Life and Ladybugs

Well, class finally started yesterday – sort of. The whole school system here is much different than what I am used to at home. First of all, we have a whole week to “preview” the classes before we register. It’s kind of nice, but at the same time it makes things very difficult because everybody wants to try everything, and it makes scheduling kind of hard. Luckily, I’ve figured my schedule out all ready and know what classes I’m going to take, so I don’t have to stress at all this weekend when it comes time to register. Second of all, the Irish people are very easy-going and not very punctual. Classes start five minutes late and end five minutes early. Since I’m used to doing something almost every minute of every day, rushing from one thing to the next it’s kind of strange to adjust to the new lifestyle. But hey, why should I complain? This way I’ll have plenty of time to travel. Lastly, I only have class three days a week (Mon – Wed), and sometimes I only have to go to class for two hours during the day. I don’t know how I’ll adjust to all the free time, but I figure I should savor it while it lasts.

I also have been able to spend a lot more time getting to know my suitemates. I have four all together. Two from France (Julie and Angie), one from Italy (Carletta), and one from North Carolina (Amber). Julie, Angie, and Carletta are all very funny, Amber is gone most of the time, so I haven’t been able to get to know her very well. Carletta is very witty and makes us laugh constantly. We enjoy listening to her talk about how the girls go out in their clothes (or lack of clothes) or what she likes to call “underwear.” She can’t stand the fact that the girls wear almost nothing when they go out and that they wear the tallest heals they can find. She says that “if you cannot walk with them, then you should not be wearing them.” I think her accent and hand motions make everything she says more poignant. It reminds me of the movie "Eat, Pray, Love" when Julia Roberts is learning how to speak Italian. I don’t think they’d be able to speak without the use of their hands.

Julie and Angie are just as funny as Carletta. It’s so fun to listen to them talk and tease each other. Yesterday I ran into them on campus and we ended up spotting a Ladybug on a sign. They apparently don’t have Ladybugs in France, so they were both very excited to see it. I, of course, grew up playing with Ladybugs so I picked it up and let it crawl all over them. They decided they were going to name it Caroline and bring it home with them. Unfortunately it flew away before they started to walk back home. But just watching them interact with the bug opened my eyes to the fact that we take so many things for granted in this world. To most of us, a Ladybug is just a tiny little bug (and sometimes a nuisance) that lives (and stays) in our gardens. We don’t ever take a closer look and think about how beautiful and amazing the little bug really is. It made me wonder how much life we miss when we turn our eyes from the tiny and simple things. It really reminded me to embrace each moment that I have here no matter how insignificant it may seem.

Well, that is all for today, I should be getting to bed now so I can be prepared to not be on time for my class in the morning. This Irish life of staying up late is really starting to take a toll on me.
Cheers!