I've been home for basically a week, so I think it may be time to update this blog with my thoughts from the trip. I've had a whirlwind time of it since being back in NC, activities including work with my parents, meeting up with friends, graduation, and my coming home/grad party. Since this blog is mainly about Ireland, I'll try and stick with the related stuff.
I'm still readjusting to living in NC, and in the US. Just like I didn't imagine Ireland would be so different to live in, I didn't anticipate the amount of adjustment needed to reaclimate to living here. But it's been a challenge. Everything from food to driving to my wake-up and bed times are requiring extra attention. But I can say it is so good to be home.
When people have been inquiring "How was it?" and "Did you have fun?" the best answer I can come up with is that I really would have enjoyed visiting or vacationing in Ireland, but I did not like living there. Why? I couldn't tell ya. A bunch of things really, that conglomerated to spur my temporary misery. The weather, the attitudes, the education system.. all exhausting after a semester. "But we read your blog and looked at your pictures, and it seemed like you had so much fun!" they would say. Well, yes, I did have fun on those trips, but those traveling experiences were vacation for me. They became the norm only because my group of friends forced ourselves to take advantage of the area around us, and we didn't waste time sitting at home; if we were going to live in Ireland, we were going to live it up in Ireland.
Do I miss it? Sure, sometimes. I miss sitting at the dinner table with Ruben and talking about life and what surprised us about the Irish culture. I miss walking around City Center, or running in the countryside. I miss all of my friends there. I even miss going to the pubs (sometimes). But mostly, I take the experience for what it was- a good opportunity to see the world around me- and I leave it at that. It's good to be home, in the chaos of the holiday season, baking goodies and wrapping presents and taking advantage of cheap American gas prices and even cheaper greasy American food. It's so interesting that most people come home from study abroad experiences, and they always wish they could go back. Frankly I'm glad I didn't love it that much, because then it would be even more unbearable to stay in my parents' house until I could be hired on somewhere.
Speaking of jobs, I am still looking, still interviewing and whatnot, but nothing solid yet. I imagine I won't get into the knitty gritty of it until after Christmas. Who interviews over the holidays anyhow?
Because of my tight schedule, I wasn't able to unpack until yesterday. Crazy, right? Fortunately, I had done my laundry immediately after discovering that Ireland has a very distinct smell. It's not exactly a pleasant smell either. My mom smelled it on me immediately when I got off the plane, and I caught wind of it later in the car. Whew! Needless to say, even my clean clothes were tossed in the washer. When I told Elyse about it, she said she noticed the smell on her clothes when she flew back from Ireland a few weeks ago. Maybe it was the fumes from the heaters in my apartment? Who can know...
There's not much else to say about the great ol' Land of Eire. The Heritage department emailed me one of my class projects, and I have to get on it as soon as possible so I can send it back to be graded. Things are still so busy though, I hope I can find the time to get it all done! Though I will no longer be writing on this blog regularly, please stay tuned in the next couple of weeks for updates... I'm sure I'll come up with more to say.
Showing posts with label culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label culture. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
An international Thanksgiving and learning German in 3 days
It's been a week, I know, but I've been so incredibly busy. Last week was our Thanksgiving celebration. Because I had to catch a plane to Germany on the actual Thanksgiving day, we decided to celebrate the Wednesday before. I was in charge of making one turkey, the gravy and the pies, and my friends Stephan, Carolin, and Derek all masterminded the other turkey. My roommate Ruben and Garrett made a honey-glazed ham, and then everyone else chipped in the mashed potatoes, stuffing, vegetables, cranberry sauce, rolls, and beer and wine. We ended up having about 20 people at our celebration, both Americans and internationals kids. Everything turned out sooooo delicious. It was the first time I'd ever made a turkey on my own, and I decided to sort of wing the basting liquids, and I really wanted to brown-bag it (my mom has done it this way in prior years). I ended up laying it on a bed of carrots and onions and using lemon juice, butter, garlic salt, rosemary to rub it down, and then stuffing it. At the suggestion of one of my Irish friends, I roasted the bird upside down so the drippings would make the breast really moist. It worked, let me tell ya! I spent the majority of Wednesday cooking, with the aide of my neighbor Darin; neither of us had class. When it came time for dinner, the food disappeared in front of our eyes! Haha. We all had so much fun. I can't believe we pulled it off. Like one of my friends said, "If we can't have Thanksgiving with our families, we might as well have it with our friends that have become our family." Check out the "family photo":
I was up way late with everyone on Wednesday, but I got a few hours of sleep before having to catch the bus to Dublin so we could fly to Germany. My German friend Stephan was taking me, Stephen, and Derek back to his home in southern Germany. Thursday, however, was as mildly depressing as Wednesday was wonderful. For whatever reason, our Bus Eireann bus was almost an hour and a half late to Dublin. When we finally did get there, we had to take another shuttle bus to the airport (we didn't know we would have to do that). Realizing we had the potential of missing our flight, we got off the shuttle and hailed a taxi. No luck, we still missed the flight by ten minutes. Everyone was so upset, not to mention mentally blaming any and everyone and thing we could to excuse our tardiness. We spent the next three hours at Dublin airport researching our options. At the end of the day, we got a hostel in Dublin and decided to take the next Ryanair flight on Friday morning. So, we lost some money and a day in Germany, but the trip was worth it.
We arrive in Karlsruhe airport, which is really outside Baden-Baden. From there, Stephan's girlfriend Anika picked us up in her brother's car and we drove to the Black Forest. Major picture oppotunities! Piles of snow covered all surfaces, and as we advanced to higher and higher altitudes, we were astouded by the beauty that surrounded us. We hung out in the Black Forest until it got dark, and then drove to Stephan's parents' home. Mrs. Hezel made us the best meal I've had in, oh I don't know, about four months, barring Thanksgiving. I really need to find out those recipes... Anyway, Friday night we went out with Stephan and Anika and two of their childhood friends to this tiny little bar in the next town. No one spoke English (and we don't speak German), except the bartender, who was SO excited to have Americans in his bar that he kept coming over with shots and suggesting drinks. We even did a German beer tasting! Haha. When we left, we stood in the freezing cold and had a snowball fight. How great it was to feel snow!!! But Derek and I agreed that it was a little different, it had a different texture or something.
Saturday was jam-packed and fast-paced. After a delicious German breakfast of bread, meats, cheeses, and coffee, we hit the icy road and headed to Stuttgart, home of Mercedes-Benz. We hung out in town for a little bit, did some shopping and walked around their Christmas market (where I tried roasted chesnuts for the first time! yumm), before getting back in the car to go to the TV tower. From Stuttgart's TV tower, you can see almost all of southern Germany. Stephan oriented us by showing us where we had flown in, where we were going, where our other German friends live, and the country's borders. After the tower, we ate a great lunch and then went to the Mercedes-Benz museum. I'm not much of a car person, but the musuem was really interesting. German and world histories were intermingled with the history of the cars. Did you know that the tri-star symbol for Mercedes-Benz was developed as a reflection of their incentive to build air, land, and water vehicles? Yeah, I didn't either. The museum was our last stop in Stuttgart, so we rushed to drive to Ludwigsburg a few miles away. There we caught the last English tour of the Ludwigsburg castle. It was dark by the time we finished, so we headed to Anika's parents' house. As I listened to Stephan recount our missed flight experience, I realized I basically knew what he was saying. I can't explain it, I don't know how to speak German, but I guess being immersed in it for two days gave me a better understanding of the language. Weird. We put down our stuff in our room and had a little break before going to the Ludwigsburg Christmas Market. Their market is well-known, and is famed for being one of the largest, I think. The rest of our night was spent sipping mulled wine and hot chocolate, bartering in German for crafts, and enjoying the pleasant holiday air. I was so beat that night that I decided to stay in and go to sleep early instead of going out with Stephan and Anika and their friends.
Sunday morning we enjoyed another great German breakfast (and coffee) before embarking on our Autobahn journey back to Karlsruhe airport. It didn't take as long as we had alotted time for (it WAS the Autobahn after all), so we all sat down for another coffee before going through security. We were very pleased to be early this time, though. If we had missed our flight, I'm not sure what I would have done. Be even more exasperated, I guess. We all said goodbye to Anika, who is the sweetest girl ever and was so gracious to us the entire weekend. Stephan will head back to Germany in about three weeks, but Stephen, Derek, and I don't know when we'll see her again. Stephan mentioned coming to NC this next summer to visit us; we'll see! If you're interested in pictures, here's the link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2070213&l=df21e&id=44104357
A cold and icy Germany bled into a cold and icy Ireland. Apparently the dawn of December and Advent brought with it December and Advent weather. I almost wiped out a few times yesterday on patches of black ice. My professor was late to class because he crashed his van into a wall. Yikes! But I braved it all to do my Christmas shopping yesterday. I've been putting it off for so long hoping the dollar would regain some strength. But I'm running out of time, so I bit the bullet and spend a few hours after class in the city center. Fortunately, I knew what I was getting, and I sped around like a little worker bee. I will finish off my shopping this weekend at Saturday market. I bought another piece of luggage, too, to get everything home. It's not that I have so much, it's just that I'm pretty sure I'd go over the weight restriction if I put everything in my one suitcase. I'm trying desperately to wind everything up here as far as classes and schoolwork, but I am thrilled to get home as soon as possible. And then it's graduation! I'm not sure I've honestly thought about what that means. I will no longer be a student. That makes me sad. I'm feeling pretty confident that I'll head to grad school at some point. Hmm...
This post is getting pretty long, so I'll wrap it up with this. Today is Stephen's 22nd birthday, so we're taking him to a burrito place tonight, and then I'm celebrating Stephanie's birthday tomorrow night at the aquarium in Salthill, then dinner afterwards. This week is going to fly!
I was up way late with everyone on Wednesday, but I got a few hours of sleep before having to catch the bus to Dublin so we could fly to Germany. My German friend Stephan was taking me, Stephen, and Derek back to his home in southern Germany. Thursday, however, was as mildly depressing as Wednesday was wonderful. For whatever reason, our Bus Eireann bus was almost an hour and a half late to Dublin. When we finally did get there, we had to take another shuttle bus to the airport (we didn't know we would have to do that). Realizing we had the potential of missing our flight, we got off the shuttle and hailed a taxi. No luck, we still missed the flight by ten minutes. Everyone was so upset, not to mention mentally blaming any and everyone and thing we could to excuse our tardiness. We spent the next three hours at Dublin airport researching our options. At the end of the day, we got a hostel in Dublin and decided to take the next Ryanair flight on Friday morning. So, we lost some money and a day in Germany, but the trip was worth it.
We arrive in Karlsruhe airport, which is really outside Baden-Baden. From there, Stephan's girlfriend Anika picked us up in her brother's car and we drove to the Black Forest. Major picture oppotunities! Piles of snow covered all surfaces, and as we advanced to higher and higher altitudes, we were astouded by the beauty that surrounded us. We hung out in the Black Forest until it got dark, and then drove to Stephan's parents' home. Mrs. Hezel made us the best meal I've had in, oh I don't know, about four months, barring Thanksgiving. I really need to find out those recipes... Anyway, Friday night we went out with Stephan and Anika and two of their childhood friends to this tiny little bar in the next town. No one spoke English (and we don't speak German), except the bartender, who was SO excited to have Americans in his bar that he kept coming over with shots and suggesting drinks. We even did a German beer tasting! Haha. When we left, we stood in the freezing cold and had a snowball fight. How great it was to feel snow!!! But Derek and I agreed that it was a little different, it had a different texture or something.
Saturday was jam-packed and fast-paced. After a delicious German breakfast of bread, meats, cheeses, and coffee, we hit the icy road and headed to Stuttgart, home of Mercedes-Benz. We hung out in town for a little bit, did some shopping and walked around their Christmas market (where I tried roasted chesnuts for the first time! yumm), before getting back in the car to go to the TV tower. From Stuttgart's TV tower, you can see almost all of southern Germany. Stephan oriented us by showing us where we had flown in, where we were going, where our other German friends live, and the country's borders. After the tower, we ate a great lunch and then went to the Mercedes-Benz museum. I'm not much of a car person, but the musuem was really interesting. German and world histories were intermingled with the history of the cars. Did you know that the tri-star symbol for Mercedes-Benz was developed as a reflection of their incentive to build air, land, and water vehicles? Yeah, I didn't either. The museum was our last stop in Stuttgart, so we rushed to drive to Ludwigsburg a few miles away. There we caught the last English tour of the Ludwigsburg castle. It was dark by the time we finished, so we headed to Anika's parents' house. As I listened to Stephan recount our missed flight experience, I realized I basically knew what he was saying. I can't explain it, I don't know how to speak German, but I guess being immersed in it for two days gave me a better understanding of the language. Weird. We put down our stuff in our room and had a little break before going to the Ludwigsburg Christmas Market. Their market is well-known, and is famed for being one of the largest, I think. The rest of our night was spent sipping mulled wine and hot chocolate, bartering in German for crafts, and enjoying the pleasant holiday air. I was so beat that night that I decided to stay in and go to sleep early instead of going out with Stephan and Anika and their friends.
Sunday morning we enjoyed another great German breakfast (and coffee) before embarking on our Autobahn journey back to Karlsruhe airport. It didn't take as long as we had alotted time for (it WAS the Autobahn after all), so we all sat down for another coffee before going through security. We were very pleased to be early this time, though. If we had missed our flight, I'm not sure what I would have done. Be even more exasperated, I guess. We all said goodbye to Anika, who is the sweetest girl ever and was so gracious to us the entire weekend. Stephan will head back to Germany in about three weeks, but Stephen, Derek, and I don't know when we'll see her again. Stephan mentioned coming to NC this next summer to visit us; we'll see! If you're interested in pictures, here's the link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2070213&l=df21e&id=44104357
A cold and icy Germany bled into a cold and icy Ireland. Apparently the dawn of December and Advent brought with it December and Advent weather. I almost wiped out a few times yesterday on patches of black ice. My professor was late to class because he crashed his van into a wall. Yikes! But I braved it all to do my Christmas shopping yesterday. I've been putting it off for so long hoping the dollar would regain some strength. But I'm running out of time, so I bit the bullet and spend a few hours after class in the city center. Fortunately, I knew what I was getting, and I sped around like a little worker bee. I will finish off my shopping this weekend at Saturday market. I bought another piece of luggage, too, to get everything home. It's not that I have so much, it's just that I'm pretty sure I'd go over the weight restriction if I put everything in my one suitcase. I'm trying desperately to wind everything up here as far as classes and schoolwork, but I am thrilled to get home as soon as possible. And then it's graduation! I'm not sure I've honestly thought about what that means. I will no longer be a student. That makes me sad. I'm feeling pretty confident that I'll head to grad school at some point. Hmm...
This post is getting pretty long, so I'll wrap it up with this. Today is Stephen's 22nd birthday, so we're taking him to a burrito place tonight, and then I'm celebrating Stephanie's birthday tomorrow night at the aquarium in Salthill, then dinner afterwards. This week is going to fly!
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Belfast Bonanza!
Hello all! About two hours ago, I got off Bus Eireann bus #261 across from GMIT, finally back in the Republic of Ireland after spending the weekend in Belfast, Co. Antrim, N. Ireland. There was a lot of uncertainty surrounding the trip and the unrest in that part of Ireland, and no one was really sure what to expect. I went with seven guys, Stephen and the rest UW-Platteville men. We got there in the evening on Friday, immediately greeted by rain that the forecast didn't predict. Sweet. We walked around and saw all the lights and City Hall, which was all decked out in Christmas decorations, and got our bearings. The town is really quite lovely. One of the Erasmus students went a few weeks ago and didn't bring back a good report of Belfast, but I instantly loved it and knew I would probably like it better than any other big city I had been to here. Our walking around got us a little lost, but we eventually found the hostel.
Hostels are always a huge question mark until you get there. Even though you can get details online and stuff, you're always blind-booking. It could be a nice place, it could have rats crawling around, but you won't know until you get there. I wasn't immediately impressed when we walked in to the Linen House Hostel, but the guy at the counter quickly proved apt, exceeding my expectations. Over the course of the weekend, all the staff were helpful. We paid up, got the key, and made our way upstairs. We got a private room for the 8 of us, so we had a big room with bunk beds and a sink, and we were right next to the bathroom- good move, especially since we stole the showers both mornings.
Anyway, after unloading our stuff, we started walking again, and eventually walked into what I think is the coolest mall ever. It was an indoor/outdoor one. Basically, you came into the complex, and could walk around, but all of the stores were connected by crosslinks that were, for the most part, exposed to the elements. I guess if you took a regular mall and removed all of the entrances, it'd be like that. There's even an observation deck on the top floor, where you can see all of Belfast. I went up twice, once that night and once today. After climbing back down, we immediately spotted our dinner outing- Chili's. Hah! It's been such a long time since I've had Chili's, and we were all so excited. After a few hours, we cleared out and went back to the hostel to sleep.
Saturday, we had booked a tour to the Giant's Causeway and Derry. Giant's Causeway is a World Heritage Site in N. Ireland. It's a huge collection of basalt deposits on the coast, and they create these magnificent shapes and cliffs that are breath-taking and awesome. (I'll let you know when I get pictures posted.) We spent hours climbing up these cliffs and then back down and then walking out onto these deposits. It was absolutely freezing, and crazy windy. In fact, there were advisories to not go up on the cliff paths because of the wind, but did you really expect 8 crazy American college kids to listen?? Of course not. I can't adequately describe how gorgeous this place was, hopefully pictures will help.
Our last stop was in Derry, Co. Ulster-aka the Walled City. All of a sudden, the scary stories we heard about Northern Ireland became true. This place wasn't the friendliest-looking, and some of us were a little creeped out. We didn't stay for long, just enough time to walk around, get a bagel, visit the market, and get back on our bus. When we got back in Belfast, six guys wanted to eat and hang out, and Darin and I went to watch a hockey game. The Coors Belfast Giants played the Edinburgh Capitals. We were a little late, but our tickets were in the second row, and the fun we had that night dissolved any regret for missing the first few minutes. The Giants KILLED the Capitals, 5-2. We had so much fun. We walked back to the hostel and arrived just minutes after the rest of the gang. We attempted to go out to see some live music, but we couldn't find the bar, so 5 of us came back to sleep, while the other three tried again.
This morning we slept in, checked out at 10:30, and then tried to find some breakfast. Being Sunday, it was not the easiest task. We grudgingly settled on McDonald's. Last night we had discussed getting a Black Cab tour, and our guy was picking us up at 12:30. The tour was supposed to take us to some of the places in Belfast you really shouldn't go to on foot. And boy, did it. This was the most somber experience I might have ever had. Our driver took us through the divided Protestant and Catholic communities in Belfast. We saw the murals and peace gardens commemorating those who had died in the struggles since the '20s, some as recent as the past few years. We saw the graffitied "peace wall"- the gated, barb-wired wall that runs in between the two communities to reduce violence. It's called the Berlin Wall of Belfast. And it really is. Our cabbie told us vicious stories of bombs, shootings, terror and the attempts of peace in the past ten years. All of the stories we'd heard about the Republic of Ireland v. Northern Ireland/ Catholics vs. Protestants/ Nationalists vs. Loyalists, materialized in those moments. I was stuck in a period of complete silence. This conflict was something I could loosely identify with, considering my family's history (Armenian genocide). We all hear so much about civil conflicts in other countries and we feel removed and safe, but there I was, I was in it. I fought back fear even though I knew I had nothing to be scared of. I'm still shaking my head now, trying to sober up from the monstrosity of it all. On the other hand, I'm not sure I would have ever been able to "get it" without having been to Belfast; I walked down Bombay street where bombs put 7,000 Nationalists out of their houses, I read pleas of peace painted on the dividing wall, I stood underneath a mural of a gunman who pointed his rifle at my face, meaning to inspire terror in the onlooker. It was unreal.
We were dropped off in City Center, and the only way we could all get out of our collective slump was to get some food and burn off energy before getting back on the bus to go home. The Christmas Market just started in Belfast this week, but it was in full swing today. We bought cups of mulled wine and hot chocolate and browsed stall after stall of candies, meats, crafts, and gifts. I bought some black licorice from Holland and shortbread cookies to share on the road. OH! And a kangaroo burger, which is.. exactly what you think it is. A burger made from kangaroo meat. It was impressively good. :)
We boarded the bus around 4, not expecting to get back in Galway until 10:30 tonight. But no one expected the events of the trip home. Leg #1, from Belfast to Eniskillen, was sleep time for everyone. Leg #2, Eniskillen to Sligo, was short and was perfect for reading and light conversation. But Leg #3, from Sligo to Galway, was... well... I can't think of an adjective. Brett came to the back of the bus to talk to me about philosophy. All of a sudden, half of our group came to listen to me talk about the basics of good, truth, and beauty, three of the most debated concepts in philosophy. Then, of course, it got into God talk. I was a little uncomfortable, because I knew something potentially crazy could happen with our varied backgrounds. But the problem wasn't with anyone I knew, but with the older man who jumped in! Haha, he was sitting nearby, and I could see him shifting in his seat a little before he turned around to contribute to our discussion. His intention was to get me riled up, I think, but I kept a level head and tossed ideas back and forth like I did everyday in my philosophy classes. (I was later congratulated by my friends, I guess they were impressed with what I had to say.) It was a regular hot-potato debate for a while, before he trailed off into something I couldn't hear. Then Brett finished off the conversation by changing the topic. I never mind when people hop in, but his input (and rebuke of our "Christian American" beliefs) sparked way more talk after he got off the bus. The next couple of hours contained nonstop discussion of religion, philosophy, psychology, evolution, theology, time travel and everything in between. I, the philosophy major, was considered to be the answer box for most of the posed questions, and I did my best to field what I could. It didn't take long before all the guys moved from their seats in the middle of the bus to where I was in the back. We all deep-thought together and expressed opinions and saw sides of each other we didn't know existed. They posed some of the hardest theological questions possible, and the discourse that followed was intelligent and well-spoken. Before we got off the bus, I thanked all of these guys for taking part. Seeing their confusion, I added that I had been feeling so lost without someone to TALK to, and I had been lamenting to God about it. Well, he heard my heart murmurs, and used these guys- all of them tough athletes who talk mainly about drinking and women, studying to be businessmen, engineers, and contractors, rarely showing any passionate emotion for anything other than sports or the political race- to directly answer my prayer. What was even better was the satisfaction all of them got out of it, as well. I got off that bus, the happiest I'd been since I got here. And seeing how well we all talk together, there is suddenly interest in having "Philosophy Night" where we can all just hang out and 'philosophize'. Ha. I am surprised and so honored to be a part of all of this, but I was also struck tonight with a deep sadness of having to leave them all so soon.
This was my last trip with that group of guys. Stephen and I are going to Germany next weekend, but I won't be traveling anymore with the WI guys. Not in Ireland at least. However sad I will be to part ways with them, I will forever be grateful for how these friends have enriched my life. I really hope I can figure out how to see them again. I might call my uncle and see if I can get a beach house for their Spring Break- they said they would come down. Hmm. Anyway, the whole point is that Belfast was great, and I loved it all. This may have been my favorite trip so far, but there's always Germany next weekend!
Hostels are always a huge question mark until you get there. Even though you can get details online and stuff, you're always blind-booking. It could be a nice place, it could have rats crawling around, but you won't know until you get there. I wasn't immediately impressed when we walked in to the Linen House Hostel, but the guy at the counter quickly proved apt, exceeding my expectations. Over the course of the weekend, all the staff were helpful. We paid up, got the key, and made our way upstairs. We got a private room for the 8 of us, so we had a big room with bunk beds and a sink, and we were right next to the bathroom- good move, especially since we stole the showers both mornings.
Anyway, after unloading our stuff, we started walking again, and eventually walked into what I think is the coolest mall ever. It was an indoor/outdoor one. Basically, you came into the complex, and could walk around, but all of the stores were connected by crosslinks that were, for the most part, exposed to the elements. I guess if you took a regular mall and removed all of the entrances, it'd be like that. There's even an observation deck on the top floor, where you can see all of Belfast. I went up twice, once that night and once today. After climbing back down, we immediately spotted our dinner outing- Chili's. Hah! It's been such a long time since I've had Chili's, and we were all so excited. After a few hours, we cleared out and went back to the hostel to sleep.
Saturday, we had booked a tour to the Giant's Causeway and Derry. Giant's Causeway is a World Heritage Site in N. Ireland. It's a huge collection of basalt deposits on the coast, and they create these magnificent shapes and cliffs that are breath-taking and awesome. (I'll let you know when I get pictures posted.) We spent hours climbing up these cliffs and then back down and then walking out onto these deposits. It was absolutely freezing, and crazy windy. In fact, there were advisories to not go up on the cliff paths because of the wind, but did you really expect 8 crazy American college kids to listen?? Of course not. I can't adequately describe how gorgeous this place was, hopefully pictures will help.
Our last stop was in Derry, Co. Ulster-aka the Walled City. All of a sudden, the scary stories we heard about Northern Ireland became true. This place wasn't the friendliest-looking, and some of us were a little creeped out. We didn't stay for long, just enough time to walk around, get a bagel, visit the market, and get back on our bus. When we got back in Belfast, six guys wanted to eat and hang out, and Darin and I went to watch a hockey game. The Coors Belfast Giants played the Edinburgh Capitals. We were a little late, but our tickets were in the second row, and the fun we had that night dissolved any regret for missing the first few minutes. The Giants KILLED the Capitals, 5-2. We had so much fun. We walked back to the hostel and arrived just minutes after the rest of the gang. We attempted to go out to see some live music, but we couldn't find the bar, so 5 of us came back to sleep, while the other three tried again.
This morning we slept in, checked out at 10:30, and then tried to find some breakfast. Being Sunday, it was not the easiest task. We grudgingly settled on McDonald's. Last night we had discussed getting a Black Cab tour, and our guy was picking us up at 12:30. The tour was supposed to take us to some of the places in Belfast you really shouldn't go to on foot. And boy, did it. This was the most somber experience I might have ever had. Our driver took us through the divided Protestant and Catholic communities in Belfast. We saw the murals and peace gardens commemorating those who had died in the struggles since the '20s, some as recent as the past few years. We saw the graffitied "peace wall"- the gated, barb-wired wall that runs in between the two communities to reduce violence. It's called the Berlin Wall of Belfast. And it really is. Our cabbie told us vicious stories of bombs, shootings, terror and the attempts of peace in the past ten years. All of the stories we'd heard about the Republic of Ireland v. Northern Ireland/ Catholics vs. Protestants/ Nationalists vs. Loyalists, materialized in those moments. I was stuck in a period of complete silence. This conflict was something I could loosely identify with, considering my family's history (Armenian genocide). We all hear so much about civil conflicts in other countries and we feel removed and safe, but there I was, I was in it. I fought back fear even though I knew I had nothing to be scared of. I'm still shaking my head now, trying to sober up from the monstrosity of it all. On the other hand, I'm not sure I would have ever been able to "get it" without having been to Belfast; I walked down Bombay street where bombs put 7,000 Nationalists out of their houses, I read pleas of peace painted on the dividing wall, I stood underneath a mural of a gunman who pointed his rifle at my face, meaning to inspire terror in the onlooker. It was unreal.
We were dropped off in City Center, and the only way we could all get out of our collective slump was to get some food and burn off energy before getting back on the bus to go home. The Christmas Market just started in Belfast this week, but it was in full swing today. We bought cups of mulled wine and hot chocolate and browsed stall after stall of candies, meats, crafts, and gifts. I bought some black licorice from Holland and shortbread cookies to share on the road. OH! And a kangaroo burger, which is.. exactly what you think it is. A burger made from kangaroo meat. It was impressively good. :)
We boarded the bus around 4, not expecting to get back in Galway until 10:30 tonight. But no one expected the events of the trip home. Leg #1, from Belfast to Eniskillen, was sleep time for everyone. Leg #2, Eniskillen to Sligo, was short and was perfect for reading and light conversation. But Leg #3, from Sligo to Galway, was... well... I can't think of an adjective. Brett came to the back of the bus to talk to me about philosophy. All of a sudden, half of our group came to listen to me talk about the basics of good, truth, and beauty, three of the most debated concepts in philosophy. Then, of course, it got into God talk. I was a little uncomfortable, because I knew something potentially crazy could happen with our varied backgrounds. But the problem wasn't with anyone I knew, but with the older man who jumped in! Haha, he was sitting nearby, and I could see him shifting in his seat a little before he turned around to contribute to our discussion. His intention was to get me riled up, I think, but I kept a level head and tossed ideas back and forth like I did everyday in my philosophy classes. (I was later congratulated by my friends, I guess they were impressed with what I had to say.) It was a regular hot-potato debate for a while, before he trailed off into something I couldn't hear. Then Brett finished off the conversation by changing the topic. I never mind when people hop in, but his input (and rebuke of our "Christian American" beliefs) sparked way more talk after he got off the bus. The next couple of hours contained nonstop discussion of religion, philosophy, psychology, evolution, theology, time travel and everything in between. I, the philosophy major, was considered to be the answer box for most of the posed questions, and I did my best to field what I could. It didn't take long before all the guys moved from their seats in the middle of the bus to where I was in the back. We all deep-thought together and expressed opinions and saw sides of each other we didn't know existed. They posed some of the hardest theological questions possible, and the discourse that followed was intelligent and well-spoken. Before we got off the bus, I thanked all of these guys for taking part. Seeing their confusion, I added that I had been feeling so lost without someone to TALK to, and I had been lamenting to God about it. Well, he heard my heart murmurs, and used these guys- all of them tough athletes who talk mainly about drinking and women, studying to be businessmen, engineers, and contractors, rarely showing any passionate emotion for anything other than sports or the political race- to directly answer my prayer. What was even better was the satisfaction all of them got out of it, as well. I got off that bus, the happiest I'd been since I got here. And seeing how well we all talk together, there is suddenly interest in having "Philosophy Night" where we can all just hang out and 'philosophize'. Ha. I am surprised and so honored to be a part of all of this, but I was also struck tonight with a deep sadness of having to leave them all so soon.
This was my last trip with that group of guys. Stephen and I are going to Germany next weekend, but I won't be traveling anymore with the WI guys. Not in Ireland at least. However sad I will be to part ways with them, I will forever be grateful for how these friends have enriched my life. I really hope I can figure out how to see them again. I might call my uncle and see if I can get a beach house for their Spring Break- they said they would come down. Hmm. Anyway, the whole point is that Belfast was great, and I loved it all. This may have been my favorite trip so far, but there's always Germany next weekend!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Four days of fun!
Sleep I did. I feel like my body was hit by a truck, I'm so tight. I probably fell asleep and stayed in one position. That may have been the best night's rest I've gotten thusfar. Now I'm writing this post while staring out my window, killing time to see if those grey clouds are going to split open. If so, I'm not running. It's too cold to run in the rain. Crossing my fingers that they'll pass! Anyway, let me tell you about my weekend. Yesterday was a bank holiday in Ireland, so no classes. Instead, we took a little trip. But let me start from the beginning.
Friday: Carolin started off the evening by asking if I could cut her bangs before we went out. Sure, no prob. We gabbed about what had happened in the past two days, future plans, vacations, and of COURSE, boys. :) Whatever. Then we met up with Stephanie in town and walked to the Quay's, our quickly-becoming favorite Friday night pub. This excellent band plays there at 10:30 every week, and last week we introduced them to Stephan. Well, Stephan's girlfriend Anika just happened to be here this Friday, and he wanted to bring her. The five of us grabbed a table and hung out for a while, then eventually walked upstairs to enjoy the tunes. And by walked, I mean we pushed our way through a mass of people and claimed our spot on the banister. We stayed until 11:30, I knew I'd be having a long weekend and I wanted to get some sleep, and the girls decided to just come with me. End of scene 1.
Saturday: IT RAINED ALL DAY. And not like the soft misty rainy, but a persistent heavy rain that blew horizontal because of the wind. I woke up early and went to breakfast with Stephanie, where we had a beautiful conversation about life, troubles, and God. The coffee was a bonus, too. Neither of us wanted to do much, so we watched movies all afternoon. In the evening, we went to the Great Irish Beer Festival with my neighbors, Darin and Mike. We had a blast. The 'festival' was a big venue where people could walk around at their leisure, sampling beers and ales from around the world. Grab a beer, grab some food, and grab a seat on the floor. The four of us did nothing more than hang out on our floor spot. We stayed until the festival was over, and then walked back into the city center. No one really wanted to go home yet, so we found another bar with live music and stayed there until we lost interest. THEN Darin was hardcore about getting late-night crepes from this place we discovered when we were in town last week. Actually, I knew it was there, but he had never had a crepe before in his life. Poor guy. Anyway, this creperie was open late, and we all got food and made our way home, but not before stopping to play at the public playground! Haha. That was my fault, admittedly, but I couldn't help myself- I am forever a kid at heart.
Sunday: Unbeknownst to me, Sunday was the end of daylight-savings time in greater Europe. I woke up early to get ready to catch the 7:05 am bus to the jazz festival in Cork, only to find out from my computer's clock that I was up an hour too early. After a stilted effort to tell the rest of my traveling party about our error, we all eventually got the bus at the correct time. Going with me were Darin, Derek and Nick M (the last two are from WCU). A bunch of our friends were already in Cork, including Stephen, and we would meet them there. After a four hour ride, we arrived to a sunny day in the southern city. We grabbed a bite to eat and then went to listen to, duh, jazz music at what I can only assume is some kind of conference center. I was enthralled. The first big band I listened to played four of my favorite songs right off the bat, and two of them were sung by a guy who sounded like Michael Buble. In love. After enjoying jazz, Darin, Derek, Nick M and I took a bus to our B&B; we hadn't checked in yet. We hiked literally off the beaten path to a quaint yellow house tucked into the landscape. The reservation was for three people, but Darin decided to come too, so Derek and Nick M asked if they could accomodate us. After an initial "no," they agreed to put a mattress on the floor. The couple who owned the B&B were so good to us. The guys crashed out for a little while; I went downstairs to write and read. Then David, one of the owners, took us in his cab back into town. Shortly after, we ate dinner and found Brett and Nick B (my other neighbor) and headed to hear more music. It wasn't a jazz band this time, but they were still good, and good enough for us to go back later to hear their second set. In between, we walked to the bar across the street where another jazz band was playing upstairs. Throughout the night, the rest of our friends came and went, and new friends joined the group. Since we started early, the evening was long and full of interesting people, drama, music, dancing, conversations, and me giving the guys a play-by-play on girl body language. Hilarious. We caught a cab back to our B&B, hoping to get some sleep.
Monday: We woke up and ate a home-cooked breakfast at our B&B, which was amazing. After taking turns for the shower, we checked out and walked to Blarney, where we met 7 of our friends. On the agenda for the day was a tour of Blarney castle and kissing the Blarney stone, but no one planned on how much fun we were going to have in process. We explored every nook and cranny of that castle (there were plenty), took a million pictures, climbed to the very top of the castle, and goofed off. Kissing the stone was an interesting experience. We quipped about getting herpes or other diseases from the stone, but when it came to it, we all leaned backwards to kiss it in hopes of receiving the famed gift of eloquence said to be rewarded to those whose lips touch the stone. Let me tell you, though, the man who stands there moves everyone along so fast, we barely had time to snap pictures. After that, we walked the rest of the castle, and then set out to walk the grounds. Blarney castle has a beautiful landscape around it, including a lake, gardens, something like a lagoon, caves (I don't know why, but they were very muddy), and the Rock Close, an 'enchanted' area of the castle grounds. More pictures, more exploring, more fun. Highlights were the wishing steps, the witch's kitchen, and the faerie grove. In the places where you could leave money for wishes, we observed coins from all over the world, including quite a few American pennies and nickels. After we killed all morning and early afternoon at the castle, we went back into Cork for lunch and to catch the bus home. Our bus was very crowded, but we all managed to find and keep our seats. After another four hours, we were back in Galway!
Of course, I can never accurately convey how much fun we had, and most of the fun stemmed from random circumstances or the people I was with. There are stories upon stories from the trip, and if you want to hear more, just let me know!
Friday: Carolin started off the evening by asking if I could cut her bangs before we went out. Sure, no prob. We gabbed about what had happened in the past two days, future plans, vacations, and of COURSE, boys. :) Whatever. Then we met up with Stephanie in town and walked to the Quay's, our quickly-becoming favorite Friday night pub. This excellent band plays there at 10:30 every week, and last week we introduced them to Stephan. Well, Stephan's girlfriend Anika just happened to be here this Friday, and he wanted to bring her. The five of us grabbed a table and hung out for a while, then eventually walked upstairs to enjoy the tunes. And by walked, I mean we pushed our way through a mass of people and claimed our spot on the banister. We stayed until 11:30, I knew I'd be having a long weekend and I wanted to get some sleep, and the girls decided to just come with me. End of scene 1.
Saturday: IT RAINED ALL DAY. And not like the soft misty rainy, but a persistent heavy rain that blew horizontal because of the wind. I woke up early and went to breakfast with Stephanie, where we had a beautiful conversation about life, troubles, and God. The coffee was a bonus, too. Neither of us wanted to do much, so we watched movies all afternoon. In the evening, we went to the Great Irish Beer Festival with my neighbors, Darin and Mike. We had a blast. The 'festival' was a big venue where people could walk around at their leisure, sampling beers and ales from around the world. Grab a beer, grab some food, and grab a seat on the floor. The four of us did nothing more than hang out on our floor spot. We stayed until the festival was over, and then walked back into the city center. No one really wanted to go home yet, so we found another bar with live music and stayed there until we lost interest. THEN Darin was hardcore about getting late-night crepes from this place we discovered when we were in town last week. Actually, I knew it was there, but he had never had a crepe before in his life. Poor guy. Anyway, this creperie was open late, and we all got food and made our way home, but not before stopping to play at the public playground! Haha. That was my fault, admittedly, but I couldn't help myself- I am forever a kid at heart.
Sunday: Unbeknownst to me, Sunday was the end of daylight-savings time in greater Europe. I woke up early to get ready to catch the 7:05 am bus to the jazz festival in Cork, only to find out from my computer's clock that I was up an hour too early. After a stilted effort to tell the rest of my traveling party about our error, we all eventually got the bus at the correct time. Going with me were Darin, Derek and Nick M (the last two are from WCU). A bunch of our friends were already in Cork, including Stephen, and we would meet them there. After a four hour ride, we arrived to a sunny day in the southern city. We grabbed a bite to eat and then went to listen to, duh, jazz music at what I can only assume is some kind of conference center. I was enthralled. The first big band I listened to played four of my favorite songs right off the bat, and two of them were sung by a guy who sounded like Michael Buble. In love. After enjoying jazz, Darin, Derek, Nick M and I took a bus to our B&B; we hadn't checked in yet. We hiked literally off the beaten path to a quaint yellow house tucked into the landscape. The reservation was for three people, but Darin decided to come too, so Derek and Nick M asked if they could accomodate us. After an initial "no," they agreed to put a mattress on the floor. The couple who owned the B&B were so good to us. The guys crashed out for a little while; I went downstairs to write and read. Then David, one of the owners, took us in his cab back into town. Shortly after, we ate dinner and found Brett and Nick B (my other neighbor) and headed to hear more music. It wasn't a jazz band this time, but they were still good, and good enough for us to go back later to hear their second set. In between, we walked to the bar across the street where another jazz band was playing upstairs. Throughout the night, the rest of our friends came and went, and new friends joined the group. Since we started early, the evening was long and full of interesting people, drama, music, dancing, conversations, and me giving the guys a play-by-play on girl body language. Hilarious. We caught a cab back to our B&B, hoping to get some sleep.
Monday: We woke up and ate a home-cooked breakfast at our B&B, which was amazing. After taking turns for the shower, we checked out and walked to Blarney, where we met 7 of our friends. On the agenda for the day was a tour of Blarney castle and kissing the Blarney stone, but no one planned on how much fun we were going to have in process. We explored every nook and cranny of that castle (there were plenty), took a million pictures, climbed to the very top of the castle, and goofed off. Kissing the stone was an interesting experience. We quipped about getting herpes or other diseases from the stone, but when it came to it, we all leaned backwards to kiss it in hopes of receiving the famed gift of eloquence said to be rewarded to those whose lips touch the stone. Let me tell you, though, the man who stands there moves everyone along so fast, we barely had time to snap pictures. After that, we walked the rest of the castle, and then set out to walk the grounds. Blarney castle has a beautiful landscape around it, including a lake, gardens, something like a lagoon, caves (I don't know why, but they were very muddy), and the Rock Close, an 'enchanted' area of the castle grounds. More pictures, more exploring, more fun. Highlights were the wishing steps, the witch's kitchen, and the faerie grove. In the places where you could leave money for wishes, we observed coins from all over the world, including quite a few American pennies and nickels. After we killed all morning and early afternoon at the castle, we went back into Cork for lunch and to catch the bus home. Our bus was very crowded, but we all managed to find and keep our seats. After another four hours, we were back in Galway!
Of course, I can never accurately convey how much fun we had, and most of the fun stemmed from random circumstances or the people I was with. There are stories upon stories from the trip, and if you want to hear more, just let me know!
Saturday, October 25, 2008
"Como ça va?"
I meant to publish this post yesterday, but time got away from me, and I find myself writing it now because I'm sure I'll want to look back on it someday and remember it! Anyway, it needs to be said: I. Love. My. Flatmates.
Afternoons at the Frendutchamerican House is one of my most favorite times, especially when all of the residents come out of our rooms. Yesterday happened to be one such afternoon. By some stroke of luck, Ruben, Anne-Sophie, her friend, and I all ended up in the kitchen at the same time, all of us attempting to make lunch at the same time.
Afternoons at the Frendutchamerican House is one of my most favorite times, especially when all of the residents come out of our rooms. Yesterday happened to be one such afternoon. By some stroke of luck, Ruben, Anne-Sophie, her friend, and I all ended up in the kitchen at the same time, all of us attempting to make lunch at the same time.
That's our kitchen. Imagine trying to fit more than one person in there at a time, let alone four. Well, Ruben and I chilled at the table, telling funny stories about a drunk Anso from the night before while the French mademoiselles made food. It's a little difficult to explain unless you had been there, but from those stories came lessons in basic French and basic/advanced English, so we were all bouncing around the kitchen trying new phrases on for size. And before you know it, we are all tickled and laughing at ourselves and each other.
There's a movie I watched a few weeks ago called "Pot Luck," and it's the incredible adventure of a French grad student who travels to Spain to study under the Erasmus program. When I watched it, I thought, how true is that movie; I imagine any exchange student who has seen it would agree that almost everyone's journey has been similar to that film. In the movie, the guy moves in with a motley crew of international students, and they had intercultural experiences that mirror the experiences Ruben, Anso and I have shared... attempting to carry on a conversation with a parent that doesn't speak your language, silent fights over space in the fridge, sharing the peculiarities of our different cultures. I think I may make my family watch this film when I get home, no doubt I'll stop it every thirty seconds to tell a story.
In the past 24 hours, I've had conversation upon conversation with different friends about Ireland and home and what will happen when people leave and how sad it will be and who will come visit when and scheduling vacations together. It's October! Surprising because I've only been here 7 weeks, and I won't be leaving for another 6.
I may miss home, but how will I ever be able to leave these people?
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Some Americans, some Germans, and one French guy
I did manage to get to sleep Friday night, but only for about 4 hours. Then it was up and off to Dublin! At first intake, I wasn't so sure I would like it. Truth be told, I'm not a city girl. I really don't like the congestion of people and cars and pollution and big business. So I guess it makes sense that I feel so at home in the mountains of Cullowhee, and also that a big city like Dublin would make me nervous. I headed off to Dub-vegas with Carolin, Stephan, Charlie, and Fabien. (Stephen, Nick, and Derek were already there.) The weather was great both yesterday and today, so we took full advantage of it by staying outside as much as we could bear. At first we just walked around the city, stopping at various monuments and cathedrals. There was an open-air market that hosted some of the most beautiful fresh fruits I've ever seen, and we couldn't resist. We even popped into Dublin City Art Museum, which was nice and quiet. The night before, Carolin had convinced me to get my hair cut, so after the museum she and I split off to see what we could find as far as available hairdressers, which was nothing, by the way. Sad times. So we wandered, walking in and immediately out of stores because we found that even our sheer determination to shop wasn't getting us anywhere. We simply couldn't handle it. Eventually, we met the guys back by the river and wandered over to the hostel. We stayed at the Avalon House in Dublin 2; it actually wasn't bad at all. Our room was clean and tucked away in the corner. Except for the two guitar-playing hippie chicks next door, it was quiet. Once we checked in, we took advantage of our down time by getting coffee, checking email on the computers downstairs, or getting horizontal. It was nice just to hang out. Later, we met up with the other guys to go to Dublin's 1st Annual Oktoberfest. Haha. Unfortunately, we didn't get very far. In fact, we didn't even get in. There were too many people already inside, so we had to queue, which we patiently did for about 20 minutes before hunger ravaged our stomachs and we got German sausages and decided to pub hop.
Now, what you read next may surprise you. I'm giving you a fair warning. Since we couldn't get into the fest, we started to walk around Dublin, sure that we'd find a pub or bar or restaurant where we could chill. We ended up in the famous (or infamous) Temple Bar district. So, where did we go? That's right, Temple Bar. So that's where we started, but it turns out that you have to be 21 or older to get in. This is very strange, since the Irish drinking age is 18. Anyway, Fabien (who is only 20) couldn't get it, so a few of us had a beer and then we left to find a more suitable location. We ended up in another bar that at first glance seemed pretty sketch. But actually, we had a lot of fun. Then we moseyed to another bar, where they were playing incredible music, so we danced the night away, everyone feeling loose and happy to be among friends and strangers who act like they want to be your friends. Stephen and Derek ducked out after this bar, but the rest of us decided to do just one more. Right after midnight, we struggled to find a place where the party was still hoppin' but wasn't getting too sloppy. We sent Nick on the mission to find a place, and did he ever! The next bar wasn't as chokingly crowded, so we celebrated by taking shots and dancing some more. I am proud to say that was my first ever bar-hop. I've only been 21 for a few months, and I'm not much of a drinker. However, the music, the atmosphere, and the energy of my friends played into a great night in Dublin. Don't worry, we were all very safe about getting around and getting home; no one got sloshed or sick (I only had three drinks over the course of 4 hours); the guys made sure Carolin and I were protected (and we made sure they were good, too); no one's clothes came off. We were all very smart about it. Trust me, I am not magically and suddenly transforming into a party girl. But.. it was fun. That's all.
The only reprieve from my dreams last night was that they were presented like short stories. The upside: they were very short dreams. The downsides: there were a lot of them, and all the normal-length drama was compacted into those short episodes. I can't remember the content, but I do remember waking up often and feeling either scared or anxious. So I have to conclude they were more nightmares. All in all, I figure I slept about 4 or 5 hours. Four hours the night before, and 2.5 before that. At least I'm able to sleep longer? Hmm... At any rate, if I can't rest for longer periods of time, I'm going to get sick. I already have a bit of a cough going.
Because I couldn't sleep last night, I got up earlier than I had planned on doing. I walked around the hostel, sat on the floor in the room, and eventually got dressed and woke Carolin to eat breakfast with me. Stephan and I went to Mass and then met everyone else at the coffee shop to begin our day plans. We went to Stephen's Green, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Christchurch Cathedral, Dublin Castle, and walked around some more in search of entertainment and food. Then, we came back to Galway. On the screen, it doesn't appear that we were too busy, but we saw a lot while keeping a steady pace so that no one would be stressed out. And now I'm home, having cleaned the apartment for inspection tomorrow, unsuccessfully attempting to watch Grey's Anatomy online, and unpacking from the weekend. My two classes are cancelled tomorrow because my professor won't be in Galway, so I have a free day to relax. Who knows what kind of trouble I'll find?
Now, what you read next may surprise you. I'm giving you a fair warning. Since we couldn't get into the fest, we started to walk around Dublin, sure that we'd find a pub or bar or restaurant where we could chill. We ended up in the famous (or infamous) Temple Bar district. So, where did we go? That's right, Temple Bar. So that's where we started, but it turns out that you have to be 21 or older to get in. This is very strange, since the Irish drinking age is 18. Anyway, Fabien (who is only 20) couldn't get it, so a few of us had a beer and then we left to find a more suitable location. We ended up in another bar that at first glance seemed pretty sketch. But actually, we had a lot of fun. Then we moseyed to another bar, where they were playing incredible music, so we danced the night away, everyone feeling loose and happy to be among friends and strangers who act like they want to be your friends. Stephen and Derek ducked out after this bar, but the rest of us decided to do just one more. Right after midnight, we struggled to find a place where the party was still hoppin' but wasn't getting too sloppy. We sent Nick on the mission to find a place, and did he ever! The next bar wasn't as chokingly crowded, so we celebrated by taking shots and dancing some more. I am proud to say that was my first ever bar-hop. I've only been 21 for a few months, and I'm not much of a drinker. However, the music, the atmosphere, and the energy of my friends played into a great night in Dublin. Don't worry, we were all very safe about getting around and getting home; no one got sloshed or sick (I only had three drinks over the course of 4 hours); the guys made sure Carolin and I were protected (and we made sure they were good, too); no one's clothes came off. We were all very smart about it. Trust me, I am not magically and suddenly transforming into a party girl. But.. it was fun. That's all.
The only reprieve from my dreams last night was that they were presented like short stories. The upside: they were very short dreams. The downsides: there were a lot of them, and all the normal-length drama was compacted into those short episodes. I can't remember the content, but I do remember waking up often and feeling either scared or anxious. So I have to conclude they were more nightmares. All in all, I figure I slept about 4 or 5 hours. Four hours the night before, and 2.5 before that. At least I'm able to sleep longer? Hmm... At any rate, if I can't rest for longer periods of time, I'm going to get sick. I already have a bit of a cough going.
Because I couldn't sleep last night, I got up earlier than I had planned on doing. I walked around the hostel, sat on the floor in the room, and eventually got dressed and woke Carolin to eat breakfast with me. Stephan and I went to Mass and then met everyone else at the coffee shop to begin our day plans. We went to Stephen's Green, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Christchurch Cathedral, Dublin Castle, and walked around some more in search of entertainment and food. Then, we came back to Galway. On the screen, it doesn't appear that we were too busy, but we saw a lot while keeping a steady pace so that no one would be stressed out. And now I'm home, having cleaned the apartment for inspection tomorrow, unsuccessfully attempting to watch Grey's Anatomy online, and unpacking from the weekend. My two classes are cancelled tomorrow because my professor won't be in Galway, so I have a free day to relax. Who knows what kind of trouble I'll find?
Sunday, September 21, 2008
17 days in...
So, anyway, I promised to answer some of the questions I had been asked from all of you... here goes.
1. Is the Irish drinking reputation really true? Yes, yes it is. It's not out of the ordinary to go out every night to a bar or pub or club (or all three). In fact, drinking may start around 3 pm and extend way into the night. The drinking age is 18, and most Irish youths "pre-game" before going out, that is, they have a mini house party and they drink and chat before leaving for town. There are numerous bars, pubs, and clubs in Galway city. Most students say they come here for university because it's considered to be the best city in the country for partying and student life. I assure you, I believe that to be true. When students come back in the fall, the Galway city population swells; 20% of the people are students. Therefore, much of the life around here is focused on making students happy, meaning the clubs and parties and whatnot. The alcohol is expensive, but the longer you're here, you get used to the schedule of specials and who has the better prices which night and so on. I think most new students go crazy without initially realizing how much money they're spending. I'm not used to going out that much, so I've been trying to play it cool, which means I've also not been spending as much money. But I have to say, the Guinness is much better here than in the States.
2. How are the accents? At first, the accents were impossible to understand. But after making considerable effort to hear it as much as I could, it's normal now. Most of the international students agree that we are no longer surprised when someone starts talking in an Irish accent. Ladies, the Irish brogue is only attractive when the guy is 1) attractive and 2) saying something attractive. If he's cursing up a storm or drunk or whatever, not as hot as you'd think.
3. Does everyone have red hair? Actually, we aren't seeing an odd amount of redheads here. Most women dye their hair, so what might naturally be red is now no longer. Two of my classmates explained the Irish look like this- there are three types: the tall and red haired, the shorter, thinner, and dark haired, and the short squat folk who probably aren't 100% Irish. So far, this is generally true. A sub-question here would be: Are the guys cute? Some are, some aren't. It's just like in every other country; there are some amazingly cute guys, but more aren't particularly eye-catching. What is attractive about the Irish is that they are so friendly and helpful, which makes walking up to that one cute Irish guy much easier. :)
4. What are some of the first names? My family joked about meeting people with traditional Irish names like Liam, Ian, Conor, Ronan, Patrick, etc. And though the older people might still be named like that, the younger men and women have been named differently. Now they're Sean, David, Tom, Andrew, James, Patrick, Maureen, Bridget, Ray, Alex, Kathleen. However, I finally met my first Ronan in class the other day!
5. What's the weather like? The Irish have been plagued with their second unusually-wet summer. So since I've been here, it's been pretty overcast and rainy. The temperature hovers around 55-60 degrees. And the wind can be pretty fierce, considering we're right on the water. Every once in a while, like yesterday and today, we get sun.
6. How is school? Classes here are in full swing. I have four- one literature class, one Irish linguistics class, and two archaeology classes. The mentality here is much more laid-back, almost to the point of apathy. So when my professor didn't show up to teach one day, without notice, none of the students seemed to mind. But the lectures have been interesting so far, and I think the work load will be manageable.
7. How is the food? Meat and potatoes is, like you would think, very commonplace here. But the Irish put spins on things so that you don't realize you're eating meat and potatoes, like cooking everything as a stew, or offering fries (what they call "chips") or chips (what they call "crisps") or even mashed potatoes ("potato smash" or "mash"). But most food here is good. We've been trying new things and have liked what we've had so far.
This week will mark the third week of living in Ireland. It's had its ups and downs, but mainly its ups. I'm learning a lot about other people, and also about myself. The last time I was traveling in Europe, I was about to begin eigth grade. I was gone for about three weeks then, too; about this time, I was so ready to go home. Ruben asked me last night if I missed home. The truth is, yes I do miss home. Mainly I miss my family and all the busyness of life. There, I craved alone time with nothing to do; here I'm struggling to appreciate all the time I'm getting. At home, I was never bothered for not going out at night; here you are tormented if you decide to stay home. I miss family dinners and playing games and going to see my aunt at work and stopping at my gramma's for a cup of coffee. It will continue to be hard as the weeks wear on, but let me assure you, I have little pieces of home everywhere, here. I made rice pilaf within three days of being here. I put together the paper chain my little sister helped me cut. As much as I miss the mountains, nature is still surrounding me. I even had a soda the other day that tastes exactly like Fresca! Haha. And I have so many wonderful friends here. Even though those of us whose native tongue is English are a minority, we are so enjoying teaching and learning from the others around us. We are very fortunate to have each other. I think that's good for now. If there are more questions, or you want to share something with me, just drop me a comment! Thanks!
1. Is the Irish drinking reputation really true? Yes, yes it is. It's not out of the ordinary to go out every night to a bar or pub or club (or all three). In fact, drinking may start around 3 pm and extend way into the night. The drinking age is 18, and most Irish youths "pre-game" before going out, that is, they have a mini house party and they drink and chat before leaving for town. There are numerous bars, pubs, and clubs in Galway city. Most students say they come here for university because it's considered to be the best city in the country for partying and student life. I assure you, I believe that to be true. When students come back in the fall, the Galway city population swells; 20% of the people are students. Therefore, much of the life around here is focused on making students happy, meaning the clubs and parties and whatnot. The alcohol is expensive, but the longer you're here, you get used to the schedule of specials and who has the better prices which night and so on. I think most new students go crazy without initially realizing how much money they're spending. I'm not used to going out that much, so I've been trying to play it cool, which means I've also not been spending as much money. But I have to say, the Guinness is much better here than in the States.
2. How are the accents? At first, the accents were impossible to understand. But after making considerable effort to hear it as much as I could, it's normal now. Most of the international students agree that we are no longer surprised when someone starts talking in an Irish accent. Ladies, the Irish brogue is only attractive when the guy is 1) attractive and 2) saying something attractive. If he's cursing up a storm or drunk or whatever, not as hot as you'd think.
3. Does everyone have red hair? Actually, we aren't seeing an odd amount of redheads here. Most women dye their hair, so what might naturally be red is now no longer. Two of my classmates explained the Irish look like this- there are three types: the tall and red haired, the shorter, thinner, and dark haired, and the short squat folk who probably aren't 100% Irish. So far, this is generally true. A sub-question here would be: Are the guys cute? Some are, some aren't. It's just like in every other country; there are some amazingly cute guys, but more aren't particularly eye-catching. What is attractive about the Irish is that they are so friendly and helpful, which makes walking up to that one cute Irish guy much easier. :)
4. What are some of the first names? My family joked about meeting people with traditional Irish names like Liam, Ian, Conor, Ronan, Patrick, etc. And though the older people might still be named like that, the younger men and women have been named differently. Now they're Sean, David, Tom, Andrew, James, Patrick, Maureen, Bridget, Ray, Alex, Kathleen. However, I finally met my first Ronan in class the other day!
5. What's the weather like? The Irish have been plagued with their second unusually-wet summer. So since I've been here, it's been pretty overcast and rainy. The temperature hovers around 55-60 degrees. And the wind can be pretty fierce, considering we're right on the water. Every once in a while, like yesterday and today, we get sun.
6. How is school? Classes here are in full swing. I have four- one literature class, one Irish linguistics class, and two archaeology classes. The mentality here is much more laid-back, almost to the point of apathy. So when my professor didn't show up to teach one day, without notice, none of the students seemed to mind. But the lectures have been interesting so far, and I think the work load will be manageable.
7. How is the food? Meat and potatoes is, like you would think, very commonplace here. But the Irish put spins on things so that you don't realize you're eating meat and potatoes, like cooking everything as a stew, or offering fries (what they call "chips") or chips (what they call "crisps") or even mashed potatoes ("potato smash" or "mash"). But most food here is good. We've been trying new things and have liked what we've had so far.
This week will mark the third week of living in Ireland. It's had its ups and downs, but mainly its ups. I'm learning a lot about other people, and also about myself. The last time I was traveling in Europe, I was about to begin eigth grade. I was gone for about three weeks then, too; about this time, I was so ready to go home. Ruben asked me last night if I missed home. The truth is, yes I do miss home. Mainly I miss my family and all the busyness of life. There, I craved alone time with nothing to do; here I'm struggling to appreciate all the time I'm getting. At home, I was never bothered for not going out at night; here you are tormented if you decide to stay home. I miss family dinners and playing games and going to see my aunt at work and stopping at my gramma's for a cup of coffee. It will continue to be hard as the weeks wear on, but let me assure you, I have little pieces of home everywhere, here. I made rice pilaf within three days of being here. I put together the paper chain my little sister helped me cut. As much as I miss the mountains, nature is still surrounding me. I even had a soda the other day that tastes exactly like Fresca! Haha. And I have so many wonderful friends here. Even though those of us whose native tongue is English are a minority, we are so enjoying teaching and learning from the others around us. We are very fortunate to have each other. I think that's good for now. If there are more questions, or you want to share something with me, just drop me a comment! Thanks!
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