- Pet the sheep you walk by to make for awkward encounters. -Lauren Novak
- Drink a large Irish alcoholic beverage. -Emma Baldwin
- Kiss an Irishman. -Meghan Deplaris
- Take a tour of the Guinness Factory. -Courtney Roth
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Suggestions? Keep 'em coming!
By the way, here is the current list of suggestions that I have been given to complete while I am in Ireland. I will update these when I get some more!
"Learn To Be Damp"/"Shut Up, You!"
Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, I fell behind on my blog posts as much has happened within these past two weeks. Therefore, I plan to use this post to catch up on all that I have missed to inform you all out there!
Our seminar class was held on Tuesday instead of Thursday last week because of Turkey Day, and in this discussion, our English professor's wife, dubbed the "Queen of Packing" arrived to explain the ideal method of how to stow away our belongings for our trip. She recommended a lot of waterproof garments such as raincoats and rainboots (no umbrellas though because of the wind; she blatantly told us they would be lost over the Cliffs of Moher), and I was lucky enough to have purchased a decent raincoat from Kohl's while home on Fall Break. Interesting tips that she added to the mix included:
Her husband than took over the conversation as he led us through our arrival to Dublin via GoogleEarth. Apparently, there are two rivers that come together to create a large circle around Dublin, so if we ever get lost we need only follow the river back to our hotel (which shall be looking over the river! Score!). He also pointed out a specific street with excellent book stores (YES!), the young people's clubbing district in Dublin, a local park, and finally the shady end of Dublin that we were to stay out of though he noted that our hotel for our return to Dublin was right on the border of said shady area. Of course.
I happily went home the following day for Thanksgiving and enjoyed a grand ol' American feast that only my Polish mother is capable of, and began to stress out with a full belly because my fellow Ireland travelers and I had decided to buy our plane tickets on Black Friday in the hopes of low prices. However, the prices did not change because of the day, but were still at an all time low. After much anxiety and phone tags, we all had our tickets purchased. We will even be spending an overnight layover in the Heathrow airport in London! Being in a London airport > worrying about sleeping in a terminal. Freaking London!
With that accomplished, I returned to school on Sunday afternoon and on Monday morning I received a text from my momma saying that my passport had come in! This is the real deal, folks. Plane tickets purchased, the approval of traveling the world...this trip is so close. Actually, 100 days exactly from yesterday!
Today during my seminar class, our professors wanted to get our attention to begin, so one of them jokingly said "Shut up, you!" in a thick Irish accent. Apparently, there was a fun story behind this phrase that they proceeded to tell us:
On their last Ireland trip in 2010, the professors were preparing for the day early in the morning when they heard an Irish couple outside their hotel door who had clearly returned from an all-night pub crawl. The woman was yapping away at the man over a vast variety of complaints while the man followed her and saying in his thick accent "Shut up! Shut up, you!" Our teachers thought it would be a great way to get our attention when needed, so we should plan on hearing it more often.
We then discussed our two weeks in Killarney in Co. Kerry. We will be exploring many different historical sites such as St. Brigid's Cathedral as well as traipsing through the first National Park of Ireland. Hikes, kayaks, surfing lessons, and losing shoes in bogs are the many options that we will have available to us in Killarney! Not to mention that Co. Kerry has their own breed of cows that make some of the finest dairy products that Ireland has to offer!
All this to take in after 2 weeks is destroying my motivation for my Winter Term classes. Let's hope I make it through with flying colors so I don't get academic probation before my trip!!
99 days till Irish beer on the wall! :D
Our seminar class was held on Tuesday instead of Thursday last week because of Turkey Day, and in this discussion, our English professor's wife, dubbed the "Queen of Packing" arrived to explain the ideal method of how to stow away our belongings for our trip. She recommended a lot of waterproof garments such as raincoats and rainboots (no umbrellas though because of the wind; she blatantly told us they would be lost over the Cliffs of Moher), and I was lucky enough to have purchased a decent raincoat from Kohl's while home on Fall Break. Interesting tips that she added to the mix included:
- Not that many clothes. Don't bring 10 weeks worth-Bring 1 week's worth and wash it there!
- Place all your clothes in bags with dryer sheets to keep them fresh!
- Put hair care products in bags so if they explode, the mess won't get all over your things
- Hair dryers, flat irons, curling irons? Leave them behind. Learn to be damp.
Her husband than took over the conversation as he led us through our arrival to Dublin via GoogleEarth. Apparently, there are two rivers that come together to create a large circle around Dublin, so if we ever get lost we need only follow the river back to our hotel (which shall be looking over the river! Score!). He also pointed out a specific street with excellent book stores (YES!), the young people's clubbing district in Dublin, a local park, and finally the shady end of Dublin that we were to stay out of though he noted that our hotel for our return to Dublin was right on the border of said shady area. Of course.
I happily went home the following day for Thanksgiving and enjoyed a grand ol' American feast that only my Polish mother is capable of, and began to stress out with a full belly because my fellow Ireland travelers and I had decided to buy our plane tickets on Black Friday in the hopes of low prices. However, the prices did not change because of the day, but were still at an all time low. After much anxiety and phone tags, we all had our tickets purchased. We will even be spending an overnight layover in the Heathrow airport in London! Being in a London airport > worrying about sleeping in a terminal. Freaking London!
With that accomplished, I returned to school on Sunday afternoon and on Monday morning I received a text from my momma saying that my passport had come in! This is the real deal, folks. Plane tickets purchased, the approval of traveling the world...this trip is so close. Actually, 100 days exactly from yesterday!
Today during my seminar class, our professors wanted to get our attention to begin, so one of them jokingly said "Shut up, you!" in a thick Irish accent. Apparently, there was a fun story behind this phrase that they proceeded to tell us:
On their last Ireland trip in 2010, the professors were preparing for the day early in the morning when they heard an Irish couple outside their hotel door who had clearly returned from an all-night pub crawl. The woman was yapping away at the man over a vast variety of complaints while the man followed her and saying in his thick accent "Shut up! Shut up, you!" Our teachers thought it would be a great way to get our attention when needed, so we should plan on hearing it more often.
We then discussed our two weeks in Killarney in Co. Kerry. We will be exploring many different historical sites such as St. Brigid's Cathedral as well as traipsing through the first National Park of Ireland. Hikes, kayaks, surfing lessons, and losing shoes in bogs are the many options that we will have available to us in Killarney! Not to mention that Co. Kerry has their own breed of cows that make some of the finest dairy products that Ireland has to offer!
All this to take in after 2 weeks is destroying my motivation for my Winter Term classes. Let's hope I make it through with flying colors so I don't get academic probation before my trip!!
99 days till Irish beer on the wall! :D
Thursday, November 15, 2012
"A small drinking nation with a fishing problem"
Today was my first ISS (International Studies Seminar) for my Ireland study abroad program that took place at the ungodly hour of 7:30 this morning. I stumbled into the classroom a bit disheveled after only awakening 20 minutes previous to my arrival, and was not looking forward to the rest of my day. However, as per usual, the meeting with my three professors-Dr. Kaul, Dr. Koontz, and Dr. McDowell-proved well worth the trip. They passed out the schedule for these ISS classes which included what chapters of our small book "A Brief History of Ireland" needed to be read by, and also a page describing the various hotels that we will be staying at during our 11 weeks. Needless to say, hearing about 4 star glass-hotels shaped like boats and hotels with indoor pools and a Jacuzzi produced a lot of smiles on the faces of students.
We then were asked by the professors to take 10-15 minutes to answer a couple of questions on paper in order to understand what we are hoping to experience on this study abroad program. The questions were:
1. What are you looking forward to while in Ireland? What do you hope to gain from this experience?
2. What are some anxieties you have concerning this trip or what are you wondering about?
3. What is the difference between "tourism" and "study abroad"? How do you intend to make this trip academic?
Straightforward questions that elicited many interesting answers. For instance, many people were concerned about proper attire to wear in a country as Catholic-based as Ireland. We found out that if we are to go to church, girls must wear dresses and hats. Hmm...
One girl asked about the cuisine because Ireland is pretty much known only for its potatoes and blood pudding-not exactly making your mouth water. However, our professors noted that the country is becoming more culturalized in that there are certain areas where they have random Thai restaurants and Mexican joints, so the people are ordering just potatoes with a side of potatoes. Also, being an island, apparently the Irish have excellent seafood options which I am very much looking forward to as a big fan of salmon and shrimp! Later in the day, our professor posted a great example of the cuisine of Ireland according to outsiders, though it still rings true:
Gotta love college. Next seminar class is Tuesday to account for the Thanksgiving holiday and will consist of "Packing/Weather" (a.k.a. bring your rainboots, kids!)
It's getting real, folks.
We then were asked by the professors to take 10-15 minutes to answer a couple of questions on paper in order to understand what we are hoping to experience on this study abroad program. The questions were:
1. What are you looking forward to while in Ireland? What do you hope to gain from this experience?
2. What are some anxieties you have concerning this trip or what are you wondering about?
3. What is the difference between "tourism" and "study abroad"? How do you intend to make this trip academic?
Straightforward questions that elicited many interesting answers. For instance, many people were concerned about proper attire to wear in a country as Catholic-based as Ireland. We found out that if we are to go to church, girls must wear dresses and hats. Hmm...
One girl asked about the cuisine because Ireland is pretty much known only for its potatoes and blood pudding-not exactly making your mouth water. However, our professors noted that the country is becoming more culturalized in that there are certain areas where they have random Thai restaurants and Mexican joints, so the people are ordering just potatoes with a side of potatoes. Also, being an island, apparently the Irish have excellent seafood options which I am very much looking forward to as a big fan of salmon and shrimp! Later in the day, our professor posted a great example of the cuisine of Ireland according to outsiders, though it still rings true:
It's getting real, folks.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Winter Is Coming...
Fall Term has officially come to an end here (thank Jesus) on my senior year at Augustana which means that I have 1 ten-week term left before I say farewell in the spring. In this upcoming Winter Term, I will be taking a 1 credit seminar with the professors that I will be traveling with to Ireland, and as they so joyously informed me, this seminar will be taking place every Thursday at 7:30 in the morning.
Hoo-rah. T.T
However, I can't let early rising get me down on the eve of Spring Term! As the Spanish say: Quien madruga, Dios le ayuda (God helps those who wake up early). I am looking forward to these meetings because I will be learning very much on what to pack for the trip, the conduct to be upheld in a foreign country, methods of finding hostels to stay at if I travel on my days off...all important and interesting stuff! Will I be conscious enough to retain this information at 7:30am? Who can say for sure?
The beginning of this journey both creeps up slowly and sprints to the starting line. 2 of 3 payments have been made, I am going to apply for my passport today, and my parents are already thinking of the coats, hiking boots, suitcases, and other supplies that will take the place of my usual Christmas presents (though I will of course ask for a book or two!). One of my roommates asked me recently if the reality of this trip has hit me yet, and I honestly think the answer is both yes and no. Yes because if I think about it for longer periods of time I begin to feel butterflies in my stomach. No because I don't believe I will truly feel the effects until I am right there at the gate in the airport hugging my parents goodbye. Even as I right this, my heart picks up speed thinking of how difficult yet exciting that farewell will be...
Only 1 term to go!
Hoo-rah. T.T
However, I can't let early rising get me down on the eve of Spring Term! As the Spanish say: Quien madruga, Dios le ayuda (God helps those who wake up early). I am looking forward to these meetings because I will be learning very much on what to pack for the trip, the conduct to be upheld in a foreign country, methods of finding hostels to stay at if I travel on my days off...all important and interesting stuff! Will I be conscious enough to retain this information at 7:30am? Who can say for sure?
The beginning of this journey both creeps up slowly and sprints to the starting line. 2 of 3 payments have been made, I am going to apply for my passport today, and my parents are already thinking of the coats, hiking boots, suitcases, and other supplies that will take the place of my usual Christmas presents (though I will of course ask for a book or two!). One of my roommates asked me recently if the reality of this trip has hit me yet, and I honestly think the answer is both yes and no. Yes because if I think about it for longer periods of time I begin to feel butterflies in my stomach. No because I don't believe I will truly feel the effects until I am right there at the gate in the airport hugging my parents goodbye. Even as I right this, my heart picks up speed thinking of how difficult yet exciting that farewell will be...
Only 1 term to go!
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Itiner...(wait for it)...ARY!
Today was another informational meeting for our professors to discuss with the 30+ of us what in the world we will be doing in Ireland for the 10 weeks of Spring Term. Throughout the course of this trip, we will be exploring as much of Ireland as we can, so after a certain number of days in one city, we will be traveling to another to spend some time there/see some historical and famous sites. We will arrive in Dublin (Ireland's capital) on March 9th, 2013 and leave from Dublin after coming full circle on May 17th, 2013. Here is a simplified version of our itinerary concerning which cities we will be in at what times, and some notes as to what we will be seeing there. Also, I will try to post some pictures of the famous sites that aren't as well known to give you all an idea of what awaits us:
Arrive in Dublin on March 9th, 2013 where we will meet our professors so they can take us over to our first hotel. However, to help us recover from jet lag, they informed us that we will be dropping off our bags and leaving right away to begin a "forced march" as they like to call it. A.k.a. they want us to explore the streets of Dublin with them from 8am until whenever to tire us out so we can reset our biological clocks. Good news is, though, that this march may involve a side quest to a pub ;)
Week 1: Classes in Dublin (Tues, Wed, Thurs) and other orientation activities
*Also note that St. Patrick's Day will be on the upcoming Sunday, and though it isn't as celebrated in Ireland, we were informed that there are parades in the country that appear as a mix of Gay Pride Parade and immigrants galore...interesting...My friends and I will definitely use this as an excuse to drink regardless!
Week 2: Travel to Killarney with side stops to the cities Kildare and Cashel
Week 3: More class time with Good Friday and Easter Sunday occurring in that upcoming weekend. Potential travel plans to other countries may occur for the Holy days.
Week 4: Day trip to Cahservieen and Valentia; Full day to Dingle Peninsula (including Gallarus Oratory, Beehive huts, Blaskt Island's Visitor Centre); Travel to Ennis and visit Kilrush Whale and Dolphin Museum (:DDDD !!!)
Week 5: Travel to Galway via site visits + classes
Week 6: Aran Islands Tour (Dun Angus) + classes
Week 7: Classes; travel to Sligo
Week 8: Travel to Derry and on to Belfast (This is part of Northern Ireland where the rebellions occurred between religions); Day trip to Giant's Causeway and coastal sites; Classes; Return to Dublin via Boyne Valley
Week 9: TBA
Week 10: Day trip through Wicklow Mountain National Park including Powerscourt House and Gardens, Glendalough, and Avoca.
Return flight May 17th, 2013
Graduate May 19th, 2013
I have a feeling that a lot of reflection of not only the past 10 weeks, but also the past 4 years will be flying through my mind as I prepare myself to walk across that stage. It'll be legend...(wait for it)...DARY!
Arrive in Dublin on March 9th, 2013 where we will meet our professors so they can take us over to our first hotel. However, to help us recover from jet lag, they informed us that we will be dropping off our bags and leaving right away to begin a "forced march" as they like to call it. A.k.a. they want us to explore the streets of Dublin with them from 8am until whenever to tire us out so we can reset our biological clocks. Good news is, though, that this march may involve a side quest to a pub ;)
Week 1: Classes in Dublin (Tues, Wed, Thurs) and other orientation activities
*Also note that St. Patrick's Day will be on the upcoming Sunday, and though it isn't as celebrated in Ireland, we were informed that there are parades in the country that appear as a mix of Gay Pride Parade and immigrants galore...interesting...My friends and I will definitely use this as an excuse to drink regardless!
Week 2: Travel to Killarney with side stops to the cities Kildare and Cashel
Week 3: More class time with Good Friday and Easter Sunday occurring in that upcoming weekend. Potential travel plans to other countries may occur for the Holy days.
Week 4: Day trip to Cahservieen and Valentia; Full day to Dingle Peninsula (including Gallarus Oratory, Beehive huts, Blaskt Island's Visitor Centre); Travel to Ennis and visit Kilrush Whale and Dolphin Museum (:DDDD !!!)
Week 5: Travel to Galway via site visits + classes
Week 6: Aran Islands Tour (Dun Angus) + classes
Week 7: Classes; travel to Sligo
Week 8: Travel to Derry and on to Belfast (This is part of Northern Ireland where the rebellions occurred between religions); Day trip to Giant's Causeway and coastal sites; Classes; Return to Dublin via Boyne Valley
Week 9: TBA
Week 10: Day trip through Wicklow Mountain National Park including Powerscourt House and Gardens, Glendalough, and Avoca.
Return flight May 17th, 2013
Graduate May 19th, 2013
I have a feeling that a lot of reflection of not only the past 10 weeks, but also the past 4 years will be flying through my mind as I prepare myself to walk across that stage. It'll be legend...(wait for it)...DARY!
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
190 days to go...but who's counting?
Dia dhuit!
Every college student is told to use their 4 years of undergraduate schooling to explore the world before they have to face that whole "reality" thing *shudders*, so here I am on the verge of such an excursion. In March of 2013, I will be hopping on a plane to Dublin herself and all her Guinness glory. I've been to a total of 4 states outside of Illinois: Wisconsin, Missouri, Iowa, and New York. Exciting stuff, I know. This lack of exploration eventually encouraged me to bring up the idea of traveling to my sessile parents. At first, they assumed I had told a very funny joke and enjoyed a good laugh, but with time I was able to chip away at their anti-traveling barriers and here I am.
I look upon this experience with both excitement and fear. You know it's a big deal when you start having crazy dreams about it-like when we first had to use lockers in middle school, so every night you were caught in a nightmare that wouldn't allow you to remember your combination and you were late to class and the teacher was disappointed in you....No? Just me? Well, my fantastical brain has already manufactured illusions of forgetting all my luggage when the plane has already touched down on foreign soil and what not. On the other hand, this is a normal reaction (or at least I hope so) to trying out something new, and it's braver than my usual "one step at a time" approach. I want to truly feel that sense of culture shock when I step onto Irish ground so that I could learn to appreciate the culture.
All that said, I'd like to bring up an interesting idea of mine that I would like you all to participate in! I want this experience to be shared with all of y friends so I am asking for you to send me a request of what YOU would like ME to do while I am in Ireland! This will force me to take the road less traveled by finding whatever is you ask of me, and it will make me take advantage of the opportunity I have been given by going to Ireland. Of course, my only condition is that it be within reason (Jon already asked me to find an alpaca -.-), but other than that, ask away! I will post these on my blog, and repost my completion of them with a picture of finding/doing that request. Can't wait to see it!
190 days to go . . . no passport, no plane ticket, no packing, no clue of what awaits me . . .
But I'm counting . . . and I'm counting on it to be the most incredible, exhilarating, liberating, and life-changing journey of my 21 years.
Comments? Questions? Advice? Funny jokes? You know where to find me.
Every college student is told to use their 4 years of undergraduate schooling to explore the world before they have to face that whole "reality" thing *shudders*, so here I am on the verge of such an excursion. In March of 2013, I will be hopping on a plane to Dublin herself and all her Guinness glory. I've been to a total of 4 states outside of Illinois: Wisconsin, Missouri, Iowa, and New York. Exciting stuff, I know. This lack of exploration eventually encouraged me to bring up the idea of traveling to my sessile parents. At first, they assumed I had told a very funny joke and enjoyed a good laugh, but with time I was able to chip away at their anti-traveling barriers and here I am.
I look upon this experience with both excitement and fear. You know it's a big deal when you start having crazy dreams about it-like when we first had to use lockers in middle school, so every night you were caught in a nightmare that wouldn't allow you to remember your combination and you were late to class and the teacher was disappointed in you....No? Just me? Well, my fantastical brain has already manufactured illusions of forgetting all my luggage when the plane has already touched down on foreign soil and what not. On the other hand, this is a normal reaction (or at least I hope so) to trying out something new, and it's braver than my usual "one step at a time" approach. I want to truly feel that sense of culture shock when I step onto Irish ground so that I could learn to appreciate the culture.
All that said, I'd like to bring up an interesting idea of mine that I would like you all to participate in! I want this experience to be shared with all of y friends so I am asking for you to send me a request of what YOU would like ME to do while I am in Ireland! This will force me to take the road less traveled by finding whatever is you ask of me, and it will make me take advantage of the opportunity I have been given by going to Ireland. Of course, my only condition is that it be within reason (Jon already asked me to find an alpaca -.-), but other than that, ask away! I will post these on my blog, and repost my completion of them with a picture of finding/doing that request. Can't wait to see it!
190 days to go . . . no passport, no plane ticket, no packing, no clue of what awaits me . . .
But I'm counting . . . and I'm counting on it to be the most incredible, exhilarating, liberating, and life-changing journey of my 21 years.
Comments? Questions? Advice? Funny jokes? You know where to find me.
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