Hello once again! It is a beautiful day in Ireland today. The sun is shining bright and the temperature isn't bad. It's a little windy, but I can't complain. Sorry to everyone who is enduring the miserable WI cold! I just got back from shopping with Amanda. I got a shirt with the Eiffel Tower made of sequins on it that I thought was super cute. Might be dorky to wear in Paris, but I'm so excited! and I got a dress on clearance and some new black tights because the other ones I bought were too big. ha oh and I also bought a Frenchlooking hat to go with my shirt. I gotta admit, I do look rather European in it. It also goes with my dress.
Well, I can't believe that I've been in Ireland for almost two weeks. It has been pretty much a whirlwind...meeting new people, getting used to the campus, going out (but not as often as it might sound to be honest) and traveling!
For my classes, I think I have decided on Social Exclusion and Inequality, Irish Traditional Music, Irish Folklore, and now for my last class I have decided to do Irish Contemporary Issues, another sociology class. (Limerick doesn't have Social Work, but that didn't stop me from coming!) I was going to take Geoscience to get a science credit at EC, but it sounds kind of boring, and also, meets at 4 PM on Fridays. No thanks.
Well, let's see. Notable events from last week: We actually were unable to sign up for the Galway trip through the International Society because they capped it at 45 people because they couldnt get enough buses, and the room was packed with people. I was majorly disappointed at first, but later that night we just booked our own bus tickets to Galway. it was only €15.80 round trip! Wednesday, Katie and I booked our spring break trip to Paris! We are going to fly out of Dublin. We're leaving for Dublin by train on Friday March 26, spend the weekend there, and then fly out to Paris Sunday afternoon. We'll be in Paris for almost the whole week! I'm sooo excited. I think a lot of other people are going to Italy for spring break, which would be nice because it will be warm, but I really want to see Paris and the Eiffel tower and eat delicious croissant and other various pastries.
On Wednesday, we went out to the Stables for karaoke night. Some of the people were so bad. The thing I hate about karaoke is great songs being ruined, and not just when it's obviously bad-- when the people hardly even sing and you can't hear them. I managed to get drunk somehow after only having 2 ciders. After a giggly walk home, Katie, Erin, and I went to Ryan ( a guy from EC's) house and he made us spaghetti.
Friday, we had some errands to run. Amanda and Liz wanted to find the post office and got directions from a lady..i forget who it was. Well, we took the wrong turn at some point and ended up taking a very long walk around Limerick. However, we were able to enjoy some more beautiful scenery in the distance. We finally found it, and when we left and came out at the end of the street, we realized we were almost right back to Plassey!!! If we had just gone the other way, it could have taken like 20 minutes total instead of like 2 hours. Haha. lesson learned. then we went to Dunnes, which is like Walmart, and got groceries. I bought some Bulmers cider and they didn't even check to see if I was 18. I actually felt pretty bad ass. Ha. That night i had pizza and a diet coke for dinner and I don't know, but there must be like 10 times as much caffeine because I was super awake and only got 2 hours of sleep before I had to get up at 6 AM to get ready for Galway.
We took the 7:30 bus. The other girls dozed off, but I was still wide awake, and I'm so glad I was because the drive to Galway was amazing. The Irish countryside is pretty much like you can picture it: green, with stone walls everywhere, but it's just so awesome to actually see. I kept saying to myself. "I'M ACTUALLY IN IRELAND." I loved the stonewalls. We also passed a lot of sheep too! We got to Galway at probably around 10. We first looking for Eyre Square. I asked a lady at the bus staton if it was within walking distance, and it was seriously just down the street. We then found a city map, and headed towards Shop Street, where believe it or not is right in the shopping district. We went to a bookstore and I got a book of poems by William Butler Yeats, an Irish poet my teacher Mr. Winchester from high school recommended. I also got a present for my sister, but she reads my blog so I can't say. Then we went to St. Nicholas' church, one of the oldest, if not the oldest churches in Ireland. It was beautiful. I didn't grow up going to church for the most part, but I still think the really old ones are just amazing. Then we went to the cathedral, but there was Mass going on, so we went and got a quick snack at a cafe in a clothing store nearby. Katie and I got chocolate tart, Liz had a caramel/banana muffin and Amanda had a latte. After that we went back to the cathedral and looked around. Again, absolutely amazing. I hate using the word amazing so much, and I apologize. The Irish like to say brilliant, and I have started to describe things that way sometimes :) After the cathedral we found the Spanish arch, which one of Katie's Irish roommates had described as "just an arch." but we were like "ooooh." it was built in 1584. Right near the arch was the Galway museum, which conveniently had free admission. They had a big exhibit on JFK's visit to Ireland in 1963, the year he was assassinated. After the museum, we tried looking for these famous people's houses that were apparently museums now, but we couldn't find them or they weren't open. At around 5, we found a restaurant to eat at called the Front Door. It was so delicious. Probably one of the best meals I've ever eaten. I got a traditional Irish meal called Bangers and Mash: mashed potatoes with sausage. The sausage was insanely delicious. Words do not do it justice. I'm not kidding. It, like, kind of melted in my mouth, like I didn't have to chew it at all, which may actually sound weird and gross, but it tasted incredible. After that, we stopped at a few more shops on the way back to the bus station. I got my dad a present and a worry stone for my friend Ashlee who asked me to get her one. We made it to the bus station right on time. I slept through most of the ride back. My legs were so stiff and sore. I got back and Kathleen and some other EC girls were hanging out and we watched a movie with Val and our other housemate Gearoid. All of our other housemates went home for the weekend, which is typical among the Irish students. My other roommates besides Val are are Gearoid, Sean, Leona, Jimmy, and Owen. They are all pretty cool, although I don't see much of Jimmy and Owen during the week.
Well, that is all for now! No weekend trips planned right now. The big trip right now this month is Into the West, which the International Office is putting on. It only cost 5 Euro and it takes us to The Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, and the Ailwee Caves. I'm so excited!! March is going to be a crazy, exciting month. Ellen is coming to visit, my mom is coming on St. Patty's day and spending a couple days, and then Dublin and Paris!
Oh, and one last thing. I would just like to thank my parents for giving me this opportunity. It has been amazing so far, and I am so incredibly lucky to be here. I feel like it has already changed me.
That's all for now!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Crazy Irish Nights
Hello everyone!
I don't know what it is, if it's the fact I still haven't adjusted to being 6 hours ahead, but let me tell you, time seems to FLY here, no matter what you are doing. This has been the fastest week of my life.
Well, to finish off last week, I had orientation on Thursday and Friday. On Thursday we got our student ID cards (my picture is ok...my hair is very windblown, but it could have definitely looked worse) My campus tour guide was named Dermot Donnelly. He was really funny and entertaining. he tried to teach us an Irish accent. An easy way to sound a little Irish I've realized is to take the "h" out of "th" words. like "three" is pronounced "tree." Dermot told us "Tree trees is a small forest." :) We were also warned that the Irish love to swear in normal conversation (which is not all that different from the U.S. but here I think it's a little worse) and that they are not sensitive about the use of the "C" word. Then Thursday night we went to The Stables again, the on campus pub we went to on the first night. The International Society was hosting a "Fast Friends" event, which is like speed dating, only just to meet people. I met an American, a French Girl, an Italian boy, a Spanish girl, a couple of Germans, and Louise a girl from Limerick. Louise and I actually met at the bar before the event began when we were buying drinks. She asked me if i was a "mover" or, a "Shaker" but she meant "sitter." We became FB friends and are going to try to make plans to hang out sometime. She reminds me of my friend Sadie in a way. We had 4 minutes to talk to each person. It got really hard though, because the place was packed and i could hardly hear some of the people. I think the French girl started to get annoyed not being able to hear, and then there was an awkward silence. Then after that, I went back to my house, and then my housemate Kathleen from my school came back with some other EC girls and they had free passes to a nightclub so I decided to go out with them. Every night I had been tellling myself I was going to get a good night's sleep, but that didn't happen. Most nights this past week I got to bed between 1 and 3. Anyway, Trinity (the club) was crazy! A guy that Kathleen has gotten to know bought us each a shot, and then we danced but the music was sooooo loud. Oh, and let me tell you...the girls in Ireland dress, let's say, very provocatively when they go out. I probably only stayed at Trinity for a half hour, because 2 other girls decided they wanted to leave so I took a cab with them. My ears were still ringing when I got back to my room.
Friday we had more orientation, but it was pretty boring and monotonous. Then I walked around with Katie, Amanda from Platteville, and Liz from Stevens point and took pictures of the campus. We talked to an old Irish man walking his dog. I love the old Irish men lol they're so interesting and funny. Friday night, my first roommate was there. His name is Val. He is 18 and Irish. He's really nice and funny. We watched the 40 Year old Virgin and actually talked quite a bit. I ended up not getting to bed till like 2 or something.
Saturday, we had a bus tour of the city of Limerick. We saw King John's castle. It was super foggy Saturday. We also went outside of Limerick a little bit and saw Adare Village, a little touristy town. We got lunch at a pub/restaurant. I got the biggest bowl of stew ever. I didnt have time to eat much because we had to get back to the bus but I got a "take away" container and finished it for dinner. When I got back Val was making pasta, and he offered me some and we sat and watched a soap opera called Holly Oaks. Saturday night I drank with some EC people at my house and Val. They went out, but I stayed behind that time. I don't want to be spending so much money on taxis and going out...but I still did quite a bit I suppose this week.
Yesterday I did a bit more shopping with Katie and Amanda...got a nice puffy vest for 7 euro at penney's and some leggings for my dress. we explored the city a little more...got a little lost but saw a beautiful old church. Then I came back, laid in my bed for a bit, talked to Val, and went to dinner at Katie's because she cooked a delicious chicken stew. Then we were going to the Lodge, a nightclub within walking distance. We went over to House 3 where Kaitlyn and Colleen live, but got busted because guests have to be out by 11. We found out the Lodge was full, so we tried going to a club called Molly's. Took a cab all the way down there, but Molly's was full, so we just gave up and went back to Plassey. I hung out at Katie's with her housemates, Erin, a girl from South Dakota, Amanda, and Jessica, an Irish girl from Cork. Jessica and I left at the same time, and on our way out saw a guy getting arrested by the garda. When I got back to my house, met my other housemate, Leona, talked with Sean and Val for a few minutes, and then went to bed.
Today was the first day of classes. We get to try out classes for 2 weeks like I said. I just had the sociology class that I want to take at 4 PM. Here, 10 AM classes are just as bad as 8 and 9 AM classes at UWEC. I really enjoy the Irish's laidback style :) Tonight I am kind of just hiding out in my room because I am so tired I think I am trying to avoid social interaction so I don't get invited out or something. Not that I think I am soooo popular lol, but you never know. I might go to Katie's though to talk about our Paris trip we are going to take over Spring Break. :) Later everybody!
I don't know what it is, if it's the fact I still haven't adjusted to being 6 hours ahead, but let me tell you, time seems to FLY here, no matter what you are doing. This has been the fastest week of my life.
Well, to finish off last week, I had orientation on Thursday and Friday. On Thursday we got our student ID cards (my picture is ok...my hair is very windblown, but it could have definitely looked worse) My campus tour guide was named Dermot Donnelly. He was really funny and entertaining. he tried to teach us an Irish accent. An easy way to sound a little Irish I've realized is to take the "h" out of "th" words. like "three" is pronounced "tree." Dermot told us "Tree trees is a small forest." :) We were also warned that the Irish love to swear in normal conversation (which is not all that different from the U.S. but here I think it's a little worse) and that they are not sensitive about the use of the "C" word. Then Thursday night we went to The Stables again, the on campus pub we went to on the first night. The International Society was hosting a "Fast Friends" event, which is like speed dating, only just to meet people. I met an American, a French Girl, an Italian boy, a Spanish girl, a couple of Germans, and Louise a girl from Limerick. Louise and I actually met at the bar before the event began when we were buying drinks. She asked me if i was a "mover" or, a "Shaker" but she meant "sitter." We became FB friends and are going to try to make plans to hang out sometime. She reminds me of my friend Sadie in a way. We had 4 minutes to talk to each person. It got really hard though, because the place was packed and i could hardly hear some of the people. I think the French girl started to get annoyed not being able to hear, and then there was an awkward silence. Then after that, I went back to my house, and then my housemate Kathleen from my school came back with some other EC girls and they had free passes to a nightclub so I decided to go out with them. Every night I had been tellling myself I was going to get a good night's sleep, but that didn't happen. Most nights this past week I got to bed between 1 and 3. Anyway, Trinity (the club) was crazy! A guy that Kathleen has gotten to know bought us each a shot, and then we danced but the music was sooooo loud. Oh, and let me tell you...the girls in Ireland dress, let's say, very provocatively when they go out. I probably only stayed at Trinity for a half hour, because 2 other girls decided they wanted to leave so I took a cab with them. My ears were still ringing when I got back to my room.
Friday we had more orientation, but it was pretty boring and monotonous. Then I walked around with Katie, Amanda from Platteville, and Liz from Stevens point and took pictures of the campus. We talked to an old Irish man walking his dog. I love the old Irish men lol they're so interesting and funny. Friday night, my first roommate was there. His name is Val. He is 18 and Irish. He's really nice and funny. We watched the 40 Year old Virgin and actually talked quite a bit. I ended up not getting to bed till like 2 or something.
Saturday, we had a bus tour of the city of Limerick. We saw King John's castle. It was super foggy Saturday. We also went outside of Limerick a little bit and saw Adare Village, a little touristy town. We got lunch at a pub/restaurant. I got the biggest bowl of stew ever. I didnt have time to eat much because we had to get back to the bus but I got a "take away" container and finished it for dinner. When I got back Val was making pasta, and he offered me some and we sat and watched a soap opera called Holly Oaks. Saturday night I drank with some EC people at my house and Val. They went out, but I stayed behind that time. I don't want to be spending so much money on taxis and going out...but I still did quite a bit I suppose this week.
Yesterday I did a bit more shopping with Katie and Amanda...got a nice puffy vest for 7 euro at penney's and some leggings for my dress. we explored the city a little more...got a little lost but saw a beautiful old church. Then I came back, laid in my bed for a bit, talked to Val, and went to dinner at Katie's because she cooked a delicious chicken stew. Then we were going to the Lodge, a nightclub within walking distance. We went over to House 3 where Kaitlyn and Colleen live, but got busted because guests have to be out by 11. We found out the Lodge was full, so we tried going to a club called Molly's. Took a cab all the way down there, but Molly's was full, so we just gave up and went back to Plassey. I hung out at Katie's with her housemates, Erin, a girl from South Dakota, Amanda, and Jessica, an Irish girl from Cork. Jessica and I left at the same time, and on our way out saw a guy getting arrested by the garda. When I got back to my house, met my other housemate, Leona, talked with Sean and Val for a few minutes, and then went to bed.
Today was the first day of classes. We get to try out classes for 2 weeks like I said. I just had the sociology class that I want to take at 4 PM. Here, 10 AM classes are just as bad as 8 and 9 AM classes at UWEC. I really enjoy the Irish's laidback style :) Tonight I am kind of just hiding out in my room because I am so tired I think I am trying to avoid social interaction so I don't get invited out or something. Not that I think I am soooo popular lol, but you never know. I might go to Katie's though to talk about our Paris trip we are going to take over Spring Break. :) Later everybody!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Hello from Ireland!
Well, I have finally arrived! It was a long but fun journey. I am going to try not to bore you with details so i will break the events in to small chunks:
last day in USA: I had lunch with my friend Nikki at Applebee's! it was a lot of fun. then i did some last minute shopping and got my haircut. my mom and i spent the night at my parent's friends the
Bickel's. They cooked me a spaghetti dinner, and then I met up with Ellen for one last
American hangout (she and her sister Julie are going to visit in March!) Was given a 9:00 curfew because of my early day the next morning. Got home with 3 minutes to spare. Went to bed around 10:30. My mom suddenly asked if I wanted to sleep in her bed. I was a little surprised because usually she doesn't like sharing a bed with me because I am a cover hog, but I went over to her. Suddenly, we had both teared up. It was a good idea to get it out of our systems ahead of time though.
A day of travel: My mom and I got up at 5:00 the next morning, had breakfast, made sure I was all packed, and then she dropped me off at the shuttle van pick-up. I managed not to cry too much, and before I knew it, was on my way. I met up with another girl from Eau Claire when i first checked in for my flight. We went through security together and then found our gate. Our plane to Newark was SO small. Luckily, I didn't have too much of a problem flying, even though I am super scared of heights. It just felt normal. I am glad it wasn't my very first trip in a plane though! Then we got to Newark at about 2:30 their time. We found our gate, ad then began about a 5 hour layover. We stayed busy by playing cards (B.S. and a very intense game of spoons.) We took off at 7:25 PM. I was seated next to an older Irish man on the plane. I was excited about this, but he wasn't much of a talker. We talked a little bit before takeoff, but he started watching a movie and then fell asleep. I watched "The Devil Wears Prada" for a little while and he watched "Out of Africa" so apparently we are both Meryl Streep fans. I slept for quite awhile on the plane.
Arriving in Ireland: We got to Ireland at about 6:45 AM. We had to go through immigration to let them know we were international students. We picked up our luggage, and then got on a bus provided by the University of Limerick. We got to see some of the beautiful countryside, but seeing as we were moving, it did not make for great pictures. I got to my room in my suite-style house. I am living with another girl from Eau Claire incidently, which I was surprised because I thought they would have split us up more, but oh well. I did tell the housing place I wanted to switch so I could mix it up, but in the end decided to go back, because I realized it would be nice to have a familiar face. Last night we went out to a pub. I had my first Guinness, and this may offend some, but did not care for the taste of it. I ended up puking...oops. Guess I will have to find another drink to enjoy while I am here! I came back and went to bed because I hadn't slept very much and was quite jet lagged.
Day 2: Today I went shopping with a group of people for more supplies. We got on the bus and went "downtown" We went to a store called Argos, where you essentially flip through catalogs, jot down the number of the products you want, take it to the counter, and they get you the stuff from the back. An interesting concept. I had to let my hair air dry after taking a shower Tuesday night and it looked terrible! I know I am supposed to make adjustments living in a different country in some ways, but i am sorry when it comes to having semi-decent looking hair, I would like it a lot. I got a hair straightener for 7.49 Euro and a dryer for 11.99 Euro. Then we went to Penney's and I got a couple more towels, a blanket, and a laundry hamper, all for pretty cheap. After that, some of us stopped at McDonald's, which seemed just tooo American, but we were all pretty hungry. We did end up discovering a cultural difference though: They don't salt the French fries hardly, or if at all. They tasted pretty potato-y :) Then we went to a phone store. I was planning on using my American phone only, but I ended up getting a 50 euro pay-as-you-go phone. We can text each other for free using it! So it will be nice to be able to communicate with the students here via phone. After that, we went grocery shopping. There is a store called Aldi (basically Aldi's) not too far from Plassey. I got a couple cartons of yogurt, bananas, some Ramen-esque noodles, and a Pizza. I went to the store yesterday too, but only got muffins and milk because I didnt know what to buy but needed something!! side note--there are way more American restaurants here than I was expecting. I figured they'd have McDonald's, but today I saw a KFC, a Domino's, a Burger King and apparently they have Subway also. why would they want to eat like us in the US?
Tonight, a bunch of Eau Claire students went out again drinking, but I decided not to. I feel sort of boring, and wonder if maybe i should just let my hair down some more and celebrate this new adventure, and I have worried a little that maybe I am not doing this whole Irish thing right, but I am trying to remind myself it's the second day and I still have time, and I have met some pretty cool people who aren't party-hardy either. And honestly, I do enjoy drinking but I came here more for the traveling part and would rather save my money for that than binge-drinking. Tonight I hung out with my friend, aptly named Katie, who is from Eau Claire and she feels the same way. We discussed some places we would like travel to.
Our Irish roommates won't be here until the weekend. I am excited and nervous to meet them because they have a reputation to be messy and wild. But hey, maybe I do need a little more wild in my life! All in all though, I am having a fantastic time and am looking forward to what is to come! Miss you all. tomorrow I have orientation!
oooh---and also, my mom is going to be visiting March 17-20! She and some friends are going through a tour group, and Limerick is at the end which is perfect. She will be here for St. Patty's day! Woot! it will be great craic. That is Irish for "fun!" it is pronounced Crack. ;)
last day in USA: I had lunch with my friend Nikki at Applebee's! it was a lot of fun. then i did some last minute shopping and got my haircut. my mom and i spent the night at my parent's friends the
Bickel's. They cooked me a spaghetti dinner, and then I met up with Ellen for one last
American hangout (she and her sister Julie are going to visit in March!) Was given a 9:00 curfew because of my early day the next morning. Got home with 3 minutes to spare. Went to bed around 10:30. My mom suddenly asked if I wanted to sleep in her bed. I was a little surprised because usually she doesn't like sharing a bed with me because I am a cover hog, but I went over to her. Suddenly, we had both teared up. It was a good idea to get it out of our systems ahead of time though.
A day of travel: My mom and I got up at 5:00 the next morning, had breakfast, made sure I was all packed, and then she dropped me off at the shuttle van pick-up. I managed not to cry too much, and before I knew it, was on my way. I met up with another girl from Eau Claire when i first checked in for my flight. We went through security together and then found our gate. Our plane to Newark was SO small. Luckily, I didn't have too much of a problem flying, even though I am super scared of heights. It just felt normal. I am glad it wasn't my very first trip in a plane though! Then we got to Newark at about 2:30 their time. We found our gate, ad then began about a 5 hour layover. We stayed busy by playing cards (B.S. and a very intense game of spoons.) We took off at 7:25 PM. I was seated next to an older Irish man on the plane. I was excited about this, but he wasn't much of a talker. We talked a little bit before takeoff, but he started watching a movie and then fell asleep. I watched "The Devil Wears Prada" for a little while and he watched "Out of Africa" so apparently we are both Meryl Streep fans. I slept for quite awhile on the plane.
Arriving in Ireland: We got to Ireland at about 6:45 AM. We had to go through immigration to let them know we were international students. We picked up our luggage, and then got on a bus provided by the University of Limerick. We got to see some of the beautiful countryside, but seeing as we were moving, it did not make for great pictures. I got to my room in my suite-style house. I am living with another girl from Eau Claire incidently, which I was surprised because I thought they would have split us up more, but oh well. I did tell the housing place I wanted to switch so I could mix it up, but in the end decided to go back, because I realized it would be nice to have a familiar face. Last night we went out to a pub. I had my first Guinness, and this may offend some, but did not care for the taste of it. I ended up puking...oops. Guess I will have to find another drink to enjoy while I am here! I came back and went to bed because I hadn't slept very much and was quite jet lagged.
Day 2: Today I went shopping with a group of people for more supplies. We got on the bus and went "downtown" We went to a store called Argos, where you essentially flip through catalogs, jot down the number of the products you want, take it to the counter, and they get you the stuff from the back. An interesting concept. I had to let my hair air dry after taking a shower Tuesday night and it looked terrible! I know I am supposed to make adjustments living in a different country in some ways, but i am sorry when it comes to having semi-decent looking hair, I would like it a lot. I got a hair straightener for 7.49 Euro and a dryer for 11.99 Euro. Then we went to Penney's and I got a couple more towels, a blanket, and a laundry hamper, all for pretty cheap. After that, some of us stopped at McDonald's, which seemed just tooo American, but we were all pretty hungry. We did end up discovering a cultural difference though: They don't salt the French fries hardly, or if at all. They tasted pretty potato-y :) Then we went to a phone store. I was planning on using my American phone only, but I ended up getting a 50 euro pay-as-you-go phone. We can text each other for free using it! So it will be nice to be able to communicate with the students here via phone. After that, we went grocery shopping. There is a store called Aldi (basically Aldi's) not too far from Plassey. I got a couple cartons of yogurt, bananas, some Ramen-esque noodles, and a Pizza. I went to the store yesterday too, but only got muffins and milk because I didnt know what to buy but needed something!! side note--there are way more American restaurants here than I was expecting. I figured they'd have McDonald's, but today I saw a KFC, a Domino's, a Burger King and apparently they have Subway also. why would they want to eat like us in the US?
Tonight, a bunch of Eau Claire students went out again drinking, but I decided not to. I feel sort of boring, and wonder if maybe i should just let my hair down some more and celebrate this new adventure, and I have worried a little that maybe I am not doing this whole Irish thing right, but I am trying to remind myself it's the second day and I still have time, and I have met some pretty cool people who aren't party-hardy either. And honestly, I do enjoy drinking but I came here more for the traveling part and would rather save my money for that than binge-drinking. Tonight I hung out with my friend, aptly named Katie, who is from Eau Claire and she feels the same way. We discussed some places we would like travel to.
Our Irish roommates won't be here until the weekend. I am excited and nervous to meet them because they have a reputation to be messy and wild. But hey, maybe I do need a little more wild in my life! All in all though, I am having a fantastic time and am looking forward to what is to come! Miss you all. tomorrow I have orientation!
oooh---and also, my mom is going to be visiting March 17-20! She and some friends are going through a tour group, and Limerick is at the end which is perfect. She will be here for St. Patty's day! Woot! it will be great craic. That is Irish for "fun!" it is pronounced Crack. ;)
Saturday, January 16, 2010
A Day of Packing and Irish-American cinema.
Well, after multiple trips to Walgreens to pick up last minute items, I am rapidly coming closer and closer to being all packed! I am dead tired from the zillions of trips up and down the stairs i have made from my bedroom to my suitcases and from cleaning up my bedroom which was a complete disaster area from trying to decide what to take. I also made a pile of clothes that can be given to Goodwill because they no longer fit or I never wear and are just taking up space....therefore a very productive afternoon.
Earlier this afternoon, my mother and I went to see the movie "Leap Year." Upon first seeing previews in December, I was intrigued by the fact it took place in Ireland, but thought it looked like just another predictable romantic comedy and didn't really have any serious interest in seeing it. However, I recently read a review of it and while it led me to believe that yes indeed it was just another story of girl-meets-guy-but-at-first-finds-him-annoying-and-vice-versa-but-then-they-change-their-minds-and-fall-in-love, it said it featured wonderful Irish scenery, of places in Ireland I have heard of and want to visit, so I was like why not? I ended up really liking it all-in-all. It was pretty funny, and of course, there was a good looking dude in it. "P.S. I Love You" may have made me want to go to Ireland first, but I gotta say this movie hands down trumps that movie with Irish scenery. I guess that's unfair since most of "Leap Year" takes place there, but I digress. Oh, and I also kept whispering to my mother about things I knew about Ireland from my preparations, and how they made it seem like it wasn't going to take all that long to get from Dingle to Dublin when the two are on opposite sides of the country from each other. Oh well. The point of this story I guess is it got me 10 zillion times more excited since it was a glimpse of what awaits me over there. I was starting to feel a little nervous this morning, and my mom gave me a "good luck" card with a bunch of shamrocks and so there were a few tears, but thanks partly to this movie, I feel more calm, and I think it even made my mom want to visit more. She has toyed with the idea, but it's definitely a matter of money. I don't want her to feel obligated, but it'd be awesome if she did.
Well tomorrow we are headed to Eau Claire. I am running a few more errands, having lunch with Nikki, a friend from H.S. and maybe hanging with Ellen if she gets off work early in the afternoon. Then we are staying at some friends overnight before I catch my shuttle to MSP. I'm nervous for the goodbye with my mom....I'm afraid I'll get way too emotional. I am tearing up as I write this lol. I keep telling myself with the Internet, we'll be in touch nearly as much as when I am at Eau Claire, we'll just be 4,000 miles away instead of 100 something. ;)
Well, to sign off, I think I will post a poem that was in the St. Patrick's Day card my parents sent me last year:
The Little Roads of Ireland
by Katherine Edelman (born in Co. Tipperary, Ireland)
The Roman roads run outward from the city on the hills,
And Holland's roads will take you by gaily painted mills,
Small pathways of the East will lead to China's ancient wall,
but the little roads of Ireland are the loveliest of all
In Normandy small roadways through flowering orchards run,
The ancient roads of Syria flash under shining sun,
And winding beauty lingers where the Rhine and Danube roll-
But the little roads of Ireland entwine around your soul.
From Dublin Bay to Galway, from Cork to Derry town,
From Antrim to Killarney, they ramble up and down
And though you are ten thousand miles
from where they twist and wind,
the little roads of Ireland stay forever in your mind.
Next time you hear from me, I will be in Ireland! :)
Earlier this afternoon, my mother and I went to see the movie "Leap Year." Upon first seeing previews in December, I was intrigued by the fact it took place in Ireland, but thought it looked like just another predictable romantic comedy and didn't really have any serious interest in seeing it. However, I recently read a review of it and while it led me to believe that yes indeed it was just another story of girl-meets-guy-but-at-first-finds-him-annoying-and-vice-versa-but-then-they-change-their-minds-and-fall-in-love, it said it featured wonderful Irish scenery, of places in Ireland I have heard of and want to visit, so I was like why not? I ended up really liking it all-in-all. It was pretty funny, and of course, there was a good looking dude in it. "P.S. I Love You" may have made me want to go to Ireland first, but I gotta say this movie hands down trumps that movie with Irish scenery. I guess that's unfair since most of "Leap Year" takes place there, but I digress. Oh, and I also kept whispering to my mother about things I knew about Ireland from my preparations, and how they made it seem like it wasn't going to take all that long to get from Dingle to Dublin when the two are on opposite sides of the country from each other. Oh well. The point of this story I guess is it got me 10 zillion times more excited since it was a glimpse of what awaits me over there. I was starting to feel a little nervous this morning, and my mom gave me a "good luck" card with a bunch of shamrocks and so there were a few tears, but thanks partly to this movie, I feel more calm, and I think it even made my mom want to visit more. She has toyed with the idea, but it's definitely a matter of money. I don't want her to feel obligated, but it'd be awesome if she did.
Well tomorrow we are headed to Eau Claire. I am running a few more errands, having lunch with Nikki, a friend from H.S. and maybe hanging with Ellen if she gets off work early in the afternoon. Then we are staying at some friends overnight before I catch my shuttle to MSP. I'm nervous for the goodbye with my mom....I'm afraid I'll get way too emotional. I am tearing up as I write this lol. I keep telling myself with the Internet, we'll be in touch nearly as much as when I am at Eau Claire, we'll just be 4,000 miles away instead of 100 something. ;)
Well, to sign off, I think I will post a poem that was in the St. Patrick's Day card my parents sent me last year:
The Little Roads of Ireland
by Katherine Edelman (born in Co. Tipperary, Ireland)
The Roman roads run outward from the city on the hills,
And Holland's roads will take you by gaily painted mills,
Small pathways of the East will lead to China's ancient wall,
but the little roads of Ireland are the loveliest of all
In Normandy small roadways through flowering orchards run,
The ancient roads of Syria flash under shining sun,
And winding beauty lingers where the Rhine and Danube roll-
But the little roads of Ireland entwine around your soul.
From Dublin Bay to Galway, from Cork to Derry town,
From Antrim to Killarney, they ramble up and down
And though you are ten thousand miles
from where they twist and wind,
the little roads of Ireland stay forever in your mind.
Next time you hear from me, I will be in Ireland! :)
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
tick tock, tick tock, tick tock.....
Top o' the mornin to ya! (or evening, I suppose).
(don't worry; i'm not going to say dorky things like that while I'm over there.)
As you may know, I am going to be studying abroad in Limerick, Ireland this upcoming semester. I didn't plan on writing an entry so soon before I go, but the blog looked so sad and blank, and plus, knowing me I will probably need as much time before I leave to make sure I haven't forgotten anything, so I may as well get the "before-I-go" entry out of the way.
I admit, I first got interested in visiting Ireland partly after seeing "P.S. I Love You" and wanting to find a sexy Irish man of my own, but I also found the country itself very beautiful and interesting. My mother's red hair clearly indicates I have some Irish heritage. I am extremely excited and a little nervous, but mostly excited. I am mainly worried about missing my family and friends terribly, and that I will come back to the U.S. penniless, but my parents assure that they won't let that happen.
I leave on the 18th. I am taking the shuttle from Eau Claire to the Minneapolis/St.Paul Airport at 6:45 AM..which means I am going to have to navigate the airport by myself, which to some might not seem that hard, but I have only been to an international airport once before, and that was just this past spring break! I am going to have to get my luggage checked, go through security, and get to my gate for my 10:50 AM flight. I will be meeting up with many of the other students going (there are 15 of us total) A few are also flying from Chicago. We will then be flying to Newark. Incidentally, both of these airports have been in the news lately for security breaches and what not. I'm hoping things go smoothly that day! At 7:25 PM, I believe, our plane will be taking off to Shannon, Ireland! We won't get there till about 6:45 AM, and they are 6 hours ahead. We will then have to fill out immigration cards, since we will be there for a few months, and apparently that's the amount of time required to temporarily immigrate to Ireland (i should probably be more aware of the laws!) The University of Limerick will pick us up and take us to the University. We then have orientation and what not. Classes start January 25. We've been told the first couple weeks we get to try out classes, and then we register for the ones we want! I have a general idea of the ones I want to get requirements at UWEC i still need, but I might end up surprised!
While I am abroad, I really want to travel all over Europe. Despite having many fun memories from my childhood, most of the vacations I experienced growing up were going to our family cabin, and while it's nice having your own place to vacation to, I have been longing to see other parts of the country, and now apparently, other parts of the world. Here are some places I am specifically really hoping to go to, although if given the opportunity, I'd go pretty much anywhere:
1. Paris, France. I have been talking to another girl going to Ireland with me about going to Paris over Spring Break. The UWEC band will be there too and she has friends in it, so she is going to see them too.
2. Auschwitz. As depressing and morbid as that sounds, I think it would be extremely cool to go there and see it, and a life changing event.
3. Italy.
4. Portugal--I never really knew much about Portugal or thought of it as a place I'd want to go, but I started researching it and they have beauuuutiful beaches.
5. Greece. I don't know if this is going to happen, because it's a bit of a stretch, and from the looks of it, expensive, but Greece is another place I have always wanted to go.
Well, I wrote way more than I was planning to, and I don't want to bore whoever might be reading this, so this is all for now. I'm not sure if I'll write again before I go, but I thought I'd kick things off :)
Later!
(don't worry; i'm not going to say dorky things like that while I'm over there.)
As you may know, I am going to be studying abroad in Limerick, Ireland this upcoming semester. I didn't plan on writing an entry so soon before I go, but the blog looked so sad and blank, and plus, knowing me I will probably need as much time before I leave to make sure I haven't forgotten anything, so I may as well get the "before-I-go" entry out of the way.
I admit, I first got interested in visiting Ireland partly after seeing "P.S. I Love You" and wanting to find a sexy Irish man of my own, but I also found the country itself very beautiful and interesting. My mother's red hair clearly indicates I have some Irish heritage. I am extremely excited and a little nervous, but mostly excited. I am mainly worried about missing my family and friends terribly, and that I will come back to the U.S. penniless, but my parents assure that they won't let that happen.
I leave on the 18th. I am taking the shuttle from Eau Claire to the Minneapolis/St.Paul Airport at 6:45 AM..which means I am going to have to navigate the airport by myself, which to some might not seem that hard, but I have only been to an international airport once before, and that was just this past spring break! I am going to have to get my luggage checked, go through security, and get to my gate for my 10:50 AM flight. I will be meeting up with many of the other students going (there are 15 of us total) A few are also flying from Chicago. We will then be flying to Newark. Incidentally, both of these airports have been in the news lately for security breaches and what not. I'm hoping things go smoothly that day! At 7:25 PM, I believe, our plane will be taking off to Shannon, Ireland! We won't get there till about 6:45 AM, and they are 6 hours ahead. We will then have to fill out immigration cards, since we will be there for a few months, and apparently that's the amount of time required to temporarily immigrate to Ireland (i should probably be more aware of the laws!) The University of Limerick will pick us up and take us to the University. We then have orientation and what not. Classes start January 25. We've been told the first couple weeks we get to try out classes, and then we register for the ones we want! I have a general idea of the ones I want to get requirements at UWEC i still need, but I might end up surprised!
While I am abroad, I really want to travel all over Europe. Despite having many fun memories from my childhood, most of the vacations I experienced growing up were going to our family cabin, and while it's nice having your own place to vacation to, I have been longing to see other parts of the country, and now apparently, other parts of the world. Here are some places I am specifically really hoping to go to, although if given the opportunity, I'd go pretty much anywhere:
1. Paris, France. I have been talking to another girl going to Ireland with me about going to Paris over Spring Break. The UWEC band will be there too and she has friends in it, so she is going to see them too.
2. Auschwitz. As depressing and morbid as that sounds, I think it would be extremely cool to go there and see it, and a life changing event.
3. Italy.
4. Portugal--I never really knew much about Portugal or thought of it as a place I'd want to go, but I started researching it and they have beauuuutiful beaches.
5. Greece. I don't know if this is going to happen, because it's a bit of a stretch, and from the looks of it, expensive, but Greece is another place I have always wanted to go.
Well, I wrote way more than I was planning to, and I don't want to bore whoever might be reading this, so this is all for now. I'm not sure if I'll write again before I go, but I thought I'd kick things off :)
Later!
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