It's true--I'm making a batch right now. This is the second time I've made them since I've been here, which is way more often then I would make them at St. Ben's. I think it serves a dual purpose of satisfying my sweet tooth while simultaneously reminding me of home.
It sounds like the weather has been really awful in Minnesota. I think that's my cue to rub in how wonderful the weather has been here in Ireland. Literally fifty degrees and sunny every single day. I can't remember the last time we had a good solid rain.
I've really enjoyed getting back into the swing of things back in Cork. You can start to feel the urgency around campus as people realize they have papers and finals to start working on. Nor am I immune, since I have two papers due fairly shortly. It's exciting, though, because with only four weeks left in the semester, we can start looking forward to our month-long spring break! I never thought it would come, and now it's only a month away! Before I can think about that, though, I need to stay in Cork and be productive!
On Fat Tuesday here in Ireland, it's more like Pancake Tuesday. I wasn't sure exactly why, so I did what I normally do--Googled it. Apparently, the Irish eat pancakes because it was a way for them to get rid of their rich foods, like milk, eggs, and sugar, which they were supposed to refrain from eating during the season of Lent. I was not deprived of this either! We got to have pancakes during choir rehearsal with my favorite topping--Nutella! (No, I haven't gotten over the phase yet...)
Unfortunately, my immune system has finally decided to alert me of the change of living (and pace of life, I would imagine) in Ireland. Megan has been sick for the past few days and between yesterday and today, I'm pretty sure I have something similar. Luckily she has stocked up on enough cold medicine to share.
Irish Lesson for today: Counting in Irish
A haon, a do, a tri, a ceathair, a cuig, a se, a seacht, a hocht, a naoi, a deich! Now you can impress all the people you know!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
A Compendium of Sorts
Things Minnesotans are better at (a.k.a. the things I miss):
1. Handling the cold weather. Let's face it--double paned windows, hot showers. We're just more prepared for it. Rightly so, I think, since we have far colder weather. Unfortunately, the cold weather has returned to Ireland, and believe it or not, it's snowing here as well. I think I was the only person in choir yesterday who groaned when they heard it was snowing. It's such a rarity here that the Irish absolutely love when it snows!
2. Going to class. I kept hearing everyone say that no one goes to class on RAG Week. I shouldn't say that they aren't as good as Minnesotans are at going to class, they just are more willing to take a class off. In Minnesota you literally have to be on your deathbed to skip a class, but here the slightest cough will do. Perhaps it's the lecture style, or perhaps its just my inability to skip class and Minnesotans are just as bad.
3. Coffee. I still miss my drip coffee.
4. Peanut butter. I don't think the peanut butter here is that bad, but apparently I'm vastly mistaken according to my roommates. This makes sense, however, as no one here really likes peanut butter.
5. Driving. Everyone I knew before this trip that had never gotten carsick has now experienced it. Those windy, curvy, one-lane countryside roads are enough to make anyone sick. Not to mention the numerous roundabouts which cause a slamming of ones brakes.
6. Being on time. My choir rehearsals are supposed to start at 7, and usually don't get going until 7:15. In addition, I rarely have a class that starts earlier than 5 minutes late.
Now for the other side. Things that the Irish are better at:
1. Going green. Exhibit A: You have to pay for grocery bags here. I realize in the U.S. some states have also adopted this tactic, but it's quite obvious here that everyone brings their own eco-friendly grocery bags. Exhibit B (the more literal interpretation): Mowing lawns in February. How sweet is that?!
2. Distinguishing accents. I'm completely horrible at this, although I've gotten better since I went to London. I just found out a few weeks ago that my art history professor, who I've had all semester, is Scottish. Not to mention that most of my professors are British. But an Irish student can tell which part of Ireland your from, not to mention if you're not Irish.
3. Sleeping in. I once overheard somebody say "Good Morning" at 3:00 in the afternoon. What a wonderful thing.
4. Procrastinating. No further explanation required.
5. Coffee. I realize this is on both lists, but the good thing about Ireland coffee is that it's nice and strong--just how I like it. ;)
6. Fashion. All the guys wear a scarf and peacoat here. You can tell who's American because they wear sweats and invariably have a Northface jacket on.
7. Salt and vinegar. Between chips (fries) or crisps (chips), I can't get enough of the stuff!
1. Handling the cold weather. Let's face it--double paned windows, hot showers. We're just more prepared for it. Rightly so, I think, since we have far colder weather. Unfortunately, the cold weather has returned to Ireland, and believe it or not, it's snowing here as well. I think I was the only person in choir yesterday who groaned when they heard it was snowing. It's such a rarity here that the Irish absolutely love when it snows!
2. Going to class. I kept hearing everyone say that no one goes to class on RAG Week. I shouldn't say that they aren't as good as Minnesotans are at going to class, they just are more willing to take a class off. In Minnesota you literally have to be on your deathbed to skip a class, but here the slightest cough will do. Perhaps it's the lecture style, or perhaps its just my inability to skip class and Minnesotans are just as bad.
3. Coffee. I still miss my drip coffee.
4. Peanut butter. I don't think the peanut butter here is that bad, but apparently I'm vastly mistaken according to my roommates. This makes sense, however, as no one here really likes peanut butter.
5. Driving. Everyone I knew before this trip that had never gotten carsick has now experienced it. Those windy, curvy, one-lane countryside roads are enough to make anyone sick. Not to mention the numerous roundabouts which cause a slamming of ones brakes.
6. Being on time. My choir rehearsals are supposed to start at 7, and usually don't get going until 7:15. In addition, I rarely have a class that starts earlier than 5 minutes late.
Now for the other side. Things that the Irish are better at:
1. Going green. Exhibit A: You have to pay for grocery bags here. I realize in the U.S. some states have also adopted this tactic, but it's quite obvious here that everyone brings their own eco-friendly grocery bags. Exhibit B (the more literal interpretation): Mowing lawns in February. How sweet is that?!
2. Distinguishing accents. I'm completely horrible at this, although I've gotten better since I went to London. I just found out a few weeks ago that my art history professor, who I've had all semester, is Scottish. Not to mention that most of my professors are British. But an Irish student can tell which part of Ireland your from, not to mention if you're not Irish.
3. Sleeping in. I once overheard somebody say "Good Morning" at 3:00 in the afternoon. What a wonderful thing.
4. Procrastinating. No further explanation required.
5. Coffee. I realize this is on both lists, but the good thing about Ireland coffee is that it's nice and strong--just how I like it. ;)
6. Fashion. All the guys wear a scarf and peacoat here. You can tell who's American because they wear sweats and invariably have a Northface jacket on.
7. Salt and vinegar. Between chips (fries) or crisps (chips), I can't get enough of the stuff!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Mind the Gap
...between the tube, the islands of Ireland and Great Britain, and of course, the differences between cultures. This past week and weekend, I went on my first international excursion in Europe: over to London.
Wednesday, February 19: 6:00 p.m. London Calling
My classes finished at 5:00 p.m. and I hurried home to make sure that I had everything ready to go for London and eat a quick dinner before heading off to the bus station. The bus station in Cork is a good 25 minute walk from our apartments, so Megan and I had planned on leaving at 6:15 in order to catch a bus to the airport and get there in plenty of time for our flight departing at 9:30. Definitely excited and anxious, Megan and I chatted about all of our plans on the way to the station. Conveniently, we ran into our first obstacle of the trip as well: we were checking to make sure we had the important stuff (passports, ids, etc.) when I realized I forgot my RyanAir confirmation number which I needed in order to pick up my ticket. I sprinted back to the apartment--thank goodness I'm a runner and I've taken enough buses now in Cork to be familiar with the route to and from. Our boarding of the bus and plane went fine after that, however and we were soon on our way to London! Being the cheap college students that we are, we opted to arrive at the London Stansted airport. From what the Bennies and Johnnies who study in London tell me, London Heathrow is really the only airport in the city--all the others are kind of a distance away. Wouldn't you know that Stansted is a forty-five minute train ride into the city. I bought a train ticket online on a spur of the moment decision before I left, but I'm very glad I did! However, this brings me to obstacle #2 on our adventure: I didn't bring my confirmation number for my train ticket either. I went up to the counter and bought a new ticket anyway, figuring that one of the other Bennie or Johnnie Ireland students could use my ticket if they went to London. Upon arriving to the kiosk to pick up Megan's ticket, however, we realized that a confirmation number was unnecessary. Luckily, the women at the ticket counter was nice enough to give me a refund for the second ticket I had purchased. Which brings me to obstacle 1.5 (I forgot about this one, hence the strange number)! As we were leaving the plane, Megan went to turn on her cell phone--our only form of communication for the weekend as laptops are too bulky and my cell phone only had 1 euro worth of minutes on it. European cell phones require a PIN number to unlock, and unluckily, Megan has never turned off her cell phone so was unable to turn it back on because she couldn't remember her PIN. So by this point, we've arrived in London with a forty-five minute train ride to look forward to, confusion about tickets, and no form of communication. It certainly was the start to our adventure!
The train ride was mainly filled with excitement for the next couple of days and crazy games of M.A.S.H. I found out that I'm going to be a plumber and my car is going to be a Hummer. Liverpool Street Station was our stop in London. This was a very appropriate introduction to the city--our hostel was in Barbican, right next to a business area of London. I could not believe how beautiful the city was. It was very late when we arrived, but the buildings were all lit up and the streets were so much cleaner than those in Cork! Which is remarkable considering the difficulty we had finding garbage cans all weekend. We checked in late to the YMCA in Barbican and got a few blissful hours of sleep before starting the next crazy day!
Thursday, February 19: City Skyline
Our goal for Thursday was to hit up the major landmarks in London. Our first stop: Buckingham Palace and watching the changing of the guards. The palace was absolutely beautiful, but what a production! I had no idea it involved so much! There were multiple bands playing pretty popular songs, actually, such as Dancing Queen. We stood on the steps as was recommended by some friends and got a great view. After watching for a bit, we decided to head over to Westminister. After our walk to the Palace, we realized that the distances between landmarks are actually quite extensive, so we decided to get our first experience on the London Underground. I cannot believe how efficient their system is! With a little help right away, we learned quickly how to get around the city. In fact, the only time we got on the wrong tube was when we were with the other Bennies and Johnnies studying abroad in London!
The next stop then was Westminister Cathedral and Abbey. We didn't go in the Abbey because it was quite expensive. But the Cathedral was pretty wonderful. My favorite part of the church was a side chapel devoted to Saint Patrick and other saints of Ireland. It was very green in color and appropriately significant to Ireland with Celtic symbols.
Big Ben and the Parliament building were just down the road, so we were able to get pictures by those two landmarks as well. We grabbed a quick lunch and ate in on the square before catching the tube to the British Museum. The British Museum took up most of our afternoon--it's absolutely enormous, and a bit of an information overload. They have artefacts from all over the world. Some of my favorites were a tree made in Africa out of old weapons, an old mummy from Egypt who was preserved in the sand (he still had his teeth!) and an art display upon entering the museum which showed old photographs underneath a netting which contained all the pills an average person will take during their lifetime. Kind of interesting for us healthcare folk.
Next on the docket was dinner. We stopped at a place called "Wagamama's" recommended by our "On a Budget Weekend" guide. It was a wonderful asian noodle restaurant. We even ate with chopsticks! Quite the experience for the inexperienced, such as myself. After a filling dinner and numerous phone calls by which I was finally able to get more minutes on my cell phone, we were able to connect with one of my friends from St. Ben's studying abroad in London for the semester, Javen. Javen met us at the restaurant and we walked back to their apartment. They live in a very upscale neighborhood, so it was fun to see the different flats and houses. What a welcoming crew! As soon as we got there we were able to chat and catch up with people before they decided to take us out. Being as I only had a backpack and had packed very light considering our change in overnight locations, I had nothing with me, but the girls of the trip were more than willing to share their clothes. We all got dressed up and hit up O'Neil's at Picadilly Circus. It was a fantastic night, and the pub scene was much different than in Ireland. If any of the London crew is reading this, thanks again for your generous hospitality!
Friday, February 20: Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend
On Friday, two of the London crew, Javen and Megan (a different one) decided to wake up early with us as we went to go explore Portobello Market. We were looking for some steals and deals, and everyone except me walked away with something. They had a very ecletic mix of clothing, jewelry and souveniers and pretty good prices. It took us a while to find it, as we were on foot and had taken a wrong turn, but it was well worth it. And once again we lucked out with the beautiful weather!
That afternoon the four of us decided to check out the London Eye and the Tower of London. We decided in the end to skip the Eye and go right for the Tower, to get our money and time's worth. The Tower of London holds the Crown Jewels, but it also has other areas of the fortress to explore. We went to the Crown Jewels right away (being girls). They were so beautiful! The London Megan and I spent several minutes in front of each piece. They also played videos of coronations and such too, which was really a neat experience. Megan knows a lot about the Monarchy because of one of her classes, so she was able to instruct me and be my own personal tour guide. It was great! Megan and I headed to some of the other attractions of the fortress afterward. As we had walked from the Eye to the Tower and had walked in the morning to the Market, we were all exhausted at this point, so we headed back to the Londoner's flats to collect our things.
Megan and I had planned to spend Friday night with one of her relatives. She lives in Ascot which is about an hour and half train ride out of London. We bought tickets and got to enjoy some of the quieter parts of the greater London area. It was a very relaxing ride and nice to get away from the city for a little while. We spent the evening with her and her family, eating a wonderful meal which included ice cream for desert!
Saturday, February 21: What to See?
Ascot is only a short five miles from Windsor, so Megan and I were lucky enough to catch a ride with her cousin to go and check out Windsor castle. We did eventually have to catch a train back into London, so we didn't stay long, but it was absolutely enormous. Windsor was fun to meander around, as well. We did a little window shopping before heading back.
We were absolutely set on seeing a show while we were here. From others, we decided to go to Les Miserables. Neither of us had seen it, but I know several of the songs from choir. What a fantastic show! I've always loved any theatre experience, and this was great.
So what to do now? Nearly everything was closed for the evening because the show is a little lengthy, so we weren't sure how to spend the rest of our evening. We decided to find a sit-down restaurant before catching an early train back to the Stansted Airport. We went to the Italian Coffee Company--a must for anyone on a budget! We got a pizza to share for only 3.50 pounds! Cheap enough for us to get good desserts, too. ;) We also decided to go take a picture at Platform 9 3/4 at the King's Cross Station. We got a little lost trying to find it, and both of us were too embarrassed to ask anyone, but we finally did find it and got a great picture (see Facebook). We arrived back at Stansted at about 9:30 and parked it on some benches for the evening. After a very long night at the airport (i.e., I didn't sleep), we boarded our 6:20 flight back to Cork. Let's just say I'll spend the next couple of days recovering.
Things I've discovered since travelling to London:
1. Cork is really dirty. London has a population of 13 million people, and it still manages to look cleaner than Cork.
2. Cork is my home away from home. I love coming back to it (no matter how dirty it is).
3. I love the Irish accent. I feel like I can definitely distinguish between the two now. Irish accents are scruffier, I think.
4. I'm really bad at sleeping. Mainly because I've gotten 2 hours of sleep in the past 36. Fun.
Wednesday, February 19: 6:00 p.m. London Calling
My classes finished at 5:00 p.m. and I hurried home to make sure that I had everything ready to go for London and eat a quick dinner before heading off to the bus station. The bus station in Cork is a good 25 minute walk from our apartments, so Megan and I had planned on leaving at 6:15 in order to catch a bus to the airport and get there in plenty of time for our flight departing at 9:30. Definitely excited and anxious, Megan and I chatted about all of our plans on the way to the station. Conveniently, we ran into our first obstacle of the trip as well: we were checking to make sure we had the important stuff (passports, ids, etc.) when I realized I forgot my RyanAir confirmation number which I needed in order to pick up my ticket. I sprinted back to the apartment--thank goodness I'm a runner and I've taken enough buses now in Cork to be familiar with the route to and from. Our boarding of the bus and plane went fine after that, however and we were soon on our way to London! Being the cheap college students that we are, we opted to arrive at the London Stansted airport. From what the Bennies and Johnnies who study in London tell me, London Heathrow is really the only airport in the city--all the others are kind of a distance away. Wouldn't you know that Stansted is a forty-five minute train ride into the city. I bought a train ticket online on a spur of the moment decision before I left, but I'm very glad I did! However, this brings me to obstacle #2 on our adventure: I didn't bring my confirmation number for my train ticket either. I went up to the counter and bought a new ticket anyway, figuring that one of the other Bennie or Johnnie Ireland students could use my ticket if they went to London. Upon arriving to the kiosk to pick up Megan's ticket, however, we realized that a confirmation number was unnecessary. Luckily, the women at the ticket counter was nice enough to give me a refund for the second ticket I had purchased. Which brings me to obstacle 1.5 (I forgot about this one, hence the strange number)! As we were leaving the plane, Megan went to turn on her cell phone--our only form of communication for the weekend as laptops are too bulky and my cell phone only had 1 euro worth of minutes on it. European cell phones require a PIN number to unlock, and unluckily, Megan has never turned off her cell phone so was unable to turn it back on because she couldn't remember her PIN. So by this point, we've arrived in London with a forty-five minute train ride to look forward to, confusion about tickets, and no form of communication. It certainly was the start to our adventure!
The train ride was mainly filled with excitement for the next couple of days and crazy games of M.A.S.H. I found out that I'm going to be a plumber and my car is going to be a Hummer. Liverpool Street Station was our stop in London. This was a very appropriate introduction to the city--our hostel was in Barbican, right next to a business area of London. I could not believe how beautiful the city was. It was very late when we arrived, but the buildings were all lit up and the streets were so much cleaner than those in Cork! Which is remarkable considering the difficulty we had finding garbage cans all weekend. We checked in late to the YMCA in Barbican and got a few blissful hours of sleep before starting the next crazy day!
Thursday, February 19: City Skyline
Our goal for Thursday was to hit up the major landmarks in London. Our first stop: Buckingham Palace and watching the changing of the guards. The palace was absolutely beautiful, but what a production! I had no idea it involved so much! There were multiple bands playing pretty popular songs, actually, such as Dancing Queen. We stood on the steps as was recommended by some friends and got a great view. After watching for a bit, we decided to head over to Westminister. After our walk to the Palace, we realized that the distances between landmarks are actually quite extensive, so we decided to get our first experience on the London Underground. I cannot believe how efficient their system is! With a little help right away, we learned quickly how to get around the city. In fact, the only time we got on the wrong tube was when we were with the other Bennies and Johnnies studying abroad in London!
The next stop then was Westminister Cathedral and Abbey. We didn't go in the Abbey because it was quite expensive. But the Cathedral was pretty wonderful. My favorite part of the church was a side chapel devoted to Saint Patrick and other saints of Ireland. It was very green in color and appropriately significant to Ireland with Celtic symbols.
Big Ben and the Parliament building were just down the road, so we were able to get pictures by those two landmarks as well. We grabbed a quick lunch and ate in on the square before catching the tube to the British Museum. The British Museum took up most of our afternoon--it's absolutely enormous, and a bit of an information overload. They have artefacts from all over the world. Some of my favorites were a tree made in Africa out of old weapons, an old mummy from Egypt who was preserved in the sand (he still had his teeth!) and an art display upon entering the museum which showed old photographs underneath a netting which contained all the pills an average person will take during their lifetime. Kind of interesting for us healthcare folk.
Next on the docket was dinner. We stopped at a place called "Wagamama's" recommended by our "On a Budget Weekend" guide. It was a wonderful asian noodle restaurant. We even ate with chopsticks! Quite the experience for the inexperienced, such as myself. After a filling dinner and numerous phone calls by which I was finally able to get more minutes on my cell phone, we were able to connect with one of my friends from St. Ben's studying abroad in London for the semester, Javen. Javen met us at the restaurant and we walked back to their apartment. They live in a very upscale neighborhood, so it was fun to see the different flats and houses. What a welcoming crew! As soon as we got there we were able to chat and catch up with people before they decided to take us out. Being as I only had a backpack and had packed very light considering our change in overnight locations, I had nothing with me, but the girls of the trip were more than willing to share their clothes. We all got dressed up and hit up O'Neil's at Picadilly Circus. It was a fantastic night, and the pub scene was much different than in Ireland. If any of the London crew is reading this, thanks again for your generous hospitality!
Friday, February 20: Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend
On Friday, two of the London crew, Javen and Megan (a different one) decided to wake up early with us as we went to go explore Portobello Market. We were looking for some steals and deals, and everyone except me walked away with something. They had a very ecletic mix of clothing, jewelry and souveniers and pretty good prices. It took us a while to find it, as we were on foot and had taken a wrong turn, but it was well worth it. And once again we lucked out with the beautiful weather!
That afternoon the four of us decided to check out the London Eye and the Tower of London. We decided in the end to skip the Eye and go right for the Tower, to get our money and time's worth. The Tower of London holds the Crown Jewels, but it also has other areas of the fortress to explore. We went to the Crown Jewels right away (being girls). They were so beautiful! The London Megan and I spent several minutes in front of each piece. They also played videos of coronations and such too, which was really a neat experience. Megan knows a lot about the Monarchy because of one of her classes, so she was able to instruct me and be my own personal tour guide. It was great! Megan and I headed to some of the other attractions of the fortress afterward. As we had walked from the Eye to the Tower and had walked in the morning to the Market, we were all exhausted at this point, so we headed back to the Londoner's flats to collect our things.
Megan and I had planned to spend Friday night with one of her relatives. She lives in Ascot which is about an hour and half train ride out of London. We bought tickets and got to enjoy some of the quieter parts of the greater London area. It was a very relaxing ride and nice to get away from the city for a little while. We spent the evening with her and her family, eating a wonderful meal which included ice cream for desert!
Saturday, February 21: What to See?
Ascot is only a short five miles from Windsor, so Megan and I were lucky enough to catch a ride with her cousin to go and check out Windsor castle. We did eventually have to catch a train back into London, so we didn't stay long, but it was absolutely enormous. Windsor was fun to meander around, as well. We did a little window shopping before heading back.
We were absolutely set on seeing a show while we were here. From others, we decided to go to Les Miserables. Neither of us had seen it, but I know several of the songs from choir. What a fantastic show! I've always loved any theatre experience, and this was great.
So what to do now? Nearly everything was closed for the evening because the show is a little lengthy, so we weren't sure how to spend the rest of our evening. We decided to find a sit-down restaurant before catching an early train back to the Stansted Airport. We went to the Italian Coffee Company--a must for anyone on a budget! We got a pizza to share for only 3.50 pounds! Cheap enough for us to get good desserts, too. ;) We also decided to go take a picture at Platform 9 3/4 at the King's Cross Station. We got a little lost trying to find it, and both of us were too embarrassed to ask anyone, but we finally did find it and got a great picture (see Facebook). We arrived back at Stansted at about 9:30 and parked it on some benches for the evening. After a very long night at the airport (i.e., I didn't sleep), we boarded our 6:20 flight back to Cork. Let's just say I'll spend the next couple of days recovering.
Things I've discovered since travelling to London:
1. Cork is really dirty. London has a population of 13 million people, and it still manages to look cleaner than Cork.
2. Cork is my home away from home. I love coming back to it (no matter how dirty it is).
3. I love the Irish accent. I feel like I can definitely distinguish between the two now. Irish accents are scruffier, I think.
4. I'm really bad at sleeping. Mainly because I've gotten 2 hours of sleep in the past 36. Fun.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Scenic Ireland, Foreign Friends and More Bad Luck
And the bad luck just keeps on coming. I was very excited for this weekend's trip to Galway because I haven't put up pictures for a while and I knew there would be some great ones from Galway. Unfortunately, my camera is broken. But I'm getting ahead of myself here...
Megan and I joined the International Student Society from UCC on a weekend long trip to Galway and neighboring locations. We left on Friday morning at a bright and early 8:00 am (yes, that's early in Ireland). After a four hour bus ride, our first stop was the Cliffs of Moher. I cannot even begin to describe how beautiful it was. Just as I was about to pull out my camera to capture the breathtaking view, however, I discovered that my camera was broken. Terrific. It all worked out though--Megan had her camera and the weather was absolutely perfect; although it was cloudy, the sun did peak out every once and a while, which illuminated certain spots of the cliffs making it all the more beautiful. This is definitely my recommendation for going there if you ever find yourself in Ireland. The cliffs are 600 feet high and probably are what you picture when you think of Ireland.
The next stop on the trip was the Ailiwee caves (I hope I'm spelling that right!). The caves are not something that I would have done on my own, but I'm so glad we went! We got to go about a half-kilometer into the cave (about 400 feet underground) and see some great waterfalls and rock formations, including one that looked like a set of praying hands. In addition, our tour guide turned all of the lights off at one point on the tour so we could see what it would be like to discover a cave. It was really dark (a huge understatement).
Of course, Megan made friends with our leader from UCC on the bus. She loves taking a leadership role, so between the two of them, they decided to mix up the rooming assignments so that people wouldn't choose to live with only people from their home countries (e.g. Americans with Americans, Germans with Germans, etc.) So Megan and I ended up rooming in a cottage with two Finnish students and two German students. The cottages were wonderful! They were much bigger than what I was expecting and very comfortable. We had warm water too, which is always wonderful. The only negative was that we had to pay for electricity. It cost 2 euro to keep it going for about 45 minutes.
In typical Irish fashion, the International Student Society hosted a party that night as well. It was fun to chat with some of the other international students from UCC. I talked to another American student and we were comparing which pubs were the best in Cork. I definitely think that I've been missing out, and I can't wait to try out some of the pubs she recommended.
After a semi-early night, we woke up the next morning to catch the 10:30 ferry over to Inis Mor. Inis Mor is the largest of the Arann Islands, just off the west coast of Ireland. That was another fantastic part of this trip--I finally got to see the ocean! It's about time, right? Anyways, the trip over to the island made quite a few people a little sea-sick. I managed to fare okay, though. Ireland is not necessarily a place I would recommend for those people who get motion sick easily. Between all the roundabouts and rocky countryside, it makes for quite the adventure. Back to the island: We took a bus tour for the first half of the island and got quite the view of the coast of the island. We stopped to take pictures of seals too! They looked like blobs out in the middle of the ocean. We also stopped for a couple hours at a tourist spot which has a fort (Dun Aengus) overlooking some of the cliffs on the eastern coast of the island. Although only half the height of the Cliffs of Moher, we were able to walk up to the very edge of these cliffs. Once again the weather was perfect, so it made for a beautiful sight. Megan and I did some impulsive buying at this location, as well. After our stop, we finished the bus tour and learned a little bit more about the island. Inis Mor is a perfect place to see all of the rock walls so characteristic of Ireland. The walls were built to divide the land between children and also as a means of fencing for animals. In addition, Inis Mor was originally very rocky land so it was a way to clear the land for the animals to graze. You'll have to see my pictures on facebook to see what I mean! There's a couple of thatch-roofed cottages on the island, too. I don't think I'm giving the right impression when I say its touristy either--the population on the island is very small. It's also a strong Irish speaking population. Even though I'm taking an Irish class, I definitely didn't understand most of what they were saying. We also learned that the island didn't have electricity until 1973! And we were complaining about paying 2 euro for our cottage electricity...After the bus tour, Megan and I warmed up with some Bailey's and coffee before getting on the ferry for the return trip. We talked to a native of the island who told us that the island is a good place to get engaged (it was Valentine's day, after all), and then we met a couple who did get engaged on the island!
That evening was spent getting to know our roommates. We had some great conversation about our home countries, universities, and pretty much everything you can imagine. There was another party that night, hosted again by the International Student Society. It seems as though the 45 students on the trip definitely were interested in getting to know each other, which is always good.
This morning we went into Galway city to explore a little bit. Galway is much bigger than I had imagined! It was a great city, though. It's only about half the size of Cork, but seems just as big, as they have a university there as well. Megan and I did a little perusing of the shops and ate lunch outside, as again, we were fortunate enough to have fantastic weather. I think everyone was anxious to get home, however, and we arrived back in Cork late this afternoon.
It was fun to be back out traveling again. I haven't been for a couple weeks because of homework. Luckily, Megan and I have another trip coming up! We'll be heading to London on Wednesday to spend a few days there, so you can plan on another post coming in about a week! Also, I just discovered how to view the comments on the blog, so I apologize for not having seen those sooner! I hope everything is well where you are... Slan.
Megan and I joined the International Student Society from UCC on a weekend long trip to Galway and neighboring locations. We left on Friday morning at a bright and early 8:00 am (yes, that's early in Ireland). After a four hour bus ride, our first stop was the Cliffs of Moher. I cannot even begin to describe how beautiful it was. Just as I was about to pull out my camera to capture the breathtaking view, however, I discovered that my camera was broken. Terrific. It all worked out though--Megan had her camera and the weather was absolutely perfect; although it was cloudy, the sun did peak out every once and a while, which illuminated certain spots of the cliffs making it all the more beautiful. This is definitely my recommendation for going there if you ever find yourself in Ireland. The cliffs are 600 feet high and probably are what you picture when you think of Ireland.
The next stop on the trip was the Ailiwee caves (I hope I'm spelling that right!). The caves are not something that I would have done on my own, but I'm so glad we went! We got to go about a half-kilometer into the cave (about 400 feet underground) and see some great waterfalls and rock formations, including one that looked like a set of praying hands. In addition, our tour guide turned all of the lights off at one point on the tour so we could see what it would be like to discover a cave. It was really dark (a huge understatement).
Of course, Megan made friends with our leader from UCC on the bus. She loves taking a leadership role, so between the two of them, they decided to mix up the rooming assignments so that people wouldn't choose to live with only people from their home countries (e.g. Americans with Americans, Germans with Germans, etc.) So Megan and I ended up rooming in a cottage with two Finnish students and two German students. The cottages were wonderful! They were much bigger than what I was expecting and very comfortable. We had warm water too, which is always wonderful. The only negative was that we had to pay for electricity. It cost 2 euro to keep it going for about 45 minutes.
In typical Irish fashion, the International Student Society hosted a party that night as well. It was fun to chat with some of the other international students from UCC. I talked to another American student and we were comparing which pubs were the best in Cork. I definitely think that I've been missing out, and I can't wait to try out some of the pubs she recommended.
After a semi-early night, we woke up the next morning to catch the 10:30 ferry over to Inis Mor. Inis Mor is the largest of the Arann Islands, just off the west coast of Ireland. That was another fantastic part of this trip--I finally got to see the ocean! It's about time, right? Anyways, the trip over to the island made quite a few people a little sea-sick. I managed to fare okay, though. Ireland is not necessarily a place I would recommend for those people who get motion sick easily. Between all the roundabouts and rocky countryside, it makes for quite the adventure. Back to the island: We took a bus tour for the first half of the island and got quite the view of the coast of the island. We stopped to take pictures of seals too! They looked like blobs out in the middle of the ocean. We also stopped for a couple hours at a tourist spot which has a fort (Dun Aengus) overlooking some of the cliffs on the eastern coast of the island. Although only half the height of the Cliffs of Moher, we were able to walk up to the very edge of these cliffs. Once again the weather was perfect, so it made for a beautiful sight. Megan and I did some impulsive buying at this location, as well. After our stop, we finished the bus tour and learned a little bit more about the island. Inis Mor is a perfect place to see all of the rock walls so characteristic of Ireland. The walls were built to divide the land between children and also as a means of fencing for animals. In addition, Inis Mor was originally very rocky land so it was a way to clear the land for the animals to graze. You'll have to see my pictures on facebook to see what I mean! There's a couple of thatch-roofed cottages on the island, too. I don't think I'm giving the right impression when I say its touristy either--the population on the island is very small. It's also a strong Irish speaking population. Even though I'm taking an Irish class, I definitely didn't understand most of what they were saying. We also learned that the island didn't have electricity until 1973! And we were complaining about paying 2 euro for our cottage electricity...After the bus tour, Megan and I warmed up with some Bailey's and coffee before getting on the ferry for the return trip. We talked to a native of the island who told us that the island is a good place to get engaged (it was Valentine's day, after all), and then we met a couple who did get engaged on the island!
That evening was spent getting to know our roommates. We had some great conversation about our home countries, universities, and pretty much everything you can imagine. There was another party that night, hosted again by the International Student Society. It seems as though the 45 students on the trip definitely were interested in getting to know each other, which is always good.
This morning we went into Galway city to explore a little bit. Galway is much bigger than I had imagined! It was a great city, though. It's only about half the size of Cork, but seems just as big, as they have a university there as well. Megan and I did a little perusing of the shops and ate lunch outside, as again, we were fortunate enough to have fantastic weather. I think everyone was anxious to get home, however, and we arrived back in Cork late this afternoon.
It was fun to be back out traveling again. I haven't been for a couple weeks because of homework. Luckily, Megan and I have another trip coming up! We'll be heading to London on Wednesday to spend a few days there, so you can plan on another post coming in about a week! Also, I just discovered how to view the comments on the blog, so I apologize for not having seen those sooner! I hope everything is well where you are... Slan.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
I Don't Have It
I don't have the luck of the Irish, even in Ireland. First, my luggage is lost, then my computer breaks, and last but not least, I found out that I have an exam on the last day of exam month, meaning that I will be studying until the very end of my time here in Ireland. Argh.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
"Tree" Bags of Starbursts Later
Dia Diaobh! It's about 45 degrees here in Cork today, and it's absolutely gorgeous. The sun has decided to grace Ireland with its presence for both Saturday and Sunday, quite a rarity from the weather I've seen thus far. With the sun shining warmly, the city of Cork has come alive. Sundays are usually pretty quiet around here because all the shops are closed down, but there were plenty of families out on the trail and in the park today. I hope the weather is as nice wherever you might be!
This weekend has mainly been an opportunity to catch up on the studying that I had turned a blind eye to the first month that I was here. Tomorrow is my big art test, but I've had other readings to catch up with as well. Luckily, my roommates have an equally intimidating stack of homework to do, which is why the party palace turned into the homework hut this weekend. Four out of the six of my roommates camped out in the living room yesterday (including me) with our laptops, papers, and books spread all around us. Thankfully we had treat's that Liz's mom sent us! We literally ate three bags of Starbursts in less than a week. You would think that we were starved for candy or something...
Unfortunately, one negative about constantly being near a laptop all weekend is that you begin to figure out how to watch American television. We've found a couple of great websites that play not only current TV shows, but also movies. I foresee procrastination.
Although this weekend would have been perfect to travel, I can't say that I mind being in Cork. I love feeling like a true Corkonian. It was great to go on a run today and actually know where I was going!
So then, here are the random tidbits for the week:
As you can see by this post's title, the Irish pronunciation is a little different for certain words. They don't use the "th" sound often because they don't have that sound in the native Irish language. With all of my roommates having papers due this week, we've also had a lot of fun looking at the different spellings of Irish English words. Basically anything that ends in "-or" becomes "-our" and anything with a "z" becomes an "s".
RAG week starts tonight. RAG stands for Raise and Give, and is essentially a massive, week-long fundraiser that includes some pretty interesting events. For example, one event is an assignment relay, in which one person gets the assignment and has to run it over to the library, where another person sits to type the assignment before handing it off to the last person who must bring it over to the Student Union. Assignments are graded on completion speed, quality of writing, and how funny the writing is.
I guess that's all. I would love to hear from ye (you all) so feel free to send emails. Slan!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Can Anyone Tell I Like Lists?
As I was reviewing my blog, thinking up a new entry to entertain ye, I noticed my tendency to write lists. Perhaps some of you prefer something a little different, so I will attempt to lesson the number of lists I include!
I would love to thank the step dancers above my head for entertaining me with traditional Irish music into the wee hours of the morning. It is enjoyable sometimes, because of the traditional music, but I must admit that I find practicing from 4:00 am to 8:00 am on a Saturday morning kind of irksome.
Frivolous spending habit since I've gotten here: coffee. There is a plethora of coffee shops around campus (nice use of the word, eh Korandas and Eric?). Unfortunately there is a Starbucks shop close to where I take my Irish class, which I means I visit often.
It sounds as if my complaining about the snow is warranted not only here but also in London and Spain. The Bennies and Johnnies in London had a snow day on Monday! At least it isn't sticking to the ground here.
As is now tradition, the gang got together last night to go to Cavanagh's and the Classic, a local pub that plays live music and a club that we go dancing at since it has student discounts on Tuesday night. Unfortunately there was no live music last night, but I did get to meet a few couch-surfers staying with some Johnnies. Anna, Holly, and Chris study at University in Scotland. Holly and Chris are from Los Angeles, but they are studying at the University all four years. Anna is from England. It was really fun to talk to them about studying abroad and getting to know them better.
Time to be productive. Bummer.
I would love to thank the step dancers above my head for entertaining me with traditional Irish music into the wee hours of the morning. It is enjoyable sometimes, because of the traditional music, but I must admit that I find practicing from 4:00 am to 8:00 am on a Saturday morning kind of irksome.
Frivolous spending habit since I've gotten here: coffee. There is a plethora of coffee shops around campus (nice use of the word, eh Korandas and Eric?). Unfortunately there is a Starbucks shop close to where I take my Irish class, which I means I visit often.
It sounds as if my complaining about the snow is warranted not only here but also in London and Spain. The Bennies and Johnnies in London had a snow day on Monday! At least it isn't sticking to the ground here.
As is now tradition, the gang got together last night to go to Cavanagh's and the Classic, a local pub that plays live music and a club that we go dancing at since it has student discounts on Tuesday night. Unfortunately there was no live music last night, but I did get to meet a few couch-surfers staying with some Johnnies. Anna, Holly, and Chris study at University in Scotland. Holly and Chris are from Los Angeles, but they are studying at the University all four years. Anna is from England. It was really fun to talk to them about studying abroad and getting to know them better.
Time to be productive. Bummer.
Monday, February 2, 2009
A Day of Anniversaries...
Yesterday, February 1, was not only the first day of February, but it's also the first day of Spring in Ireland, as well as the anniversary of my being here. It's hard to believe that I've been here for an entire month already--the trip is one fifth over and my semester is one third over. Could someone please ask Father Time to slow down?
So in news:
1. I've joined the choral society. That's right, singing. I guess you could say that I'm officially singing in the rain now (or snow? See #5). I haven't been in an organized choir since high school, but it's great craic, and another great opportunity to meet students from the UCC campus.
2. Saturday brought with it a trip to the Midleton Whiskey distillery. Although I've been to the distillery in Dublin, two Bennies from London had come to Ireland for the weekend, so I went more for the company. It's always nice to be rewarded with a glass of whiskey, as well.
3. Superbowl party yesterday at the party palace! Two things that I should warn you about watching the superbowl in Ireland: 1) it starts at 11:15 pm because of the time difference and goes until 3:30 in the morning and 2) there's no commercials because Ireland doesn't really have commercials and because of the licensing agreements of American products. I watch the superbowl for the commericals, so I was a little disappointed. But the company was great and everyone brought a little appetizer to share.
Needless to say that my week has started off with very little sleep. We'll see how that turns out.
4. If you plan on travelling to Cork, then you will need to learn a few phrases. The following is a brief guide to speaking the local lingo. When asking someone's major, always ask "What are you studying?" When asking how are you, simply say "How are you getting on?" When a barista asks you what you want, she will say "Are you okay?" I'm bored is "I'm browned off." And of course, when greeting anyone anywhere, makes sure you let them know that you are glad they are there with "you're very welcome." This last one is my favorite because it's proper use of the phrase "you're welcome."
5. It snowed here again today. I don't think I need any further explanation.
As many of you are probably aware, I have a big art history test coming up that I will be studying for this week. (I wasn't aware that I had to actually study here...oh...STUDY abroad! Now it makes sense...) Alas, no trips to exotic and cultural destinations are in the near future for me, at least not for the next week. I hope everyone is getting on well enough at home. Miss you all!
So in news:
1. I've joined the choral society. That's right, singing. I guess you could say that I'm officially singing in the rain now (or snow? See #5). I haven't been in an organized choir since high school, but it's great craic, and another great opportunity to meet students from the UCC campus.
2. Saturday brought with it a trip to the Midleton Whiskey distillery. Although I've been to the distillery in Dublin, two Bennies from London had come to Ireland for the weekend, so I went more for the company. It's always nice to be rewarded with a glass of whiskey, as well.
3. Superbowl party yesterday at the party palace! Two things that I should warn you about watching the superbowl in Ireland: 1) it starts at 11:15 pm because of the time difference and goes until 3:30 in the morning and 2) there's no commercials because Ireland doesn't really have commercials and because of the licensing agreements of American products. I watch the superbowl for the commericals, so I was a little disappointed. But the company was great and everyone brought a little appetizer to share.
Needless to say that my week has started off with very little sleep. We'll see how that turns out.
4. If you plan on travelling to Cork, then you will need to learn a few phrases. The following is a brief guide to speaking the local lingo. When asking someone's major, always ask "What are you studying?" When asking how are you, simply say "How are you getting on?" When a barista asks you what you want, she will say "Are you okay?" I'm bored is "I'm browned off." And of course, when greeting anyone anywhere, makes sure you let them know that you are glad they are there with "you're very welcome." This last one is my favorite because it's proper use of the phrase "you're welcome."
5. It snowed here again today. I don't think I need any further explanation.
As many of you are probably aware, I have a big art history test coming up that I will be studying for this week. (I wasn't aware that I had to actually study here...oh...STUDY abroad! Now it makes sense...) Alas, no trips to exotic and cultural destinations are in the near future for me, at least not for the next week. I hope everyone is getting on well enough at home. Miss you all!
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