Thanksgiving in Ireland (kind of)

This is Thanksgiving in Ireland. It doesn't snow here, and there isn't any (American) Football playing on TV. It's just any other Thursday for the Irish, and for us study abroad students, it was only a call to sit down for dinner together. We didn't have the resources (or know-how) to make a turkey, fashion some stuffing or cranberry sauce, and couldn't find sweet potatoes. Pumpkin Pie wasn't even a question.

We just did chicken goujons (the fancy way of saying chicken fingers) and a spicy popcorn chicken. My mom sent Velveeta and I so I took a crack at making a familiar American food: mac and cheese. This worked to the extent that the cheese sauce didn't look burned.

It was still a nice evening with great friends. I am happy that Sam was in town to give me a taste of home with his presence. We followed through with our "anti-Thanksgiving" plans by doing exactly what we wouldn't do on Thanksgiving at home (and especially since the Irish don't quite understand why we celebrate) by eating different food. We also watched The Boondock Saints, which is definitely not a feel-good holiday flick. We then retired to the Thirsty with Elizabeth and had a pint, not exactly discussing what we are thankful for. I feel like we still had a good, albeit different, holiday, and are sufficiently thankful every day, so we don't need a Thursday to make it special!

The first night Sam was in town, I took him to the Philosoph House Meeting, which is a campus debate night that Elizabeth and I always trek to. Elizabeth wasn't feeling well, but we did run into Luke. It was a quiet night, which is very odd for the Philosoph...the debate was by two UCC alums on whether the Fianna Fail party should move North (Fianna Fail is the party in power in the Republic, and the North is Northern Ireland). It was over early and we retired to the Old Campus Bar with the small Philosoph crew. Sam and I left early from there and I decided to introduce him to the Thirsty. It was quite busy for a Monday night, but my favorite bartenders, Dav and Julie, were both there. Sam and I enjoyed a few drinks and took lots of pictures, and we also talked about serious life stuff and really fun random things. It was awesome!

The next day Sam went to Irish class with me, where my teacher happily welcomed him and tried to teach him some stuff. It was hilarious. We then went on a tour with the Philosoph. Elizabeth came along, too! But, it wasn't so much a tour as it was going to a mysterious pub in rural County Cork (Coachford?). It was quaint...we enjoyed our time drinking, doing tarot, and talking more seriously and more randomly. Elizabeth tried her first shot of Mickey Finn's and hated it, although I quite enjoyed that and a few other shots. The bartender, John, helped us with pictures and had us test a shot he paid for. He was nice.

Wednesday was originally going to be a movie night (as in going to the cinema), but we ended up at a lecture Elizabeth was interested it. It was an archeology lecture about a site on the Greek island of Crete. I learned a lot I'm not sure I'll remember, but it was definitely interesting. After, we were greeted by a fully lit Christmas tree in front of the Honan Chapel on Campus, where we got excited for the holidays. We went back to my apartment and played games well into the early morning.

On Thursday, I went to Irish in the morning, and the Sam and I spent a couple hours of the late afternoon in Cobh. We missed the rain in both the city and in Cobh, where it was sunny and although chilly, still quite nice. It was even more beautiful than my September trip with Luke and Elizabeth. After crossing the little seaside town to find food, we landed at a cute cafe, The River Room, where I had a nice melt and Sam enjoyed some fresh mussels. We soon realized it was time to return to Cork and get dinner ready for the friends.

So, that's where we ended up. On Friday, I went to Irish again, and we met Bri and Elizabeth for an early lunch at Four Star Pizza. We then went to my apratment, baked cookies, and hung out until Sam needed to pack. Elizabeth and I walked with him to the train station (although we called a taxi halfway through to make his train on time). He wasn't leaving Ireland until Saturday morning, but it was easier for him to spend the night in Dublin than to rush from Cork in the morning.

We parted ways at the train station; I was very sad to see him go. We had had some tiffs that day, but all seemed mended and I didn't want him to go back to the States. Neither did Elizabeth! We got pretty teary eyed as we saw the train leave, and then departed to have a dinner at Burger King to wallow. We returned to my apartment, where my roommates were having a Christmas party. We were welcomed in and although there was some drama with a couple of people, we mostly enjoyed ourselves...drinking hot chocolate, coke, and sampling desserts.

Holiday time is indeed here. Decorations are all over the city (and my kitchen). Sam time is gone for now...I officially won't see him again until 2008. The good news is, I will see my family and Rande in about a month!

I am leaving here all too soon...in the moment, I'm in the crunch period for writing my papers. Wish me luck...or I can't enjoy Italy!

Ciao, Peace, and Thanks,

~MJ

Cobh!