Riptide

The last few days have been a bit of a whirlwind. We had a night out on the town in Dingle, a morning of shopping and an afternoon on horseback.  We had a couple more drinks before we went to bed. We missed our bus in Dingle due to a schedule change and had a fast taxi ride to Tralee instead. In my defense I've come down with a cold.

We got into Galway early Thursday evening. We wandered around the town and ate dinner by the water. The next morning we took a tour to see the Cliffs of Moher, Ailwee Caves, and the Burren. We had a great but the weather was uncooperative and we could just barely make out the cliffs. After a picnic dinner at the hostel, we wandered the town in search of music. Neither of us really wanted to drink so we ended up going into a tea shop that had about thirty different kinds of tea. The tea shop was actually/also a hookah bar. The tea was good and we enjoyed the calm atmosphere. This morning we went to the largest of the Aran Islands, Inishmor. It's really awesome. there are only about 700 residents. It also has a several thousand year old fort on it. The fort is interesting because the fourth side is just the edge of a cliff. The cliff has no fence so you can go right up to the edge. It was thrilling.

Of trains, buses and sheep

Today is bittersweet. I have officially moved out of Dublin. I no longer reside in Belgrove. It means that this adventure is wrapping up. However I'm on to the next one. My roommate and friend from back home Alex is here and we're off to travel together. We'll be touring around for the next couple weeks. I'll try and keep this updated on our adventures as we go.

I'm currently sitting on a train to dingle. Actually it's a train to Mallow, then to Tralee and then a bus to Dingle but you know.

I didn't even realize...

I just used an app on my phone to listen to my favorite radio station back home. I don't do it often. Partially because I forget I can but also because it makes me a bit homesick. The music itself doesn't make me homesick that much. It's the DJs and commercials, they remind me of what I'm missing out on. e.g. concerts or races. Anyway, it's probably been at least a month since I listened to it. Today it was like a punch to the gut. I can hear something I never could before...I hear a Colorado accent. I heard a commercial and it was like coming home. I can't tell you how it's different from my roommates' accents or what makes it what is but I know it's there. It caught me off guard because I never really could hear the difference before. It produced the oddest melancholy feeling. I desperately want to be back home with those accents, where I recognize all the social customs. I want the possibility of snow on Mothers Day and the madness that is the Centennial State Yet I don't want to leave my home here.

 I thought that I didn't miss the American accent and I think it still holds true. I do however miss the culture my state and even my county.

Exams are terrifying

Today I had my first exam. dun dun dun... I'm finding myself surprisingly unstressed this finals season. Maybe it's because I'm going on trip right after or that I'm looking forward to coming home. Or it could be that my grades come back pass/fail.  I've learned a lot but I don't feel like I've actually taken a semester of school.

The exam hall was so weird. At home, we just have our exams in our classroom usually. occasionally for bigger classes it might be somewhere else on campus. Here exams are not on campus and the rules are extremely strict. It was basically lines of desks in a big exhibit hall, fairgrounds style. There was several hundred desks and about 20 different classes taking their exams. There are also proctors walking up and down the rows. It takes me back to the standardized testing of high school. I prefer our exams at home.

Highs and Lows Trip 2: Portugal

Portugal was really a whirlwind trip. I went with a friend I met at a event hosted by the International Student society. We went all over the place in just a few days and were there for Carnival, the Portuguese version of Mardi Gras.

Lows: On our last day in Lisbon the car got booted, which makes for a great story now but it was highly stressful at the time. I also got lost one the way back from dinner to a Skype job interview and had to take a taxi back. We also go lost a bunch of times before we figured out this handy GPS map. let me tell you not having data when you;re used to a smartphone is frustrating.  Also on our second night Miriam got hit in the head with a door and ended up with a concussion which we didn't know about until we got back.

Highlights: The Carnival Parade in Loule was so cool. It wasn't huge but it was awesome. I also go a chance to go in the ocean which is always a highlight for me. Portugal was also just breathtakingly beautiful. The landscape, minus the fact of the coast, was very similar to home and it was nice. Also the sunshine! Warmth, it was lovely. I also took a bunch of artsy pictures which I love to do.

Things I'll bring back

I don't know how much I've changed as a person on this adventure but I've certainly picked up some traits. For example I feel a day is incomplete if I haven't had at least two cups of tea. The first thing I do in the morning after I drag myself out of bed, is put the kettle on. Some of the phrases I've already talked about. But grand and lovely I think may permanently imbed themselves in the way I talk. Some of the things I've started cooking here I'll probably make at home. Like the chicken stir-fry.

Highlights and Lowlights Trip 1: Cork

Cork was my first trip and was totally spontaneous. Three days before I booked a hostel and bought my train ticket. I went by myself to city with no plan. Overall it went well.

Lowlights: I had a bit too much time on my hands. I found out later that there are many things to see and do around Cork, not in town.  I was also there in the offseason, like way offseason. The tourist buses weren't running so it was a bit hard to get around. My hostel was not the nicest, the beds were uncomfortable, breakfast was decidedly lacking. Also, it's weird eating in restaurants by yourself.

Highlights: The town itself was really cool to walk around, it had all sorts of pedestrian only streets that I enjoyed exploring. I had this phenomenal brunch at a crepe place. The Goal, or jail, was really cool and worth the mile I walked to get to it. I got some amazing pictures on this trip, it was foggy and gorgeous one of the mornings. I loved the Crawford Art gallery. On the night that I was actually brave enough to go hang out in the bar I met some really cool people: a Croatian and two Irish guys. It was a good time and there was fun live music.

I think this trip made me realize how independent I really am. The Irish guys I met in the pub thought I was crazy for doing such a thing on my own, while I didn't think it was particularly brave. I also learned that it can be hard to travel alone. It is nice to be able to choose what you want to do but sometimes I found myself wishing that someone else was there to share it with or make a decision.

I don't wanna leave, but I have to go

Here's my list of things that I will miss, and won't, when I leave my temporary home

I will miss:
How green everything is
People's kindness and their accents
The ability to drink in pubs (I won't turn 21 until late this year)
The fact that pretty much every pub has my preferred drink (hard apple cider)
Taking a bus to the ocean ( I'm going from an island to being landlocked)
Generally preservative free food-it tastes better
Irish Tea
Living in a city

Things I won't miss:
Smoking (people smoke everywhere, it drives me mad)
Food going bad in the blink of an eye (lack of preservatives is a double edged sword)
Boys wearing track suits

There's so much more but nothing else is coming to me at the moment.

Between here and there

Over the next week, I will be preparing for my exams. I have no classes, which is a luxury that I'm not used to. During this week, as a break from studying I'm planning on writing about the things I've learned, my trips, the highlights, the lowlights, things I miss and things I will miss. So be prepared. The following list has things both material and emotional components.

Things I've missed being here:

My family, my friends
My pets
Mexican Food
Chinese Food
Food that is not bland in general
Looking at the mountains every day
Sunsets over said mountains
The smell of pine trees
Having a car (it's frustrating not being able to drive sometimes)
Listening to the radio
Food that doesn't spoil in a couple days
The deep blue color of the sky (it's literally different color, there's science, go look it up)
My bed
Skiing
Having a job and the job I do at home (I know, its weird)
Seeing the lilac bush at our family farm bloom
Playing the violin
Playing the piano and messing around on my guitar, anything musical really


Things I haven't missed:

The smell of weed (I really, really haven't missed this)
American accents (I live with Americans so I hear them anyway)
Snow (with the noted exception of skiing)
Drama (it takes something big to cover the 4000 mile gap)
My classes
The mass of students trying to get between classes
Tax not being built into prices

There are more on both lists but that's what I can think of at the moment. I'll post another set of things love about Ireland and things I won't miss up tomorrow.

Where is the Queue?

I do not have an Irish accent. I'm not even sure I could fake a passible one, it's much harder than you'd expect. However, the words and the way people talk here seems to have invaded my brain. Cheers, class, craic, whats the story, queue...all these things have become a part of my new normal and are something I will likely bring back. I'm going to miss the ability to suggest a night out by simply asking people if they want to go grab a pint. I was reading a book yesterday and for some reason it used the word tornado. In my head, I read it as tore-nah-do instead of tore-nay-do. I stopped reading for a minute in shock. I also found myself questioning why Italians couldn't make an orderly queue over the weekend, which is so incredibly Irish/British of me I'm not even sure how to deal with it.

I'm still alive

So I'm the worst blogger ever. I left you hanging for more than a month. My apologies. It's been a bit crazy so here's the quick and dirty on what's been going on:

Upon my return from Portugal, which feels like forever ago, I wrote 4 papers in 2 weeks and basically didn't go outside. I ate, slept, and did homework. When I finally came up for air it was Friday March 6 and I was leaving for a somewhat spontaneous trip to Germany over part of spring break.

I left at the god forsaken hour of 4am to go the airport to get to Berlin. Everywhere I went in Berlin and Dresden, I met interesting people. It is one of the benefits of traveling alone- you actually meet the locals. I had a blast touring around Berlin. I went to so many museums and saw the coolest stuff. I also enjoyed the beautiful sunshine that so rarely happens here in Ireland. A couple of my German friends helped me get a train ticket to Dresden. Dresden was nearly completely destroyed in WWII but you wouldn't know it looking at the city. The Old city has been reconstructed and the New city is prime example of Communist architecture. While there, I also saw Raphael's Sistine Madonna. It supplanted The Transfiguration (also by Raphael) as my favorite painting (and I've seen a lot of art). Go google them, right now, the post will still be here when you come back.

The Reichstag, Berlin

The Old City, Dresden

Welcome back: I flew back home on Friday the 13th (dun dun dun) because my parents were coming in the next day. The city had been overrun with tourists in my absence and suddenly green St. Patrick's Day (or Paddy's Day as it's known here) stuff was everywhere. I had a blast taking my parents all over Dublin for the second week of my break. They were very much tourists while I was the mildly (or terribly) embarrassed semi-local. It was great craic (fun). Paddy's day was about as crazy as you'd expect. We ended the week on a bus tour to Wicklow, on Dad's birthday no less. He got an extra shot of Jameson and sung to by a bus of tourists. My parents went off to explore the West and Cork, leaving me to go back to class. On Friday the 27th, they came back to Dublin. Dad had to go home the next morning but Mom was staying for a few days more so we headed out to Dingle.

St. Paddy's Day Parade

Dad getting in the spirit

Mom and I had a grand time in Dingle. We walked the beach and took a ton of pictures. We also drank in the pubs while listening to live music. It was hard for me to come back on Monday. Because Mom left Wednesday, she had one more day in Dublin, so I skipped my one class to hang out with her. We went all over the place and even saw a movie. I said bye to her on my way to class Wednesday  morning.

Mom on the Dingle Peninsula

The next day brought about the last and most crazy adventure since you last heard from me: I flew to Rome for Easter. I was part of a tour group with Weekend Student Adventures (WSA). It was 75 students who were studying abroad in Europe that came together for the tour. I think it ranks up there as one of the best weekends I've had in my life and not just because I was in the second row at Easter mass with Pope Francis. I saw all the big tourist things, got sunburned and was completely drenched. More details will be coming along with some pictures.

The Vatican

I am completely crazy...

Here is my lovely explanation for why I haven't been posting for around two weeks, besides being generally lazy. I got back from Cork late on a Sunday night and left for Portugal long before dawn on Thursday. I had to get myself prepped to miss school until Tuesday afternoon. I was mostly buried under books or or in class or asleep; I am here to study after all. There you have it folks. Now I'm going to write up each day of Portugal trip individually because there is a lot to tell. My dry spell of posting should conclude with about 7 new posts in the next couple days. Tons of pictures should be coming along as well!

Cork

So I'm one lazy blogger and I've haven't written anything for a while. Here is what I did on the weekend of the 6th. I promise I have decent reason for not updating. I took the train down to Cork and stayed for the weekend. It was a lot of fun and I proved to myself that I can travel by myself. Cork is the other city in Ireland that has a program with CU. I'm glad I chose Dublin. Cork is a lovely city but it has a very sleepy feeling. I love the energy of Dublin and the feel of it. Cork is a walking city. I mean I walked everywhere, even got a couple blisters.

 The center of the city has several streets that are pedsitiran or at least very low traffic. They were a great place to wander and see the life of Cork. In this area was the English Market, which was an giant indoor market place. There were stalls selling everything from fish to baked goods. It reminded me of the market in Rome. The similarity to Rome continued in the amount of churches scattered about. They were everywhere and, although they weren't as ornate as you would see in Rome, they were beautiful. I also stopped at the Crawford Art Gallery and spent a couple hours wandering through halls of Irish art. My favorite exhibit was a set of drawings that were the schematics for stained glass windows. I saw the cathedral and the city jail. I spent a ton of time wandering around the city just looking at street art and architecture. I even went an saw a movie. I spent Saturday night in the Hostel bar listening to a band, chatting with the locals and drinking hard apple cider, my drink of choice. This is probably no the due this trip deserves so I may come back and edit this later but I have more things to add.

Glendalough

On Saturday I went on tour to Glendalough (pronounced glen-da-lock). It is one of the most beautiful and most photographs places in Ireland. On the trip, we stopped to take pictures in several places and even drove by Bono's house. We had lunch in a traditional pub, I had mince and onion pie, which was delicious. towards the end of the tour everyone got a shot of Jameson, except the driver of course! Our guide made a special stop in park that overlooked the whole of Dublin as well as a good part of the coast. It was an incredibly fin and exhausting day.

Phones and ancient gold

I've been lazy the last few days in updating this so sorry for that. Here we go:
I only have one class on Friday's and it's at 9 so I basically have the day to do whatever. I decided it was high time I got a phone working. Instead of missing with the card in my iPhone, I bought a cheap flip phone that does three things: call, text,  and pick up FM radio. But it suits my needs.

I also went to the National Museum of Archeology. It was incredible. Like the Smithsonian, the national museums are free here. There was this unbelievable book that they recovered from a bog. I was considerably less thrilled by the bog bodies, however. I'm not overly fond of bodies and decapitated mummified ones are significantly worse. There was also a bunch of gold and other precious objects.

 

So I'm a nerd...

I mean the title of this in the best way possible. I take the nerd label and wear it proudly. I realized half way through a lecture on the reformation, or failure thereof, in Ireland that "normal" people would not be as thrilled about it as I was. I mean seriously, how many people actually get excited talking about the why's and wherefore's of the English reformation? <awkwardly raises hand> I was absurdly happy listing to lists of laws surrounding the Henrician Reformation. I have questioned whether I want to be a teacher and whether History should be my only major but I have never really questioned the major I picked. Today was just another example of why I'm happy being a History Buff, pun fully intended. (If you don't get it go look up the mascot for CU)

Weekend Recap

Around noon on Friday, I decided to go the theatre here in Dublin. I saw She stoops to Conquer and it was so funny. It was written around 1774 and was still relevant in its way. I feel like some of the jokes went over my head because I'm not Irish though. It was quite an adventure getting to the theatre, I walked around for 15-20 minutes trying to find the entrance to the theater. I the future I won't put nearly as much trust in google maps. Once I was settled in my seat in the back of the theater the director came on stage, which is not all that unusual when seeing shows in Denver. However he announced some bad news: one of the actresses, a main-ish character, had had a family emergency that day. As they have no understudy system there had been a bit of question about what to do. They had called in another actress that day and she performed the whole thing with the book in her hand. Except for the book itself, her performance was fabulous. She was able to turn what could've been disastrous to a fun story. After the play I had to walk quite a ways to find the bus stop and caught the second to last bus home of the night.

 Today I went with a couple of my roommates to the flea market and the Dublin Food Co-op. It was a lot of fun and I got a 1903 copy of macbeth, which I'm very excited about. The Food Co-op was very hipster and very Boulder, which I found amusing. We grabbed a late lunch, Falafel. I was delicious and very filling. It was really nice to eat something I hadn't cooked, especially good greek food. We meandered our way back to the center of town slowly after we ate. We  went in the general direction we needed to go whilst also going down whatever street took our fancy. I saw a lot of Dublin today and had a great time doing it. For more pictures check out the photo archive.

It's the same but it's all different

So I'm almost done with my first week of classes. I have to say that I'm going to have to work hard this semester. I'm taking three Irish history classes and, while in and of themselves they're going to be a challenge, my lack of knowledge means I have catching up to do. The professors are working with the assumption that everyone has a decent grasp of Irish history, as they should, however for me this is a struggle. Off hand comments about the nine years war or other things send me scribbling on an ever growing list of things to google. This is going to be a challenge and I'm looking forward to it.

I find that culture shock is a very sneaky thing here. Many things are similar to home, the language most obviously. But every once in a while there is an idiom or pronunciation that throughs me for a loop. I nearly started laughing  when one of my professors called the US Congress a parliament. Parliament is far too posh and old world a word for anything in American politics but that is not something I really wish to discuss, moving on to something lacking controversy.

There are so many little things that are different I probably could write a book. I will stick to a trip to the grocery store though. The Mexican food section was, unsurprisingly, tiny and there was salsa in a squeeze tube. There was also, to my horror, a "Guacamole style topping" that was a frankly alarming shade of green. I also found American style pancakes in the dessert section. They were tiny and very thick. Here what they call pancakes are essentially crepes and are usually eaten for dessert and not breakfast. They also had an giant section of tea, it was nearly one side of an aisle. What I found most interesting was that nearly all the tea was the same kind, what we would call Irish Breakfast Tea, but in different brands. There were a handful of green teas and that was it. Apparently the ridiculous variety that can be found in the US is not a thing here.

First Class

So I went to my first class this morning. I had a mental freak out about how this was going to work. Some part of the back of my mind knew that it was going to be pretty much the same as any class back home but that rational part was not in control of my brain. The topic of the lecture was actually perfect considering the head space I was in. It was sociology class and the professor was talking about what made the Irish, well, Irish. There was this whole section where he talked about how when people leave their home culture they feel like a fish out water. I nearly started laughing. It was so perfect and a bit ironic considering my concerns about screwing up. It was quite fun and an entertaining class. I feel like taking a class on why Irish people are the way they are is a great way to understand the culture I'm in.

This is home

I've spent the last few days getting oriented around campus and the city center. Today, I went into the city center and wandered by myself. It was a lot of fun. I basically walked wherever looked interesting and kept going until I was tired. I've got the bus system down a bit better than I did before and the route to the city center is becoming familiar. I am both tourist and resident of one of the most amazing cities I have seen. It captured my heart ten years ago and I love being back. It is cold and windy, but so very alive. All cities have their own aliveness, Dublin's is a humming that verges on dance. It has a spirit that seems to shout that it will not be crushed and it will damn well have good time.

I'm done being altruistic now and I have a confession to make. I went to Starbucks today. How typically american of me. In my defense, and it's not much of one, I am living here. Even if it is only temporarily. Also I've tried a bunch of local, or at least Irish, coffee shops this week and wanted something familiar.

Anywho...today was the day when it sank in: I'm here. I'm not here for a week or two, I'm here for months. This is home now, for as long as it lasts. And it's going to last as long as any of my other homes of the past year: 2 different dorm rooms and the camp I worked at over the summer. The walk to my apartment here on campus has become something that my feet do automatically. The kitchen has food in it that isn't take-out and I own dishes here, well one glass but I'm working on it.

I also talked to my parents for a while today, the first time we've had an in depth conversation since I've been here. It was good and they enjoyed me faking an Irish accent. (I'm honestly not that good) If you have any suggestions or questions please feel free to comment or use the contact form to contact me directly.

All the roommates are here

Yesterday I awoke to the sound of my last roommate moving in. She is from Philly and we ended up spending quite a bit of the day together. It was fun getting to know her a little. We wandered all around campus getting stuff figured out. In the process we got our buss passes, found the campus movie theater, found the library and did a little grocery shopping so I know have food and tea. It was a good way to start getting to know the campus.

The afternoon brought the first orientation event. There was the typical welcoming introductions and we were also taught a couple phrases in Irish, which is on of the official languages here. We were also given free bags and scarves. It was nothing to exciting but nice nonetheless. Afterwards there was a reception in the Global Lounge. There was free food and a drink for each person. They were serving beer and wine, along with soft drinks and water. Guess which choice all the Americans, especially the ones under 21, were making? Yes, I also had alcohol, white wine more specifically. (What? I'm legal here). Afterwards, my female roommates and I chatted for awhile longer getting to know each other. At around midnight here, I skyped my roommate back home. We're over 4,000 miles apart and managed to wear the same shirt, which I find endlessly funny.

The first full day

Yesterday was my first full day. It was more difficult than it should have been to get up considering I'd slept for nearly 10 hours. Once I got myself up and moving, I headed over to the Global Lounge, which I will probably spend a lot of time in. I was quite proud of finding it without getting lost. I now know how to get to 2 places on campus. I'm sure  I'll get the hang of it eventually. 

They had run out of tickets for the Ikea trip, so I couldn't go. They were running also shopping tours out of the lounge so I went on one. I happened to go with on of the girls I met on the long walk from the bus stop to the check in. She's from Australia and we ended up hanging out for the tour. The tour ended up just being us led to the popular city center shopping area but I did get some stuff I needed, like hangers and a laundry hamper. We had fun wandering around and finding our way back too campus.

I spent the afternoon and evening just hanging out. I have come to the conclusion that I need to find an actual grocery store because you can only eat so much Nutella toast before you need real sustenance.

On the Emerald Isle

I made it!! A long flight, next to no sleep, and a very long walk with a fifty pound duffel later, I'm here. I just want to get this out of the way: it's so frickin green here. It's January and yet it looks like a green spring. It's beautiful! The campus is nice, though I'll admit that I didn't do much exploring today. By the time I'd gotten in and unpacked it was already sunset. So, I grabbed some groceries and dinner at the small grocery store on campus. I think I'll explore tomorrow when I am less tired.

I met one of my roommates. She's very nice and also from the states. We're planning a trip to Ikea tomorrow to get some dishes, towels, etc. It should be fun. So tomorrow is just going to be familiarizing myself with the territory. Actual events don't start till Wenesday.

Here are some difference's I've already noticed. They don't refrigerate their eggs. Water is heated on as as needed basis and at peak times, so if you want to take a shower at, say, 4 PM you have to figure out how to run the hot water heater. Also "heaters" are not nearly as warming as they would be in the U. S. I am currently hiding under my duvet because even with the heat on my room is still chilly. The kitchen here in my apartment is almost nicer than the one at home. There are no slam drawers, a stove, a fridge, a freezer  and very nice sink. It is far nicer then you'd find in an US dorm.

If any of this is incoherent, I blame jet lag. It is 6:30 PM Dublin time and I am struggling to stay awake until it's a decent hour to go to bed.

Part 1 of the Journey done

              So my morning started at about 6:30 Colorado time. Which felt really early due to pre travel jitters that kept me awake. My dad was so kind as to bring me Starbucks and a doughnut for breakfast. I checked my bag with plenty of time to spare. My parents took a great many pictures, even stopping passers by to take a picture of all three of us. It was a bit ridiculous. (Really guys?!) Anyway, I was in one of the last rows on my flight to...San Francisco. Yes, that's right folks I went to California to go Ireland, but hey when do airlines ever make sense. The flight was packed and the overhead bins were full so I ended up checking my carryon through to Dublin. I ended up being one of the last on the flight because, shocker, they had to go print a special checking slip for my bag.

               After a fairly uneventful flight I landed in San Fran and grabbed some lunch at a diner that I wandered through the airport to. Because, well, what else are you going to do during an airport layover by yourself. Luckily there's free wifi at pretty much every airport, this one included so you get an update. I'm really tired, so hopefully I'll sleep on the flight to Dublin.

Twas the night before...

Well, I'm all packed. My bags are sitting by the door, my clothes are set out for tomorrow, and my alarm is set. I managed to get everything I need, I hope, into one checked bag and one carry on. Both of them are under the weight limits, too. I'm about 7/8 excited and 1/8 nervous. So here we go.

Hello!

Hi, my name is Julia and if you have found this blog you probably know me. I'm going to be spending a semester in Dublin at the University College Dublin. This blog is going to be me sharing my experience as it happens, hopefully. My journey begins on January 11th, so hold on this may be a bumpy ride!