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.