Reflections

So, it's been about 4 weeks since my arrival in Dublin. Once in a while when I'm walking down the street to class or to do some grocery shopping, I reflect on everything that's happened so far. So much has happened in only 4 weeks that I feel like I've been living here forever. Not in a bad way, of course. I mean, my roommates and I have a sort of routine going, chores list, etc. We have a certain route we take to and from school everyday, we've got some coffee shops we enjoy, this great crepe place, and a local pub to go to for a pint on evenings. Sometimes I'm really happy I'm here in Dublin, experiencing a new culture and lifestyle. And, other times, I get really homesick and crave the security and familiarity that is not only home and Mount Holyoke, but also the United States in general. Life here is a lot slower, less tense. Living in a city is something that bothers me often. It's loud and crowded, the apartment is small. Coffee shops are always packed. The library is never quick, you can't find a place to study. There's no where to really hang out. Dublin is quite international. It's not the quintessential Ireland at all. The college system at Trinity is extremely different than anything I've ever experienced. I mean, just going from a school from 2,000 to 17,000 is a shock. 

Shopping, cooking, cleaning, locking the apartment--these simple things seem so foreign. It's fun and exciting sometimes, but then I realize how much work it is to live on your own. 

It's only been 4 weeks but already I've learned so much. Things I already know about myself have been confirmed-that fact that I don't like cities or big schools. It's expensive, I've learned and it's tempting everyday to stop and get a coffee and croissant. I think that being here is great. Difficult, but great. It make me realize how much I take for granted all that I have back home and at Mount Holyoke. 

Well, roommates are getting ready to go out clubbing-music is blasting and people are dancing. I've decided to stay in, drink some tea, eat some and watch tv. My kind of night. 2 classes in the morning. Sigh

DUISS Galway Trip

Just got back from the Dublin University International Students Society (DUISS) weekend trip to Galway, which was absolutely amazing. You can't experience the heart of Ireland without going ot the West. 

We left Friday night around 6pm and make it to the hostel in Galway around 10pm. The hostel was really nice. We had to climb up these very very steep stairs. There were hand painted murals on the walls, one was a girl sitting on a windowsill looking out at the water in Galway harbor, another one was a old looking gate of an inn, with one candle lit in the corner. It was like beckoning wearing travelers into the inn. Upstairs in the hostel, there was the reception, big dining area with tables and chairs and a mural on the wall. Down the corridor was a kitchen area. I've never seen a hostel before or knew how they worked. Apparently you can bring your own food and use the kitchen to cook all your meals. The rooms of the hostel are dorm style, we were 8 to a room, complete with summer camp style bunk beds. One big bathroom for girls at the other end of the hall, boys as well. After arriving and settling in, we headed out to the pubs! We only had about a 3 minute walk to the downtown area of Galway. The street where the strip of pubs were located was cobblestone, it reminded me a lot of Nantucket actually. We went to the King's Head pub which was great! It was huge, for a pub, complete with live music. The lead singer was a women with a great voice and she sang tons of popular songs so we could dance and sing along. We found a place to sit near the stage to hang out and put our coats down. Almost at the end of the night, a guy randomly got on stage and started making a speech. We didn't really know what was going on but after a few minutes, we realized he was....proposing to his girlfriend! On stage, at the pub! We're not sure, but he was pretty gone at that point, his speech went something like this, "I've know you for 8 years, I met you in gym class and you made me sweaty, will you marry me?" Haha, it was great and unexpected all at the same time. Of course his girlfriend said yes, she gave him a big hug (no kiss?) and everyone cheered. We got back to the hostel around 2am, pretty late considering we had to wake up the next day at 8am.

Saturday we woke up at 8, had a breakfast of cereal and toast and headed out for Inis Mor, the largest of the Aran Islands, famous for their wool sweaters and 'Gaeltecht' or Gaelic-speaking region. It took about an hour to drive to the ferry. It was a really great ride to the ferry because we got to watch the sun really hit the sky. We drove along the beach as well; our introduction to some beautiful Irish scenery. At 10:30am we got on the little boat to take us to Inis Mor. The water looked a bit choppy because it was windy, but I thought it'd be okay. I'm pretty used to boats, going to Nantucket and all. I made the mistake though of sitting in the front of the boat and it was quite rocky. Back and forth, up and down, hitting waves. I was not a happy camper. Thank goodness it was only a 40 minute ride. Getting off the boat, I got a wonderful wiff of fresh sea air. It was nice to be back on an island again. The air was so crisp and fresh. Right at the dock was the bike rental place and we all rented bikes for the day, only 6 euro. Then we headed off to go exploring. We were hungry and wanted to find some place to eat, but the only thing we came across was a SPAR and a little coffee shop. There were two cats hanging around outside, they were so cute! I had to pet them, of course. One of the cats had some sort of tumor or something on its nose, so we said the cat was Jewish, it had quite the Jewish nose. So, not being able to find a place to eat, we just decided to keep biking. The bike ride was wonderful! We saw cows, goats, horses, dogs and cats. I can't even describe the landscape, it was gorgeous. The Aran Islands is exactly what you think about when you imagine Ireland. Stone walls everywhere, beautiful green fields, rocky coastlines and everything. About ten minutes into our ride, we got hit with a terrible hailstorm! It only lasted about 5 minutes but it was so painful I had to get off my bike and run for cover. It was a really rainy and wet day, especially riding on the dirt roads through puddles. By the end of the day my pants were soaking wet. We stopped so often to take pictures as well it was just so beautiful. We biked for about 45 minutes down the road, looking for this stone ruin, I forgot the name. After a while, we were tired, wet, cold and hungry and decided to just head back into town. We took a path along the beach. It was quite long but a lot less hilly, less difficult to bike. We saw cows and goats along the way. The animals seemed very intrigued by our presence and walked right up to us. About an hour later, we were back in town. We went to the little coffee shop for some tea and bread and cheese. After that, we returned our bikes at the pier and went shopping at the Aran Island Sweater Market, complete with handmade original Aran Island sweaters. The shop was beautiful, I got myself a really nice button down sweater and a few things for my family as well. Apparently, different Irish family clans created different patterns on the sweaters. So, depending on the patters, you could tell what family someone was from. They had lots of those family sweaters which was cool. Of course, I didn't think Cooke would be there, it's pretty much an English last name, and if Irish, from the North. 

At 5:00pm it was time to head back to Galway. At this point it was so windy, and freezing. The water was horrible and I was not looking forward to the ride back. It was going to be miserable. Luckily, Jeremy had some dramamine and I took one without question. We also sat at the back of the boat, right above the motor, the stablest part of the boat. The ride wasn't actually that bad on the way back. Back in the hostel by 6:30. At 7:30pm we had a group dinner at a pub/restaurant downtown. It was really really good, I had Irish vegetable soup and lasagna. After dinner we went to a pub called The Quays (pronounced 'Keys'). That was nice and low key. We found some tables away from the crowds and the bars and just chatted most of the night. I was exhausted from our trip and was happy to head to bed. 

Sunday morning, today, we woke up at 9 and had to be on the bus by 10 to head to the infamous Cliffs of Moher. It was a two hour ride to the cliffs in County Clare, but the most scenic ride through the Burren. It was indescribable. We drove right on the coast, seeing beautiful rocky beaches, beautiful water and enormous crashing waves. The Cliffs of Moher were absolutely breathtaking. I've dreamed about going there for as long as I remember and it was almost surreal to be there. The Cliffs seemed almost too perfectly crafted. It was freezing and so windy but BEAUTIFUL. We spent about a hour there. 

We then started to head back to Dublin. We stopped in a town called Bunratty, famous for its Bunratty Castle. We headed to a local pub for some good pub grub. I had fish and chips, a classic of course. The pub was really quaint with a fireplace and everything. Around 4:30pm we hit the road and got to Dublin around 8pm tonight. All in all, it was a wonderful trip, I saw the most beautiful parts of Ireland. I met some more American students studying at Trinity as well. It's nice to come back home to the apartment, but kind of sad to be back in Dublin. One cannot go to Dublin and say they've experienced Ireland. The West is really where I feel most at home, its so open, fields and landscape for days. I will visiting the West often and always. Great weekend, and for 95 euro a great experience. 

Not so typical

So, I'm in Dublin, right? Heck, I have all of Europe at my fingertips. Go out to the pubs, go clubbing, drink, meet some new people. Stay out all night and party it up? Right. Sounds like the perfect plan of action for a group of twenty/twenty-one year old Americans. It's odd but that sort of typical young person sort of entertainment doesn't really interest me. It's what I've been saying to people for a few years now. I don't want to be 20, or 21 anything. I'm probably the most boring twenty year old you're ever going to meet. My idea of a good night is honestly staying in, eating junk food, watching a disney movie and heading to bed around maybe....12:30pm. Lame. I know. Clubbing, getting dressed up, going out is not my cup of tea. Awkward social situations, drunken people, hurting feet, loud noises. Not so fun. I'm twenty years old but ready to be like, 30, have my kids and settle down. Like, last weekend at the homestay when everyone went out to the pub, I chose instead to go to the movies with CJ (who is 12 by the way). I'd rather be babysitting or hanging out with kids, baking, watching tv, lounging around. I dunno. I guess you don't meet people that way but it's comfortable and secure and normal. I've probably got the most boring life on the planet but I love it. 

Traveling around Europe is definitely still going to happen. I love traveling and doing all the touristy things. But, going out around Europe to hit the bars is not on my itinerary. 20 going on 30. The honest truth. Works for me!

Cross Cultural Adjustments

Ugh. Not such a great day. The Irish academic system is so different from the United States and something that's going to take a long time to get used to. It's not very nice, but I really see Trinity and maybe Ireland as "technologically deficient." Professors maybe, just maybe know how to use power point and computer programs. People are sometimes in their office if they feel like it, and a lunch break could last a whole afternoon. The pace of life is a lot slower, which could be a good thing, but from the U.S. perspective it's a hard adjustment. We, in the U.S. are so technologically advanced and obsessed with going fast and quick, getting stuff done here and now. Being here gives me a lot of perspective about how we do things in the U.S. It's hard though cause I'm so used to, and even, programmed to being constantly going and getting things done, that when something doesn't go right, its really stressful.

Also, the classes are huge. At Mount Holyoke, my largest class was maybe 50 people, and that was just one intro level geology class. Here, the professors don't know you, they are not personable or approachable. They are teaching to the class and not to "you". I miss my small school. Also, there are no assignments or homework. You just go to all the lectures and there's one final exam or paper. Yikes! And there's no like real reading assignments, just a list of books that you should read. I'm not going to sit down and read a giant textbook for hours. The system is overwhelming. 

And it was wet and rainy today. Sigh. Just going to have to get used to a new way a life....

County Waterford

Just got back last night from our homestay weekend in Waterford. Took about 3 hours to get there. Waterford is down south, right on the water, close to Cork. We got there around 8pm on Friday night and Tricia, our host-mom met us at the bus stop. There were two of us per host family, I was with Anni, who is from Ann Arbor, MI and studying child psychology. The host family, the Summerlys live close to town, so it was only about a 5-7 min ride to their house. They live in a little neighborhood; looks just like London suburbs! The houses are so cute and close together, honestly looked like Privet Drive in Harry Potter. Haha. 

When we got to the house, we meet Patty, Tricia's spouse, and their two kids, Chris, who is 17 and CJ who is 12. They also have an American high school student who has been living with them since September, Maeryn. It was cool to get to hang out with Maeryn and see her perspective of Irish high school and how she liked it here. We had pizza and pancakes for dinner, yummm! Then we had some tea and chatted for a bit. Waterford is apparently the oldest city in Ireland. Anni and I tried to play this game CJ got for Christmas, "Are You Smarter Than a 10 yr Old," same as the American tv show. 

The Summerlys are originally from England, they moved to Waterford about 2 years ago. Patty is a native of Waterford but the kids have mainly lived in England. 

The next morning we woke up late and had a wonderful traditional Irish breakfast; eggs, beans, sausage, hash browns and black and white pudding. It was amazing! Around 1:15 Maeryn walked us downtown to meet the whole group for some sightseeing around Waterford. Waterford was a walled city so we went to Reginald's Tower, one of the remaining towers of the city. It was definitely interesting to learn the history of Waterford but it was really cold and windy. After that tour, we went into town and did some shopping. They had a merry-go-round for Christmas so some of the girls went on that. 

At 4:30 we walked home and had a wonderful wonderful dinner of lamb, yorkshire pudding, mashed potatoes, roast potatoes and squash. It was delicious! Anni then went out to the pubs with the group and I went to the cinema, as they call it, with CJ. It was fun hanging out with her; I really like spending time with kids. We went and saw the disney movie, "Bedtime Stories" with Adam Sandler and it was actually pretty funny. Patty got chocolate for us to bring to the cinema, which I thought was so sweet of him. 

When we got back from the cinema we just hung out a bit, had a cup of tea and went to bed. Sunday morning we had another traditional Irish breakfast as well as pancakes, bread and nutella. It was so nice to have home cooked meals for the weekend. Ahhh I miss that. CJ did some Irish step dancing for us, she even showed us her wig and beautiful costumes. I really want to find a place in Dublin to learn to Irish dance! It was so sad leaving in the afternoon. I had such a good time hanging out and meeting the family. It was nice to get away from a big city as well. We didn't get a chance to go to the Waterford Crystal factory but Patty gave each Anni and I a beautiful gift of Waterford Crystal! It was so sweet of him! I can't imagine how much it cost....

All in all, it was a lovely weekend, very relaxing. Now back in Dublin, we have to get back to school. I don't have any Monday classes so it was nice to sleep in late today, watch tv and hang out. We still don't really get hot water during the middle of the day so we've been taking really quick very cold showers.

Technical Difficulties

Yesterday was my attempt at laundry. EPIC FAIL. What I thought would be a simple wash/dry turned into a five hour battle. I had one class, a philosophy seminar called "Psychology/philosophy" which seemed so intriguing! Well, haha...as it turns out, I'm not quite sure if the professor's research is legitimate or if he's just making it all up. We learned about the idea of a "pilgrim's progress" through finding their essence and being, the core of discovery. It's  a completely fascinating idea but super flowery and of the Harry Potter-fantasy-type. Then he went on for about half the class about this grandiose idea of a "dark space." The point is to go into a dark closest or something, and just open your eyes and see. Something about imaging, and "seeing beyond." I love this stuff! Haha, it just seems kinda of like crap! It's terribly entertaining so we'll see how that goes.

After class we had this orientation meeting about "cross-cultural adaption." The lecturer basically went on about Irish slang words, how to strike up a conversation, just basic ways of interacting. Apparently the Irish love love love to swear a lot. Even in basic conversation, it's like every other word. Also "craic" means fun, not a drug. That's what I got out of that meeting.

When I got back home, the epic laundry adventure began. First, there are no directions, no manual, nothing on how to use the washer/dryer. I had to find a manual online looking up the make, model and type. And of course, that manual is like a 20 page booklet and nothing makes sense. When you put your clothes in, the door locks, for obvious reasons. Well, 2 hours later and they were still washing! Whatttt. And I couldn't stop it because the door was locked. I probably screwed up the wash as well by pushing so many buttons to just try to get the thing to stop. 

Finally, clothes were done washing. When I opened the door, they were soaking wet. Drenched in water. I then attempted to dry then. 2 hours later I take them out, still soaking wet but steaming hot. I almost burned my fingers transferring my wet, hot clothes from the machine to the balcony. I tried again a bit later to let them dry a bit and put them back in the machine...no luck. Wet and steaming hot.

I called the company that runs the apartment complex and sent them an email because we're going to need a tutorial on how to use the machine. Honestly, with all the buttons and no words or directions, its like alien speak. So now I have clothes hanging all around the apartment, soaking wet pants.....

The group went out to the clubs last night but after my battle with the dryer, I was so fed up and done for the night and decided to stay in. One of my friends forgot his ID and stayed in with me and watched Love Actually. Quite an epic day.

Today we leave for our homestay! We're headed to the Southeast of Ireland to the city of Waterford (yup, Waterford crystal). I think it's about 2 hours from Dubin and very close to County Cork. It's right on the water, a port city, Ireland's oldest city founded by the Vikings. I'm excited! I'm staying with another girl, Anni, in the program. We are staying with a couple with two children; a 17 yr old boy and 12 yr old girl. They apparently like rugby and irish step dancing. Should be fun!

Day Three of Trinity

I only had one class today, called "Development of Perception Throughout the Lifespan." It was pretty interesting but very much based in neuroscience. I think it will transfer to Mount Holyoke for credit in cognitive psych. Neuroscience and cognitive psych is my least favorite topic, so I know I won't enjoy the class much. I prefer the personality/abnormal aspect of psychology. There is one class being offered along those lines, I believe its called "Modes of Development and Mental Health." Forensic psychology was yesterday, that was pretty cool. The class today wasn't until 1pm! It was great to leisurely wake up at 11am, eat breakfast, take a shower and walk to school. It was a little warmer today than yesterday, but still quite cold with the wind chill. After class I went to Dunne's to do a bit more grocery shopping. I picked up some more fruit and yogurt, milk, juice and soups and pasta. We don't really have much to cook with yet...The apartment didn't come with much. The girls down the hall didn't even have cups or glasses. 

This week is all about trying to orient ourselves with Trinity. Last night was the International students welcome meeting, complete with white and red wine and champagne. By the time we left we were all a bit tipsy so that made for a nice sobering walk home. I was so exhausted I passed out around 8pm. 

I guess I'm really becoming Irish-I've been drinking tea almost everyday. Tonight I'm already on my second cup! It's so awesome to think about actually being in the country where my family is from! I dunno if any of my great-grandparents ever came to Dublin. I'd like to get out to Galway as soon as possible. In March we have a trip planned to the North, I'd like to get there quite a few times.

We haven't figured out much of the nightlife around Dublin yet, so we've been pretty lazy at night, just watching tv and hanging around the apartment.

I think tomorrow I'll attempt to do laundry for the first time....

First day of classes

Today was registration and the first day of second semester classes. It doesn't get light here until about 8:00am so it stinks waking up and getting ready in the dark. It was really cold and rainy this morning, but it was fun to walk to school. We pretty much just walk about 5 blocks straight up the road, then down Grafton St. and we're at Trinity. The school is gorgeous but huge! I headed to the psychology building first to get a list of class listings and schedules. Nothing about registering and looking for classes seemed very efficient. Classes began at 9am this morning, but, as new students we had no idea where any buildings were, or what classes were being offered. They kind of just throw you in there. After the psych office, we went to the International Office to get a map, forms to set up a bank account and a course registration form. After that, I explored the campus a bit. I found the Bank of Ireland on campus, and the arts building where the philosophy department and english department are located, as well as many others. I had to go to each department and write down the days and times of the classes available and offered. 

At 11:00am they opened registration. It was pretty quick and easy, just write down your Irish address and mobile number, they take your picture and hand you your card. 

At 12:00 I went to a psych class called "Cross-modal cognition" which is apparently all about how the senses are interconnected and such. Besides biological, cognitive psych is probably my least favorite topic. All that stuff about brain wiring and whatever...doesn't catch my interest. 

After that one hour class, a few of us walked over to the bookstore across the street to get notebooks and pens and stuff. Not bad prices.

At 2:00pm I went to the one english course I was accepted into, called  "Writing Ireland". It sounds really interesting right? Well, it's in an auditorium with about 200 students. I've never had a class that big! It was a little bit discomforting. The professor, or "lecturer" comes in and has this raspy voice with a thick accent, I couldn't understand him for the first 10 minutes! He started just quoting and reading from James Joyce, blah blah blah something about "Nations and Nationalism". It got a little bit better after he stopped quoting and spoke up a bit. Dunno if I'm going to take either of those classes. 

Tomorrow I'm going to go to a class called Forensic Psychology, which sounds SO COOL! There's another course as well tomorrow called Communications and Language. We'll see.

Long day today. It also gets dark early! I did some grocery shopping after class and I'm about ready to class. Don't have to go to class till 12pm tomorrow! Score!

Wireless-it's so much better than Christmas!

Hey! We are finally a bit settled into our apartment. We don't have wireless so my roommates and I walked to Grafton St to the 3mobile phone store to buy broadband for our laptops. We've been without internet for 3 days and it's sad how desperate we are. This morning we walked around the city looking for coffee shops and cafes with free wifi. No luck. 

The apartment is great! We've got two bedrooms (they are tiny; no desks, no dressers), 2 full bathrooms, a kitchen, dining area and sitting area (with cable tv!) We've got a washer and dryer, oven, microwave, toaster, couches, pots and pans, even art on the walls. It's in a really nice area, about a 20 minute walk from Trinity College. We're in a sort of gated community so it's pretty safe. 

My roommates are great! There are four of us in one apartment, and the other four girls are in an apartment down the hall. The 5 boys live about 10 minutes away in Merrion Square in the old Georgian apartments with painted doors.

Friday night we went out to a pub close to where we're living, called the Bleeding Horse. I tried Bulmers Cider Beer for the first time-its wonderful!!! Haha.

School starts tomorrow, we've got to register and we have 2 weeks to try out classes. I'm pretty much just taking psychology and philosophy courses. 

It gets dark here really early and doesn't get light until about 8am. It's cold and rainy most of the time but not as cold as Massachusetts. 

Landed. Welcome to Ireland!

I'm here! Finally! Made it to the hotel for orientation safe and sound. Quite an exhausting and stressful day/night of travel however. My flight was supposed to leave Logan at 5:30pm last night but we didn't end up taking off until 10:30pm. The plane had to land in Bangor, ME due to the snow. After the plane arrived at Logan at 8:30pm, they had to unload all the passengers, refuel the plane, clean it, board the crew and then board us. Well, it wasn't so simple. Then there was a technical problem, something that happened in Maine; it was never fully explained. Finally on the aircraft. Business class was great! First they started with hot towels and a glass of white wine. Then I believe I had a glass of champagne. By this point I was exhausted and the alcohol went right to my system. Dinner was served, Air France does an amazing job. There was an apetizer, then a cheese platter, the main course, and a pear dessert. I basically only stayed awake long enough to eat and then pass out. Oh, and I had a small glass of red burgundy wine with dinner. Then I actually slept for about 4 hours. The seats actually pulled out into a bed, I was pretty much lying down. When I woke up, they started serving breakfast, which is always confusing with the time change. Shortly after we landed.

At Boston, because of the long delay, I knew I was going to miss my connecting flight to Dublin which was around 10:15. Well, the flight from Boston didn't land in Paris until 11:30am. In Boston I asked to be put on the next flight to Dublin which left at 12:30. I just barely made it. I had to switch terminals on the bus, which took forever, then go through all of security once again. I broke down at that point. I looked pretty pitiful but I guess security felt bad and let me pass through everyone and go right to the gate. Had I been 10, even 5 minutes later, I would have missed the flight. Flight to Dublin was fine, only an hour. 

Once in Dublin, they told me that my baggage never arrived. It didn't have enough time to be transferred. So, they located it, still in Paris. The next flight to Dublin is 8pm tonight so it should be arriving 3 hours. The plan is to wait for it in my room, go down to the lobby and get it, and crash. Straight to sleep. 

From the airport I took the bus into the city. Beth-you were right, the buses are orange and blue, 7 euro!! Walked to the hotel for orientation. Met the group at the restaurant. We had lunch or "supper" and then did orientation business type stuff. We got our apartment assignments so if you would like it, email me!!

I'm living with 3 others girls. There are 2 other apartments for other girls and one apartment for the boys; there's only 5 of them. We apparently live about 10-15 walking distance from Trinity, in a nice location. We move in tomorrow afternoon. So now I'm just waiting for luggage and heading to sleep. 

On a disappointing note: no internet access in the apartment. This means I will have to be on campus to be on the internet. I may only be able to check my emails once a day.....oh well. Have to adjust. 

Everyone seems very nice; all Americans. I think we're all just fatigued and jet lagged. 

Happy 2009 everyone!