September 19^th, Sunday:

The alarm clock rang. Annie and I woke up, and got ready for the day trips that were planned today. We were both tired.

This day would be something that I would remember for my whole life.

We first went to the Botanic Garden. Talk about God’s beauty and His amazing creations!! The garden was BEAUTIFUL! The colors, the trees, the water, the flowers, the everything, brought a warmth and fire of love in my heart. My goodness, I thought that I was seeing a glimpse of heaven. I never thought I would experience with my own eyes, scenery that was so beautiful. I thanked God in that moment because I needed this. I needed to see His works. I needed a silent peace. I was still feeling a little homesick.

Basically I was just fascinated.

We had lunch in the café. I ordered chicken, but ended up eating most of Rose’s burger. It was delicious.

Our next stop was Casino, Marino in Dublin. Our drive through in Dublin was great. Seeing the city was a nice treat, because I have only heard great things about it. To see it with my eyes was great. I quickly pulled out my camera. Needed to capture the moment.

The Casino was designed by Sir William Chambers as a pleasure house for James Caulfeild, 1^st Earl of Charlemont. It is one of the finest 18^th Century neoclassical buildings in Europe. The Casino, meaning “small house”, surprisingly contains 16 finely decorated rooms, endlessly rich in subtlety and design. It is a remarkable building—both in terms of structure and history.

Our last stop of the day, was to the National Museum of Ireland.  The building first known as Dublin Barracks later known, as Collins Barracks is a building steeped in history. The building, which is of the early Neo-Classical style, was designed by the architect, Col. Thomas Burgh. Other buildings built by Burgh include the Library at Trinity College, Dublin and Dr. Steven’s Hospital across the River Liffey from the Barracks.

Collin Barracks is surrounded by history. For example Wolfe Tone, one of the main leaders of the 1798 Rebellion was held prisoner here and later died at this site. The Croppies Acre in front of the Museum was the burial place of many of the prisoners executed in 1798. Today it is a commemorative park dedicated to those who died in the Rebellion. Situated at the back of the building is Arbour Hill Cemetery where the executed leaders of the 1916 are buried.

Later that night, Catherine, Rose, Annie and I went to mass about 3 minutes away from campus. The mass was very different than in America. There was no music, and the structure was slightly different. Kind of disappointing, but yet again, this part of the culture shock and difference. The concept was the same, so that is what I had to focus on. I prayed for strength and peace in my heart. I especially prayed for the challenges that I have recently faced. God is testing me in many areas of my life during this journey. He is challenging me to become a person who will truly love at all times. He is challenging me to become a person who will not worry but rather who will smile at every moment. He is challenging me to leave the busyness of my life, the people that I know and love dearly, to fully grow into His ultimate masterpiece. These challenges do not come easy. I pray that God grants me with the desire to be the best person that I can be all of the time. If I can be a witness to others on this journey in Ireland, I am hopeful that my time here will be that much more beautiful.

Catherine, Annie, Rose and I had dinner in Annie’s apartment. We had tortenlli. It was simple, cheap yet great meal. I met Annie’s roommate Christina, the sweetest girl in the entire world. She is beautiful inside and out. Her kindness and love for life only tells a small story of who she is. I honestly loved talking to her. I loved listening to what she had to say.

Christina and I were talking about the education system in both Ireland and America. The way that their education is done here is completely different than what I know as being familiar. It is impressive and mind capturing to learn about education focus from a girl my age, who lives in a different country than myself.

Annie slept in my room. Her and I finally got to sleep in (until 11:30). Yes!! Sleep has been well needed on this trip. With all of the walking that our little bodies do, sleep is a favored activity among the crowd. I’ll say anyway.