A relaxed weekend in Dublin...

This seems like the first weekend I've had in Dublin in ages! It's also my last weekend in Dublin for quite some time. The module on nutrition has been interesting, but there is a lot of work involved. I've had less time outside of class to get projects done and there have been more projects than usual. Almost all my time is spent in that crazy looking purple building. That's DIT Kevid Street...home away from home. Sorry about the library services thing...I should give credit to the library webpage where I found the picture. Anyway, this coming week...
Monday: group presentation on Folic Acid supplementation
Tuesday: group presentation on Vitamin D and immunology
Wednesday: present essay on bananas
Thursday: turn in essay and take exam

Whew! I get tired thinking about this coming week! Originally, my paper was going to cover fatty acid oxidation disorders. That got to be too complicated too fast! So now I'm writing a paper on bananas. There was an article recently suggesting that the reason monkeys are so energetic, yet relaxed is because they eat bananas. My paper is an investigation of current research on nutrients found in bananas that can support or repute that claim. Plus, I've thrown in a piece on the dietitian's role in nutrition communication. Did you know that the number one source of food and nutrition information is not the internet? It's the television. Being from the technology generation, I figured everyone was looking on the internet for information. I was wrong.

In my precious little free time, I'm still managing to have a good time. Last night some friends and I went to a birthday party for a guy named Brian. We all had a great time. I even had Irish people dancing like red necks to Cotton Eyed Joe. That was a good laugh. My roommate and I went to a concert with some girls on Wednesday. The Blizzards are an Irish boy band. They play punkish music and little girls go absolutely crazy over them. Even the girls I was with who are 22-23 years old were screaming and going ga-ga over these guys. Basically I felt really old and out of place.

All of the girls from class, plus the Irish guy (Collin) eat lunch together most days. Mostly we eat in the canteen at school, but sometimes we go out. I ended up going out for lunch most days this week. Monday, I bought my lunch. Tuesday, we had Indian food. Wednesday, we had Korean food. Thursday I went to a vegetarian resteraunt with a girl, Marsha from climbing club. She's going home to Holland in 2 weeks. I'll miss her a lot. Friday, I had sushi with Paul. He used to be a campus minister at IU and knows all my CMC minister friends. He's a cool guy. Anyway, at first I thought it was kind of funny how much ethnic food I've been eating. Then I realized that it's all ethnic food! McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Dominos, Quiznos, Subway, Pizza Hut and Johnny Rockets are the only places to get American Food. But since those places aren't in America, it's considered Ethnic to whoever I'm eating with. Think about it...funny concept, don't you think. The food that's home to them is foreign to me and the food that's home to me is foreign to them.

Well, it's time for bed. I'll be home in 31 nights! I lookforward to lots of things at home. More on that another time.

Keep in touch!