This is the Dawning of the Age of Aquarius

Well,

There is much to tell those who read my blog about my trips in the recent weeks. We jet setted back from London to take two exams for two days and work one day and then off to Paris last wednesday! How exciting it was to be relatively healthy and going to Paris! and to see my best friend! The exams we took were nothing to really write home about, they were interesting questions, challenging...Kind of, but hopefully we will learn that we all did relatively well. I hope they understand that most of us have no written essays, much less HAND written essays in about a year because of Co-op and the type of majors we are. Good luck to my professors who have to attempt to read my hand writing. I blame my parents for giving me a mixture of both of their hand writings therefore giving me a terrible style. I call it Priest Scratch. 

So we left right from school and caught the airport bus, had time for a quick dumb airport meal and got on the plane to France. Needless to say we got there and were blown away at the Charles De Gaulle. It was like a playground for adults. They had people movers that were like roller coasters and ones that were vertical that took you from the terminal to the exit. Maybe it was just that Sarah and I were so tired, or maybe we're just that simple. either way Kudos to CDG for getting our trip off on the right foot.

We were told to meet Meagen at Notre Dame. After managing to successfully navigate the Paris Metro system, sarah and I stepped foot out of the underground to see one of the most amazing sights that I have ever seen in my life. I had some classmates tell me that "it's not that great" "It's actually not that big." I was standing on the square with the lights shining on the flying buttresses and intricate carving, and I'll tell you I felt like an Ant. We didn't mind waiting a while for Meagen, we were sitting in front of one of the world's most famous buildings with a man playing the harmonica and the Seine calm and clean. I didn't expect Paris to be so amazing right off the bat. We were about to text Meagen, which in a foreign country is truly an investment, when I heard my name and saw Meagen bounding towards us. Man, it was so good to see her. I haven't gotten to spend a significant amount of time with Meagen since probably Freshman year. I knew this Spring Break was going to be special.

We decided to get home and crash because we were tired from travelling, even though it's only an hour flight, we had been travelling for a good 6 hours. We got to Meagen's Tiny Precious Guest House and it was everything I imagined and more. We threw down our bags and got to sleep thinking we'd get a head start on the next morning. Nope. we were so tired from our other trips and tests and work and such that we slept until about 12. Go going, went to the grocery store, got all the supplies for Taco/Bordeaux night and decided to have a few glasses of wine with Lunch. Well, I mean, that is the parisian way. Then we were on our way into the city. We went to Notre Dame, after getting a Nutella and Banana Crepe of course. It was free to get in so that was conducive to our bank accounts. It was absolutely amazing on the inside. A lot of people were there, but it didn't take away from how high the ceilings were and the sheer beauty of the windows. I love the windows in these european churches. Whether they are newer because of the war or old, they never cease to amaze me. What was really cool was around the Altar there was the carvings of Jesus' life and resurrection. Meagen pointed out that she wonders why they use Jesus' circumcision in these carvings every time she comes in there, but I promptly pointed out that clearly that is Herod's Decree that all baby boys in the kingdom be killed. We had a good laugh. I mean why would there be dead babies underneath the throne...right.  We then succumbed to the great consumerism vibes that Paris gives off and went shopping, mostly window, but oh well. I saw this beautiful white dress with beads and buttons on the front of it, it sounds weird, but absolutely beautiful. Good thing I didn't get it though haha. 

At this point I had already fallen in love with Paris and was not planning on going back to Dublin. The next few days were just as lovely and easy going and vacation like as the first couple. We went out to Meagen's favorite Bars including one that had Virgin Marys and Jesus' plastered all over the walls. Kind of weird, but an interesting concept. We met some French people and the one I was talking to tried to tell me that I had no concept of American Politics and that I was wrong in everything that I said. I mean he's right because he went to an American School in Dubai...so he knows America very well. right.  I'll never see him again, it's not his fault he's French. 

What began as an early night, became very very late. 

The next night, the Louvre has an open house for 18-26 year olds that is free from 7-10 every friday night. So naturally we went and it was amazing. The collection of Icons they have there are excellent. I took a few pictures, but they really don't capture how awe inspiring they are. The fact that they have survived, some of them, from the 1100s is crazy to me. 

On Saturday we saw the Eiffel Tower at night. very cool, I got a video of it maybe I'll try to post it here. We then went to the biggest Sephora that I've ever seen, it was like the walmart of all Sephoras. Tres Tres chic. Saw the Arc D' Triumph Briefly and met our friend Margeaux who was visiting her parents in Paris and studies in Brussels! We found this Bar called the Great Canadian and I have never wanted to see cheap beer so badly in my life. Needless to say that the night was a success and we headed home for an early morning at Versailles the next day... To be Continued....

When in Rome

Well just got back from London and now I'm off to Paris! ohhh to be a jet setting backpacker. I can't wait to see meagen in her natural environment!  I just wanted to check in for a moment and I'll post more at a later date. 

These trips really get the ball rolling in terms of travelling. I just have to get through these two exams this morning, but oh well I'm not really too excited or worried about them. The exams yesterday were pretty much an insult to our intelligence. 

What a nice boy

I just got flowers from the boy. They are red and roses and lovely! I've never gotten flowers from anyone except my parents or grandparents in my life haha. He is good to me. 

      

As common as Snuff at a Wake

I'm Sitting in the Dail in Jan O'sullivan's office and watching the 10:30 order of business. I just finished looking up some numbers for her about how much money the Health Services Executive (essentially the department of Health) spends each year on the different regions of Ireland.

Needless to say the HSE is pretty hated in Ireland. When they come up with a new Health Care system they will definitely need to change the name because people will not be able to trust this executive again. Jan's district in Limerick is one of the regions that gets the least amount of funding for Health Services. I'm reading a book by a doctor in the system that is anonymous and he tells the truth about what goes on in the Irish Health System. The essential themes of the book are: Because of the divide between private and public insurance holders there are not enough beds for public patients and they are treated as second class. It is not the fault of the private insurance holders because they are almost forced to get private insurance if they want to receive proper care. In this system doctors are practicing private services in public hospitals and there is an incentive to do so. Say a radiologist has a stack of 50 public x-rays to analyze and a stack of 10 private x-rays to analyze. It is already included in his paycheck for the month for the public patients, and he will get 50 euro each if he does the private x-rays. What says that he has to get the public patients done first. So you have public patients taking up bed for weeks on end waiting to get this scan or x-ray that is required for them to have surgery, or even be discharged. Thus, meaning that that public patient is unneccessarily holding up a bed and aiding the already heinous bed crisis. It's such a bad system I can't even really imagine it.

Well, I've been sick and I finally got myself to the Doctor this morning and really I had a fine time. It was 55 euro to see the doctor get her to write a prescription and then 10 euro to get it filled. well I'm pretty sure in the US that number would be a lot higher and I would probably be crying about not having insurance. I was watching yesterday in Jan's office the committee she's on for Health and they were having a Hearing about the prescription drug prices and the HSE's plan to lower them is to close 500 Pharmacies ( family owned mind you) across the Country and lose 5,000 jobs and hopefully merely hopefully lower the cost of drugs. I really don't understand how this plan works and neither this Jan and the rest of the Health committee. the HSE spokesperson in the Committee really was not pleasant and the committee ended in a screaming match. The Chair was pretty much screaming at the HSE person too to answer the questions. That's how bad the health system is here.

I'm reading a book called The Bitter Pill by a doctor in the system who works in the hospitals and has gone through the system. It was published last year and he didn't use his real name, it's Doctor X. He is anonymous because of the incredible risk he would have put himself in if he had used his real name. His career would have been over, he would have been blocked from becoming a consultant, taking tests and passing them, or even getting a job in another country as a doctor, that's how currupt and powerful these head consultants are in Ireland. I'm almost done with it, I read about 30 pages of it a day on the train to the city, I'm going to lend it to Jan after I'm done because she hasn't read it yet. P.S. I love Jan, she got her hair done yesterday and she looked super fierce and awesome yesterday in the committee. The other Labour Party person on the Health Committee is cool, but she doesn't speak as fluidly as Jan does, Jan used to be a teacher so she is really good at asking you questions, but making you feel badly if you don't answer them correctly or give her the right answers, she has the great guilt factor I've ever seen in my life. She's so grand.

Any way we went to Galway this week, i developed a terrible cough and i'm pretty sure I kept the entire hostel up with it. We didn't even go out at Night because I felt like I should lay low. We met a friend of friend of Sarah's who is still living in Galway Friday night and he took us to see some music. In dublin you can't find a traditional music session anywhere and I mean anywhere. So we went to the Crane Pub and went upstairs at about 9:30 and There were Two Men and a Lady tuning their instruments. They didn't start playing until 10 and I only stayed 30 minutes because i was coughing so bad I was losing my voice. It ended up that one of the guys is from the US and I think he said Tennessee and they played Bluegrass. He even gave a shout out to Appalachia and the Blue Ridge Country. It was kind of cool and reminded me that that's why I like the South. The music.

The Next day we walked everywhere, we swtiched Hostels at about 10 and was finally able to find a bed for the next night because there was no room at the First Inn. We walked around the Islands and down to the Claddagh. We decided it looked like a good idea to walk down to the beach, and we were convinced that the sand looked dry enough. wrong. But we had fun doing it any way. I'll have pictures up on the picture sight soon. We found an extremely hilarious saying in the sand that a clearly emotional (emo if you will) wrote with her finger and made a perfect imprint of her shoes below it. needless to say sarah and I stopped. read. and laughed until we cried. It said "The Tears Carved a Hole Right Through my Heart." and being the terrible people that we are, we had an emo photo shoot right then and there. and even wrote a response. It was priceless it was perfect, it was awesome.

We were lucky to have sun in the morning that day, but the clouds started to roll in over the bay so we decided to try to find a place to watch the rugby game, but Scotland and Wales was one and I don't know what happened to the France- Ireland game. At that point my Advil was wearing off so we went back to the hostel for some rest, but ended up staying in and reading. NERDS. I know. I think we're going to go back to Galway on Spring break. It was such a cool town with so many good things to see and do that we didn't get to do. sad. well I'm glad we went and I would love to go back there again. We even found a "Tex-Mex Irish European Cajun" restaurant named Catus Jacks. That was amazing, I had a great Chicken Quesadilla and chips and salsaaaaaa. oh my good lord, how I miss chips and salsa and queso. so good.

anyway I have to go give out my valentine's that I made last night, there were super fun to make and they all look lovely and have hilarious sayings on the inside, I'm thinking that my calling in life is creative writing, and writing for the Onion or something. In class, although I do pay attention because it is interesting and such, I write one act plays and letters, haikus, postcards, and elementary school excusal notes, all with a humorous nature to them. Almost Tea Time!