Monday, January 26, 2009
I'm Singin' in the Rain
Maybe I should say "Rain, rain go away" instead. I fear that my $5, bright blue, Wal-mart umbrella has become an all too familiar addition to my daily ensembles. Don't fret, it has yet to break on me, although it has flipped inside out a few times. The morning started out beautiful--rays of sunshine, hardly a cloud in the sky. The weather wasn't just spring-like, it was summer-like. Alas, all good things must come to an end. I'm afraid that my sturdy umbrella has become a permanent fixture in my backpack. This is Ireland--what did I expect? Thankfully, I have purchased a pair of skinny jeans that fit wonderfully into my new boots. So long, soaked jean bottoms. Adieu squishy shoes. I think I could get used to this...
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
How We Operate
This blog will serve no other purpose than to update you on some current happenings in the life of an American student studying abroad in Cork. I haven't been on any more crazy adventures, just excited to share a little bit of life.
1) Twilight has ruined my social life. I have been reading the books since I've gotten here, and I'm nearly through the third one. They are such a quick and easy read, I'm having trouble putting it down!
2) It snowed here on Monday. That's right--snow. Excuse me, but I thought I was leaving that kind of weather back in Minnesota. Not so cool. Or maybe very cool?
3) I will never take for granted a hot shower again. It's been three weeks, and I have had one warm shower--at the hostel in Dublin.
4) I'm taking a note from my friend Alyssa in Spain--I'm still accepting that it's pretty obvious that I'm American and that I don't know anything about the UCC campus (Exhibit A: Trying to figure out how to check out a book in the Open Reserve section of the library--I finally broke down and asked a librarian. Exhibit B: Not quite sure how to get into a locker at the gym. Apparently all you need is 1 euro.)
5) Since I've been here for three weeks now, I can start to talk about what I miss (besides all of you!). I think the thing that is most noticeable right now--drip coffee. I'm not a fan of the instant stuff, which is apparently your only option here.
6) Is mise Allison. Is as Minnesota me. Is Mac Leinn me. Ta me go maith. Go raibh maith agat.
(It's the little Irish I've learned so far, meaning: "I'm Allison. I'm from Minnesota. I'm a student. I'm doing good. Thank you." For pronunciations, you'll have to skype me).
Hope that was entertaining for you! Slan!
1) Twilight has ruined my social life. I have been reading the books since I've gotten here, and I'm nearly through the third one. They are such a quick and easy read, I'm having trouble putting it down!
2) It snowed here on Monday. That's right--snow. Excuse me, but I thought I was leaving that kind of weather back in Minnesota. Not so cool. Or maybe very cool?
3) I will never take for granted a hot shower again. It's been three weeks, and I have had one warm shower--at the hostel in Dublin.
4) I'm taking a note from my friend Alyssa in Spain--I'm still accepting that it's pretty obvious that I'm American and that I don't know anything about the UCC campus (Exhibit A: Trying to figure out how to check out a book in the Open Reserve section of the library--I finally broke down and asked a librarian. Exhibit B: Not quite sure how to get into a locker at the gym. Apparently all you need is 1 euro.)
5) Since I've been here for three weeks now, I can start to talk about what I miss (besides all of you!). I think the thing that is most noticeable right now--drip coffee. I'm not a fan of the instant stuff, which is apparently your only option here.
6) Is mise Allison. Is as Minnesota me. Is Mac Leinn me. Ta me go maith. Go raibh maith agat.
(It's the little Irish I've learned so far, meaning: "I'm Allison. I'm from Minnesota. I'm a student. I'm doing good. Thank you." For pronunciations, you'll have to skype me).
Hope that was entertaining for you! Slan!
Monday, January 19, 2009
Hurricanes, Hops and Hostels
Never having been to Dublin before, I think I expected two out of the three things above. Then again, this is Ireland, where the weather is almost as crazy as that in Minnesota. I was expecting to have a lot of craic (the Irish "fun") this weekend, however, and I wasn't disappointed.
Rousing four people at 7:00 in the morning after a rowdy Thursday night is no easy task, but somehow Megan and I and two other Johnnies, Chris and Matt, managed to wake ourselves up to get to the bus station. In typical college fashion, we booked our hostel minutes before departing our apartment to catch our bus. We managed to load smoothly, and were off on the four hour bus ride through the beautiful Irish countryside. This was my first opportunity to spend some quality time drinking in the stunning green and rolling hills of Ireland. I must say that I was more than a little excited when I spotted my first sheep!
Stepping into the crowded bus station, I was awe-struck by the size of Dublin. The small town girl that I am, I thought Cork was a big city. It doesn't even compare to Dublin, with a population of nearly 1 million. We managed to find a semi-helpful map in order to orient ourselves in the city. The bus station in Dublin is only about a block from O'Connell street, which is essentially city centre. After getting lost for a short while, we ended up checking into our hostel, since that was the only landmark we were able to locate. Four Courts hostel is very much what I imagine to be your typical hostel. Most of the people staying there were around our age. It seemed very safe and like a good "home away from home" for the weekend. Plus you can't beat the location! It was right on the Liffey and only about a 10 minute walk from city centre.
First task on the agenda: Trinity College and the Book of Kells. Although slightly disappointed that the Book of Kells wasn't on display, I wasn't disappointed by Trinity College and the Long Room. Trinity College, as my professor says, is a place of quiet amongst the hustle and bustle of Dublin. It's in the heart of the city, but stepping through the gate is like stepping into another world. We were able to get some background information on the Book of Kells even though it wasn't on display before heading to the Long Room. The Long Room contains some of the oldest books on campus. Imagine the library from "The Beauty and the Beast" and you have the long room. Darwin's field notes were on display there. I must admit that seeing them was quite a moment for me. Yes, I'm a science major.
Next task: National History Museum of Ireland. Although our stop was short and sweet, the museum held a lot of really interesting artefacts, perfectly relevant to my class on Celtic Religion and Mythology, including peat bog bodies discovered.
After the museum, the four of us met up with a friend of Megan's--a seminarian from just outside of Dublin. He took us to this great restaurant just off O'Connell street for my first Irish meal--Celtic Coddle. After some good food and conversation, we headed to a nearby pub to watch the Munster rugby match. One of our other Johnnie friends was at the match, so we had to be sure and watch it. Munster won by a landslide, and after one too many pints, we decided to call it quits for the evening. On our way back, we were able to walk along Temple Bar, however, a sight not to be missed for any pub crawlers.
Saturday morning started off with breakfast with some guys from Belfast that our Johnnies had met the night before. They were in Dublin to watch cage fighting. After parting ways, the four of us headed to the Old Jameson Distillery. This was by far my favorite part of Dublin. We managed to catch the 11:30 tour, and after a 10 minute promotional video, we volunteered to be taste testers of whiskey. At the end of the tour, the four of us were given three whiskeys--Jameson, Johnny Walker Black (a Scottish whiskey), and Jack Daniels (an American whiskey). He told us how to smell and taste each whiskey, and then we were asked to pick our favorite. Of the 8 volunteers, all 8 chose the Jameson. We proceeded to have another sample of Jameson afterwards, as well.
Feeling a little tipsy, our next agenda was lunch. This in itself was an experience. We went to the famous Leo Burdocks--stars like Sandra Bullock, Tom Cruise, the cast of P.S. I Love You, etc. have all gone there. The amount of food was ridiculous, but definitely worth it.
The Guinness Storehouse was next on our list. (We decided to do all our boozing in one day. In retrospect, I'm not sure how smart of an idea this was). Unfortunately Matt and Chris were in charge of getting us there. We ended up walking around nearly the entire factory before finding the entrance, in the middle of pouring rains and intense winds. It was essentially like being in the middle of a hurricane. Although drenched, we made it there and after a self-guided tour, rewarded ourselves with a pint. It's true what they say, Guinness tastes best the closer you get to the factory. I'm not sure I've completely converted, but it was a good time.
Dinner was spent at a lovely little restaurant. Megan and I decided to have a chill evening--recovering from the days events. We played a little pool at the hostel, and then called it a night.
Sunday brought with it a leisure morning and then a trip to the National Art Gallery. Megan and I could not have been more excited to see this. We are both taking an art history class and many of the works we've discussed are located at the Gallery. It was fun walking down the hall and pointing out many of the 17th Century artists we've been discussing--da Heem, Caravaggio, Vermeer, etc. Sadly, this was our last stop in Dublin. It made for quite the weekend, and I'm slightly disappointed to be back at school.
The adventures never quit though! Last night when we returned we had another family dinner with the Bennies and Johnnies here for the semester. It was fiesta night at the party palace, and we had a fantastic dinner of tacos, chips and salsa, etc. I'm not sure what's in the plans for this week, but it's sure to be great!
Rousing four people at 7:00 in the morning after a rowdy Thursday night is no easy task, but somehow Megan and I and two other Johnnies, Chris and Matt, managed to wake ourselves up to get to the bus station. In typical college fashion, we booked our hostel minutes before departing our apartment to catch our bus. We managed to load smoothly, and were off on the four hour bus ride through the beautiful Irish countryside. This was my first opportunity to spend some quality time drinking in the stunning green and rolling hills of Ireland. I must say that I was more than a little excited when I spotted my first sheep!
Stepping into the crowded bus station, I was awe-struck by the size of Dublin. The small town girl that I am, I thought Cork was a big city. It doesn't even compare to Dublin, with a population of nearly 1 million. We managed to find a semi-helpful map in order to orient ourselves in the city. The bus station in Dublin is only about a block from O'Connell street, which is essentially city centre. After getting lost for a short while, we ended up checking into our hostel, since that was the only landmark we were able to locate. Four Courts hostel is very much what I imagine to be your typical hostel. Most of the people staying there were around our age. It seemed very safe and like a good "home away from home" for the weekend. Plus you can't beat the location! It was right on the Liffey and only about a 10 minute walk from city centre.
First task on the agenda: Trinity College and the Book of Kells. Although slightly disappointed that the Book of Kells wasn't on display, I wasn't disappointed by Trinity College and the Long Room. Trinity College, as my professor says, is a place of quiet amongst the hustle and bustle of Dublin. It's in the heart of the city, but stepping through the gate is like stepping into another world. We were able to get some background information on the Book of Kells even though it wasn't on display before heading to the Long Room. The Long Room contains some of the oldest books on campus. Imagine the library from "The Beauty and the Beast" and you have the long room. Darwin's field notes were on display there. I must admit that seeing them was quite a moment for me. Yes, I'm a science major.
Next task: National History Museum of Ireland. Although our stop was short and sweet, the museum held a lot of really interesting artefacts, perfectly relevant to my class on Celtic Religion and Mythology, including peat bog bodies discovered.
After the museum, the four of us met up with a friend of Megan's--a seminarian from just outside of Dublin. He took us to this great restaurant just off O'Connell street for my first Irish meal--Celtic Coddle. After some good food and conversation, we headed to a nearby pub to watch the Munster rugby match. One of our other Johnnie friends was at the match, so we had to be sure and watch it. Munster won by a landslide, and after one too many pints, we decided to call it quits for the evening. On our way back, we were able to walk along Temple Bar, however, a sight not to be missed for any pub crawlers.
Saturday morning started off with breakfast with some guys from Belfast that our Johnnies had met the night before. They were in Dublin to watch cage fighting. After parting ways, the four of us headed to the Old Jameson Distillery. This was by far my favorite part of Dublin. We managed to catch the 11:30 tour, and after a 10 minute promotional video, we volunteered to be taste testers of whiskey. At the end of the tour, the four of us were given three whiskeys--Jameson, Johnny Walker Black (a Scottish whiskey), and Jack Daniels (an American whiskey). He told us how to smell and taste each whiskey, and then we were asked to pick our favorite. Of the 8 volunteers, all 8 chose the Jameson. We proceeded to have another sample of Jameson afterwards, as well.
Feeling a little tipsy, our next agenda was lunch. This in itself was an experience. We went to the famous Leo Burdocks--stars like Sandra Bullock, Tom Cruise, the cast of P.S. I Love You, etc. have all gone there. The amount of food was ridiculous, but definitely worth it.
The Guinness Storehouse was next on our list. (We decided to do all our boozing in one day. In retrospect, I'm not sure how smart of an idea this was). Unfortunately Matt and Chris were in charge of getting us there. We ended up walking around nearly the entire factory before finding the entrance, in the middle of pouring rains and intense winds. It was essentially like being in the middle of a hurricane. Although drenched, we made it there and after a self-guided tour, rewarded ourselves with a pint. It's true what they say, Guinness tastes best the closer you get to the factory. I'm not sure I've completely converted, but it was a good time.
Dinner was spent at a lovely little restaurant. Megan and I decided to have a chill evening--recovering from the days events. We played a little pool at the hostel, and then called it a night.
Sunday brought with it a leisure morning and then a trip to the National Art Gallery. Megan and I could not have been more excited to see this. We are both taking an art history class and many of the works we've discussed are located at the Gallery. It was fun walking down the hall and pointing out many of the 17th Century artists we've been discussing--da Heem, Caravaggio, Vermeer, etc. Sadly, this was our last stop in Dublin. It made for quite the weekend, and I'm slightly disappointed to be back at school.
The adventures never quit though! Last night when we returned we had another family dinner with the Bennies and Johnnies here for the semester. It was fiesta night at the party palace, and we had a fantastic dinner of tacos, chips and salsa, etc. I'm not sure what's in the plans for this week, but it's sure to be great!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Finally, A Real Irish Experience
I guess I shouldn't say finally. But my day on Sunday was authentically Irish. Well, sort of. There are 17 students from my university studying abroad in Cork this semester without a program director. Even without a program director, we've decided to do some of our activities together. This past Sunday the majority of us headed over to the bus station to buy tickets to Blarney. Blarney is home to the Blarney Castle and, of course, the famous Blarney Stone.
Fittingly, Sunday started off pretty dreary. It was raining nearly all morning. Our group, decked out in rain gear, decided to make the trip anyway. I was really excited about the rain, because up until Sunday, we hadn't really had any. And what's an Irish experience without rain? That's about the only thing that made it Irish, and the fact that we were headed to the Blarney Stone. We missed the 10:30 am bus by about 3 minutes, so we bought tickets for the next bus to Blarney. Luckily, the little village is only about 20 minutes from Cork by bus. I don't know that I'll ever get used to their crazy driving here!
Once arriving in Blarney we walked up to Blarney Castle. I wish I had more of the details about its history--it was beautiful and rustic. We explored the dungeon, the family rooms, the watch tower and then trekked up the most narrow, winding staircase you can imagine. Lucky for us, the steps posed an extra danger since they were so slick from the rain. The staircase led us to our final destination--the Blarney Stone! Now, if anyone talked to me about it before the trip, they would know that I was very hesitant to kiss the stone. There are people who warned me that the locals, um, pee on the stone because it's such a tourist attraction. Megan and I had a combat for this, however. We were planning on putting antibacterial gel on our lips and kissing the stone anyway! Once we were up at the top though, there was no time for that. I figured I'll still be okay since it was raining. Kissing the stone is quite the experience. You have to sit on the ground and bend backwards while holding onto two posts. The helper slides you down into a little dropoff where you kiss the stone. By kissing the stone, you are supposed to receive the "gift of gab." You tell me if my speech is better! As the tourist books say though, you surely leave the experience talking a lot anyway! After everyone took a turn, we meandered back down the castle and walked around the grounds for another hour or so. We didn't stay long, because of the rain, but we still had an extensive look at the grounds with a lake walk and up the wishing steps.
That night, the whole clan got together again for a family dinner. Everyone made something--we had everything from french fries to a salad and of course, Matt's wonderful pork chops. It was great, and definitely the most food I've eaten since I've been here. I have pictures that I plan to put up soon, but unfortunately my computer fell victim to a little incident and is currently being repaired. With that, I'll leave you to imagine our little excursion to Blarney Castle.
Fittingly, Sunday started off pretty dreary. It was raining nearly all morning. Our group, decked out in rain gear, decided to make the trip anyway. I was really excited about the rain, because up until Sunday, we hadn't really had any. And what's an Irish experience without rain? That's about the only thing that made it Irish, and the fact that we were headed to the Blarney Stone. We missed the 10:30 am bus by about 3 minutes, so we bought tickets for the next bus to Blarney. Luckily, the little village is only about 20 minutes from Cork by bus. I don't know that I'll ever get used to their crazy driving here!
Once arriving in Blarney we walked up to Blarney Castle. I wish I had more of the details about its history--it was beautiful and rustic. We explored the dungeon, the family rooms, the watch tower and then trekked up the most narrow, winding staircase you can imagine. Lucky for us, the steps posed an extra danger since they were so slick from the rain. The staircase led us to our final destination--the Blarney Stone! Now, if anyone talked to me about it before the trip, they would know that I was very hesitant to kiss the stone. There are people who warned me that the locals, um, pee on the stone because it's such a tourist attraction. Megan and I had a combat for this, however. We were planning on putting antibacterial gel on our lips and kissing the stone anyway! Once we were up at the top though, there was no time for that. I figured I'll still be okay since it was raining. Kissing the stone is quite the experience. You have to sit on the ground and bend backwards while holding onto two posts. The helper slides you down into a little dropoff where you kiss the stone. By kissing the stone, you are supposed to receive the "gift of gab." You tell me if my speech is better! As the tourist books say though, you surely leave the experience talking a lot anyway! After everyone took a turn, we meandered back down the castle and walked around the grounds for another hour or so. We didn't stay long, because of the rain, but we still had an extensive look at the grounds with a lake walk and up the wishing steps.
That night, the whole clan got together again for a family dinner. Everyone made something--we had everything from french fries to a salad and of course, Matt's wonderful pork chops. It was great, and definitely the most food I've eaten since I've been here. I have pictures that I plan to put up soon, but unfortunately my computer fell victim to a little incident and is currently being repaired. With that, I'll leave you to imagine our little excursion to Blarney Castle.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
The Flashing Green Men Mean Don't Start Crossing
Greetings all! I can't wait until I start taking my Gaelic class so that I can say hello to everyone in Irish! Speaking of classes, this last week has been my introduction to what life should be like for the next 3 months. We officially started classes on Tuesday. I'm also planning on taking this opportunity to tell you about some of the quirky aspects of life in Cork.
So Tuesday! I went to two classes: Aspects of Irish Folklore and European Art and Architecture. Both are great! I'm definitely not used to the larger class sizes. Aspects of Irish Folklore has about 130 students (mostly international), while my art class has somewhat less. In fact, only 7 visiting students are in my Art and Architecture class out of the 60 total people there. That class seemed a little intense at first (3 pages of notes on the first day!), but now that I've been to it a couple of times, I really think I will enjoy it. Wednesday, I went to Sociology of Gender and Celtic Religion and Mythology. The first was not so interesting, but the second I will definitely stay with. All of these classes have mainly been introductions, so I'm not really sure I can tell what the class will be like, but most have seemed pretty interesting so far! I had another three classes on Thursday, the three that I plan to stay with: Aspects of Irish Folklore, European Art and Architecture, and Celtic Religion and Mythology. The other two classes I plan to take this semester include Introduction to Gaelic, which starts in another week, and 17th Centure Literature: Poetry which is on Mondays and Tuesdays. Quite a different courseload than I'm used to, and definitely a different atmosphere!
I thought it might be fun to describe my typical class day since I've been here with a few little extra tidbits here and there. Anyone who knows my normal sleeping pattern might be surprised by the fact that I wake up way later here. I don't have any classes earlier than 10:00 here. I have two options for routes to take to get to the campus. One consists of a walkway along the River Lee. It's a beautiful path and I try and take it when I'm not in a hurry to get to campus. The one nice thing about this route is that you don't have to watch out for traffic. Watching out for traffic is a huge thing here. Most of the time I feel like the drivers take the stoplights and signs as guidelines. The other path to campus is walking the street route. There are a few campus buildings scattered along the way, as well as a few elementary schools, and the university hospital. This route might be a little quicker but you have to cross the street more times! Classes here are usually about an hour. Since the schedule is back to back (classes are from 12:00-1:00, 1:00-2:00, etc.), classes usually start 5 minutes late and end 5 minutes early. I've been lucky enough not to have scheduled any back to back classes for this semester. The professors of my classes with a lot of visiting students clearly have worked with Americans before--there are lots of pauses for the students to write down important information. All the seats are really close together. Usually after one or two morning classes, the next task on my agenda is coffee. There's a little grab and go place in the Student Centre that has coffee for a little over 1 euro. The coffee here is unbelievably strong, even for me! I must admit that the first time I had it, I was a little shaky afterwards! Since we have no coffee maker in our apartment, I have to get my coffee somehow. They have a Starbucks on campus as well, to my surprise. Homework here is very independent--even more so than I thought. I'm not required to purchase books for any of the classes that I'm taking so far, because they are all available for open reserve at the library. Since this was introductory week, I haven't really had any homework so far. That's given me plenty of time to read. I've gotten the first two Twilight books done (thanks Megan K.!) and a few others started. I definitely feel weird not doing anything for school. Food here is always an experience. I try to make things at home because it's a lot cheaper. My new favorite snack is nutella on bread. Megan and I have been rotating dinners, too.
So the social aspect of life...
Wednesday evening they had an International Student party at the Franciscan Well across the street from our apartments. Instead of walking all the way up to campus just to walk back to our apartments, a few of us just hung out here and went over to the Fran Well a little later. We all got coupons for free drinks. Only in Ireland. It was a great night, but since I had three classes the next day, I turned in early for the evening. Last night a bunch of us went over to another pub, Rob Roys, to watch the Munster-Osprey rugby match. (Is it called a match?) It was a great time! I've never seen one before and the atmosphere in the pub was great. Apparently rugby is pretty big here in Ireland. We explored a few of the other pubs in town, as well. Then today, four of us Bennies and Johnnies went on the heritage walk hosted by the Iona society. There was a big group of people and we didn't see that many Cork landmarks, but it was still fun. It was cold and windy here today so we made sure to stop by a restaurant for an Irish coffee this afternoon. Tonight's plans include a movie night in the Party Palace. I hope everything is going well for everyone, wherever you may be, and I'll update my blog again soon!
So Tuesday! I went to two classes: Aspects of Irish Folklore and European Art and Architecture. Both are great! I'm definitely not used to the larger class sizes. Aspects of Irish Folklore has about 130 students (mostly international), while my art class has somewhat less. In fact, only 7 visiting students are in my Art and Architecture class out of the 60 total people there. That class seemed a little intense at first (3 pages of notes on the first day!), but now that I've been to it a couple of times, I really think I will enjoy it. Wednesday, I went to Sociology of Gender and Celtic Religion and Mythology. The first was not so interesting, but the second I will definitely stay with. All of these classes have mainly been introductions, so I'm not really sure I can tell what the class will be like, but most have seemed pretty interesting so far! I had another three classes on Thursday, the three that I plan to stay with: Aspects of Irish Folklore, European Art and Architecture, and Celtic Religion and Mythology. The other two classes I plan to take this semester include Introduction to Gaelic, which starts in another week, and 17th Centure Literature: Poetry which is on Mondays and Tuesdays. Quite a different courseload than I'm used to, and definitely a different atmosphere!
I thought it might be fun to describe my typical class day since I've been here with a few little extra tidbits here and there. Anyone who knows my normal sleeping pattern might be surprised by the fact that I wake up way later here. I don't have any classes earlier than 10:00 here. I have two options for routes to take to get to the campus. One consists of a walkway along the River Lee. It's a beautiful path and I try and take it when I'm not in a hurry to get to campus. The one nice thing about this route is that you don't have to watch out for traffic. Watching out for traffic is a huge thing here. Most of the time I feel like the drivers take the stoplights and signs as guidelines. The other path to campus is walking the street route. There are a few campus buildings scattered along the way, as well as a few elementary schools, and the university hospital. This route might be a little quicker but you have to cross the street more times! Classes here are usually about an hour. Since the schedule is back to back (classes are from 12:00-1:00, 1:00-2:00, etc.), classes usually start 5 minutes late and end 5 minutes early. I've been lucky enough not to have scheduled any back to back classes for this semester. The professors of my classes with a lot of visiting students clearly have worked with Americans before--there are lots of pauses for the students to write down important information. All the seats are really close together. Usually after one or two morning classes, the next task on my agenda is coffee. There's a little grab and go place in the Student Centre that has coffee for a little over 1 euro. The coffee here is unbelievably strong, even for me! I must admit that the first time I had it, I was a little shaky afterwards! Since we have no coffee maker in our apartment, I have to get my coffee somehow. They have a Starbucks on campus as well, to my surprise. Homework here is very independent--even more so than I thought. I'm not required to purchase books for any of the classes that I'm taking so far, because they are all available for open reserve at the library. Since this was introductory week, I haven't really had any homework so far. That's given me plenty of time to read. I've gotten the first two Twilight books done (thanks Megan K.!) and a few others started. I definitely feel weird not doing anything for school. Food here is always an experience. I try to make things at home because it's a lot cheaper. My new favorite snack is nutella on bread. Megan and I have been rotating dinners, too.
So the social aspect of life...
Wednesday evening they had an International Student party at the Franciscan Well across the street from our apartments. Instead of walking all the way up to campus just to walk back to our apartments, a few of us just hung out here and went over to the Fran Well a little later. We all got coupons for free drinks. Only in Ireland. It was a great night, but since I had three classes the next day, I turned in early for the evening. Last night a bunch of us went over to another pub, Rob Roys, to watch the Munster-Osprey rugby match. (Is it called a match?) It was a great time! I've never seen one before and the atmosphere in the pub was great. Apparently rugby is pretty big here in Ireland. We explored a few of the other pubs in town, as well. Then today, four of us Bennies and Johnnies went on the heritage walk hosted by the Iona society. There was a big group of people and we didn't see that many Cork landmarks, but it was still fun. It was cold and windy here today so we made sure to stop by a restaurant for an Irish coffee this afternoon. Tonight's plans include a movie night in the Party Palace. I hope everything is going well for everyone, wherever you may be, and I'll update my blog again soon!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Orientation--Ahh! I Feel Like a Freshman!
Greetings again from Cork. Today was our first day being ushered into life at University College Cork. We started orientation this morning at 9:45. Bombarded with information, we spent most of the morning going over academic things to know: how to register for modules (classes), how to enroll as a student so that we can get ID cards, and what our first week is going to be like. UCC does things a little differently than St. Ben's. Each of us has until January 14th to go to whatever classes we want and then pick the ones that we actually want to take. Since I have some generals to fill over here this semester, I don't think I'll deviate too far from what I planned on taking. That being said, the following are classes I'm planning on taking: Group Processes, Celtic Religion and Mythology, Aspects of Irish Folklore, European Art and Architecture, and Introduction to Gaelic. This week willl be the real test on whether or not I like any of them.
After an information filled morning, each of us was guided to the Boole library basement, where we officially registered as students for the coming semester. It took only about 10 minutes, but with a couple hundred international students to usher through, it was a little bit of chaos. The university has so many more students than I was expecting! I knew it was big, but you can really tell that it's not anywhere near the size of St. Ben's. A little intimidating, but after a while I hope to see some familiar faces...
A couple of us girls from St. Ben's picked up lunch at the cafeteria. I don't plan on eating there a ton, but it seemed like a good place to go every once and a while. Orientation finished with another afternoon of speakers, including some UCC students. It was nice to actually meet some of the students. The campus there is absolutely beautiful. It's a nice twist of traditional and modern style buildings. While walking back to campus this evening, Megan commented that she felt like she was in a castle. One of the other St. Ben's girls also commented on the "Hogwarts-like" quality of the quad. I'll definitely be sure and take pictures and post them sometime soon!
After our long day of information, Megan and I decided to go to the Iona house for a wine and cheese party. The Iona society is similar to campus ministry. We thought we would go meet some people. It was a good time, probably a group that I will stay involved with. They are having a heritage walk around Cork with a history professor this weekend, that we will probably attend as well. It was great talking one on one to some Irish students too. For instance, I found out that "quay" is not pronounced exactly how it looks. You're supposed to say it like "key" instead. Also, they were amazed at the idea that a biology major, such as myself, could be taking English classes over here for a semester. At Cork, most students finish their degrees in 3 years. In fact, one of the students who spoke at orientation this afternoon graduated with a law degree and he was only 21! They usually take only the classes that are relevant to their major.
More good news--the luggage is supposed to arrive within the next half-hour! Hoorah! Now I finally have more clothes and contacts to wear! That's all for now. Love and miss everyone!
After an information filled morning, each of us was guided to the Boole library basement, where we officially registered as students for the coming semester. It took only about 10 minutes, but with a couple hundred international students to usher through, it was a little bit of chaos. The university has so many more students than I was expecting! I knew it was big, but you can really tell that it's not anywhere near the size of St. Ben's. A little intimidating, but after a while I hope to see some familiar faces...
A couple of us girls from St. Ben's picked up lunch at the cafeteria. I don't plan on eating there a ton, but it seemed like a good place to go every once and a while. Orientation finished with another afternoon of speakers, including some UCC students. It was nice to actually meet some of the students. The campus there is absolutely beautiful. It's a nice twist of traditional and modern style buildings. While walking back to campus this evening, Megan commented that she felt like she was in a castle. One of the other St. Ben's girls also commented on the "Hogwarts-like" quality of the quad. I'll definitely be sure and take pictures and post them sometime soon!
After our long day of information, Megan and I decided to go to the Iona house for a wine and cheese party. The Iona society is similar to campus ministry. We thought we would go meet some people. It was a good time, probably a group that I will stay involved with. They are having a heritage walk around Cork with a history professor this weekend, that we will probably attend as well. It was great talking one on one to some Irish students too. For instance, I found out that "quay" is not pronounced exactly how it looks. You're supposed to say it like "key" instead. Also, they were amazed at the idea that a biology major, such as myself, could be taking English classes over here for a semester. At Cork, most students finish their degrees in 3 years. In fact, one of the students who spoke at orientation this afternoon graduated with a law degree and he was only 21! They usually take only the classes that are relevant to their major.
More good news--the luggage is supposed to arrive within the next half-hour! Hoorah! Now I finally have more clothes and contacts to wear! That's all for now. Love and miss everyone!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Little Fish in a Big Pond
After the number of lessons I have already learned from being in Cork, I feel as though I could be dubbed a little fish in a big pond. Below are the lessons I have learned thus far from being in Cork.
Lesson #1: Bring an extra outfit in your carry on whenever you fly.
After four days of still being luggage-less, my roommate Megan and I have finally broken down to buy more clothes. Apparently the airport will reimburse for whatever clothes we need to buy. Today we went to TK Maxx to buy new clothes (TK Maxx is the Ireland equivalent to TJ Maxx). Hopefully our luggage will come in the next day or two. Also, relevant to this particular message, be sure and remember to pack your glasses with you on your carry on, or an extra pair of contacts. I have been surviving the last four days with one contact, since the other has torn and I conveniently forgot my glasses at home.
Lesson #2: Visit the Franciscan Well if you ever find yourself in Cork and in need of a refreshing beverage.
Last night, nearly all the students from our university went to discover this fantastic little pub right across the river from the apartments. It definitely was an adventure. I tried a strawberry-lime cider that was great!
Lesson #3: Leave time for jet lag.
No need for explanation--I have gotten more sleep in the past couple days than I ever have before.
I guess that's all the lessons for now, but never fear, there are more that are bound to come up.
As for other news, I have five roommates. Megan, one of my friends from St. Ben's, shares a room with me. Two other girls from St. Ben's, Abby and Liz, also share a room in our apartment. And finally, Allison and Erica round out our even six. The last two girls go to Washington College in Maryland. Allison is a junior as well, and and Erica is a sophomore. I think I have been officially been given the nickname of Alli for the duration of my stay here in Cork since we have two Allisons in our apartment.
The last couple days have been spent exploring the city, getting to know other students from St. Ben's and other schools, and relaxing. We've gone shopping nearly every day and gotten to know the two grocery stores (Dunnes and Tesco) very well. It seems like every day we find a new street to explore. Our location to these stores and main street is fantastic! It's about a two-block walk to the beginning of main street. The stores seem very similar to those in the states.
I guess that's the only updates for now. Monday we have orientation and start classes on Tuesday, so I should definitely have more excitement soon.
Lesson #1: Bring an extra outfit in your carry on whenever you fly.
After four days of still being luggage-less, my roommate Megan and I have finally broken down to buy more clothes. Apparently the airport will reimburse for whatever clothes we need to buy. Today we went to TK Maxx to buy new clothes (TK Maxx is the Ireland equivalent to TJ Maxx). Hopefully our luggage will come in the next day or two. Also, relevant to this particular message, be sure and remember to pack your glasses with you on your carry on, or an extra pair of contacts. I have been surviving the last four days with one contact, since the other has torn and I conveniently forgot my glasses at home.
Lesson #2: Visit the Franciscan Well if you ever find yourself in Cork and in need of a refreshing beverage.
Last night, nearly all the students from our university went to discover this fantastic little pub right across the river from the apartments. It definitely was an adventure. I tried a strawberry-lime cider that was great!
Lesson #3: Leave time for jet lag.
No need for explanation--I have gotten more sleep in the past couple days than I ever have before.
I guess that's all the lessons for now, but never fear, there are more that are bound to come up.
As for other news, I have five roommates. Megan, one of my friends from St. Ben's, shares a room with me. Two other girls from St. Ben's, Abby and Liz, also share a room in our apartment. And finally, Allison and Erica round out our even six. The last two girls go to Washington College in Maryland. Allison is a junior as well, and and Erica is a sophomore. I think I have been officially been given the nickname of Alli for the duration of my stay here in Cork since we have two Allisons in our apartment.
The last couple days have been spent exploring the city, getting to know other students from St. Ben's and other schools, and relaxing. We've gone shopping nearly every day and gotten to know the two grocery stores (Dunnes and Tesco) very well. It seems like every day we find a new street to explore. Our location to these stores and main street is fantastic! It's about a two-block walk to the beginning of main street. The stores seem very similar to those in the states.
I guess that's the only updates for now. Monday we have orientation and start classes on Tuesday, so I should definitely have more excitement soon.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Airplane Adventures
In the past 24 hours, I've traveled from St. Paul to Washington D.C. to London and finally to Cork. I've also eaten only two granola bars, had my luggage lost and encountered more screaming babies than I ever need to encounter again.
Yesterday at 7:30 am, the family packed up the van with my luggage and headed off to the airport. Everything at MSP went smoothly until we actually got on the plane. The airline had oversold the flight so after some manuevering of some people to different flights and cramming of people into ours, I thought our full plane was finally ready to go. Soon after we found out that because of the high winds on the East Coast, we would be delayed an hour. Of course, being the anxious person that I am, I immediately wondered if we would make our connecting flight to London. After an hour of sitting in a completely packed plane with several screaming babies and smells of foods from different origins, we finally pushed off of the gate. The last 20 minutes was when the real fun began. The high winds created a ridiculous amount of turbulence and our flight seemed to take forever to descend. Needless to say that the turbulence was bad enough that I haven't eaten in the last 24 hours for fear of a similar situation.
We arrived at Dulles International at about 6:20 and the gate for our London flight closed at 6:30. Megan got directions from the flight attendent, so we were able to shuttle over to Terminal C. The shuttle for terminal D wasn't running, and of course our gate was the last one in Terminal D. So we ran through 32 gates at both terminals. Literally we boarded the plane and took off 5 minutes later. It felt a little bit like the amazing race!
The transatlantic flight went very smoothly. There was little turbulence, and except for the cramped leg room, the ride was almost enjoyable. We landed in London at 6:45 their time and had quite a bit of time before our final flight to Cork. Megan and I entertained ourselves by people watching, crossing the incredibly huge airport to get to our flight, and playing a game of scrabble on her computer. The final flight could not have gone smoother.
Since arriving here to Cork, Megan and I have settled into our apartment. We are leaving with two other girls from St. Ben's and two girls from Washington College in Maryland. We explored Cork a little bit and settled down for an afternoon nap (ahhh, jet lag!) So the long and short of this post--I made it!
Yesterday at 7:30 am, the family packed up the van with my luggage and headed off to the airport. Everything at MSP went smoothly until we actually got on the plane. The airline had oversold the flight so after some manuevering of some people to different flights and cramming of people into ours, I thought our full plane was finally ready to go. Soon after we found out that because of the high winds on the East Coast, we would be delayed an hour. Of course, being the anxious person that I am, I immediately wondered if we would make our connecting flight to London. After an hour of sitting in a completely packed plane with several screaming babies and smells of foods from different origins, we finally pushed off of the gate. The last 20 minutes was when the real fun began. The high winds created a ridiculous amount of turbulence and our flight seemed to take forever to descend. Needless to say that the turbulence was bad enough that I haven't eaten in the last 24 hours for fear of a similar situation.
We arrived at Dulles International at about 6:20 and the gate for our London flight closed at 6:30. Megan got directions from the flight attendent, so we were able to shuttle over to Terminal C. The shuttle for terminal D wasn't running, and of course our gate was the last one in Terminal D. So we ran through 32 gates at both terminals. Literally we boarded the plane and took off 5 minutes later. It felt a little bit like the amazing race!
The transatlantic flight went very smoothly. There was little turbulence, and except for the cramped leg room, the ride was almost enjoyable. We landed in London at 6:45 their time and had quite a bit of time before our final flight to Cork. Megan and I entertained ourselves by people watching, crossing the incredibly huge airport to get to our flight, and playing a game of scrabble on her computer. The final flight could not have gone smoother.
Since arriving here to Cork, Megan and I have settled into our apartment. We are leaving with two other girls from St. Ben's and two girls from Washington College in Maryland. We explored Cork a little bit and settled down for an afternoon nap (ahhh, jet lag!) So the long and short of this post--I made it!
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