Sarah takes her O.W.L.s

SO, I am in the middle of my examination period.

You know what?

Trinity likes to pretend they are giving exams to wizards. That's right -- the proctors all wear robes.


Not to mention the creepily huge hall we take exams in. Rows and rows of desks... with people in ROBES walking down looking over your shoulder.

I have never been in a worse testing environment.

How I feel Inside

This series of pictures depicts how I feel right now.

IES Vid #5: An Interview and Some Swine Flu

My 5th video

Swine Flu in Dublin? Could it be true? In this exclusive interview, I delve into the happenings surrounding one potential swine flu victim in Ireland. Special thanks to Sammy Breslauer, Brittney Winter, Lauren Quinn, Victim X, and Eddie Rathke.

This was fun to make. And that interview was 100% true. For real. Here are the pics I promised to post in my last entry.

My Roomate Has The Swine Flu / Knock Me Down Me

Ok, Claire does not have the swine flu. But do you know Claire? I mean, do you know what IS the Claire? Last Tuesday, she was whisked away to the hospital and put in quarantine. Why? She was very very sick with flu-like symptoms and she went to Scotland the week before. So the Irish concluded that she most have swine flu. So after 24+ in seclusion, she was finally released. Guess what? SHE DOESN"T HAVE SWINE FLU. But she is mentioned here:
Tests on four Irish negative as swine flu cases increase - The Irish Times - Wed, Apr 29, 2009
I will see if I can post the funny text message pics she sent me while horrified in isolation. She said they attacked her in BUBBLE SUITS.

In other news, I also traveled to Belfast and Giant's Causeway with a bunch of friends. We did the Black Cab Tour, which took us to murals and the giant wall dividing the Protestants and Catholics. Oh, the troubles. I tried to write on the peace wall and failed. Here is a vid proving it.

I have a low mental capability. But I try.

Giant's Causeway was by FAR the coolest natural site I have been to in Ireland. SO COOL. I don't think pictures do it justice.

This is the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge.

Short visit to Bushmill's Whiskey Distillery: the oldest in the world.

Trevor and I at Dunluce Castle.
The Causeway.


All was well until a wave attacked me.

MY FOURTH IES Blog Video- Dublin Food

My 4th IES video.

It can be scary being away from your typical food comforts when studying abroad. That's why I am recommending to you, after much experimentation, some of my favorite restaurants and types of food in Dublin. Cheers!

Buses with Wi Fi

So, I am riding back after a fabulous visit to see Mike in Galway, and guess what, the bus has Wi Fi! So I can keep you updated on the happenings of the bus! FYI, we had to stop at some slummy hospital because a guy on the bus wasn't feeling well. I will be so pissed if that adds five minutes to this bus ride.

So, anyway...

This past weekend was my first Easter (holla at my sista) without my family! Sad face. I made them a video to tell them I missed them, and my mom just commented that is was nice I was trying to be funny.

Speaking of trying to be funny, my super Canadian friend, Sammy, succeeded. At least in my opinion. She made a hilarious video, and I want to share it with all of you.
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1024905956486&ref=mf
I don't actually know if that link will work. If it didn't and you are super pissed off and you really NEED to see it, go to my facebook page and view the video posted by Sammy Breslauer.


I am really happy about the friends I have made in Dublin, and I am really gonna miss them. I am trying to convince several of them to transfer to Penn State, because I think they would be lovely additions to my friend circles.

On the other hand, I really do miss my friends from home. It is weird that I won't see them for so long. The summer separates many of us because we come from far and wide. Well, mostly just Pennsylvania. But some people are interning in New York! I hate those people. So much.

<3

My Third IES Blog Video

Don't make too much fun of me for this video blog. When I imagined it in my head, I assure you that it looked a lot cooler. 

I have been studying abroad for 3 months, and I have traveled a TON. This super artsy music video is a mash up of everything I have experienced and seen. I hope it get anyone considering studying abroad pumped!

Let's Play in Bray!

Here's another reason why I love Dublin: there are so many playgrounds! And by playgrounds I don't mean your typical seesaw and slide, I mean beaches and hills and rocks and places that kids dream about exploring! Not to mention the abandoned castle you pass every so often. So this past Sunday we went to Bray. You can get there via the Dart from Dublin, it's only about 2 euro and a thirty minute ride. But the sites are breathtaking! It made me feel like a child again. 

Not this child though. Trevor, that is so creepy.

And here is a video treat!

Irish Grading System: Nobody Likes You

There's nothing like some shit grades to remind you that you aren't just on vacation but in school.

My first grade of a 43 was on my International Economics midterm. I knew I blew that one. I could feel it, even if I didn't know i did that bad.

My second grade I had confidence in. I have never worked as long as I did on my Democracy and Development essay. Seriously, I did so much research, I wanted to do well. I got my grade (or "mark" as they say) back yesterday.

57.

EFF. THE. IRISH. GRADING. SYSTEM.

Don't they realize that my GPA is going to be bombed this semester? Not to mention that these are both one of two grades that will make up my final grade.

I remember back to when my mentor was so excited she got a 41 on a test. "I didn't fail! I didn't fail!"

I should explain the grading scale, I guess. The rough conversion is 70+ is an A, 65-70 is an B+, 60-64 is a B-, 55-59 is a C+, 50-54 is a C-, 45-49 is a D+, 40-44 is a D-, and below 40 is an F.

So, I am very unhappy. My finals are going to stress me out, and that will be a super fun way to end my study abroad experience. CAN TRINITY BE LESS HARD PLEASE?

I went to Amsterdam, Paris, Milan, Florence, and Rome. Suck it.

Greetings to all.

I am very busy with essays and research, so I am going to keep this short. I just got back from my trip, and it was killer. I have embedded a video from my time in Paris -- we got to see a silly French protest! It was about the Pope and condoms. It worked out because when I went to the Vatican a few days later, I could continue the protest where the Ratzinger lives.


Condom Pope Protest at Notre Dame from Sarah Burton on Vimeo.

We got an unexpected surprise when visiting Notre Dame in Paris... a protest started right before our eyes! Man the french love to protest. This one was about the Pope's not allowing condoms to be used to fight AIDS in Africa. ASSASSIN!

I did IT. And IT was grand.

YES YES OH YES!

It's now St. Patrick's day eve, and because I fear I may be too zonked to post then, I will have to now, before I leave on my 8 DAY TRIP. WOOT.

Right now, I'm on my long ass break. Last week, I turned in my first graded assignment for Trinity titled "Tabling the Torturer Problem in Argentina: The Grey Zone between Forgiveness and Punishment". I know, really REALLY fun stuff. I also took my first test. It raped me. And as one of my fellow comedians commented, maybe I shouldn't have been taking my test in a dark alley.

Speaking of comedians, I am one now! Kinda. Well, whatever, screw you, I have at least a month where I can call myself one. This past Thursday, the 13th, I performed stand up along with 6 other talented students at Bowes in Dublin. I was just glad I didn't blank out and forget everything. I've embedded the video into the site, so luckily for you, it can be watched by all! But if you are one of my Penn State friends, don't watch it, because I plan on using the material on you next fall and pretending that I just made it up then. Or, watch it, and then go along with it. Whichever.

Sarah Attempts Stand Up Comedy from Sarah Burton on Vimeo.

Sarah learns to tell a joke

Yes, I did. I really did. And for your information, this was the joke:

"I cut myself shaving last week -- but I swear I wasn't crying out for attention."

I know. Really rich. Really clever. Perhaps you are wondering why I am writing jokes. Well, I finally got in touch with someone in the Comedy Society. Actually, they had responded to me a month ago, but I failed to  check my spam box until last week. ANYWHO, I went to this stand-up comedy workshop on Monday night, which was balls of fun (craic, I mean craic). If I stick with it, I will actually perform a stand up routine in mid March. I did discover, as you may have ascertained from the joke above, that I am not very good at writing jokes. So, my homework for next week is to write two minutes of jokes on religion. Right up my alley. 

BUT before I can do that, I need to plan my weekend. Why, you ask? MY MUMMY AND SISTER ARE VISITING. I am very excited. I am going to be a big tourist for the next few days. Then, after that, I am going to London for three days... I will see my old friend Chelsea. I say "old" both because we were friends in middle school and she is also like 16 months older than me.

The Jameson Dublin International Film Festival is this weekend as well -- WOW so much to do! What films should I see? Anyone have any suggestions at all?

My First Weeks In Dublin -- The Craic Begins

Dublin - The Craic Begins from Sarah Burton on Vimeo.

Galway, County Clare Slagis, Cliffs of Moher, Burren, and Connemara

Photobucket Album

Cork and Blarney Castle Pics

FIRST I KISS THE BLARNEY STONE

Sarah Kisses the Blarney Stone from Sarah Burton on Vimeo.

Dublin: I finally made it!

Greetings from Dublin!

I decided to start this blog as a way to keep my friends back at home updated on my situation, as well as a sort of personal diary. I've only been here about two weeks, but I'll do my best to recount what's gone down.

Here's a little background: I am attending Trinity College in Dublin. It was founded in 1592, so as you might imagine, the campus is gorgeous. It's odd going to class every day and constantly running into tourists who are probably there to take pictures and see the Book of Kells. 

However, I am living hella far away from school. The apartments are nice enough, but we have to take the Luas (pronounced Louis) to get to school -- the whole trip totals about a half hour. Once there, I'm centrally located in Dublin, and I actually walk down Grafton street, a.k.a. Mally's street, to get to Trinity. Okay, maybe nobody else calls it Mally's street, but she will when she visits in February -- shops line the street.

Oh, one more thing: I named this blog Coke and Craic because those are the two things I have found very prominent in my life these past two weeks. Mock me if you must, but having Coke in Dublin is such a comfort. So many things are just slightly different here, so it's nice to buy a Coke and know that you're actually getting a Coke. Craic is the Irish word for fun. Self-explanatory. 

Right. Actually, I'll tell you what I've been up to on my next post, because I feel like playing around with blogspot's formatting. 

I'm also video blogging for IES this semester. Check that out here.