Dublin
Sligo
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)