It's all going just way too fast... Life obviously has no idea what "slow down" means

Hey all! Wow... talk about long time no talk. Or maybe it's just that the trips keep piling up with no time in between to chat!

Hmmmmm... well, let me just start by saying to the Irish school system, "Póg mo Thóin"!  I mean really... I've got way too much traveling and exploring to do to have ANY time for this essay writing/mid-term studying/project researching shenanigans.  I mean, who's to say that the education I'm getting while sitting in a lecture hall is somehow more valuable than the education I'm getting as I travel the world, experience new cultures, and spend my life-savings?  So when I'm not stressed out sitting in a library cubicle, this is what I've been up to...



Grand Opening of the UL Music Building

Drumming sesh: Eyre Square

<3 Galway

Rewind a couple weeks... let me take you back...

Big deal #1: Loius O'BradyCallaghan.  Direct reference to Leap Year.  Basically the new love in my life.  This cheap-o guitar has been perhaps one of the most successful adventures I've had here.  Currently, Loius and I are working on transitions... that darn D chord is going to kill me!

 But I love having music back in my life.  I was even brave enough to sit down at a baby grand the other day! ... And those of you who know me well know that sitting down at a piano hasn't happened very often in my life over the past few years.  It feels amazing.  I never thought in a million years that studying abroad could do so much more for me than simply adding stamps to my passport.

Big deal #2: Got to see the Taoiseach, Brian Cowen. AKA "The Big Guy": the Prime Minister of Ireland.  WOW.  It wasn't until I was standing 15 feet from Cowen, with less than 10 Garda (Police) around, and feeling totally humbled in the fact that I was in the same room as Ireland's leader, that I realized the kind of country the USA really is.  We guard our political leaders with every ounce of protection possible.  We can't attend a Presidential speech/event without going through every form of security.  Our country has become such an incredible superpower that we have lost that sense of equality between our citizens and our leaders.  In such a small country like Ireland, I felt so connected!  You can really sense this feeling of community and intimacy between the people of Ireland and those they elect to represent them.  I've never experienced that before.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen

Big deal #3: Free concert for the Chieftans!  If you don't know who they are, google them.  Basically, they're on par with the Beatles in terms of career success.  I have goosebumps. 

Big deal #4: Trip to Galway.  Before we go into this... I believe we need some theme music:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKIl-v18mgo

Galway is a true treasure in Ireland... no wonder it was my first choice for study abroad!  Between the cleanliness of the city, the solid pedestrian city centre (look at me, already spelling like a European!), the thickness of the culture, and the beauty of the area... Galway has taken my heart.

Christina, Sean, and I left early Saturday morning for Galway.  Word had it that the International Oyster Festival was happening that weekend.  So off we went on our Irish Greyhound bus!  We were dropped off just on the edge of the Latin Quarter, which is Galway's "downtown" district.  Since the festivities hadn't started yet, we headed to our hostel to drop off our bags.  What an adventure the hostel would turn out to be!

Of course our first priority was to find Christina and I real Claddagh rings so we could explicitly advertise our singleness... like I NEED a bigger sign on my forehead!  But the market was unbelievable.  So much character. Could have spent the whole trip there!  Just beyond the market was the main pedestrian street.  And that's where we found this:

 It may not be Lander, WY on the 4th, but it was close!  We followed the parade to Eyre Square, and picked up some drumming lessons in the process! 

The rest of the day was filled with exploring and shopping and eating… of course.  But I don’t mean your typical eating.  I mean yes, there was your average banana coffee and garlic cream chips, but it was the Oyster Festival for goodness sakes! So of course we needed to try oysters… oooooooh my god!  What was it that Pumbaa said in The Lion King? “Slimy, yet satisfying”:

And then came the night life.  This is where we zoom back to our hostel, where SEVEN girls from Dublin were sharing our room.  Um, party?!  Clare, Clare, Sarah, Sarah, Veronica, Keira, and Deirdre, you made my night.  I bought my first pair of skinny jeans and Clare offered me her heels.  I was doing my hair in the mirror and Sarah offered to do it for me.  Veronica told me I looked like her sister and Keira probably doesn’t remember anything from that night but she sure gave me plenty of hugs!  You will never find another group quite like those girls J

Mmmmm… and even though we were all dragging the next morning, I didn’t want to leave.  I’m telling you, if you ever visit Ireland, make it a point to see Galway.  Take a walk down to the harbor (but bring a jacket if you don’t want to lose any toes like we did), have a Guinness in the King’s Head, and check out the playground in Eyre Square (sweetest climbing wall ever!). 

So now it’s into October, and the weekends are REALLY gonna start zoomin’ by: DUBLIN, ITALY, BELGIUM, and LONDON … look out.  RyanAir is really gonna love me by the time we’re through!