Classtime

With what seems like a very late start, classes have officially started this week at UCC. I'll be taking a total of 5 courses for the semester. A class called "Irish Film History," which seems like it should be quite interesting; a psychology course called "Perception and Memory," a biology course entitled "Aquatic Biology," an introductory Irish language course, and a class just for international students that talks about a little of everything regarding to Ireland (history, customs, culture, language, people, etc.). I was going to take an Archaeology course instead of the Irish language course, but after my first class on Wednesday, I decided it just wasn't worth taking a class I didn't need if I'd be bored to tears in it! So overall, I'm happy with my classes now (although I haven't been to the biology course yet, as it is only for the second half of the semester).

I think classes in general in Ireland (or at least UCC) seem pretty similar to those in the states thus far. Perhaps a bit less organized, as seems to be the Irish way, but lectures seem just about the same. Contrary to universites in the states however, Irish classes are much more "go at your own pace." There are very few assignments throughout the semester for most courses (or "modules" as they are referred to here), and the end grade is almost entirely based on an end-of-the-year exam or essay. I'm actually glad to not be staying the entire year, as final exams for all courses (whether they were taken first semester or second) are taken over 4 weeks in May.

They had some fun activites going on this week though as it's the first week back ("Freshers Week"). On Sunday night, my flatmates and I went to an Irish dancing lesson with live music. Very fun, very tiring, and a bit more difficult than it looks! I was especially humbled when I paired up with an Irish student for one dance who has been doing Irish dances most of his life. On Wednesday and Thursday they had clubs and societies fairs going on, where you could visit all of the different booths and sign up for some activites. I plan on joining the Sciences Society, The Equestrian Club, The Badminton Club, and maybe the Photography Society if I have time. Last night we also went to see "Little Miss Sunshine," which was being shown in one of the lecture halls by the Film Society.

I'm not sure what the plans are for this weekend. I just got my hair cut quite short this morning (long hair was NOT suiting me well with all of this rain and humidity). I'll try to edit and add a picture in a bit here. I think that pretty much brings people up to speed though. Make sure to check out the link I added a couple of days ago to see some pictures. I've been having a horrible time trying to get pictures to upload here for some reason, so I have a lot more that I need to try to get up at some point as well.

Cheers!

Link to Pictures!

I will do a real update sometime tomorrow, but I thought I would post a link to some pictures I was finally able to get uploaded!!

Enjoy.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30839479@N06/?saved=1

Kenmare, Killarney, and Dingle

Erin and I decided to explore a bit of the surrounding area in Southern Ireland these past few days. We have orientation at the university tomorrow and Friday, then classes start on Monday, so we figured we'd take advantage of some of this time off before then. Monday morning we took a bus from Cork to Killarney. Killarney is a very cute town just west a bit from Cork. It's especially nice because there is a large National Park that has entrances right from the city. After talking to a woman at the tourism office in Killarney, we decided to take the 2.6km hike to Ross Castle. We didn't want a very long hike, as we were both carrying normal backpacks that aren't really designed for long walking trips, and so a 45 minute walk to a castle sounded grand. Granted, we didn't know anything about this castle going into this hike, but hey, castles are cool, right? And indeed, we weren't disappointed. Ross Castle is quite cool indeed! It was a castle built in the 15th century, and although we didn't pay to take the tour of the inside, the outside is quite spectacular. It has a great view over a lake too (great place for a picnic, too bad we had eaten our packed sandwhiches in the parking lot at the tourism office).

After our lovely walk, we wandered back into the town center and looked around a bit. We were debating where we wanted to stay the night, and Erin suggested we go to a town south of Killarney called Kenmare, since I had been wanting to visit a town on the coast. On the bus we went again. Erin had been to Kenmare last week with her parents, and we discovered that Kenmare is probably more fun if you have a vehicle to get to all of the cool scenic spots. We did however take a nice walk down to the pier (well, it was nice aside from the fact that we got a bit lost trying to find it), and we enjoyed the view of the ocean (actually called the Kenmare River at that point since the land causes the ocean to narrow so much). We also visted a stone circle, which, for two euros, isn't as exciting as you might think. Yes, it is literally a circle made out of stones, in this case, 15 tones with a diameter of about 10 meters. Apparently, it is a 3000 year old structure that was used by people as a means of tracking the solstices and other calendar events. We found a nice pub to eat at that night (I had the "traditional" fish and chips) and we found a nearby hostel. We met two German girls who were hiking the Ring of Kerry and made us feel like whimps when we found out they had just been walking for nine hours!

In the morning we left Kenmare and headed to Dingle, the most western city of Ireland. Dingle was another place Erin had been with her parents, and we were hoping to get into contact with another American student she had met there last week, but we were unable to get into contact with him. All the same, we had a really great time in Dingle. After having a rather frustrating conversation at the tourism office with a woman who kept telling us about all of these amazing spots you could get to only by car, (even after we had told her we did not have a vehicle), we eventually found out about a nice foot path you could take along the coast. We found the path surprisingly easily (despite the fact that the term "path" is used very loosely to describe fields of grass with a faint line where the grass is slightly smushed down), and had a really great walk. We found a really neat old stone structure (an old tower or something?) and just enjoyed the amazing views of the ocean. The town itself is very nice as well, with lots of cute shops designed for tourists. After having a picnic of Subway subs for dinner, we found a really great hostel that was cheap, friendly, cute and cleanly, and even included a free breakfast of cereals and toast! Later that night we headed back to the main street and had the privelege of listening to some really great live traditional music. I also got my very first Guinness there (not my favorite thing in the world, but fairly tasty).

This morning then we once more caught a bus and made our way back to Cork. All in all, a quick, but very nice trip I think. I took quite a few pictures, and am trying to get them up, but both this site and facebook are not being very kind to me tonight! So I'll get them up as soon as I can. :)

Getting lost, roommates, and pubs

On Friday morning I was keen to do some exploring. My first intention, however, was to find the tourist shop and buy a map since the little printed-out one given to me by ISU just wasn't cutting it. So I looked at my crappy map, made a plan of how to get to the tourist shop, and headed off. About 1 hour later, I hadn't a clue where I was, but I definitely was not at the tourist shop. I ended up somehow completely leaving the shopping area/business district and was wandering around random neighborhoods. I resisted pulling out my map, remembering that it's not exactly a good idea to draw attention to yourself as a tourist in an area you don't know. Not that it would have helped much anyway, seeing as names of streets aren't exactly conspiculously posted around here, (if at all...). I finally ran into a sign that pointed to the city centre and headed that way. At that point, I was just wanting to find my way back to my flat, completely not caring anymore if I ever found the tourist shop. But as chance would have it, about 1 1/2 hours after I had initially set out, I ran right into that darn shop. And the kicker was, it was a street I had been on before and I just hadn't known it! I'd like to say I know the city of Cork better now after that episode, but I don't think that's true at all. I really doubt I could get lost the same way twice...

After leaving the tourist office (and buying the map I was now more convinced than ever that I needed), I walked down the street to the Englisht Market. The English Market is this great indoor area where there are tons of different booths set up. They have everything from fruits and vegetables, to breads, to meats and fishes, to chocelates and pastries. It's a little overwhelming when you actually want to buy something though, as the area is very crowded and most people are moving rather quickly. However, I did manage to buy some chicken and finally headed home to rest after a rather exhausting morning.

That afternoon I decided to explore the campus a bit. As I was hoping, the UCC campus is only about a 10 minute walk from my flat. It's a really gorgeous campus from what I saw. A great mix of the old stone buildings with ivy covering them that you would expect with a smattering of more modern buildings. Really pretty.

I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing at my flat. Made myself some dinner, then decided to see a movie at the theatre that is just a block away (I was dying to see a movie at a cinema after having been in Montana). I saw a really cute coming-of-age Irish film called "32A." I was a little annoyed with myself upon coming home when I realized I hadn't locked the door, even though I was certain I had. Upon further inspection, I noticed there were people in my flat and that one of my roommates had indeed arrived. This roommate is named Erin, and is an American like myself (she's from New Jersey). Her parents flew over with her about a week previously, and they had been doing some traveling around the southern part of Ireland before moving her in. Her parents were really nice and asked me along to dinner with them. I told them I had already eaten, but accepted their offer of at least tagging along for a drink. We ended up at a restaraunt/bar called "Scott's," which was a very busy place indeed on a Friday night. I got a cup of seafood chowder (which was amazing!) and had some nice wine from the bottle Erin's parents had purchased to wash it down.

So, all in all, Friday was a very productive day indeed I though. Saturday was a little less busy, but just as nice. Erin and I did some shopping in the morning (we went back to the same grocery store several times because we kept thinking of things we had forgotten). We came back in the early afternoon to discover that our other roommate, Cleo had arrived. Cleo is a music student from France and was accompanied by four of her friends who had came along to make sure Cleo got situated, as well as to do some traveling. All very nice people, and all but one of her friends spoke English fairly well. Erin and I left to let Cleo get situated, and we headed to see if we could get our ID cards from the university. It didn't appear that the office was open on Saturdays, so we continued our journey and headed to the gym several blocks away that we'll have free use of as students this semester. It's a very nice gym, very modern with great facilities. It was really nice to get a workout in.

We ended Saturday by making some dinner and heading to the Fransican Well Brewery and Pub that is directly across the street from us (Erin, Cleo, Cleo's friends and I). Got to try one of their own beers ("Rebel Red"!) and we had a nice time. We packed it in pretty early, since we were all dragging a bit.

So, I think that was a rather detailed (probably excrutiatingly detailed for many of you) entry that brings everyone up the present. I'm sure my blogs will get less mundane in the future. I just happen to have a bit more time on my hands presently. Erin and I are thinking of doing some traveling in the area for a few days though, so I may have some more exciting updates later in the week.

Until then....

Hannah

Hello from Cork!

So, my time has ended in Montana, my crazy week home has ended (DAT went well, brother's wedding was fabulous) and I am finally at my new home for the next 3 1/2 months!

Traveling here went well overall. I made it, and on time anyway, which were the two main goals! Tuesday morning I left Des Moines about 10:45am. Headed to Chicago, where I had about a 4 hour layover. From Chicago I went to London. The flight was long, and I didn't get any sleep really (quite a turbulent flight), but I did get to watch 2 movies (Made of Honor and the Sex and the City Movie). In London I had another 3 hours to wait. By then it was about 7am London time, and so I got some breakfast at the Giraffe restaraunt (really good organic smoothies!). My flight to Dublin was delayed by just a bit. Finally got to Dublin around 10:45am their time. Got through Customs fairly quickly and headed to the exit.

Took me about 20 minutes to find what I thought was going to be some sort of booth for Aircoach buses, but what turned out to be a man with a cashbox selling tickets. Bought a ticket to Cork City from him, and the next thing I knew I was being shoved onto a bus that would shuttle me to where the actual bus heading to Cork would pick up from. If I had had a bit more time to think, I would have waited for a later shuttle bus, as I knew the bus to Cork wasn't leaving until 1:00pm. But, as I watched the scenery pass by me, I realized it was a bit late for changing my mind on that matter. I knew I was to be dropped off at Trinity College in Dublin, at which point my pick up location was supposedly a few blocks away. What I wasn't aware of was that Trinity College is located in the middle of downtown Dublin. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but as it would happen, I ended up weaving my way amongst the very busy streets of Dublin pulling two very large suitcases and carrying a third as a backpack. And of course, I got completely lost. I eventually found out that the stop I was looking for was located in front of an O'Brien's Coffee Shop. What I found out after trekking down the street to one such shop, is that this particular shop is a chain. So, an hour or so after I had been initially dropped off by the shuttle bus, I found myself in front of the correct O'Brien's, waiting another hour in the rain for the bus.

The bus to Cork arrive right on time, and I was very thankful for the soft seat and roof over my head. I had planned to stay awake on the bus ride to view the scenery, but I kept drifting in and out of sleep. This probably turned out to be a good thing actually, since Irish roads do not seem to be made very wide, and Irish drivers do not seem to be made to drive very slowly. After was seemed like forever (but was actually only 4 1/2 hours), we arrived in Cork. I was expecting some sort of actual building when I heard the words "bus station," but this didn't seem to be the case. So instead I wandered over to a nearby hotel in search of some payphones. I must have looked rather frazzled, as an elderly woman sitting in the lobby asked me twice if I were okay! I found the phones though, and got through to my dad to let him know I had arrived, and the apartment landlord to let her know the same so she could meet me at the apartments. The woman at the frontdesk of the hotel was nice enough to call me a cab, and I finally made it to my final destination.

After getting checked into my apartment, I calculated that it had been about 29 hours since I had really slept, and about 11 hours since I had last eaten. I dug through my purse and ate a few melted and squished granola bar, blew up my traveling pillow, and slept. And boy did I sleep. I didn't bother to set an alarm, thinking I'd wake up on my own by 9 or 10am. So I was a little surprised when I found it was 1:00pm when I finally stirred - a good 17 hours of sleep!! And since it was now a good 30 hours since I had eaten a real meal, I also found myself quite famished. After a quick shower, I left my apartment and found myself nearly jumping for joy when I saw the cafe across the street. Who knew Pear Mango yogurt could taste so delicious?

Now that I had some food in me once again, I decided to hit the city centre and do some shopping (a real pillow was at the top of my list, blow up travel ones just don't cut it for actual sleeping, said my stiff neck). I have already decided that I love my apartment's location. The main shops started not 2 blocks away! And shops there are! I probably covered a total of 10 blocks and never could see what appeared to be the end! There are no large department stores here of course, which makes things both more difficult and more fun. All of the shops are much smaller and more specialized (for instance, I found my pillow at a bedding shop). I also hit up an electronics store for an adaptor for my computer, the 2 euro store, where I bought some OJ and trashbags, another discount store for hangers and the all important umbrella, a Subway for a sandwhich (they are still 6" and 12" subs, not the cm equivalents for those who are curious!), and a small grocery store for some frosties and milk.

I like my apartment quite well so far. It's a two bedroom apartment, with mine being a single, and the other being made for two people. I haven't met either of my two roommates yet. One is apparently moving in over the next couple of days (she's in town with her parents), and the other is coming from France on Saturday. There's a small kitchen, a small living room, and one bathroom. The views from the living room and my room both overlook the River Lee, which runs through the entire town. Thought I haven't been exploring that way yet, the campus is supposedly about a 10-12 minute walk, also very nice.

As for now, I should probably get unpacking. Got to make my room seem more like MY room.