Crazy Kids

Given our unusual housing situation, it’s been somewhat difficult to meet new people. Typically in a study abroad program, two universities pair up and the students will dorm on campus with local students attending the university. Our program is set up in rural Ireland at some cottages out the back of a hotel. We are only a 20-minute cab ride away from Galway, which is a pretty hopping college town, but that trip can get old and expensive rather quickly. So is there really much of a social life for my 21-year-old college self out back of this hotel? Definitely. Going into our first orientation meetings I was a bit uneasy about the group that I would be traveling with (I’m sure they all would say the same). Previous study abroad students warned me that I would make some lifetime friends while studying overseas, and I have to admit that I didn’t believe them. But boy was I wrong. There’s a group of 17 very different, interesting characters living as my neighbors. I never would have imagined I would grow to be so close to each of them. But when you’re thrown in rural Ireland, and you literally eat, breathe, study, sleep, travel, etc. with these people it’s kind of hard not to fall in love with their craziness. It’s sad to think I only have one month left in Ireland, but I find it even more upsetting that I won’t get to walk out of my cottage every morning to see all of these wonderful people. I know I was previously warned of the friendships I’d make while abroad, but I was definitely not prepared. I truly have made some of the best friends (and only in two short months!), and I know they’re going to remain a big part of my life. We’ve all been through a lot together, and experienced parts of the world together. Nothing can replace that. Much love to all my group members.

Sending my love!

Regan

Ps. Ireland students: prepare yourselves; I’m already planning a reunion trip back to Ireland.

                                 

School Work

classroom

whistling

Family and Friends,

This week I’m going to bring you up to date on what all I’ve learned thus far. Believe me, it’s been more than just weekend pubs and traveling. Every Monday we have our language course. We’re learning small conversational bits in Gaelic, or the locals just call it Irish. This course has more recently developed into more of a cultural class though. Several guests have come in and taught us how to cook traditional Irish meals, or how to play Irish music on the whistle. Trust me, its all a lot easier said than done. I’m starting to enjoy this class more each week, because the different sessions help break up the four hour period and I feel like I’m soaking in so much more of the culture this way. On Tuesdays we have our Irish Literature class. This course involves lots and lots of reading. Some material has been tough to get through, but I do enjoy when we read plays out loud in class. The group that I came with has a way of making most things lighthearted and fun. They’re good craic (craic means fun in Irish). On Wednesdays we have our Irish History course. This one is by far my favorite. Our professor brings quite a few debates into the classroom, and it can get pretty heated, but it also gets everyone involved. He also does a good job at relating Irish history to American history; it makes it a bit easier to understand in certain cases, considering that’s what we learned most about in school. We have some presentations coming up, and we even had a class inside a pub in Galway last week. It’s little adjustments like these that keep the class stimulating. Finally, we have our culture class Wednesday nights. This course simply consists of our blogs and we usually discuss our field trips and watch a movie related to them. So far, it’s been a good balance between learning about all things Irish in the classroom, then being able to go out and experience it all on the weekends and apply what we learned.

Sending my love!

Regan

field trip to Kilmainham Gaol

field trip to Clonmacnoise Monastery

Aran Islands

limestone

Family and Friends,

As you might have seen from my Facebook posts, we recently visited the Aran Islands. For those of you who don’t know, the Aran Islands consist of three islands, the largest of which is only 9 miles by 3 miles. We took a short ferry ride to the largest of the three islands. Upon arrival, we dumped our things at the hostel where we stayed and hoped on the bus for a tour of the island. We were supposed to take a bike tour, but the weather was so wet and cold that the bus suited better. This little island consists of only 800 people, and they make a living off of either fishing or tourism. The island is covered in limestone, so any soil they do have is only about 6 inches to a foot deep. Some locals in the area will even go to such lengths as removing the loose limestone and make their stone fencing out of it, then place seaweed on top of the stone so the soil has a better chance at survival for their livestock. It was truly eye opening to see how the people of Aran Islands live. They use everything to its fullest and adjust to living in their conditions. We ended our tour with a 7mile hike up to a fort called Dun Aonghasa. It is believed that certain parts of the fort date all the way back to 700 B.C. and it sits at the highest point on the island, protected by the 300 foot cliff on one side. Once I was at the top, I really appreciated the poor weather at that point, because then you could really see the impact the sea can have. The waves were unreal, and I think people sometimes forget how dangerous the sea can really be. As we made our trek back down to sea level, we stopped and were able to see tar left over from all the past fishermen. The fishermen would pull their boats onto land and paint the bottoms of them with tar to make them more durable. The tar outline of the boats is still sealed to the limestone today. It was really amazing to see how even though Aran Islands don’t offer the best living conditions, the locals make the best of what they have and they’re passionate about their homes and lifestyles. I also have a new appreciation for fishermen; the sea can have a tendency to not be so kind all the time.

Sending my love!

Regan

entrance to the fort

edge of the cliff