Dublin and the Aran Islands

Wow, in two days I will have been in Ireland for a month. It feels like I have already accomplished so much in these short few weeks. I have made amazing new friends, learned so much about myself and about Ireland, and have started to explore the countryside. This last week we took our first field trip to the Aran Islands and traveled into Dublin.

To start of with, the Aran Islands were absolutely beautiful. To get to the Aran Islands you have to take a ferry. I had never been on a ferry before but I absolutely loved it. The top of the ferry was open so you could go see the ocean. Although it was freezing cold and raining, riding the ferry was a blast. After porting we got to explore the island. Inis Mor was the island we stayed at for our trip. Inis Mor is the biggest island of three, having a year round population of about 800 people. Even though it is the biggest island it is only around 12 square miles big, so it does not take very long at all to travel from one side of the island to the other. Most of our day was consumed with a tour along the cliffs of the island. We ended up walking about 7 miles along the cliffs through the rain and cold. It was beautiful and awful at the same time. The views were breathtaking. Seeing the ocean hit the cliffs with such force was amazing. However, by the end of the day we were all soaking wet in 30 degree weather. Even through the freezing cold and rain I would recommend traveling to Aran Islands if you ever have a chance, just maybe try going in the summer time.

After spending a couple days in the Aran Islands we returned back to Spiddal for one day of class and then we were off again. This time we were venturing to Dublin the capital of Ireland. I absolutely loved being in Dublin. In Dublin I got to tour the Kilainham Gaol. This jail is significant because it is where 14 members from the 1916 Easter Rising were killed for fighting for the independence of their country. To stand in front of cells and see the conditions they endured through was heartbreaking. The next day I got to experience ziplining and rock climbing in Ireland. I pushed my body as far as it would go trying to beat my friends in climbing challenges. Lets just say I was sore for 3 days and no I did not win. It was all great fun and the best part was that we ziplined over a herd of sheep, very Irish. On the way home from Dublin we got to stop at Trim Castle. Trim Castle was were Braveheart was filmed in 1995. We got to go in the castle and explore the ruins of the once great main hall. Overall, Dublin and the Aran Islands were great first field trips and I cannot wait for more to come.

 

Daily Life

Wow, has it really already been three weeks since I left my friends and family for this crazy new life? All at once it seems that I have been here for forever and not very long at all. Adapting to Ireland and my classes came easily to me. I have already acquired a daily route that seems natural and easy. Each day I wake up around 9 a.m., I love sleep so this seems early to me, and start my day. Monday through Thursday I have classes that start at 10 a.m. and go to 2 p.m. These classes include Irish History, Irish Literature, Intro to Gaelic, and a Special Topics class. So far Irish History has been my favorite class. I love that the professor gets us all involved and talking. We have debates and discuss important issues in class. I also really enjoy that the professor tries to include American history so we are more comfortable with the material. Intro to Gaelic has also been a interesting class. Let me tell you, Gaelic is a hard language to learn. Coming from a school where all I had to know was how to speak Spanish for two years, I am seriously struggling. Even though the language is hard it is still fun to learn. Sometimes we have night class on Wednesdays instead of Thursday mornings, we are spoiled with a four day weekend. Every once in awhile on Wednesday class we have a pot luck before class. Everyone brings a dish and the cook for the Park Lodge makes food as well. It is nice for all of us to get together, plus we all love food. After classes are over I have the rest of the day to do what every I want. Some days when the weather is sunny, not very often, I venture the two miles into Spiddal. In Spiddal I love to look at the ocean. I will never get over its beauty and peacefulness. I also like to go the local pubs and cafes to meet the locals. If I do not go into town I usually spend the day reading in my cottage, talking to friends, or making plans for upcoming trips. When it comes to supper my cottage roommates is great at making meals. Last night we went all in and made a chicken carrot pepper onion stir fry with rice and peach cobbler. It was delicious! On the weekends when we are not on field trips I usually take trips to different towns in Ireland or even different countries. This past week my roommates and I took a two day trip to Cork, Ireland. It was very beautiful in Cork. There was a river that ran right through the middle of town that was unique. I will for sure have to go back at the end of April so I can go Whale and Dolphin watching. Overall, I feel very confident and safe in my daily life in Ireland.

The Road So Far...

As of today I have been in Ireland for eleven days and I am absolutely loving it! In these eleven short days I have already learned so much. I have experienced Irish culture, learned about their history, and even tried to learn to speak Irish. I'll let you know right now I am not doing very well with the whole other language thing, but it'll get better, I hope. Anyway, I am absolutely loving my life in Ireland. This past week I have traveled around Ireland a little bit, so far I have only ventured into the towns of Galway and Spiddal. Both of these towns are relatively close to where I am staying in Ireland. They are both beautiful towns full of rich culture and friendly people. The locals in both of these towns have been very welcoming to us "tourists" from America. No matter where I go there is someone always willing to strike up a conversation with you. Whether you are walking down the street or into a pub for a quick bite to eat you can find a smiling face. This is one thing I have noticed in Ireland. I believe that people back in Nebraska are very friendly as well, but it is a little different here. I am not use to people just walking up and talking to me about anything and everything. The locals love to talk. I have talked to several different people and the same topic always seems to come up, land. They always want to know if we have any land back in the states and if we do how much we have. It always amazes people when we tell them are families own more than 5-10 acres of land. Here in Spiddal, Ireland it is very common for farms to only be a couple of acres big. Coming from small town Nebraska this sounded crazy to me. Talking to the locals is always interesting and I am looking forward to more stories and conversations.
Going out into town is a great way to meet new people but also to explore the absolute beauty of Ireland. Galway is such a historically beautiful city. All the houses and building are connected to each other to form a cute village atmosphere. On every street there are performers singing and playing guitars. There is even a little farmers market in the middle of town. At the farmers market I tried my first oyster that was shucked right in front of me. Once you get past the slim it is pretty good. Tomorrow I am traveling across the country to Cork, Ireland for the weekend. I cannot wait to see the beauty of Ireland from a different side of the country.
If you are not already jealous of my adventures in Ireland I'll tell you how I spent my time this afternoon. When I arrived in Ireland I had never seen the Ocean before and today I got to dip my fingers in the ocean for the first time. It was absolutely gorgeous. If that was not enough, it was also the first day since I got here that it did not rain. I look forward to the day in March and April when I can go swim in the ocean for the first time.

My Crazy New Life

                I’m standing in the immigration line at the airport in Shannon, Ireland and I am terrified. After seventeen hours of flying, layovers, and waiting I have arrived. It finally hits me that I am really in another country four-thousand miles away from my family and friends. With fear I also start to feel joy, excitement, and curiosity. Curious about what I am going to experience in my three months in Europe. Excited about all the trips I am going to take and joyful about all the memories I am going to make. With all these mixed feelings I gather my luggage and head out of the airport into my crazy new life.

                Fast forward a couple hours and some extreme jet lag later I find myself staring at the ocean for the first time. I am walking into Spiddal, a town 2 miles from my little cottage. I look around me and all I see on one side is a big blue ocean and the other side I see miles of green. I have no idea where I am or where I am going, but I do know I cannot wait to get there.