Olympics, Olympics, Olympics!

Olympics and dissertation.

That’s all I’ve really got to say about the past two weeks.

Now, for the first time I have no pictures. Everyday has literally been me getting up at eight working on dissertation, Olympics, and then going to bed. I haven’t even really been into city centre lately. I’ve some photos of food that I’ve cooked over the past two weeks and you can check that out over on my Instagram, otherwise things have been pretty mundane.

Can't forget about the Olympics though!

I was always an athletic child, and for being a bit chubby, boy did I love all sports. I was always on a sports team through my childhood and even now I love watching so many different sports. One of my favourite weeks in gym during primary school was when I opened the doors to see the gymnastic equipment. Every since then artistic gymnastics have always been a passion of mine to watch- unfortunately I grew a little too tall to compete when I was younger.

I absolutely LOVE watching the Olympics, you can ask any of my housemates and they’ll back me up. Not only does it bring nations together but also all the sports that normally go unrecognized finally get a chance to be in the spotlight. It’s been an incredible past two weeks and I’m so sad that it’s over now…. however I’m betting I’ll be able to do a lot more dissertation work now that it is over.

Japan 2020 can’t come soon enough!

Short and sweet, I guess that’s all I really have to say about the past two weeks. Come September 1^st I’ll be able to have a normal life again and now be one big ball of stress.

Pray for me!

xxkim

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Hamilton.

I finally got  a chance to listen through the soundtrack and now

I sooooo want to see the play. Absolutely astounding, Lin-Manuel is a beast.

 

Top Ten Experiences in Ireland So Far

As it’s summer now, I took an unexpected break. To be fair it was refreshing not having to worry about a post a week, but I did miss the schedule of it all.

I’ve officially been here ten months, wohoo!

That means I have lived in Dublin longer than anywhere else in the past five years.

Here are my top 10 photos that I’ve taken in the past 10 months. I’ve selected a mixture of travel destinations and just pictures of great memories.

The Beginning

After nearly 8 years I finally returned to this gem of an Isle. This was the first picture I took of Ireland from the plane heading down to Dublin airport.

A Halloween Like No Other

Did you know that Halloween actually originated in Ireland? Neither did I until this past year.

Howth

This side of Dublin Bay has become one of my most frequented travel spots and I plan to go back to this place right outside of city centre. It's a quaint town that's right on the water, and, on the weekends, there is a great market there filled with delicious treats.

The Cliffs of Moher

This is seriously one of the most breath taking scenes I have ever visited. I'd love to go back out west and complete the entire cliff walk someday.

The Festive Season

With all of its small alleyways and narrow streets, Dublin was ripe with opportunities to decorate for the holidays. I loved just going out at night and walking aimlessly around.

Paddy's Day

No it's not St. Paddy's, or is it ever really called St. Patrick's Day. I spent my time watching the parade with my friend Steph from Australia- I hadn't seen her in nearly two years. A lovely member of the garda- policemen- took this photo of us and everyone around was buzzed with happiness.... and maybe a bit too much of alcohol, but who am I to talk.

The Giant's Causeway

I loved learning about the formation myth of this landmark, and I highly recommend going there and taking a tour of it. 

Pentatonix

After years of watching them come together as a group on The Sing Off and then all their youtube videos, I finally was able to see them live in Dublin. If you ever get a chance to see PTX live I would recommend going. They sounded amazing, if not better, live than on their records.

Dublin Zoo

Even though it's summertime and many of my friends have gone home, we were still able to plan a day trip to the zoo. Although I can't say it compared to the zoo in Dubbo, Australia or the Tarangire in Tanzania, I thoroughly enjoyed my day. I especially loved that the peacocks were allowed to roam freely all over the zoo grounds, plus good company always makes for an amazing day no matter what.

Home

After living here for 10 months I can confidently say that I am feeling Ireland is home. I really can;t describe what drew me here, but now that I am, I really do not want to leave. I've made some incredible friends here and I can only hope to make more and gain more fond memories.

xxKim

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Normally I would put a music recommendation here but I've been listening to such a variety that I can't choose.

-Olly Murs: just feel good music, especially his earlier material

-Fleetwood Mac: I was never a huge fan, but they have some great summer tunes

-DNCE: I can't stop listening to Cake by the Ocean

-The Beatles: summer becomes my time where I put on the White Album or 1 over and over again.

A Month Needed

Well it’s been a month.

To be completely honest I consciously made the decision to take a month off of blogging to concentrate on the end of term assignments. I didn’t want to keep making the excuses of having nothing to talk about because of work, so I decided to take a step back for a bit… but now I’m back with a vengeance and since summer is nearly upon us, I’m gearing up for some more adventures!

Gorgeous sunset from the back garden.

To catch up on the last month- yes Mother and Father I am finally filling you in- I wrote a full short film script, completed multiple presentations, hung out with friends and watched Game of Thrones, pigged out on Romanian Easter treats, and got mild pneumonia.

Let’s go back to where I left off. 

The beginning of April, Easter Sunday to be exact.

After a lovely weekend filled with Easter activities it was back to work once Tuesday came rolling around. On the weekend though I was able, yet again, to meet up with one of my friends from Australia. When I left there I thought I wouldn’t get to see these people for five years, and yet I’ve already had so many reunions and so many more to come! Hannah and I only had a short time to catch up so we just walked around Dublin and talked about the past year and a half. Luckily it was a beautiful day and it was good to be out and about just walking around.

Hannah being a cutie.

I have to mention the weather before moving on because it has been so mixed as of late. Now I come from New England, a region in the USA where it’s not abnormal to experience four different seasons in one day. However, in Dublin you can experience a season from one hour to the next! During the last weeks of April I swear there was this one stretch of five days when it hailed every single day. You always have to be prepared around here, BUT May has brought out some incredibly sunny days and I’m finally starting to get in the mood for summer.

Not only did April 21^st mark the date of my best friend’s birthday, but it also was my last day of lectures… possibly the last in my life. 

When I finished my baccalaureate I didn’t feel as though it was all ending since I knew I was going to get my masters, and yet now that I know my education is finally coming to a close, my mind doesn’t quite know how to processes it. Don’t get me wrong, I have two assignments due next week and I still have to write my dissertation over the summer, but the end is tangible and I can’t yet tell whether it’s foreboding or exciting. All I know is that it’s coming and I should take it in stride.  

My friends Cormuck, Kieran, and JC

The end of April came and just as I was getting excited to travel to Edinburgh to visit Steph and Chris before my final study period started. I had spent the last week hanging out with friends, and just generally enjoying the last week of classes, however it went downhill quickly.

I got sick. 

At first I brushed it off as nothing more than a common cold- something that I could easily handle while traveling.  Boy was I was wrong. 

I went to the doctor’s before my flight on Thursday for a follow up and unfortunately my results came back with mild pneumonia. This meant no Edinburgh for me.

I had been looking forward to this for months and now I had to cancel at the last minute. Not only was this going to be the last opportunity to see Steph before she heads back to Australia, but it was going to be my first time back in Scotland for nearly 9 years! My parents told me to chin up though, and I like to believe everything happens for a reason.

Before I end the update here, I want to make a shoutout to my Grandmother for her 88^th Birthday and also to my Mom for Mother’s day.

Love you both to the moon and back!

I guess that’s all for now so see ya next week!

xx Kim

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Song: Ain't No Sunshine

Artist: Bill Withers

Easter Rising Centenary Event

I wish I elaborate on more amazing adventures, but honestly my life has been pretty mundane over the course of the past week. Not that mundane is bad in any way, shape, or form, but just in that I haven’t done much.

Between all the work that I was doing I managed to sneak out and join the Easter festivities in town. This year it was the 100^th Anniversary of the Easter Rising in Ireland so there was a three-day celebration honoring the events that happened a century past.

 At Trinity I was able to hear some live music from the Trinitones- the all male student society singers which gave me major yearning to be back at Wheaton College hearing the Gentlemen Callers again. And then I was lucky enough to hear the Trinity College Céilí Band playing some trad- traditional Irish music- before hearing the 1916 Proclamation read in both English and Irish.

Photo courtesy of The Irish Times

There’s still so much about Ireland that I have yet to discover. Not only is this the place I know live, but I have rich family history in this country so I really should open a book and to start to learn about my past.

Saturday night I went to a friends 22 Birthday and once again managed to stay up well into Easter Sunday. My sleep patterns are really suffering.

On Tuesday I went to Lisa’s to hang out and also get her old bike! So excited to be riding once again!

Other than that I was very ill on Thursday and Friday- symptoms including lightheadedness and a fever, yet somehow managed to get quite a bit of work done.

Here’s hoping that I’ll be able to get out more next week!

Xx kim

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Throwback time

Hootie & The Blowfish

Drowning