March 6 for a week of Irish living in the countryside. We rented a cottage in Ardpatrick, a tiny village about 40 kilometers from Limerick. Alice and Michael O'Neil's cottage was a 400-year old structure with a coal stove and a kitchen that I picture when I think of my "grown up house." It is part of a three building estate, complete with farmland, cows, horses, chickens and three of the sweetest dogs I've ever met. The landscape was magnificent, nestled in the hilly terrain in between the ruins of fortified houses and old castles. The only thing that could have been better was the heating — I could literally see my breath as I walked through the house. With electricity being so expensive in Ireland, everything is turned off until the last possible moment and fuel is used in moderation. So with a few extra layers and a stoked coal stove, we called the spacious cottage home for a week.
It made for a good base to travel from, and travel we did. Mom, Dad, Taylor, Nick and I went to Cork, Dublin, Galway and Kilarney, along with a few smaller stops along the way, catching sites like the Blarney Castle, Kilarney National Park and the original Claddagh ring store. We saw old friar hangouts and neo-gothic churches that are scattered throughout the Irish towns and country side. My family also got to see the UL Rugby team and myself play a winning match against Galway; mom was horrified and dad was impressed. We also at at some of the best pubs I've been to so far, with meals like savory Irish stew, bangers and mash, all washed down with sips of Irish coffee creamy Guinness.
Speaking of the black gold, I think my family discovered the best place in Ireland to have a pint and a conversation. The Village Inn, a small pub which my parents stumbled upon during a walk became the keystone to my families stay. It all started when my parents took a walk down the winding roads after we settled in last Saturday. They found the Inn situated in the middle of a town whose school house is home to just five students. They strolled through the front door to find the place packed with people in suits and dresses — yes, my mom and dad had just crashed a wake. They were invited in to join in the celebration of an O'Sullivan whose ashes had been laid to rest that day. They had so much fun in the afternoon they brought us back for more that evening. The owner, Nuala, was welcoming and friendly, inviting us back every night and finally to a sing song Friday event, where village members all over the age of 60 serenaded the tiny pub with traditional Irish music, the inflection and tone of the songs reflecting Irelands sorry, joy and history. That night in Nuala's bar truly made the entire week for my family and I.
On a less tradition, but just as fun note, we celebrated my brother Taylor's 19th birthday. Vodka, Bailey's, tequila, wine and Guinness make for an eventful and entertaining birthday celebration. We capped the week off in Dublin with a night out on the town. I'd say the Sullivan clan did a good job this week in celebrating our Irish roots, and also surviving driving on the other side of the road (with only a few near death experiences.) Slainte!

The City of Hookers, Hash and Houses Where People Hid

I survived my weekend getaway to Brussels and Amsterdam, although there were a few close calls thanks to the obscene amount of people riding very fast on bikes. I went with the expectations of a dirty, trashy, sex-crazed city where the locals were always high and looking to sell sex and drugs, but in reality Amsterdam was one of the cleanest, most intriguingly gorgeous cities I've ever seen. The combination of history, architecture and local surprises (along with the sexed up Red Light District) made the city fun and extremely entertaining.
I laughed out loud when we accidently ran into the Red Light District for the first time...I was walking along minding my own business when I look up from the cobbled road to see an ancient, overweight, lingerie-wearing prostitute posing scandalously in a window, tempting us to come closer with a "come hither" wiggle of her finger. Although I had been expecting it, it still blew my mind and gave all six of us a good laugh. We walked through shops that sold obscenely hilarious toys, museums dedicated solely to the history of marijuana and by theaters advertising the "Best Live Show in Town!" Clearly it was every 20-something's dream city.
But outside the small area that makes up Sin City, Amsterdam was one of the coolest and classiest places I've been, with loads of museums, art galleries, historical monuments and beautiful markets filled with anything and everything you could imagine. We visited the Anne Frank House and Museum (my personal favorite), the Van Gogh Art Museum, the Tulip Museum and found a flea market that sold everything from freshly made crepes to hand-carved antiques. The more intellectual side of the city made for a nice variety and balance for the wild night life and shady dealings of the RLD. I felt like I got to experience two completely different atmospheres and cities in one trip, which is one of the best things about Amsterdam, the variety of things there are to explore.
Traveling there was half of the adventure. My group left Limerick Thursday night by train to Dublin, where we stayed in a nice hostel and listened to a traditional band at a pub next door. We woke up early Friday to catch a flight to Brussels, where after exploring, gorging ourselves on Belgian Waffles and taking pictures of a peeing statue, we finally boarded a bus to Amsterdam. We celebrated my friend Matt's 22nd birthday by going out to Royalties night club where we got our groove on to some crazy European techno music. We were exhausted and ready to come home Sunday night, but the trip to, from and through Amsterdam was definitely a highlight of my European experience so far. And I made it the whole weekend without getting arrested or killed by crazy bike-riders, which is always a good thing :)