Blue screen of death...

I finally have a functioning computer.

I always knew I was attached to my (very crappy) Dell laptop, but I think being in a foreign country, with a computer being my only real means of communication back to the States...having it die (again) on me really made me realize how attatched to it I really was. It was sad, actually. At night, before bed, I would gaze longingly at my desk, purely out of the habit of checking my email every 15 seconds. Did anyone IM me while I was at class? No...because you don't have a computer. I started planning my days around when I would go to the computer labs on campus to work on an assignment, check email, or print things out. THE HORROR.

But, I finally caved. I told myself I wouldn't get a new computer until graduation. But, I had to do it. I had to. And now I have a computer that (God willing) will not fail me. At least not for a while.

I finally feel like I have really settled-in here in Galway. It was pretty touch-and-go the first few weeks...I would have waves of homesickness, where all I wanted to see was a CVS or go hang out with my parents. Everything is so different over here. I told myself that I wouldn't get homesick; I was looking forward to this for so long. But it really does hit you, no matter how hard you try to resist it.

I have finally (sort-of) found my niche here. My roommate and housemates are awesome; we get along great, and I don't dread staying in on a Friday night, because chances are someone will be around to talk with or have tea with. And the traveling! So great. Last weekend I ventured over to Paris to visit a GW friend who is studying there. Who would have thought I would just go over to Paris...at a reasonable price? One hour and thirty minutes after stepping on the Ryanair plane, I was across the English Channel in the land of croissants and cafes. It was so wild that I was all the way over in Paris...thousands of miles away from home, yet I was hanging out with a friend that I hang out with back in the States...that might not really make sense, but it was all just kind of crazy to really think about. Who knows what London, Scottland, Spain, and who knows where else will bring...

So, I finally kind of feel settled here in this wild country. I still have moments where I just want to walk over to J-Street and get some Starbucks, walk to DuPont, go to HelWel, or even (gasp!) go to Gelman to study (24-hour reading rooms don't exist over here!). But, for the most part, I'm glad I can travel around Europe, and yet still feel (sort-of) at home once I return to Gort na Coiribe #3...