Yet another update

From Paris to Prague, in two weeks...I have a lot to talk about. I have actually been putting this off, cause there is so much that has happened, that it will take a little time to remember all of it. Although, due to my mother's persuasion...here I make an attempt.
The first place we ventured to was Paris. Yes, we are going to make another attempt at the city, even though last time wasn't that pleasant. The journey started with a little mess up. The plan was to fly out of shannon to Paris, on Ryanair, on the 28th of April. So, we went home to book our tickets, and successfully got a way to Paris...butttt, Max bought his and Chris' ticket out of Dublin instead of Shannon. So, I was going to fly by myself to Paris, and find my way to the hostel be my lonesome. Not too big of a problem, just got confused by their metro station a couple times. After finally arriving to Caliencourt Square, our hostel, I met up with Max and Chris, who had already been in Paris for awhile. I don't really know how to write this to make it interesting...so i will just ramble off what we saw and did as quick as possible...We saw the basilica, which is a pretty white building on a hill that overlooks Paris, the Eiffel tower lit up at night (which sparkles once every hour), the Moulin Rouge, the catacombs, Arch de Triumph, and the Louve. Out of all these places I really enjoyed the catacombs. The catecombs are an underground cemetery. There was this cemetery back in the day causing infection because of the over saturation of bodies, so they dug up the bodies and put them in a query then years later they organized the bones, which is now the Catacombs...its a bit creepy, but really cool. You walk underground a while before you even reach it. Then you enter and there are walls of human bones and skulls- taller than me, and pretty deep. This goes on for awhile...basically, there are a lottt of bones here. It was definitely a new experience.
One night we decided to go out with people we just met at the hostel. They were from all over- some from the states, some from Australia, and one from South Africa. That is one thing I love about hostels, the great diversity in the people. Well, we all went out- and ended up at this one bar. I ordered what I thought would be the cheapest drink cause I am on a budget- a beer. Welll, he pours it, everything is going well, then he is says the dreaded words, "9.50 please." WHattt! I felt like a fool, so I just paid and was grumpy then after. I now knew that I was in Paris. Well, the night went on, we were having fun talking, some dancing, and then decided to go to another bar because the one we were at was closing. The owner recommended a place and gave us "VIPs" , whatever that means really. We got there, and one of the girls was told that the first round of drinks was free...sweet deal. So we all got our drinks, and then someone found out that she was misinformed, she fell to the trap. One of the guys there took care of the bill. Whoopsies. So that was my night out in Paris.
Soon enough, it was time to move on to Munich, Germany. We took a night train there. When the lady at the train station asked if we wanted reclining chairs or sleeper beds (the sleeper beds costing about 20 euros more), we decided on the recliner chairs cause she said they leaned back (and did this stretched out motion). Well, let me tell you...they reclined an inch. It was the most uncomfortable sleep ever, five of us packed into this tiny compartment with our knees touching the person across from us. Hehe, I think next time i will opt for the beds. Needless to say, we were exhausted when we reached Munich, but we still explored. It was rainy, so the city wasn't as lively as usual. We walked in the English Gartens...where there is a nude beach. Remember: it was rainy and cold...and this old guy just stripped down and jumped in the freezing water when we walked by. I could have done without that site. For lunch/dinner, we went to the Hofbräuhaus, which is a famous restaurant serving traditional German food, and the famous huge beer mugs. I shared a Radler (which is lemonade and light beer) and had some pork thing...I hope I didn't get swine flu(so far so good though). The next day we went to Dachau concentration camp. It was a great learning experience. To see the gates they walked through, the barracks, and cremation ovens, was a really sad. Having a memorial like this, where many come to visit, hopefully we all can learn from history. After spending several hours there, we went back and explored the beer gartens, now that it was sunny. We went to the Chinese beergarten...which was a neat experience. There were people everywhere, music playing. There were men wearing Lederhosen, knee-length trousers or short-pants made from leather are worn with rustic shoes and wool socks, traditional German dress. This is the first point I realllyy felt in Germany.
We then moved on to Brugge, Belgium, only three train rides, and 6 hours away. When we arrived, we wandered the city. It was beautiful; there are canals everywhere, cobblestone streets, horse and carriages, and amazing architecture. They speak Flemish, but most speak English too. Actually, it is called by some "the Venice of the North," which is a name that suits it very well I think. I have never been to Venice, but people say it is quite dirty...Brugge on the other hand, is quite clean. :) We went into the Cathedral, which houses Michelangelo's Madonna with Child. We went on a boat tour, which was really cool to see the city from this angle. Known for waffels and beer...we of course tried both. The second night we met girls from Australia that were also staying at the Bauhaus. We decided to hang out with them a lot. Luckily, the bartender had a crush on one of the girls, so we got to try all these Belgium drinks for free all night. Thank you Jessie!! hehe. I got to try the voted #1 beer in 2008- Karmelite. It was pretty gooddd.
The next big city we hit was Amsterdam. I still cannot really comprehend this city. It was the oddest place I have ever been. We stayed in a hostel in the Red Light District the first night, called "The HEart of Amsterdam." The Red light district is the strangest place. You walk down the streets, red lights everywhere, with prostitutes in windows, trying to get the guys I was with attention. Another strange part of Amsterdam are the coffeeshops. Coffeeshops are not like what most think . Here, they are a place to smoke weed?? So, if you want a brownie...make sure you go to a cafe, not a coffeeshop, or you might be in for a weird surprise. Despite these less than wholesome activities(as my mom would say), Amsterdam had a lot to offer. We went to the Van Gogh museum, where I got to see Starry night. However his early work really caught my attention. You could see every stroke, but he used very dark colors in the beginning. Fun fact about Van Gogh: he was only seen in three photographs throughout his entire life...and it was the back side of him. We also went to the Anne Frank house, which was probably my favorite part. The way the museum was designed was great. It used quotes from her book on the wall, to create the story as you walked through. We saw a replica of the bookcase that covered the passage way. We saw her family's room. It is amazing that they lived in this tiny space with little light for two years before they were betrayed over to the Nazis. It was quite a moving experience. One random thing I learned about Amsterdam is: watch out for the killer bikes. They don't stop, just ring their bell obnoxiously if you are in the way, followed by a dirty look.
I think I am going to take a break for awhile....to be continued.

Pictures

Connemara and Blarney
Rome
Bern
Interlaken

..just click the name..i think?

"Romen' around Italy to Skydiving in the Swiss Alps

Wow, where to start. So much has happened in the last nine days- most once in a life time experiences. I guess I will just start with Rome. when in romeeeeee (had to), we basically just roamed (had to again) around the city the first day seeing the big sights- the pantheon, colosseum, the outside of the roman forum, had some gelato from old stone bridge, hung around Trevi fountain, and ended at looking through the keyhole- which people said was overrated, but i absolutely loved. You basically just look through this keyhole in the door and there is like tall bushes and garden that lead to a direct view of the vatican. I thought it was pretty, while others were like "that is all." Hummm...oh well, I liked it. It is a bit strange how it is so much different being around these places than looking at them in pictures. Every statue, architecture, bridge, etc. is just sooo big. It is remarkable the history and skill seen in many of these sights. It is also a bit strange walking by random ruins and just thinking what could have happend there years ago. The second day we decided to walk to another country- aka the Vatican. We saw the art gallery, where you could see the progression of art throughout the centuries. I feel like I could spend most of a day in this building alone, sooo manyyy beautiful pieces of art. We had the chance to see the Sistine Chapel and the Basilica. Michealangelo amazes me. The Basilica was MASSIVE. Beautiful piece of architecture.
We also got the chance to experience authentic Italian cuisine- yum yum. We made friends with the pizza man one day, who was pretty amazing...his pizza was pretty grand as well. I also realized during the trip that Italian is very similar to Spanish...I found myself understanding bits and pieces of Italian, I think I should study it more, it sounds like a beautiful language.
We stayed in Alessandro's Palace where we had one of the best hostelmates ever. We were all sitting around talking after a long day, and this little tiny guy with a backpack bigger than him comes in and with his amazing English accent says, "Is there any room for me?" For you, of course. His name was Ben from Portsmouth, England, and he was traveling around Italy by himself. Unfortunately we left the next day, so we didn't get to hang out with him other than that night, but we all loved him...hehe
The next day we decided to go to a beach outside of Rome to soak in the burning sun. It was only a 30 min train ride...costed only one euro. So pretty sweet deal, if I do say so myself. The beach was quite beautiful, the sand black in contrast to the very very blue sea. It was a nice relaxing afternoon. That night we took a sleeper train to Bern, Switzerland....which was quite hilarious. I don't quite know what I was expecting, but not six people in a space the size of a little bathroom. Kinda caustrophobic at times for there wasn't much head space cause there were three beds on each side. In our room, there were two girls from Canada- which Max absolutely loved...he loves Canadians cause he has duel citizenship (American and Canadian). There was also a guy from Senegal, Africa...who only spoke French and Italian..and some rap songs, haha. Molly, who is pretty good at French was our translator.

We woke up in Switzerland at 6:20 in the morning. Because check in wasn't till two, we had a full day to explore Bern. Getting in this early, the city was completely dead. It was kinda neat to see the progression from 6 in the morning to 2 in the afternoon. By noon, there were people everywhere, markets and vendors everywhere. The city has a midevil feel- with cobblestone streets, fountains, and this giant clock that over looks a street. My favorite part of the city was definitly the bear pit. In the middle of the city there is a bear pit, where lives Pedro the bear from Barcelona. He was pretttyyy sweeet. Humm...we basically just wondered around and enjoyed the beautiful trees, water, and distant view of the Alps. We went to a rose garden- which had no roses, but it did have an excellent view of the city. O, and our hostel was very nice...it had a balcony that overlooked the river, and two kids from Australia were in our room...who were verryy nice. The next day during a long walk, we found a petting zoo..with donkeys, pigs, horses, llamas...and flamingos!! Can I just say...flamingos are hilarious. After seeing a lot in Bern, we decided to head on our to Interlaken, Switzerland...which could be one of my favorite cities thus far.
The name Interlaken literally means, between two lakes. The train we caught is considered a "scenic train" by Eurorail standards...and indeed it was. You are surrounded by the Alps and pretty water. When we arrived, we checked into Balmer's Heritage hostel, which was a very young fun place. The ultimate highlight of Interlaken was skydiving. I have always wanted to do this, and what better place than in the Swiss Alps??? I would not be giving the experience justice by just telling you about it, but I will surely try. Max, Molly and I head out to the skydiving grounds...I was so pumped. Molly just went to watch Max and I. We started by putting on these fashionable blue suits, which made us look pretttyyyyyy hard core. hehe. We learned the techniques slash what was going to happen. Then after waiting awhile, I was harnessed up...and soon after, Hans (the person I jumped with) said ...ready..lets go. They kinda mixed up the order. They thought I was with this kid from Texas instead of Max..but jumping Karma, they couldnt redo the order. I didn't really care if Max was in the same plane as me; the other kid was a little upset he wasn't with his friends..ooo well. Well, any who, the others in the plane were extreme skydivers, jumping solo. They were all German, speaking in German on the way up. Hans was amazing. He kept trying to scare me...it didn't work, I was ready. Hehe. On the way up he looked at my harness and said "uh oh, we got you an extra large harness" I looked at him and said. "It's your fault if I die." He replied, "It's your life." Good point sir. hehe. He just laughed. The ride up was incredible. In the clouds, surrounded by mountains. 13,000 feet above ground...no big deal. hehe...OoOO, I saw the highest part of Europe. Kinda creepy that I jumped from a point that was comprable to the highest point in Europe. Kay kay, now about the actual jump. I was only really nervous for a couple seconds, which was actually quite surprising. I think I was just more excited. When the door opened, i think it all hit me at once. O crap...what am I doing. But then I was distracted by how fresh the air was up there. The extreme jumpers all gave each other the "have a good dive" handshake...wished me luck and just jumped out. I was the last one to go...readdyyy...one, two, threee, head back, smileeeee.... and then followed a couple seconds of my stomach dropping, followed by 45 seconds of free falling. Which, was just like flying. The wind was pushing my face back. Hans then did some spins, which was kinda dizzy...but amazing. The rush was incredible. It was just me looking down at the city and mountains around me. After the free fall (dropping about 7000 feet in 45 seconds), the parachute opens up, and is quite relaxing after that...just an amazing view. It is here were I could take photos and videos. Then I prepared for landing...and it actually went quite smoothly, landing on my feet, opposed to Max's slide in on his butt. hehe. Gosh, just thinking about this experience make me smile. I then got to watch Max's plane take off, and him parachute in. Basically, it was the best experience I have ever had in my entire life.
The next couple days in Interlaken we went hiking and exploring. We walked to one of the lakes with our new friend from Argentina, Sabrina. It is just so beautiful...I'll put up pictures to show you all. The last night in Interlaken, Max, Molly, new Canadian friends, the kids from skydiving, and I all decided to get a beer and watch the Chelsea Liverpool soccer game in the hostel's bar. At the end of the game, I heard my name, turned around to my friend Jo from high school (who also is studying at NUIG). WHAT?! Same country, same city, same HOSTEL....biggest coincidence ever. I still really can't get over it. haha
Well, the next day was our journey to Paris. Because the early trains were all booked, we had till 7 till our train departed from Geneva. So we journeyed the two hours to Geneva...which is almost France, but still in Switzerland. We hung out here for awhile, just walking around, took a nap in a park. Then at 7 caught our train to Paris. We got into Paris at 11 PM. Considering our flight back home was the next day at 9:30; we really didn't have any time to explore the city, and didn't feel like wasting money on a hostel. Sooo, we decided to just sleep at the airport. Well...now this is a story.
We quickly found out that not many people spoke english at the train station. We have always heard that you kinda need to speak french for people to be nice to you. Molly, knowing some french, finally figured out that there were no trains or buses to this obscure airport that ryanair had us flying out of. Crap. We didn't really know what to do...so we asked someone how much it would be for a taxi to the airport. Well first of all...barely any one knew of this airport...bad sign. So, we waited in line for a taxi, where I got swatted at by this old French woman for no reason. We finally got a taxi; he looked up where it was on his GPS system, and said it probably would be 80 euros (all accomplished through Molly and her French). Although this really stunk, we decided to just do it cause there wasn't another way to get there. An hour later, still not at the airport, and he was kinda lost. Shoot. An hour later, we finally arrived...and the damage was....123 euros. I. Hate. Ryanair. We were now in another city outside of Paris at an airport that only Ryanair planes fly out of, which doesn't open till 6 in the morning. It was 1:00, and it was freezing outside. Welcome to our last hostel on the steps outside of the airport. This could have been one of the worst nights of my life. But, I am alive to tell the tale so that is good. I put on two pairs of leggings, jeans, pajama pants, two shirts with two underjackets and my over jacket...and was still cold...so i piled all my other clothes over me...and was still cold. Miserable. ooOOO, thanks for making me bring my coat mom and dad!- I could have literally froze to death if it weren't for it. The whole time in Rome and Switzerland I was pissed I had to carry it around everywhere in the hot hot weather, but once again...both of you, in the end, were right. Dang it. hehe...well, we all decided that something bad was bound to happen to us because of all the good luck we were having with people, hostels, trains (minus the one to Paris being booked until that night). So, needless to say..I got a realllyyy bad impression of Paris. It was so intiminating, unfriendly..but on the other hand, I am sure it is very beautiful if I would have gotten to explore it. After waiting and more waiting, and annoying staff people, we finally got to Ireland, and bused it back to Galway. Now...I am quite bored, cause I only have two finals, one on wed and one on thursday. Eh, I guess I will just relax a bit.

Fun with the Fam

It has been awhile since I have taken time out of my busy busy day to tell everyone what I have been up to. Finishing my papers proved to be a sweet relief, traveling without worrying about deadlines was very very nice. So my adventures begin with Mari (my friend from Spain) and her boyfriend, Cairan, coming to visit me in Galway! It was so nice to be able to show her around. We took a day tour to the Cliffs of Moher, which proved to be even more magnificant the second time around because it was a perfect day- not a cloud or raindrop in the sky. The fam soon after joined the fun- it was amazing to see all of you! Brought a little bit of home to Ireland. We jammed packed the week starting with the infamous Bunratty Castle that stole a place in each of our hearts I think- especially Tina's who named it "Bunratty-- more like FUNratty" She thought it was a lot more creative at the time. We explored the folk park, which had houses and the castle how it was back in the day. At night, we went to a "midevil banquet" in the castle, suggested to us by my grandma who went to it a couple years ago. I think this was one of the coolest things I have experienced. Not only was the food excellent, the atmosphere was irreplaceable. We were only to eat with our "daggers and fingers" while we listened to the beautiful harp and tossing a guest into the dungeon. It was silly, but a lot of fun! The night ended in us making friends at the local pub- Durty Nellies, the oldest in Ireland.
The next adventure we embarked on was the Dingle peninsula, which is best navigated by car- which was an experience in itself. Luckily, dad mastered the skill of driving on the left side of the road on the right side of the car with no fatal mistakes. The drive was so beautiful. Dingle could be one of the most beautiful parts of Ireland I have seen yet....eh, I say that about everywhere though don't I? Well, it was pretty despite if you believe it was THE prettiest. But any ways...it was here that I got the closest to my ultimate dream in life- to hug a sheep. My dad quickly killed my dreams when he told me, "Paige, that probably isn't a good idea. Get in the car. It is a mother." and sure enough it started charging after its lamb, which was beyond cute. Buttt, no worries, the good news is I made friends with a donkey, who was ultra-friendly. Now I am just rambling, so moving on.
Due to studying, I let my family do their own thing for a while, but Thursday I decided to join them on a daytrip out of Galway to Connemara. The one day tour I have not gone on yet. Once again....it was beautiful. Perhaps I should let the pictures do the talking, because my vocabulary has disintegrated to merely beautiful. To put the experience short- the landscape was pretty, there was an awesome wild horse, and the Abby was remarkable.
Fun with the fam continued in the good ole town of Blarney- yes we kissed the Blarney stone. I was crossing my fingers it would bring my mom eloquence to not embarrass me in public--although I am kinda glad it didn't work, or we wouldn't have made friends with the Malone clan in Malone's pub that night, hehe. We finally find a Malone pub, and it turns out to be where all the outcasts go or something, according to the lady looking over the bed and breakfast. O well, perhaps at one time we were realated to these people? O, we can't forget how we met the Martha Steward of Ireland, the lady that owns the bed and breakfast. Her house was gorgeous, decorated with antiques, and beautiful gardens. Not to mention that she was super nice, like most Irish come to think of it.
The week coming to an end, we journeyed back to Dublin, stopping at the Rock of Casher on the way back. In Dublin, we got a glimpse of Celtic dancers and met up with my friend from high school, Amy, who is studying there. Tuesday came a lot soonner than expected, where my family left...and I headed to Rome, where more adventures began.

St. Paddy's, Rugby, and procrastinating writing a paper for sociology.

This week I have been paper-logged. I have 4 due in the next two weeks, but my due date was made Friday because my family (minus my lame brother who has 'school' jk) is coming!! Completing three of my four papers, I thought I needed to procrastinate the fourth, so here I am blogging about my paper writing....
almost two weeks ago, wow time flies, was St. Paddy's Day...if you say St. Patty's day, thats a big no no i guess? Paddy is a guy, and Patty is a girl. The Irish think this is so obvious, hehe. Well, any who, Galway was absolutely packed for the occasion. It was probably the prettiest day yet here in Galway, so basically, it was a giant party outside. There was a parade with the most random bunches of people, but very neat to see. Everyone watching the parade was decked out in orange, white, and green, funny hats, Irish flags, shamrocks, leperchan beards, you name it really. My favorite part of the day was the gathering by the Spanish Arch. The Spanish Arch is a spot that overlooks the river right before it becomes the Sea. Just hanging out there for a couple hours I got to see so many people I have met while here in Galway. I am lucky I had the opportunity to spend St. Paddys day in Ireland!
Last Saturday, Ireland was in a huggeee rugby game. To provide some background on how hugeee this game was, I'll inform you a bit on Irish Rugby History. In the 17th century...just kidding, I dont know anything about rugby...but basically, there is this thing called the triple crown and the 6 nations. Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and England are part of the triple crown, meaning if you beat the other three in the six nations championship, you win the triple crown. When you beat the other 5 teams at least once throughout the season, the team wins the grand slam. It had been 61 years since Ireland had won the Grand Slam...hence why this game was soo big..cause they won the Triple Crown, Six Nations, and Grand Slam, and I witnessed it in an Irish Pub! and here is how my experience goes...
First off, at the beginning I had no idea what was going on...rugby?? An hour and a half later...I was jumping up and down and yelling with the crowd. I now want to become an avid follower of rugby. Quay's, the pub we were at, was completely packed! The excitement at the end when Ireland won a close game 17-15, was top notch. A group of older men next to me started singing Ireland's national anthem, which I should probably learn before I attend another sporting event at a pub. Overall, it was a great experience, and I felt like I was Irish for a couple hours cause of the pride I felt when they won.
Last Tuesday night, not St.paddy's but the next, I had a class field trip. Yup, only in Ireland can you go to dinner in a garden for class time. We took a bus for like 15 minutes to this place called Bridgets garden. It was a very quaint building, very homey. We first had class out in a hut in the garden. We talked about "understanding strangers," cause that is what the class is called. After class, we went back for dinner, which...was deliciousss. We had lasagna, salad, and yummy brown bread for dinner, with a glass of wine. For desert we had a chocolate covered pear with this other sauce that was really good. Then we ended with coffee time. I definitly signed up for the right class: free dinner, pretty garden, amazing teacher, and good conversations.
I think that is all I have done for awhile....now back to writing a paper on sociology.

My adventures so far

The first week in Ireland
Time thus far has gone so fast. One week down, and so much has happened. Just a week ago stepped off the seven hour plane ride from Chicago O’hare, and was greeted by a whole new world that is different than my own. I was checked into the country by a really nice lady from Ireland, getting my first glimpse of the difficulty of understanding accents sometimes. Rolling through the airport with my suitcase the size of me, the beginning was a state of confusion. Not looking forward to customs I lugged my baggage toward it, walked through the door to find myself at the other side. Basically, their customs is not very strict. Jo, Max, and I finally found the bus stop that would take us from Shannon to Galway. Not being use to cars on the left side of the road, we naturally went to the right side to get on the bus, quickly finding out our mistake and being slightly embarrassed when finally getting on. The bus ride was a good 70 minutes of complete beauty. I couldn’t help but looking around, everything was so green. I remember distinctly the numerous stonewalls that surrounded each property and comparing them to our barbed wire or wooden fences. They are so much more “class” (as they would say for cool here in Ireland)
Arriving at my new home in the Corrib village in a taxi, I dragged my stuff to flat 48. After the long walk and hours of commuting, I looked at the 20 stairs as if they were Mount Everest. Hearing my silent plea of help, a very energetic boy ran down the stairs, and said, “Where are you going!” I looked down at my stuff up at my room, and said 48. “Ah, I got it!” as he grabbed it and ran up with my huge bag, while I followed in amazement at the strength of this very slender boy. Awaiting in the flat, was my new roommate, Carly, and a girl named Alison. The boy, Joseph, I soon found out was from Ireland, and Carly from Minnesota. It was good to get to know them, they made me feel at home the moment I walked in.
The first night in town, I soon found out that Ireland is a lot more expensive than home. Max, Kevin, Caitlin, and I went to the King’s Head for dinner. I had the classic cod and chips with a Harps beer. I officially was experiencing my first taste of Ireland. The environment was very memorable. It was very laid back and old fashion. It was hard to stay up this night because of the jet lag. We went to the phone store, and the lady there gave good advice for the cure: go getcha selves a pint, that’ll help. I suppose it helped a little. After dinner, we decided to take the long walk home. I then proceeded to have the worst showering experience of my entire life, consisting of an on my knees splashing water on my body, progressing to a cold shower, jumping out slipping and hitting my head. At this point, all I needed was a nice warm bed: I ended up wearing my coat, a sweatshirt, and two pairs of socks to bed. I laid there thinking, “What am I doing here?” But as the days go by, I grow custom to the differences and life is much more comfortable after learning the secrets (aka how to use the shower and turn on the heat).
The next night we decided we needed to experience the traditional Irish music, so we went to Taffe’s where there was Irish music and dance. It was so cultural and amazing to be a part of. The dancer was especially impressive. He came out of nowhere with his tap shoes, and just starting hopping around. Then, he pulled out a little flute and starting whistling away. There was a lot of socializing and singing and watching dance. Here is a funny story of the night: Johnny (my new friend from South Korea) told me that I look like Britney Spears when I smile. Everyone laughed, and he responded with…well from an Asian perspective? Hehe, he is so funny. I didn’t know if it was a compliment or an insult. haha
Orientation, at the moment, is hard to remember. It is all jumbled in my head as one mass confusion. I am just now getting to know the buildings, and where everything is on campus. I soon found out that there is a lot of walking here. Into town 30 minutes, to the grocery 20 minutes, to my classes 15 minutes. However, this excites me, cause there is a lot to look at on the walks.

Sunday January 11, 2009: Cliffs of Moher, and other places in Clare
Today we went to the Cliffs of Moher. We started at 10 in the morning and got on a bus that took us there with many stops along the way. We went to Dunguaire castle in Kinvara, Corcomroe Abbey, Ballyalban Fairy Fort, the Burren, Fitzpatrick’s for a nice bowl of soup, and the cliffs. Each stop had history and stories that made it significant. Seeing places that are meaningful for many people and places that are so beautiful made me feel a part of something greater on this earth. The Cliffs of Moher were my favorite part; it was beautiful even though there was a lot of fog. At times it was so windy that all of us would lean into the wind and it would hold us up.
Arriving back home wet and tired, we walked in to meet our other flat mates: Justine and Ruth. They both are from Ireland, and are very nice and fun. We took a walk to the grocery and got to know each other.
Wednesday- January 14, 2009: First day of classes, yikes!
Today was my first day for classes: my first one starting at 9 am, and needless to say I got lost, so I began wandering around looking for the class (unfortunately all the buildings are in Gaelic), when luckily I ran into my friend Mike who was going to the same class, but unluckily didn’t know where he was going either. We were wandering around and when we finally found it we were really late. When we found the lecture hall we were following this loud group of other lost people, but they figured out it was the wrong room, so they turned around leaving Mike and me in the doorway with the professor of a large lecture saying...if you are not in Celtic civilizations leave and be quiet, if you are take a seat. So we went in, couldn’t find a seat, then he was like there are seats in the front...so the whole class (big class) watched us go to the front, thinking we were the ones making all the noise in the hallway...good start to the school year to say the least...hehe
Also, it was the societies day, and I joined poker society (the kid was really persuasive to say the least and pulled me in- I don’t even know how to play poker that well), ALIVE (the service society), the traditional music society and the international student society. Hopefully, ill go and like some of these activities.


Thursday January 15, 2009
Today I officially registered with the university, along with a Gaelic class. I am really excited to learn some Irish language while I’m here. Whenever I tell anyone from Ireland I’m taking an Irish class they laugh and say “why!” Most people here have grown up learning the language and are sick of it now or something. I think it will be interesting though.
Tonight I went to an International Students Society event called the Pub Crawl. We went to 5 bars in groups. It was a great way to get to know people! I met 3 kids from Villanova, a girl from Germany, a group of friends from Spain, and one boy from France. I also met a kid that lives in Indianapolis!! Never saw that coming; he goes to Rose Holman and was so surprised when I knew the school. I guess it’s a small world after all.
At one of the pubs, I met two kids from China. They were both really nice, and after talking about how Tom was in China so I learned some chinese, I said my only Chinese phrase that I know, compliments of Tom: wo xian yi ping pijiu (I want a beer). They were impressed. Thanks Tom for making me the cool kid! :) I then disappointed them by telling them that is the only line I know other than ne-how...
Being an international student, the locals usually know right off the bat that you are international. However, last night I tricked one of them!!...not intentionally, but it happened. He thought I was Irish for a long time until he asked where I was from. It is probably cause it was a loud place, and hard to hear my accent.
Saturday January 17, 2009
Today I got up and went to the outdoor market that is open every Saturday and Sunday. Halfway there it started pouring rain and the wind picked up. Although unfortunate weather, I did get a cup of chili from a stand that was the best chili I have ever had (sorry dad hehe). The market was a great experience though; all the farmers come in town with all their goods. People are selling food, jewelry, clothes, bags, etc. Next time I’ll cross my fingers for good weather, so I can explore even more.
Monday January 19, 2009
Dia duit! (Hello in Irish). Today I just had my first Irish class. (They call Gaelic, Irish here). I soon realized that the language consists of many letters per sentence, with about 50% not being pronounced. It is quite confusing so far. For example, go raibh maith agat (pronounced gura mah at) means thank you. Moral of the story: this class will be a challenge.
Wednesday January 21, 2009: The Irish have yet to discover online registration
This morning (meaning 2:30 am), I had the privilege to sit in the pouring cold rain for 7 hours to register for an English seminar. The registration process here is quite different, and quite frankly a pain in the you know what. To register for classes you have to register with the individual department as well as the university on whole. The smaller classes, called seminars, are harder to get into because only 3 spots are reserved for international students per class. Therefore students start “Q”ing really early in the morning: and to beat the crowd, some of my friends and I were among those crazy people lining up at 2 in the morning. Oddly enough, people were there when I arrived!!! Thankfully though, after almost loosing my little toe and missing out on lot of sleep I got into my top choice: Children’s fiction, which seemed like a great class to fulfill the dreaded english credit I needed at SLU. Mission accomplished. I had no idea I would ever put so much effort into getting into a class. I will never complain about how slow SLU’s computers are during registration ever again, because believe me, it could be WAY worse.
Thursday January 22,2009

Today I went into town with the girls and went shopping. The goal was to find a hat to wear when it rains, which not kidding is at least once a day. However, instead I stumbled upon the original shop where Claddagh rings were sold. There was a pretty white gold with green gem on sale, so I decided to get it. The lady working told me all about the history of the ring and what everything meant on the ring. I think it was a purchase that I will remember Galway (home of the Claddagh ring) by.
Tonight was pizza night in flat 91- which is where most of my guy friends live. Chef Michael (from Germany) was in charge. Everyone brought different toppings, and all 15 of us went through 11 pizzas and 3 bottles of wine. After about 3 tries, I mastered the art of tossing pizzas, perhaps I’ll wow all of you when I get back home with my mad skill.
Dublin
Off to Dublin!!! Today I got up in the morning and headed toward the train station for Dublin. Pressing time, we barely made the bus…but not all of us. Two of my friends stopped on the way to take a picture and didn’t make it on, but luckily a bus leaves for Dublin every hour. Coming in to Dublin, I could tell it would be a lot different then quaint little Galway. It was a lot bigger and more industrial. Upon arriving, we mapped out our journey to the hostel that our Irish friend in Galway told us was good: Globetrotters. We found it, and it is hard to even consider it a hostel. It was so nice, with our own private room for the five of us. We then decided to walk around the city for a while until it got dark. We saw Dublin’s castle and a park that was soooo green. It was beautiful. Loosing daylight quite fast, we decided to go back and get ready to go out to eat. We went to a close by pub for dinner, and then decided to go out and meet up with my good friend from back home Tara, that is visiting from studying in London. That night we went to a bar called Buskers. It played eighties and nineties American music the whole night. It was so much fun, just a lot of dancing! I am pretty sure everyone was jealous of our amazing dance moves...
The first full day was full of hitting the hot spots. We first, after getting a bit lost, walked to the Guinness factory. The building was amazing, being the largest “pint” in the world…supposedly its in the shape of a pint? Any who, the self-guided tour was neat; and at the end we all got a free pint of Guinness at the Gravity bar on top, which had a beautiful view of Dublin. You could see the whole city with all the walls being made of glass. It is a must see if you ever visit Dublin. On the way back home, we stopped at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and park. We saw the four courts building, and then just explored the shopping centre. For dinner we went to Porter’s Inn Pub, which is famous for their strawberry beers. It was quite girly, but good.
Our last day in Dublin was spent at the Jamison Factory and a pretty green park. We got a tour of the old distillery; it is pretty neat to see how it is made, and I got chosen to be a taste tester- even though I am not a huge whiskey fan, especially at noon, but I took one for the team. We tasted and compared an American whiskey (Jack Daniels), a Scotch, and Jamison. The Jamison was for sure my favorite. The American whiskeys are only distilled once, making them less smooth. The scotches are stored and a more smokey barrel, which gives it a quite smokey flavor. The Jamison is distilled three times, matured producing a slight honey and vanilla flavor. They exemplified the taste by adding water so the flavors came out more. I am now a certified taste tester, and I have a certificate to prove it…hehe. Overall, Dublin was a lot of fun to visit.
Tuesday February 1, 2009
Last weekend was very relaxing. I went to town a couple times to go shopping (basically just walk around). I ended up at Roscoe’s, a local coffee shop, to do homework. Yes you heard correctly…homework. I found that is a common theme here that students don’t do “homework” very often, but I decided to be a nerd and read for my upcoming classes. I read the entire novel Witches for children’s literature, which by the way has great potential to be my favorite class. I feel like a kid again reading Witches, Holes, Stardust…and actually getting college credit. My class presentation is on the film The Wizard of Oz. I have a feeling this is going to be a verrryyy challenging class (sarcasm).
Today I had one class, Understanding Strangers. We finished watching Promises which is a documentary of the Jew/Arab conflict from children’s perspectives. It was a great film that dealt with people misunderstanding each other. After we started talking about “travelers” in Ireland. All the Americans and international students couldn’t grasp the concept of this group of people. From my understanding, it is similar to gypsies...but not really? But by the way they were talking, they don’t seem like a very respectable group. Supposedly the Garda (Irish Police) are scared of this group, so basically you don’t want to mess with them. However, another girl brought up the point that not all travelers are like this. She worked with one and he was a respectable lad, and the times are changing and so are the travelers. It was just really interesting hearing about this group of people. I think I might look into this more after hearing about it.
Right now there are a group of people outside my window yelling, “snow snow!!!” Carly, from Minnesota (the land of snow) and I are less than thrilled because it is freezing in our flat. However, Joseph and Justine (from Ireland) came in so excited cause it barely ever snows here. We are just laughing at them because they are having a “snowball fight” with probably an eighth (not even) of snow on the ground. Joseph just hit me with some. Gar… I didn’t complain for too long because soon after he made us all some delicious chocolate cake.
Wednesday February 4, 2009
Today I didn’t have much going on (one class at 3), so I decided to go on my first run here in Ireland…don’t judge. Despite my lack of breath from being completely out of shape, the run was actually enjoyable due to the scenery. I took this forest path that peaked through to the river. Eventually, I ran up this hill, which overlooks a lake and across the lake is a castle covered in green. It was so beautiful! I think I just might take a journey to find it some day.
Grocery shopping here has proven to be less than an enjoyable activity. Every time I try to find something, I feel like an idiot wandering the entire store…only to find out that they don’t sell something fairly basic like cinnamon…that is to be found at another store because they were currently out. Never forget the simple luxuries such as Swedish fish or pumpkin puree. Joseph and Ruth (my Irish friends) absolutely love Swedish fish, but they don’t sell them here. Random. sorry... hehe
Tuesday February 10, 2009: Belfast!
It has been awhile…so naturally there is a lot to catch up on from the last week. Last weekend I went to Belfast with the “Spaniards” plus a German plus two other Americans. I would name everyone that went, but that would amount to 16 total…half of which I cannot pronounce their names, let alone spell them. The three bus rides we took to get there were pretty long; it took 7 hours to get there (including waiting at the two bus stations); so we left at noon and didn’t arrive till seven. The ride though was beautiful. We went between mountains; at one point the right side there were snowy mountains and on my left there were fields of every green you can imagine. The beauty outside the bus was complete opposite to the chaos within the bus…a child literally yelled on and off the entire bus ride. Of course, lucky me…I forgot my I-pod, book, or anything that could distract me from this awful sound besides the beautiful landscape outside. Once we finally got to Belfast, we were really hungry and cold (it was snowing there), so we decided to stop at the first thing we found, which was a Subway…first time I have eaten stereotypical American food since I have arrived. Coincidently, we ran into some of our friends that we were meeting there….small town I guess? Did you knowww…that Subway’s here have some weird sandwiches that I have never seen before. I decided one called sweet chili chicken, which actually was quite delicious. However, they had the weirdest chips known to man. This is a trend I have seen all over, in the groceries, vending machines, etc. They have chips called roasted chicken, or hoison and duck…and get this one, chili and chocolate? I was not brave enough to try them, maybe some other day…probably not.
After dinner we made our way back to the hostel, which was called the Linen House Hostel. The hostel itself was not too bad, especially for 10 pounds a night. However, the lady in the bunk above me was really creepy. Before I even seen her, Fabian was like “you know there is a witch in your room.” Well, I don’t really know if she was a “witch”, but she talked, made noises, shaked, snored, you name it really, in her sleep…so little sleep for me. The last night I was there I woke up to her sitting in front of me…at first I thought she was just staring at me, then I realized that she was looking for something, or sleep walking…I don’t really know? On top of her freakiness, she was sick, so now I sit here typing with the worst sore throat, headache, and sniffles I have had for awhile…all thanks to the “witch.” She was an interesting character though…a pretty old lady just hanging out in Belfast I guess?
Our main adventure of the weekend was Giant’s Causeway, which could be one of the most beautiful places I have seen since I got here. Basically, it is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. I am positive that my words would give this place little justice. We spent about 3 hours roaming the area, and I never got board. The entire time I was in awe about how beautiful one place could be, from the cliffs to the actual causeway, to the ocean, it was overall a moving experience. Oh ya, I saw Scotland from the tip top point! …at least we think that is what it was…almost positive.
The last night in Belfast, we thought we would go out to a pub or something. We slowly figured out that the actual city was quite dead, at least when we were there. It is a little weird that in the capital of Northern Ireland there was nothing to do on a Saturday night. We literally found two pubs, both which you had to pay 10 pounds to get in, so we decided to just go to bed so we could have a long next day. Belfast on Sundays, is completely dead…meaning you could walk for 5 minutes and see 10 people tops. It was so weird; almost like I was in a ghost town. There was like 3 shops open…a café, subway, and a corner store. Oh, and the ferris wheel was open! We definitely had to do that, and shockingly there was no one in line at 10 in the morning…who would have thought? Hehe, considering we were their only customers at that hour on a Sunday, they let us go around 4 times instead of the usual 2! Wooo!

Wednesday February 17, 2009
Unfortunately, for the past week I have been struck with some type of illness, so my adventures aren’t as many. Going to the doctor, however, I ran into cultural differences that I find quite funny. I went in to the student health center yesterday to schedule what I would call “a doctor’s appointment.” One would think this would be a universal term, so I went in quite confidently and said, “Hello, I was wondering if I could set up an appointment.” The secretary then said that the center was booked for the day, but there were first come first serve surgeries starting at nine. Wait a second lady, I don’t need a surgery, a simple look at the throat and ear will suffice. There was no way I heard this correctly. She then proceeded to say, “Or I could schedule you for an afternoon surgery at 20 till 4.” Nope, I was right, she said surgery. So note to self, when someone says they can schedule you for a “surgery” it doesn’t mean they are going to take out your heart or anything. Also, the process was not as efficient and led to much frustration on my side. I set an appointment on Monday for Tuesday. I went in and saw a nurse, who then told me I needed to see a doctor on Wednesday. If I wasn’t sick and in need of some help I wouldn’t be there in the first place, so of course I need to see a doctor or someone who can prescribe me something! On the bright side, the nurse and the doctor and everyone were extremely nice and friendly; cheered up my glum spirits I suppose.
Besides sleeping and reading occasionally, class is the only priority I have when I am sick. Yesterday, my Understanding strangers class was so European. We began the gathering as a good ole fashion discussion style class. However, our teacher soon decided that the second half of the class would be “tea and cookie” time. I don’t think that would ever happen at home. It was a nice break in the day to simply sit and talk to my classmates over a nice cup of tea. We also talked about culture in this class…one thing led to another led to another, which ultimately ended in the peanut butter and jelly discussion. We, as Americans, are inherently different and weird for liking this processed sandwich. A) People here despise peanut butter thinking it is behind gross. B) Jelly is a term for Jello here, so realllyyy we are having peanut butter and jam sandwiches, technically speaking. Basically, if you want to fit in around Europe (you wont but if you want to try), don’t give into a peanut butter and jam sandwich.
Next week is a supposedly epic week named RAG week. It is supposed to be a week for fund raising, but over time turned into a huge party week I guess. The festivities began a week early for somethings, including the assassination game that my flatmates are all partaking in. It is this campus wide game, where you get a picture and id card of someone, and it is your mission to find them on campus and assassinate them (tell them they are assassinated). The person who gets the most assassinations receives 1000 euros! One of my friends has already been assassinated, but the other two are still in the running. Looking back I should have signed up: I didn't know there was a cash prize. I don't however think I would have been very good at the game. Oh well :/
Oh! And I am learning useful knowledge from Celtic Mythology, Religion, and Folklore…I learned in my mythology class that redheads are unlucky and evil. "red is unusual and the color of the underworld", so when fisherman in Ireland went to the docks a long time ago and passed a redhead on the way there, they turned around because they knew they would have bad luck all day......you all better watch out, I guess I am dangerous. :(
Sunday March 1, 2009
Ahhhh, I cannot believe it is already March! Time is flying by; I only have 4 weeks of school left. Last weekend I went to London to visit my friend Tara. Molly and I got up at 2 in the morning to drive to Dublin to catch our flight at 630. Gerry, Molly’s friend, drove us so we didn’t have to take the bus. It was so nice of him! After an easy trip over, we met Tara and off to have our first experience on the Tube. Turns out, I love this intense form of transportation. There is like a whole city underground…amazing. The first day was very full of the typical touristy sights in London. We saw Kensington Palace; I am pretty sure I sat on a bench that Princess Diana sat on. That is something to reflect on… We went on a typical British stroll in Hyde Park. It was pretty neat, but I’ll be honest, I like Forest Park in St. Louis just as much. I was so looking forward to teasing the guards at Buckingham Palace, only to be disappointed by the relocation of the guards. They now stand way far away to the gate, so I had to use extreme zoom to get a picture of one. Big Ben is bigger than I imagined, quite magical in fact.
I learned something very interesting about the famous “London Bridge.” The actual bridge named this lies parallel with Tower bridge, which is the bridge that comes to mind when us Americans speak of “London Bridge.” Basically, I learned once again that sometimes us as Americans are dumb :/ . Supposedly, America tried to buy Tower Bridge by asking for London Bridge, soooo we ended up with a crappy bridge next to a beautiful bridge. Oopsies.
Molly and I tested our navigating skills for a bit on Sunday when Tara had to go somewhere else. Surprisingly, we actually got around without getting lost. We went to the British Museum where we saw ancient Greek statues, the Rosetta Stone, and many other pieces from around the world. After returning to Tara’s flat, we decided to go see a musical at a theatre in Picadilly Circus. Being a Sunday, the choices were limited, and ultimately, we choose Thriller Live. We expected it was going to be a musical or something about Michael Jackson, but turned out to be simply a very long music video of people singing and dancing to his songs. However, the singers and dancers were quite good, so can’t complain.
After a very full weekend, all we had left was to get home. Molly and I got up at 5:30, so we could leave Tara’s by 6 to catch our 630 bus. Thinking a half hour would be plenty of time because it was merely 3 stops away on the District line. How wrong we were; the line went extra slow and the bus stop was farther than expected, so after a nice little run to make the bus we saw the stop at 6:29, we made it! Wrong…right when we arrived the bus driver took off. I ran after it, catching up knocked on the door while it was still moving. The bus hit a stoplight…this was our chance!! Wrong again…the bus driver looked at me and shook his head no. WHAT?!! REALLY? This would have NEVER happened in Ireland!- what I was thinking at the time. So, using our think on our feet skills, we went back to the bus station, where no one would help us, but finally found out we needed to get to Liverpool street via the tube and take a train to Stansted Airport. Sounds simple…was quite confusing, but finally made it to the airport, checked in, past security, to our gate right as the plane was boarding. Perhaps we carry the luck of the Irish afterall? Moral of the story: leave extra time to catch a bus and don’t mess with the British at 6:29 in the morning.
Last week was RAG week or raise a grand week….well, that’s what they say. Over the years it has turned into a massive drinking week. Lucky me (sarcasm) gets to live with all first years who go completely mad for an entire week. Literally, I could not go anywhere without a drunkurd coming up to me and bothering me. The flat below Max’s was completely destroyed: chairs broken, table flipped over, ketchup everywhere, fire hydrant foam smothering the floors. Might I add: they did this to their own flat. Wowza. Luckily, I survived the week. It was like nothing I have ever experienced in my entire life, and proud of that fact. These kids brought a new meaning to destructive and angry drunk.
This weekend was soooo peaceful. I could actually leave my cacoon I had made in my flat. All the Irish go home on the weekends, leaving the international students and others alone. It was so quiet. I didn’t get woken up at 5 in the morning to people throwing rocks at my window: it was quite lovely. The good news is: today was the most beautiful day yet, so Lara, Carly, and I decided to go on an adventure. Near our apartment complex, on the walking path leading away from town, there is a castle across the river. We decided to go and find it today. However, you have to go all the way around to get there. It was a hour walk one way, but it was completely worth it. We met a dog there, which was the best fetcher I have ever encountered. Carly, who can’t throw, accidentally threw the stick into the river. The dog jumped in and fetched it…now that is dedication. The place was pretty; I think only pictures can explain this part of my journey. Basically, it was fun. The end…hehe

Trip to Barcelona- March 11, 2009
I just got back from Barcelona today, which could quite possibly been the most fun I have had yet. I got to see me friend, Mari, who I haven’t seen for three years, and had the opportunity to finally meet her parents. It was unbelievable how hospitable they were. I won’t lie, I probably gained 10 pounds from how much good food they kept feeding me. I think staying with an actual Spanish family made the experience what it was. Her dad spoke English, and always had so much to say about the city. He helped us get around when Mari was in classes by showing us to the metro, etc. Her mom, one of the nicest people ever, could not speak a lot of English, meaning hello and goodbye as her limits, but that gave me a reason to practice my Spanish. It was quite funny though, because randomly she would come into the room and try to say something in English with a huge smile across her face. I really got to know the Spanish culture in the last four days. A lot is different than my own. Not only the huge language difference, there were others that stood out. For example, they have perhaps the greatest idea in the world of having a siesta (literally meaning nap) in the middle of the day. They have their biggest meal of the day, lunch, around two in the afternoon and proceed to rest for a couple hours before returning to work or school. This is just the cure to enable you to have extra energy throughout the rest of the day. The also have dinner realllyyy late. When I say late I mean 10:30 PM late, so naturally Carly and I were starving by the time dinner came. The actual meals were so good. I had some typical Spanish dishes, such as pulpo (octopus), Spanish jamon (ham…but better), and a noodle dish that is soaked in some type of fish broth; the name is too hard to remember. Can I just reiterate the fact that I tried octopus?? Ya, it was gross. Other than food, I noticed some cultural social differences; for example, public display of affection- everywhere. I suppose it is normal to simply make out anywhere one likes in Spain; I being foreign, continually found myself really awkward for example, when waiting in a line with two people in front of me hard core kissing. Weirdos, just kidding hehe. Another quite funny difference is how comfortable the girls are with nudity. I just read that out loud, and realized it sounded really odd. Well, here is the story. Carly and I went to Mari’s soccer match, and afterwards, the girls went to the locker room, where Mari asked if it was okay for her to take a shower first. Normal…until we were hit with a surprise when all the girls just took off all their clothes to get ready for the shower. Just talking, acting normal, not covering up at all. This would never happen in the United States. Carly went red, while I started a conversation about my foot. We didn’t know what to do or where to look; it actually was quite funny now. Kind of a weird story…but I think it was when I realized how different each culture is. However, I dooo like their form of greeting better, two kisses instead of a hug or a handshake is way more class (yes I use class now…when in Ireland).
Well, enough of the random difference, we saw so many cool places in Barcelona. The first day we wondered the city, saw the old Olympic stadium at Montjuic, that is on a mountain overlooking the city. It was very beautiful. I also got really excited about outdoor escalators, weird, I know, but awesome. We saw the old part of Barcelona, with pretty architecture. Then we saw the new part of Barcelona on the famous street Ramblas, with Spanish singers in the street; it was quite festive. Monday we went to Sitges, because of Mari’s dad’s recommendation. It is basically a little village that is 30 minutes by train from Barcelona. There is a beach and the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. People were wearing like winter coats because it was “cloudy” out. Carly and I were fine with a light jacket…and at one point a short-sleeved shirt. This was quite normal for the whole trip; we obviously were use to a different type of weather. People in Barcelona probably would die in our winters.
Tuesday Carly and I flew solo while Mari was in class. We decided to check out the famous Sagrada Familia, which could be one of the most beautiful peaces of architecture I have ever seen. “The Sagrada Familia was designed by Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926), who worked on the project for over 40 years. Gaudi devoted the last 15 years of his life entirely to the endeavor. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2026.” Wikipedia is better at describing all the facts than me. We went up into one of the towers, and took the spiral, narrow staircase down. It was so pretty, only pictures can capture the magic.