I'm currently sitting in the library procrastinating on writing my paper. It's for my Irish Women in Society course and I can basically write about whatever I want that compares Irish women to women in America. Sounds easy, right? Not really.
I've chosen to write about dating, relationships, etc. and compare the two countries and their dating rituals. I have a lot to say but I can't seem to say it in a way that gets my point across. Gah. This is hard especially because I haven't done actual school work in over two months. It's also hard because some boy just peeled a clementine and now all that I can think about is eating a clementine. Annoying. Basically, I am just writing this post to procrastinate and because I'm at a road block in my writing. Admittedly, I am not the best writer in the world and I'm not looking forward to all of the papers that I have this semester and this week, I am overwhelmed with work that I have to get out of the way by Friday. Because Friday is the start of one of the best months of my life.
Arcadia is taking a trip to Belfast, Northern Ireland this weekend and I am so stoked. We are going to the Giant's Causeway which is supposed to be phenomenal and I hope to see Paul and Roisin Duffin, exchange students that lived in Carlisle years and years ago. When we get back from Belfast with our extra suitcase full of booze (because the North is supposed to have wicked cheap drink), Rag Week starts.
Rag Week is a week in the school year that is set aside to raise money for a specific charity by having different events each night. For example, The Rubberbandits (the band that sings 'Horse Outside') will be giving a concert on Thursday night. Besides raising money for charity, it is quite possibly NUIG's biggest drinking fest. I've heard stories about the week and I don't have words to express my excitement about it.
Next Friday, the last day of Rag Week, my family arrives!!!! I have been counting down the days since I found out that all six of my family members will be visiting me in Galway!!! I always knew that my mom and dad were coming but about a month ago, they surprised me by telling me that they were bringing all of my siblings too!!! It is going to be an epic week when the Gilroy clan invades Ireland and I can not wait until they get here.
After they leave, St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner. Kelsey is coming to visit for the celebrations and I have no doubt that it will be a grand weekend. At the end of March, I have a trip to Brussels planned with my friend Jon and when we get back, classes are over and April is here!! I have yet to plan any trips for the two months of 'study time' that we get but I'm sure they will be in the works soon enough.
Enough procrastinating, I must get back to my paper. :(
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Stud Abroad
As the train pulls into Norwich Station, my heart starts to beat a little bit faster and excitement overwhelms me. I'm about to see Luke, who I have not seen since August!! I was looking forward to seeing him ever since I got to Ireland but I didn't realize how much I wanted to see him until it was minutes until we met. I walk down the platform towards the exit and I see his blonde hair above the crowd. I start walking faster and there he is!!! We hug and then we are off for a tour of Norwich.
Luke 'knows' so much about Norwich. I say 'knows' because he would point at buildings and say, "That's the Norwich Cathedral," and I would nod and then minutes later he would say, "No wait....THAT'S the Norwich Cathedral." and other things like that. I give him credit though, he knows a lot about the town and the history of Norwich. After a quick tour, we headed to meet his friends at the Adam & Eve Pub (supposedly the oldest standing pub in Norwich...or something like that) for a pint or two. We then head back to Luke's flat to get ready for the night. After a brief stop at Tesco Express for some clutch supplies of alcohol, KX and sandwiches, we are off to Mikey's house for the pregame. 'Saucepan' (it goes by another name but that's the name that we decided on) was our game of choice for the night and after we were all good and ready, we headed to the College Club.
It was 90's night at the club which made for a very interesting playlist...anything from Celine Dion's 'My Heart Will Go On' to B*Witched's 'Cest La Vie' was played. I won't go into detail, partially because the details are a little hazy and partially because no one wants to read every detail of the night, but I will say...that it was an epic night.
The next morning we woke up a bit tot late to really do anything in Norwich, so we just grabbed a bap(favoriteeee!) and headed towards the train station. It was a lovely night in Norwich, one that will definitely go down in history, and I am excited to give Luke an 'informative tour' (of the pubs) in Galway when he comes to visit!
Luke 'knows' so much about Norwich. I say 'knows' because he would point at buildings and say, "That's the Norwich Cathedral," and I would nod and then minutes later he would say, "No wait....THAT'S the Norwich Cathedral." and other things like that. I give him credit though, he knows a lot about the town and the history of Norwich. After a quick tour, we headed to meet his friends at the Adam & Eve Pub (supposedly the oldest standing pub in Norwich...or something like that) for a pint or two. We then head back to Luke's flat to get ready for the night. After a brief stop at Tesco Express for some clutch supplies of alcohol, KX and sandwiches, we are off to Mikey's house for the pregame. 'Saucepan' (it goes by another name but that's the name that we decided on) was our game of choice for the night and after we were all good and ready, we headed to the College Club.
It was 90's night at the club which made for a very interesting playlist...anything from Celine Dion's 'My Heart Will Go On' to B*Witched's 'Cest La Vie' was played. I won't go into detail, partially because the details are a little hazy and partially because no one wants to read every detail of the night, but I will say...that it was an epic night.
The next morning we woke up a bit tot late to really do anything in Norwich, so we just grabbed a bap(favoriteeee!) and headed towards the train station. It was a lovely night in Norwich, one that will definitely go down in history, and I am excited to give Luke an 'informative tour' (of the pubs) in Galway when he comes to visit!
Monday, February 14, 2011
My weekend with the Queen...
A little over a week ago, I boarded a plane at the deserted Shannon Airport to head to London. I was extremely excited about the trip because it was the first place that I would be travelling to outside of Ireland and because I had plans to see Luke who I had not seen in over five months!!
While waiting in the airport, a good 50 to 60 United States Army men and women walked into the waiting area. They were all dressed in their uniforms and we all wondered where they were headed. Were they headed home to be with their loved ones? Were they off to a base camp in another European country? Or were they heading East? Turns out it was the latter of the three. It was crazy seeing all of them in the little Shannon Airport heading to the Middle East and I wanted to hug each and every one of them and thank them for serving our wonderful country.
After getting off the tube in what looked like Chinatown, Sara, Mandy and I walked the streets trying to find our hostel. I ended up asking a cute British fellow for directions and he promptly took out his iPhone and gave us turn by turn directions to the Hyde Park Hostel.
The Hyde Park Hostel: 9EURO a night and you pay for what you get. The three got our sheets from the reception desk and trudged up the four flights of stairs to the third floor(makes complete sense, right?). After settling in (as much as we could) we headed out for a bite to eat. We were all starving from our travels and ordered far too much food that the server/bartender had to ask if we wanted a bigger table. Mandy even almost cut a guys arm off when he tried to take her plate before she was finished, we were THAT hungry. After dinner, we wandered the streets of 'Chinatown' a little bit before heading back to the hostel to get a good nights sleep before our long day of touring.
On Friday morning, we woke up extremely early (really it was 8AM, but that is extremely early for my standards right now) and heading out into the city. The first place we hit was Parliament and Big Ben. There aren't words to describe the architecture of this building or the size of the building. Pictures don't really do it justice either. I always remember seeing it in movies and thinking, 'Oh, that looks cool.' But in real life, when you are standing just feet away, it is breathtaking. The whole area that it is in is just wonderful. The London Eye is directly diagonal from Parliament and the Thames River flows directly in front of both. There are multiple bridges along the river and all of them have different architecture and they are all beautiful in their own way. We then walked towards Westminister Abbey and although we didnt want to pay the 16£ entrance fee(which is around 30$) we got to take pictures outside of it. Buckingham Palace was our next stop. All that I really wanted to do was take pictures with the guards in the fluffy hats and I couldn't wait to get to the Palace! We got there and were disappointed. There were no guards in fluffy hats!! I thought, 'Is that a rumor? No...it couldn't be. People take pictures with them all of the time.' So after being sad for awhile, we took pictures of the normal-hatted guards and of the Palace and we were on our way. We grabbed lunch at a cute cafe and then we headed for Notting Hill.
Notting Hill was my favorite part about London. It wasn't very touristy and it was beautiful. It had so many cute shops, houses, dive bars and a market in the street that sold whatever your heart desired from used books to homemade cheese to knock off designer clothes. I loved it, loved it, loved it and I would love to go back and spend more time in the area.
Later that night, we met up with Mandy's friend, Allison, who is studying in London for the semester. We met all of her flatmates (who all go to Temple) and then we headed out for the night. Allison's friend suggested that we go to Club Koko because they had to live bands and it was only 5£ to get in. It turned out to be an amazingly fun night and the two bands were awesome. Young the Giant was the first band to play and they are supposed to be the next big thing. The Shoes played next and they were awesome!! The crowd was a mix of hipsters, clubbers, foreigners, locals, basically just a mix of the most random people ever. The club had a great vibe and I loved every second of it.
The next morning, we did a few more touristy things before I got on the train to Norwich. Platform 9 3/4 was a huge disappointment. Kings Cross Station is under construction right now and although they still had the platform, it was not real. Now I know what you're thinking...Harry Potter is not real and neither is Platform 9 3/4. But what I mean is that the actual wall was not real. They usually have the luggage cart going into an actual brick wall, but now it is a plastic wannabe brick wall. So sad. We also went to Abbey Road and saw the Abbey Road Studios...so cool!!
After grabbing a bite to eat, I seperated from the group and got on the tube to Liverpool Street Station to start my journey to Norwich...
While waiting in the airport, a good 50 to 60 United States Army men and women walked into the waiting area. They were all dressed in their uniforms and we all wondered where they were headed. Were they headed home to be with their loved ones? Were they off to a base camp in another European country? Or were they heading East? Turns out it was the latter of the three. It was crazy seeing all of them in the little Shannon Airport heading to the Middle East and I wanted to hug each and every one of them and thank them for serving our wonderful country.
After getting off the tube in what looked like Chinatown, Sara, Mandy and I walked the streets trying to find our hostel. I ended up asking a cute British fellow for directions and he promptly took out his iPhone and gave us turn by turn directions to the Hyde Park Hostel.
The Hyde Park Hostel: 9EURO a night and you pay for what you get. The three got our sheets from the reception desk and trudged up the four flights of stairs to the third floor(makes complete sense, right?). After settling in (as much as we could) we headed out for a bite to eat. We were all starving from our travels and ordered far too much food that the server/bartender had to ask if we wanted a bigger table. Mandy even almost cut a guys arm off when he tried to take her plate before she was finished, we were THAT hungry. After dinner, we wandered the streets of 'Chinatown' a little bit before heading back to the hostel to get a good nights sleep before our long day of touring.
On Friday morning, we woke up extremely early (really it was 8AM, but that is extremely early for my standards right now) and heading out into the city. The first place we hit was Parliament and Big Ben. There aren't words to describe the architecture of this building or the size of the building. Pictures don't really do it justice either. I always remember seeing it in movies and thinking, 'Oh, that looks cool.' But in real life, when you are standing just feet away, it is breathtaking. The whole area that it is in is just wonderful. The London Eye is directly diagonal from Parliament and the Thames River flows directly in front of both. There are multiple bridges along the river and all of them have different architecture and they are all beautiful in their own way. We then walked towards Westminister Abbey and although we didnt want to pay the 16£ entrance fee(which is around 30$) we got to take pictures outside of it. Buckingham Palace was our next stop. All that I really wanted to do was take pictures with the guards in the fluffy hats and I couldn't wait to get to the Palace! We got there and were disappointed. There were no guards in fluffy hats!! I thought, 'Is that a rumor? No...it couldn't be. People take pictures with them all of the time.' So after being sad for awhile, we took pictures of the normal-hatted guards and of the Palace and we were on our way. We grabbed lunch at a cute cafe and then we headed for Notting Hill.
Notting Hill was my favorite part about London. It wasn't very touristy and it was beautiful. It had so many cute shops, houses, dive bars and a market in the street that sold whatever your heart desired from used books to homemade cheese to knock off designer clothes. I loved it, loved it, loved it and I would love to go back and spend more time in the area.
Later that night, we met up with Mandy's friend, Allison, who is studying in London for the semester. We met all of her flatmates (who all go to Temple) and then we headed out for the night. Allison's friend suggested that we go to Club Koko because they had to live bands and it was only 5£ to get in. It turned out to be an amazingly fun night and the two bands were awesome. Young the Giant was the first band to play and they are supposed to be the next big thing. The Shoes played next and they were awesome!! The crowd was a mix of hipsters, clubbers, foreigners, locals, basically just a mix of the most random people ever. The club had a great vibe and I loved every second of it.
The next morning, we did a few more touristy things before I got on the train to Norwich. Platform 9 3/4 was a huge disappointment. Kings Cross Station is under construction right now and although they still had the platform, it was not real. Now I know what you're thinking...Harry Potter is not real and neither is Platform 9 3/4. But what I mean is that the actual wall was not real. They usually have the luggage cart going into an actual brick wall, but now it is a plastic wannabe brick wall. So sad. We also went to Abbey Road and saw the Abbey Road Studios...so cool!!
After grabbing a bite to eat, I seperated from the group and got on the tube to Liverpool Street Station to start my journey to Norwich...
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Electronics-2 Ellen-0
The first night in Galway, I broke my camera. No, not my Canon Rebel, but my Canon PowerShot which means that I have taken zero pictures of the night life in Galway. Luckily, all of my friends have been taking a gazillion pictures while we are out, so I have been stealing their photos off of Facebook...but it is just not the same as taking your own photos.
The first month in Galway, I broke my computer. Well technically, water broke my computer. And even more technically, water broke my keyboard, charger and charge port. I took it to Gal Mac Computers to have a look at it because it was semi-working but mostly just not working. They took it apart and told me that the water didn't damage my hard drive but it broke all of the things that I listed above. They also said that my hard drive is old and is damaged from wear and tear and to put over 200euro into fixing my current laptop(and they wouldn't be able to fix the charge port completely), would be a waste.
So....after contemplating and thinking and making a list of the pros & cons...I bought a new computer. I had to order it from the store so that I would get an American keyboard and now I have to wait 7-10 business days. Also, I received my new camera in the mail yesterday from the States (thanks Mom & Dad!!) and I'm pumped to start taking pictures of my crazy adventures in Ireland.
On a happier note, I'm heading to London tomorrow. Hopefully making it up to Norwich for a night to see the Stud Abroad.
The first month in Galway, I broke my computer. Well technically, water broke my computer. And even more technically, water broke my keyboard, charger and charge port. I took it to Gal Mac Computers to have a look at it because it was semi-working but mostly just not working. They took it apart and told me that the water didn't damage my hard drive but it broke all of the things that I listed above. They also said that my hard drive is old and is damaged from wear and tear and to put over 200euro into fixing my current laptop(and they wouldn't be able to fix the charge port completely), would be a waste.
So....after contemplating and thinking and making a list of the pros & cons...I bought a new computer. I had to order it from the store so that I would get an American keyboard and now I have to wait 7-10 business days. Also, I received my new camera in the mail yesterday from the States (thanks Mom & Dad!!) and I'm pumped to start taking pictures of my crazy adventures in Ireland.
On a happier note, I'm heading to London tomorrow. Hopefully making it up to Norwich for a night to see the Stud Abroad.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Is this real life?
I literally wake up every morning and I have to remind myself that yes, I am in Ireland and yes, this is real life.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Immigrating
On Monday, I woke up at 6am to go to a class at the gym with Katelyn. It was the class from hell. First of all, we had to wake up early. Second of all, it was one of the hardest workouts that I've been through since two-a-day's during field hockey preseason. It was the start of an interesting week to say the least.
After the workout, I went back to bed because I didn't have class that day. I woke up a little after 1:30 to find a little love note from Eileen on my computer. My first thoughts were, "Aw....what a sweetheart." My thoughts after reading it were, "OH NOOOO!" The note contained the fact that I had my registration appointment with the Guarda at 2pm. (Eileen and I had to switch times because my appointment was during the English Seminar registration.) I had no idea where the Guarda building was. I needed to get a paper from the reception in my apartment complex. I needed to organize my papers and make sure that I had everything that I needed to become a little immigrant in Ireland. Basically, I knew that I was screwed and I wouldn't make my appointment.
I collected literally every paper that I had ever received from Arcadia, NUIG and all of the papers that I brought with me from the States and I headed over to reception. The door was locked and they were at lunch. I took a chance and knocked on the door. A woman answered the door and I had to beg her to give me the paper that I needed to register and she gave it to me, bitterly. I then asked her for directions to the Guarda building and with a huff, she gave me very quick directions which I didn't understand.
I knew that the station was close to Centre Point, an apartment complex where a few of my friends live, but I was still a little confused on how to get there. I started speed walking in the direction that I knew it was in and I had to stop to ask directions to two more people. Both of the people took a long time to give me awful directions and I began to run down the sidewalk in hopefully the direction of the Guarda station. I eventually flagged a taxi because I knew that I would never find the station on my own and I was running out of time. Thank God that I got a taxi because the station was in a random location and it didn't even have a sign on the front.
When I got into the station(with barely two minutes until 2pm), I saw my friend Jeff and he told me that I needed to fill out a paper before my appointment. A little bit after 2pm, the Guarda called Eileen's name. This is roughly how my immigration experience went:
Guarda: Mary Eileen McGinley
Me: Hi! I'm Ellen Gilroy. Eileen and I switched times, I hope that's ok.
Guarda: No, it's not ok.
Me: Really? She is coming on Wednesday at 11:30...we had to switch because of a conflict at NUIG. Is that ok?
Guarda: No. That is against the law.
Me: Are you kidding me?
Guarda: No, I am not. You can sit down and maybe we will get to you today.
In my head: Oh no...Eileen is gonna kill me. I'm gonna have to wait here all day long and they might not even have time to immigrate me. And Eileen missed her appointment and she is going to be so mad at me because now she's gonna have to sit in this office all day and wait...what do I do?!?!
Jeff: Did you really just say, "Are you kidding me?" to a Guarda officer?
Me: I'm going to cry right now! This sucks.
I sit down and look very pouty and annoyed.
Guarda: I'm just kidding! Come on, I'll register you.
Turns out that the officer is a very nice man and we are probably distant relatives. His last name is McIlroy which he says is one of the original versions of the last name Gilroy. Pretty cool dude but he almost made me cry. In the end, I am a legal immigrant of this fine country for the next five months and my immigration I.D picture is quite frightening.
After the workout, I went back to bed because I didn't have class that day. I woke up a little after 1:30 to find a little love note from Eileen on my computer. My first thoughts were, "Aw....what a sweetheart." My thoughts after reading it were, "OH NOOOO!" The note contained the fact that I had my registration appointment with the Guarda at 2pm. (Eileen and I had to switch times because my appointment was during the English Seminar registration.) I had no idea where the Guarda building was. I needed to get a paper from the reception in my apartment complex. I needed to organize my papers and make sure that I had everything that I needed to become a little immigrant in Ireland. Basically, I knew that I was screwed and I wouldn't make my appointment.
I collected literally every paper that I had ever received from Arcadia, NUIG and all of the papers that I brought with me from the States and I headed over to reception. The door was locked and they were at lunch. I took a chance and knocked on the door. A woman answered the door and I had to beg her to give me the paper that I needed to register and she gave it to me, bitterly. I then asked her for directions to the Guarda building and with a huff, she gave me very quick directions which I didn't understand.
I knew that the station was close to Centre Point, an apartment complex where a few of my friends live, but I was still a little confused on how to get there. I started speed walking in the direction that I knew it was in and I had to stop to ask directions to two more people. Both of the people took a long time to give me awful directions and I began to run down the sidewalk in hopefully the direction of the Guarda station. I eventually flagged a taxi because I knew that I would never find the station on my own and I was running out of time. Thank God that I got a taxi because the station was in a random location and it didn't even have a sign on the front.
When I got into the station(with barely two minutes until 2pm), I saw my friend Jeff and he told me that I needed to fill out a paper before my appointment. A little bit after 2pm, the Guarda called Eileen's name. This is roughly how my immigration experience went:
Guarda: Mary Eileen McGinley
Me: Hi! I'm Ellen Gilroy. Eileen and I switched times, I hope that's ok.
Guarda: No, it's not ok.
Me: Really? She is coming on Wednesday at 11:30...we had to switch because of a conflict at NUIG. Is that ok?
Guarda: No. That is against the law.
Me: Are you kidding me?
Guarda: No, I am not. You can sit down and maybe we will get to you today.
In my head: Oh no...Eileen is gonna kill me. I'm gonna have to wait here all day long and they might not even have time to immigrate me. And Eileen missed her appointment and she is going to be so mad at me because now she's gonna have to sit in this office all day and wait...what do I do?!?!
Jeff: Did you really just say, "Are you kidding me?" to a Guarda officer?
Me: I'm going to cry right now! This sucks.
I sit down and look very pouty and annoyed.
Guarda: I'm just kidding! Come on, I'll register you.
Turns out that the officer is a very nice man and we are probably distant relatives. His last name is McIlroy which he says is one of the original versions of the last name Gilroy. Pretty cool dude but he almost made me cry. In the end, I am a legal immigrant of this fine country for the next five months and my immigration I.D picture is quite frightening.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
County Cork
Before I left for my home stay in Charleville, County Cork, Ireland, all that I had heard about it is that one, I probably will not be able to understand a word that anyone says to me and two, I will probably be living in the middle of no where on a farm. The first one stayed true but the second did not.
We arrived in Charleville at around 9PM on Friday night after a three hour bus ride from Galway. My host mother was there to pick me up and Melissa and I got in the car to go back to her house. Pauline's (my host mother) four year old son, Adam, was in the car. The moment we got in the car, I said hello to him and he said, "Stop staring at me, fat face! I will bite your ear off!" He continued to say things such as this to Melissa, Pauline, Pauline's brother-in-law(who picked us up), and myself. I eventually got on his good side by 'slagging' him right back and we ended up watching The Ant Bully when we got back to the house. Pauline's house is a row home in a complex with other houses and it is about a ten minute walking from the main street of town. And when I say 'the main street,' there was literally one main street.
On Saturday, Pauline did not have anything planned for us to do, so Melissa and I made our way into town to walk the rainy street of Charleville. After we had walked up and down the street, we went into a pub called The Four Winds and had a cup of tea and chatted with the locals and the bartenders about the places that we needed to go while we were in Charleville. We then met up with a few other girls in our program and went to Dinny's Bar for lunch. After we ate, we headed over go Geary's (better known as Gough's to the locals) to have a pint. Later that night, we headed back into town and went to The Second Winds, which is connected to The Four Winds, and had a few pints there before heading back over to Gough's. It was crazy packed at Gough's and we were lucky if we found a place to stand. Eventually, we got seats at the bar and started to chat up the extremely cute bartenders. Cathal was bartending earlier in the day when we were there with a fellow named Claude who had worked in Washington, D.C for three years and gave us the name of a pub and a bartender there to look up when we got back to the States. Claude was not there on Saturday night but Cathal was along with Brian and Chris. Of course, the four of us were swooning over their Irish accents and how cute they all were (Chris was definitely the cutest with his healing black eye from a rugby match). The pub played very eclectic music, everything from Black Eyed Peas to Billy Medley/Jennifer Warnes to Frank Sinatra. It was grand! The four of us taught the locals the proper dance moves to 'Cotton Eyed Joe' and 'Cha Cha Slide' and I'm pretty positive that we were the only 'yanks' to stop by Gough's in a long time.
Today, we all met at a beautiful church to be picked up by the bus. It was a beautiful day with the sun shining and only a few rain sprinkles. I'm not sure of the name of the church but it is beautiful inside and out.
On a different note...I'm going to an Irish Step Dancing class tomorrow evening with my friend Jon. It should be interesting and quite fun.
We arrived in Charleville at around 9PM on Friday night after a three hour bus ride from Galway. My host mother was there to pick me up and Melissa and I got in the car to go back to her house. Pauline's (my host mother) four year old son, Adam, was in the car. The moment we got in the car, I said hello to him and he said, "Stop staring at me, fat face! I will bite your ear off!" He continued to say things such as this to Melissa, Pauline, Pauline's brother-in-law(who picked us up), and myself. I eventually got on his good side by 'slagging' him right back and we ended up watching The Ant Bully when we got back to the house. Pauline's house is a row home in a complex with other houses and it is about a ten minute walking from the main street of town. And when I say 'the main street,' there was literally one main street.
On Saturday, Pauline did not have anything planned for us to do, so Melissa and I made our way into town to walk the rainy street of Charleville. After we had walked up and down the street, we went into a pub called The Four Winds and had a cup of tea and chatted with the locals and the bartenders about the places that we needed to go while we were in Charleville. We then met up with a few other girls in our program and went to Dinny's Bar for lunch. After we ate, we headed over go Geary's (better known as Gough's to the locals) to have a pint. Later that night, we headed back into town and went to The Second Winds, which is connected to The Four Winds, and had a few pints there before heading back over to Gough's. It was crazy packed at Gough's and we were lucky if we found a place to stand. Eventually, we got seats at the bar and started to chat up the extremely cute bartenders. Cathal was bartending earlier in the day when we were there with a fellow named Claude who had worked in Washington, D.C for three years and gave us the name of a pub and a bartender there to look up when we got back to the States. Claude was not there on Saturday night but Cathal was along with Brian and Chris. Of course, the four of us were swooning over their Irish accents and how cute they all were (Chris was definitely the cutest with his healing black eye from a rugby match). The pub played very eclectic music, everything from Black Eyed Peas to Billy Medley/Jennifer Warnes to Frank Sinatra. It was grand! The four of us taught the locals the proper dance moves to 'Cotton Eyed Joe' and 'Cha Cha Slide' and I'm pretty positive that we were the only 'yanks' to stop by Gough's in a long time.
On a different note...I'm going to an Irish Step Dancing class tomorrow evening with my friend Jon. It should be interesting and quite fun.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Róisín Dubh
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| Eileen and me |
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| at the Roisin Dubh |
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Classes...what classes?!
Modules begin tomorrow. I'm trying to incorporate the Irish language into my life and modules are what they call classes. I have no idea what classes I am taking. I have no idea which building holds which classes. The Irish do it so much different than in the States and they are pretty unorganized (they would admit that to you themselves.)
Basically, modules begin tomorrow but we do not register for specific modules until the end of next week. We can choose whatever module we want to go to and just attend it(or not attend it) for the next two weeks. After that, we register for the classes that we like. It is very strange but also makes sense. You don't have to go through all of the drop/add, withdrawal B.S that we have to do in the States when you realize halfway through the semester that you have no idea why you are in that class. So, I'm going to campus tomorrow with a few friends to wander around aimlessly and possibly walk into a few classes or check out the lovely scenery on campus.
Everything about Galway and NUIG is amazing, minus the €195 that I had to pay for a five-month gym membership. I'm thinking that it will give me a reason to actually go to the gym...that and the fact that cute Irishmen work there and work out there. The campus has some old, mid-evil buildings but also some new, modern buildings. It's a semi-small campus but it is somewhat confusing. It's the only campus in Ireland that is bi-lingual, so everything is written first in Irish and then(in much smaller font) in English. The campus will take some getting used to but I think after the first two weeks I should be ok.
Everything about Galway and NUIG is amazing, minus the €195 that I had to pay for a five-month gym membership. I'm thinking that it will give me a reason to actually go to the gym...that and the fact that cute Irishmen work there and work out there. The campus has some old, mid-evil buildings but also some new, modern buildings. It's a semi-small campus but it is somewhat confusing. It's the only campus in Ireland that is bi-lingual, so everything is written first in Irish and then(in much smaller font) in English. The campus will take some getting used to but I think after the first two weeks I should be ok.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Slag
The term 'slag' can be used in various ways. It can be used as a verb by saying, 'Oh, I'm just slagging!' Or it can be used as a noun by saying, 'She's such a slag.' It can even be used by saying, 'He was just taking a slag.' I don't know what type of grammar that would be (my mom would be disappointed) but...whatever.
You WANT to be slagged. If an Irishmen is 'slagging' you, it means that he is teasing you or making fun of you. They only do it when they like you and you want to slag them right back to show them that you aren't offended and that you understand it's all just a joke. As I walked into a pub in Dublin, called 'The Auld Dubliner,' on our last night there(great craic if I do say so myself), an Irishmen walked up to me and started slagging me. We had just learned the term earlier that day in orientation and I was so happy that I got slagged! It kind of sounds inappropriate...but it's all in good fun, until you get called a 'slag'.
Being called a 'slag' in Ireland is the equivalent to being called a 'slut' back in the States. No one wants to use the term but sometimes it is just necessary.
While in Dublin, other than learning the local vocabulary, we took a bus tour through the city. It was freezing and windy but we decided to sit on the OPEN top of a double-decker bus. It made for great sight seeing, but also for numb fingers and cold ears. Although it was bitter cold outside, it was a beautiful, sunny day in Dublin.
The first night in Dublin, we went to 'The Quays Bar' (pronounced 'keys'). I had a grand time there when I was in Ireland two years ago and it was just as grand this time around. There was a live band playing awesome Irish music. So many locals were out that night because they had holiday the next day because of the new year.
Dublin was a grand time but I am happy to finally be in settled in Galway, the best city in the world.
You WANT to be slagged. If an Irishmen is 'slagging' you, it means that he is teasing you or making fun of you. They only do it when they like you and you want to slag them right back to show them that you aren't offended and that you understand it's all just a joke. As I walked into a pub in Dublin, called 'The Auld Dubliner,' on our last night there(great craic if I do say so myself), an Irishmen walked up to me and started slagging me. We had just learned the term earlier that day in orientation and I was so happy that I got slagged! It kind of sounds inappropriate...but it's all in good fun, until you get called a 'slag'.
Being called a 'slag' in Ireland is the equivalent to being called a 'slut' back in the States. No one wants to use the term but sometimes it is just necessary.
While in Dublin, other than learning the local vocabulary, we took a bus tour through the city. It was freezing and windy but we decided to sit on the OPEN top of a double-decker bus. It made for great sight seeing, but also for numb fingers and cold ears. Although it was bitter cold outside, it was a beautiful, sunny day in Dublin.
We also took a tour of the Guinness factory and the Jameson factory. Both were interesting but the Jameson one was definitely better than the Guinness factory. At the beginning of the tour, I, along with seven other people, volunteered to participant in an experiment at the end. The experiment turned out to be a taste test between Scotch Whiskey Johnny Walker, American Whiskey Jack Daniels and Irish Whiskey Jameson. Of course Jameson won out on the taste test but it was interesting to taste all three back to back and really realize how good Jameson really is.
Dublin was a grand time but I am happy to finally be in settled in Galway, the best city in the world.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
It has begun!
I have arrived safely in Dublin, Ireland!
The airplane ride was not bad at all...I ended up sitting next to a girl who graduated from Dickinson, so it was pretty cool to chat with her about Carlisle. Her and her boyfriend were on the way to visit her sister who moved to Dublin years ago and they introduced me to a monk who they met in the terminal. His name is Brother Columbo and he is a young guy who has a crazy long beard. He was very funny and nice; telling stories about his life before becoming a monk and making jokes about tickling people while they are sleeping on the plane. He is originally from Dublin, Ireland and moved to NYC eight days before 9/11. Very interesting guy and he told me that I had a good handshake...which is something that I've never been told before.
Currently, we are relaxing at the Abbey Court Hostel in center city Dublin. We have a lunch at noon that is mandatory and then we have the rest of the day free. I have to go shopping for some essentials after lunch because, of course, I forgot to transfer my toiletry bag from my checked bag to my carry on and my checked bags are on their way to Galway, while I am in Dublin. So now...I will nap because I got zero hours of sleep on the plane!
The airplane ride was not bad at all...I ended up sitting next to a girl who graduated from Dickinson, so it was pretty cool to chat with her about Carlisle. Her and her boyfriend were on the way to visit her sister who moved to Dublin years ago and they introduced me to a monk who they met in the terminal. His name is Brother Columbo and he is a young guy who has a crazy long beard. He was very funny and nice; telling stories about his life before becoming a monk and making jokes about tickling people while they are sleeping on the plane. He is originally from Dublin, Ireland and moved to NYC eight days before 9/11. Very interesting guy and he told me that I had a good handshake...which is something that I've never been told before.
Currently, we are relaxing at the Abbey Court Hostel in center city Dublin. We have a lunch at noon that is mandatory and then we have the rest of the day free. I have to go shopping for some essentials after lunch because, of course, I forgot to transfer my toiletry bag from my checked bag to my carry on and my checked bags are on their way to Galway, while I am in Dublin. So now...I will nap because I got zero hours of sleep on the plane!
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