The Final Countdown

Three weeks left until I leave Europe and only two until I leave Ireland. Finals begin tomorrow and people are starting to leave. The end is near and I do not like it one bit.
I'm excited to see my family and friends back in the States and I'm pumped to get back to Penn State, but I don't want to leave Ireland at all. Lucky for me I'm living up my last few weeks of the most amazing semester away I could have possibly imagined. Spain and Portugal were a nice vacation from vacation, getting back to my friends in Limerick was awesome, and the parties we are throwing to celebrate the end of this amazing experience are record breaking.
I ventured to Spain with three of my friends, soaking up the sun and a lot of sangria along the way. We laid on the beach, we napped in parks and chilled at bars. The relaxation was brilliant, but the cultural experience was even better. I learned how to cook and serve tapas, a Spanish tradition much like appetizers, eight or nine dishes are served and shared among a group of friends. I also got to participate in a Spanish cooking class, making the best seafood paella I've ever had. I can't wait to cook the dish for my friends and family back home.

After our many meals we watched some of the coolest and sexiest dancing I've ever seen — flamenco. The band and the couple that danced on stage drew me in completely with their rhythmic beat, sultry stares and smokey voices. I found myself crushing hard core on the dark, scruffy man in tight pants and admiring the strong steps and smooth movements of the dark-eyed woman moving with him to the music. It made me wish my rhythm extended past shimmying my hips awkwardly whenever a bumping song comes on. Yes, Spanish culture and weather was nice vacation from the much chillier, much less musically sexy Ireland.
Next was Portugal, a country was more impoverished, yet equally as beautiful as any other country in Europe. The ancient walls of the streets were covered in graffiti and the people of Porto were old and jaded looking. The architecture was amazing and the seaside and riverside were gorgeous, but all the while there was a sad sense of better days, days long gone. We took a boat cruise along the water and sampled the famous Port wine of the region. It was a little to sweet for my taste, but I can understand what all the hype was about, the wine itself was lavish in color and flavor, tickling my tongue with fruity and flowery flavors. Two friends from Limerick flew in for a tour of Croft wine cellars, where we sampled wine and chocolate and snapped some beautiful photos. Although I enjoyed our time there, I was definitely ready to come back to Ireland.

So I made sure my return was just an extension of my study week vacation. I watched a few rugby matches and had our first going away gathering for a few of the Canadians I've grown to love! It was a good night out downtown in Limerick and although it's going to suck saying goodbye, I know that the goodbyes will only be good memories of the last few weeks we all have together!

P.S. On a rugby note, I won the best newcomer award! Hopefully the Penn State team will have me in the fall :)