Aran Islands!!!

Amazing, Breathtaking, Beautiful, Magnificent, Gorgeous, ………….these are just a few words I would use to describe the scenery of Inish Mor!!! When you hear of the fences made of stone they are probably talking about the county of Galway!!! It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen and Inish Mor, being off the coast of Galway, was full of stone fences, stone fields, and an amazing coast line!!!

We took a weekend trip to the Aran Islands in Galway Co. This was an amazing trip. We stayed in a hostel Thursday night at Galway. The night life of Galway was amazing, they block off the streets and the party begins with pubs and restaurants lining both sides of the street. The next morning we left Galway and went to the port to catch the ferry. The ferry ride was amazing, before we even set sail we seen the seals swimming in the water not even 50 yards from us, it was great. Watching the islands get closer and closer the anticipation mounted. When we finally landed it there was a quant little village with our hostel within walking distance. Right of the ferry there were tour buses waiting to take us on the tour of the island. We checked in to our hostel and were greeted by Marco the hotel caretaker. Marco was amazing, we got to spend a lot of time with Marco at the pub, the islanders are very friendly and very hospitable.

The tour guide started by telling us that the island was less then 8000 acres and that the main source of income was tourism and fishing. The first stop was a beach were the seals were sun bathing, we could walk down to the shore line and take pics, it was awesome. It was there that there were two cow calf pairs just walking down the road so the tour guide just removed some of the stones on the fence and we put the cows in the lot. LOL this was awesome I felt more at home with the cows.
Our tour continued to show us 7 of the ancient churches that were still partially standing. About midway through we stopped at Dún Aengus. Dún Aengus stands on the edge of a sheer cliff nearly 100m high on the edge of Europe. You will be amazed by the imposing stone wall of the inner fort, an almost semi circular enclosure on the cliff edge. It has outer defences eclosing a total area of 14 acres. Outside the wall is the remains of “Chevaux -de-Frise, large stones set at differing angles in the ground. These stones were placed to make it difficult for attackers. We got enough time to go to the top and back. Looking at it makes you feel like you have just climbed a mountain but the hike isn’t bad at all. On the other side of this circle fort just laying around was a herd of cattle!!! It was the craziest thing ever. The pics are amazing.
Our tour continued to show us the well kept cottages and the leprechaun village. The tour also pointed out a college that teaches nothing but the native Irish language. You will find Inish Mor is a place where they still use the native language on a daily basis and the names of the towns people are still very traditional Irish names. When you step on the island you are literally stepping back in time with there being as many minimal modern changes as needed. The island electricity is powered by wind turbans of the coast of Inish Meain, a smaller island in the Aran Islands.
As the tour continued we made one last stop at the beach that is said to contain enough pebbles and rocks to be able to build a road to America. I’d believe it! It was a sight to see. The tour left us back at the hostel and those wishing to catch the ferry were early enough to do so.
After our great day of sight seeing and “mountain” climbing we took in a bit of the night life at a local pub that had live music. We were integrated into the local seen even more by the embracing town’s people. And by embracing I mean they literally just give you a huge hug!!!! We met some of the younger crowd who were anxious to hear of what we thought of the island. They are very very proud of their heritage and of what they do. We meant some fishermen who were as proud of being a fisherman and proud of their island as anyone I have found. I can understand the sense of community and the way that being a fisherman is not a job or a hobby for them, it is a way of life and they embrace that. It reminds me of home, we are a small community with open arms, a community based on agriculture and preserving traditions. I am proud that my father is a farmer, and every generation before him as well, and that my brother will carry on the family tradition and will maintain the family farm. Our farm and the community of Powersville is like the Inish Mor and it made me feel so much at home.
So with a little rest and a little sobering up…we are ready to take on another day. This time we headed off on foot with no particular place to go, just sight seeing. After an hour or so of walking, stopping for pictures and just taking it all in, we ran across children playing on the beach with their Auntie. The children were adorable and loved having their picture taken!! The Auntie told us of a path up to the top of the island and a path to the shoreline with a great view of the other islands and of some cliffs. As we continued on our path the children ran after us racing to see who would beat who and just loving it up.
We took the footpath up the to the center of the island climbing over stone fences and moving stone fences just to put them back again admiring the livestock that were just hanging out in the fenced in areas. We were worried about trespassing but were told that there was not trespassing on the island. The island was our playground and we explored it!!! We made it to the tope of the island!! It was one of the most amazing feeling ever!! It was gorgeous! You could see everything and you were surrounded completely by the ocean!!!! If there were any place other then Missouri for me, it would be Inish Mor. I can not even describe the scenery you will just have to check out the pics even though they don’t even compare to seeing it first hand.
It was nearly dark fall but we weren’t done yet!! We took the path to the shore line only too see an even more amazing view then before! The tide was coming in and the beach was dwindling away. As the tide came in more rapidly the clapping of water and the showers intrigued us, so we made our way around the edge to some of the most amazing cliffs ever. We sat and watched the tide rise, listening to the ocean as it hit the cliffs and watching as the sprays melodically entranced us!!! OMG this place literally brought tears to my eyes!!! I love the scenery of home and had never imagined a place more beautiful, Inish Mor is an entirely different beauty!!
After a brisk walk back to the hostel it was time for another night at the pubs with dancing and live music followed by an after party that lasted for hours. Then up early to catch the ferry back to the mainland with the weekend vividly etched in our minds and a burning desire to return again as soon as possible. As we sat on the ferry we both realized that the appeal to the island was the hominess of it and the welcoming islanders.
The day trip back to Maynooth was also filled with amazing scenery that reminded so much of Missouri in the spring and summer months. Staring out the window at the green hills and the distant tree lines brought the first true pains of homesickness as I longed for Missouri!! For home!

Pics

Ok for pics of the south campus and Carton House you can go to photobucket.com/awesternstudentinireland.Enjoy!!

Carton House and Liffy Valley

Friday we took a walk down a secluded lane to get to Carton House. It was amazing. The lane was beautiful even if it was a lot farther then it looked. Basically we walked about 5 miles into the middle of nowhere to see this ancient house that was once home to the Duke of Kildare. Kildare is the county in Ireland that Maynooth is in. Anyway it is called Carton House and it is now a hotel, spa, and golf course. Even with the renovations it is still amazing. They have preserved most of it to its original state. We got to see the Duke’s Library, the Duchesses Study, and other magnificent rooms. I have pics of all of this and as soon as I figure out how to add them to this blog I will. It was a great outing.

Saturday we took a bus into Dublin to the Liffy Valley shopping center. It is HUGE, way bigger then anything in St Joseph or Kansas City. They also have a massive multiplex theatre inside with Apex screens. We saw He’s Just NOT That into You. It was a good movie and really who doesn’t love a love story gone completely wrong. It felt more like home being able to go to the cinema.

So today I start the adventure of doing laundry. The tokens for the laundry are 3.2 Euro per token. That means one wash and one dry is 6.4 Euro. Ridiculous!!! I know they must not have a water shortage because they are surrounded by the ocean and it rains here constantly!!! It must be the electricity then because I know it isn’t the cost of the high quality machines since they are tiny and ancient. Oh well I have to have clean clothes to wear so I will buck up but not without protest.

Well, again sorry no pics yet. Hopefully they will be on here soon.

Greetings form Ireland

Ok so I've never blogged before but I will make an attempt at it. Where to begin...... well first let me thank Julie in our Study Away office for all of her hard work to get us here as well as Cindy Heider and all of the Profs in HPG and Psychology you guys are all so great to help, it is greatly appreciated. Well this whole thing started in about September/ October, somewhere around there, when we decided to broaden our horizons and now we are finally here. First impression? LOL I was so tired from the plane ride I didn't even care. However, after we slept for 20 hours and got a hot meal we were good to go. It is the middle of Winter and everything is soooooo GREEN!! It is gorgeous! And our campus is AMAZING!!!! The south campus was an old abby of sorts, the buildings are tremendously old and beautiful!!!! PS you can get lost very easily but it’s an adventure. The cathedral is so amazing I almost cried. There will numerous pictures posted randomly of our outings so look forward to that.

It snowed here this last week. Apparently it doesn’t snow here very often and when it does it is never very much. There are a few pics of the students going crazy playing in the snow. They commented that they loved it when it snowed, to which we replied that if you came from Missouri and had to deal with inches at a time on a daily basis the new would ware off quickly!!! They are nuts!!!!

So the people are very friendly but the campus is a bit different from home. Everything is so open at home whereas here everything is so closed. You go through a door just to see another door before you get to a staircase. Then when you go to a professors office there is no Admin. Assistant to greet you and guide you, all of the Profs are in different office and the doors are all shut so you kind of feel as if you are bothering them. At Western there is always a friendly face to greet you and direct you and the Profs usually have an inviting open door. I miss that.

The academics here are very different. The majors are very one tract and do not require Gen Eds. Being an upper level Psych major I have found that all of my lectures are simply review. This reminds me to thank the Drs in the Psych department for the ample knowledge this far. Thanks. Anyway they refer to classes as lectures here. I was saying to one of my “flat mates” that I had a class at 1:00 and she laughed. I will be talking funny when I get back I just know it. Ok now that I have digressed, as Dr Wann would say, let’s get back on track. So… all of the classes have an essay. The essay is anywhere between 2500 and 4000 words. You answer a question given to you by the Profs at the beginning of the semester. The info may or may not be covered extensively in lectures so you may have to do additional reading on your own to write a good essay. I am a little confused because in the Psych classes at home we have never written essays worth so much of the grade. Also the final exam is basically broken down into about 4 essay questions and you chose from 2 of them and just write. There are no multiple choice tests!!!! Yikes. There is no homework or mid term tests for a cushion!!! Very Very different. It will be ok just maybe a little harder to study for. Oh while on the subject of classes…… The Profs are always late!!!! I told one of the students that if a Prof was 15 minutes late for a class at home they would arrive to find practically no one left waiting. I guess it is really laid back here. And students kept coming in late, I’m talking 20, 30 minutes late to an hour long lecture. I thought of home livid some of our Profs would be if we straggled in like that. You know who you are! LOL They only have 2 hours of classes per week and the time structure has no organization to it. Also opposed to one Prof the whole semester there are different Proffs giving lectures every other week. I guess we will be getting a very wide range of views.

Also the college is FREE to all of the students here that are from Ireland. You are not required to attend lectures and all you really have to do is turn in the essay and show up to the final!?!? I was amazed to learn this!!! That’s about all I have to say about that.

Next topic… oh lets go with currency. The US dollar is not faring well on the exchange. Also coins are actually worth something here. They have a 2 Euro and 1 Euro piece. I forget this all the time. Anyway,If you were to go to the grocery you will find that things are comparatively within reason…….until you figure the conversion then it kills you. Well “ When in Rome…….or Ireland”. The restaurants are quite expensive though. We went to a pub for a bite and we had a “100% Irish Beef” hamburger with “chips”, which we call fries, and a beer and it was roughly 20 Euro. I would expect to pay that for a steak at home but not a hamburger. Oh that’s another thing… As both Kennan and I are well over the drinking age in the US we had a beer. However, the drinking age here is 18. Everyone goes to the pubs here and there is a different pub to go to each night of the week. On the weekends almost everyone goes home to work so all of the recreational activities happen on during the week.

I got off subject again, sorry I have so many random things to tell everyone. Ok so the grocery store isn’t bad but eating out is. There are a few places that are not as expensive but they are fast food or the bagel shop, which is our new favorite spot. There is a little shop in town called the Bagel Factory. They make sandwiches from bagels you can put whatever you want on them. They also have soups; you can get a bowl of soup and a buttered bagel with a hot cocoa for 6 Euro. The hot cocoa is amazing by the way. They also have all kinds off coffees and fruit smoothies. It is a nice clean place with good pricing!!!! Oh and another thing. They don’t have Mexican food here. All I wanted was a frozen burrito!!!!!! NO such luck. Oh well I am going to attempt to make tacos next week if I can find any taco seasoning. I may have to have some sent in a care package from home LOL.

Hmmm what else? Oh you walk everywhere in town but it is really compact and easy to get to so it’s not bad at all. If you want to travel you either take a bus or the train which is actually really reasonably priced between 3 and 5 Euro. There are not many cars here but the cars they do have a really compact it’s like a world of prius and geo metros LOL it’s kind of amusing. But word of advice when you are walking, do not jaywalk at any time. It is dangerous here. They drive like madmen and of course what we think is the wrong side of the road. Always Always Always use the cross walks and only walk when the light tells you too. These people are crazy and don’t slow down!!!!

Ok moving on the living accommodations. There are apartment that have 5 bedrooms. Each bedroom is furnished with a bed, a desk, shelving, and a closet. They also have their own bathroom which is nice but tiny. All of the flat mates share a kitchen and living area. There are pots and pans and dishes provided. The TV gets about 8 channels and there are DVD players in some. I am told you can get a play station or what have you and hook it up if you want but they are not provided. As far as TV they love the Simpsons and Ellen here. Every time I turn on the TV that’s usually what’s playing. They have the same shows we have too. Of course Grey’s Anatomy is big here but they are a season behind us. And then they have their version of American Idol and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

Well I have babbled long enough. We are planning a trip to the countryside so I hope to have more pics and more to right about this coming week. If there is anything you want to know just ask I will try to answer the best I can. If the babbling gets to you tell me to hush. I would just like to close today by saying as weird as it may sound and as happy as I am to be here I do miss Western. The great part about a smaller University is that you do have a more intimate relationship with Proffs and you do get a set group of people that are in your major that you grow to become good friends with. I miss the Psych family I have come to know, I miss the HPG family, and I especially miss my Sisters!!!!