Hey everyone! Sorry it’s been a while since my last update, but I will do my best to keep you up to date on my life for the past 2 weeks.
Last week, I went to the NUI Galway musical production of Disco Inferno. I went with my roommates because they knew a girl in it. The storyline was horrible and it wasn’t done very well, but there were a few talented people in the cast. It was not quite up to how our college shows are, but it was fun to see.
For Valentine’s Day, a bunch of my American friends and I had a dessert potluck. I made rice krispy bars, and there were chocolate covered strawberries, key lime pie, puppy chow, cupcakes, cookies, chocolate biscuit cake, and we had some sparkling wine. It was a wonderful dinner of sweets ☺
This week has been pretty low key. Classes are all going really well and I’m actually starting to have some homework for them. It’s hard to get readjusted and find the motivation to get assignments done. It’s strange how back home, I would love if I had these small assignments and here I dread them! But I’m getting back into the swing of things and my classes are pretty good. I had my first final on Friday for my Medieval Castle class. That class has been meeting four times a week instead of the normal two for every other class, so it gets done early. The professor kept telling us that no one has ever failed the test and they even had a chimp take it and he passed. I looked over my notes a few times and I thought I was well prepared, but the questions were very specific. I think I did well and we still have a final paper due, so I’ll be fine. It’s so strange to be done with a class already. I feel like I just got here!
On Wednesday, a few of my American friends and I went to the Arts Ball. They have balls throughout the year for the specific departments that the students major in. My roommates went to the Engineering Ball a couple weeks ago because their friends are in that department. We got all dressed up and went to a pub, then to a hotel in Salt Hill and there was a live band for the first part, followed by a DJ. It was so much fun. It was a lot like prom for us. Here’s a link to my pictures from Valentine’s and the dance.
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=254546209/a=157881010_157881010/t_=157881010
Today, I went on my field trip for my Castle class. We took a bus and went to four different castles throughout Ireland. The first one was Portumna Castle, the second was Pallace Castle, then Loughnea and Clonmacnoise. I explain more about them in the captions of the pictures, so I’m not going to go into detail here. It was very interesting and cool to see the castles that we were studying in class. Here’s the link to those pictures:
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=254551405/a=157881010_157881010/t_=157881010
I hope you are all doing great and I love to hear about everything, so send me e-mails. I leave for London on Thursday and I come back on Monday, so there will be a new blog update shortly after that. I love you and miss you all so much!!!
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
Scotland
Hey everyone!
On Friday afternoon, eight of my American friends and I got on the bus from Galway to the Shannon airport. We had to wait a couple hours until our flight took off, but then we flew into Glasgow, Scotland and had to take a 45-minute train ride into the city. It was pretty much a whole 6 hours of traveling, which is draining. We checked into our hostel, but since there were nine of us, we had to split up into a few groups. Melissa, Meagan and I were in a 4 person room. We never got to meet our roommate because every time we were in the room, she was sleeping or not there. It’s definitely kind of strange to be sleeping in a room with a stranger. Next, we went to a bar for dinner. They had a lot of different food, it was lot like an American bar. I had a barbeque chicken panini. It was pretty good. Then we walked around and tried to find a traditional pub, but Scotland has a lot of techno clubs. There really aren’t a lot of pubs like there are in Ireland, which is kind of upsetting. We ended up just having a drink at the bar we ate at and going to bed.
We woke up and had breakfast at our hostel. They provide cereal and toast for you, which is wonderful… we love free food here! We got on a bus to Edinburgh. It’s only like a 45-minute bus ride. We walked around the city and explored. We actually saw a man in a kilt playing the bagpipes. It was so stereotypical, but it was so cool to see! We went to the Edinburgh castle and got a beautiful view of the city. We weren’t really sure of what else to see in the city, so we wandered around and saw some buildings. I’m going to apologize right now for not knowing the names of the buildings I took pictures of. I was intrigued by the beauty of these buildings and I didn’t know what they were, but I took lots of pictures anyway ☺ We tried to get into a pub to watch the Scotland Rugby game, but obviously, they were all packed, so we took the bus back to Glasgow and went to a small Italian restaurant for dinner. It was a lot of fun. After dinner, we went to the same bar as the night before and then hung out in the bar below our hostel. It was a lot of fun and I really got to know more of the American girls that I’m friends with.
Sunday, Melissa and I woke up and went to mass at St. Andrew’s Cathedral. It was a lot more like mass at home, and we could actually sing and participate. One of the ushers even asked us to bring up the gifts. It was so cool. Afterwards, we walked around and took pictures of the city. We saw the People’s Palace and botanical gardens. Then we found the Cathedral and a medieval cemetery. There were so many old gravestones and it was so beautiful. Then we kept walking through the city and found a man playing bagpipes in the city square, so we got hot chocolate and sat and listened. It was so cool. It started snowing so hard. It was definitely a lot colder in Scotland than it is in Ireland. We checked out of our hostel, and went through the whole traveling experience again and got home at like 10 o’clock last night.
Overall, it was a lot of fun. It’s hard to try to cram so much traveling into one weekend. It’s definitely exhausting and hard with so many people. We try to do things that everyone wants to do and we try to see as many things as possible, for the least amount of money. We usually end up just walking around and exploring, but it’s a great experience anyway. They use pounds in Scotland, so it was even more expensive than Ireland. It was so beautiful and fun though.
I hope everyone had a great weekend! I miss you all so much! It’s hard to believe that I’ve already been here for five weeks. I’ll be home to see you all before you know it! I love you all and keep sending me updates on your lives!
Glasgow pictures link:
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=254493860/a=157881010_157881010/t_=157881010
Edinburgh pictures link:
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=254487064/a=157881010_157881010/t_=157881010
On Friday afternoon, eight of my American friends and I got on the bus from Galway to the Shannon airport. We had to wait a couple hours until our flight took off, but then we flew into Glasgow, Scotland and had to take a 45-minute train ride into the city. It was pretty much a whole 6 hours of traveling, which is draining. We checked into our hostel, but since there were nine of us, we had to split up into a few groups. Melissa, Meagan and I were in a 4 person room. We never got to meet our roommate because every time we were in the room, she was sleeping or not there. It’s definitely kind of strange to be sleeping in a room with a stranger. Next, we went to a bar for dinner. They had a lot of different food, it was lot like an American bar. I had a barbeque chicken panini. It was pretty good. Then we walked around and tried to find a traditional pub, but Scotland has a lot of techno clubs. There really aren’t a lot of pubs like there are in Ireland, which is kind of upsetting. We ended up just having a drink at the bar we ate at and going to bed.
We woke up and had breakfast at our hostel. They provide cereal and toast for you, which is wonderful… we love free food here! We got on a bus to Edinburgh. It’s only like a 45-minute bus ride. We walked around the city and explored. We actually saw a man in a kilt playing the bagpipes. It was so stereotypical, but it was so cool to see! We went to the Edinburgh castle and got a beautiful view of the city. We weren’t really sure of what else to see in the city, so we wandered around and saw some buildings. I’m going to apologize right now for not knowing the names of the buildings I took pictures of. I was intrigued by the beauty of these buildings and I didn’t know what they were, but I took lots of pictures anyway ☺ We tried to get into a pub to watch the Scotland Rugby game, but obviously, they were all packed, so we took the bus back to Glasgow and went to a small Italian restaurant for dinner. It was a lot of fun. After dinner, we went to the same bar as the night before and then hung out in the bar below our hostel. It was a lot of fun and I really got to know more of the American girls that I’m friends with.
Sunday, Melissa and I woke up and went to mass at St. Andrew’s Cathedral. It was a lot more like mass at home, and we could actually sing and participate. One of the ushers even asked us to bring up the gifts. It was so cool. Afterwards, we walked around and took pictures of the city. We saw the People’s Palace and botanical gardens. Then we found the Cathedral and a medieval cemetery. There were so many old gravestones and it was so beautiful. Then we kept walking through the city and found a man playing bagpipes in the city square, so we got hot chocolate and sat and listened. It was so cool. It started snowing so hard. It was definitely a lot colder in Scotland than it is in Ireland. We checked out of our hostel, and went through the whole traveling experience again and got home at like 10 o’clock last night.
Overall, it was a lot of fun. It’s hard to try to cram so much traveling into one weekend. It’s definitely exhausting and hard with so many people. We try to do things that everyone wants to do and we try to see as many things as possible, for the least amount of money. We usually end up just walking around and exploring, but it’s a great experience anyway. They use pounds in Scotland, so it was even more expensive than Ireland. It was so beautiful and fun though.
I hope everyone had a great weekend! I miss you all so much! It’s hard to believe that I’ve already been here for five weeks. I’ll be home to see you all before you know it! I love you all and keep sending me updates on your lives!
Glasgow pictures link:
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=254493860/a=157881010_157881010/t_=157881010
Edinburgh pictures link:
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=254487064/a=157881010_157881010/t_=157881010
Friday, February 6, 2009
Pictures of the Protest
Here's the link for the pictures from the protest:
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=254478659/a=157881010_157881010/t_=157881010
Enjoy and stay tuned for Scotland pictures :)
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=254478659/a=157881010_157881010/t_=157881010
Enjoy and stay tuned for Scotland pictures :)
Protest and Other Adventures
Hey Everyone!
I just thought I’d send a mini update on the past few days because I leave for Scotland in a couple hours and I want my next update to be all about that. This week has been really hard for me. I missed Mom’s birthday, Keith’s birthday, and the super bowl. It’s so hard to be away from the people I love on these days, but I know we’ll all be together soon ☺
On Tuesday, I decided to drop my Irish language class. It was adding a lot of stress to my schedule, and I wasn’t catching on. I still have the book though and my roommates told me that they would teach me some words and phrases. It was a cool thing to try, but I wasn’t getting credit for it and I wasn’t enjoying it, so I figured it would be best to get my money back and not worry so much about it.
On Wednesday, I went with Melissa and my roommate Niamh to Dublin for the No Fees Rally. In Ireland, students don’t have to pay to go to College. Their government is thinking about changing that so that they have to pay, and the students are very much against it, for obvious reasons. When I tell them that I pay $33,000 a year to go to school, they can’t believe it. Most of them only pay for room and board, so like 400 Euro a year. I think it’s a great opportunity for them to have the chance to go to school because a lot of them couldn’t afford it anyway, but I don’t agree that they should go completely for free. The slogan at the protest was “Education is a right, not a privilege.” I don’t agree with that statement at all. I believe that education is a right and a privilege. From what I’ve seen of the students here, they don’t take advantage of their education at all. They rarely go to class and even when they are in class, they are very disrespectful of professors and but very little effort in. I feel like if they had to pay for their education they would be more invested in their education. I’m glad I went to the rally so I could see what it’s like for them and form my own opinions on the topic. I’ll put up some pictures I took of the rally. Their signs were ridiculous. Some were serious, but some said, “Fees are smelly,” or “Obama says no fees.” (They really love him over here!) It was definitely a unique experience.
Thursday, my friends and I went to McDonald’s to get some comfort food. I had a rough week, so we thought we would go and treat ourselves. When I got back, I noticed that I didn’t have my two 50 euro bills in my pocket. I started freaking out and tore my room apart and I couldn’t find them anywhere. We called McDonald’s and asked if there was any money found and they said there was, but someone already claimed it. I was freaking out and my friend Sheila called back and asked how much there was and the manager said that the man who claimed it seemed kind of shady, so they were going to look at the surveillance cameras and call me back. I got a call back and they asked me how many people were with me, and I told them. They said, yes that it was me who dropped it and I could go back and pick it up. So luckily I walked back and got my money back. I was so lucky I couldn’t believe it. I have been so stingy here and trying to save as much money as possible, and just throwing away 100 euro made me feel like crap. Someone must be looking out for me, because everything seemed to work out.
Well, I’m about to leave for Scotland now. I’ll be home Sunday afternoon your time, so if you all could send me some e-mails to come back to, that would be wonderful. I’ve been here for a month already. Time is really flying and I know I’ll be home before you know it. Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers! I love you all and miss you so much!
I just thought I’d send a mini update on the past few days because I leave for Scotland in a couple hours and I want my next update to be all about that. This week has been really hard for me. I missed Mom’s birthday, Keith’s birthday, and the super bowl. It’s so hard to be away from the people I love on these days, but I know we’ll all be together soon ☺
On Tuesday, I decided to drop my Irish language class. It was adding a lot of stress to my schedule, and I wasn’t catching on. I still have the book though and my roommates told me that they would teach me some words and phrases. It was a cool thing to try, but I wasn’t getting credit for it and I wasn’t enjoying it, so I figured it would be best to get my money back and not worry so much about it.
On Wednesday, I went with Melissa and my roommate Niamh to Dublin for the No Fees Rally. In Ireland, students don’t have to pay to go to College. Their government is thinking about changing that so that they have to pay, and the students are very much against it, for obvious reasons. When I tell them that I pay $33,000 a year to go to school, they can’t believe it. Most of them only pay for room and board, so like 400 Euro a year. I think it’s a great opportunity for them to have the chance to go to school because a lot of them couldn’t afford it anyway, but I don’t agree that they should go completely for free. The slogan at the protest was “Education is a right, not a privilege.” I don’t agree with that statement at all. I believe that education is a right and a privilege. From what I’ve seen of the students here, they don’t take advantage of their education at all. They rarely go to class and even when they are in class, they are very disrespectful of professors and but very little effort in. I feel like if they had to pay for their education they would be more invested in their education. I’m glad I went to the rally so I could see what it’s like for them and form my own opinions on the topic. I’ll put up some pictures I took of the rally. Their signs were ridiculous. Some were serious, but some said, “Fees are smelly,” or “Obama says no fees.” (They really love him over here!) It was definitely a unique experience.
Thursday, my friends and I went to McDonald’s to get some comfort food. I had a rough week, so we thought we would go and treat ourselves. When I got back, I noticed that I didn’t have my two 50 euro bills in my pocket. I started freaking out and tore my room apart and I couldn’t find them anywhere. We called McDonald’s and asked if there was any money found and they said there was, but someone already claimed it. I was freaking out and my friend Sheila called back and asked how much there was and the manager said that the man who claimed it seemed kind of shady, so they were going to look at the surveillance cameras and call me back. I got a call back and they asked me how many people were with me, and I told them. They said, yes that it was me who dropped it and I could go back and pick it up. So luckily I walked back and got my money back. I was so lucky I couldn’t believe it. I have been so stingy here and trying to save as much money as possible, and just throwing away 100 euro made me feel like crap. Someone must be looking out for me, because everything seemed to work out.
Well, I’m about to leave for Scotland now. I’ll be home Sunday afternoon your time, so if you all could send me some e-mails to come back to, that would be wonderful. I’ve been here for a month already. Time is really flying and I know I’ll be home before you know it. Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers! I love you all and miss you so much!
Monday, February 2, 2009
Cork/ Blarney
Hey there!
Things have been going pretty well this week. On Thursday, I had my last first time going to a class (does that make sense?). I had my Contemporary Irish Writing class at 3 on Thursday afternoon. I was pretty sure that I was in the right room, so I sat down and got my notebook out. The professor walked in and said, “This is Irish Short Stories, right?” Everyone else nodded so I assumed I was in the wrong class. I reluctantly packed up my things and stood up to leave, and the professor asked me if I was in the wrong class. I said I thought I was and that I was looking for Contemporary Irish Writing, and he said, “That’s right. This is Contemporary Irish Writing: Short Stories after Joyce. I just didn’t say the whole title earlier.” So I just sat back down. It was definitely a dumb American moment, but there are only eight people in the class, so it wasn’t too embarrassing. Later on in the class, we went around and introduced ourselves and where we are from. I said I was from Wisconsin and the professor made fun of me and said he’s be talking to me about cheese throughout the semester. He seems really cool and funny so I think I’m going to like the class.
On Friday, I went with the International Student Society to Connemara. We went to the Kylemore Abbey, which is nestled in the mountains. It is absolutely beautiful. We went to a furniture school where they teach students to build furniture art. It used to be a reform school for unruly boys and many young boys were killed there because of abuse and malnutrition. It was a huge scandal and was closed down because of all the deaths. Behind the school was a chapel and a graveyard dedicated to these young boys. It was kind of a random place to see, but it was so disturbing and upsetting.
Saturday morning, I went to Cork with 11 other American friends. We took the four-hour bus to Cork, checked into our hostel and took a short bus ride to Blarney. We climbed up to the top of Blarney Castle and kissed the Blarney stone. The stairs going up to the top of the castle are very narrow and steep. The walk up takes a while and I almost had a panic attack because of how compact it is. But it was definitely worth it when we got to the top. To kiss the stone, you have to lie on your back and hang off the castle upside down. There’s a man sitting there to help you so that you don’t fall, but it’s scary. I now have the gift of eloquence though, so it’s worth it ☺ After kissing the stone, we walked around in the gardens surrounding the castle. It was so beautiful! There were so many waterfalls and beautiful trees and flowers. Everything was so green and gorgeous. It was actually sunny out which was a nice break from the rainy weather we’ve been having. We took the bus back into Cork and went out for dinner. I had a burger and realized that as soon as I get home, I’m going out for a big juicy burger. Their beef is dry and not as good as back home. After dinner, we went back to the hostel and had some drinks at the bar that was below our hostel. We tried to see some other pubs, but most of them were 21 and up or 23 and up and not all the girls are 21, so we ended up staying at the Hostel bar. Our hostel room was pretty nice, there were three bunk beds in a very small room, but it was fine for six of us. We got up on Sunday morning to check out and catch the bus back to Galway.
Last night, I was really excited to go to an Irish pub to watch the super bowl. I could only get one of my friends to go with me and we walked into town at like 11:30 our time (5:30 yours) but none of them were open! The only ones that were open were only playing music, so we walked back to watch the game in our room. Unfortunately, we missed the first quarter. I got to watch it with my roommate, Niamh. She had never watched American football, so I got to explain the rules to her. She’s now addicted to football and she really wants to go to a game. I told her she should come visit me and go to a Packer game ☺ We stayed up to watch the whole thing. It was 3:30 in the morning, but it was a fun game to watch.
I have new pictures up on snapfish so here's the link. There is an album for Connemara and Cork, and I added Irish dancing pictures to the Galway album. Enjoy!
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=254446420/a=157881010_157881010/t_=157881010
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=254454989/a=157881010_157881010/t_=157881010
I hope everyone’s week is going well so far! I miss you all so much and I love all the e-mails, so keep them coming! I love you so much ☺
Things have been going pretty well this week. On Thursday, I had my last first time going to a class (does that make sense?). I had my Contemporary Irish Writing class at 3 on Thursday afternoon. I was pretty sure that I was in the right room, so I sat down and got my notebook out. The professor walked in and said, “This is Irish Short Stories, right?” Everyone else nodded so I assumed I was in the wrong class. I reluctantly packed up my things and stood up to leave, and the professor asked me if I was in the wrong class. I said I thought I was and that I was looking for Contemporary Irish Writing, and he said, “That’s right. This is Contemporary Irish Writing: Short Stories after Joyce. I just didn’t say the whole title earlier.” So I just sat back down. It was definitely a dumb American moment, but there are only eight people in the class, so it wasn’t too embarrassing. Later on in the class, we went around and introduced ourselves and where we are from. I said I was from Wisconsin and the professor made fun of me and said he’s be talking to me about cheese throughout the semester. He seems really cool and funny so I think I’m going to like the class.
On Friday, I went with the International Student Society to Connemara. We went to the Kylemore Abbey, which is nestled in the mountains. It is absolutely beautiful. We went to a furniture school where they teach students to build furniture art. It used to be a reform school for unruly boys and many young boys were killed there because of abuse and malnutrition. It was a huge scandal and was closed down because of all the deaths. Behind the school was a chapel and a graveyard dedicated to these young boys. It was kind of a random place to see, but it was so disturbing and upsetting.
Saturday morning, I went to Cork with 11 other American friends. We took the four-hour bus to Cork, checked into our hostel and took a short bus ride to Blarney. We climbed up to the top of Blarney Castle and kissed the Blarney stone. The stairs going up to the top of the castle are very narrow and steep. The walk up takes a while and I almost had a panic attack because of how compact it is. But it was definitely worth it when we got to the top. To kiss the stone, you have to lie on your back and hang off the castle upside down. There’s a man sitting there to help you so that you don’t fall, but it’s scary. I now have the gift of eloquence though, so it’s worth it ☺ After kissing the stone, we walked around in the gardens surrounding the castle. It was so beautiful! There were so many waterfalls and beautiful trees and flowers. Everything was so green and gorgeous. It was actually sunny out which was a nice break from the rainy weather we’ve been having. We took the bus back into Cork and went out for dinner. I had a burger and realized that as soon as I get home, I’m going out for a big juicy burger. Their beef is dry and not as good as back home. After dinner, we went back to the hostel and had some drinks at the bar that was below our hostel. We tried to see some other pubs, but most of them were 21 and up or 23 and up and not all the girls are 21, so we ended up staying at the Hostel bar. Our hostel room was pretty nice, there were three bunk beds in a very small room, but it was fine for six of us. We got up on Sunday morning to check out and catch the bus back to Galway.
Last night, I was really excited to go to an Irish pub to watch the super bowl. I could only get one of my friends to go with me and we walked into town at like 11:30 our time (5:30 yours) but none of them were open! The only ones that were open were only playing music, so we walked back to watch the game in our room. Unfortunately, we missed the first quarter. I got to watch it with my roommate, Niamh. She had never watched American football, so I got to explain the rules to her. She’s now addicted to football and she really wants to go to a game. I told her she should come visit me and go to a Packer game ☺ We stayed up to watch the whole thing. It was 3:30 in the morning, but it was a fun game to watch.
I have new pictures up on snapfish so here's the link. There is an album for Connemara and Cork, and I added Irish dancing pictures to the Galway album. Enjoy!
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=254446420/a=157881010_157881010/t_=157881010
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=254454989/a=157881010_157881010/t_=157881010
I hope everyone’s week is going well so far! I miss you all so much and I love all the e-mails, so keep them coming! I love you so much ☺
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