(no subject)
Ok, I suppose I should delve into a more extensive update of my trip so far. After the hell I went through to get here, which included getting rerouted several times and having my suitcase left in London, I'm now happily settled in Galway, with the O'Connell family. It's weird to be living with a family you don't know, who feeds you and changes your sheets and towels. I'm not saying that I don't enjoy being spoiled a bit, but it'll be strange to go back to dorm life after this.
The Aran Islands (the cause of all the painful bruises) were absolutely beautiful. The cliffs were completely sheer rock faces, and absolutely overwhelming. It was a hell of a climb to get to them, but every minute was worth every bruise or scrape I got. We even got to hear a mass done entirely in Irish, which was pretty cool, considering that just about everyone else here speaks English.
The only bad thing about being here is that it's really hard to communicate with my friends. I only have internet access when I'm on campus, which invariably means that my friends are either asleep or at work when I can get online, and I'm asleep or the lab's locked when they're online. Email's doable, but most people don't check or respond that often, so I get frustrated.
I've pretty much picked out my favorite places here in Galway, one of which is the walk from my house to school. Depending on the time of day, it can remind me of Clinton or I feel like I'm trying to cross the street during rush hour in NYC. There's also this great restaurant called the Couch Potato. Its main course is a potato with various types of topppings, which include pizza, carbonara, mushroom sauces, etc, etc. Kind of ironic, considering the potato bllight in the mid nineteenth century. There's a Parisian coffee shop, right across the street from the Couch Potato, that Katie and I went to yesterday after mass in the Cathedral. The cathedral was gorgeous, and the coffee shop was great. The people who work there are all french, they had a french movie playing, and they have the best mochas and brownies I've ever had. Saturday I went out, which was my first real night out. It went fine, nothing major to tell or anything dramatic happening. The rest of the weekend was fairly slow-paced. I slept for a lot of the time on Sunday, since I didn't get back until 2:30 in the morning. Friday night Katie, Kathleen & I walked along the salmon weir that runs between the University and the rest of the city, and we had such a fun time. This old Irish guy stopped to talk to us, and he ended up attempting to teach us a few phrases in Irish, and then he serenaded us with Dean Martin songs!! He wasn't a bad singer, but I had the hardest time trying to keep a straight face! It was just so unexpected and entertaining. It more than made up for having had a really awful dinner that gave me indigestion later.
Classes started today, and so far, I like the two I'm enrolled in. I'm also taking an Irish Language class, in addition to the history and Gaelic Literature and Culture that I'm taking for credit. There's also an optional class on Modern Irish Art, which I may sit in on, just because the professor who's coordinating the Irish Studies Program kept emphasizing integration, and how you can't understand just one piece of the puzzle that's Ireland's background. I thought, what the hell? I'm here, so I might as well take advantage of it. I'll probably never have an opportunity like this again. The professors have all been really interesting, especially my history professor who took us through the entire 16th century in an hour. I know we only have 4 weeks to learn 4 centuries, really, but I wish some of the professors at Muhlenberg could move through their classes like that.
I guess that's all for now. I'll update (or email) again soon. :)
-me-
The Aran Islands (the cause of all the painful bruises) were absolutely beautiful. The cliffs were completely sheer rock faces, and absolutely overwhelming. It was a hell of a climb to get to them, but every minute was worth every bruise or scrape I got. We even got to hear a mass done entirely in Irish, which was pretty cool, considering that just about everyone else here speaks English.
The only bad thing about being here is that it's really hard to communicate with my friends. I only have internet access when I'm on campus, which invariably means that my friends are either asleep or at work when I can get online, and I'm asleep or the lab's locked when they're online. Email's doable, but most people don't check or respond that often, so I get frustrated.
I've pretty much picked out my favorite places here in Galway, one of which is the walk from my house to school. Depending on the time of day, it can remind me of Clinton or I feel like I'm trying to cross the street during rush hour in NYC. There's also this great restaurant called the Couch Potato. Its main course is a potato with various types of topppings, which include pizza, carbonara, mushroom sauces, etc, etc. Kind of ironic, considering the potato bllight in the mid nineteenth century. There's a Parisian coffee shop, right across the street from the Couch Potato, that Katie and I went to yesterday after mass in the Cathedral. The cathedral was gorgeous, and the coffee shop was great. The people who work there are all french, they had a french movie playing, and they have the best mochas and brownies I've ever had. Saturday I went out, which was my first real night out. It went fine, nothing major to tell or anything dramatic happening. The rest of the weekend was fairly slow-paced. I slept for a lot of the time on Sunday, since I didn't get back until 2:30 in the morning. Friday night Katie, Kathleen & I walked along the salmon weir that runs between the University and the rest of the city, and we had such a fun time. This old Irish guy stopped to talk to us, and he ended up attempting to teach us a few phrases in Irish, and then he serenaded us with Dean Martin songs!! He wasn't a bad singer, but I had the hardest time trying to keep a straight face! It was just so unexpected and entertaining. It more than made up for having had a really awful dinner that gave me indigestion later.
Classes started today, and so far, I like the two I'm enrolled in. I'm also taking an Irish Language class, in addition to the history and Gaelic Literature and Culture that I'm taking for credit. There's also an optional class on Modern Irish Art, which I may sit in on, just because the professor who's coordinating the Irish Studies Program kept emphasizing integration, and how you can't understand just one piece of the puzzle that's Ireland's background. I thought, what the hell? I'm here, so I might as well take advantage of it. I'll probably never have an opportunity like this again. The professors have all been really interesting, especially my history professor who took us through the entire 16th century in an hour. I know we only have 4 weeks to learn 4 centuries, really, but I wish some of the professors at Muhlenberg could move through their classes like that.
I guess that's all for now. I'll update (or email) again soon. :)
-me-