I have spent nearly 4 weeks in Ireland now and it has become a part of the routine, like I’m simply at another college in another state. The only difference is that I am in IRELAND. Every weekend holds another adventure. I can honestly say I do not miss working nine hours shifts well into the night every weekend. Instead I get the choice to travel anywhere in Ireland or quite frankly, anywhere in Europe. Even a train ride into Dublin holds many marvelous adventures. Two weeks ago we visited the Giants Causeway and Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge in Northern Ireland. Even though it rained a bit it was a beautiful sight to see. The three hour drive both ways was well worth the trip.
The next day I made a last minute decision to visit the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. The walk was beautiful. The city transitioned from a more modern tourist area to a more relaxed traditional setting full of beautiful churches.
I was thoroughly impressed with the dual functionality of the storehouse as both a museum and the factory that carefully produces Guinness. Not to mention the view from the seventh floor was well worth the entrance fee.
Last weekend I visited the National Archaeology Museum in Dublin. It held an insurmountable number of artifacts including the mostly recently discovered Irish manuscript: The Fadan More Psalter. The most astonishing artifacts were bodies that were preserved in bogs and later discovered. The skin and finger nails were still in tact. The bogs are very important for the preservation of many artifacts found in Ireland.
My classes are also very intriguing. In one class I am learning about the geomorphology of Ireland, that is how Ireland came to be formed. There were a lot of complicated processes that occurred to shape Ireland into what it is today. All of my other classes deal with the cultural heritage of Ireland from the literature and manuscripts to the history of specific areas in Ireland. I am also going on field trips in my classes to important historical sights like burial tombs, monastic sights, and royal centers. In fact tomorrow I am visiting Clonmacnoise, a very important monastic sight where many of the manuscripts were written. There are important aspects about Ireland that we never learn about. For example the Irish have a very proud sense of place. They have invented their own sports to impede the undermining of outside traditions to their culture. The literature of Ireland although influenced by the bible and ancient classic texts are very important to the culture in the past and the present and are innovative pieces of work. I also forgot to mention that Maynooth University is beautiful.
I also joined some clubs and societies including Tea Society, the Maynooth Phantoms, and volleyball. The Maynooth Phantoms is the American Football Club on campus so named because no one ever sees them. I have yet to meet the club but the AGM is next Tuesday. Volleyball seems to be consisted of mostly American players that are here for a semester. I thought it would be fun to play but now there is a bit of pressure as I may have made the official girls team. Although on the 15th we are going on a hiking trip through the Wicklow Mountains which is a trip I have wanted to do before I came to Ireland, so I am very excited.
So far adapting has been pretty easy but there are a few things I miss back home. For instance, I have had coffee maybe twice since I’ve been here compared to two cups every morning back home. I also am not fond of grocery shopping and cooking. I have mostly been living off pasta, pizza, and grilled cheese, but I am a college student so what more can you expect. Although I have been eating breakfast every morning which I am certainly not use to. I also miss my laundry machines back home. It is very expensive to wash laundry here and the machines are very small so I have been hand washing laundry. It is not so bad considering I have a lot more free time but it is not a hobby I will take up full time. As for the weather, I certainly miss Florida. I am not fit for the cold. I have been fortunate, since it has hardly rained since my arrival. At least I am not going to experience Hurricane Matthew. Good luck Florida!