Galway: Is This Real Life?

Well my last weekend here was definitely my favorite weekend thus far. Last thursday morning we huffed it across Dublin to meet our chariot for our weekend in Galway. A three hour bus ride later, we arrive. The girls (Allie, Ally, Meaghan, Kelsey, Anna) and I decided to explore the city for the afternoon. The city is definitely very different from Dublin. For starters, Galway is a lot smaller than Dublin, and it definitely fits the mental image of an Irish city moreso than Dublin does. We had a delicious lunch of burgers and chips (french fries if you're american... and for the record, if a menu says the burger comes with chips and salad it DOES NOT mean a side salad... it means lettuce and tomato on the burger). Annnnyway, after lunch we explored some of the cute shops in Galway, walked towards Claddagh (a tiny town on the outskirts of Galway), and we even found the original and official Claddagh jewelry store. The rings were gorgeous, and they had lots of other jewelry with claddaghs as well: necklaces, lockets, earrings, etc. Kelsey and Allie bought rings, and Meaghan got a locket. One thing that was really cool about the shop was that while signing the guestbook, I found other entries from just a week earlier of people from Chardon and Cleveland, OH. Small world!

That evening we took a bus back to the hotel and enjoyed an awesome three course meal, courtesy of DBS. And, something that was completely unexpected, Elizabeth walked around and gave each of us 20 euro for the trip (courtesy of DBS). Needless to say, because it was the 250th anniversary of Arthur Guinness (obviously a HUGE deal here), many of us spent our first 2.50 euro on a pint to celebrate. After dinner, we relaxed in the rooms for awhile (we had TV! it's been weeks since I've watched any TV!) and then went out for our first night in Galway. We found a really great pub called Fibber Macgees, and we were happy to see that pint prices were about half of what they are in Dublin. After Fibber Macgees the girls all wanted to dance, and we found a great club called Coyote to dance the rest of the night away.

Friday we took a 2 hour bus-ride with our charming driver, Bart, to Connemara. There, we saw Kylemoore Abbey, which basically looks like a postcard, no matter how you look at it. There were beautiful views all around the abbey, and we stopped for many photo-ops. Let me tell you though, the roads to Kylemoore Abbey were not the kindest. Even after getting off the bus I couldn't quite shake the feeling of swaying side to side, like we had on all the narrow, bumpy, country roads. For the views, though, it was worth it.

Saturday was my favorite day. We woke up early for a huge buffet breakfast in the hotel (it gave Colonnades a run for it's money... and I've definitely been craving Colonnades brunch!), and then boarded the bus again to go to the ferry. We took a 45 minute ferry ride to Inis Mor (pronounced inish more), the largest of the Aran Islands. There are only 800 habitants on the island, many of whom speak only Irish (gaelic). It was really cool to see a place that really hasn't been touched by urbanization/globalization like most of the other places we'd seen. Once we got to the island, we boarded mini-busses, and that was an experience by itself. Our driver loved the puns, which rubbed off on us, especially when he let us look around in a cemetery that he told us "people are dyin' to get into". After that we were dropped off at Dun Aengus, so we could see the cliffs. We paid the euro fee to get in, and hiked up to the top of the cliffs. The views at the top were UNBELIEVEABLE. The top of the cliff is pretty much scattered with mostly flat rocks, and you can walk right up to the edge and look down 250 ft. to the water below. Literally, you can stand right at the edge. Or, in my case, lay on your stomach and inch yourself forward, bit by bit, until I could look over the edge because I am far to afraid of heights to trust myself standing right there. We stayed up there for awhile, just wandering around, taking in the views, and laying on the edge of the cliff. And even though it was a little cloudy, the views were like nothing I've ever seen (in real life) before. After we'd seen all we liked, we had a great lunch of paninis and scones, before taking our ferry and bus journey back to Galway.

Sunday, we woke up for another great breakfast, and took our time moseying back to Dublin via Bart's mini-bus. Most of us snoozed the whole trip, and it was a nice relaxing ride back. Once we got back to Dublin, Allie, Meaghan, and I realized our fridge was basically empty (minus a few salad dressings and a loaf of bread), so we went on a huge grocery shopping trip to a new Tesco that Kelsey and Ally took us to, just a little ways up the street from us. We all splurged on tons of food, vowing to try to be healthier, and then trekked back to our apartments with reuseable grocery bags full of chicken, rice, romaine lettuce, tomates (Tesco has the best tomatoes I've ever eaten... seriously... and I don't even like tomatoes), and more. I tried to watch a little bit of a movie, but ended up calling it an early night since I had to wake up early for class registration Monday morning.

Now, Elon class registration runs smooth as butter, so that's what I'm used to. At Elon, I know what classes I'm taking, what building/room they're in, and what time/days they are at LEAST 3 months before they even start. DBS, on the other hand, everything is the opposite. Schedules are difficult to interpret, we aren't allowed to take some classes because they are a full year long, some classes are only for the european students studying abroad, and times/rooms of classes keep changing. So, needless, to say, the morning was pretty stressful for a lot of people. Luckily, my schedule has worked out (thus far... we'll see how long that lasts), and I'm planning on taking Theories of Human Sexuality (a psych class about freudian theory), Personality and Individual Differences (psych again), Event Planning, and a literature class. I'm currently trying to choose between 20th Century Irish Literature (seems intense!), and Early English Drama. Once I go to both of them, I'll make up my mind. Another difference from Elon, is that here it's a challenge trying to fill free time (some people only have classes 2 days a week!), versus at Elon, I've tried for 3 semesters to not have Friday classes and have yet to be successful. But so far all my classes have been really interesting, and I'm excited to get back to a normal schedule again.

We also had family dinner at our apartment on Monday night-- it was so delicious! Meaghan found a great (light?) chicken enchilada recipe, and between the three of us (and about 4 bags of shredded cheese), it turned out great! Family dinners with our apartment, Anna, Kelsey, and Ally are definitely one of my favorite parts of the week-- it's just a good, relaxing time, and the food is always awesome.

Well the rest of the week holds 2 more classes for me, and then possibly and overnight trip to Cork this weekend. The time goes so fast here, I don't even know where the last month has gone!

Cheers!

A Very Tripod Weekend

SORRRRRY for the lack of updates on my life. About mid-week last week my computer decided it would be difficult and no longer connect to the internet. So I've been mooching off Allie's and Meaghan's computers whenever possible. Thus explains my lack of ability to update this blog or dazzle you with pictures from my last week here.

Last week I was really excited to have Kate and Lianna visit me all the was from Firenze (Florence), Italy. As in, on a scale from one to excited, I was my mom when snowman socks are on sale 2-for-1 (if you don't understand that, sorry). I picked them up at Heuston Station, which I discovered is right near my apartment, and we hit up a nearby restaurant for some great fish and chips.

Temporary depressing story: I saw the saddest sight I've ever seen (not only in Dublin, but probably ever in my life) on Friday when I went to Heuston Station. Now we've been hearing in many of our classes that one of Dublin's biggest problems right now is drug use- specifically heroin. While sitting on a bench next to the Luas tracks, I saw a man, wandering on the street, looking dazed and lost. He wasn't wearing shoes (it was a chilly morning, around 10am), and all he had on was jeans and a t-shirt, and was holding a crumpled knit hat in his hands. He also had a line of blood dripping down one of his forearms. For the 20-30 minutes I was sitting here, he just stumbled all over the road, the Luas tracks (right when a train was coming), and the station area-- sometimes looking like he was about to finally fall over, and then uprighting himself at the last moment. Everyone watched him, no one said anything, and no one tried to help him even though everyone was staring. It really was just heartbreaking (but also kind of scary) to see the damage done to someone by that type of drug abuse. 

Okay, I'm done being Debbie Downer. That afternoon all the girls headed to Guinness Factory for a lesson in world-class brewing. Being in the Guinness Storehouse was like being in the Willy Wonka Factory of Beer-- complete with a waterfall (not a beer, just of water). It was interesting to see the process of blending the water, hops, yeast, and barley (the only four ingredients in Guinness), and also to read Guinness' propaganda throughout the process about how they're the "only brewery to do xyz". Once we got to the top we were rewarded not only with a "free pint" of Guinness (included in our admission price), and the best views of Dublin we've ever seen. Guinness Storehouse has a bar on the 7th floor, The Gravity Bar, which allows you to see the entire city. It was fun to point out landmarks for my friends, especially because the weather was pretty clear too.

That night I took Kate and Lianna to a traditional Irish restaurant that we pass on our way to DBS: The Hairy Lemon. Between garlic bread, bangers and mash, irish lamb stew, and 3 pints of Bulmers, I think we all really enjoyed it there. I'd definitely recommend that as a good (and not too expensive) traditional Irish restaurant. 

Saturday we spent the entire day touring all over the city. I wanted to show the girls some of my favorite places, and the highlights of Dublin: Trinity College, Grafton Street, St. Stephen's Green, Butler's Chocolates, and of course some of my favorite stores. I finally feel like I'm getting a pretty good handle on the city and being able to navigate map-free (I haven't busted out a map [in public] since probably the first 3 days we were here). That night I made a homecooked dinner of chicken, cream of mushroom soup, carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli, with garlic bread. It was definitely nice to eat in, and have some catch-up time. 

That night we went out to a pub/club we pass on the way to DBS but had never been to: The Globe. On the ground floor it just looks like an average pub, lots of people and loud music. But downstairs it has a really awesome purple floor-lit club. They were playing great music, and we all just danced until our feet hurt. On the way home some other Elon-ers introduced us to their favorite late-night fast food restaurant (dare I say Cookout replacement?), Mezza. Lianna and I gorged on a chip buddy, which is kindof like the Lebanese version of a Po Boy-- french fries, tomatoes, lettuce, onions, and some unidentifiable sour-creamesque sauce, all wrapped up in a warm pita. Basically, it was delicious, and we wolfed it down in about 2 minutes.

On Sunday we had a nice eggs and toast breakfast in the apartment, and decided to culture ourselves with a trip to Dublin's Museum of Modern Art. It's about a 20 minute walk from our apartment, and some of the exhibits were really cool. My favorite was definitely this giant spinning sheet that you could stand in the middle of, and it would spin all around you. I think the group consensus was that we all wanted one of those things in our bedroom. Afterwards, I dropped Kate and Lianna off at the station for their long journey back to Italia-- it was definitely an eventful weekend!

We started the week off with a cancelled class Monday morning, and Allie, Meaghan, and I decided we'd visit Howth yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon, after class. We only had one class yesterday, and Howth is a coastal town just 20 minutes away on the DART so it was an easy trip. We packed a lunch, and made our way to the DART station after class, just barely making it onto the train that pulled away right as we got to the platform. At Howth we explored the small town surrounding the DART station, and saw tons of fresh fish for sale. There was also a huuuuge fish covered in ice outside of one of the fish markets, but we couldn't decide if it was real or not. I'll post pictures once my computer starts working again.

Our main mission in Howth was to do the cliff walk. It's basically a path that runs up the cliffs just beyond the town of Howth, and all along the water for a few miles. The views are simply indescribable. But I'll try to describe anyway: in one direction was miles of aqua and navy shimmering water, another direction showed a small island just off the coast that was being perfectly highlighted by beams of sunlight peeking through a few clouds, and inland we could see green hills framed by cloudless blue skies. It really was gorgeous. I'll post pictures as soon as I can! We hiked along the cliffs for a few hours- enough time to work up an appetite for Beshoff's Fish an Chips, a Dublin staple we'd read about in a guidebook. The fries were thick, but crispy, and the fish was flakey, perfectly browned, and just the right amount of grease after a long walk along the cliffs. By the time we made it back to the DART station we were all read for a food coma-nap.

Well it's definitely been an eventful week. DBS is taking us on a trip to Galway this weekend, and we leave tomorrow, which I'm really excited about. Things show no sign of slowing down soon, though-- as soon as we return from Galway on Sunday, we've got to be up early for class registration and classes starting on Monday!

Cheers!

Septemberfest and Bray

Well I'm long overdue for another post, but everytime I feel like I can crank one out, I remember 5 other things I should be doing instead. In the meantime, another weekend has flown by, and as of this Thursday I'll have been in Europe for 3 weeks. I feel like I'm always saying this, but it's crazy how fast our time goes here.

The last time I wrote we were just heading off the the Kilmainham Gaol (pronounced kill-MANE-um Jail) for an afternoon tour with the rest of our DBS group. After a beautiful and sunny hike there, we began our tour. And for someone who loves nothing more than a Saturday evening watching MSNBC's "Lock-Up", a show profiling the worst 

of the worst in American prisons, the gaol was awesome. We saw many of the tiny cells who help Irish revolutionary

 leaders, that were imprisoned (and many of them, later executed). But the prison even held other inmates, such as children as young as four or five, for crimes like stealing a loaf of bread. The cells were tiny, and the fact that nine or more men were crammed into a single small cell (meant for one man) is incomprehensible. We even got to stand outside the gaol in the brick-breaker's yard, where some of the final (and most remembered) Irish revolutionary leaders were all executed via firing squad, about 100 years ago. The picture on the right was taken outside of the gaol... you wouldn't believe how beautiful the weather has been this past week!

We rounded out last week, Friday, with a triple threat of classes: Econ/Poli, Society, and Peace/Conflict. Now all our other days were only 2 classes, so three was definitely a long day. As a former polisci major, I find the politics class the most interesting class, and our society professor is just hilarious, so our morning went quickly. Unfortunately, our Peace/Conflict class ends up being almost a word-for-word recap of other topics we've discussed in previous classes, so I'll admit I tend to zone out for most of the class. Oh well, at least the history/politics lessons are being reinforced. 

Friday night was great- our French friend, Max, taught us (Me, Meaghan, Allie, and Anna) how to make crepes, which were amazing. We were even all able to flip the crepes in the pans like professionals by the end of the night, which was pretty impressive. We promised all the French guys there that we'd make American crepes (aka pancakes) for them one night to return the favor :)

On Saturday a group of us wanted to check our Septemberfest, an event that'd be recommended to us by Genevieve, our 

FIE advisor/director. Septemberfest is basically Dublin's version of Oktoberfest, except very scaled down. Because all our funds are short, and because Phoenix Park is just a short walk from the apartments we're in, we figured it wouldn't be a big deal to just walk there. Well that short walk to Phoenix Park turned into a 3-4 mile walk (each way!), because I guess we forgot Phoenix Park is more than 2 miles long, and the festival was at the farthest end from our apartments. Luckily the weather was beautiful-- warm, sunny, and probably close to 70 degrees out. It hasn't rained here since early last week! So I'll definitely take it in while I can. At Septemberfest, we all had to wait in realllly long and slow-moving lines, but the payoff was worth it-- I tried a really good Apple Vodka Spritzer, and a Sweet Apple Cider (not as good). We didn't hang out too long, because the festival ended around 6:30pm, and then we began our journey home.

That night Allie, Meaghan, and I ended up making a pasta/chicken dinner for the guys we'd gone to Septemberfest with. After that long walk, we were all definitely starving. Later on, we went to The Church, a nightclub/bar/restaurant that we had eaten dinner at (courtesy of DBS) the previous week. Well as we found out at the door, it was 21+ admission only, but luckily it wasn't that crowded so they let us in anyway. After a pint, we were all craving some McDonald's so we set off to find the 24-hour McDonald's in Dublin, just a short walk away. The burger and fries were definitely a great (and American) ending for our evening.

Sunday we woke up bright and early (not really, 10am) to go visit Bray, a town on the coast of Ireland, about 40

minutes south of Dublin.We walked to Connolly Station, about a half hour-40 minutes from our apartment, and met up with all the French students we were going with. Our tickets weren't that bad (only €5/person if you buy 2 tickets together, or €8 for a single ticket) and we were even lucky enough to scavenge some seats on the ride there (it was packed!). Once we arrived, we had brought our own lunches, and everyone else bought theirs, so we found a nice spot to eat on a wall/bench facing the Irish Sea (between Ireland and the UK).  The picture on the right shows our view of the mountain/hill we climbed, called Bray Head. You can't see it in the picture, but there was a large cross on top of the mountain, and we decided we wanted to climb up to the top, where the cross was.

Allie, Meaghan, and I weren't sure if all the French people would join us on our hike, but they did. To preface this: we were all wearing spandex/t-shirts/tennis shoes and all the French people were wearing cute jeans/polos/dresses/flats. We definitely felt not only American, standing next to them, but grungy American. Oh well, c'est la vie. Our hiking 

apparel was definitely more comfortable. The hike began just walking up a sloped path, but eventually broke off onto a dirt path through the woods almost the rest of the way to the top. I was definitely huffing and puffing (I'm not typically the hiking type... haha), but we finally broke out of the trees and the cross was in sight again! From that point, there really wasn't a path anymore, and we had to climb up some tall, steep, flat rocks to make it the rest of the way up. But once we made it, it was BEAUTIFUL! Well worth the effort-- I could see for miles in every direction. And whichever way you looked was a different set of scenery: to one direction was mountains, another direction was beautiful blue water and sky, another direction was countryside, and another direction was the town we'd come from, Bray. After taking mannny pictures (and even contemplating a nap on the rocks at the top), we completed the hike back down, went to the train station, and were back in Dublin. It was so nice to get out of the city for a day, especially given how beautiful the weather was. I'll definitely be excited to take more day trips like that in the future!

(Note: I have more pictures from Bray in my facebook album: Dublin Adventures!)

Sunday night, after returning from Bray, we picked up some supplied from Tesco (I swear we go to Tesco more often than we go to class here... and we go to class daily) to make family dinner for the other girls, our new Sunday night tradition. Allie made some awesome pasta sauce (as in, Meaghan chopped onions and Allie added spices to the jar of sauce... but it was so good) and I made tomato mozzarella, which, if you know me at all, you know if one of my favorite things in the world to eat. We actually found delicious tomatoes at Tesco, and really inexpensive mozz there as well, so that's definitely going to become a staple meal for me while I'm here. Our dinner turned out really well, and then I think we all had a pretty early night since it had been a tiring weekend.

Also, last night I booked my tickets to Italy on Halloween weekend! Although we haven't even gotten our normal class schedules yet (and we start class in a week and a half!), I was getting antsy and prices were going up. I can't wait to visit Kate and Lianna! And I'm sooo excited for the Tripod's first European reunion this weekend when they visit in Dublin!

 Tonight it my friend Ally's birthday, and her roommate Kelsey is making taco dinner for us... something we've ALL been craving, amidst all the pasta we've been eating. AND there will be chocolate cake too, to celebrate. Then we're all planning on heading to this cool pub/club we heard about. So, after a long day of classes, I'm rewarding myself with a nap.

Cheers!

"You will go to jail... and then be let out of jail."

Hallllllo. It's definitely been a busy week, but the time is flying by! I can't believe we've been here for (just) a whole week. 

We've had class most of the morning and afternoon the last 4 days. Our foundation course consists of Econ/Politics, Society, History, and Peace/Conflict. We had society for the first time yesterday, and our teacher is great. At first I was worried it would be more of a social studies/history-ish class, rather than a culture class (which was what I wanted), but I was wrong. All we talked about was Irish culture, with bits of history thrown in to explain the origins of traditions and practices. We talked about everything from the religiosity of Ireland, to pregnancy. And our professor is really sarcastic, opinionated, and just keeps us laughing the whole class. I think I'm definitely going to like that class the best. Today we just had history, and then in a little while we're going to the Kilmainham Gaol (Jail), where I think they kept a lot of the nationalist revolutionary leaders in Ireland (those that rebelled for Ireland's freedom from English rule), before they were executed. 

Apart from class, the last few days have been about trying to settle in. We've done more food shopping (I feel like I have to run out and get something almost every day... probably because I do). But also buying food is much different here than in the States. At home, I was used to my Mom going out and getting a huge load of groceries to last us a week or two (enough groceries that multiple trips had to be made from the trunk of her Expedition to our kitchen in order to unload). But here, people tend to shop for just a few days at a time. Which is also noticeable from the expiration dates on food. I'm used to buying the fresh soup from Harris Teeter, and knowing that it won't expire for at least a week. All of the fresh items I've bought here have expired within just a few days of when I buy them. It's just a little bit of a different practice than I'm used to (that, and grocery shopping for myself in general... especially since I'm not on a meal plan), but it hasn't been that hard to adjust.

Another aspect of Ireland that has definitely taken some getting used to is using money here. For a while (and still sometimes) I felt like the dumbest American tourist every time I approached a cashier and paid with cash. The money was like monopoly money-- I couldn't tell a one euro coin from a penny, or a 2 euro coin from a 10 cent coin. I honestly usually have to open my change pocket and count out any change I might use, before I attempt to buy something like a coffee. I'm starting to get better with it now, but going to London my first few days here definitely didn't help me differentiate any better.

A couple other more political/social observations:

1- Dubliners, and Europeans in general (I've heard), know a lot more about politics than Americans. We were shown a slide with a bunch of Ireland's head political figures on it, and though I knew two by name (Mary McAleese, the President, and Brian Cowan, the Prime Minister), I couldn't pick out their photos. But people in Europe (it seems like) all know Barack Obama is the President of the United States. Certainly a shock for a person from a country where supposedly 20% of Americans can't even find our nation on a map.

2- Garda (police officers) do not carry guns. Coming from a country of tasers, guns, and bomb squads, it just seems like proper precautions aren't being taken when law enforcement officials lack guns. Then again, Ireland has a lower murder rate than the US, so can I really question it?

3- Dubs' sense of humor is different than Americans'. While I feel like most American humor relies on potty humor and other stupid humor, Ireland is definitely a lot more sarcastic. And because I'm fluent in sarcasm, I appreciate this. 

Well we're off to the gaol now to be tourists (and learn a history lesson in the process).

Cheers!

Settling In...

I can't believe we've been in Dublin for five days already! On one hand, it feels like it's been much longer, but on the other hand I know these few months are going to pass by so quickly. We've been very busy the last few days, touring the city, starting class, and making friends. 

On Friday we had FIE (Foundation for International Education) and DBS (Dublin Business School) orientation alllll day. We had our student ID pictures taken, learned about volunteer programs we can work with while here (which we were told is a great way to make friends, and I definitely want to do at least once), and a lot of other helpful hints from program coordinators who know what they're doing here, a lot more than we do. Friday night FIE sponsored a dinner for us at a delicious restaurant called "La Cave". It was a really quaint little French restaurant/wine bar tucked up on the second floor of a building. I enjoyed three amazing courses of mussels with wine sauce, confit (thigh) of duck with a pear sauce, and creme brulee. It was definitely the best meal I'll probably eat while I'm here (and expensive too, at €34 for all 3 courses... luckily we weren't paying) and we all had a great time. Afterwards our group split up, some people just stayed in Temple Bar to begin their evening, and the other half of us went back to our apartments to change before going out. We had a bunch of people over our apartment, and then we all went to the Glimmerman, which has quickly become a favorite hangout of the DBS study-abroaders. After that we walked over to Temple Bar, which was definitely fun. There were tons of people out, but we all had a good time. I finally even met some people from Dublin (which is sad, considering how many people I've met not from here)!

On Saturday we had a lazy-ish afternoon. We walked over to Jervis Shopping Center, a walk I feel like we practically do daily, and got some necessities like a straighter (mine broke), and Meaghan needed a blowdryer. We went to a store there called Argos, which is one of the strangest, but also pretty smart-ish, in a way, stores I've ever been in. Basically you walk in and everyone is silently perusing the 1000+ page catalogs that are along tables all around the store. There are no products/goods in the store at all (that you can see). You find what you want from the catalog (which isn't hard--- they have everything from blow dryers to garden hoses), input the product number into a keypad next to the catalog, see if your product is in stock, and if it is you can order it from an electronic kiosk or a cashier. Then, you go stand by this "delivery center" and 2 minutes later, they call your number and you pick up your item. Pretty cool, very cheap, and definitely not like anything I've ever seen in the States.

Saturday night was probably our most fun night here so far. Our friends from Marist, Ally and Kelsey, cooked a "family

 dinner" for all of us, and their other friend Katie. We had a mountain (literally, mountain. as in, after we all ate until we were stuffed we had hardly made a dent) of pasta, vegetables, and Meaghan, Allie and I brought over garlic bread we made from pre-made baguettes. It was all so good, and exactly wh

at we needed. Kelsey and Ally also have 4 French roommates, and they have a lot of other French guy friends that all came over right after we finished dinner. The guys were all extremely nice, and really fun to talk to (especially because they are all still learning English, even though they are all pretty good at it already). Plus they kiss us on both cheeks (as is a traditional greeting for friends in France), and is really charming haha. Then, a lot more people from the Elon group showed up at Ally and Kelsey's, and their apartment went from just the few of us, to a full house really fast. We decided to take the party elsewhere, and we all went to a place down the street called "Sine" (pronounced SHIN-ay), which was really fun. We all mingled, had some funny conversations with the French guys (like teaching them American phrases such as "spill the beans",  "chick flick", and "puke") and just had a really great time.

Sunday was a nice break from all the busy-ness we've had the last few days. I slept in pretty late (for the first time in many days), and then we just went to Tesco to get some school supplies. Then Anna, Allie, and I went to Glimmerman to watch the hurling match (a BIG deal here!) with some of the guys from downstairs. I had walked to Tesco alone earlier (Allie and Anna were already there), and then going to sit in the pub and watch the match in the middle of the afternoon (even withOUT a Guinness) made me feel like a local. I know I'm still a long way off, but it was a far cry from riding around on the huge double-decker tour bus we went sightseeing in just a few days ago. Hurling, for anyone who doesn't know (I didn't, and could only vaguely understand what was going on) is kindof a combination of lacrosse, field hockey, baseball, soccer, and football (see now why it's confusing?). We saw County Kilkenny win, and the last few minutes of the game had a lot of excitement. I definitely want to watch more sporting events while I'm here, and hopefully we'll get to go to a match with the DBS program. 

Yesterday I also ventured outside the box by making an almost-real-person meal for myself for dinner. So far we've just been eating a lot of sandwiches and pre-made things in our apartment while we still adjust and buy essentials. But last night I made really good tortollini with creamy tomato sauce (okay, the sauce was from a jar), and corn. It was lightyears better than the PB&Js I have been eating lately, so I'll be happy once I'm settled enough to cook regularly. 

Today we woke up bright and early for our first day of class. We had history from 10-12, and Econ/Politics from 1:30-3. Both our our teachers are really charismatic, and our Econ/Politics teacher likes to make fun of American government and political issues a lot, just to make comparisons between European politics and our practices in the states. I think our classes should be interesting, even though it's strange coming from Elon and never having a class bigger than 30, to now be in a class with all the Americans at DBS-- about 63 of us! We did have a nice break in between classes though, and we all took lunch (most of us packed a PB&J) to St. Stephen's Green. It was so nice to just sit on the grass in the sun(!) and relax chat between classes.  Tomorrow we'll also have our Conflict and Peace class, which only the FIE students are in (basically those of us from Elon and just a few others). 

We also hit up the Euro Store (equivalent of a dollar store... except €2 for everything... which is actually more like a $3 now that I think about it) for a few more apartment essentials: detergent, a new shower curtain, etc. Our apartment is FINALLY almost complete. You forget how many little things you need when you're used to living in a dorm! Here are some pictures of our verrrry humble abode :)

My bedroom. The window stares right at the other apartment building at Ally and Kelsey's bedroom windows. It's a little creepy but always funny to see them waving when I open my shade.

Our kitchen. Excuse the mess, it was dinner time!

Our little kitchen table and sitting area.

We have a wonderful view of the Guinness Factory from our apartment balcony. 

In my time here I've also noticed many differences between America and Ireland. Some are really minor, but others definitely make a difference in the way things are done here. For example:

1- People here start drinking as soon as it's too late to have coffee with breakfast. It's really not uncommon to walk past pubs and cafes at noon and see almost everyone at the table with a pint or a glass of wine. In addition to this, although there are (supposedly) open container laws, we see people outside on the street with either a verrrry inconspicuous brown paper bag, or even just a can of beer. I know Americans drink a fair amount too, it's just that going to pubs here is all about socializing, so I wouldn't be surprised if many Dubs visit the pubs almost every day. 

2- When I pay for things with credit card here they are very diligent about always checking that my signature matches the signature on the back of my card. I feel like people in stores never do this in America.

3- Dublin (or probably Ireland in general) is very eco-conscious of their bag usage. As we found out on day one, you have to pay about €0.22 for each plastic bag you need at the grocery store or convenience store. So we learned quickly to buy the reusable bags, or just bring bags we already had.

4- The weather really does change in 60 seconds here. It can go from beautifully sunny, to an open downpour before you even realize the clouds are blowing in. And then 15 minutes later it can be perfectly sunny again. I am definitely dressing for comfort and warmth here a lot more than I would be at Elon (where it's 80 degrees and I'd still be traipsing around in sundresses and sandals). Currently, the only use my sandals are getting is as a doorstop to keep our kitchen door open. Also, my feet are getting a workout like no other. We've done so much walking that even though I have comfortable shoes I've got blisters all over. It seriously looks like I attempted a marathon in my highest stilettos. 

Well, that's all for now. We're about to have Ally and Kelsey over to plan some trips for our time here, both in Ireland and outside of Ireland!

Cheers!

Tube-Hopping and People-Watching

The last 5 days have been so insanely busy, I really haven't had free time to just sit down and relax until tonight. But I've also been having the time of my life. London was amazing (albeit expensive), but we got to do some really fun touristy things, and meet some cool people. And moving into our Dublin apartment was a much-needed break from living the life of a backpacker. It's still sinking in that this is my home for the next 3.5 months! But first, a recap of London...

For starters, our London trip was almost doomed from the start. My travel clock didn't go off, 

and we woke up 40 minutes late. We both skipped makeup and brushing our hair (not kidding, we were really roughing it that morning), and rushed to the airport, in time to make our flight. We arrived in London mid-morning on Saturday, and it took us a good hour and a half to voyage from Gatwick Airport to our hostel, near Russell Square. Because Meaghan and I are both small-town girls, navigating one of the biggest tube systems in the world wasn't exactly second nature for us. Luckily, with a little help, a little 30 minute ride in the wrong direction, and a little walking, we arrived safely at our hostel by mid-afternoon. And our hostel was quite a destination in itself. It's an 800-bed, "Voted Funkiest Hostel 2009", blue and green painted, pub-containing hostel. Definitely quite the experience, but we enjoyed our stay at The Generator Hostel. 

So after we staked out our beds, we were starving, and a little tired but we headed to Hamstead, where Meaghan knew of a really good crepe stand. Our 30-minute wait in the "queue" was more than worthwhile, though, because our ham/egg/cheese crepes were amazing. We then took a stroll around Hamstead Heath (a huuuuge park in Hamstead), and admired some of the beautiful townhouses surrounding the Heath. Then we met a friendly Australian, who chatted with us as we walked back to the tube, to head back to the hostel.

I think our second wind kicked in by the time we got back to the hostel, because we decided to go investigate the hostel's pub and see what there was to do. We got there just in time to enjoy the last ten minutes of happy hour, and happily forked over just £1.50 for Strongbow, a really good cider beer. We also sampled one of Generator Hostel's "signature shots", a combination of Bailey's and Amaretto, which tasted like a Starbucks frappucino. We hung out there for a little longer, and met MORE Australians (sidenote: we met more Australians in London than Londoners, fact.). Afterwards, we decided to take the tube a few stops up to Piccadilly Circus, which is basically the nightlife hotspot in London. As soon as we exited the tube station we were bombarded by people handing out fliers asking us if we needed a club to go to. We politely declined (read: plowed through the crowd like Moses parting the Red Sea), and found a really cool pub/club where we spent the rest of our evening. £8 was a little steep of a cover fee, but we figured "when in London...", and had a great time dancing (ALL they played was Black Eyed Peas and Lady Gaga), hanging out, and talking to other people we met from all over Europe. After a loooong walk home, even the squeakiness of the hostel beds couldn't keep us from a good night's rest.

I woke up Sunday morning and realized a few things: 1- Yes, that brief-covered butt on the bed across from mine was a male's, 2- There were actually two guys sleeping in that bed (because one was too cheap to pay for his own hostel bed), and 3- Our room smelled. BAD. Initially, we thought our room was supposed to be all-female, but it turned out to be fine.  That night the guys in our room were all from Dublin, and had lots of advice for us, and places for us to go in Dublin. And we pretty much left the room that morning ASAP, to avoid the smell. Someone had probably shut the window of something in the middle of the night. We spent the day touring The British Museum, the Tate Modern, and seeing other sights of the city like St. Paul's Cathedral. 

ALSO that day, we had a hilarious happening in room 017 of The Generator Hostel. Someone in our room had an admirer. Meaghan and I were just laying down, getting ready to go to bed, and

our Irish roommates had just departed. One of the Irish boys came back about 15 minutes later, holding a fruitbasket. He read us the note ("Yesterday night was WONDERFUL! I wait for you in the room 012. Come!") and asked if it was ours. It wasn't, so we spent the next hour hypothesizing whose if could've been. One of our other male roommates came back a little later, and I tried to ask him if it was his. After my odd question, he looked at me and said "I... no speak English. I... am French." Unfortunately I do not contain enough words in my brain's rollodex of French vocab to even begin to repeat what I'd just asked, so we just awkwardly smiled at each other, and he left. Thus the fruitbasket mystery remains unsolved.

The next day we decided to go to the famous Harrods, and then to the Notting Hill Carnival. Harrod's was pretty much the most overwhelmingly expensive store I've ever been in. Picture this: I'm standing in the stationary section, looking at a cute little leather-bound notebook. It was designed for you to chronicle favorite restaurants, hotels, museums, etc. for different locations, so that you can remember your favorite places. I liked it. It was small, cute, and useful. I checked the pricetag. £ 77. £77! As in, the equivalent of about $130 for a SMALL LITTLE NOTEBOOK. Suffice to say, the only proof I have of visiting Harrods is a keychain, 3 jars of jelly (3 for £2), and the memory of their delicious hazelnut gelato. That's really all I can afford. 

Later that day we ventured to The Notting Hill Carnival. I had read about it online before our trip, and it seemed fun-- a big caribbean-themed festival with music, food, etc. The Australian man we had met in Hamstead told us not to breathe the air at the carnival "if ya know what I'm sayin'", but we still really had no idea what to expect. As soon as our train

neared the stop, we started to get a better picture of what the carnival was: women in bedazzled rhinestoned bras and fishnet catsuits, EVERYONE wearing black/yellow/green, oh, and there were so many people on the tube we could barely move. Once we got off, it. was. INSANITY. Thousands of people crowded off the tube and we were practically carried with the flow of people up toward the carnival. Once we were "in" the carnival, the bass was thumping so hard I thought my heart would stop, we waded through a sea of crumpled Red Stripe (jamaican lager) cans, and, let's just say, the scent of caribbean celebration was in the air. Literally. All in all, it was a great time. We pretty much just meandered around like tourists, and eventually just plopped down on a bench and shamelessly people-watched for a good hour. Afterwards, we trekked across half of London in search of a Thai restaurant (we were both craving it), were finally rewarded for our efforts, and then went to bed early. 

Our last day in London was spent at Buckingham Palace. Basically, it was beautiful, and the tour was a lot more interesting than I expected. The palace contains over 400 rooms, and over 

70 bathrooms! It's decoration was mindblowingly intricate, and each room we went in was more ornate than the last. We also got to see a cool display about Queen Elizabeth's visits to all the British Commonwealths (all the countries that claim Elizabeth as their Queen, basically as just a figure-head), and the dresses she wore on the visits, and gifts she received from other countries. After our tour we finally found Big Ben (I had wanted to see it since we arrived), and then found Platform 9 3/4 in King's Cross on our way home. We had dinner at a little Mediterranean restaurant with one of the other girls in our hostel room. She's Australian, 18 years old, and has been traveling Europe by herself for the past 3 months during her gap year! We'll hopefully meet up with her again when she visits Dublin next week.

Wednesday (yesterday) morning we woke up, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (well, as much as you can be for staying in a 12-person hostel dorm room and using communal showers for a week), and hit the trail back to the airport to make our way to Dublin. We felt calm, cool, and collected as we boarded the train amongst a stampede of suit-clad businesspeople. It wasn't until about halfway through our train ride, when the train started going only about 15 MPH through the countryside, that we realized we were probably going to miss our flight. And we did. We arrived to check in about 8 minutes after check-in closed. And because Ryan Air is cheap (until the gouge you on everything BESIDES the ticket price), they were going to charge us £140 to reprint and rebook for the next flight, just a couple hours later. Luckily after a little sweet-talking we got the ticket man to lower our tick price to just £100, and just a few hours later we were back in Dublin.

I'm almost done. Promise.

Because we arrived in Dublin after most of our group, we hitched a cab, which turned out to be a great decision. Now, prior to coming to Dublin, I've heard repeatedly that the Irish all have great senses of humor, and are really friendly, but in the past week we just hadn't met enough Irish people for me to judge that for myself. Well this cab driver had us rolling with laughter all the way to our apartment. He was full of colorful language, inappropriate jokes, and insults about the passersby and their apparel. He even called our study abroad program director and left her a great voicemail about how dizzy he was from going in circles because we couldn't find "the feckin' apartment". It really was a great "re-introduction" to our new home for the next few months.

After a lot of unpacking, and figuring out our new apartment (I'll post pictures next time, it's cute and cozy aka small), Allie and I decided to explore the pub just down the street from our apartment, that we had heard from previous study-abroaders, was the best place to go. We cheers-ed our first Guinnesses, and met a lot of other people from our program, which was fun. 

Today we took a bus tour of the city, which was fact-filled, but a little dry by the end of it. Probably the highlight of the tour was when we stopped at Phoenix Park, a big, beautiful park on the west side of the city, and we were all taking pictures near a very tall cross statue. Our view from the statue was great, we could see for miles. And in one direction, we saw what looked like a sheet of rain, approaching where we were. I heard someone say "hey- does that look like rain coming toward us?" and "Yeah, it's definitely raining there" and then BAM. Downpour. I wrapped my scarf over my head like Strega Nona, and we all ran for the bus.

We also experienced our first real Dublin grocery shopping trip today. We were so out of our element in Tesco (the grocery store) it was ridiculous. Not only had none of us ever done "real grocery shopping" (beyond satisfying our carnal desires for Chef Boyardee and microwave dinners), but we were in a sea of unfamiliar brands, and prices that make as much sense as if they were in monopoly money. Plus, after each of us struggled through the 3/4 mile walk back to our apartment from the grocery store, once we got to the kitchen we were feeling more victorious than Vince Vaughn's team at the end of Dodgeball. 

So, that is what I've done with my life these last 5 days. It's been chaotic, fun, tiring (I've seriously never walked so much in my life), and overall, great. I'm having an amazing time here and I can't wait for what the next few months have to offer!

Cheers!