Life on a Dartboard

Sorry I haven't been updating this blog lately. To be quite honest, I've either been quite busy or too tired to update this thing. The first two weeks of Ireland were manageable, as the jet lag wore off and we were ready and rearing to go. However, the fatigue of traveling and hour(s)-long bus trips are starting to take a toll on me. I occasionally doze off during the bus rides and I'm finding myself retiring to bed earlier and earlier every night. It's exhausting moving 50km (no idea how many miles are that) every couple of days. Not to mention that dreaded 3 hotels in 3 nights ordeal (Galway, Ballina, Killarney). But, it's been amazing to say the least. We're traveling down the western Ireland coast, were the bog land reigns supreme. The land is barely arable (yay, vocabulary words from high school! It means farmable) but it has its own distinct beauty to it. There's a stronger connection to nature that's been achieved and recognized the more we travel; I love it. Sadly, I have no pictures to post at the moment but I'll probably get around to it at some point tomorrow. Also, it's probable that I'll retroactively add posts, as well. Just to make chronological sense.

So, we have one midterm under our belt with our final looming at week's end. There's less than a week left on this trip! I can't wait to see what awaits us...

I was on my way to Galway...

So I haven't updated this in a quick second, so here's some of the stuff we've done...

Take off that silly ass hat!

Bam! New look!

Religion and Revolution

Sorry I haven't been updating lately. It's been particularly hectic the past few days. I've left Belfast and (London)Derry, meaning I am officially out of the United Kingdom and back into the Republic of Ireland! Woooo

Currently, we're in Killybegs, a small fishing town on the Northwestern portion of the Emerald Isle. This is the Ireland that I imagined: the small town with rolling hills and rough terrain. It's quite scenic (and smells like fish...you get used to after a while...I'm sure it's good for your lungs or something like that...).

So, what have I been up to? Glad you asked!

We stayed in the town of (London)Derry for a night. The town has an interesting story, with it being a walled city. It's completely surrounded on four sides by stone walls, used as protection from invaders. It was also the site of Bloody Sunday, one of the most politically-charged incidents during The Troubles. Parts of "Free Derry" are decorated with murals, depicting a story of strife and struggle. It was moving and definitely required a moment for reflection.

Before that, we visited Deluce Castle and The Giant's Causeway. Both were incredibly scenic, straight-up postcard status. The sights and sounds were amazing, nothing that a Discovery Channel special could capture. Giant's Causeway was crazy. There's a bunch of basalt deposits that form themselves into hexogonical shapes; they're staggered enough that you could scale them easily and put yourself right against the crashing waves. It was terribly windy and wet, as I nearly keeled over a few times. But the views were well worth it. Just crazy pretty...


The last day we stayed in Belfast was pretty amazing, too. We caught a live show with some rock bands for 50pence (about $1). They were pretty good bands though we haven't found any of their music online (they were local bands). You can't resist the temptation of good live music! Rock out, man!
Right now, I'm pretty wiped out. There's a good storm whipping up in Killybegs, especially since we're right on the coastline. I don't mind staying in for a night!

There's a whole lot more I didn't cover. I'll see if I can get to it at a later date. But for right now, I need some sleep!

Zombie...zombie...zombieeeee

I pretty much had the BEST night out in Ireland (and recent memory) ever! It was amazingly fun! I'm in such a great mood that I'll go to sleep and update in the morn. Have a good day, everyone!

You'll be introduced to the smell of fish...

YAY FREE WIRELESS!

Mega-update later...right now, Fish n' Chips!

The Adventures of Gimpy!

This is going to be a short entry since
1) I'm paying for internet usage
2) I'm tired
3) Gotta wake up in 8 hours

So what did we do today?
1) Dulace Castle
2) Giant's Causeway (AMAZING natural structures...great pictures, too!)
3) Watched "Bloody Sunday" (good movie...really sad, though)

What did I do yesterday in Belfast?
1) Belfast tour, including St. George's church
2) Watched Futurama
3) Went to a rock concert! (50pence, which is less than a dollar. It was great! Punk is alive and well in Ireland)

What I'm thinking now?
1) I wish I had more internet time
2) I wish we weren't only staying in this hotel for one night
3) I really am starting to miss California...especially you guys.

I slightly sprained my ankle but I should be fine and mobile by tomorrow morning. Otherwise, I'm completely fine! Hopefully I can push some pictures online next time around. We're headed back to the Republic of Ireland...goodbye United Kingdom!

Unbelieveably United Kingdom, Batman!

Hey everyone, right now I'm drying myself off in an internet cafe in Belfast, North Ireland. For those who don't know, North Ireland is not a part of the Republic of Ireland (when you say Ireland, you're probably referring to the Republic of Ireland). Instead, North Ireland is technically a part of the United Kingdom, with allegiance to the Queen of England. That means I have to used pound sterling (£) instead of the good ol' euro (€), making everything ridiculously more expensive than usual! That's what I feckin' need, less money!

Anyways, we've just been meandering through the city, noting landmarks and taking in the neighborhoods where religious sectarianism still rages to this day. As far as I know, we're still going to be traveling around the north of Ireland for the remainder of the week. Once we settle down in Donegall, I'll be able to update more frequently and with more detail.

I hope everyone is enjoying Jan Term over there!

This blog post was brought to you by
TODAY'S WORD OF THE DAY:
Sectarianism: noun
1) Adhering or confined to the dogmatic limits of a sect or denomination; partisan.

Just Visiting

So, let's see what happened this weekend.

Slept in on Sunday. It was glorious. Though, we had to fend for ourselves for lunch. My roommate, Mike Cullen, and myself definitely lazied about until 12:30pm. We had to meet back at the hotel at 1pm. What does this require? A quick run to the Irish 7-11-equivalent and eating on the way back. It was a damn good chicken sandwich, though.

Off we went to the Museum of History and Archaeology. Iron Age, Vikings and Bog Mummies, oh my! Terribly fun (especially the bog zombies, I mean, mummies).

We head on back to the hotel to have a discussion with Fr. Peter McVerry on the social issues plaguing Ireland. The similarities to that of the problems of the U.S. are striking. Alcoholism is an obvious but mum issue, with drugs and gang violence on the rise (and due to what?). The emergence of economic growth (nicknamed "The Celtic Tiger") has created a burgeoning middle class but at the same time, widening the rich-poor income gap. Now, more prevalent substance abuse and violence and the deconstruction of the family as parents are forced to take two jobs to support the dream of owning a house. I wish Fr. McVerry talked longer but he definitely opened my mind on these issues and noting how eerily similar they are to American issues...

Dinner was RIDICULOUS. We headed down to the Temple Bar area and entered a pretty traditional looking pub. I ordered the Lamb Shank. Oh. My. God. It was so tasty and just huge...just look at it!
It wasn't done there! Oh no, we also had Bailey's Chocolate Cheesecake. Yeah, be jealous :)

We did not have our discussion on James Joyce. Thus, our free evening consisted of a few of us heading down to an Americanized bar (Buskers) to watch the NFL Playoff game between the SD Chargers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. We had a few drinks and enjoyed watching the Chargers get rofl-stomped by the Steelers. Sorry Mike, no SuperBowl for your Chargers this year!

Today was probably one of the better days I've had here. Chalk full of history!
We visited Kilmanham Gaol (jail), most noted for housing the leaders/conspirators of the 1916 Rebellion (where the Irish Republicans faced off against the British Army). The story for independence fills you with hope but the sign of sure defeat was tragic, with the execution of the 1916 leaders. Ireland owes a great gratitude to these men and women, as they paved the way for the secession from the British Empire and enabling them to become their own independent republic.
On the last leg of today's journey, we traveled northward to Glendalough, the site of St. Kevin's monastery. I'll spare you the history lesson and focus on the impecable natural beauty of the site. Stone churches, ancient gravestones, waterfalls and two secluded lakes. The serenity of this place was overwhelming, making the tiresome hike just an afterthought. It was a great feeling absorbing the scenery, appreciating what Nature has given us to adore with our simple eyes.
Tomorrow, we head off to Newgrange, the world's oldest standing architectural structure and then to Belfast, in Northern Ireland. This should be a blast!

The Baseball Diamond Analogy

It's Sunday morning and I'm still alive. That's a great sign! So here's a recap of our walking excursion from yesterday...

Student Presentation in the morning. Then, off we went to a walking tour of the 1916 Rebellion in Dublin and the civil war that transpired in the 1920s. Quite informative and incredibly captivating. The solidarity amongst the Dubliners is something to be marveled at.
After the extensive walking tour with our fabulous and hilarious guide (and published author!), Lorcan Collins, we headed off to our prospective lunches in preparation for visits to The National Art Gallery of Ireland and Dublin Castle. We ate a small pub called Fitzgerald, right on the Liffey River (the major river running right through the city, connecting directly to the ocean). I decided to switch it up and drink some Beamish (a lighter version of Guinness) along with some seafood chowder.
Obviously, there's no pictures of the Art Gallery (unfortunately), but I do have pictures of the Dublin Castle. It's a working building, used to entertain government officials and conferences. It's also the site of artifacts from ancient Dublin, hence the Castle.
Afterwards, we headed off to the oldest pub in Ireland (and really, the oldest pub that's of any importance), the Brazenhead. Dinner was absolutely, feckin' amazing. I had Bangers and mashed potatoes. EASILY, one of the best, if not the best sausage, I've had in my life. It was mind-blowing. I can still taste them...mmmmmmm
Afterwards, we went off to see The Old Curiosity Shop, a Charles Dickens short made into a play. The play itself was good, but I was so tired from walking all day that nearly dozed off a few times. Headed back to the hotel when the play was over. Went down to the corner bar and just chatted the night away with friends, old and new. It definitely made for a great way to end the night and for a long and deep night's sleep. Many a-stories were shared and forever remembered, good times!

"You said you wanted to be aloof...so feck off!"

It's 7am here and I have to wake up in 30 minutes anyway. Also, I'm way too tired to type up my entire yesterday adventure so I'll let some photos do the talking.

The Department of Foreign Ministry. This is where we started off our day. This place is used to entertain foreign dignitaries when they visit Dublin. Kings, queens and other heads of states or state officials come here.

This is the interior of the Foreign Ministry. Swanky, eh? We had tea/coffee with a foreign officer of Ireland. Pretty informative.



This was my lunch. Chardonnay and smoked salmon calzone. Damn classy, I say.

We visited Trinity College to see the Book of Kells exhibit, an early Christian manuscript noted for its intricate art and design. No pictures were allowed.

Afterwards, after shopping around Grafton St., we headed back to the hotel to relax and unwind for a bit. Ate some pizza (which I wholly regret) and off we went to see a modern rendition of "The Playboy of the Western World." It was a great play, tons of comedy and very well adapted to fit the current times.

We did not have much free time after the play but a few of the guys went off into a pub and had our first official pub drinks in Ireland. Guinness and Kilkenny for all!

Things I've Noticed

Jaywalking is an art form here. In the US, you might see one to two people jaywalk at an intersection. Here in Ireland, if there's 20 people at the crosswalk, 17 will jaywalk (in an entire group, no less!) and the remaining 3 are probably tourists.

We were walking around a fountain in the park. Our entire group veered right. Everyone else (namely, the Irish) went to their left side. Social psychology and pre-conditioning, anybody?

Somewhat related to the previous point, I'm so used to looking right then left when crossing a street. So, you can imagine what I'm thinking: "Oh, there's no cars comi...OH GOD CARS." We've had some near student roadkill incidents but we're getting used to it.

You don't necessarily tip here. We had a 20 minute discussion about tipping while eating lunch (not to mention we only sat down for 40 minutes).

Lastly, everything is so goddamn expensive here compared to the States. ARGGGG

EDIT--I got a flashcard reader. Pictures soon!

Jet lag

It's only 9:24 pm here but I'm about ready to fall asleep. But, I'll fill you in with what happened today.

We have a chartered bus that is taking is everywhere we need to go, so that's convenient. We went to the center of the Dublin shopping district (think of a promenade) and I was able to exchange my American dollars for Euros there. What transpired after that is one for the memories. The lot of us (about 10 students) headed to another foreign exchange store since the bank would not accept $100 notes. The store was a bit out of the way and caused enough discombobulation that we preceeded to walk around Dublin aimlessly for about 25-30 minutes. Eventually, we back-tracked our route and re-coordinated ourselves back to the bus. But, the feeling of "Oh my god, we haven't been in Ireland for more than a few minutes and we're already lost" was incredible, to say the least. Disaster averted? Haha.


We had lunch at this small hotel: a simple soup and sandwich course. Vegetable soup and sandwich triangles more than satisfied my appetite. After touring around the city for a bit, we finally reached our hotel. Everyone proceeded to pass out from exhaustion, including myself.

After our glorious nap, we readied ourselves for a great dinner at The Yacht. I had the roasted turkey and potatoes. And they mean potatoes!
The great food, however, was EASILY overshadowed by the Guinness. The first sip of a freshly poured Guinness in Ireland was AMAZING. Creamy foam and full-bodied taste, nothing you can duplicate stateside. Needless to say, I sipped and savored that pint as much as I could.

We're back in the hotel and I'm about ready to clock out. Tomorrow, we meet with the Foreign Consulate. Should be interesting...

P.S.: About the camera. I did not pack the USB connection for the camera-to-laptop transfer of photos. I have plenty of photos, just no way to get them onto the laptop themselves. I'll see what I can do to solve the problem. Otherwise, I'm going have to more descriptive about these events...and we all know no one wants to read that!

Good News, Bad News

Good news: I arrived in Ireland safe and sound
Bad news: I forgot to pack the camera-to-laptop connection. I'll see if I can find a way to get pictures onto the laptop, somehow.

Bad news: The flight was 9.5 hours long
Good news: I managed to not go insane on it
Bad news: I only had one and a half hours of sleep
Good news (kinda): I was able to entertain myself for 7 hours

Good news: We're are at hotel room.

Best news I've heard all day: I'm going to get some sleep!

Inauguration

Here's the first post...with absolutely no content! But I plan on uploading pictures as well as keeping short blog posts. Hopefully you all enjoy it!