Student Bloggers

This weekend, I put my travels aside and decided to stay home for the last time until finals. I thought it would a good idea to be productive and stay far ahead of my assignments in order to avoid as much “end-of-term” stress as possible. While I didn’t actually end up doing much homework, I experienced some of Galway’s best Halloween traditions and discovered some of the city’s hidden gems. Of course I couldn’t spend the entire weekend in Galway, so Friday morning I grabbed my raincoat and two friends to head back to the Cliffs. Allison, Audrey, and I thought we needed to experience the authentic Irish weather while standing on the Cliffs in order to get the true effect. We were soggy and windblown, but I loved the Cliffs as much as I did when they were flooded in sunshine. To reward ourselves for our adventurous spirits (and mostly for not falling in the mud) we treated ourselves to some warm apple pie and ice cream while we entertained our bus with the musical stylings of the Lizzie McGuire Movie.

Saturday I swore to be productive in the evening after going to the farmer’s market and shopping with the girls. We heard about this vintage market at the Victoria Hotel and wanted to see what treasures and potential Halloween costumes we could find. I am playing the part of the magnificent Blair Waldorf to Audrey’s brilliant Serena Van der Woodsen, so pearls were a definitive must. After shopping, we figured we might as well go out to dinner since we were already in town. 3 bowls of pumpkin ravioli, 3 glasses of wine, and 3 hours later, we made our way home to get to our academic to-do lists. But of course, after such a fun day we all wanted to study together and before we knew it, it was midnight and the to-do lists were virtually untouched. I can’t say I regret my Saturday decisions though.

Sunday! This was it, I’m waking up early to do laundry, homework, and go grocery shopping….I went grocery shopping. On the bright side, I made tons of treats for my class bake sale and had a really great phone call with my family. Sunday was also the day of the Galway Halloween Parade. There were some very impressive floats and costumes. Entire bands were lifted into the air in rolling cages, 20 foot tall ravens flew along as flames blasted in the background. We had a prime spot on the streets where we sipped gourmet hot cocoa and clapped along with the crowd. We kept the festive spirit alive with a family movie night. Apparently it was unacceptable that Maia and I had never seen “Love Actually” and it needed prompt amending. Still no homework to be completed.

By Monday, I had no illusions that homework would be completed over the three day weekend because it was officially time for the Galway Races! Julia, Audrey, and I made a giant breakfast and waited for all of our fellow race-goers to arrive in their best outfits for pictures before making our way to the race course. I do not pretend to know anything about horse racers beyond knowing that the horse that crosses the line first wins and that I love playing dress up. I felt like I was coming out of an old movie where guys put on their best suits and girls wear those snazzy hats and we all go out and cheer on our prized horses. Betting is a major part of the experience so I placed my money on horse number 3. Of course he wasn’t expected to win, but 3 is my favorite number so I went for it. By a fluke turn of events, my horse actually won and I was able to more than double my investment. I’ve decided this is the beginning and end of my gambling career. It’s best to quit while I’m ahead.

Even though my grand plans of accomplishing impressive amounts of homework never became a reality, I think I picked a great last weekend to be in Galway. I was able to experience some great Galway traditions and spend my time surrounded by friends. My roommate, Callie, was away in London and our flat mate went home for the weekend, but I definitely never felt home alone with so many other friends to spend my time with and with plenty of things to keep me busy. But now my weekend of adventures has ended and it is time to return to reality.

I really should start my homework.