Life Less Ordinary

When I came home from Mayo, I was only in my apartment for a few hours before getting up and heading back to the airport! I had just enough time to unpack, throw in a load of laundry, repack, make a quick dinner, go to sleep early, and head out again. This morning had two flights in store for me, one from Dublin to London Gatwick and then from London Gatwick to Budapest!

I was nervous about not having enough time to connect in Gatwick and that my bag wouldn't make it there, but I was worried about nothing, because I had plenty of time! I was waiting in line for security in London and looked up to see that Tom was in line in front of me.. perfect! He was my travel companion to Budapest, which worked out really well.

A short flight later, we found ourselves in Hungary! When we had our passports stamped, the customs agent had a lot more to process than she did for most other travelers- we have both been traveling so much that our passports tend to overwhelm the customs agents, but after waiting for my bag, we wandered outside.

We walked to the train station, which was a bit overwhelming. Not surprisingly, neither Tom nor I speak a word of Hungarian (also called Magyar), so we were confused by the train schedule, the tracks, and the currency. Hungary is petitioning to join the EU, so while they still have their own currency (Hungarian Forintz), you can also pay for things in Euro. I took some forintz out of the ATM, but it was still a bit confusing, and I was happy to return to the Euro when I got to Spain.

After abandoning our train to the middle of the city plan, we took the airport shuttle, which dropped us off at our hotel. It was a long day of traveling, and we were both exhausted, so we went to bed really early that night to get ready for a full day of sightseeing!



Budapest is actually two cities split by the Danube River, Buda and Pest. We stayed in Pest, and wandered around it for our first day. We visited the Great Synagogue, which was absolutely beautiful. We learned a lot about Budapest's role in Jewish history and went to a very cool museum with some beautiful artifacts. We also stumbled about St. Michel, a beautiful church that was at one time Dominican! We were very excited to see a piece of PC abroad, and little did we know that it wouldn't be the only Dominican connection we would find in Budapest.

The next day, we wandered around the Buda side of the city. It was absolutely gorgeous- amazing architecture and views of the river, and we climbed up to Buda Castle. I think my favorite thing was Matthias Church. It was breathtaking, every single surface was decorated! After that we grabbed lunch, and had traditional Hungarian food- chicken paprikas and goulash. It was very delicious, and I learned that paprika is a traditional Hungarian spice.



We also found a giant market inside what looked to be an old train station, and had strudel which was so yummy! For our last night, we planned to go to the Faust wine cellar, which is located on the big hill on top of Buda, for dinner. It's actually in the ruins of a Dominican monastery, but once we trekked up there, we discovered it was closed due to a wedding :(. We were bummed out, but ended up actually finding a lovely restaurant on the Danube, and on our way home encountered a jazz band! They were singing in Hungarian, and I'm pretty sure Tom has a video of it. It was a really great trip. It was hard to say goodbye to Tom since I won't see him til July when he comes home from Oxford, but I was excited to be off on my next adventure- visiting Anne in Barcelona!

I loved Budapest, and I'm so excited for my best friend Katie to study there in the fall- there's so much to see, I'd love to go back and explore it some more... maybe I'll go visit her?

My Hometown

So, where did I leave you? In Cork?

Like I said, I absolutely loved everything about Cork. It was a great city, and of course it was so wonderful to see Danielle! I got the train back to Dublin and had my first few minutes to myself since classes were over- ahh. I watched a whole lot of Modern Family online, laid in my bed, and for the first time in so many weeks, I allowed myself to be positively mindless! It was a wonderful break.

Later that night, Kristy came to visit!! She’s been in London all semester, and it was so fun to show her my city. We wandered around the city, shopped a bit, made delicious dinner, and of course went to Queen of Tarts. It was a short visit, but it was grand to spend time with her! She’s actually back in the US now- so weird! I’m one of my only friends left in Europe… it’s a bizarre feeling!

After Kristy left, I had a few days to myself in Dublin. It was good to be home and settled, and I did a lot of laundry and just general wandering around the city. Tom came to visit on Wednesday with his Dad and brother Mark, and it was really wonderful to be with him and get to show him around my version of Hogwarts! We also visited the Dublin writer’s museum, went on a Literary Pub Crawl, and saw St. Stephen’s Green. I had so much fun, but on Friday I left him in Dublin to head out West for Easter!

I got on the Luas, the light rail system in Dublin, (Luas is Irish for “speed”) out to Dundrum to meet my cousin Paula, who picked me up and drove me out to Mayo. It was a beautiful ride, and it was one of those times where I remembered, “oh, I’m in Ireland!” It was so great to have some time in the country and relax with my family!



On Saturday, I went on a bike ride along the coast with my cousin Karen and her new husband Darragh. It was absolutely gorgeous- I felt like I was in a movie the whole time! It was slightly unprepared for how long the ride was- Karen and Darragh forgot to mention that it was an 18 km trail each way, and it was about 2 km to the trail from the bike rental place. We stopped halfway and had a lovely lunch looking out at Achill Island, but boy was I glad to be back in the car and on the way back to Tena and Sean’s house after the trip was over! It ended up being almost a marathon long- good training for my half-marathon, but I found myself sitting on pillows for the next few days, as I wasn’t used to cycling that much.



Sunday morning we got up before dawn for mass at Barnacarroll, the church where everyone in my family has gone to mass forever. Dawn mass was very cool- it was actually completely packed, and Karen, Paula and I found ourselves standing in the back! Afterwards, there was tea and scones outside the church, which was lovely. It would have been even lovelier had it not been cold and rainy, but everyone had great conversation clutching their teacups. It made me think of post-mass bash at PC, and I was happy to be a part of it!



After mass, I went back to sleep for a few hours. We got up and had a lovely, relaxing Easter. Paula and Tena and I went on a drive to go visiting some other relatives I hadn’t seen yet, but no one was home, so we went to Nancy’s house and walked out in the fields to see her new calves- she has two sets of twins! Paula and Tena loved taking pictures of the city girl out in the fields, and while I didn’t want to get too too close to the cows, I had a lot of fun getting back to my roots.

That night we went to Burke’s, an infamous pub in Knock. I had heard so much about it, and had been there once before, but didn’t really remember it. There was a whole big group of us in the back room, and I was treated to several pints and glasses of hot whiskey (my new favorite thing, it’s the most calming drink ever), and I slept very well that Easter night.

The next morning Paula and I got our things together, and after she very graciously printed my boarding passes for my next trip out, we headed back to Dublin. After another short ride on the Luas and walk back, I was home in my apartment- for a few hours. My next adventure began early the next morning!

Never Knew I Needed

So the Wednesday morning my parents left to go home, I also left. I packed a bag really fast, grabbed my iPod and a cab to Heuston Station, and hopped on a train to Cork to visit the famous Danielle!

I have been meaning to visit Danielle since I got to Ireland- she's been out to Dublin so many times but I hadn't made it there yet, and I felt awful about it! She's one of my absolute best friends, and I was so excited to see different parts of her life in Cork that I'd heard so much about. It certainly didn't disappoint. I absolutely loved Cork, and wish I had gone earlier so I could have gone more than once!

Danielle met me at the train station, and we walked into town. We stopped at O'Connail's, an amazing chocolatier that I had heard so much about from Danielle, and I was really happy to get to try it out for myself! I had hot dark chocolate with cayenne pepper... it was DELICIOUS. I hadn't ever had anything like it, but I really like spicy foods, and the cayenne brought out a different flavor in the chocolate. It certainly had a kick to it, but I really liked it. It was awesome to just have time to catch up with Danielle too, since I hadn't seen her in a few weeks.

We then went to her friends' house, where a tea party was happening! We had some delicious tea and cake and scones, and it was fun for me to talk about theatre with other students, and it was interesting to hear the UCC students' reactions to my stories about Trinity. It was a grand night, and we realized that it was 10:00, so we left the girls to their papers and went to Lennox's, a famous chipper in Cork. A chipper, for those of you who aren't acquainted with Irish terminology, is a place where you can essentially get anything deep fried with salt and vinegar, usually specializing in fish and chips. The food was of course delicious, and we were happy to get home and devour it!

I loved meeting Danielle's Irish roommates Maeve and Clionha, and we stayed up late that night talking with Maeve. She's spending the summer in Ocean City Maryland, and I hope I get to see her!

The next day we wandered around Cork, did some shopping, and encountered the Crawford Art Gallery, where a lot of the art I learned about in my art history class came from. It was a beautiful museum, and then Danielle and I ran home so we could make it to the theatre in time- we went to see Julius Caesar at the Granary Theatre, which was very well done, but unfortunately for the performers, the fire alarm went off right after Caesar's death. It was overall a great night though, and I loved seeing UCC's campus that day too- Danielle is so lucky to go to school in such a beautiful place! It really looks like Hogwarts- in a different way from Trinity- but has modern buildings too. It's absolutely gorgeous, and reminded me a lot of an American college campus.

Danielle and I also went to get pizza and gelato from a place in Cork with three of her theatre friends, who were all hilarious and so much fun to hang out with. The pizza/gelato was also delicious might I add, and it was a giggly fun girly day, which was exactly what I needed. We wandered around the English Market, which really reminded me of the Reading Terminal, and had so much beautiful food. If I lived in Cork, I would go shopping there all the time!

Overall, I loved Cork. I had a great time being in a smaller city, and while I didn't realize it, I think being in a giant city for so long was starting to overwhelm me. Every time I traveled it was to another giant city, and I needed something that reminded me of Providence- and Cork was exactly that. I wish I had time to make it back there before I go home... I guess I'll just have to make another trip to Ireland.

I Feel Lucky

So as I mentioned before, my parents came to visit! I was so happy to see them, since I had missed them so much! It was wonderful to have a piece of home in Dublin, and I loved being able to show them around the city.

It was cool to be able to show them where I live, and now when we Skype they can actually picture me in my apartment, since they know what's behind me. They had an awesome apartment that just happened to be right across the street from mine, and it was great to be able to just go over there and hang out with them.

We also got to see a lot of our extended family who came out from Mayo and Meath to see us, which was great! We had awesome dinners and lunches, and got to go up to Skreen Hill to see the ruins of a beautiful old Church. We were just next to the Hills of Tara, where the first Kings of Ireland lived!

We also toured Kilmainham Jail, something that has been on my to-do list for quite a long time. I wish I had done it at the beginning of my time here- I learned so much about Irish history and all the events in Dublin that eventually lead to Irish independence. The good thing about doing it when I did though, was being able to picture the places they talked about so vividly and have a geographical understanding of the revolution.

My Dad's first cousin Sal and her husband Pat took us on a special treat- we went inside the Dail Eireann, our version of Congress. We got to eat in the big government building that I walk by all the time, as well as sit in on question time with the new Taioseach. It was a really cool experience, and I'm so lucky to have had it!

It was hard to say goodbye to my parents, since I really do miss them so much. It was also crazy to think that from the day I said goodbye to them to when I come home was shorter than the whole amount of time I spent in Kenya. I think that's when it really hit me that I will be coming home soon, and looking back on that now it seems like forever ago. My time here is so limited!

Dancing in the Dark

Well, it has been an inexcusably long time since I've posted... I'm so sorry! The past month has been very busy between traveling, visitors, and studying! But I'm now back in Dublin for good until I go home. My days are numbered, and I have so much to do before I leave!

One of those things is to catch you all up on my blog. So, here goes. I have a lot of new posts I've been working on, and I've even uploaded some photos onto my computer. I'll start where I left off: The end of school and Trinity Ball.

The last day of classes for me was absolutely exhausting- probably because I hadn't slept very much two nights before, and not at all the night before. I had three 3,000 word essays due, and I had planned and researched them, so putting all that into words shouldn't have been difficult at all! I work very well under pressure and I'm usually able to churn out a good paper pretty quickly, so I wasn't too worried about it. The thing is, I should have been.

After a lot of hard work, I finally handed in my essays (that's 30 pages), and went to go pick up my tickets for Trinity Ball! My friend Julia and I went and got our hair done, and after grabbing some lunch with our fancy new 'dos, I finally went to sleep. A few hours later, I went and grabbed dinner with my Mom and Dad who were visiting!! It was so good to see them, and I was happy that they got to see me all dressed up (but more about their visit later- they get their own post!). I went back to sleep some more and waited for my friend from PC Kari to arrive- she'd been studying in London and came over to come to Trinity Ball with me!



Now, Trinity Ball is somewhat of a big deal here- it's actually the most exclusive private party in Europe, so it was so cool that I got to go! I got all fancy, grabbed a jacket, and we were on our way to the ball! There were a few different tents with a lot of different performers, and it was cool to hear new bands. My favorite was Jessie J- her voice is incredible, and she brought electrifying energy to the stage. (If you don't know her, check her out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMxX-QOV9tI )

I was at Trinity Ball for only a few hours, but it goes all night- way more than my exhausted body could handle at that point. I headed home early since I was starting to feel sick, but overall I'm so happy I made it there. I had so much fun! I also had a big day the next day- all of our family from Mayo was coming out to Dublin to see us! I finally got some sleep, and started to feel much better.

Did You Get My Message?

Hello everyone!

Things here have been pretty busy, but nothing too out of the ordinary. I have suddenly found myself in my last week of classes...

WHAT?!

I'm finished with two classes as of this morning (woohoo!), and have three essays due Friday (yikes), and then a month off before exams. Three weeks of that month will be filled with wonderful people visiting and traveling to other places throughout Europe (Barcelona is my only definite plan as of right now). Life here has been absolutely insane, and I'm looking forward to that month off to relax and re-energize myself before the last marathon begins.

If I have been ignoring you... I'm sorry! But I'm taking tonight to reply to all the lovely emails and facebook messages I have received, and know that it's not because I don't value your love, it's because I haven't had the time to sit down and write a lovely reply!

So, short but sweet (I hope) post... just saying hello from Dublin!
xo

Born To Run

So last week, after a lot of deliberation, I made a big life decision: I’m going to run a half-marathon. In Providence in August.
My favorite response to my decision has to go to my friend Anne: “you mean like… running?” I know my pure athletic skill and grace make this such a simple task, so I really won’t have to train very hard for it…






… NOT.

I am actually one of the least athletic and least graceful humans alive, but I decided to run a half-marathon. I have been saying for a long time that I want to get in shape, but I wasn’t consistently doing anything about it. I felt that I needed an attainable, tangible, definite goal to reach in order to make an actual difference, so after some googling and research, I found the “Run Rock and Roll” Half-Marathon Series, and their first one in Providence will be August 7th.

I’m starting to train now- which means I’m being extra careful about what I’m eating and drinking, and oh yes, I’m running. Since the only exercise I’ve really gotten since I’ve been here has been walking all over the city, it’s definitely been a struggle, but I make myself run every day. Marissa, one of my best friends here, is a cross-country runner and helps me to motivate myself, so with the combination of her encouragement and my growing discipline and determination, I know I can conquer this challenge. Any tips, suggestions, or support is welcome, and hopefully after a few weeks I will no longer be driving the strugglebus while I’m running, and it will get easier!

Show Me What I'm Looking For

Part of my weekly routine at PC is 10:30 PM mass. Without it, I feel less settled, and I love to go to reflect on my past week and get ready for the week ahead. When I first got to Ireland, I had so many things to think about that I really didn’t make finding a faith community here a priority. Then I started traveling- I was in Oxford one weekend, Belfast the next, then London, Paris, and Brussels, and when I was home in Dublin, I either slept through masses (they’re all really early!), or went to Trinity, where there is a very small community who go every Sunday. So many students go home on the weekend and many don’t feel connected to the Church, so the youth of Ireland (especially at Trinity) are not as active in Campus Ministry as my friends at PC.

I was walking along the Liffey one day recently, and I walked by a Church that advertised a 9 pm mass on Sunday nights. I mentioned it to my roommates, and that Sunday, Marissa and I were off to Adam and Eve’s. I have since learned that it’s a pretty famous Dublin landmark, and it’s really beautiful inside. I like going to mass in the evening, and while it’s no 10:30, it’s really starting to grow on me. Adam and Eve is a Franciscan church, with a Friary right next door. I have heard some very interesting homilies, and Marissa and I have been going twice a week during Lent.

I miss mass at PC and with Dominican Friars, and I know that they are here in Dublin, but I’m sticking to Adam and Eve’s for now. I may adventure over to the North Side for mass on Sunday, where the Dominican parish is, but I’m starting to find a home at Adam and Eve’s.

Exams and lots of giant essays are looming, and I know I’ll be feeling the stress pretty soon- I’m glad I have found a place where I feel comfortable and that I look forward to going back to. I still have two months left here, and I think that Adam and Eve’s will be a big part of that time!

Wordplay

One thing I can’t help but notice is how beautiful the language of the Irish people is. I’m not just talking about the Irish language, which is really cool but absolutely boggles my mind, but the way that the Irish people speak. I have noticed it in my classes among my lecturers and classmates, and I have noticed it in little pieces among my American friends and myself- we have all started to pick up little Irishisms!

The biggest thing you notice when you’re here is the lilt and inflection that Irish people use- it’s really hard to describe other than to imitate, but it is so easy to listen to and it keeps you very engaged. A big thing to do with inflection is when you ask a question, and at first we made fun of Kristen for picking it up, but I’ve noticed that I have started to do it too. I know this isn’t very helpful to you since I’m not being very descriptive, but while they say the same words we would, it has a completely different sound, and it’s not just the accent. “Did he pass his test?” in the US would usually imply the pitch of the voice going up a bit on the word exam, but in Ireland, it’s “DID hepasshistest?” and you can still understand it.

The way that vowels are shaped are different from American English, and especially in the beginning, we found ourselves trying to mimic the sound when someone spoke to us, often right to the Irish person’s face. I still try to mimic it in my head, but I encounter so many different accents over the course of the day, I don’t retain much.

I like to think that I know my way around a brogue- my Dad and I sometimes speak to each other in brogues at home (to the delight of many of my friends), but I feel like my brogue here has just become confused! The brogue I’m familiar with is from Co. Mayo, while the ones I hear here are from Dublin, Cork, Derry, Galway, and many other places, since so many students from all over Ireland come to Trinity to study. I think that once I get home I’ll be able to sort it out, but I’m not very good at it while I’m here.

Other than the accent that is so different, the word choices of so many people make the language so beautifully poetic. You can see it in the work of Joyce and Yeats, but you can also hear it talking to anyone. I always get a kick out of my classmates when they say that one play is “loads better” than another- not “much better” or “a lot better.” People from the West sometimes say “ye” instead of “you” (Danielle and I love this and use it in BBM all the time). Irish use “like” almost as much if not more than Americans, and it’s “em” instead of “um.” A period at the end of a sentence is a “full stop,” and they call eggplants and zucchini “courgette” and “aubergine.”

My favorite quote in the Guinness Factory Storehouse is “THERE’S POETRY IN A PINT OF GUINNESS,” and I couldn’t agree more. I also find poetry in a good cup of tea on a cold day. Between Guinness, tea, and language, I’m surrounded by poetry every day.

St. Patrick's Day

Well, I’m not going to lie: being in Dublin on St. Patrick’s Day was pretty cool. I had heard from so many people that it wouldn’t be a big deal here, and that yeah, people go to mass and that’s about it. I remember when my cousins came to the parade in Manhattan, they were surprised by the big celebration, and told us that it was different from home.
It was definitely a different experience than home, but it was a big deal in the city! A lot of the people who were out in all the green and obnoxious shamrock attire were definitely tourists, but over the course of the day we definitely encountered a lot of Irish people as well, especially at the St. Patrick’s Day parade.

The parade was nothing like any American St. Patrick’s Day parade I’ve ever been in or seen, and it honestly reminded me more of a Mardi Gras parade than anything. There were beautiful floats and giant puppets that reminded me of a parade in Disney, and some of them had great bands playing on them as well. The music wasn’t all traditional though, a lot of it was just contemporary Dublin music. There was dancing, but not Irish Step like we have in our parades- it was more like ballet or jazz than anything else. A lot people were clowns and mimes too- a cool but surprising experience.
I had a lot of visitors for the day/weekend, as you can imagine. Danielle came out from Cork with Keely, who was visiting from PC. Brittany, an NDA friend, brought her friend Sarah from St. Andrew’s in Scotland, and they actually arrived the evening of St. Patrick’s Day. We went to a few different pubs over the course of the day, stopping back at my apartment in between to rest and just sit down for a little bit! The city was so crowded, so it was a bit overwhelming at times to be out and about. I have never seen so many people on Grafton Street, it was almost impossible to walk down it! Overall, it was a fun but rather chaotic day. Most Dubliners leave for St. Patrick’s Day, and I don’t blame them! It’s crowded and packed with tourists, and if you don’t have a flat right on the parade route or have plans to go to a party in someone else’s flat, it’s hard to celebrate!
The next day, I had a lot of work to get done, so Brittany and Sarah hung out with Beanie for the day and Danielle and Keely went adventuring on their own. I heard from them that the Guinness factory line was around the corner, as was Jameson, and I experienced the Patty’s aftermath when I tried to walk through front square at Trinity to get to the library- it was completely full of people wandering around the campus, and the line to see the Book of Kells was outrageous! I was happy to get into the library where tourists are not allowed, and I had a very productive afternoon.
That week felt like one giant vacation- St. Patrick’s Day is both a national holiday and a holy day of obligation in Ireland, and I only have one class on Friday, so it was a little weird to go back to school on Monday afterwards! It was, however, so nice to return to some kind of routine and regularity!

Patty’s was almost 2 weeks ago, which I can’t believe-I still feel like I’m recovering, honestly. It’s week 11 of the semester (out of 12!!), and my sophister level classes ended on Friday, that’s 3 out of 6 done! Today I finish my 4th, Art in Ireland, leaving me with 2 more classes to attend for the next two weeks. Sophister level classes are 3rd and 4th year classes, so what we call an “upperclassman,” Trinity calls a “sophister.” Personally, I like sophister better… I feel far more sophisticated. (Just made a vocab connection… sophister, sophisticated… Latin roots, anyone?). I have the extra time these two weeks not to bask in the sun (that’s right- Dublin is actually SUNNY), but to work on my essays! I have three 3,000 word essays due on April 8th, the last day of term. I have started two of them, and I hope to have drafts of all three finished by the end of the week. It’s nice to have more time to focus on schoolwork, but that means that I’ll be practically living out of the library this week.
This past weekend, Lauren and Kara came over from the US with Lauren’s grandmother, and Kaitlin and Anne came from London and Barcelona! We stayed in the Shelbourne, a lovely hotel on Stephen’s Green, and made a visit out to Newgrange to see a burial site/winter solstice marker that is older than the pyramids! I learned a lot about ancient Ireland, and it was SO good to see my ND friends ☺.

I come home exactly two months from today. Sometimes, that seems like a really long time, but other times, it seems so fast! I remember when I realized I had already been here for two months, and that seems like forever ago, but it also seemed like I had just gotten here… it actually still does. So, see you in two months, unless you’re one of the many coming to visit within the next few weeks! My parents will be here in about 10 days (YAY! I’m so excited to see them, this is the longest I’ve ever been away from them), and I’ll also have visits from 3 friends currently studying in England: Kari, Kristy, and Tom. I’ll keep you updated now that I have a bit more free time!

Until later,
Julia

Ca Marche

So, yes, I promise, I am still alive! So sorry for all the delay- between geology tests, two essays, and a very long trip, I have been SO busy! I am now safely home in Dublin and will be for a while now, but I am expecting an awesome crew of visitors in the next few weeks, which will be awesome.

As Maria from the Sound of Music says, let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start. Two weekends ago, I grabbed my bag after class and yet again made my way to the airport via aircoach, this time to London! I landed at Gatwick and took a train to Farringdon Station, where I met Kaitlin and Anne, two NDA classmates. Kaitlin is studing in London for the semester at City University, and Anne is in Barcelona, but she was also visiting for the weekend! We dropped my bag off in Kaitlin's room and then hopped on the Tube down to the London Eye, which was absolutely breathtaking to do at night. It was so cool to have the whole city lit up in front of us, and a great introduction to London. Then we went to grab some fish and chips for dinner at a pub that was Sherlock Holmes-themed, and after heading back to Kaitlin's apartment for a bit we went and met Kristy (another NDA girl in London!) at a karaoke bar, which was a lot of fun. Kaitlin and Anne were great- at one point they took over the mics completely (right out of the two theatre majors' hands) to finish up Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody." We also sang a fine rendition of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from the Lion King, and had quite a lot of fun in the process. Afterwards, Kaitlin took us to Tinseltown, an American-style diner where we had really delicious food, not to mention Kinder Bueno (an AMAZING candy bar that is all over Europe but so hard to find in the US) milkshakes- YUM. Saturday we walked all over the city of London and saw so much, which was great! We went to Kensington Palace, spent a lot of time in Westminster Abbey, and ate at Pret-a-Manger, which are delicious and all over London. That afternoon we went to Portobello market, an awesome really long street with everything that you could ever want, for pretty reasonable prices. We had awesome crepes and Kaitlin and I got matching purses that are so great for traveling- and were only 10 pounds each! That night we just kind of hung out in Kaitlin's room since we were so tired, and the next morning we got up to meet Kristy again for a treat that none of us had been able to have in a while but were all craving- Bagels! We went to Brick Lane, a section of London that is highly populated by Bangladeshi people and has an awesome food market on Sundays, where we saw so many amazing ethnic foods and cool clothes, but kept pushing through to find our bagels. For 1 pound I had a delicious bagel with cream cheese, and then we wandered around for a while, got coffee, and said goodbye to Kristy. Anne, Kaitlin and I went down to Buckingham palace, took some photos, and ran back to Kaitlin's room for me to grab my bag and get on my way. It was an all around amazing experience, but altogether too short, and I will definitely have to go back to London!

The next weekend I was here in Dublin, but I stayed around in order to work on essays- that week was our reading week, and I had two essays due today that were a very big part of my grade, so I wanted to make sure I got them done! Nam and Kristen were both on their own adventures in Spain, leaving me by myself in the apartment, and though it sounds lonely it was actually really nice to be on my own for a little! I went to a farmer's market and had Queen of Tarts breakfast with my friend Sarah, cooked for myself, did all my laundry, and caught up on American TV. Very peaceful! Tuesday morning, however, was a different story.

After packing (overpacking), watching the rebroadcast of the Oscars (thanks for alerting me of that Danielle!), and scrambling around the apartment trying to get everything together, I made it to bed around 11:45, only to have my alarm go off at a painful 3:45 am. I felt like my head had only just hit the pillow, but I somehow forced myself to get up and get moving, and by 4:15 I was up, dressed, and out the door with my bag on the way to the bus. Once boarding a 6 am plane to Paris (and losing to Ryanair- my bag did not fit their ridiculously tiny restrictions, therefore I had to check it at the gate and pay a lot of Euro), I finally slept again. I landed at Paris Beauvais airport (another reason not to fly Ryanair- Beauvais is about an hour outside of the city), hopped on a bus and slept some more, waking up in Paris! I negotiated the metro on my own, took two different trains, got off and found my hostel!

After so many hours of traveling, all I wanted was a cat nap, but unfortunately I couldn't check in for another few hours. I left my luggage at the hostel, grabbed a demi-baguette from the boulangerie on the corner, and hopped back on the metro headed for the Musee D'Orsay! I had been there before, but it was so nice to go back- I saw so much amazing impressionist work, and the museum itself, which used to be a train station, was breathtaking. I finally surrendered to my body, which was aching for sleep, and wandered back to the hostel. I woke up and grabbed some dinner, and when I got back to my room, Nam was there! We planned our next day and I was quite happy to get a good night's rest.

The next morning we woke up a little late (we were both exhausted!), but grabbed a metro to Montmartre and had some brunch on the steps of Sacre Coeur, one of the most beautiful places in Paris. I had a baguette with brie and tomato on it- SO delicious. That's one of my favorite snacks at home, but to have it on a fresh baguette with delicious French cheese was nothing like my recreations in the states. We then took a metro to the Place de St. Michel, a beautiful fountain of St. Michael, which is right near Notre Dame. From there we took an awesome free walking tour of the city. It was 3 1/2 hours long, but our tour guide Bryan was awesome! He was funny and made both pop-culture and historical references throughout the tour, and after it was done, he offered to extend the tour to those who were interested. We were, so we got to see more places and have some amazing dinner with fellow young travelers. I had some delicious quiche Lorraine, and it was very reasonably priced. Bryan gave us suggestions for where to find great falafel in Marais (that my friend Mary Emily who had studied abroad in Paris had already suggested, so I knew it was a must) and where to have some good duck. That was a Wednesday, so the Louvre was open late. Naturally, I dragged Nam there right away, and we stayed until it closed. It was so cool to be there at night- it gave the whole museum a different feeling, and I was happy to just plop myself down in front of David's famous painting Napoleon's Coronation (at this point he has already crowned himself and is crowning Josephine) for almost 30 minutes, trying to remember everything I learned about it in AP Art History and using every option on the audio guide.

The next day, Nam and I went back to some of the places we had seen on the walking tour- it had been a great introduction to Paris, and we saw a lot, but we didn't get to experience a lot. First we went to Notre Dame, which was absolutely amazing. I loved having so much time to wander around and take it all in, and it was so cool to experience mass there. Nam, who's not Catholic, said he felt really at peace in the Cathedral. After our time there, we went to this amazing AMAZING amazing falafel place in Marais, where we kept talking about Notre Dame (and how delicious the falafel was). We both agreed that it's a very comforting, peaceful place, which might be surprising since it's so big and could be intimidating!

After falafel that Nam and I still dream about, we went to the Eiffel Tower. walked around/under it for a while, but since it was so cold and would take so much time (and money...), we didn't go up to the top. Had I not already been up there, I would have definitely done it, but I was freezing on the ground and we had a lot to see that day! We wandered over to Sainte Chapelle (amazing), and then Nam went to go meet one of his friends who's studying in Paris for the semester and I went back to the Louvre. I saw the Napoleon III apartments, wandered through sculpture galleries, saw La Liberte, and for the first time I really saw the Louvre as a palace, which is what it was originally used for. I of course got wildly lost inside, and was there until it closed again. I then got back on the metro to meet Nam for dinner, where we had AMAZING duck, potatoes, baguette, and wine... and of course, a street crepe on the way home.

Overall, Paris was wonderful. Amazing food, amazing art, and I was so so happy to be able to practice my French! I was able to get us around the city pretty well, and I was able to explain to the ticket offices in museums that I counted as an EU student even though I didn't need a visa to study in Ireland, so I could get free admission into both the Louvre and the Musee D'Orsay!

The next morning I got up and made my way to Gare du Nord after stopping at the corner boulangerie one more time for pain au chocolat, which is like a croissant with chocolate in the middle- I remember Mlle. Stine telling us about her love for it in French class, and it was the best breakfast ever. I also grabbed another sandwich (goat cheese and tomato, yum) for the train ride to Brussels! The train was so nice, and it was amazing riding through the French and Belgian countryside. It was only an hour and a half on the train- nice to get some reading done! I got off in Brussels, where there was a public transport strike, and after a bit of confusion and having to go into the tourism office a few times (do you have a map?... could you show me where to go on the map?... which door should I leave through?), I braced myself to wander through an entirely new city.

I will update about my next adventure in another post, as this one is already so long! I know I have a lot to catch you up on, and I'm sorry it's been so delayed- I promise the next one will be soon!
Catch me up on what you've been doing too! Obviously, traveling has been wonderful, but I miss home too!
xox

Line 'Em Up

Walking down the street in Dublin, I'm constantly seeing signs for the upcoming elections in Ireland for the new Taioseach(pronounced tea shock) of Ireland,who from what I can gather is the prime minister/head of government in Ireland. They have a president too, but the Taioseach has more power, and due to the economic problems that Ireland is having, the one who was in power when I got here resigned.

The elections will be in about 2 weeks, and every day the political advertising gets more intense. It's different from our elections, though- no ads blasting the other candidates (I actually haven't seen any commercials at all, but I also don't really watch much TV), and the posters look like they could be ads for Glee: they're very bright and colorful, and usually just giant closeups of the candidates' faces. I happen to live almost right next door to one of the head offices of the Labour party, which may be why I see so much advertising, but it seems to follow me everywhere I go!

It's also a very political time on campus at Trinity- Students Union elections are fast approaching, and campaigning here is nothing like it is at PC for a spot on congress. Candidates have printed brochures called manifestos that look like US senators' campaign materials, t-shirts for their campaigners, and catchy slogans. In the beginning of big lectures, candidates come in to speak about why we should vote for them, and the plans they have for next year. Last week I couldn't walk through the Arts Block (student center) without being bombarded by students in colorful t-shirts handing me manifestos, but this week they have stepped up their game. I have only been on campus for about 20 minutes, and I've already seen a candidate wearing a suit and tie walking around linked arms to about 10 girls wearing his t-shirt handing out flowers for Valentine's Day (it was hilarious, I felt like I was watching The Bachelor), and two guys walking around as a polar bear and the Easter bunny wearing Chris O'Connell t-shirts. No idea why big white fluffy animals have anything to do with his campaign, but I'm not asking questions.

Another part of the upcoming elections in Trinity are for the new provost- the students and faculty get to vote for who they want to hold the job! It would be like the PC community coming together collectively to pick the new president of the college- and he or she would have a set term of office. I really like the idea, especially because the institution as a whole has an active stake in its future and what the people who are a part of Trinity want it to be. I am still unsure if I'm allowed to vote in the TCD elections, but I'm hoping to find out soon!

On a less political note, late Happy Valentine's Day! I celebrated by having a lovely Queen of Tarts brunch on my way to school and having family dinner with my friends in our apartment.
xo Julia

Photo Update

Hello everyone! Just thought I would add some photos now that my computer and camera have decided to cooperate :).



This is a shot of the peace wall I talked about, which stretches for about 3 miles.





There I am signing the wall!



my favorite part of the wall: "forget catholic, forget protestant, we are one human race."




Oliver Cromwell memorial mural on the Protestant side of Belfast


... hope these helped! I have a bunch more photos that i'll try to upload soon! Happy Sunday evening!
xo Julia

Not Ready to Make Nice

This weekend in Belfast was quite an adventure! I saw and learned a lot of Irish history, and got to catch up with a few friends who aren't in Dublin, as well as meet new people!

I took a bus up to Belfast by myself on Friday afternoon, when everyone else had already been in Belfast for a whole day, because I had a tutorial Thursday night and a class Friday morning that I needed to go to. I made it to the bus station without getting lost or asking for directions, though I did manage to get splashed when someone drove through a puddle on the side... I actually got pretty wet, and as Kristen says, I thought that only happened in movies. Worst part was, I was across the street from the bus station- so close! I shook off and went over to buy a ticket, got on the bus, and two and a half hours later I was in Belfast! I met up with the group at our hotel, and we had dinner and went to the pub for a few pints.

We found an awesome place for dinner- a pint and a burger were 5 pounds, and then we went to a pub right across the street from the hotel to hear some great Irish music. I met up with Danielle (of course), and Kevin Brawley, another PC student studying in Ireland this semester. He's at Galway for now, but just found out he'll also be a Fr. Smith Fellow this summer in Kisumu- I am so excited for the four new Smith fellows, but I'm also so jealous! I am obviously having a great time in Dublin, but I do ache for Africa sometimes... I know I'll be back one day, but I'm dying to make that day soon! We went to hear a great live band and had good conversations with three guys from Belfast, and that's where I learned how different the accents are all across Ireland. It's something I knew just based on hearing my family from Mayo and my Dublin-based professors and friends here, but man, the accent from the north was tough! I think it also had something to do with the fact that we were in a loud pub, but I had a really hard time understanding what the guys were saying!

It happens frequently when we go out that Irish people start asking us about the US (where we're from, who they know in Philadelphia, why we wanted to study in Ireland, isn't Trinity hard?, etc), and it was no different in Belfast. This group of three guys had all been to Philadelphia- and not only Philadelphia, but Havertown! One asked me if I knew where Barnaby's was (which is about a mile away from my house), and said he had many friends who go there frequently. The world is pretty small!

Saturday morning after getting up for brunch, we went on Black Taxi tours of Belfast. During the troubles, the IRA brought black taxis into Belfast for Catholics to get to work that cost 1 pound each way, regardless of where you're going. They're still in existence (though I'm pretty sure it costs more than 1 pound), and a lot of them are used to give tours. We went all over the city and saw lots of different murals and places that were significant during the troubles.

There is a "peace wall" throughout all of West Belfast- it separates the Catholic and Protestant communities to this day. It's 45 feet tall, and there are gates throughout it that are closed at 6pm every night. Our tour guide said that people often compare it to the Berlin wall, but it's different because that "was built to keep people in against their will. This was built to keep people out at the will of the people." Many famous people- including the Dalai Lama- have signed the wall, asking for it to peacefully come down. There was a survey of people in Belfast about the wall, and those who don't live near the wall think it's time for it to come down, but those who do absolutely want it to stay up so that they feel safe. Our tour guides seem to honestly think it will come down within the next 20 years, because they say the future is in the children- they go to more integrated schools and see the need for change, and it's up to them to take that wall down. The people who live on the Catholic side of the wall are only about 5 meters away from it, and have built what look like big cages on the back of their houses to protect themselves, because people still throw rocks and bottles over it at the Catholic houses. When we started on the Protestant side, we saw murals dedicated to "heroes," one being a man who had shot and killed 16 Catholics randomly. Another mural depicted a man with a gun that followed you wherever you went- from whichever direction you looked at the mural, the barrel of the gun followed you. It was very unsettling and very eye-opening.

We also had the opportunity to sign the wall. People write song lyrics or inspirational quotes, and as I was trying to figure out just what to say, I looked down at my phone, and saw the picture that is my background- the legacy my Practicum class left on the wall in the Feinstein community room. Our quote is from the director of the Feinstein Institute, Ray Sickinger, and it says "it is amazing how differently we think, but how one in purpose we are." I couldn't think of a better message of peace to leave, so I wrote it next to my name- once I have my photos uploaded, I will post them!

Once we got back to the hotel, we wandered around the slips where the Titanic was built and left from, had some delicious cupcakes, and went to dinner at Pizza Express- a delicious place that Tom and Kate had tried to take us in Oxford but was full, so Danielle and I dragged her roommate Dani and my friend Julia there to have a delicious dinner! We then went back to the hotel and had a relaxing night in, as we had to get up really early this morning to get the bus back home. I'm already back in Dublin and it's only 1:30, which is really nice. I have the afternoon to get myself together and watch the Rugby game between Ireland and France, which is part of the Six Nations Rugby tournament.

It was a very interesting weekend overall- I had no idea how much tension still exists, and I was happy to return to Dublin. Busy week of school ahead, and then off to London next weekend! I hope all is well wherever this Sunday morning finds you, and I hope to hear from you soon!

Love,
Julia

I Take My Chances

I can't believe it's the end of another week... didn't I just get home from Oxford? How am I already packing for Belfast?! This week of classes has been very busy but good... work is starting to pick up, and as I start to get into a routine I feel like I'm actually going to school here. This was the first week where nothing out-of-the-ordinary happened, and I found it a little harder to be motivated school-wise, so I'm looking forward to getting away for a few days and taking my mind off of it so I can start new on Monday :).

I am still loving my American Drama class, though! I wake up on Thursday mornings looking forward to it. Today we covered Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams- big names in American Drama. We had a really interesting conversation about the American Dream- what is it, who is it for, and how has it changed? It was cool to talk about it in such an international setting- half of us are American, 4 students are Irish, and 1 is British. Sometimes I feel intimidated by everyone in the class- everyone speaks so eloquently and makes such interesting topics that I forget to contribute and just listen to everyone else! I am definitely getting better at it though- I have some background with Death of a Salesman from freshman year when I did a script analysis of it, so I felt better prepared for the conversation. I think I like the class because it's small, and we know each other by name. Most of my classes aren't like that here, and it's nice to have something that reminds me of classes from home, even if it is more challenging! I know my writing and analysis skills will improve from the class, which will be most useful for senior year.

This afternoon I started to seriously look at a calendar to plan some more trips- and was astonished by how little time I seem to have left! I know I've only been here a month, but if I look at it by weekend, I have a lot planned and the end of May doesn't seem far away at all. It was a little crazy today to look at a map of the world and say okay, where can I go? I just booked three days in Paris during my study week, where my roommate Nam and I will stay in a hostel together and go adventuring throughout the city, and then I'll take a train from Paris to Brussels to meet up with my NDA friends. I am still trying to figure out when I'll go to Cork to visit Danielle, when I'll get to Mayo to see my family, and when I'll go to Spain to visit my friends there. I have thought about going to Rome for Easter again (I was lucky enough to go with my family in high school), but I'm not sure where else to go! Who has suggestions? I'd love to hear them :).

Along with the rest of the world, I just watched President Mubarak's speech to the country and the world. I watched it on BBC, and I can't believe that the newsanchors are talking about what President Obama says-- I feel like I can't escape American media! They aren't saying anything about the British government's reaction, but are "waiting to see what Obama will say." I have found that America is mentioned so frequently- in most of my classes it's mentioned every class, even my Theatre in Ireland class. I am so very impressed by the Irish students' knowledge of American politics, and wish I was as worldly educated as they are!

So, off to the North tomorrow, then London next weekend! Let me know where else you think I should go-- I'm looking to go to places that are fairly inexpensive and aren't exactly #1 tourist destinations... I like to wander off the beaten path :). Of course I won't turn down anywhere that is a popular destination, but I want to hear suggestions!

I hope you are having a wonderful day wherever you are... thanks for reading!
Julia

So Magical

I had a very busy Monday, so apologies on the delayed post. I had some homework to catch up on, and was in the library for the entire afternoon-- but my weekend in Oxford was absolutely worth it. Danielle arrived Thursday night, and Friday morning after my early class, she met me at Trinity and off we went to the airport! There is a bus that is six euro each way to/from Dublin airport that picks up right near TCD, and we got to the airport in about 30 minutes. Aircoach dropped us off right at our terminal, where we got ready to go through security.

I like to think of myself as an experienced air traveler- I fly to/from Providence all the time, and in the past year I've been getting on and off quite a few planes. I was all prepared- passport and boarding pass out, I wore "soft clothes" as our friend Mary Lou says one always should while traveling in the air (no odd metal accessories), and I had all my liquids in the proper sized plastic baggie. I got to the inspection at the first part of security, and all the guard needed to see was my boarding pass... easier than the US, okay... next step metal detector. I had to take off my shoes since I was wearing boots, but had I been wearing flats they could have stayed on. I took out my baggie of liquids, pushed all my bags through, and breezed through the metal detector as I usually do

... and it beeped. I was wearing a skirt and sweater and tights- all soft things!! I was wanded and nothing beeped, I walked through again and it went off--- experienced air traveler fail. The double beep is like the ultimate faux pas, the thing that we frequent fliers absolutely detest having to deal with. It's enough for someone to beep once and hold up the line, but TWICE? I was properly mortified, and didn't know what to do- I couldn't think of why I was beeping! Then it hit me- and the security guard- at the same time: my headband. I was wearing a very fashionable headband with a rhinestone bow that my mom got me for Christmas, and it must have been made of metal. I took it off, walked through, and was finally on my way to Heathrow.

Danielle and I were the typical American travelers. We got to our gate at 12 for a 2:30 flight, not because we really had to, but because we wanted to make sure we had enough time. Of course we were excessively early (and I had gotten up very early to finish packing so I was very tired by this point), but we chatted and people-watched (man in a kilt! still hilarious!), and talked to our parents as they woke up 5 hours behind us. Finally we boarded our flight (the only time we were asked for our passports!) and arrived at Heathrow!

I was so excited to get my passport stamped- all I have in this passport are the stamps from entering Ireland and my Kenyan visa- and we walked through "customs," which was a desk that was labeled as such but no one was sitting there. We kept walking, thinking that maybe there would be someone there to stamp it, but no such luck. I was upset to the point that I really just wanted to ask someone British to draw a picture on one of the pages, but I am pretty sure that's illegal, so I sucked it up and hoped for something on the way home.

We found our way through the CITY that is Heathrow to an ATM, almost cried at the exchange rate, and then hopped on an underground train to another terminal (which we did run through the airport to catch- no trip is complete without running through an airport at some point) to catch the bus to Oxford. We had to take an elevator (ahem, I mean lift) to get to the bus bay that reminded us of what the elevator in the Ministry of Magic in Harry Potter was supposed to be like, and were very happy to be in England. We bought our bus tickets, stopped at Marks and Spencer to get some snacks for the bus ride, found the bus, and sat.

Now, the bus ride was probably the most adventurous part of the trip. We were leaving Heathrow around 5:30 pm on a Friday, and the bus was stick-shift. Traffic + manual transmission + day of traveling - sleep = I was very happy to be on solid ground when we arrived! We were of course the last stop in Oxford, and driving through the town our jaws dropped... Trinity and Dublin are amazing, but I'm still not convinced that Oxford is a real place. I think it's actually a fairy tale. All the architecture was incredible and old and beautiful, and it was amazing to see how integrated the university is with the town. There are 40 colleges at Oxford, and we visited a few while we were there, but we Americans really have no idea what the term "college town" means.



Finally, we arrived at Gloucester Green, and we were so excited to see Tom and Kate! They came to meet us at the bus station and walked us back to their houses (which are connected), where we dropped our stuff and then went to get some dinner. We went to the Eagle and Child pub, where the Inklings (C.S. Lewis and Tolkien among them) used to meet and discuss. We caught up on their new lives at Oxford and started to fill them in about PC things they had missed, and then went back to Blackfriars Hall, their college. We hung out in the JCR (Junior Common Room... Feinsteiners, think community room), went back to the houses, and eventually after meeting a bunch of other Blackfriars students we made our way to a pub called Bookbinders. It was very cool, and very different from Dublin pubs! Much smaller and more low-key, and they even had board games, which we of course took advantage of (I learned that Balderdash is a great pub game).


It had been a long day of traveling, and we went to sleep not long after getting back from the pub. We got up the next morning to go to brunch at Saint Benet's College, the only remaining single-sex college, which is all-boys. We had parts of a traditional English breakfast, and were on our way to do some sightseeing. We walked over Oxford, and visited lots of colleges and libraries. We saw Balliol College, the Bodleian library, Magdalen (pronounced Maudlen) College, Oriole College, and Christ Church College, which is where Harry Potter was filmed!

We walked up the "front staircase" towards the great hall, and who do we run into but Kaitlin Smith, one of my best friends from Notre Dame who is studying in London for the semester! It was very appropriate to encounter her at Hogwarts, and after freaking out that we were actually there, we took a lot of pictures. We also wandered through Christ Church Meadow and Magdalen deer park, and while we didn't spot any deer, we did see a pheasant! I was excited, but Tom told me it was a fairly average animal- I took a photo for my dad anyway.



After a quick tea stop, we went to St. Mary's Church and climbed the tower, where you can see all of Oxford! It was absolutely beautiful, and I got some great photos at the top. The architecture in all the churches and colleges in Oxford is absolutely breathtaking, and I tried to get as many photos of it as I could (with the help of Tom, who really enjoyed taking gargoyle pictures on my camera). After our day of sightseeing, we went back to the JCR and played an excellent new card game that Kate's boyfriend Brogan taught us, and got ready for the rest of our night.

A whole group of us went to The Mitre, another pub, for dinner. It was a lot of fun (great craic if it had been in Ireland), and then we went over to the Jericho Tavern to see a swing jazz band. They were really awesome and we had so much fun dancing! That night we slept very well- lots of walking and dancing to put us to sleep. We woke up early the next morning and went to mass at Blackfriars, which was such a treat! I was so happy to go to a mass with Dominicans, especially since I haven't really found a church home yet here. I met a few of the friars after, and they were so kind. It felt very good to have my little PC away from home, especially since I've been here officially for a month!

It was hard to say goodbye to Oxford, but we had to catch a 12 o'clock bus to Heathrow in order to make our flight back to Dublin. Our flight actually ended up being fairly delayed, but we explored parts of Heathrow, and finally made it safely back to Dublin! Unfortunately, Danielle just missed the last bus back to Cork, so she stayed with me another night and got to watch the superbowl with our crew here. BBC commentary wasn't exactly the same, and we didn't get to see the commercials OR the episode of Glee that was on after, but I'll just have to watch them online.

All in all, it was an awesome weekend. I am looking forward to Belfast next weekend and London the weekend after, but this was a great first trip while in Dublin! From pubs to mass to dancing, I had a blast, and I am hoping that I may be able to make it back to Oxford before I go home!

Today is jam-packed for me: another full day at the library! Hope all is well wherever you are!
Love and prayers,
Julia

When You're Home

Just thought I'd drop another post before I head on my first travel adventure this weekend :). This week was a busy one in terms of class, and I feel like I practically live in the library, but I am still having fun!! It's Thursday afternoon and I'm officially done with all my homework for the week, and I successfully presented in class today for the first time in Ireland!

In my American Drama class, (my favorite class...) we each take turns presenting on various plays that we're assigned to read for each week. Generally it's two plays a week, which would mean that two people present each class. Today's plays were Eugene O'Neill's The Emperor Jones, and Clifford Odets' Awake and Sing! I chose the Odets play because I felt that I was familiar with him, having been in a production of one of his other plays, Waiting for Lefty, my freshman year at PC. It was helpful to have some background on him and on the Group Theatre while presenting, and I feel that I made the PC Theatre Department (especially John Garrity!) proud. I lead the class in discussion for an hour, and it was interesting the whole time. American Drama is my smallest class, and I really like all the students in it. I am actually going to present again to the class later on in the semester, and I feel like my second one will be a thousand times better since I already have one under my belt.

Last night, Nam, Julia (other Julia), and I began what will become a weekly tradition: movie Wednesdays. There is a cinema right next to TCD with awesome student rates-- two for 6,50! We saw The King's Speech, which I would highly recommend if you haven't seen it yet. Wednesdays are tough for me, as I have a lot of classes back to back, so it was nice to have something to look forward to! Also, Irish movie theatres are WARM! I always bring a sweater when I'm going to the movies in the US because it's usually FREEZING, but I was very comfortable last night. I was very excited by this-- I am very easily amused, as Nam and Julia pointed out to me, but let's just say I appreciate the little things in life :).

Like I mentioned before, I'm off to Oxford this weekend!!! Danielle will get in tonight so we can travel together tomorrow, and I'm really excited. I absolutely love living in Dublin, but I think I'm starting to get a little bit jaded. Walking through Front Gate this afternoon, the initial "do I really go here?!" shock wasn't there... I am used to walking past ancient buildings and through a massive campus that really does look like Hogwarts in the middle of a giant city. I walked right past the Book of Kells today in the library without even stopping, and I think that means I am officially a Trinity student. I'm excited to go to England and come home again to Dublin... because I do consider my flat to be a home away from home. I'm starting to refer to it as "home" instead of "the apartment" in my texts, and I actually feel very comfortable there.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, wherever you are, and enjoy the superbowl! I'll be watching it here... I love not having class til 1 on Mondays :).

Dig A Little Deeper

As this Monday comes to an end, I am wrapped in my big sweater on the couch... with lots of sociology and american drama reading ahead of me! I actually picked up a 6th class in order to make the transfer of credits go smoother, so I'm a bit busier than the average TCD student, but this isn't really that new for me considering the fact that at PC I am just running all over the place all the time! I'm taking Art in Ireland, which is really interesting and not a ton of work. It's good to learn about while I'm here, and even after one class I noticed different things walking home from class.

I had my first tutorial experience this past week, which reminded me of Civ Seminar at PC. We had an assigned reading, and our TA Paul lead us in a discussion. We did work in groups and shared our opinions on the subject, which for this week was about how to rejuvenate formerly industrialized regions. That's what we had been discussing in lecture the past week, and my professor brought up the subject of Detroit. He compared formerly industrial cities in the US and in Europe, and his thoughts on the American response to the financial crisis in Detroit were very interesting to hear, but I disagreed with him. During tutorial, TA Paul asked my thoughts (I'm the only American in my tutorial), and we had a good conversation and I think I offered an opinion very different from that of my lecturer.

My European Societies class (the one mentioned above) is a lot of work, but I am learning a lot from it. The beginning of the class was very economically focused, which is very different than anything else I've ever studied, and it got me thinking about money. My professor mentioned something to the point of the transfer of money internationally, but that it isn't actual cash being transfered. A number somewhere in electronic limbo increases or decreases. It got me thinking about money, and how we value so much in our lives based on this unattainable number-- it blows my mind a little bit, actually. Who decides where that number is stored? How is it magically changed so that everyone (other banks, creditors, investors, etc) can see it? Things to consider...

Speaking of money decreasing, I booked a few trips last week!! This weekend I'm headed to Oxford with Danielle to see Tom and Kate, two very good PC friends of ours who have been at Oxford since October. I can't wait to see them! The next weekend I'm heading to Belfast with my program, and the weekend after I'll be in London to visit Kaitlin and Kristy, ND friends :). We also have a trip in the works to go visit Namur, Belgium, where St. Julie Billiart is from, and I think I may go to Paris for a few days beforehand in order to fall in love with the city again and live in the Louvre. I'm waiting to book because my Dad is coming to visit and I'm not quite sure of the exact dates, but I'm so excited to see him!!!

This weekend my friend Sarah and I wandered around Dublin (after Queen of Tarts breakfast... if they'd let me move in there, I would in a heartbeat) and came upon an EXCELLENT farmer's market really close to my apartment! I got some great produce and delicious hummus and bread, and everything was so inexpensive! And organic! I was quite a happy camper when I got home :).

Last night I got to skype with my friends Kelly, Emily, and Chris from the Campus Ministry Center... and Fr. Cuddy made a surprise appearance!! It was so great to talk to all of them (I miss them so much!), especially since I had gone to mass at Trinity for the first time yesterday, and it was nothing like PC. The chapel is beautiful, and we sat antiphonally (facing each other... $5 word, thank you Fr. Cuddy!) like the Dominicans do which made me very happy, but there were not many students there at all and I definitely didn't feel the community feeling that I do at Providence. I think I'm going to hunt for a parish for the next time I'm in Dublin for mass (which isn't for almost a month!)

I'll end this fairly long post with some Irish observations I thought you might be interested in:

Carrying books to class: Some students use backpacks, I have a giant shoulder bag that my mom got me for Christmas that I use, but some Irish students use sports duffel bags to carry their books! It always looks like they're off to practice a sport, but in reality they're just on their way to class! It's something I still haven't gotten quite used to.

"Jorts," or jean shorts: Yes, it is January. Yes, Irish girls wear jorts/other types of shorts. With tights under them. Very frequently. I might have missed some fashion memo, but I think it looks kinda rough...

Library Hours: PC, you think it can be annoying to have to leave the library at 2? Try 10! Every night of the week!* Except Saturday, when it closes at 6, and Sunday, when there are no librarians there and the library closes at 4:30. You can go in and use books there, but you can't check any books out or access the ones that are reserved by professors. That's how I do most of my work, but since most Irish students go home on the weekends, it's not expected that students are in the library on the weekends. This makes me feel better about planning my weekend trips!!
* There is a 24-hour reading room and computer space, but it's not very big and a little sketchy. Plus, I wouldn't want to walk home to my apartment very late!

Shoes: Irish girls have an amazing ability to walk on cobblestones while wearing heels. This is a talent that American girls do not possess, no matter how hard we try. I left my high heels at home due to sheer lack of suitcase space, but boy am I glad! I think I've just mastered the art of walking on them in my TOMS, let alone stilettos.

That's all for now... I hope all is well in the states, and I hope to hear from you soon!
xo Julia

Oh What A Day

Look! I promised to update more frequently, and I am! Woohoo!

The past 24 hours has been quite a whirlwind- I am finally starting to have work academically, and last night was a bit of a wake-up call. I didn't have reading lists for my classes until recently, and last night I realized that today I had a seminar that required me to be able to discuss three different plays! Remember when I was excited about reading more plays? Me too... I didn't really remember it last night, though. I read Dancing at Lughnasa and Philadelphia, Here I Come by Brian Friel, who is one of my alltime favorite playwrights, as well as Bailegangaire (you try to pronounce that one... bet you ten bucks you'll butcher it just as badly as I did) by Tom Murphy. I enjoyed reading them, but wished I had been given some advance notice so that I could have taken my time with them and really allowed them to sink in. I now have reading lists for everything and have made a nice schedule for myself so that doesn't happen again! I'll be spending a good part of the weekend in the library to work ahead, so that when I want to travel on weekends it won't mean that I'm slacking on my work.

Speaking of traveling... I have plans! So far I know for sure when I'm going to Oxford, Belfast, London, and Paris, as well Brussels and Namur, Belgium, to visit where St. Julie Billiart was from (who founded the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, who are affiliated with my high school!) with a bunch of friends from ND. Planning trips certainly made me realize how quickly time here will fly, and I'm very excited to travel. Like I said, I'll be here for this weekend to get everything together (and mayybeee go see The Field at the Olympia Theatre, which I've heard is phenomenal) so I'll be more organized for the following weekends.

Short post for now... I seem to be using blogging as a means of procrastination. I have lots of reading to do! I am going to a Ceili tonight (traditional Irish music and dance!) with my orientation group, which I'm really excited about, but also have a lot of work to get done, so I don't think I'll be able to stay for very long unfortunately. For those of you on the east coast, stay warm and enjoy your snow days! And root for Princeton to have one... my mom has yet to have a day off for snow! That's no fun!

Love and Prayers,
Julia

Uncharted

I am SO so sorry that I haven't updated in over a week! My first week of classes (and weekend in Dublin) were SO busy between classes, reading, running errands and visiting with friends that I have neglected my blog. Here's a nice long update, coming straight to you from the Leckey library at TCD :).





Imagine the typical college movie: there are hundreds of students in a giant lecture hall. Some are sleeping, some are passing notes, some are taking notes, and in 2011, some are checking their facebook on their laptops pretending to take notes.

This is not the college life I'm used to. Other than civ, my classes at PC are small, somewhere in the 15-20 student range. Classes are predominantly seminar-style, and even if it's a lecture, students still ask questions and discuss things with the professor. By the end of the semester, I expect that the professor knows my name.

My experience at TCD so far has been the former... and my first class, a giant Geology lecture, was far from anything I have ever experienced. I walked into the "lecture theatre" (that should have clued me in to what I was about to experience) and saw a GIANT room with lots of empty seats. I sat down near a few Irish students, got my notebook out, got myself situated, and then, it was like that scene in the Lion King when the wildebeest are stampeding. Students poured in the doors and filled the lecture hall completely around me. Apparently, being 10 minutes early to class isn't as cool as being exactly on time, and people filled in all the empty spaces, were greeting their friends, and pulled out their computers to take notes.

There I sat with my hot pink notebook and pen, by myself, noting that I should probably bring my laptop to the next class. Have you heard the expression about being alone in a crowded room? That was me. As the lecture started, even more students arrived, to the point that some sat on the floor in the aisles in order to take notes. I realized that I was not the only one with a notebook (and will continue to take notes the old-fashioned way, I learn much better by writing things down!), but it amazed me that a) there were so many people in my class and b) how late they walked into the lecture! I guess if you have a far walk across campus you have a few minutes of a grace period, but walking in 25 minutes late to a 50 minute lecture seems a bit excessive to me.

My other classes were far less overwhelming. I have no class on Tuesday (in five semesters at PC I tried to arrange my schedule so that there would be one day I wouldn't have class, and here I am at Trinity and I have it without even trying), but four on Wednesday, two on Thursday, and one on Friday morning. It's definitely a great schedule, and I'm slowly learning that I have all this free time because I'm supposed to be spending it in the library reading... got it. So now I bring my computer with me to school every day and work on reading for class between lectures.

The library here (have I mentioned that it is three libraries in one, connected by what I like to refer to as an underground city? I have literally gotten lost down there.) is a bit overwhelming-- I absolutely have to use it, but it's hard to navigate, and it has me missing my nights at Club Phil (as I lovingly refer to Phillips Memorial Library at PC).

My drama classes are much closer to what I'd have at Providence- maybe 20 students in a class, sitting in a circle, with one lecturer. They're more discussion based than my other lecture classes, and I'm really excited to be reading so many plays while I'm here! I feel like I am very lacking in the breadth of plays I have read, so taking three text-based classes will hopefully put me up to speed. I'm taking "Theatre and Ireland," which is very interesting but involves a lot of Irish history that I wish I knew more about, "Women in Theatre," which involves a lot of Feminist theory and is going to be taught very differently than I think it would be at Providence, and "American Drama," because I'm interested to see what the Irish perspective on American Drama will be. It does make me a little nervous, though. I hope I'm not the token American in the class who the lecturer asks everything! I think I have a good knowledge of American Drama, but I definitely have a lot to learn as well. I'll be reading a few plays for that class that I've read for others, but like I said, I'm interested to hear an outside opinion on the topic.

I'm also taking a sociology class called "European Societies" for my Public and Community Service diversity requirement, and that's a really interesting class. I'm enjoying analyzing the different societies we discuss, and mentally comparing them to the US, but sometimes I worry I'm being ethnocentric. It's also somewhat frustrating to just discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the societies- the PSP major in me keeps waiting for the professor to ask how we suggest we solve these problems. While I'd like to be coming up with solutions, it will be good analytical experience for me to be thinking about the actual problems and advantages of certain communities.

My first real weekend as a TCD student brought a visit from a good friend from Providence-- Danielle! She was one of my roommates sophomore year and is a fellow Theatre major abroad in Ireland. She's studying at University College Cork for the semester, and it was cool to hear about her experiences there. She has Irish roommates and is more immersed into Irish culture than I am, so it was interesting to compare, and great to have a piece of home with me :). We did the typical touristy things-- Book of Kells, Guinness Factory, Bewley's for breakfast, shopping on Grafton, and we went to what is becoming my group of friends' favorite pub, O'Donoghue's. There was great live music on Friday night, and we were upstairs with a big group of friends from my program and had a lot of fun.

Saturday night was absolutely incredible. We got to see Aragh-Na-Pogue at the Abbey Theatre, the national theatre of Ireland. It's an amazing place and it was a great play, and I was happy to be able to go with someone else who was just as excited as I was to be there. When I spent time in Dublin with my parents in high school, we saw Brian Friel's The Aristocrats, which was phenomenal. It was the same trip (maybe even the same day) I decided I wanted to go to TCD, and I couldn't have been happier to be back.

We also went to breakfast at one of my all-time favorite places in the entire world, a lovely little tea/scones shop called the Queen of Tarts. It is absolutely DELICIOUS food (best scone I've ever had in my life), and wonderful atmosphere. Like most things in Dublin, the only way to describe it is lovely. I would move in there if I could, and I have a feeling that leaving there will be very difficult come May.

Monday was also a day of visitors- I had lunch with another PC friend in Ireland, Maggie, who is studying at University College Dublin for the semester. We had a great lunch and it was good to catch up with her, especially after Danielle left and I was craving some PC in my life. She's lucky enough not to have class on Mondays or Fridays, so she had a day to herself that she could come in and visit me. Monday night I met up with Kathleen, my friend from NDA who's here, and Amy Fizzano, our NDA friend who was visiting! We had dinner in a great pub in Temple Bar and then met up for lunch again today (Queen of Tarts...I'm addicted...), and we hung out while Kathleen was in class. I really hadn't seen Amy in a while, and was so glad to be able to catch up with her and show her "my town" (in her words).

It's been a whirlwind week, to say the least. Nothing like anything I've ever done before.. I'm in uncharted waters, but I think I will be able to navigate them back to some sanity :).

Sorry this post was so long! I promise to update more regularly, and now that I'm getting into some type of routine that should be easier. I have a few billion plays to read, so I'm off... but I'll keep you posted! I miss you all (especially PC friends!), and can't wait to hear from you soon. Please keep me updated on what's going on in your lives, I'd love to hear about it! My Trinity College email is up and running (finally)- jtully@tcd.ie

Love and Prayers,
Julia

What Is This Feeling?

So, freshman year of college, during orientation, after all the ice breakers and team builders and tours and academic meetings, there's always a feeling of "okay, what do I do now..." Freshman year, I didn't have a blog to write in when I had that feeling, but this time, I do!

I packed my lunch, packed my school bag, got all dressed, charged all my electronic accessories, and now I'm sitting on my bed wondering what exactly I should do next. It's the first day of class, around noon, and I don't have class til 3. Shoot. I do have a few errands to run- go grab a notebook, check in with the international office at Trinity, set up my TCD email, and find my class, but that certainly won't take three hours!

As I sit here, I am listening to the bells of Christ Church (or St. Pat's Cathedral... I haven't learned to distinguish between the two yet, but I'm within a 10 minute walking distance of each), and still marveling in the place I am temporarily living. As my friend Kate, who is at Oxford for the year, says: I still geek out when I think about how old this place is. I feel like I keep saying that... but I went to the oldest pub in Ireland for lunch yesterday, which was built in 1182. That's crazy! 1182!

I'm excited to be learning more about Irish history while I'm here. I picked up a copy of James Joyce's Ulysses the other day, and as I read it and he mentions places in Dublin, I make a mental note to visit them. I also can't wait to make it to Kilmainham Jail, which is not too far from me at all, and learn about Irish patriots who spent time there.

In the words of Adam Sandler as Billy Madison... "Back to school, Back to school, to prove to Dad that I'm not fool. I got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight, I hope I don't get in a fight. Oh! Back to school... back to school... back to school."

Happy First Day of School!
Love,
Julia

Can't Help Falling in Love

Well, I am officially a student at Trinity College! Woohoo! I have my student ID, my email (except I can't really get it to work yet, I'll keep you posted...), and I am registered for two classes! I will eventually be registered for more, but like most things at TCD, the registration process is really old, and tends to be a little frustrating for American visiting students.

It's still a bit unreal for me to be walking around Dublin as a TCD student- a lot of kids growing up talk about how they're going to Harvard or Penn or whatever their dream school may be, but for me, that was Trinity. When I first set foot on campus for the with my family in eighth grade, I looked at my parents and said, "I'm going here." Several college apps and years later, here I am. It's even cooler to be at TCD as a Catholic, and as a woman. There have been two separate deans who have declared that neither Catholics nor women would ever be allowed at TCD. Now, 80% of the student body is Catholic. One dean literally said "Over my dead body will women enter Trinity College." He died four months later and is buried in front square, and the first action of the new dean was to admit women- and to this day, we do attend TCD literally over his dead body.

I think the famous alumni factor is still hitting me too-- at Orientation, the girl giving us a tour was talking about different societies we could join (clubs), and just kept talking about "Oh, Oscar Wilde was in Histories, Jonathan Swift was in that..." Oh, of course. No big deal. Not cool or anything. I am pretty sure I'll be joining the Yoga Society, the DU Players Society (the drama society), and Random Acts of Kindness Society. I'm already a part of International Students Society... I don't want to overinvolve myself like I have done at PC, but I have found that it's terribly hard to break that habit.

Another wonderful part of being settled here is seeing family and friends! I had lunch today with my cousin Paula who works and lives right outside of Dublin, and have plans to see her mom and aunt next week. It was so good to see her again (it's been a while), and I had a really fun afternoon. I have at least two other cousins here in the Dublin area, and a bunch more in the West! I'm excited to reconnect with them :). I also have some PC friends in Dublin, Galway, and Cork, and NDA friends in Galway and Dublin... so life is wonderful! I met up with Kathleen Blackney, a classmate of mine from ND, for lunch the other day. I'm so excited to get to see her more often (she goes to Elon... a long way away from PC) during the semester!

So, I hope this novelty factor doesn't wear off... because at this point, I still walk down the street and it hits me: I live in Dublin!! For real!!! Classes start Monday... which is a whole other blog post. I hope everyone's semesters at PC (and elsewhere) are wonderful, and while I'm loving every second of Dublin, I'm missing you all dearly.

Love,
Julia

City Love

Well, Dublin continues to amaze and intrigue me every day. Our flat hasn’t had internet yet, which is why this post is a little delayed, but I’m pretty sure that it’s the only flaw of the apartment.
I live in an amazing building about 10 minutes from Trinity, 5 minutes from Grafton Street, and 3 minutes from The Gaiety Theatre. I have two roommates, Kristen and Nam, and we have two bedrooms. I am sharing the room with Kristen (who also goes to PC) that has its own bathroom and WALK-IN CLOSET, and Nam has his own room and a bathroom across the hall. My mom doesn’t think I’m going to want to come home… she may be right. I have had an absolutely amazing time so far!
I have, of course, been taking part in the pub life of Ireland- with other students in my program, we have been out in Temple Bar, to the Guinness Factory, and to a club on the River Liffey. Tonight was our first sort of roommate bonding night, where we hung out (without being attached to technology, what else could we do?!) and got to know each other. We also all happened to take some decent naps- I think jet lag finally hit!
During the day we were out and about on our own doing errands and getting ourselves all situated in the apartment, getting little necessary items as well as food shopping. I discovered a cool market with my friend Julia, and found my way over to the bank to change money all by myself. I am starting to feel like a true Dubliner- I know my way around based on landmarks. We have learned that no one in Dublin really knows too many street names, but they can still usually give you pretty good directions anyway.
Tomorrow is my first day at Trinity—I can’t wait. We walked over to campus tonight to find where we have to be in the morning, and walked around the student union, since we’re students now!!
This has honestly been so much fun already. The people in my program are a lot of fun, and I am so happy here! I definitely had mixed emotions about the whole experience, but I think it’s because I was focusing on leaving. I was leaving PC, I was leaving home, I’ll be missing birthdays and a very big anniversary for my parents, I was leaving my friends (especially seniors), and I just kept thinking about the negative- the hole in my life where PC and my American life would usually be. I hadn’t focused on the positive: I AM LIVING IN IRELAND.
I get to live in Dublin for close to six months. I am really out on my own—no meal plan to rely on, not even a place like Slavin to go grab food at- I either pay a lot for a quick sandwich or cook for myself! I LOVE to cook, so I’m actually really looking forward to that, but it also seems a little daunting. I also really love to bake, and I’m already planning my first project. Nam’s 21st birthday is next week, and I’m going to make him a cake! Baking with different measuring utensils and Celsius temperatures on the oven should be a challenge… but I think it’s one I can meet.

Overall, I’m really happy here, if you couldn’t tell already ☺. Come visit! Dublin is an incredible city with amazing history. I’m excited to be able to do typical touristy things in Dublin this weekend and to learn more about Irish history. Have a wonderful weekend!
Love,
Julia