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.