The Clock is ticking…

Well its official, my time as a resident here in the EU has a time limit, as I’ve just bought my ticket home! Ok, I’m not getting home until Christmas Eve – still some 6 months away – but when you consider that I’m just over a month short of being away for 2 years already, 6 months feels like nothing.

Especially when you consider all the things I want to do before I leave….

I’ll be doing my trip through Spain, Morocco and Portugal in the summer, with the last week being involved in a volunteer program outside of Madrid, helping some Spaniards to learn English.

Straight after that I’m heading back to Ireland to catch up with a good friend from home, who is back to see some of his family in Wicklow.

Following a week back visiting the Beehive, I’ve recently decided on doing something I’ve wanted to do the last two years but could never sort out – Oktoberfest! It’s one of those things that has to be done, so this year I will be doing it. Yes its going to be expensive, and yes its gonna be messy, but if you think about a festival devoted to beer – how the hell did I talk myself out of not going the last couple of years? I may be going along with some friends – and about another 20 friends of theirs – or just on my own, either way I will be going!

Following that, I’m looking at returning to some semblance of normality, by spending 2 months in Galway working – only one job though! While there though, I’d like to do a couple of 3-4 day trips. One will be Brussels, where I want to soak up the cafes, they culture and…oh ok the beer! For the other trip I wanted to venture to somewhere in Scandinavia, as this is the only region in Europe that I haven’t touched at all. At this stage it looks like Finland may get the nod, as a friend of mine will be living there in the latter half of the year, but Sweden, Norway and Iceland may yet get a look in!

I’ll be finishing up in Galway in early December, before heading back to the Beehive for a couple weeks with Bel and Mark and then eventually flying home on the 22nd.

While I am looking forward to getting home, I’m also looking forward to the next 6 months as I wont be working for much of it – it’ll mean money will be fairly tight, but I think it will be well worth it!

Oh and I know what you’re thinking – flying back Christmas Eve? The middle of Summer? That’s gotta be expensive – you better believe it. You could actually get return tickets at a different time of year for less then the one way ticket im buying – but that’s when I wanna be home, so I’m not too fussed. It aint all about money!

My everything hurts…

Well I’m now officially down to just one job. I finished up at Chambers on the weekend, and got to go out on a good note, with a company party involving all four bars in the group; Chambers, Reardens, Havana Browns and Rafterz.

With a group of about 40-50 from the 4 bars, we went up to Tralee and went Paint-Balling. Gotta say it was a hell of a lot of fun. Never done it before and really glad I took the time off my day job to go do it – but damn ya pay for it! Got hit in the head causing quite a lump on my forehead, and pretty much every other part of me was hit at some point. I actually nearly went out on a massive high, making it all the way to the opposition hut before falling on my arse at the last second and having to surrender to two gunmen! Once again snatching defeat from the jaws of victory!

Afterwards, we of course headed to Reardens where everyone proceeded to get plastered – myself included – and I can tell you I’m paying for it today at my day job, trying to pretend like I’m at all with it.

The backpacker network is in full swing at the moment, with a good friend of a good friend I made in Edinburgh staying with me while she gets settled. I guess that makes me the ‘settled’ one at the moment? Scary!

I’m heading off to see Bel and Mark at the Beehive (www.beehivepub.com) on Thursday and I’m really looking forward to it. Having worked 2 jobs for the last 3 months I think its time I got a break – 6 days off is just what I need!

I thought ahead and had a package delivered from the Australia Shop (australiashop.co.uk). Cant wait to get some Twisties, Burger Rings and…BBQ Shapes!

So things are definitely changing here. Katrina has left Cork and gone on her travels for the summer leaving just myself, Alison and Sophie in our little Aussie clique. And with me having weekends off now for the first time in months, I’m gonna be using them, heading to Dublin and Galway in the weeks after I get back from England, and then enjoying the rest of my time in Cork.