A request to the Icelandic volcano

Dear Eyjafjallajökull,

I know that you have been under a lot of pressure for a very long time and I am glad that you have finally been able to blow off some steam. Everyone needs a good meltdown or explosion once in a while.

However, it would make my life much easier at the moment if you would just calm down and take a nice deep breath. I have been keeping an eye on you for a while and hoping that you didn't get too rowdy. When you erupt and send your hot ash into the air it affects not only the people of Iceland but the people of the rest of Europe as well. The ash that you shoot high into the air solidifies into tiny crystals once it is in the atmosphere. These crystals then get sucked into jet engines and when this happens, the extreme heat from the combustion within the engine causes the crystals to melt just like glass. Then the molten crystals clog said engines and cause them to shut down mid-flight. See, I understand what happens and how it happens so I will not complain about flights being cancelled because it is something that is out of my control.

You see, I have a final tomorrow at 9:00 AM. I have to get my two very heavy suitcases and one not-so-heavy box to the post office right after. I need to be on a bus and in Dublin by 6:00 PM. Don't worry, you are not messing this part of my plans up, but I am becoming a bit distressed because as of right now, the Glasgow-Prestwick airport is closed, and this is where I am supposed to be arriving on Wednesday evening. I am becoming conflicted over whether or not I should go ahead and cancel my flight and hop on a ferry and then a train/bus or if I should just wait it out. Also, if I cancel my flight, I won't need to ship the box with half of my clothes in it to Erin's flat because I wouldn't have to worry about meeting Ryanair's strict 10 kg cabin baggage policy.

Do you see how this is troubling me? I am not blaming you nor am I judging you. Temper tantrums happen (believe me-I perfected them.) However, I would be forever grateful if you would calm down just a bit so that flights in Irish and UK airspace can resume by Tuesday.

Thank you,

Sarah

::walks in and blows dust off of blog:: Sorry for neglecting to write anything for a very long time. I have been either very busy or doing nothing at all these past few weeks (mostly been busy, though.)

Erin and two of her friends from Strathclyde visited about a month ago and we spent a few days trekking around Ireland, visiting Cork, a little village right outside of Limerick city called Adare, and finally Dublin-which was AWESOME.

We went to the Dublin Writers Museum, which had student admission (always a plus) and get this-the audio tour was included in admission! That doesn't happen often, so it was pretty cool. Part of the script was an actual recording of James Joyce reading some of his work-how awesome is that? I listened to that track three times.

We also went to the National Gallery of Ireland. Sadly, the rest of the national museums (such as the museum of Irish history, which has Granuaille O'Malley's wedding chalice) were all closed for renovation or something. Bummer! However I plan on going back and spending the night in Dublin before I fly out of Scotland, so hopefully I can spend the early morning and afternoon at the museums. Thankfully my flight doesn't leave until that evening.

After Erin, Victoria, and Patricia got up that Sunday morning and left the hostel to get to the airport at 6:30 AM, I decided to visit Powerscourt House and Gardens in Wicklow. I love gardens, I love old houses, and Celtic Woman may or may not have had an influence in my decision to visit. Just sayin'. In order to get there I had to take the commuter train, also know as the DART, out to Bray and catch a bus to Enniskerry. Once I arrived in Bray I saw that the next bus wouldn't be coming for another hour so I decided to take a walk around the village and boy am I glad I did! Bray is a nice little seaside village not too far south of Dublin. It was such a nice place and I'm sure that a holiday there would me most relaxing. I was really lucky that the weather was so nice. It was nice and warm, and by warm I mean I was able to roll up the sleeves of my undershirt and even out my flip flops on! I enjoyed a 99 cone, took plenty of pictures with Jesus and Cocky, and fought off my mermaid instincts that were screaming 'WATER-MUST SWIM!!!!'

Powerscourt was GORGEOUS. I didn't tour the house (broke college student on limited funds and I was also on a time schedule) but I did walk around the gardens. GORGEOUS. The Great Sugarloaf Mountain, rolling lawns, and of course, dead camera batteries. Bummer, but no big deal. I actually found myself humming 'The Call' as I walked back towards the gate to leave.

Now for the not as fun and adventurous part: exams. I have known since the beginning of the semester here that all of my exams are essay form, every single one of them. Regardless of how well I know the subject I ALWAYS run out of time on essay questions (it even happened when I took my AP US History exam back in 11th grade. Didn't keep me from passing, but still.) I had my first exam earlier this week and guess what happened as I rounded the final leg of my second essay question? Yeup. I ran out of time. I did exactly what the professors have advised us to do. I read each question once and as I did wrote down any words that came to mind. I looked back after I read and decided which two would be my best option. I spent about ten minutes per question with a little brainstorming. Nope. Didn't work. This is where I get a little nervous because I don't have the safety net of multiple choice, fill in the blank, or short answer question. Two hours is not a lot of time to write 1,000+ words! I had plans to go back to Wicklow yesterday but I decided that staying home and studying would probably be in my best interest.

Another intimidating part of the exam is how you actually take them. Think about that scene in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix when all of our favorite Hogwarts students are sitting in those long rows in the Great Hall taking their O.W.L.s. And yes, I just went there. Yeup-take away the wands and Dolores Umbridge and that is pretty much how exams are given here. Three or four lectures together in one huge room, rows of desks with 30 or 40 people in them, monitors walking around, periodically stopping people to check their ID number. Normally I don't feel intimidation from my surroundings, but this had me thrown for a bit of a loop.

However, this is when I do my best to remind myself that I am smart, I do know my stuff, and that all I technically need to do is pass in order to receive proper credit. One exam down, three to go. I CAN DO EET!

Photos for your enjoyment.

A Familiar Face

Erin is coming tomorrow!!! My friend who is spending her semester at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow is on her spring break this week and is coming to visit me here in Limerick. We plan to go around Limerick on Tuesday and visit the Hunt Museum, King John's Castle, a few other other sights. We're taking a day trip or two during the rest of the week and then we're going to Dublin for the weekend-exciting stuff.

The coolest part to me is seeing a familiar face!

Hiya! Don't worry folks, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, but I had two weeks of being pretty darn busy followed by this week which has been a week of being pretty darn lazy. I had a few papers due in the two weeks before Easter Break.

I had been working on one of them for the past six weeks and even though I had 2/3 of it done, it felt like there was a few grains of sand stuck in the gears and that things couldn't fall into place until I got them out. Once everything started melding together nicely I felt SO relieved. This paper was for European Society and Governance. The topic I chose out of the list of possibilities was to argue in what ways popular leisure culture posed challenges to European social order from 1918 up until the 1980's, with the option of selecting one decade and discussing it. I ended up writing about lax sexual morals, trash literature, fashion, Boy Scouts/Girl Guides of Britain versus the Hitler Youth in Germany, and also on youth opposition in Germany, akaSwingjugend or 'Swing Kids.' I focused on how these problems in both countries threatened regeneration of population, how the two youth organizations sought to counter the shift in family focus caused by new trends, and how leisure culture played a hand in rebellion/opposition. It was one of those papers that you turn in and you feel like you just handed over your kid or something. I feel VERY good about it.

My other paper was for my music and dance class. I chose to write on the tradition of séan-nos singing, which if you have never heard I highly suggest you look out for some examples and listen. Heck, I'll make it easy for you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhyWXnyykds&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBmWqxUF7LI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSjyv0wvna0&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiaFDoDirdE&feature=related

This song tradition is basically solo, unaccompanied, very ornamented, etc. It goes WAY beyond this little description, but it is something that is truly Irish and some of the most beautiful singing I have EVER heard.

That's about it in terms of happenings. I got a package from my parents, meaning I FINALLY got the newest Celtic Woman CD and DVD, which I have been (patiently) waiting for since they came out in JANUARY!!!! I've watched the DVD twice now and transferred the CD to my iPod the second I opened it. They also sent me Girl Scout cookies, Peeps, two little coloring books, along with a few other little things. One of the best parts of the whole box was a skirt that I forgot to bring with me when I came here. When I took it out of the box I realized that it smelled like home and I sat on the bed sniffing away happily for at least five minutes!

Even though this week is my Easter Break, I actually haven't gone anywhere like other people here who have jetted off to London, Rome, wherever, but there is a reason for that-ERIN IS COMING TO VISIT ME NEXT WEEK! Erin is a good friend from back home (she will also be my roommate next year in the French House) who is studying at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow this semester. She is coming to Limerick and bring a friend of hers (maybe two) and we are going to tour around Limerick and also go to Tipperary and visit Cashel and then we are going to Dublin over the weekend. It will be so nice to see a familiar face who also happens to be a dear friend!

Let me also say that the weather here has been insane the past few days, toeing the line of being schizophrenic. Two days ago it rained three times, snowed twice, and sleet fell twice with two patches of sunshine in between...all in a span of four hours. And we all thought that South Carolina had indecisive weather!

And here are a few snapshots to tide you guys over (don't worry-I'll have PLENTY after next weekend!)

Random piece of happy

According to one of my professors, summer is now officially on the way. He said he knows this because the rain has started. While the last two weeks have been suspiciously sunny, if the last two days have been an indication of anything, the wet season is upon us. Not that I mind, though-it has actually been warmer the last few days as well. I even walked back to Thomond after class wearing a short sleeved t-shirt and get this-NO JACKET! This was the first time my arms have seen sunlight in weeks, and I'm certain that I have grown quite pale because I noticed just the other day that the skin on my arms matches the skin on my stomach. Not cool.

However, not all weather here is dreary (keep in mind that I actually enjoy rainy days) and rain often brings out awesome things-like rainbows! I was just sitting here at my desk a few minutes ago with my window propped open and the blinds pulled to the side when I looked up and saw this:

Not bad, eh? Then as quickly as it showed up, it disappeared again. Ireland, I love you!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Yes, that day many people have waited for is finally upon us. Parades are happening, people are having a good time in city centre, and of all days, my body chooses today to not be cooperative.

I'm not dying or even sick for that matter, I just don't feel all that hot today. My stomach feels weird like it usually does when I'm in the early stage of the 24 hour stomach bug that loves me so much. I'm hoping this will pass over, which I'm going to be positive and say that it will.

Not that I'm upset or anything, really. Parades and stuff like that equals crowds and chaos. I am going to enjoy the day off from class resting, straightening up my room, and later when I (hopefully) feel 100% great, I'm going to take a nice leisurely stroll down by the river.

I do have some sort of plans though, don't worry. I plan on sticking around and hanging out with some of my housemates and their friends tonight-yay!

Getting giddy over here!

Easter Break is fast approaching and I have plans and ideas practically coming out of my ears. My friend Erin (who is currently at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow) is coming, along with two of her friends, to visit me here in Limerick and we are looking to spend the week trekking around Ireland. The possibilities are exciting and quite numerous. Either way, it looks like Dublin is almost certainly in our future!

Also, I had an amazing weekend last week. I went to a concert here at UL and had the chance to meet Orlagh Fallon from Celtic Woman (thanks again, Kelli!) Things are moving along at a nice pace. However, I have three papers due in the next three weeks (don't worry, I have started on them, but none are close to finished) and I can feel the impending doom bearing down. Maybe if I get all of them done more than one of two days before they are due I can avoid the panic. BAHAHAHA-what will I think of next? A consistent season from the Gamecocks?

Picture update. This includes picture of me and Orlagh, a view from the window of my new dorm, my new dorm, one of the many swans that live around here. I named him(?) Kevin.

Et tu?

Today, I saw one of my old housemates. He was one of the two out of six with whom I had regular conversations. I had just finished grocery shopping and got on the bus when I saw him. i gave him a smile and a "Hello, ::insert name here::"

He said "Hello, Brutus."

I don't know whether I should feel proud of myself or upset. I think I am actually going to go with a third option: passive. I didn't betray anyone. I didn't give any specific names (because I really don't know who was doing what), nor did I give a copy of either the video or the pictures I had taken in order to convince my village manager that I needed to be moved. I assured said housemate of this and that I am sorry that things are happening the way they are and that leaving negative feelings behind was not my intention. All I wanted was to live somewhere that I could go to sleep and not be woken up by screaming and slamming doors nightly or not have to deal with extremely unsanitary shower conditions.

Either way, I am going to either forget about this now or go ahead and start laughing about it now. All I did was do what I had to do to deal with the situation at hand. It is called being an adult and being responsible for your actions. Apparently someone else in the house felt the same way because he decided to go to the village manager as well and tell them that what was going on was insane and unacceptable.

On the other hand, after this little encounter I came into my new apartment to find some of my new housemates cleaning the kitchen and listening to Johnny Cash. Fair trade, I'd say.

New digs=AWESOME. The room is twice the size, I have a double bed, and my own shower. The folks here at UL made moving VERY easy and I had no problems convincing them to let me move. It was quite nice.

Now instead of looking out my window and seeing into someone else's bedroom, I can the the Shannon. I also don't have a stupid streetlight outside of my window anymore so it is actually dark in the room when I go to sleep. Sure the sun rises directly into my window but a little sunlight never hurt any, right? (Not counting Nosferatu!)

A Little Vent

I hate making a post simply for the purpose of ranting, but I feel the urge to get this off of my chest so it isnt bugging me all day long. Yes, something small has the ability to annoy me for several hours at a time. I apologize in advance.

Referencing systems-there are a ton of them. MLA, Chicago, APA, Harvard, Oxford, this list goes on and on. I've been using Chicago style (the favorite of historians worldwide) for two years now. I'm so comfortable with it that I don't even need to look at a style guide for more than half of my citations. However, when I got here to UL, I learned that I would be using the Oxford system. While slightly annoyed at first, I quickly picked up a history handbook and got over it.

This morning in my folklore tutorial, however, someone HAD to complain endlessly about having to learn a different referencing system. She had that her school uses MLA format EXCLUSIVELY (maybe just her major-I've always been taught that different disciplines use different styles because they have different methods/needs.) She said that it was stupid to have to learn a new one and that she didn't want to learn a new one because she would get out of the habit of using MLA and mess up her papers once she got back home. She then asked if she could write her in MLA anyway.

Sigh. At this point I resisted the urge to face palm, put my head on my desk, or speak up and say anything other than "You could pick up a handbook from the history department-it has a nice referencing guide in it."

Basically, the point of this post is that I would like to remind everyone that ADAPTING is a big part of the Study Abroad experience. When you adapt, you are successful. I remember a book that I read for my University 101 class way back when titled "Who Moved My Cheese?" The entire (very short) book is about two mice who spend their day looking for cheese. When the cheese is moved to a different location, one mouse takes initiative, accepts the change and thus is successful. The other mouse decides to sit around and wait for the cheese to show up where it was originally. Moral of the story: being able to adapt to your surroundings and situations provides success, while waiting for something to change for YOU gets you nothing.

So, my fellow historians and knowledge-seeking counterparts, try a different referencing style other than MLA. I personally find footnotes and endnotes way easier to work with than parenthetical citations! You might just be surprised.

Sunshine, rain, and hail...all at the same time. Where am I, South Carolina?!

Yesterday I went on the day trip "Into the West" with the International Education Office. We pretty much went everywhere we had gone on the trip to Galway with the International Society, but it was a nice trip for only €5, so no complaints from me. We also got to go to the Ailwee Caves. We didn;t get to do this last time, so that was cool. Plus, I looked at the prices at the caves-normally it would cost €17 just to take the tour, so I would say that we got a deal.

We stopped at Bunratty Castle first (though I don't really know why.) Nice photo op, I guess.

From there we went to the Cliffs of Moher. It was cloudy and slightly foggy last time, but the weather yesterday was PERFECT! It was windy (by the ocean, duh!) but the sky was crystal clear and bright and the air was almost warm-I ended up taking off a layer!

We drove through the Burren again (I took motion sickness pills BEFORE the trip this time, so no misery here!) From there we went to the Ailwee Caves. The caves were discovered int he 1960's when a man was hunting wabbits :^) and his dog chased a wabbit :^) down into a hole. This hole ended up being caves that were formed by melted glacial waters form an early ice age. It will never cease to both stump and amaze me that water is capable of cutting a hole through a mountain. There have also been some interesting discoveries made in the caves. One was the discovery of a bear skeleton in the cave. I know what you're thinking. Duh-bears sleep in caves. Why is this cool? It is cool because it is believed that bears have been extinct in Ireland for more than 1,00 years. I jokingly thought "Now way is that a polar bear...that's a polar bear." Cheers if you get the reference.

Classes are still going well. I wish I could say the same for my housing, but I can't. To sum it up, I'm not a freshmen anymore. I get on very well with all of my housemates and I love them all. However, Plassey is really not suiting my sleep and sanity needs. Even when I was a freshmen, I didn't act like the hooligans here in Classy Plassey can. After two nerve-wrecking incidents the other night, I went to the accommodation office and said that I needed to move to another village where I could have quiet at 3:00 AM. I was expecting it being hard to convince them to let me move, but the lady made a a quick phone call or two, and now I'm just waiting on a call to confirm that I can move. I think I'm headed for Thomond Village. Thomond is relatively new and each resident gets a double bed (have you ever heard of THAT in a college dorm?) and EN-SUITE toilet and shower! Oh, the joy that courses through my veins at the thought of my own shower...

And now I must go dear friends. I have a paper to finish and I need to go grocery shopping.

I would like to use this post to thank whoever decided to pour spoiled milk through our mail slot last night. It was such a generous gift and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart, stomach, and nostrils.

Also, we've had a few snow flurries on and off throughout the weekend/week, and they have been quite lovely! I didn't even realize that it was snowing last night until about 1:00. I was sitting in bed browsing through JSTOR while working on a paper and when I stood up to put my computer on my desk so I could go to bed I looked out the window and saw snow falling! Quite the nice little surprise. Granted, the snow mostly melts as soon as it falls although it stuck a little on Saturday and last night. Being from South Carolina, I view any small collection of snow on the ground as a near winter-freaking-wonderland, so what did I do? I put on my boots and a hat and went outside for a few.

Please forgive me for keeping you all in suspense. I’m not cruel, just busy and easily distracted!

As of today, I have been in Limerick for exactly one month. It seems like time is moving both very quickly and very slowly, and both are in a good way. In the first month of my stay, I have gotten used to several things and started to miss other things. For example, I am becoming an expert at remembering which way to look before crossing a street. I can count coins easily now without having to look at the number value on the face of the coin. I am getting closer to using the term “chips” exclusively and not saying fries (this is an important one!) Best of all I am getting used to the cold. I don’t really even think about it anymore unless I am waiting for forever for the bus or if I have forgotten my gloves.

As I mentioned, I have also started to miss certain things more than I though I would, or I miss things I didn’t realize I would be without. One thing I miss is Hans. Who is Hans? Hans is my VW Jetta. I miss being able to get in my car and drive to the store at midnight if I please. I don’t, however, miss having to think about gas money-bus fare is much cheaper. I miss Twizzlers. It isn’t an insane craving, but I love them. However, not having them will maybe make them seem that much better once I get home! The thing that I probably miss the most that I didn’t realize I would miss as much as I do is not food, an object, or even one thing. I miss USC. I’m having a good time here. I love it here. My professors are pretty awesome, my classes are GREAT, and the campus is beautiful. However, it is not Columbia. There is no French House with Erin and Stephanie and Caroline and Mary. There is no Horseshoe with tea olive trees. There is no Beezer’s. Lame, I know. I was so ready to come to Ireland and be away from USC for a bit that I forgot to consider how much I do actually love it. Columbia means more than just school. It’s a mixture of classes, friends (friends are pretty much pseudo-family to me), atmosphere, and simple daily life. I’m just glad I didn’t miss football season!

Now on to lighter and less sappy, emotional topics!

The last two weekends I didn’t really do anything out of the ordinary and that was the way uh-huh uh-huh I liked it! Last weekend I did laundry. While this is usually an insignificant and ordinary daily thing, one cannot fully appreciate it until one has been limited to washing one load of clothes per week. I had actually been two weeks without washing clothes (aside from a few things that I’ve washed in my sink) and I came frighteningly close to tears thinking about the French House, where I have an en-suite washer and dryer and can wash clothes when I please for free. However, once I got my laundry tokens and had TWO loads of laundry washed, dried, folded and out away, I felt much better. Who knew that clean clothes could bring about feelings of elation?!

I’ve found during the last two weeks that I am really settling into a normal routine of daily tasks much like back home. This is really an achievement because it means that I am more settled and becoming adjusted. It’s hard sometimes to remember that this isn’t a vacation-I actually AM here for school. Some things I enjoy doing are watching Friends while eating lunch, taking daily long walks/jogs by the river, (trying) to go to the library at least twice a week, and (trying) to go to bed at a reasonable hour.

A few interesting things have happened, though. I was eating lunch on campus one day and one of my history professors ended up sitting beside me. He asked me lots of questions about the differences between university here and back home, lecture styles, etc. It was interesting because it was pretty informal and I wasn’t really expecting professors here to be like that. Another little shake to my routine was that I had to switch out of my tutorial for European Society and Governance into another one. At first I was almost bummed because the instructor for that tutorial was pretty much awesome. However, it is just another example of something seeming lame but turning out to be amazing. This is due to the change in paper assignment between the two tutorials. In the tutorial I was originally in, I was going to work with four people and write a paper on the Marshall Plan. Interesting, yes, but somewhat dry in my taste. In my new tutorial, I actually got to choose (from a list) the topic that I wanted to write on. The instructor mentioned this one and my heart was set. I have to read a book titled In Pure Blood, which is written on the Lebensborn Program in the 1930’s/1940’s in Germany. Basically, the Lebensborn Program consisted of “baby factories” and the kidnapping of thousands of Polish children in order to further the ideal “Aryan” race. The problem is, I only have 600-800 words to write. For most papers, that length requirement would have me saying “Sweet!” and “You have got to be kidding.” For this, however, I find myself saying “…that’s all I get?” However, I get 20 minutes to talk when I present said paper, so the instructor told me I could go further if I wish. Who knows, maybe having a (much) shorter length requirement will make it harder because I will have to make my words matter instead of beating my brains trying to add fluff to meet the usual length requirements. This topic is morbid, yes. However, if you know me and my weird little brain, my excitement will make sense to you. You see, I believe that by looking at some of the darkest parts in history can help shed light on some of the greatest parts of the human condition.

And to wrap things up this update, I will tell one more quick story. Last night the International Society had ‘80s Night at the Stables (bar/restaurant here on campus.) Usually I avoid this type of thing like the plague, but I decided to go. I went shopping and bought purple tights and a headband with a silky black bow, threw on my new earrings shaped like nesting dolls and my black Converse and went. Surprisingly or not, I enjoyed myself. I didn’t dance or anything, because I don’t dance. I met another girl who is studying here, but she has actually been here all school year, and her friend who is studying in Galway. I had a Bulmers and we sat around and talked. It was a pretty good night.

The end. I actually have some more, but since this post is lengthy, I’ll add another post in the middle of the week. See y’all later!

Thankfully, my first hostel experience was a good one!

A few more pictures to go along with the previous post:

Hey Dad-it's a lunchbox! I mean a Prius...

The church is a cathedral on grounds at the Kylmore Abbey. It was built in the Gothic style. It was so small that it seemed like a doll house of sorts. It was identical to the Gothic cathedrals that are huge, but it was scaled down to its tiny size!

BRRR!!!!! As beautiful as this country is and as much fun as I am having, it is still COLD and I'm still having disagreements with my radiator. I did however go out and buy another blanket to out under my comforter, and that has helped quite a bit. Now, onto to the part of the post with no complaints!

My second week of classes went much like the first. However, because of a schedule conflict that I didn’t realize was there until last Saturday, I had to make a few adjustments. One of the lectures for my Imperialism and Decolonization class conflicted with my two hour lecture in Irish Folklore. I was originally going to (regrettably) just give the folklore class the boot and fill something else in because come one people-a class that basically set up the history of the British Empire and then would proceed to tear it to pieces (academically, of course)-come on! It was going to be awesome. However, I realized that dropping folklore would of course mean adding another class. The problem was that any other class that I had been pre-approved to take conflicted with something else, so it would have been very hard to switch everything around. See, here at UL, when a class, or “module” is offered, there is only one section offered, unlike USC where one class can potentially have several different sections. Also, I got my sheet from Rachel at the SA office and realized that I actually hadn’t been approved for Sources for History. I quickly fixed this by getting in touch with my dean. Bam. Problem solved, no panic attacks or worrying. Although I really wanted to take the Imperialism class, it just didn’t work out. Oh well. Life’s hard. Get a helmet.

In changing said class, I did have to pick another. The only one that would actually fit was Modern Irish Cultural Geography. I show up for lecture, and the professor has an overheard (you guys remember those things before we had LCD projectors in every classroom?) transparency of a town here in Ireland. He sits the whole time reading from his book (that he has written, of course) about all of the people who lived on his street as a kid. It is…interesting. However, he doesn’t have tutorial sections, isn’t going to give us a final exam, and our only assignment the whole semester is one paper, so I won’t really complain. I guess he’s comparable to Professor Binns from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

My other professors and classes are all pretty awesome. My European Society and Governance professor is an old guy who really knows his stuff but has a wonderful sense of humor. The first day that he was there (he was out last week) he said to us “Now, as you probably have noted, I am old. Sometimes I will have a senior moment in which I forget where I am and need to ask one of you what I was saying. However, most of the time I will be pretending to have a senior moment so that I can see who is paying attention.” He also said to us that he finds universities comparable to asylums and senior homes, in which the students are the nieces and nephews visiting their crazy relatives, aka the professors, and listening to them ramble. I like this guy.

My Irish Folklore professor speaks VERY quickly and bounces from one thought to the next(I wonder why I have no trouble following her…) but she really knows her stuff and gets the point across quite well.

My music and dance class has a somewhat dry lecture for what it is, but the tutorial is…interesting. I have gone from an instrument with twenty-something tone holes, a thumb rest, octave key, etc to the tin whistle which is comprised of six holes and a mouthpiece. We were sitting in tutorial playing “Happy Birthday” while the cello in the next room was putting out some serious classical piece. Nice!

The best part of last week was the trip I went on with the International Society. We left (early) Saturday morning to go to Co. Clare and Co. Galway. We went to the Cliffs of Moher, which were absolutely BEAUTIFUL cliffs ant drop 700 feet down to the ocean. We also stopped in the Burren, one of Ireland’s six national parks. Basically, it’s a lot of limestone. We stopped on the edge of the coast, so that was nice. The wind blowing, the smell of the salt in the air, the waves crashing; it makes go weak in the knees just thinking about it. Once we were in the Burren, things got interesting. While Ireland does have major highways, they only get you so far. The rest of the roads are the beautiful winding country roads that you see in pictures and movies. This usually wouldn’t bother me, but try going down these rapidly winding roads in a tour bus. Needless to say, once we got to Galway, I found a pharmacy and bought motion sickness pills for the next day. They put me into a somewhat drunken stupor for the day, but who cares. I didn’t feel sick!

In Galway, I went around with Emily, another girl form USC, and Dana, who goes to school in Syracuse. We did a little bit of shopping and then went into a pub where I had my first Bulmers cider. TASTY. After we left the pub we went to another bar where live music was promised. The bar was in an old church with a lot of the wooden architecture and decoration is intact. It was a really cool place but it was so crowded that you couldn’t move. We left around 12 and went to Supermacs for more French fries!

The next day we left the hostel we stayed at (which was very nice and very clean) and went to the Kylemore Abbey in Galway. It was so beautiful that I felt bad taking pictures because I knew I couldn’t get the whole thing and the feeling of the place in a picture. I felt like I would have needed some serious panorama. The pictures I took were great, but they just didn’t capture it.

That’s enough for now-I’ll update again with a few more details in the middle of the week, but right now I’m about to rinse off and then go swimming (indoors, of course!)

Good morning, folks! Have I mentioned that it's cold? Really, it is. The radiator in my room here at Classy Plassey only seems to work some of the time. Thankfully it was working last night as I fell asleep, so at least I felt warm for a little bit!

Anyway, my first week and a half-ish has been very interesting.

Orientation went smoothly, and I have a feeling that this experience is going to be absolutely wonderful for me. I’m on a pass/fail exchange, meaning all I have to do is pass my courses in order to get the credit back home at USC. Whether I get an A or a D, it counts the same (not that I would want a D-I would go into a deep depression if that happened.) My work load here is also considerably lighter. For all five of my classes, pretty much all I have to do for homework/written work is one essay for each. One class has three essays due, but they are only 200 words each. Did you hear that? 200 WORDS! That is comparable to telling me to color. I’m not saying that there isn’t alot of reading, discussing, or research that goes into these essays. It just means that I can spend time reading for classes and not waste two or three hours of my day studying for a stupid logic test that I know will play no part in my future life. It also leaves time for fun, of course.

My classes all seem very interesting as well. I’m taking three history classes and two classes in Irish studies while I’m here. My history classes are European Society and Governance. This class (or module as they call them here at UL) will focus on Europe and its policies/reactions to war and other major issues, mainly focusing on the period between the start of WWI and the few years following the end of WWII. The cool part about this class (for me) is that the professor apparently puts a lot of focus on Nazi Germany and the Holocaust, with special focus on Europe’s reaction to what was happening in Germany. If you know me, you will know that this is enough to make me giggle like a schoolgirl. I know. I’m a geek. Another cool thing about this class is that I get to take it in a country that is not a major military power like the United States, and to go even further, Ireland is neutral with any conflict that doesn’t involve themselves!

My second history class is Sources for History. This is nearly identical to History 300 at USC but at the same time is different. History 300 was a class that focused on reading and interpreting primary and secondary sources and putting them together to present a project on a chosen subject in history. Although this class is very similar, it is also different. Europe is rapidly digitizing many of the primary documents, etc just like the US but they also have varying methods of archiving. This means that I’ll be able to stick my feet in and work with foreign procedures, archives, etc. Probably won’t hurt when it comes to the job search.

My last history class is Europe: Imperialism and Decolonization. I can’t exactly put my finger on what all this class will entail, but I have a feeling that a lot of it will be dealing with England, because you know, the sun never sets on England! One of the topics for the last few weeks of class was labeled “The Empire Strikes Back.” I have a feeling that this professor and I will get along just fine.

My two Irish studies classes are Traditional Irish Music and Dance and Irish Folklore. In the music and dance module, we’ll learn about different styles of both music and dance and the evolution of the two. For the tutorial, or practice sessions of this module, everyone had to choose song, dance, or an instrument to learn. I was originally going to sign up for the dance tutorial but then I remembered the tragedy that was my one and only ballet recital and also reminded myself that I can barely walk down the hall without hurting myself. In the end I chose the tin whistle. I figured that I wouldn’t have much trouble with it seeing as it is nearly identical to a recorder, which in turn sort-of like a sax. Hopefully I don’t get bored in this tutorial though, because you don’t have to know how to read music and it is basically a beginning course. ::hears the whooshing flashback sound from LOST and sees herself sitting in 4^th grade music class with Mrs. Minor, plastic recorder in hand:: I’m excited about it though-maybe I can get things going enough to make myself sound half decent.

My other Irish studies class is Irish Folklore, and I am EXCITED about this one, too! Turns out that our final essay will be on the topic of death! Why the exclamation point? Because apparently, the merry wake in Ireland is more fun that a wedding! I’ll be learning a lot in the class, studying everything from proverbs to blessings, calendar traditions, names, etc.

I’ve also posted a few pictures to wet your appetites until I go off and take more.

More to come sometime next week-I’m going to Galway this weekend!

Finally here!

I have been promising that I would write a blog to keep everyone updated on my ramblings and adventures while I am here in Limerick, so here it is. It turns out that it will actually be easier on me to keep everyone who wants to stay in the loop or just occasionally check up by keeping a blog than e-mailing/Facebook rambling/Skyping everyone individually and all the time, so here we go! Don't worry-personal time with Sarah WILL be available, I just don't want to be tied to my computer 24/7. Kinda messes with what I'm trying to do by going to school over here!

The flight (and the super long layover at JFK) went completely smoothly. It's a good thing that I flew in when I did because any flight that was scheduled to land in Ireland after 9:00 AM was cancelled due to the air traffic controllers here going on strike.

I won't lie, I got homesick. However, this feeling of dread and "oh my God what am I doing here?" only lasted about five minutes. Once I got new sheets/bed cover/etc on my bed, put my stuff away and hung up my Gamecock towel, I was completely fine. Now I just need to try and accept the fact that I am living in a house where the main color scheme is orange. I also made my first trip to the City Centre and got a little bit of necessity shopping done. Turns out, here in Ireland, you have T.K. Maxx instead of T.J. Maxx. I have also been five days now without seeing a Wal-Mart! Sure, they have the equivalent of it, a place called Dunne's, but it is in no way Wally World. Yay.

I'll post some more as the week goes on. Classes start tomorrow and I'm ready for it! I haven't been in school for almost two months now-hope I didn't get TOO lazy over break!