Connemara

Yesterday, I decided that, although Galway is beautiful, I had better get out of the city to help out my pocketbook. I took an all-day bus tour to Connemara that left right from our hostel. The trip consisted of a scenic tour, including stops in a little town, picturesque landscapes, and at Kylemore Abbey. The bus driver referenced many films along the way, including “The Quiet Man”, which has made the Quiet Man’s Bridge quite famous.

Also, a film called “The Field” had many scenes shot around Connemara, including at a pub we stopped at for irish coffees. 

By the way, only in Ireland will you find tour bus drivers who have no shame having a pint or so at every town we stopped in, announcing over the speakers that a few shots that morning helped to steady his nerves for the difficult roads. He was quite giddy while narrating the tour, and laughing heartily at all of his own jokes.

Although the whole trip was beautiful, I have to admit that the abbey was my favorite stop along the way. It included the extravagant Manchester estate, a victorian walled garden, and a church. Once again, words fail me in describing this breathtaking area:

I can’t fully describe the beauty of the countryside and coast, but if you click the link below, you will find all of the photos I took:

Connemara

Galway

Looking to get away for the weekend, some friends and I hopped a bus to Galway. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I was ready to see a city most have described to me as the most beautiful in Ireland. We stayed in the Kinlay House hostel, which was also voted one of the best in Ireland. As the trip proceeded, I came to the same conclusion: I was in the most beautiful city, in the best hostel possible.

What made Galway so beautiful to me was the combination of scenic streets filled with unique shops, the proximity to the ocean, and the stunning murals and live music found around every corner. I would adore living here. A picture is worth a thousand words, and I took loads of them, but here are some of the highlights:

 

I filled my days there visiting the Galway Museum and the farmers market, wandering around the coastline and city centre, eating delicious food (Derek, you would have had a field day), and shopping. Lots and lots of shopping (for “essentials” I neglected to buy before leaving the States – best decision I ever made).

At night, visited a variety of pubs and clubs, including a Coyote Ugly knock off, which was interesting to say the least. The pub we couldn’t help returning to multiple times each night was The Kings Head. It had different bands playing each night, covering everything from The Red Hot Chili Peppers to Twisted Sister. The music all over town was surprisingly good, but the bands at The Kings Head were by far the best, which is why I kept returning (not to mention, they make a mean passion fruit mojito).

In a nutshell, this town is absolutely wonderful and I would go back again in a second.

Miscellaneous Observations

1. There are dogs everywhere. They definitely seem to be the pet of choice. I see lots of people walking them around campus and I am always impressed by how well trained they are. Rarely are the dogs kept on leashes, and I have yet to see one stray from its owner’s side. It makes me really miss having a dog. Also, there are a few stray cats just walking around campus. I’m not sure if they have homes or not.

2. Just because we speak the same language, doesn’t mean we speak the same language. I have an extremely hard time understanding what many of the Irish students here are saying. This lack of understanding stems from both the accent and the use of slang that I am unfamiliar with. The professors, for the most part, are more easily understood. Some terms I have to get used to are:

            - using “lads” instead of “guys”

- saying “craic” instead of “fun” – this is hard to get used to because I’m so conditioned to immediately think of “crack”, when someone tells me where to find “good craic” or asks if I have “had craic” that night.

- the overwhelming use of “f***” being sprinkled throughout every sentence, by students and professors alike.

3. These Irish students are not nearly as dependent upon the internet as American students are. Sure, our classes provide information on a website called Solis (think Ctools), but the internet is not necessary to these kids’ survival. My internet is spotty at best and completely cut off at its worst. Also, none of the websites I use to watch TV shows on work in Ireland (gahhh right when the new season of Tosh.0 started). I can’t even convey how disconnected from the world I feel when my internet isn’t working. It’s frustrating and puts me completely on edge. I asked one of my roommates how to get the internet fixed. He said that he had noticed that his wasn’t working either (in fact it was out in the whole house), but he wasn’t worried about it. “C’est la vie”, he said, and my jaw dropped. I’ve pretty much been occupying my time by drawing, choreographing, wandering around, and going to the pub with friends. Oh hey, wait a minute…this is actually a good thing…? I’ve never once thought that I would appreciate not having internet, but it’s interesting to see what sort of activities I fill my time up with.

4. I charged my phone for the first time a week ago and it still has 2/4 bars of charge left. Amazing.

5. I live with four boys and one girl (apparently, but I’ve never seen her). I’m interested to see what it’s like living with so many guys, excuse me, lads. I wonder how the mess/noise level will compare with the last two houses I’ve lived in.

Tuesdays are the Best Days

On Tuesdays, the center of campus is converted into a farmers market, which is about a seven minute walk from my apartment. There are stalls selling fresh produce, baked goods, confections, tea, oils and spices, and freshly prepared meals. I’m fairly certain of two things:

1. Tuesdays are now my favorite day of the week

2. I will probably never go to the grocery store again

Here are my takings for the day:

All of this cost me a modest €11.25, which is fabulous compared to grocery store prices. However, my enthusiasm about local fresh produce cannot rival the excitement I felt when I noticed that the next stall over was selling sushi. I almost cried. As far as I have seen, Limerick has Chinese, Indian, Thai and Middle Eastern restaurants, but nowhere to buy sushi. This is a serious problem for me, considering I eat sushi ALL the time in the States. Unfortunately, the stand only had various types of California rolls, but they had good smoked fish and would custom make rolls. I opted for the smoked salmon with chives and avocado.

It was expensive and not the greatest sushi in the world, but in my desperation, it was delicious. Now, Tuesdays are officially sushi days.

At this point, all of the excitement had made my already searing caffeine withdrawal headache absolutely unbearable. The campus Starbucks took a while to find, walking in circles and getting lost multiple times in the building maze. The journey was necessary. My friend, Caroline, and I made our way there to sit and eat our market purchases. She enjoyed her savory vegetable and cheese tart, while I indulged in a Venti coffee (the cashier didn’t even know where the button was on the register).

I love Tuesdays.

The Hunt Museum

Well, the dreaded Nordic and Celtic Mythology class I took last semester has finally begun to pay off. After visiting the City Centre, I was itching to go back the next day. What better excuse than visiting a museum? 

The Hunt museum contains three floors of art and historical artifacts. A lot of their collection is kept in unmarked drawers, so you spend a good deal of a visit pulling out drawers, to be surprised by an axe head collection, sketches, evening gown designs, etc. I have to admit that my visit was greatly enhanced by my knowledge of ancient Ireland and the Celts.

Here's the museum's website: The Hunt Museum

Limerick City Centre

During orientation, we were given a bus tour of town. The first words out of the driver’s mouth were, “Welcome to Limerick. Did you bring your bulletproof vests?” (I thought I was supposed to be FURTHER from Detroit.) The driver then assured us that there wasn’t much to worry about, the city is just in the midst of a drug war between two gangs. Then, he sprinkled the rest of the tour with information on helpful landmarks, accompanied by colorful descriptions of shootings and/or other crimes that had happened recently at each one. The story of the week was this little number: http://www.herald.ie/national-news/little-girl-injured-by-maniac-carjacker-2505764.html

Then, out of nowhere we pull up at King John’s Castle, on the River Shannon, which is beautiful. 

This tour left me feeling a bit unsettled, but when I actually went to explore Limerick myself, I felt it was much safer than it was cracked up to be. I'm known to have a keen (some would argue paranoid) sense of danger, but I just wasn't feeling it here. When we asked someone on the bus into City Centre about the safety, they said to keep your head down and mind your own business. Following that advice, I got off the bus and realized just after a few blocks that I love this city.

 

I love this mural. It was on one of the many side streets I ventured down.

 

There was Munster Rugby pride everywhere. After looking around the city, we went to a sports pub to watch the rugby game on TV. Learning the rules of the sport is something I need to work on.

Ireland is "Green"

I am extremely impressed by the small amount of consumption here. There is a strong emphasis on energy conservation and recycling, both on campus and off. Every student is given a certain amount of energy for the semester, and if you exceed this limit, you are charged for your use. This translates to me frantically unplugging everything in my room and turning off the heater every time I leave. Also, the buildings are cold. I mean, the wear your coat and hat inside kind of cold. When I charged up my little cell phone, a message popped up that said, “Battery is full, unplug from wall to save energy.” That was four days ago and the battery is still showing all bars of charge. At the grocery store, don’t even think about getting bags for your purchases. On an interesting side note, I can successfully fit ten apples inside my purse. Obviously, the small cars and use of public transportation play a large role in their energy efficiency as well. I think most Americans like the idea of energy conservation, but when it comes to actually being more efficient, it’s an uncomfortable change (especially when you’re huddled in your bed at night, wearing layers of every set of pajamas you have). The most distressing change for me personally, is the small size of their soft drinks. No, I don’t care so much that the coke bottles are teeny-tiny. But, my BELOVED coffee is only served in minuscule amounts.

 This is a large, and it cost me around $2.50 (I’m not quite sure about the conversion). Heartbreaking.

However, in the midst of all these environmentally friendly practices, I find a completely contradictory amount of trash laying everywhere. This is a typical roadside view:

 Where are all the prisoners to clean this up?!

I’m hoping I’ll quickly adapt to this “greener” lifestyle and keep up the good habits when I return to the States.

Let the Adjusting Begin

After airport delays, a six hour flight, and a four hour bus ride, I finally made it to the University of Limerick Campus yesterday. Awkwardly walking in what I believed to be the general direction of the village I’m living in, I came to a bridge with a Dromroe Village sign beside it. I thought, “You have got to be kidding me!” and couldn’t help but smile.

This is the view:

I live in a rather spacious six bedroom apartment with a communal living room, kitchen, and balcony that overlooks that stream. This is the view out the window:

I have only met one of my suitemates, but he immediately offered me a cup of tea. I think I am going to like it here.  We watched “Pimp my Ride” together and he mentioned that he thinks “Jersey Shore” is hilarious. Good job America. At least he appreciates the South Park version of Jersey Shore as well. My friends will understand how utterly important that is to me.

I spent today wandering around the outskirts of Limerick. I picked up the essentials, namely a cell phone, yogurt, and apples (Ionut, you understand). Then, I went to The Stables Club, a campus pub, and met some Americans there. The campus is pretty much only filled with international students right now. All the rest of the Irish students will show up next week, I am told. International Orientation is tomorrow, so I have to wake up fairly early for that. I’m just praying that my new cell phone has a strong enough alarm.

Arin and Phil, this one's for you:

Goodbye Ann Arbor

I have lived in the same town my entire life. For twenty-one years, I have called Ann Arbor, Michigan home. After the disheartening realization that I was not going to leave this town for college, my thoughts turned to finding a means of escape. During my freshmen year at the University of Michigan, I spent a great deal of my free time wandering around the arboretum, listening to my iPod while eventually making my way down to the river, where I would sit, sometimes for hours, daydreaming and making grand plans to travel the world. Eventually, I resolved to stop imagining and make my dreams of traveling into reality. Frantically, I searched through the Kinesiology GoGlobal website, hunting for the ideal program. Though I envisioned myself spending a semester everywhere from Ghana to Australia, I eventually settled on Ireland.

Fast-forward two years: I am growing increasingly disenchanted with my major, my boyfriend just dumped me, and I am questioning and reprioritizing almost every aspect of my life. It’s time for a change (with a larger impact than a new hairstyle or piercing). So, I leave for Ireland tomorrow to study at the University of Limerick. At the risk of reinforcing the popular belief among my friends that I am a “hippie”, I feel it’s appropriate to reference one of my favorite Cat Stevens songs.

On The Road to Find Out

Well I left my happy home to see what I could find out
I left my folk and friends with the aim to clear my mind out
Well I hit the rowdy road and many kinds I met there
Many stories told me of the way to get there

So on and on I go, the seconds tick the time out
There's so much left to know, and I'm on the road to find out
Well in the end I'll know, but on the way I wonder
Through descending snow, and through the frost and thunder
Well, I listen to the wind come howl, telling me I have to hurry
I listen to the robin's song saying not to worry

So on and on I go, the seconds tick the time out
There's so much left to know, and I'm on the road to find out
Then I found myself alone, hopin' someone would miss me
Thinking about my home, and the last [man] to kiss me, kiss me
But sometimes you have to moan when nothing seems to suit you
But nevertheless you know you're locked towards the future…