So this week we read plays by Brian Friel. I read Faith Healer and Translations. Both are very good. Translations is interesting because it is written in English, tho most of the dialogue is actually Irish. The characters admit to not knowing English (tho you can understand them when they are talking) and when the English soldiers come to make maps of the place, then it gets a little confusing, because you have one guy speaking in English, and then the translator translates it into "Irish" by speaking English. And when the English solider and Irish peasant girl fall in love, neither one understands the other, yet they are saying the same things and we hear both sides... if that makes sense...
We also viewed The Butcher Boy in Cinema. It's by Neil Jordan and is proclaimed to be Ireland's most popular film to date. Good to know...
Also, I got an email response from an email I sent in last semester. There was a campus wide email sent out last semester asking if anyone wanted to take Irish classes, to put their level in email and reply back. Then if you didnt hear anything you werent one of the 15 per 4 different levels accepted. Apparently over 4 or 600 people responded! So they responded to me THIS semester. That's good. Accept that they were letting me know I could join the A2 level, which is still beginners, but with a basic knowledge of the language. I had asked to be in A1 - which is basically no knowledge whatsoever. In A2 you know the grammar of the language and plenty of words to get by. I know neither of those... Plus, I saw the email 4 hours after they sent it and the email said "If you'd like to join the A2 class, the class will begin in 1 hour. Please respond immediately if you are interested." And I know it was specifically to me b/c it was a reply email from the one I sent them last semester... So I deleted it. Other than already missing the class that day, I wouldnt have been able to attend that level. Oh well, I can still say my name in Irish, so that's something...
On Tuesday night Caroline and I went out to eat with our friend Nike. Nike is going back home to Holland on Sunday to finish her dissertation. Since Nike has such a strict diet (no gluten, no dairy, no nuts, only some meats...) then we can only eat certain things or go certain places. And right outside the Nassau St. entrance is a restaurant called The Farm, which only serves organic foods and plenty of veggie options as well. I had baby back ribs for my starter (we got the early bird which is a 3 course meal for 22e), which was done very nicely. The meat came off the bones so smoothly and the sauce was definitely different but good. To keep up my meat off the bones meal, I had duck for my main course. It came with mashed potatoes and drizzled in a plum sauce. It was very tasty and the very tender. Ended off with apple pie and ice cream. Now, the pie was good, but not exactly what I'm used to. The pastry part of it was done very well, but the apples were tarrrrrrt! Im definitely used to something a little sweeter, but the ice cream cut the tartness. It was a very nice meal. Caroline had a lobster appetizer and cottage pie as her main. And Nike had hummus and carrots and something that looked really good for her main course, but I didnt know it was (it was something I had never heard of...) So I'd recommend it to all people, because most everybody could find something to eat that they'd enjoy.
I actually went back the next day for lunch with LeeAnn and Karla, on our 1 hour break during our 11am-6pm class day. I had pigs and blankets. Not pigs in a blanket. So it ended up being 2 huge pieces of sausage with two little flaky pastry things and mashed potatoes. It was ok, but I'm not big on sausage. Anyone else who likes sausage tho would have liked my meal.
And this morning I got up earlier than normal to hike over to my research seminar class. The girls in our class pretty much agree that we'll go there so we can eat lunch next door at a place called KC Peaches. So that's what LeeAnn and I did (the 2 that showed up). We listened to the seminar. We hung around an hour or so longer to listen to a panel, then off to KC Peaches, where I had this chicken in tomato sauce sorta thing - you could probably put it on rice or have it plain, like I did, and a side of couscous with tomato and cucumber mixed in (very refreshing).... Oh, you probably wonder how I have the money to eat. Well, in order to allow me to come out to eat with them on Tuesday night, Caroline loaned me some money.
Ive been keeping up with my shows as well. I watched The Bachelor, Chuck and The Biggest Loser, and tomorrow I'll be able to see The Office, as well... I'm keeping up on my shows! Nobody's stopping me! (tho it's difficult to find them online since most sites wont allow you to watch their shows if you are out of the country!)
So that's been my exciting week. The most exciting part has been the food, apparently.
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