Forgot something!!

Today I had my first {and just now second} Wispa bar in....lord knows how many years! And man it tastes exactly as I remember it. I hope they keep them on the shelves, and don't keep it to a limited run like they're talking of doing. Fingers crossed people!!

Now The Fun Really Starts!

The last two weeks have been fantastic! I've been going constantly, doing things, seeing people, registering! Even when I didn't have anything planned I was still busy. But as of tomorrow the real work starts. It's my final year and I need to treat it seriously, but for some reason I don't see that happening. I can't comprehend that in less than 12 months I will be finished University and out in the big bad world - all going well.

I got my semester timetable on Friday, and it is possibly my easiest semester class wise that I've had since I started. I have two hours every other Monday, two hours every Tuesday, and three hours every Friday. That's it. My mom's reaction to this was 'Good, you can get a job!' which is true, I could. But will someone hire me for two days midweek? Most places want weekend staff, which I can't do due to other commitments. With the ISA I need to have my weekends free so I'm available to go on the trips. Which is all well and good, but trying to find a job....that's another story altogether.

Went on a day trip to Scarborough yesterday - volunteering again. The International Office organised a trip and needed some volunteers so myself and three others went. In theory it was a good idea, in reality it just didn't work. Buses had been booked for the wrong day so instead of four showing up at 10am only one showed up. Took over an hour for us to get three more buses, which meant the students going had already lost an hour of their day in Scarborough. Then because of this the buses all dropped the students off at different areas in Scarborough, which made trying to pick them up to come back to Hull another nightmare. I just closed my eyes and prayed. I found a seat on a bus and I decided that was it. If we had lost students then we had lost students. They're all adults, they should be able to act as such and make their own way back to Hull if we did lose them. All in all it was a fun day, ate too much junk food and walked the promenade enough for my legs to be complaining today, but thats what you do on a day at the Seaside!

And lastly, the rugby. I am so disappointed in Ireland's performance in the World Cup this year. They have the potential to be one of the best teams in the world, and before the WC they were in the top 6. But with the way they have played in the tournament I wouldn't be surprised if we dropped down to the bottom 6.

And Breathe.....

This is the first time since I arrivied in Hull that I have actually had a day to relax and chill out. International Welcome Week went really well, everyone seems to have settled in and there doesn't seem to have been any major mishaps. On the down side however, not one of the students has stuck out in my mind as someone I could be really close friends with. I was really really lucky last year, meeting people like Sarah, Becky and Terri, but it seems that was a one off. There are a couple of people I'd definately like to keep in contact with but no one exceptional. But then again, there is still time. I may yet meet a new student I haven't encountered. Of course there's always the fact that I made a few good friends through the other volunteers, maybe thats where the key lies.

The week was crazy, at uni for 9 most days, not finishing until 4 or 5 in the afternoon, sometimes 8 or 9, and once even 1:30am. That was a long day! And then there were the parties in the evenings too!! But I know it was appreciated, and I loved doing it, so I had no problem doing it. However, it probably didn't help that I stayed at a friend's house most nights - because they live closer to the uni campus than I do - and we got into the habit of talking until very late in the night, against our better judgement. It was just really good to be able to catch up.

Anyway, I have to go and blitz my room and house - house inspection tomorrow and even though its not bad, I'd rather it looked a bit better.

Accents

And that makes three! Three times in three days I've been mistaken for being American. I wonder what it is?
Yesterdays case of mistaken nationality was kind of funny though. I went to Planet Coffee to meet a friend, Erica, {who happens to be american} and a man in the queue in front of me overheard us talking. When Erica went to find seats this man turned around and said to me how it was nice to hear American and Canadian accents for a change, what with there being so many Europeans in Hull now. He asked where abouts in the states I was from, which was when I corrected him, told him I was actually Irish. I had assumed that wearing my Irish rugby jersey would have given that away but apparently not. However we did end up discussing the England match from the previous night, and with his being scottish, he had enjoyed the outcome as much as I had.

I currently hate the fact that I'm a student. I have an invitation to go down to Surrey for a night later this week, stay in a hotel for a night and not have to pay for it. And the major bonus side would be seeing a friend I haven't seen in months. The downside?? Travel. It would cost above and beyond £70 just for travelling down and back. I've worked all the hours God sent this summer, and for what? So I can pay off loans and rent and be sensible with my money.

It's times like these that I wish I wasn't quite so level headed, and was maybe a bit more spontaneous and care-free. But things are as they are and I am what I am, so I'm staying in Hull.

Quick Note

International Week starts on Sunday, so today we had our volunteers meeting, to discuss who's doing what etc....I've already had someone ask me if I'm American. I'm tempted to try count how often that happens this week. I really don't understand it but apparently I sound it. We'll see huh??

Today was crazy busy, had that meeting at 2, then campus training {refresher course} after that, which lasted almost an hour, then had an ISA meeting, which stretched and I didn't get out of there until 7. I was kinda tired. But it was worth it. This week is gonna be so hectic, but so much fun.

Back in the land of dodgy accents and Shakespeare

Now I know my family will all put me in the stocks for saying a thing like what I am about to say but today, as I was driving back to Hull, and I could see the Humber Bridge in the distance I felt like I was home. As we drove under it my face errupted into a smile and it's been that way all day. Driving through the city, and along the streets I've become accustomed to, I felt comfortable. So what if it has a high crime rate, or is voted the worst place to live....I still love it. I haven't stopped since I got here today, unpacking, grocery shopping, seeing people. I've already caught up with three good friends and I'm not even back half a day.

I feel alive again!!!

I've felt dormant all summer, like I was in hibernation or just waiting for something different. This is my different. This is where I am me.

Early Morning Thoughts

It’s about 2 in the morning and I should really be sleeping, but I kind of got the urge to write. I have all these thoughts floating around in my head but I’m not sure what to do with any of them.

Firstly, in 2 days I’ll be back in the UK. In four I’ll be back in Hull. I’m not quite sure what to do about that. I know I’ve spent the summer yearning for Hull and Uni and to be back there but now that it’s about time to head back it won’t sink in. Part of me wishes I could do the summer over, change things. Ya know, go out more. Do things besides work, watch movies and sleep. But I know given the chance to change it, I doubt I actually would. I would probably end up sitting in at the weekend and watching movies - crappy movies at that. I didn’t even do a hell of a lot of writing this summer, and that was my plan. To write enough to give me at least some idea of what to do for my portfolio this year, and what did I write? Complimentary slips explaining to customers why we charged them €10 extra than we should have.

Secondly, I am kind of wary about going back to Hull, because it means having to face things I would rather keep hidden. House issues mainly. Oh the girls are gone, and it shouldn’t be too hard to settle into the house with the new crew, but at the same time I have to go through the whole moving in with new people thing yet again. I thought two years running was more than enough, but now I’m about to do it for a third. And besides the house issues there are people issues too. Well, person mainly. It’s amazing how you can trust someone almost unconditionally one week and the following week not want to tell them what flavour ice-cream you like, let alone anything else. That happened months ago between myself and a very good friend of mine, only now she’s not that anymore. I haven’t really spoken to her all summer, out of choice more than pure idleness, and I’m going to see her the day after I arrive back to Hull. I’m not so sure about whether this is a good or a bad thing. Time will well. Though I have been saying that for a few months now and if anything’s changed it’s us. We’re different now to who we were before and I don’t see us ever being as close as we were.
I got in touch with her a few days ago to share in my excitement over an event that may be coming up in a few weeks {more about that later} and I had expected her reply to be one of shared excitement, but instead it was one of warning and reserve. True that there are elements to this event that may result in bad things, but initially she should be happy and excited for me too, right? I do know the risks, and I didn’t need to hear them from her, what I wanted was to know she was happy for me, but instead I got what felt like a motherly warning.

Thirdly. Does going back to England mean I have to face up to the fact that I’m becoming an adult – albeit gradually and with much resisting? In 10 months time I will – hopefully – have graduated with a degree in English Literature with Creative Writing. But what does that mean? I don’t even know where I can go from here with that. Am I going to end up working in an office? Dear lord I hope not. I detest office politics. I am not made for the water cooler culture that exists there. I understand the need to befriend co-workers but there are elements to it I’d rather not have to deal with.
Anyway, that was an unplanned sidetrack.
Does going back to England mean I have to face up to the truth about my lack of a working relationship with a decent guy? I think I know why I don’t have them. I think it’s a defence mechanism. I become attracted to guys I know are unavailable in some sense – either just out of a relationship, or leaving the country in a short space of time - meaning I can’t get too close to them which in turn means I can’t get too hurt by them, leaving my heart unbroken. At least that’s my theory. The only thing I need to do now is overcome that mechanism. Or maybe keep it, at least for the next nine months. It might come in handy to not be distracted by blokes, I might actually get some work done.

Ok, so fingers crossed I will actually update this more often when I am back in England. I’ll aim for twice or three times a week, but don’t hold your breath.

Three Months On

Surprisingly three months of working with tourists and dealing with their unending requests for irons and remote controls and channel 4 has flown. I thought this summer would drag on, and there were some days that did seem as long as a month, but it's over. Yesterday was my last day. And I'm not sure that I'll miss it. It helped me discover that I don't like:
A) working with tourists;
B) working in an office and
C) talking on the phone.
I kind of knew all these before hand but they're definate in my mind now.

But on the flipside, finishing means I have about two weeks before I go back to Hull, which I'm looking forward to but am nervous about at the same time. This is my third year. My FINAL year. My last shot. I never thought I'd go to college, let alone finish a degree and I'm two thirds of the way there. I'm sort of reluctant to leave Tramore now. No matter how much grief I give about this town it's still my hometown. I know everyone and everyplace - both have good and bad points to them. Hull is still a relatively strange place to me. I know my little world, the streets I go to and walk on but there's so much more to it I don't know yet, and probably won't.

The next trick is figuring out what I want. This being my last year people have begun to ask me what I am going to do when I finish, and the honest answer is I don't know. I'm not even 100% sure what I can do. I know what I would like to do. I'd like to travel. I'd like to finally read all the books I've wanted to read. I'd like to fall in love. I'd like to see every continent. I'd like to own a bookstore, maybe in mainland Europe. I'd like to learn to speak french properly, not just the small bit I can remember from school. I'd like to be an Editor. I'd like to write childrens books. But the reality is much different - for the time being anyway. I'll probably end up in some office job I intensely dislike for a few years, so I can pay off loans and then save some money. Then.....who knows?

Open to suggestions.....!