Where to start.... First of all, I have been without internet at my apartment for the past, Oh I don't know, five days or so. Because of this, I have found a few places around town with WIFI, like McDonalds and a coffee shop, and of course the college library. But stores and places in Ireland aren't open crazy late hours like they are in the US so my computer access as been limited. Anyway, I survived and it was probably good for me to be disconnected for a few days.
Classes are now well underway and I am starting to get the hang of this unfamiliar way of schooling. Just a few examples, there are no required text books. Lecturers instead give out reading lists from many many many different books and sources. There is only one paper and one test per term per class so I have a lot more free time but then again more pressure on that one test/paper. Also, at IT the classes are only one hr at a time and meet a few times a week. At Carlow College, classes meet once a week for two hours each time but assessments are set up in a similar way to the IT. All my professors are great and I am excited to see where each course takes me.
This week in Carlow was named "Freshers week" and there were many events and parties going on around town at the colleges and in the pubs. Wednesday we went to our first Rugby match at the IT. It was an intersquad game and we actually knew some of the players for our apartment complex and from class. Next I want to see some curling! After the game we went out to "The Foundry" night club. It was a beach themed party and they splattered UV paint on us! It was a ton of fun and again, we saw a of lot people we knew.
Friday our Irish Experience class took a bus field trip around Carlow county to various tourist/historic sites. To name a few, we saw 5th and 7th century monastic ruins, the Milford Lock, St. Laserians Cathedral, a Penal Chapel and burial grounds, and also some castle ruins. I think, though, my favorite part of the day was when drove up to the top of a bluff and saw the most beautiful view spanning across FIVE COUNTIES. (check out my facebook pics!) It was a great field trip and it made me very excited for the next five. This coming Friday we are headed to Wexford where will get to see the beach where "Saving Private Ryan" was filmed.
Saturday we took a last minute day trip to Waterford which is about 1 hr and 15 min train ride from Carlow. It was the first time we have used the Irish Rail system and we were very pleased! It seems to be cheaper, faster, more direct and nicer than the bus system. (I do think though that taking a car would be the best way to see Ireland simply because then you can go exactly where you want when you want to. The public transportation doesn't go everywhere.... Just a tip if anyone ever travels to Ireland) Anway, taking the train worked out great for what we wanted and it was fairly cheap.
Waterford in on the River Suir and is a very old, historic town. We ended going first to the Waterford House of Crystal Factory for a tour. It was amazing and the crystal itself is, of course, beautiful. The rest of the day we toured the town Cathedral, Bishops Palace, Reginalds tower and an art gallery.
Coming up!!-- Going to London this weekend! Stay tuned to hear about London!
Sunday, 25 September 2011
Monday, 19 September 2011
First Weekend Trip to Wicklow Town
As I think I have mentioned in my past blogs, all the Irish students go home on the weekends. Because of this, Carlow is fairly quiet. Not wanting to waste any time, we planned a trip to the coast for the weekend. Our only criteria for where to go was that the town is on the sea, mountains are close by and that we could get there by bus. Wicklow Town seemed to be perfect, and it was! We used the (slow) internet to book our hostel, find bus times, and to research activities to do. We all woke up Saturday morning to catch the bus feeling very excited and unprepared. Luckily though, we found the bus stop, rode to Dublin, survived changing buses and eventually arrived in Wicklow Town. After getting off the bus we basically wandered the town and asked locals for directions until we arrived at our Hostel. It was a great location, just minutes from the beach. The couple who owned the hostel was very accommodating and helpful. In fact, Trish joked that they knew more about the town than the tourist office. They themselves gave out tourist information to guests and even offered to give us lifts to spots around town. After settling into our rooms of 6 or 4 beds (all bunked) we explored town to find a restaurant for lunch. A few of us chose to eat at a nice little place called “Hannahs.” We had wraps, salads, and chips (French fries!). It was delicious; in fact, all of the food I have had in Ireland so far has been fantastic. Although, I am pretty easy to please when it comes to food. After lunch we wandered (we seem to do that a lot haha) down to the shore. As my pictures on Facebook show, we came across the harbor, sailing club, beach, cliffs, mountains and Castle ruins that date all the way back to the Vikings. I’ve decided that it’s the free thing like talking to the locals, people watching, or taking in the beautiful scenery, that I enjoy the most. After a few hours we went back to the hostel to meet up with the rest of the group. Trish (hostel owner) then gave us some exciting options to do for the rest of the evening and we chose to take a nature hike through the farmland and hills to the light houses. It was absolutely beautiful and was what I think most people picture Ireland looking like with the rolling green hills and sheep. A few of us even decided we are going to build a hut out in the fields and just live off the land, hahaha. But really. After the long hike we were starving and Trish recommended a pizza place with a buy-one-get-one deal so of course that’s what we did. Between the 10 of us we ate 6 pizzas and countless bowls of ice cream and cans of pop. It was so delicious. The rest of the evening we relaxed and socialized in the common areas of the hostel. The next morning we pretty much woke up, had breakfast and caught the bus back to Carlow. It was a spectacular, first, self-planned weekend trip! We gained lots of travel experience after missing a bus stop (or two) and survived our first hostel! All in all a great weekend and I am looking forward to going to London in a few weeks!
Wednesday, 14 September 2011
Everything's Grand!
Hello Everyone!
Sunday night, Emily and I were excited to meet our other Irish roommate, Lisa. We spent the evening watching programs on T.V. about 9-11. I was very glad to be able to watch the ceremony in New York where Pres Bush and Obama both spoke and such. I am still always suprised to hear how much the Irish know about that day and how they where hurting with us/for us on that unforgettable day.
Monday we were fortunate enough to be able to take a free fieldtrip to Kilkenny Ireland which is only about 35 km from Carlow. We went with about 100 other international students from the IT school. It was crazy being with such a large group but fun at the same time. We met people in the group from Greece, Germany, Holland, the US, a lot from France, and others from various parts of Asia as well. Anyway, older students from the IT school came with us as our "Pals" and showed us around Kilkenny. We stopped at the town Castle (much better than Carlow's castle), the Abbey, brewery and also the downtown shopping and cafe section. Emily and I found a great little sandwich shop and had a great lunch. We also came across a store called "Fruits and Roots" and bought some delicious apples.
We we arrived home after the field trip we were all pretty tired and spent a quiet evening at the apartments watching t.v. and bonding with our Irish roommates. Most of the programs on the Irish T.V. stations are either American or UK shows. So, we have been watching things such as Glee, X factor, the Simpsons, Modern Family and so on.
Tuesday was a pretty free day due to classes not starting yet. A group of us walked into town to get more supplies and groceries. We have been getting better and better at finding our way around town and I think we have even mastered getting St. Pats College in a fairly straight line. (Side note- our group from st. ambrose lives very close to the IT school, but we are taking classes at both colleges in town, so our walk to st. pats is about 20 minutes) Tuesday evening, our group started to plan our first weekend trip to Wicklow, Ireland. We are all very excited to get out and see some more of Ireland. Planning, though, is a very scarey thing. It will be good to get this first trip under our belt.
Today, Wednesday, we had Orientation at Carlow College (St. Pats). We got our timetables, ID cards and loads of information. I think we are all excited to start our classes and especially our field trips with our Irish Experience class. Everything is starting to fall into place and everyone has been so great and helpful.
Now, for the good story. Today was suppose to be our first lecture at Carlow IT for our Anatomy class. The four of us in that particular class, left orientation early to get back to the other school for lecture. We found the room, no problem, sat down and waited for class to begin. About 2 minutes before the class started Irish students flooded in and filled the large lecture hall. The prof started right off the bat with her lecutre and kept referring to "yesterday." We thought that was odd but kept listening. Then we noticed that she wasn't discussing the topic we were expecting and when she passed around the attendance sheet, we were not on it. So naturally, the four of us started to freak out and started discussing what to do. We got some looks for talking so we shut up. After about 10 minutes of lecutre I got the courage to raise my hand and basically ask if we were in the right place because we weren't on the attendance sheet. The class burst into laughter and the prof seemed to not know what to tell us.... We then decided to leave and go to the International Studies office. They informed us that our lecutre had been cancelled and that another class had been moved to that room for the day. I guess they had tried to contact us but were unsuccessful. Anyway, long story short, it was somewhat embarrassing at the time but now, we all just laugh about it. We were just glad that we were right and didn't have to go back into that room. hahahahha. Tomorrow is a new day and hopefully we'll get to the right room at the right time for the RIGHT CLASS. :D
Well, that's all folks! I'll probably post again after this weekend! Wish us luck on our first self planned weekend trip!
Sunday night, Emily and I were excited to meet our other Irish roommate, Lisa. We spent the evening watching programs on T.V. about 9-11. I was very glad to be able to watch the ceremony in New York where Pres Bush and Obama both spoke and such. I am still always suprised to hear how much the Irish know about that day and how they where hurting with us/for us on that unforgettable day.
Monday we were fortunate enough to be able to take a free fieldtrip to Kilkenny Ireland which is only about 35 km from Carlow. We went with about 100 other international students from the IT school. It was crazy being with such a large group but fun at the same time. We met people in the group from Greece, Germany, Holland, the US, a lot from France, and others from various parts of Asia as well. Anyway, older students from the IT school came with us as our "Pals" and showed us around Kilkenny. We stopped at the town Castle (much better than Carlow's castle), the Abbey, brewery and also the downtown shopping and cafe section. Emily and I found a great little sandwich shop and had a great lunch. We also came across a store called "Fruits and Roots" and bought some delicious apples.
We we arrived home after the field trip we were all pretty tired and spent a quiet evening at the apartments watching t.v. and bonding with our Irish roommates. Most of the programs on the Irish T.V. stations are either American or UK shows. So, we have been watching things such as Glee, X factor, the Simpsons, Modern Family and so on.
Tuesday was a pretty free day due to classes not starting yet. A group of us walked into town to get more supplies and groceries. We have been getting better and better at finding our way around town and I think we have even mastered getting St. Pats College in a fairly straight line. (Side note- our group from st. ambrose lives very close to the IT school, but we are taking classes at both colleges in town, so our walk to st. pats is about 20 minutes) Tuesday evening, our group started to plan our first weekend trip to Wicklow, Ireland. We are all very excited to get out and see some more of Ireland. Planning, though, is a very scarey thing. It will be good to get this first trip under our belt.
Today, Wednesday, we had Orientation at Carlow College (St. Pats). We got our timetables, ID cards and loads of information. I think we are all excited to start our classes and especially our field trips with our Irish Experience class. Everything is starting to fall into place and everyone has been so great and helpful.
Now, for the good story. Today was suppose to be our first lecture at Carlow IT for our Anatomy class. The four of us in that particular class, left orientation early to get back to the other school for lecture. We found the room, no problem, sat down and waited for class to begin. About 2 minutes before the class started Irish students flooded in and filled the large lecture hall. The prof started right off the bat with her lecutre and kept referring to "yesterday." We thought that was odd but kept listening. Then we noticed that she wasn't discussing the topic we were expecting and when she passed around the attendance sheet, we were not on it. So naturally, the four of us started to freak out and started discussing what to do. We got some looks for talking so we shut up. After about 10 minutes of lecutre I got the courage to raise my hand and basically ask if we were in the right place because we weren't on the attendance sheet. The class burst into laughter and the prof seemed to not know what to tell us.... We then decided to leave and go to the International Studies office. They informed us that our lecutre had been cancelled and that another class had been moved to that room for the day. I guess they had tried to contact us but were unsuccessful. Anyway, long story short, it was somewhat embarrassing at the time but now, we all just laugh about it. We were just glad that we were right and didn't have to go back into that room. hahahahha. Tomorrow is a new day and hopefully we'll get to the right room at the right time for the RIGHT CLASS. :D
Well, that's all folks! I'll probably post again after this weekend! Wish us luck on our first self planned weekend trip!
Sunday, 11 September 2011
First Few Days in Carlow
Hello everyone! Greetings from Carlow, Ireland. I have been meaning to write for days now. So much has happened in such a short amount of time. I'll start with traveling.
Mom drove me to the airport, leaving from Davenport. When arriving at O'Hare we found the check in line and arrived at about the same time as the rest of my group. We have a group of 10. Nine girls and one boy, Matt, who changed his name on us from Paul to Matt. hahah We sadly lost one group member, Lauren, but we all wish her luck back in the states and think of her often. Anyway, back at the airport. I checked in my luggage (both suitcases under weight!!), and survived security. Next, we arrived at our gate, waited and then boarded our plane. Matt had the pleasure of sitting next to me for the 6 hour and 40 minutes flight. It was lot shorter than we expected. We kept entertained with the touch t.v./ game system. I played a few games, attempted to sleep and watched Water for Elephants.
When we arrived in Dublin we found the bus stop, after going to the wrong place at first. Then we road the two hours bus ride to Carlow. At this point we had all been awake all night and we were so exhausted. Once we got to Dublin, our academic advisor, Padraigin, met us at the bus stop and led us to our apartments called Carraig Abhaain. We all were given our keys (cool, large skeleton keys) and we settled in and unpacked. Emily and I are on the top floor and have a beautiful view of the hills. We have two roommates, both Irish girls. We are excited to get to know them and spend more time with them. Then Padraigin gave a tour of Carlow Town and showed us where the phone companies (O2 and meotor), food stores (Aldi and Tesco), and other stories are located. She then left us on our own to shop and get our necessities. It was a somewhat scarey moment when she left us. Luckily though, we got our food, bedding and other supplies and found our way back to our apartments. Me, Therese, and Matt then ate at our first pub. It was delicious. The rest of the evening we settled in and went to bed early after having been awake for over 30 hours.
The next day, Friday, (we got so mixed up on our days, because of the time difference. It is 6 hours later here in Ireland than it is in Iowa), we went back down into town and did some more shopping and exploring. We had a few questions about our phones so we went back to talk to Kevin at O2. He was so happy to see us all again! haha. At three o'clock we met at the Carlow Institute of Technology Internation Studies Office. They talked to us about our schedules and such. We also signed up for free field trip to Kilkenny for Monday morning. We are all very excited to see some more of Ireland with the other International students from Germany, France, Holland and more.
We have been running into David, one of our advisors/contacts at IT, all over town recently. It is nice to recognize people around town. Today, after Mass, he told us Ambrose is paying him to stalk us. HAHA
Friday night, we explored downtown night life. We found what we think will be our favorite spot, Scraggs Alley (spelling?). We met a lot of cool people and had a great time. I also had my first Guiness. We then made our way to "The Med Bar" where we met some more locals. We haven't met many students because they all go home on the weekends but we did run into some friends of ours, Michael and Cormac. Everyone was very friendly and wanted to make sure we were adjusting, fitting in and feeling at home.
It was a very late night so Saturday we slept in and then went downtown to find Carlow College. We ended up getting lost, but we were grateful because we came across the river, which was beautiful scene with the hills in the background, and also the Carlow Castle. We did eventually find the Church of Ireland church (St. Claires I believe), the college, Carlow College, and the Cathedral, St. Pats. All very beautiful, of course! (pics to come!)
Saturday evening was a little more low key. We met up with other international students in the apartments and then we went out for some late night food. We wanted to try to McDonalds. It's a little different but not too bad. It is a lot more expensive here and they have curly fries!
This morning a group of us went to mass at St. Pats. The church was pretty full, so that was nice. It was interesting to see the differences in the mass. They don't have music books, they kneel at different times, and it's a little more individual based. At communion time, members go up to recieve when they are ready. It's not in any certain order, which is neat. Mass was also a bit shorter and the music was great. I really enjoyed it.
A few random things-
It's weird having all this free time. I think we are all excited to start classes in the coming week so there will be some routine.
WALKING WALKING WALKING. A few of us were discussing yesterday how quickly the days go here. We realized that because we walk everywhere, going to the store and such is like an hour and half process. It takes getting used to and we are starting to adjust to counting in walking time when planning things. I am really starting to enjoy walking so much.
Another adjustment has been buying groceries and cooking every meal. We did however score some free food from the IT when we were all lounging in the cafe area. I now appreciate the luxury of having a meal plan back at Ambrose! :D
We are all so surprised that where ever we go people immediately know we are Americans. We try to blend in, haha but it doesn't work. Many of the Irish talk to us about and are very familiar with US news, geography and even music. The pubs we have been to so far have been playing Katy Perry and others. haha
I am sure there is so much more that I am forgetting, but it is hard to put everything into words. We are all still just taking everything in and learning the ropes.
I feel blessed to have such a great group of friends from Ambrose here with me for support.
I love and miss everyone back at home!
more to come! (excuse my randomness and errors. I am not the best blogger.)
Mom drove me to the airport, leaving from Davenport. When arriving at O'Hare we found the check in line and arrived at about the same time as the rest of my group. We have a group of 10. Nine girls and one boy, Matt, who changed his name on us from Paul to Matt. hahah We sadly lost one group member, Lauren, but we all wish her luck back in the states and think of her often. Anyway, back at the airport. I checked in my luggage (both suitcases under weight!!), and survived security. Next, we arrived at our gate, waited and then boarded our plane. Matt had the pleasure of sitting next to me for the 6 hour and 40 minutes flight. It was lot shorter than we expected. We kept entertained with the touch t.v./ game system. I played a few games, attempted to sleep and watched Water for Elephants.
When we arrived in Dublin we found the bus stop, after going to the wrong place at first. Then we road the two hours bus ride to Carlow. At this point we had all been awake all night and we were so exhausted. Once we got to Dublin, our academic advisor, Padraigin, met us at the bus stop and led us to our apartments called Carraig Abhaain. We all were given our keys (cool, large skeleton keys) and we settled in and unpacked. Emily and I are on the top floor and have a beautiful view of the hills. We have two roommates, both Irish girls. We are excited to get to know them and spend more time with them. Then Padraigin gave a tour of Carlow Town and showed us where the phone companies (O2 and meotor), food stores (Aldi and Tesco), and other stories are located. She then left us on our own to shop and get our necessities. It was a somewhat scarey moment when she left us. Luckily though, we got our food, bedding and other supplies and found our way back to our apartments. Me, Therese, and Matt then ate at our first pub. It was delicious. The rest of the evening we settled in and went to bed early after having been awake for over 30 hours.
The next day, Friday, (we got so mixed up on our days, because of the time difference. It is 6 hours later here in Ireland than it is in Iowa), we went back down into town and did some more shopping and exploring. We had a few questions about our phones so we went back to talk to Kevin at O2. He was so happy to see us all again! haha. At three o'clock we met at the Carlow Institute of Technology Internation Studies Office. They talked to us about our schedules and such. We also signed up for free field trip to Kilkenny for Monday morning. We are all very excited to see some more of Ireland with the other International students from Germany, France, Holland and more.
We have been running into David, one of our advisors/contacts at IT, all over town recently. It is nice to recognize people around town. Today, after Mass, he told us Ambrose is paying him to stalk us. HAHA
Friday night, we explored downtown night life. We found what we think will be our favorite spot, Scraggs Alley (spelling?). We met a lot of cool people and had a great time. I also had my first Guiness. We then made our way to "The Med Bar" where we met some more locals. We haven't met many students because they all go home on the weekends but we did run into some friends of ours, Michael and Cormac. Everyone was very friendly and wanted to make sure we were adjusting, fitting in and feeling at home.
It was a very late night so Saturday we slept in and then went downtown to find Carlow College. We ended up getting lost, but we were grateful because we came across the river, which was beautiful scene with the hills in the background, and also the Carlow Castle. We did eventually find the Church of Ireland church (St. Claires I believe), the college, Carlow College, and the Cathedral, St. Pats. All very beautiful, of course! (pics to come!)
Saturday evening was a little more low key. We met up with other international students in the apartments and then we went out for some late night food. We wanted to try to McDonalds. It's a little different but not too bad. It is a lot more expensive here and they have curly fries!
This morning a group of us went to mass at St. Pats. The church was pretty full, so that was nice. It was interesting to see the differences in the mass. They don't have music books, they kneel at different times, and it's a little more individual based. At communion time, members go up to recieve when they are ready. It's not in any certain order, which is neat. Mass was also a bit shorter and the music was great. I really enjoyed it.
A few random things-
It's weird having all this free time. I think we are all excited to start classes in the coming week so there will be some routine.
WALKING WALKING WALKING. A few of us were discussing yesterday how quickly the days go here. We realized that because we walk everywhere, going to the store and such is like an hour and half process. It takes getting used to and we are starting to adjust to counting in walking time when planning things. I am really starting to enjoy walking so much.
Another adjustment has been buying groceries and cooking every meal. We did however score some free food from the IT when we were all lounging in the cafe area. I now appreciate the luxury of having a meal plan back at Ambrose! :D
We are all so surprised that where ever we go people immediately know we are Americans. We try to blend in, haha but it doesn't work. Many of the Irish talk to us about and are very familiar with US news, geography and even music. The pubs we have been to so far have been playing Katy Perry and others. haha
I am sure there is so much more that I am forgetting, but it is hard to put everything into words. We are all still just taking everything in and learning the ropes.
I feel blessed to have such a great group of friends from Ambrose here with me for support.
I love and miss everyone back at home!
more to come! (excuse my randomness and errors. I am not the best blogger.)
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