International Peace Day and naming my guitar...

Oh my gosh... what an incredible week it has been since the last time I wrote!  This evening has put me in a very "reflective" mood... just got back from celebrating International Peace Day on campus and can't help but feel humbled and thankful for this opportunity and the life I have been given.  So here I go "reflecting"...

It was barely a year ago that the seed was planted in my mind... that eventually grew into an overly-extravagant idea... that was fueled by my parents when I opened up my Christmas presents last winter and found a guidebook to Ireland... that turned into a mad race against time to overnight the study abraod application to Texas... that brought me here.  To Ireland.  Having the time of my life.  Who woulda thought?!

Last we spoke, I believe I ranted and raved about the Aran Islands and how they may very well be the BEST part of my trip so far.  Of course Ireland had to one-up me, and throw Bunratty Castle and Folk Park my way.  Mmmmmhmmmm... Imagine a fully restored castle, complete with hidden spiral staircases, an eerie dungeon looming below you, rooms full of medieval furniture and artwork, heavy oak tables lined up for a traditional feast, and trapdoors creaking below you, and you just might get a sense of what this place is like.  Once owned by the O'Briens (one of the most powerful families to rule these parts of Ireland.  BASICALLY my new life plan is to marry an O'Brien... for obvious reasons), the castle has been fully restored and is open to the public for tours and daily medieval feasts.  How fun!

so awesome!

what'd you do today? ...aw not much, just went exploring down some secret castle corridors

Bunratty Castle

The village surrounding the castle has been transformed into more of a folk park, where houses from all over Ireland have been transplanted so that you really get a sense of rural Ireland from all corners of the island.  Anyone ever smelled peat?  It's like molding campfire...mmm!  Common source of fuel and heat for much of Ireland.  And now I smell like it :)

The roof! Oh the roof! LOVE!

seriously? homemade apple pie? can she come home with me?

So many animals in the folk park... ducks, chickens, horses, foals, deer, pigs, and IRISH WOLFHOUNDS!!!!

So all in all, Saturday was a big win in my book!

But now it's back to school and being "responsible". Ugh.  Spanish is hard.  And so are ordinary differential equations.  Maple looks like jibberish, and 2500 words is a lot to write.  But no worries.... my music class has a practical every week, and I chose guitar, so guess what I did today?  Bought my very first guitar!!!! AHHHH!  It's beautiful. I'm in love.  And I'm pretty sure I've seen every possible youtube video there is to see on beginning guitar, but somehow I still can't figure out a D chord.  Eek!  Next on the to-do list: naming my guitar.  Something Irish....

Also great parts of this week that didn't make the cut for their own paragraph:
First football (soccer to you silly americans) match watched in a pub.  VERY Irish.
First game of darts in Ireland.  Guess who won???
Seeing a Seattle Sounders jersey.  Represent!
Skittles in Ireland are funny... like I actually think I can taste the rainbow more clearly....
Number one new craving: guacamole and tortilla chips!!!

Next up on the agenda:
Thursday is Guinness Day!  Drink a pint to celebrate the year the Guinness Factory officially opened its doors!
Dingle OR Galway... riding horses or listening to trad music? WHY do you make me make these decisions????
Dublin! Yessssssss.... Starbucks!  Wait, did I just say that out loud? 

I promise I'm almost done talking your ear off... and then you can go back to whatever you were doing with your life.  But before you go, I wanted to share with you one of the best parts of my week.  Of this experience, actually.  It's this little concept of "Service Above Self", and being abroad has made me even more aware of it than I think I have ever been before.  Here's my little plug for Rotary - it's awesome.  But more than that, Rotary has taught me the importance of Service Above Self.  On Monday, I attended my first Development Society meeting, where I met some of the most amazing individuals who were there to find ways of making the world a better place.  I'm talkin Amnesty International, Kiva, World AIDs Day, etc. Love em!  Hopefully next week I can make a connection with Rotary and the club can really take off!  And then tonight, with over 400 others, I participated in International Peace Day.  Today, 21 September, is the day that all countries honor a cease-fire.  The hope is that for just one day, the world can live without fear of the next bomb, the next hostile take-over, or the next act of violence.  Call me hippie, but how cool is that?  Even if all I could do tonight was light a candle and stand as one of the mass, at least I took a stance. I believed.  What have you done for your world today?  What are you going to do?  Make a difference.  Put Service Above Yourself and see what happens...

What? School?

Hey all!

I'm pretty sure real life just walked back into my world.  Hello.  Nice to see you again.
See, apparently spending a semester abroad entails actually ATTENDING and PASSING university classes. Whoa.  My brain is definitely struggling to re-adjust to the whole concept of thinking... and it's hard.  Not only am I taking 5 upper division classes, but each one meets at a different time, in a different room, with a different teacher EVERY SINGLE DAY.  Ready for a crash course on the Irish education system?
1) Most classes have one lecture a week. One hour of non-stop talking... where taking notes is almost a joke because the pace is basically in hyper-mode.
2) In addition to lecture, science and language classes each have at least one lab a week. I went to my first spanish lab yesterday, and we spent an hour with headphones on, listening to jibberish... or I guess maybe it was spanish. Again in hyper-mode.
3) Almost every class also has 1-3 tutorials a week.  These are classes of 10-20 people from your lecture, lead by yet another teacher.  Basically a discussion sesh.  We were told they don't start until week 2 or 3... which of course means I missed all of the tutorials that conveniently started on week 1.  Awesome.

So basically this last week and a half has been a circus.... I just hope I make it out alive with my GPA still intact.  Wait for an update.

On a more adventuresome note, the ever-so-awesome Erin came allllllllll the way out from Washington to visit this weekend! How cool is she?  Erin, her brother Jeff, Miss Margaret from API, and myself left late Friday afternoon for a weekend on the Aran Islands.  First time Allie played hookie in Ireland? Check.  First time Allie stayed at a hostel? Check.  First time Allie fell off 300-foot cliffs?  Hahahaha... let's hope not.

We took the bus from Limerick to this little costal town called Doolin Friday night.  Oh Doolin.  Such an amazing little gem :) Touristy, yes, but gorgeous and with so much character.  That night, we stayed in the Aille River Hostel... yes, my dyslexia is kicking in too... I swear it says the ALLIE River Hostel.  Almost famous.  Gah.  I fell in love with Ireland all over again once inside the hostel.  So comfy and welcoming.  You know that feeling of just wanting to curl up next to a crackling fire on a dreary night to read a fantasticly wonderful novel while sipping on some chamomile tea? mmmmm... that's the Aille River Hostel.





So many stories in such a plain old guestbook...



Words of Wisdom right there.


Good morning and welcome to Saturday!  Wow... does Ireland look gorgeous in the morning or what?  Goodbye for now, Aille River Hostel.

The next part of our journey took us to the docks of Doolin, where we boarded "The Happy Hooker" for our journey across the sea.  Hmmmmm.  Lets just say we were lucky to come off of that boat dry and with our stomachs slightly intact. 

Inishmore is the biggest of the three Aran Islands, but with only 800 residents, it feels very removed and isolated.  I would live there in a heartbeat.  Don't get me wrong, I'm more of a city girl than most Landerites I know, but a girl's gotta have her small town too!  We spent all afternoon walking along a tiny little road along the coastline... picking wild blackberries, watching for seals, and taking in the rolling hills and pure simplicity of it all.  Eventually our 6 mile-ish walk lead us to one of the most well-preserved Bronze Age fortresses in all of Europe: Dun Aonghasa.  Don't EVEN try to pronounce that.



The edge of the world!

 


Thank you, Google, for this awesome view :)



Taking it all in

Catching a van ride back to our hostel, we met ever-so-lovely Bertie.  Probably gonna marry that man one day.  As we handed him our 5 Euro and hopped out of the van, he assured us we'd see him again at the pub that night, rightfully spending our money on Guinness.  Glad to say he was a man of his word. 

The four of us spent that evening talking to Italian men, cooking a spaghetti dish out of onions, proving Allie is unbeatable in both Checkers AND Chess, and wishing we had some ice cream.  So good.  The morning came too quickly, though, and we made our way back to the mainland and the rest of society.   The last few legs of the trip back were slightly uneventful... saying goodbye to a good friend is always hard.

But oh, what a trip!  While the honeymoon stage begins to wear off, and I can feel myself heading into the "culture shock slump" I'm still so in love with this adventure and am taking in every last second.  My camera memory card is full, my friends are plenty, and as they say in Ireland, it's all a good craic!  (not to be confused with the American crack... Irish craic is actually NOT a drug, but rather a word for great fun and good times....)



7 Days of CRAZY

I can't believe we've been here for a week! It seems like just yesterday I was sitting on a plane, getting ready to say goodbye to the States.  School starts tomorrow, and I can't help but feel like I did as a "fresher".  I keep telling myself that I'm in my third year of college, so it's time to buck up and have some guts, but like THAT'S working....

These past few days have just been spectacular.  From days in the city, to days in the countryside, this country is never boring.  As much as I love the city life though, my favorite day has been the trip to the Cliffs of Moher.  WOW.  Put these on your bucket list, ladies and gents.  I've never seen anything like it.  It's one thing to climb to the top of a mountain or reach out your arms on boat called Titanic... it's another thing to feel like you're standing on the edge of the Earth.  Picture rolling hills and a gently sloping grade down into the sandy beaches of a local village, and then turn 180° and the rolling hills drop almost 500 feet straight down at your feet.  There is nothing like it.

Getting to the Cliffs was an adventure in and of itself. 
        1) The Burren is a geological gem.  Thanks, Dad, for teaching me that limestone fizzes when it comes into contact with an acid.  I ran all over Ireland searching for vinegar that day.

Limestone Puzzles!

                  2) Next life goal: marry an O'Brien. That family has more castles in Ireland than can be counted! Yes, you will all be able to stay at my castle.

             

O'Brien Castle (one of a bajillion)

O'Brien Castle (two of a bajillion)

                               3) Guinness and beef stew is perhaps the most amazing meal I've ever had. And they weren't kidding about the Irish and their potatoes... mmmmm!
                                          4) American fudge has nothing on Irish fudge.
                                                    and 5) Irish cows are, um ..... HUGE. No joke.

Love.

So far this whole trip has been nothing but the "honeymoon stage".  From milk markets that trump Bellingham's Farmer's Market, to dress shopping for less than $15 USD, to dancing to The Proclaimers' "I Would Walk 500 Miles" at the club, I can't help but love this adventure more and more each day! 

We do Saturday night the RIGHT way.

      I'm sure once the school year starts, it'll be back to reality for me.... ugh.  But for right now, I'm happy   just. like. this.

Until next time!