The Purveyors of Happiness

After Skyping with my parents and lovely sister Paula tonight, they've informed me that I need to go to bed and get rid of the dark circles under my eyes. So, this shall be an abbreviated post filled with the highlights of my day:

1.) Woke up at noon. I've never done this on a school day and it was fantastic. I encourage all of you to try it.

2.) Walked to class with Sarah and Elise. Stopped at Patagonia. Marveled at warm vests and jackets. 

The Four Courts (Ireland's main courts building!) I pass this on my way to school.

3.) Attended a seminar on the conflict between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The seminar was taught by a leader at an organization for peace between the countries, and his talk was extremely fascinating and left me wanting to learn so much more. We'll be taking a trip to Belfast in Northern Ireland in two weeks so I must continue preparing myself. The sombering effects of the conflict are still present in the city--Catholics and Protestants are segregated and the feelings of hate are still perpetuated. I sincerely hope the lingering feelings of hatred will improve with the people of my generation.

4.) Sipped the best cup of hot chocolate I've ever had at Butler's Chocolates, a luxury chocolate shop in Ireland that calls itself "The Purveyors of Happiness."I love that motto, and I'm fully supportive of purveying happiness. If Life is Good were to partner with an upscale chocolate company, this would be it.  Like every girl, chocolate is my favorite thing in the world, and this post-class trip to Butler's with Sarah was a wise decision on a chilly day. We each ordered hot chocolate which was topped with cream and chocolate flakes. It reminded me of my favorite part in the children's book The Polar Express when the passengers hot chocolate that tastes like melted candy bars. For good measure, we each also ordered a truffle. This was my lunch, and I have a sneaking suspicion it won't be the last time I have that perfect, chocolately meal.

5.) Bought a great purse that is waterproof and large enough for my school things and everyday essentials. I can even stow my grocery bag inside it before going to a market or grocery for picking up food on my way home from class. We walked back through the streets still decorated with Christmas regalia and passed "The Oak" pub, which we plan to visit soon! Elon means Oak in Hebrew, and maybe I'm biased, but I'm sure this pub is one of the best in the city based on its name alone! 

Home Sweet Home! Elon means Oak! (And here's a shoutout to my Oak House Boys)

Pretty lights on the buildings at dusk!

6.) Hosted a ladies potluck dinner. Ten girls came and everyone brought something! We prepared the meal together which included pasta, garlic bread, sausages salad, apples and (drumroll please) not one, but two types of cheesecake. Yum! It was a mix of ladies who go to school in NC, WI, SC and NY. So diverse, so many accents!

7.) Wondered what Irish people do for fun when they're not going to a pub. We don't have televisions in our apartments (I typically don't watch TV), but we also don't have homework to complete or meetings to attend (I typically have lots of these.) We pondered aloud what people did before televisions, and finally we decided on the most cliche thing possible--playing cards! There were three teams of us playing Kemps, and even though 'Team Elise' (comprised of Elise D. and Elise F.) did not take home the gold, however we were the only team whose secret sign was not discovered. Everyone was tied at five games and we decided to play until seven. It was almost too much excitement for this girl to handle! This will definitely be one of the most wild nights in Dublin, I'll tell you that much.

Team Elise after our first winning round!