Hey guys!

I just wanted to update again before I leave for Sligo today.I'm not sure what the internet status will be like there…I know the place we are staying at has WiFi, but I don't know if they actually have computers for us to use.I'm also told there is an internet café, but again… do they have computers?I don't know.So I may not be updating for a week.

So… I last updated… Monday?Yeah, I think so.Not much happened Monday and Tuesday during the day.We had the usual seminars in the mornings.I managed to tune out again Monday, but Tuesday I actually made the effort to pay attention and ask questions.Tuesday we had five different lecturers going over the latest research they've been working on covering topics like loneliness associated with aging and community services for the mentally ill.Some of it was interesting and one lecture, on the Cochrane review (which is some statistical tool used to evaluate research), was mind-numbingling boring.I also managed to spill my cup of coffee in class.=(We have these stupid desks where the writing table part flips down on one side if you lean… and I leaned… and AWAY went my coffee.Embarrassing.It's not as bad as two of my classmates falling asleep at the exact same time in lecture on Monday, AND the lecturer noticed it!

We visited two more hospitals on Monday and Tuesday.Monday we went to the maternity hospital- they deliver 9,000 babies per year!The C-section rate is only something like 19%, and I'm sure it's much higher in the U.S.They only do C-sections when there's an emergency, and the doctor only delivers the patient if there's an emergency.(This is sounding familiar as I write this out…I think I mentioned this in the last journal entry).Tuesday we visited Our Lady's Hospice, which a palliative care facility (acute and long-term).For those who are wondering that palliative is, it's basically care for the dying (ie. from cancer).This was my favourite hospital visit hands down.The palliative care in this country is so advanced compared to ours- they really pay attention to quality of life.There's even a hair salon on site.It's most important that the person still carries out day to day life in as normal a way as possible.I'm damned sure it doesn't work like that in the States.They also help the patients make sure everything gets done that needs to be done.For example, a man wanted to go back to his farm one last time.So the director took him to the farm and they rode around in the tractor on the property so the man could check the fences and make sure everything was okay for his sons who were inheriting the farm.I asked my instructor if this type of palliative care was typical in Ireland, and she said it is.

While we were there, the director mentioned that there used to be a golden retriever living on site that would visit all the patients.A light bulb went on in my head- why don't I get into pet therapy in nursing?I'm going into nursing and I think that's a great way to incorporate all my experience with animals.I asked if Mary Lou knew how I'd get into something like that, and she said she has a friend who's a nurse, heads something at the SPCA, and did pet therapy with dogs.And she's going to help me get in contact with her.=)

We also went to the heritage center at the hospice and learned all about Mary Aikenhead, the nun who started the hospice originally.She was an amazing woman, and I feel like such an underachiever.She was born with money, but she gave that life up to help the poor.She became a nun, started an educational system in Dublin, set up other branches for the nuns all over the island, started a hospital, started the hospice, etc. etc.

The pub crawl last night was quite an experience.A group of five of us went on the Backpacker's Pub Crawl.We paid 10 euro and they took us to three pubs, a bar with a band playing, and then left us as a night club.They covered a free shot at each of the first four places, cover charges for the bar and club, and discounted drinks at the club.I was only buzzed when I was at the pubs and bar, so I kept drinking.Right after we got to the club around midnight, my body skipped the happily drunk phase and passed right into the plastered phase.I only remember 15 minutes worth of the 2 hours I spent at the club.I know I danced, which I imagine wasn't a great sight considering I'm a terrible dancer when sober.I can't imagine it'd be any greater after drinking.It's funny because Michelle has always wanted to drag me to a club to dance and I end up doing it in Ireland as my first time.Don't get any ideas, Mi.Keep in mind it took me being plastered to enjoy the experience.I still won't agree to it when sober.=PAt some point my liver finally hit the "f*** button" and I began puking everything up in the bathroom.To make matters worse, some guy kept following me around at the club trying to take me home with him.He wasn't aggressive or physical, he just wouldn't take no for an answer and kept re-asking me.Lol.Thankfully, one our group did not drink- our designated walker, Bijal.We've renamed her Mama Bijal.That woman was watching us like a hawk.I was ready to go home at 2am- I felt really sick and I was annoyed by the guy following me.The other three girls didn't want to go, though.They were happily drunk and enjoying dancing.Poor Bijal- everytime she'd get a couple of us in one place, another one would run off to dance again.A couple guys we'd been talking and dancing with earlier in the night finally helped her round everyone up.On the way home in the cab I had to puke again.In my memory of it, I opened up the sliding door while the cab was moving and just puked outside.Bijal says I tried to open the door and gave up, and the guy sitting next to me (he was from Illinois and staying at the same dorms we were; he also followed us around all night) opened it up the rest of the way so I could puke.Lol.Oh man.What a night.

I had such a hangover when I got up yesterday morning.I didn't puke anymore after the last episode in the cab, thankfully.I just had a stomach ache, a headache, and was dizzy all morning.I periodically got food in my stomach, took some advil, and fell asleep again for an hour nap- then I felt much better.

Yesterday was kind of an easy, laidback day.It was nice considering I wasn't feeling well.I did my laundry, so now I have all clean clothes when I leave for Sligo tomorrow.Alistair stopped by again today.He brought up prints of the photos he took with us last Saturday.They look so amazing!I wish you guys could see them!He dropped Claire, Lisa and I off downtown so we could visit Trinity College and the Book of Kells.When we got there, we realized we'd missed the last tour.So we started walking around and shopping at the bookstore.Apparently the Book of Kells entrance is in the bookstore- I didn't know that.I asked the guy working there what the doorway led to, and he said the Book of Kells and that if we wanted to we could just run on in for free since it was closing in 10 minutes.Awesome!So we ran through, looked at the book… looked like an old pretty book…Sort of boring.What was amazing was the library hall!You walk into this enormous dark two-story wooden hall full of bookcases of really old books.It was amazing to see.Inside the hall was also Ireland's oldest harp, which is, I believe, the national symbol.You see it everywhere, including on the Guinness label.After the tour we bought some things at the bookstore- you guessed it, I bought a couple postcards.Then we walked outside back out onto the campus.We realized there was a memorial service going on.We stopped and listened a bit.The day I left for Ireland there was a plane crash- Air France, which was coming back from South America.There were three female Irish doctors on board who died.The memorial service was for them.It's so sad.I didn't even know about the plane crash until a week after I got here!I'm surprised no one freaked out.

After that we shopped downtown- well, they shopped, I mosied around refusing to try on expensive clothes so I wouldn't want to buy them.I have to add, the Irish are trying to bring back the American 80s and 90s.Some of the clothing is appalling.Ew, and many of the young guys have mullets.What the hell??

Anyway, we came back home when it started raining and cooked dinner.Claire and I made grilled cheese sandwiches (with white cheddar- MMmm!), veggie soup and a pear salad.It's so much cheaper to make food at home then to eat out (it's so expensive here right now).Alistair and Mary Lou came back from visiting relatives at Howth, andwe sat around talking and eating.Very nice day.=)

Random Notes:

-Pubs are run by Publicans

-"OR" (operating room) = "theatre" (totally threw me off at first)

-"6/10/09" (the date) = "10/6/09" (still throws me off... I think... it's not October!)

PS. Responding to Messages:

Chris: No problem! I'll find you a hat!