Oh where has the time gone…it really goes by way too quickly! I have been really bad about blogging and it really is a shame because this is my journal of my time in Ireland. I need to be more faithful in posting in the upcoming days and weeks. I don’t want to miss out on sharing some detail and in the future it will be those details that I will want to read and remember! So let’s see what I can remember since my last blog. Well I took care of a week of it with my post about the road trip.
The night I returned from my road trip was the evening we observed Daylight Savings…thank goodness for that extra hour of sleep. The family returned on Sunday afternoon which was Halloween. Once it got dark we went out trick or treating around the village. It was fun to help the girls dress up and then to partake in the festivities. It is interesting to see the tradition of Halloween and the sorts of goodies that are handed out. It was a fun evening but with the time change it was hard to believe how early it got dark. I am not ready for the shorter days of daylight!
Monday at school was a long one but thankfully very low key. The first day back from midterm break and the morning after trick-or-treating was a rough one for the students and teachers alike. It was great to be back in school though and see the students and hear all of their stories. After school Maureen and I headed to Killarney so I could return the rental car. Now this really was a sad moment. I am going to miss my freedom of having a car. It really was a great experience to drive in Ireland. It will be hard for me to go back to relying on my feet, cycle, and others to get around.
For the most part the week was pretty low key. The weather has turned chilly and it is quite rainy…more than usual. Joe, my host family’s father, mother is ill and in the hospital in Tralee. My heart really goes out to the family because they have gone through so much the past couple of months. I know this is a very tough time for them and they are all under a lot of stress. I have been trying to help out more when and how I can.
Thanks to some wonderful people we now have an abundance of chocolate chips and the girls were eager to bake some cookies. Of course we enjoyed the batter…I couldn’t believe this was their first time making cookie dough or eating the dough! That seems so wrong to me. Let me be the one to introduce them to the deliciousness of cookie dough and help them develop the bad habit of eating it! Their mom is going to love me!
In school on Friday we made pumpkin soup from a pumpkin that the students had grown in their garden. They had so much fun making it and cutting up and adding the ingredients. It was rather tasty and I was surprised at how many of them really wanted to try it and enjoyed it. It ended up being rather spicey with peppers and garlic but I did sample it. After school on Friday I helped the girls bake a chocolate cake for their brother Joe’s birthday. Joe turned 15 on Saturday and the girls were delighted to be able to bake and decorate a cake for him! It was a lot of fun to do with them. I enjoy the baking and am more than happy to do so and it is always a great time with all of us baking in the kitchen. Reminds me of home and baking with my nieces! Also Friday evening I got to shoe shop online with my niece Kayla. I haven’t gotten to talk with her much since coming to Ireland. It was a lot of fun to chat with her and help her browse and pick out new boots that she likes and wants for Christmas. Definitely not as good as actually shoe shopping together but it was still fun and made us laugh!
Saturday evening I went to a dinner party thrown by one of the teacher’s at the school. It was a charity dinner party where you make a donation for dinner that goes to a charity of the hostess’ choice. There ended up being 9 of us all together and it was great craic. Dinner consisted of salad and homemade pasta/ravioli. It really was a delightful meal. We all sat around for hours just talking and sharing stories. It was such a fun time to interact outside of school and get to know each other more on a personal level. I really hope we get the chance to do it again before I leave.
Sunday was a productive morning but a lazy afternoon! I am happy to report that I am getting some Christmas shopping done which makes me feel good. But now the famous question is “How to get it all home?”. Thankfully I have a couple of weeks to figure that all out! But for now I must get some rest and finish prepping for another week of school. It is my hope in this next week to be more faithful in blogging even when I don’t think much is going on!
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