The Motherland

Again, I have let way too much time pass since last I updated. I will try to be better. I have now been back in Madrid for a little less than a month, after spending the holidays at home (which was awesome!) I've pretty much resumed life as usual with teaching, etc., although we do miss having Deirdre here! I am going to start teaching 2 test prep classes soon, so I'll let you know how that goes.

A few other things that have happened: We celebrated our friend Ashley's birthday with a party at our apartment and then went to Kapital, a crazy, 7-story club...

Also, Justin, Emily and I went to Dublin! Last weekend we had Friday off, so we took a quick trip to the Emerald Isle. (Mo went to Granada instead, as she plans to go to Dublin in April). Despite the fact that it was freezing there, we had a good time- the city is so cute and it was really nice to be able to speak English and not feel guilty about it! Of course, the first two things we did when we got there were eat fish and chips and go to the Guinness factory (both of which were delicious but very filling). The Guinness factory features a lot of information about how stout is made, some of which is interesting and some of which is not. Actually, one of the most interesting parts was a video about how they used to make wooden casks before they switched to factory-made metal ones- it's really quite an art form. At the very top, there's the "Gravity Bar," where you can enjoy a sweeping view of the city and a free Guinness!

On Saturday, we explored the sites of the city, including the statue of Oscar Wilde in Merrion Square, the National History Museum- where you can see the "Bog People," the mangled but eerily well-preserved remains of various people who for unknown reasons were brutally murdered then thrown into the bogs anywhere from hundreds to thousands of years ago, as well as the Book of Kells, the statue of Molly Malone, the traditional Dublin doors and Temple Bar. That night, we went to a pub in Temple Bar to listen to some traditional Irish music, including such classics as Whisky in the Jar and The Wild Rover! On Sunday, we walked around St. Stephen's Green and had brunch before taking off on an early afternoon flight. The visit definitely felt too short, but we fell in love with the city nonetheless. You gotta love the Irish brogue, and it was also really cool to see the Moran and Farrell family crests on all sorts of merchandise! (Picasa is being weird right now, so I can't post the pictures, but I will put them up as soon as possible).


Anyway, now we are back in Madrid. As I write this, Mo and I are both home sick after having caught a stomach bug- hopefully we will be fully recuperated by this weekend, as we will be having visitors! Anyway, that's all for now, but I will update again soon, I promise.