Tidbits

Just a quick post about some of the things I've experienced and learned so far.

1. It's always raining. If it's not, it will. Always have a rain coat handy.

2. Hot water is a luxury. Mom, you'll be happy to know I've finally starting adhering to the 5 minute shower precedent. Not because I decided to listen to you, but because after 5 minutes, if it lasts that long, the water gets cold. We have a water heater on the third floor of our apartment that heats water from 4-8 every morning. So if we want to take a shower after about 10am we have to turn on what's called "the boost" which heats the water for about 2 hours. Not to mention only 2, maybe 3 if we're lucky, can shower in the morning before the water starts to resemble Lake Seneca. Needless to say, taking a shower takes a little bit more planning than it does in the States.

3. If it doesn't smell or have a stain on it, don't wash it. To do a load of laundry here it costs 6 euros which is about $7.60. And I thought $2.50 at Hobart was bad... I'm okay with being an outfit repeater if it saves me a little dough.

4. Coffee here isn't a thing. It's either instant or nonexistent. Tea, on the other hand, is making it's way into my heart. I think I drank about 10 cups yesterday, partially due to my sore throat.

5. Craic (pronounced crack) has a totally different meaning here. Nope, not a drug. It means "fun." The Irish continuously ask "what's the craic?" the same way we would ask "what's up?" I still haven't figured out what a proper response to "what's the craic?" is so I usually just smile and run away. I'm sorry, I just really don't know what the craic is.

6. No matter how many times you do it, clicking "confirm flight" on ryanair.com will give you heart palpitations 100% of the time. Just booked Prague for the weekend of November 7th!

7. Irish accents can be harder to understand than you'd think and are even harder to imitate. Just ask my Irish housemates, my Irish accent is not coming along the way it should be at this point in the semester. In my defense, their American accents aren't much better. Every time my housemate, Stephanie, says some kind of Irish slang word and I ask her what it means she just repeats it like "oh yeah it's dire, like dire ya know?" We're working on her definitions but for now I'll have to rely on the internet.

8. When they say Galway is a walking city, they mean it. Twenty minute walks to class and downtown don't phase me anymore. They're actually enjoyable if it's not slashing (pouring) rain.

9. Ireland has made me clumsy. I never really considered myself a clumsy person until fall/trip #1 here. Now that I'm at about fall #47, I'm not sure how many more bruises my knees can take. It's not my fault the sidewalks are uneven and lined with short posts! Luckily by this point my friends have learned to warn me by shouting "Katie, post!" every time they see something I could potentially impale myself with. Not to worry though, I fall on even surfaces too. I like to think that takes talent.

10. The Irish know how to have a good time. Besides being infectiously friendly, they will talk to just about anybody about anything. They sure know how to party, too. If yelling and blasting music at 5:00am is still considered partying.

11. My Irish housemates are the best. I have 3: Laura, Stephanie, and Jenna (Jengav). Caroline and I definitely lucked out. They're crazy hilarious. There's never a dull moment in our apartment, that's for sure.

12. The Irish can spot Americans from a mile away. I'm getting pretty good at it myself too (the North Face backpacks and Sperrys are a bit of a giveaway).

13. School is different. At this point, more than halfway through the semester, I've only taken 4 quizzes and written 2 short essays. Both of which were for my class with the American professor that came with us. I've had no homework assignments other than readings for that same class. Rather than continuous assessment like I'm used to at home, the classes here are evaluated based on either one exam or one essay at the end of the semester. It's not necessarily a bad system, it's just not at all what we're used to.

14. I'm making an impact. For my service learning placement I'm working with teens with autism at a program called Foroige. By this point each of the volunteers have a "buddy." My buddy is a 15 year old girl; the only girl in the program of about 15 boys. This past Tuesday she asked me if I watch Grey's Anatomy. I responded with an enthusiastic 'yes' since it's my favorite show. She then said, "you know how Meredith and Christina call each other 'my person'?" I replied, "yes." She said to me, "you're kinda like 'my person'." Even if you're not familiar with Grey's, it was a really sweet thing to say. It was a particularly monumental step for her because she rarely expresses a lot of her feelings, something that can be difficult for people with autism. I knew she had been enjoying hanging out with me each week, but I didn't realize just how much until that moment.

15. "When in Ireland." I've learned that sometimes I just have to say to myself "when in Ireland!" Forget comfort zones, forget the easy way, and just go for it. Being here is a once in a lifetime opportunity. In order to make the most of every minute sometimes you just gotta remind yourself that it's Ireland. In twenty years I hope I can look back and say to myself, "I'm glad I settled for 5 hours of sleep instead of 8 that one night and went to that pub." That's not to say I'm not taking my academics seriously or taking care of myself, I'm just learning to be more spontaneous so that I can go home saying I did and saw everything I wanted and it was totally worth it. I have no doubt that's the path I'm on seeing as I'm already getting anxious about leaving. For someone who gets home sick going to school for a month, I've surprised myself on this trip. I miss my family, particularly my mom (I need our Scandal/Grey's marathons and avocado toast ASAP), my friends, and Fall at HWS, but other than that I have found a new home here that I don't even want to think about leaving.

Kerry

It's been a busy week and this post is long overdue. Last weekend's trip to Dingle, County Kerry was my favorite of our program excursions so far (I think I say that every time but I really mean it this time). Friday was spent mostly on the bus with a few quick stops at Coole Park and Bunratty Castle. Of course, the rainy Irish weather joined us on our excursion too. 

Bunratty Castle

Coole Park 

Bunratty Castle

We stayed in Dingle, a small town in Kerry, at the Dingle Harbor Lodge. Our first time staying somewhere other than a hostel and needless to say, we thoroughly enjoyed the change. In addition to comfortable beds we got a full hot breakfast each morning which certainly beats a piece of bread at the hostels. 

Dingle Bay

Saturday was a day spent driving through the Dingle Peninsula stopping along the way for plenty of photo ops. The views were incredibly green and incredibly wet. 

We stopped at a standing stone:

beehive huts:

Coumeenoole Beach:

Blasket Island Centre:

Riask:

Gallarus Oratory:

Kilmalkedar:

Saturday night, our whole group hit a few pubs together. We started off at a small one where we listened to some traditional Irish music and then moved onto one where we killed it on the dance floor. We certainly looked like the Americans that we are jamming to One Direction. This weekend was the first in a while that we were in Galway. With a four day weekend, we've been catching up on sleep, work, and Galway fun. Next weekend is our last program excursion to Northern Ireland. We've hit the half way mark of our time in Ireland and I need the time to slow down! I can't think about leaving. I love being here too much!

Barcelona

Este fin de semana fue increíble. Translation: this weekend was amazing! I'm still partially thinking in Spainish so let's see if I can get this all out in English. Thursday night me and five other HWS/Union jet-setters hopped on a plane to Barcelona for a weekend in the warm Spanish sun. Our first night was a little less than fantastico. A bus from the airport dropped me, Kai, and Caroline off at Placa de Catalunya, which we now know was about a two minute walk from our hostel. After several wrong turns, (pretty sure we past the hostel at least three times without realizing it) we determined we were definitely lost. It was approaching 2am so we decided the safest choice was to take a cab. One small problem: we don't speak Spanish. Despite the cab driver's giggling, my rusty high school Spanish skills managed to get us to our hostel, the St. Christopher's Inn. After a few short hours of sleep, the three of us met up with Janine and Emily who were staying about 20 minutes away. We spent the day exploring Las Ramblas, Port Vell, La Boqueria, and the Gothic Quarter. Las Ramblas is a long street at the heart of the area of the city we were in. It has tons of restaurants, shops, and street performers which leads all the way out to Port Vell. 

At the end of Las Ramblas (Caroline, Emily, Kai, Janine, and me)

Caroline and I at Port Vell

Kai, Caroline, Janine, and I at Port Vell

Port Vell

We went to the La Boqueria for lunch: a huge market of meats, cheeses, chocolates, fruits, and every other kind of food you could think of. We successfully ate our way through the whole place, eating little bits of everything. 

La Boqueria

Chocolates

Fresh fruit

Empanadas

Devouring our empanadas

We spent the afternoon exploring the Gothic Quarter. The architecture in Barcelona is incredible everywhere you look, a vibrant combination of modern and ancient Roman inspired buildings, cathedrals, and streets. 

Emily, Caroline, and me

The Gothic Quarter consists of huge blocks of narrow pedestrian streets weaving in and out of corridors filled with fountains, cathedrals, and other large architectural masses. Walking through it felt like a different world. 

Group pic in the Gothic Quarter

Mid-afternoon we met up with my brother, Kevin, who came in from Murcia, Spain for the weekend. We explored the Gothic Quarter some more before I brought him back to La Boqueria. We all took what the Spanish call a siesta (nap) and then regrouped for dinner. Dinner in Spain takes place after my bedtime so that was a struggle for me. We went to Sensi Tapas for dinner (Janine is an expert Yelper). The food. Wow. We ate several platters of tapas, sipped sangria, and were beyond content.

Great food, even better company

Patatas bravas aka my new obsession. I'm already craving them

Salmon burgers

Sangria toast the Spanish way (salud!)

Saturday was another full day with A LOT of walking (I'm still sore and Caroline's toe might be broken). We started off taking the metro to Park Guell. The park, like much of Barcelona, is full of architecture and sculptures designed by Antoni Gaudi. Each level of the park we walked up had a better view than the last. It was unlike any park I'd ever been to, a definite must-see for anyone traveling to Barcelona. 

Kai, Caroline, and me 

The view

After another meal of tapas, we headed to La Sagrada Familia, another architectural masterpiece of Gaudi. Unfortunately there was only one tour left that day that interfered with our plans for the rest of the afternoon. Just looking at it from outside was impressive. Though under construction, the detail and extensions of the building are exotic and visually appealing. It is huge in size and character. Kevin got to go inside on Sunday and his pictures looked really amazing. I guess now I'll have to start making a list of things to do next time I'm in Barcelona!

La Sagrada Familia

We concluded the afternoon with a trip to Montjuic, a small mountain along the harbor of the city. We took a chairlift type thing up to the top where there was a fortress and some walking trails. From inside the chairlift, as well as from the top of the mountain, we could see all of Barcelona. I didn't realize what a massive city I had been in until I saw it from up there. We could spot La Sagrada Familia and a few other landmarks that we'd seen during the weekend. I'd say we covered a lot of the city, hitting a lot of important sites in just the few days we had. 

The girls

We finished off the trip with one last authentic Spanish meal of paella and sangria. After saying goodbye to Kevin, the girls and I hit the beach for a little late night girl talk and of course, some chocolate. We intended to go to a club called Opium that sits on the water and even got on the guest list for free entry. However, since our feet were hurting so badly from all the walking we'd been doing, we all wore flip flops that night which, note to anyone going to Barcelona: flip flops are not allowed in clubs. That was a bummer but it certainly didn't sour our weekend in Spain. We flew home Sunday morning and were back in Galway around dinnertime.  

Traditional seafood paella (yum!) 

Dipping our toes in the water

It was so great to see Kevin in Barcelona. I had a ton of fun and it was like having a little bit of home while still being abroad. It's crazy to be so far away from home but lucky that we're both discovering Europe at the same time and got the chance to do some of that discovering together. He was also our lifesaver this weekend. Without his navigation and translation skills we would have been quite literally lost. The few times we had to attempt these things on our own didn't go so well, hence the first night. Just a few more months until I see him again in London!

It was an amazing weekend/trip to say the least. The five of us girls had so much fun together and it was a good size group to travel with. There were several times that I had to pinch myself because I couldn't fathom actually being in Barcelona. It sucked to leave such an incredible city after only a weekend but when I heard Irish accents for the first time in three days waiting at the airport, it felt like home. My first academic assignment was due yesterday (cross your fingers for me) and we are off on another group excursion to Kerry this weekend. Salud!

Cork

Well, we made it through another weekend excursion exploring Ireland. This weekend's destination was Cork, located on the Southwest coast, about two and a half hours from Galway. On Friday we took a pit stop in Limerick before arriving at a small pub in the city of Cork where we listened to a traditional Irish poetry performance. 

Coffee break in Limerick

We then had the remainder of the afternoon and night to explore the city on our own. After trekking through the rain we stopped at the English market and then for dinner at a an Italian restaurant. That night, a small group of us hit up the Oliver Plunkett pub, based on a local's recommendation. We listened to live music and hung out for a few hours. Cork is much more similar to Galway than Dublin and I think it's safe to say the majority of us liked Cork better. 

Cork

Dinner at Scoozi's

On Saturday we were led on a full day tour of Cork as well as the port town of Cobh. Cobh is most popularly known as the last port stop of the Titanic before its demise. It's a charming town, perfect for spending the day wandering around the sites. We went to a museum that gave us a good look at the history of the town especially in its relation to the Titanic. We traveled back to Cork and concluded our walking tour with an unofficial tour of the National University of Cork. 

Cobh

Museum

Cobh

Cobh

Cobh

National University of Cork 

At the top of a fortress in Cork (Kai, Me, Janine, & Caroline)

Sunday was probably our busiest day. On our way back to Galway we stopped at two of Ireland's most popular tourists stops. First up was Blarney Castle. We got to explore the winding corridors of the castle's interior as well as the gardens and pathways that surround it. At the top, tourists are able to kiss the Blarney Stone which is said to give the gift of eloquence. I'm still waiting for that eloquence to kick in!  

Blarney Castle

Blarney House

A little bit of home in an Irish castle 

At Blarney Castle (Katelyn, Abby, Kai, Caroline, & Me) 

Kissing the Blarney Stone

Cliffs of Moher were our last stop and definitely my favorite. The wind was unreal but so was the view! It's hard to explain a sight like that and pictures don't do it justice but they can try:

At the Cliffs of Moher

Cliffs of Moher 

At the Cliffs of Moher (Caroline, Abby, Me, Janine, & Kai) 

Cliffs of Moher

Me & Janine at the Cliffs of Moher

[Almost all of our group] group photo at the Cliffs of Moher

Our attempt at an HWS group photo but we're a little too dysfunctional

Next weekend I'm off to Barcelona with a bunch of people. My brother, who's working and living in Murcia, Spain this year, is going to come to Barcelona for the weekend as well. I can't wait!