I almost went to see the Book of Kells today...

So why am I writing in here if I didn't actually get to see it? Well I'm bored right now, that's why!

The last few days have been quiet around the house. May, Bohye and I were stuck here, while the others were out on trips they had the sense to plan weeks ago. Planning trips last minute is too pricey for me! So I just took it easy and hung out in Malahide for the past few days. I really didn't mind because I know that things will pick up again very soon. Although, when one of my supervisors saw me here on my four-day weekend, she sat me down and told me, "Claire, you HAVE to go out and do stuff while you're here!" I had to explain to her that I'd love to be out doing stuff every single moment that I'm here, but it's not very sensible. So now I'm planning a trip to the west side of Ireland for our next long weekend. :)

Last night, Johnny was supposed to get back from his trip to Italy in the evening so that we could all go out on his last night. He wasn't able to get here until 11:50, however, and the pub closes at 12! (Can you believe that?) So we ended up hanging out here. Johnny wanted to wake up early and head into Dublin to see the Book of Kells before he had to rush back here and then head to the airport to go back to Milwakee. I joined in because it would mean me actually doing something this weekend, and who wouldn't want to go see the Book of Kells? So Johnny, May, Bohye, and I got up early and headed out to the bus that would take us to Dublin. When we got there, we walked to get to Trinity College. The campus is beautiful! I took a few pictures, but not as many as I'd have liked. I have to go back! We got to the building where the Book was and Johnny says, "I don't want to pay the 8 euro to see it." To be honest I was a little irritated. I mean, yes it's his last day here, but seriously? 8 euro? It's not exactly a lot of money, you know? So we ended up turning right around and headed back to Malahide. I consoled myself by remembering that I have 11 more months to go see the damn thing, and I got over it very quickly. Truth be told, I think I was more upset about the loss of sleep than anything else. :P

So the girls took Johnny to the airport, and Erin is also there with her parents saying goodbye. Gabriele is still in Italy for a few days. That leaves me here and slightly bored. But I'll suggest something fun for tonight. We have a new girl Kate coming from Maine tomorrow, and a guy, Jose, from Spain. That will be really fun. It's a "working" day, but all we have to do is hang out with the newbies and take them to the village. Not a bad days work if you ask me. The next few days will be filled with visits. On the working days that we don't have groups, we go out in pairs and visit the members. It's a really great way to stay connected to them, because otherwise we'd only see them three or four times a year. I haven't been on one yet, so I'm really excited to go.

Ok, I'll go do something more productive with my time. Until next time...
Love,
Claire