I can't believe I've been in Galway a month already!
Part of the walk to campus involves walking along a four lane high way, and eventually crossing a bridge over the river Corrib and passing the ruins of a building--I can't figure out whether it was a house or a church, or when exactly it's from. Anyway, as I was walking back from my first Skeptic Soc meeting, noticed horses running a few city blocks behind the ruins. Then it sort of hit me that below and beyond the highway was all pasture...it's kind of amazing how close the city and the country are here. There isn't suburban sprawl like back in the States, it's just there. Interesting, huh?
Alright, it's my turn to make dinner tonight, so I should start that!
s.
29 September 2010
27 September 2010
+27: Dublin Recap!
This weekend, the HWS/Union group went to Dublin! We left Galway at the decidedly ungodly hour of 7:30 and arrived in Dublin around 10. Despite massive pre-bus caffeine overload, most of us fell asleep on the ride over, so it went by quickly.
Our first stop was Croke Park, home of the GAA. The Gaelic Athletic Association is dedicated to the preservation of Irish sports--hurling and Gaelic football, and most of the all-Ireland games are held in Croke. What's really cool is that all 34 teams (all Irish counties, plus London and New York, both of which have a large enough Irish population to play at the top level) are amateur--no one gets paid, and everyone does it in their free time. One of the guys on Galway's hurling team actually works at the organization I'm volunteering with, which is really cool. The park's capacity is something like 82,000 and it's usually filled for finals...so crazy!
The next stop was Kilmainham jail, site of the executions of the leaders of the Easter Rising. Our tour was actually pretty brief and not as thorough as the last one I went on, but it was still so eerie to be there. Of course, when you put a bunch of college kids in a jail with open cells, things like this happen:
After that, we headed to the Guinness factory, which was excellent, as expected. For some odd reason, not everyone in the group liked Guinness...more for the rest of us! We spent a lot of time in the Gravity bar...the views are fantastic!
After that, we had some free time. It was Culture Night in Dublin, so a lot of museums and attractions were open late/ free. We ended up walking around Temple Bar for quite a bit before calling it a night.
On Saturday, we had a walking tour of the city, which was really well done, and then we had the afternoon free. Court, Kels and I ended up on Grafton Street where Court finally got her caramel frappe (apparently the Irish don't do many frappuciono type things) and I finally got my M&S banoffee. We ate in St. Stephen's Green, then went to O'Connell Street, Henry Street, and the Jameson Distillery.
After that, we went to see "The Plough and The Stars" by Sean O'Casey at the Abbey--what an amazing performance!
On Sunday, we headed to Newgrange to see the neolithic passage tombs, which had fantastic views of the Hill of Tara, etc. from the top:
Finally, we went to Clonmacnoise, a monastic settlement literally in the middle of the country.
One of the coolest things there is the Whispering Arch, which was supposedly used by priests to hear confession without risking getting sick--you whisper something on one side of the doorway, and it can be heard perfectly on the other side.
I'm going to end with this picture, from the Gravity Bar at Guinness, because it's so awesome:
Our first stop was Croke Park, home of the GAA. The Gaelic Athletic Association is dedicated to the preservation of Irish sports--hurling and Gaelic football, and most of the all-Ireland games are held in Croke. What's really cool is that all 34 teams (all Irish counties, plus London and New York, both of which have a large enough Irish population to play at the top level) are amateur--no one gets paid, and everyone does it in their free time. One of the guys on Galway's hurling team actually works at the organization I'm volunteering with, which is really cool. The park's capacity is something like 82,000 and it's usually filled for finals...so crazy!
The next stop was Kilmainham jail, site of the executions of the leaders of the Easter Rising. Our tour was actually pretty brief and not as thorough as the last one I went on, but it was still so eerie to be there. Of course, when you put a bunch of college kids in a jail with open cells, things like this happen:
After that, we headed to the Guinness factory, which was excellent, as expected. For some odd reason, not everyone in the group liked Guinness...more for the rest of us! We spent a lot of time in the Gravity bar...the views are fantastic!
After that, we had some free time. It was Culture Night in Dublin, so a lot of museums and attractions were open late/ free. We ended up walking around Temple Bar for quite a bit before calling it a night.
On Saturday, we had a walking tour of the city, which was really well done, and then we had the afternoon free. Court, Kels and I ended up on Grafton Street where Court finally got her caramel frappe (apparently the Irish don't do many frappuciono type things) and I finally got my M&S banoffee. We ate in St. Stephen's Green, then went to O'Connell Street, Henry Street, and the Jameson Distillery.
After that, we went to see "The Plough and The Stars" by Sean O'Casey at the Abbey--what an amazing performance!
On Sunday, we headed to Newgrange to see the neolithic passage tombs, which had fantastic views of the Hill of Tara, etc. from the top:
Finally, we went to Clonmacnoise, a monastic settlement literally in the middle of the country.
One of the coolest things there is the Whispering Arch, which was supposedly used by priests to hear confession without risking getting sick--you whisper something on one side of the doorway, and it can be heard perfectly on the other side.
I'm going to end with this picture, from the Gravity Bar at Guinness, because it's so awesome:
22 September 2010
+22
Loooong time, no post!
Let's see...the past week has been sort of hectic with actual registration (finally!) and textbook buying, etc. The HWS/Union group has settled into a nice sort of dinner arrangement of switching off days/chores. Yesterday, for instance, I made shepard's pie; Zach did the dishes and made cookies, and Courtney's making dinner tomorrow. Tonight we're all about the free food--a club on campus is having a movie showing and pizza; rumor is that there'll be wine and cheese as well.
Although we're really just getting settled, we're gearing up for a weekend trip to Dublin, which should be fantastic. Weekend after next, I'm going up to Castlebar in Mayo to see Riverdance with Courtney and Kelsey. This is apparently Riverdance's last year (but it could just be pulling a Streisand...) so it'll be exciting to see it. Most of my family's from Mayo, too, so I'm glad I'll be able to visit.
Random notes:
According to the Early Irish Law textbook I borrowed from the library (after getting lost for about half an hour), everyone had an "honour price" which had to be paid to them in the event of heinous honour-damaging crimes like murder...or satire. Poets were very important in Medieval Ireland because they sort of contributed/damaged someone's honor by praising/satirizing them. Sort of ridiculous.
As of 2 this afternoon, I am no longer an illegal immigrant. Excellent.
Today marks three weeks in Galway. In some sense, it feels like I've been here for ages, but at the same time, September's almost over! How did that happen?!
Let's see...the past week has been sort of hectic with actual registration (finally!) and textbook buying, etc. The HWS/Union group has settled into a nice sort of dinner arrangement of switching off days/chores. Yesterday, for instance, I made shepard's pie; Zach did the dishes and made cookies, and Courtney's making dinner tomorrow. Tonight we're all about the free food--a club on campus is having a movie showing and pizza; rumor is that there'll be wine and cheese as well.
Although we're really just getting settled, we're gearing up for a weekend trip to Dublin, which should be fantastic. Weekend after next, I'm going up to Castlebar in Mayo to see Riverdance with Courtney and Kelsey. This is apparently Riverdance's last year (but it could just be pulling a Streisand...) so it'll be exciting to see it. Most of my family's from Mayo, too, so I'm glad I'll be able to visit.
Random notes:
According to the Early Irish Law textbook I borrowed from the library (after getting lost for about half an hour), everyone had an "honour price" which had to be paid to them in the event of heinous honour-damaging crimes like murder...or satire. Poets were very important in Medieval Ireland because they sort of contributed/damaged someone's honor by praising/satirizing them. Sort of ridiculous.
As of 2 this afternoon, I am no longer an illegal immigrant. Excellent.
Today marks three weeks in Galway. In some sense, it feels like I've been here for ages, but at the same time, September's almost over! How did that happen?!
14 September 2010
+14
My history class--Aspects of Modern Irish History--finally started yesterday, and it was awful. The professor walked in with a stack of notes, and read straight from them for the entire class. Not cool. So, today I sat in on another history class, Medieval Ireland 5th- 9th century, and it was fantastic! The professor was really engaging and hilarious as well (he even made a Princess Bride joke). Oh, and he wrote the textbook...and makes jokes about autographing them ("I'll sign them for 'ye and their retail value will triple! But why would you ever want to sell me book?")...it's going to be fantastic.
Today was also the Socs Fair, which is basically a huge club fair. I signed up for the Film Society, the Philosophy Society, the International Students Society, and the Skeptics Society, which should be awesome.
My flatmate from Villanova and I are going to go downtown for a pint in a bit...it's very strange, but Irish students go out drinking/partying/smashing glasses outside my window every night Sunday through Thursday, and then go home and rest on Friday and Saturday nights. Very strange, but when in Rome Galway, I suppose...
Today was also the Socs Fair, which is basically a huge club fair. I signed up for the Film Society, the Philosophy Society, the International Students Society, and the Skeptics Society, which should be awesome.
My flatmate from Villanova and I are going to go downtown for a pint in a bit...it's very strange, but Irish students go out drinking/partying/smashing glasses outside my window every night Sunday through Thursday, and then go home and rest on Friday and Saturday nights. Very strange, but when in Rome Galway, I suppose...
12 September 2010
+12: Inishmore
Today we went to the largest of the Aran Islands, Inishmore. We biked from the port in Kilronan to Dun Aengus, an Iron Age fort. The trip was about 6 miles each way, although it felt a lot longer. Dun Aengus was absolutely gorgeous--even though it was most likely not used for military purposes, it's in a pretty strategic location at the top of a pretty large hill. The climb up was totally worth it, not only for the crazy history--the fort is actually built on top of even older houses, so the area has pretty much been inhabited for over 3,000 years-- but for the awesome views.
As great as the views were, the ferry ride over was really tough. At times it felt like the boat was about to capsize, especially on the way back...I guess that's another reason not to want to leave--the ride back to the mainland is brutal!
The Aran Islands are also the home of the Aran sweater, so I got one, of course.
That's all for now...here are some pictures from today's trip!
The coast:
Biking back to the port:
Biking:
"The Great Wall of Ireland":
Cottages:
Donkey outside of a really cute house:
Most of the group by the cliff (Courtney's):
View from the top of the cliff at Dun Aengus:
Courtney, Kelsey, and I in one of the fort's doorways (Courtney's picture):
Hobart and William Smith!:
Most of the HWS/Union Group (from Amanda, I think):
As great as the views were, the ferry ride over was really tough. At times it felt like the boat was about to capsize, especially on the way back...I guess that's another reason not to want to leave--the ride back to the mainland is brutal!
The Aran Islands are also the home of the Aran sweater, so I got one, of course.
That's all for now...here are some pictures from today's trip!
The coast:
Biking back to the port:
Biking:
"The Great Wall of Ireland":
Cottages:
Donkey outside of a really cute house:
Most of the group by the cliff (Courtney's):
View from the top of the cliff at Dun Aengus:
Courtney, Kelsey, and I in one of the fort's doorways (Courtney's picture):
Hobart and William Smith!:
Most of the HWS/Union Group (from Amanda, I think):
10 September 2010
+10
The first week of classes here was insane! Registration isn't until next Friday, so the first two weeks are sort of a "shopping around" period--unfortunately, that means a lot of students (and professors, surprisingly enough) simply don't show up for class.
So, I've spent a ridiculous amount of time walking to campus only to find out that class is cancelled. Also, I don't actually, officially, concretely know which classes I'm taking yet, which is sort of nerve racking.
Other than that, things have been pretty chill...I'm almost completely settled in, and finally had time to take pictures of mi casa...all of the students from my program are in the same apartment complex, but my apartment is waaaay in the back and is arguably not as nice as the other units. Oh well!
So, I've spent a ridiculous amount of time walking to campus only to find out that class is cancelled. Also, I don't actually, officially, concretely know which classes I'm taking yet, which is sort of nerve racking.
Other than that, things have been pretty chill...I'm almost completely settled in, and finally had time to take pictures of mi casa...all of the students from my program are in the same apartment complex, but my apartment is waaaay in the back and is arguably not as nice as the other units. Oh well!
07 September 2010
02 September 2010
+2
Another busy day!
I accidentally set the time on my alarm clock wrong (not the alarm, but the time itself) last night; I woke up thinking that I had beaten jet lag only to find out that I was an hour behind and due to meet my group to walk to campus in about a half hour.
We had orientation all day, and I stopped to get a SIM card on my way home. I walked by Marks and Spencer and HAD to stop in--once again, I ended up buying much more than I could reasonably carry, making the mile or so walk back home seem unbearably long.
However, my gratuitous grocery shopping meant I could actually make dinner (I'd had yogurt for every meal since yesterday...which isn't necessarily a bad thing-one type with chocolate covered banana flakes to mix in was particularly good- but that's a TON of dairy), which was fabulous.
Appropriately enough, I made a semi-complete Irish breakfast (eggs, sausage, toast, cheese, and tea, of course) for my first real meal here and I was so proud of myself that I took a picture of it!
I accidentally set the time on my alarm clock wrong (not the alarm, but the time itself) last night; I woke up thinking that I had beaten jet lag only to find out that I was an hour behind and due to meet my group to walk to campus in about a half hour.
We had orientation all day, and I stopped to get a SIM card on my way home. I walked by Marks and Spencer and HAD to stop in--once again, I ended up buying much more than I could reasonably carry, making the mile or so walk back home seem unbearably long.
However, my gratuitous grocery shopping meant I could actually make dinner (I'd had yogurt for every meal since yesterday...which isn't necessarily a bad thing-one type with chocolate covered banana flakes to mix in was particularly good- but that's a TON of dairy), which was fabulous.
Appropriately enough, I made a semi-complete Irish breakfast (eggs, sausage, toast, cheese, and tea, of course) for my first real meal here and I was so proud of myself that I took a picture of it!
01 September 2010
+1
I'm finally here in Galway and it's been sort of a whirlwind! I've been up for something like 40 hours by now, and have walked loops around the city several times over (including two trips to Dunne's because I couldn't carry everything!
Anyway, I stumbled upon the Eason's and Marks and Spencers in Eyre Square on the way home; most stores close at 6, so I didn't have a chance to go today, but I was able to get a cell phone...all in all, I got a lot accomplished in my first 12 hours here.
Pictures soon!
Anyway, I stumbled upon the Eason's and Marks and Spencers in Eyre Square on the way home; most stores close at 6, so I didn't have a chance to go today, but I was able to get a cell phone...all in all, I got a lot accomplished in my first 12 hours here.
Pictures soon!
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