The Final Days of my European Escapades

Hello all!  This will probably be my last blog post, as I am already back in the United States.  I came home late Saturday night.


The last few weeks were rather stressful as I was studying endlessly for my final exams.  The finals are set up so strangely in Ireland.  They aren't in normal classrooms.  Most are in the gym, the hotel, or Leisureland (an amusement park).  The gym holds about 900 students and there are individual desks set up.  You get an assigned seat and you take your exam with people from other classes.  It's quite strange, indeed.  Most questions are essay questions, and you have 2 hours to brain dump everything you can remember.  Not only do you just answer the question in Ireland, but you have to explain how you got your answer, the theory behind it, define any terms you used, and use examples.  Exams were decent.  There were some sections on a few exams that I had never seen before...so that made it hard to bull shit my way through.  I didn't do so hot on the marketing exam, and I was really mad at myself because I knew the content.  I messed up on one of the questions because the processes were so close--4 out of the 6 steps were the same.  I was stressed and rushed for time, and clearly my mind wasnt' where it needed to be.  Oh well.  Worst case I'll have to retake it at Duquesne.


Although I spent a decent amount of time studying, I did manage to get out on the town a few times.  I did some shopping at the markets and of course got some Napolis pizza, which is always delicious.  We went out to a few pubs and had a good time with everyone.

James, Katie, and I also had a farewell dinner in Barna with our coordinator, Ann.  It was quite lovely, and the quaint little restaurant was located right on the Galway Bay.  The food was DELICIOUS, and it was the best meal I had had in Ireland thus far.  I got fried Brie, turkey/ham/stuffing, and some ice cream ball rolled in nuts and caramel.  It was a nice little meal :)

Throughout the week I also spent a lot of time packing, which was quite troublesome.  I had a lot of crap I had to get back to the United States, and no where to put it.  I was trying to smuggle an extra backpack underneath my winter jacket, but that failed.  I looked like a massive hunchback and pretty suspicious.  So I managed to put another purse under my jacket...it was more manageable.  We decided to put all our extra stuff into Katie's expandable suitcase and then pay the overbaggage fee...but the lady at Aer Lingus was a miracleworker and didn't make us pay.  We each had 2 large suitcases, a carry on, and a purse...or rather I had two purses.


Anywaysss, the last night in Galway was probably the best night I had had in Galway.  After our marketing final, we finished packing and went to Jess's for dinner.  Afterwards we went to Apartment 14 for the last Dunaras party.  It was also Alessandro's birthday, so quite festive.  We then went into town for some dancing.  We wanted to go to Cuba, but the line was too long so we ended up at Coyotes, which is where it all began.  It was a great night hanging out with everyone.  We then came home and said our goodbyes, which was rather sad.  I met some great friends over there!

The past three and a half months were some of the best months in my life.  I explored a lot, and learned a lot.  I made the best of friends and enjoyed every minute with all of them!  I will truly miss our adventures and being with everyone.  I know we'll see each other soon though :)  I am truly thankful for all of the memories <3