I am sitting here on this sunday afternoon eating rice pudding (which i have decided i acctually love) and drinking tea.

First I just want to explain ..you know how you think you stereotype a place before you go..and sometimes with Ireland youthink of everything being green, rolling hills, and sheep everywhere? Well..I have to say this stereotype is completly true in coleraine

I started my classes this week, and they are so much different then classes at home! We take modules instead of classes and they last 4-5 hours! I hate sitting still that long amount of time, but because they are so long no one usually has classes five days a week. I have class on Monday and Tuesdays only, but I have them from 9-5 both days. This leaves lots of time for travel and other things.

This week I have grown very close with a few of the international students, and I am so greatful to have them here to travel around with. i can tell this group is going to be like family before I leave.

This week I got riding the bus down pat. I had family dinners with a few of the people im friends with, and we all take turns making dinner (usually orginating where you are from) so it was my night Thursday night and I made the traditional fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and mixed veggies. It was a hit! My good friend here that is German loved it, and even mastered saying "ya'll i aint got nothing to do" I am made fun of for being from the south here, everyone things its very funny i say yall, but i dont mind it at all.

I went to Londonderr/derry this week, which is about an hour train ride away from Coleraine. This was packed full of history, but the feeling of teh area was very very sad. We learned about the troubles in N. Ireland, and Bloody Sunday. We walked the wall, and saw all the murals that were used to portray all the hard times in the area. Its amazing to think there was so much suffering just a few years ago that I was not even erally aware of. It made me want to learn history of so many new places.

Yesterday I went to Musseden Temple, and we climbed for hours along the coast taking pictures of the temple. It was magically beautiful. I couldnt stop taking pictures because I felt that the pictures were not caputring the beauty of the area. We also found a random castle in the area, which was a really neat suprise. There were sheep grazing all over the area, and I really felt like it had settled in that I was in Ireland

I am looking foward to traveling in Europe during spring break. We have almost three weeks off! i also have friends staying in italy, belfast, wales, france, and spain..so i have lots of places to stay! i am trying to pinch every penny possible so that I can travel all over!

Im so excited for more fun adventures to come!