Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Slainte and Happy St. Patrick's Day! It's a wonderful holiday to throw away our worldly concerns and consume some green beer, sings some irish tunes and enjoy each other's company.

As we head into the madness of exams, when poeple are walking fine balances, it will be nice to have an evening of worry-free...mayhem? Maybe not...

A list seems fitting. Perhaps a series of lists.

Things you forget when you're in law school:

1. There is a life outside of the Fraser Buidling.
2. There is a life outside of our bubbles at all.
3. That not all is hopeless. Sometimes there are successes that we do not hear about. Ones that are met everyday. We forget what the chipping away does. It makes it okay for a lot of people to just exist, the battles that were fought before us. So we continue to fight those battles, with resiliency and with strength, because someone must. And because we deserve to fight. And why would we settle for anything less.
4. What a life of privilege you have lived. You made it here. And so many don't. You have a brilliant opportunity. That LLB will get you places. That knowledge is really incredible, handy if you practice and an entry point to many things.
5. What that thing called an evening off is, except for St. Pat's.

Things you may like about this law school.

1. COnferences like the community conference, and our UAWL Conference.
They were refreshing, illustrive of the challenges and opportunities that have happened in so many diverse areas, thought-provoking, awesome days.
2. Afternoon Theatre Workshops. Through interactive games and exercises, insightful guidance, and open amazing people, beautiful things were produced that day. It was one of the most rewarding, refreshing things I have done here. I remembered that I have a body and the different things for which it can be used, I had just never used it for art and sculpting before.
3. The sense of community, though you often wish to take a break from it, overall I like it. We have excellent professors, supportive staff, and we go to school with really good people.

Enough of that.

5 things I loved about Ireland

1. THe people. They are a vibrant people, enthusiastic and engaged. They always have a story and they are kind.
2. Galway. Whata beautiful little city. A cobblestone pedestrian downtown with pubs and shops gallore. The harbour and the waterfront on the River . The Claudaugh, where they speak Gaelic. That really delicious fish and chips place and that spot near the Corrib River where I would chill on the banks and read.
3. Sligo, more the county than the city. It was my home for so much of my stay. The city has character. Some really awesome pubs, like a little a hole-in-the-wall pub, literally wide enough for 2 people barely to cross, the pubs that still had booths like from way back in the day, and vibrant downtown in the day, abandoned by night.
But the surrounding area, all within 15 minutes, there was a waterfall, a lake, beaches, 2 mountains to hike, and some of the best surfing in the country (which surprisingly a lot of people enjoy), all which you can read described far better than I can in the various works of Yeats- not the surfing but all the other stuff. ....it was just naturally beautiful and a great place upon which I reflect fondly having spent a summer there.
4. The ridiculousness of Irish transportation. Why does it require that 3.5 hours to drive 200 kms? Why is there no train connecting the west side of the country? Why must the tractors drive on the highways, or the sheep travel on them, across them, etc?
5. Smithwick's beer and Bulmer's Apple Cider, free beer tours in Kilkenny, many a pint in many a place. Good music, good cheer.
6. All of my travels within- the history of Belfest, the beauty of the Aran islands, the fascination of the Giant's footsteps, the religous past of Dublin and the honesty of all the people met (when I wasn't working....lol!). From Waterford, to the Slieve League Peninsula, Cork to Donegal, Ireland you are stunning, charming, not without many problems, but a great place to have known.

Alright- happy st pat's to all my loves of life.
Enjoy wherever you are,
Rachael,
from a cold, cloudy but bright Victorian night