You can't find plain potato chips in Ireland.

Seriously. Come over here and try. You won't. The only plain chips I have found are Pringles, and quite frankly, I hate Pringles. I like crunchy, crispy, potato chips. Like Utz, Herrs, or Lays. Here everything is cheese and onion flavored. Literally all chips are cheese and onion. At all the convenience stores and the Spar, they have bags of chips on the entire wall of the counter. However, even though there are about 40 different brands, they are all only cheese and onion. And then after you eat them, they leave your breath kickin. It's terrible. Somebody please mail me some freaking chips! I miss plain chips!

Ok so today was just an ordinary day. Woke up, got ready for the day. Just had some cereal for breakfast, watched the news before I headed out. Had to laugh as I rinsed my bowl out, because the weather came on. A completely different girl I've never seen before. Figures. The turnover rate for weather people here must be ridiculous. I know I harp on it all the time, but I'm not gonna let it go. They look absolutely clueless. It's great! Also, while watching the news this morning they showed Jeff Carter's hit from last night. I had to laugh that a hit in the NHL makes international sports news. It was a huge hit, clean too, but to make international sports news? Slow news night around the world.

So today I started my morning with my music tutorial. I'm playing the Bahrain, like I mentioned before. I'm becoming better. Still not good by any means, but better than before. I'm starting to get the hang of it a little more. It's hard to play. I know it's just a stick and a drum, but today we started triplets, and it's so freaking confusing. Once you get the triplet down, you all the sudden forget how to do just a two beat. It's definitely frustrating, but it's only the second week so I'm not worried.

After my tutorial I had Irish studies. It's an interesting class. We talk about how Ireland is trying to dig itself out of it's economic hangover, ever since their economy has started to tank like everyone else's. They are coming off the "Celtic Tiger Economy," and now everyone is kinda panicking because shit went south real fast. It enjoy the course, the teacher's pretty cool too. She's a young woman who walks around and knows how to hold the attention of the room. She throws a joke in every now and then. She's cool.

After Irish studies I just went back to my room, touched up some of my pictures that I have yet to upload, and ate lunch quick. Then I headed back on to campus for my Irish Folklore tutorial. This was the chick who last week completely forgot about our class and didn't show up. She showed up today. Today we made Saint Brigid's crosses. These are very symbolic in Ireland. You've probably seen them before. If not, just google it. Anyway, we made them out of fresh reeds that our teacher picked for us. We needed 30 reeds each. You had to somehow weave 4 or 5 reeds into a cross, and then continue to rotate the cross counter clockwise, while weaving in more reeds every turn. It was supposed to look really uniformed and symmetrical, but mine just looks all over the place, and seems like it's falling apart. All the reeds are going to be completely dead within the next few days so we'll see what happens once it drys. You're supposed to put it above your door, and it keeps you safe or something. And if you put it under your bed it makes you fertile. My door frame is very thin, and I'm not trying to be "fertile", so I just put it on the shelf above my computer. It can keep my electronics safe from harm.

After Irish folklore Jess and I walked to music class, where we met the group. That class is also painfully boring. Could not stand it. The teachers here have like 50 slides a powerpoint. Then, they whip through the powerpoint and you can't write everything you wanted. Then they tell you, "Don't worry about getting all these notes, I'll post them online." All the tests are based off the notes, and all the notes are pulled straight from the powerpoint, and all the powerpoints are online, so why go to class? It's stupid. Drives me crazy. Definitely not one on one and discussion like I'm used to. I feel like I am learning nothing in 3 of my classes, because my teachers are terrible. Irish Studies and Europe Society are good. The other ones though, ugh, I'd rather drink turpentine.

After music I decided to head to the gym. Like I said yesterday, I'm just going to start packing my stuff in my book bag and then go straight there after my classes. So that's what I did. I went to the gym at around 3 and lifted first, then did some speed work on the track. I stayed for like a little over an hour or so. By the time I got out, I was starving. I hopped over to the on campus Spar located in the middle of the commons, and got an egg salad sandwich. It was surprisingly good for one of those prepackaged sandwiches that sit in the cooler all day. It was only 2 Euros too, so you can't beat that.

So I ate my egg salad sandwich on the way home, got back to the apartment, jumped on the computer, talked to Emily, touched up some pictures, etc. I have to laugh. I have been talking to Emily about my apartment in San Antonio, and how excited I am to have my own place. I have been looking online for like, plate ware, and beer mugs etc. I constantly tell her, "Oh look! Pittsburgh Pirates salt shakers! Oh look, Miami Dolphins plates! Oh look, a Washington Capitals door mat. I'm totally going to be all about decking this place out in sports memorabilia. It's funny though, because I get so excited about these stupid knick knacks, and Emily just sarcastically says, "Great." She's just mad because when she comes to visit, she's going to be in the ultimate bachelor pad. It's gonna be sweet. I want a table hockey game too. Like the ones where the players are on sticks in a bubble. That'd be fan-flippin-tastic.Kara facebooked me and asked if I wanted to go to this Irish music thing tonight, and I declined, because I was starving and needed food. Well, like an hour later, her and Jeremie appear at the apartment. They just got back from the dance thing, and were waiting to go to the stables. I told them if they wait for me to eat I'll definitely go, so they did. I wanted to crack open my bottle of wine tonight, but we don't have a corkscrew. I didn't realize it was corked, because it was only 4 Euros. I thought it was twist off. Apparently not. So now I have to find someone with a corkscrew so I can drink this at some point. My idea for wine sparked Jeremie to run over to Spar and get a bottle of red wine quick, which him and Kara finished by the time I was done with my meal. And my meal, was freaking awesome. I swear,I am a great freakin cook. I can't wait to show off my skills to Emily and my parents. I am a master at pan seared anything. Tonight, another pan seared pork chop, more string beans fried on the stove, and buttered noodles. It was delicious. Kara was impressed. She said, "I didn't realize you were a chef!" Haha, and I'm not. But I'm definitely learning my way around the kitchen, and I think next week I'm gonna start trying to cook off some recipes, rather than just eyeballing everything.

So, after I finished my dinner, we went to the Stables. However, the entire time I ate dinner, and we walked to the Stables, a semi-drunk Jeremie started using my ghetto slang on Kara. Apparently, he has been calling her "shorty" all day. He's also been calling girls "biddies" too. Tonight he was calling Kara a skank and a trick. I didn't teach him skank, but I taught him trick. Haha it was hilarious. However, I had to tell him that it's not formal to use any of these words, and that he should only use these around friends. Kara told him they only say these things in rap videos. Haha, I was having fun with it though. After he kept calling Kara, "boo", I taught him how to say, "Play on playa." Hahaha, then I taught him that instead of saying "hi" he should say, "Yo what up." He was getting really good at it! I know it's not the best English I can be teaching him, but it's part of the culture. That's what happens when you get to a new country. You learn the slang and cuss words first. It's not like I haven't taught him a ton of other words already, so I don't feel that bad. I just have to let him know when it's okay to call someone a "biddie" or a "shorty." It's cool though. I really want to help him learn English. At first when he would make mistakes like, "Tomorrow, we going to go make the wash," I would just say "Oh, okay, I gotcha." But now, I correct him without even thinking twice. Like tonight, he said, "Jess and I go make wash tomorrow." And I immediately said, "No, you are going to go do wash. Not make it." We've become such good friends that it's just okay for me to correct him now right away. And he doesn't get offended, because he truly wants to learn. It's great! I had to laugh though because Kara was pissed about it, and she told our buddy Neal from Canada about it at the bar tonight. Neal laughed and said, "You're in Teach for America, and this is what you are teaching him!" Haha, he then told me he was going to write a letter to Obama.

So we got to the bar and grabbed a pint of Guinness each. I only drank one tonight, just wasn't in the mood tonight. Everyone else was getting pretty drunk though. Tuesday night is like "Open Mic" night, but the people playing were not amateurs who just decided to grab their guitar and sing tonight. They were legit. Every person was really good. So we sat and listened to the music, and listened to Jeremie call people "shorty" and say, "What's up playar!" Haha, it was great.

Tonight I also heard from my parents! It was great to hear from them. My Mom has been stuck working basically around the clock ever since the snow hit. She felt bad that she didn't call, but she was never home. It was good to talk to them finally. I miss them, and my sister. And I miss Sophie too! I can't wait to get home and have her go crazy. She flips out whenever she first sees someone she hasn't in awhile. After spending nearly 2 months at home over break, and spending everyday with that dog, I miss her so much! She's lazy, and she just follows you around the house and then sleeps, but she's great! I'm looking forward to seeing her again!

On the way home, Pierre and Jeremie decided to beat the shit out of each other. In joking of course, but nevertheless, they were kicking the crap out of each other. All while Pierre had a cigarette in his mouth. It was a classic scene. Two French guys beating each other up, and one guy not letting go of the cigarette in his mouth. Crazy French bastards!

So then I got home and I've just been relaxing ever since. I got to watch American Idol on live stream tonight, so I was pumped about that. That just ended like a half hour ago, so I'm gonna head to bed now. I don't have class until 11 tomorrow so I can sleep in! I'm so excited!

That's all for now. Take care everyone!