Edinbra

Apologies to readers of this blog for the extended interim. I could bore you with many excuses of tedious finals and travel plans, but complaining solves nothing. Suffice it to say I have been hitting the books and recovering from hitting the books, and let us not mention the formal, exhaustive, somewhat intimidating finals.

I am one of the lucky few study abroad students whose final schedule ended a week before traversing the ocean to reach home sweet home. (Alas, two of my American housemates have a final tomorrow-poor souls.) In celebration and the desire to get away from a campus where too much studying occurred, I decided to go to Edinburgh in Scotland, or pronounced by the locals as Edinbra.

Edinburgh has an extremely colorful history, and I would definitely recommend taking the free walking tour to learn all about it. The tour lasts about three hours, but they are well worth it. I was taken to the cathedral where Sean Connery was knighted. Coincidentally, this is also only one of two places with a statue of an angel playing the bagpipes. I learned of such characters as Maggie Dickson, who was hanged once for concealing her pregnancy, and then miraculously survived. She could not be hanged again, because it would have been considered double jeopardy. She bought a house right outside of the gallows.

The city has a lot of literary ties. The book Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was based on an Edinburgh citizen who built the gallows and made the keys for all of the houses of Edinburgh by day. By night, he would use said keys to steal from the rich. He was eventually caught and hung at the gallows he built. J.K. Rowling based the Harry Potter castle on one of the schools in Edinburgh. Facing the school was a grave of a McGonagall, one of the worst poets in Scottish history. Joseph Bell, another citizen, was the first to solve a murder case forensically, and his assistant was the world famous Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes.

The ghost tour was also well worth the eight pounds fee. We learned of cursed bridges (biggest rate of suicide jumpers in Edinburgh), horrendous murders, graverobbing (a popular, albeit frowned upon profession), witch burning, faeries who will burrow in your stomach and eat you from the inside out, pagan rituals still practiced today, and a very recent vampire story. Afterwards, the tour treats you to a pint of beer on the Royal Mile. The guides are normally performing arts students who really get into the stories and ad a bit of humor along the way.

Edinburgh castle is definitely an amazing sight as well. The view from the castle is breathtaking. The castle itself has a heartrenching war memorial that lists the names of all the soldiers who died in both World Wars. It contains the museum of the Scottish Cavaliers and the quarters used by one of the kings of Scotland. The military prison is still intact, and contains wax dummies of soldiers who spent time there. Alas, some of the rooms reminded me of student housing, but perhaps it was simply my post-final frame of mind. The hounors and a museum dedicated to them are also located in the castle. These include a scepter, sword, crown, and the Stone of Destiny. The Stone of Destiny was stolen by the English, and has its own adventurous tale. Suffice it to say that it was only returned recently. When it was brought back into Edinburgh Castle, it was escorted in with the Mission Impossible theme song playing on the bagpipes. Scotland, you are AWESOME!

The Great Killarney Escapade

Killarney is a beautiful national park complete with a picturesque castle, an old abbey, its own waterfall, and a mountainous (or as mountainous as Ireland gets) landscape. Sounds like a wonderful time, doesn't it?

We rented bikes and decided to go around what I thought was a hilly trail of about ten miles. Granted, I haven't been on a bike for about two years, but I thought it wouldn't be that bad.

What they don't tell you is that the path ascends from about twenty feet to about eight hundred feet, and you get to bike up that. That "hill" kicked my butt. Badly. Another interesting discovery was the fact that the trail isn't really clearly marked by signs. So you can go about three miles out of your way to turn around again.

Another fun fact was about seven hours into the biking trip is another hill. Only this hill has a windy path to the top. At this time I firmly decided I was a much better walker than a biker and walked my bike up the hill. While going down the hill was a hoot, the experience was slightly marred by the flat tire at the end. It's not like we were still ten miles away from town or anything. Oh wait, we were. Luckily, we were able to call a cab back into town, but we were too late to make the bus back to Limerick. We had to catch the morning bus back, and I had to run to make it to my noon Accounting class.

Still, the experience wasn't all bad. Killarney is beautiful, and the town is very cute. Because we biked twenty miles, we figured we deserved some delicious Chinese food and ice cream. The hostel we stayed at was run by two delightful Australians who let us stay the extra night for free in our own room. And the taxi driver showed us that famous Irish friendliness. And I learned that I am at heart a walker, not a bike person.

The Return of the Homework

The University of Limerick lulls you into a false sense of security. No continuous assessment, no homework assignments, eight hours of sleep a night, and then BAM! Return of the homework!

This week alone I have an essay worth 40 percent due in one class, a huge group project due in another, an essay due last week worth 40 percent, scholarship applications due, and exams to start studying for. The long-felt freedom is over.

You know it's getting serious when the Irish students actually start attending class. In one of my tutorials (smaller classes taught by grad students), we went from an attendance of three to an attendance of forty within two weeks. Time to face the music.

Some tips for future students: If you need to use the computer lab in the library, be ready to queue (fancy word for wait in line). Also, have some choice words ready for the computer, because the UL computers are comparatively slow and usually one program will fail. You can't save anything on the network itself, so make sure to email it to yourself. Otherwise, tears will be shed.

Still, it isn't all bad. The UL has a great program, Cite it Right, which is pretty much Harvard Referencing for Dummies. Greatly utilized by yours truly. The professors are always quick to reply to email. And if you need studying food, an ice cream truck, music and all, comes rolling around your village. And really, what isn't improved with ice cream?

Spring Break

A week in Italy really deserves at least one blog for each day, but in deference to any readers out there who don't won't to be bored to tears, I will attempt to sum up my whole week in one blog. Wish me luck.

The Cinque Terre Region: These five little towns were probably the highlight of my vacation. I would definitely recommend going.

Lessons:

• The six and a half mile hike from one town to the other is gorgeous and worth the fatigue. But be prepared for stairs. Lots of stairs.
• These towns are infested with every type of cat you can imagine.
• Always stamp your train ticket. The fines are a major boo-boo to your wallet.
• Gelato is good. Real good.

Florence: I saw more art than I could possibly imagine in this city, and every corner has it's own little statue.

Lessons:

• Spontaneous, drenching rainshowers don't just occur in Ireland. One should dress accordingly.
• David is definitely worth seeing, and it is far more stunning in real life than in any picture.
• The Uffizi cafe contains the best pasta that I have ever encountered.
• Wine tastes just as gross in Italy as it does in America.
• Even for a practical accounting major who has never taken an art class, some art can truly move you to tears.
• Gelato is good. Real good.

Rome: Rome is also an amazing city. But what Florence is to art, Rome is to ruins.

Lessons:

• The Colosseum is amazing, but be prepared to wait in line for an hour to see it.
• Christians did not live in the catacombs during the persecution, but they did worship there.
• The metro is a very efficient way to travel.
• You can lose someone very easily even in St. Peter's Basilica, which is really only a circle.
• Gelato is good. Real good.

Italy is a truly amazing place, but coming back to the green, quaint country of Ireland with no imposing statues in sight was definitely a relief. Coming home to homework is not.

St. Patrick's Day

The Legend: Patrick was once a slave in Ireland, but he ran away. He was later converted to Christianity. At night, he would dream that the people of Ireland were calling him back. Convinced that God was speaking to him, he returned to Ireland to convert all of the unbelievers to Christianity. The devil was so angry at Patrick that he threw tons of snakes at him. Patrick thrust his staff into the ground and all the snakes fell through the hole it created. That is why there are no snakes in Ireland.

The reality: St. Patrick's Day is a national holiday in Ireland, and lots of parades are held. The biggest is in Dublin. Everyone seems to wear some type of green, including children dressed up as little dragons. I saw everything from green viking hats to green cowboy hats to green Indian headdresses. People lined the streets and climbed on top of every conceivable object to get a good view of the parade, which started off with a stiletto heels race. I cheered for the man in drag in stilettos. He pulled them off rather well.

The parade had little to do with Ireland and a lot to do with colors of every sort. It had a circus, at least four marching bands (including one from North Carolina), giant bugs that snorted smoke, African drummers, dancers of all ages, an Indian prince, an African queen, and every type of facepaint imaginable.

After the parade, I decided to head into McDonald's for a shamrock shake. You know it's bad when McDonald's has to have security. The top two floors were guarded-only customers with food could enter. There were about three hundred people crammed into a one hundred people floor waiting for their food. Good times.

To complete the day, we took a tour of the Guinness factory. I learned everything I could possibly want to know about the brewing process, and discovered there are no samples of Guinness that I actually like. Although, Guinness beer bread is tasty. Real tasty. Made me miss the beer brats from home.

Belfast

Belfast is a city of two viewpoints: Irish and British.

Belfast even feels like a different world from the rest of Ireland. You move from the rolling hills and greenery to a mini-London, complete with a leaning clocktower named after a king and dozens of double-decker buses. Victorian architecture pervades the entire city.

Belfast is where many of issues between the nationalists and loyalists took root. Political murals are all over the city, as are monuments to those who lost their lives in the "troubles." Americans get to see the familiar face of Frederick Douglass on one of the main nationalist walls. The peace wall still exists in Belfast as well. This divided those with the Irish viewpoint from those with the British. It is a fittingly ugly wall that is apparently taller in some places than the Berlin wall was.
On one side of the wall you will see the Irish flag flying, while the other has the Union Jack. Our tourguide was quick to assure us that the "troubles" were long over and it was not about Catholicism or Lutheranism, but about the predujiced treatment in terms of employment and housing. One of the hotels in Belfast has been bombed 42 times because of the "troubles" and WWII.

Belfast was also home to one of my favorite authors, C.S. Lewis. It has a very cool monument to him standing next to a wardrobe. That was one of the highlights of my trip.

Now that I've bored you with a history lesson, this is what I learned: I am completely ignorant when it comes to European history, and it is way more effective to learn it while you are in the cities where such things take place. Second lesson: I am so thankful to live in a country where different viewpoints are for the most part respected, and the chance of being bombed by your neighbor is low.

The Burren

The Burren is a huge region in West Ireland. "Burren" literally means "rocky place." It does not disappoint. When Cromwell came with his troops into Ireland, all of those who didn't bend the knee were banished to the Burren. Cromwell is reported to have said it was a god-forsaken land where there weren't even enough trees to hang people. Charming character.

The Burren is also where many died from the potato famine, because they were too poor to imigrate. Our tour guide informed us that there was actually enough food in Ireland to feed everyone during the Famine, but the English refused to distribute food into the poverty stricken areas like the Burren, so thousands died.

Although the region does not have the happiest history, it has its own beauty. Walking can be treacherous, and I cannot imagine trying to farm, but during the summer months flowers bloom all over. The area is actually protected by the government so floral shops do not come in and steal all of the flowers.

While farming is difficult, raising cattle is still popular in the region. Being a Wisconsinite, I have seen my fair share of cows, but those on the burren are the shaggiest I have ever seen, and wary of strangers.

The Burren affords one of the most beautiful views of the ocean, and the waves crashing up in the sunlight made a huge rainbow. It was a picturesque trip.

Irish Sports

Every region has its own sports obsessions, and Ireland is no different. Wisconsin has football. Ireland has soccer (and yes, they actually call it soccer), hurling, and rugby.

I decided to go to one of these rugby matches and see what the fuss was about. Luckily, there were some friendly Irish students in back of me to explain what was going on. Unluckily, by the end of the match they were incoherent due to the presense of a bottle of Huzzar vodka. This will be from the perspective of a novice of the game.

Rugby is very similar to football, with some very noticable exceptions. First: The clock never stops running. There are no such things as time outs. Second: While you can run forwards, you can only toss the ball backwards. Third: Feel free to kick the ball to your opponents in hopes of getting in farther down the field. Fourth: When the ball is thrown in from the sidelines, throw your teammate up like a cheerleader so they can catch it.

Rugby is rough! Normally players run at their opponents knowing they are going to get tackled. After you are tackled, you can pass the ball off to your teammates. No penalty exists for going for someone's face, and jerseys get close to ripped off. When players are injured, the game keeps going. They are just taken to the side of the field with the least amount of players.

To me, it looked like a huge bar brawl. While no liquor is on the field (that I know of), the fans make up for it. The concession stands sell Guinness, Heineken, hot whiskey, Baileys, and tea and chips for those of us who don't want any liquor.

In summary: backward throwing, cheerleading toss, bloody faces, running clock, happy fans.

Hanging Around in Cork

My weekend of kissing the Blarney Stone did not actually end at Blarney Castle. From there, 150 of us made our way to Cork.



Cork is a southern city in Ireland, and it seemed to be bigger than Limerick. We got into the city and checked into our hostel. Hostels are a lot nicer than I had suspected, and we were lucky. We got an eight person bedroom- some people had to share with fourteen others. It was the first time I had slept in a bunk bed since I was about twelve. Good times.



We took a walking tour of the city, and our guide was kind enough to fill us in on a lot of the history of the city. The city itself is pretty cool, and it is host to one of the few indoor markets. You can buy fresh chicken, seafood, beef, liquor, and shirts inside. I personally would recommend the chocolate.

There is a park in the middle of the city with an interesting fountain. While we were there, they were hosting an art exhibit with huge angels decorated in a variety of ways. For those of you from Eau Claire, it is similar to the hands scattered around our city.

One of the oddest structures is a building that looks exactly like a city hall building, but for the haloed Mary at the top. When it was built, the Catholics were not allowed to make any towers on their cathedrals, so they embellished it as best they could.

We did some fun window shopping and ate at Supermac's, which is a combination ice cream parlor, Mcdonald's, and Papa Murphy's. No Irish outing is apparently complete without some form of alcohol, so everyone went out to one of the many bars at ten. Most of our roommates called it an early night and I had the privelege of going to a Centra and sharing a pint of Ben and Jerry's. My favorite kind of pint.

Kissing the Blarney Stone

"If you kiss the Blarney Stone, you'll receive the gift of the gab." I don't know if I have been given such a gift, but it certainly was an amazing experience.

Kissing the Blarney Stone is probably the most sought after experience of tourists to Ireland. (Right up there with visiting the Guinness factory). The International Society set up a trip to Cork and stopped at Blarney Castle on the way there. All 150 of us marched out of the busses and traipsed up to the castle.

The castle itself is very well intact, and full of nooks and crannies. There are signs in every room listing what it was once used for. Most memorable is probably the Murder Room- where defenders would pour hot liquid over any intruders. There are about 100 steps up to the actual stone, and the view from the top is breathtaking.

I had to wait in line to kiss the actual stone, and kissing it is quite the ordeal. A kind old Irishman is there to help you lean back, because between the step and the stone, there is only air. You have to lean back, grab two poles, and reach out to kiss a stone that can't be very sanitary. No glasses are allowed, beacause they will fall.

After kissing the stone, I explored some of the surrounding area and saw the Witch's Stone, the Wishing Steps, and the Fairy Glade. They were all breathtaking, and I'm definitely going back.

Staying in Shape

For those of you following my previous blogs, you have been informed of my love of cookies. Alas, cookies come at a price- both in Euros and in pounds. Luckily, there are several ways to burn calories on campus.

There is a gym on campus, and study abroad students get free access. I am a reluctant user of the eliptical and the treadmill, but there are also weights, bikes, rowing machines, yoga balls, stair steppers, and anything else your inner aerobic instructer could desire.
The university also sports an olympic sized pool, the first one built in Ireland.

I joined the outdoor pursuits club, which means I get to climb the rock walls for free. Every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday night, OPC members will help you climb and teach you how to belay. It's a good workout, but be warned, your arms will hurt like they have never hurt before!

You do get some natural exercise even if you don't try. It's about a mile from my village to one of my classroom buildings, and if you are anything like me, you'll be jogging to class because you are running late.

I also decided to take an Irish dance tutorial for my music class. I thought I would go and learn a few Irish steps- It's a bit more intense than I anticipated. Like, I'm wearing shorts and a T-shirt, and a pony tail next class intense. They do a lot of hopping and jumping in Irish dancing!

Between eating all of the cookies and then burning off said cookie calories, my first few weeks haven't been boring.

Campus Life

Up until about three weeks ago, I had lived with my parents for my entire life. I knew that some adjustment would be necessary, and that living on my own outside the United States would offer its own source of little quirks-besides just the Euro.

Mother, I just want to take this opportunity to thank you for allowing me the free use of the washer and dryer. Sadly, this is not something offered at the UL (University of Limerick). There is no such thing as a laundromat in the city. (There are lauderettes, which wash your clothes for you-for a significant price). You can shell out five euro to wash and dry your clothing on campus in the tiny, third-of-the-size-of-an-American washer and dryer.

I have discovered the joys of hand washing clothing. On the bright side, the scrubbing burns calories.

Computing on campus is also a little different than in America. Wifi does not exist in my village, so I am once again corded to the wall with an LAN cable. My freedom is gone.

Future study abroad students be warned: THE KEYBOARDS ARE DIFFERENT! So, when you are typing in your new password, don't end up with a backslash instead of a capital letter. It will take you awhile to figure out, if you're anything like me.

The atmosphere on campus is much more relaxed than at home. In all of my classes, I have a project due in week nine or ten, and a final. And that's it. No homework. None. Nada. I review my notes, but that's it. It is freeing.

The Irish students feel the freedom as well. Now, as a Wisconsinite I have some knowledge of the bar scene. While I myself was not really a participator, I know a fair amount of my peers who enjoyed those particular establishments. They have nothing on the Irish students.

Most of the Irish students I have met are avid pub fans, and party Sunday through Thursday (they often go home for the weekend). Normally, a night doesn't pass when I don't here some sort of incoherent singing out my window. Many aren't too concerned with attending classes at this point in the semester, but I have been assured that the pubs empty around finals time.

Another small Irish quirk- the earliest class is at 9:00 am, and this is considered pretty early. It may have to do with the weather patterns. Here, at about 1:00 pm it still feels like 10:00 in the morning. I could still be adjusting to the time here, but I think it is more likely that the cloud cover helps out too.

I myself am enjoying the relaxed culture, and I have learned the delights of sleeping in until 10:00 on a school day.

Economy Shopping

As a college student on a budget, I was a little worried about the expense of buying groceries for the first time on my own. It was all the harder when I did not know the prices of food in Limerick. I needn't have worried.

Our first shopping trip took us to Dunnes, which is pretty much the Walmart of Ireland. Later, I made a trip to Aldi's, another store for the economy shopper.

Like America, every food product has the knockoff brand. At Ron's Castle Foods, the grocery store I work in, we have Our Family. Others of you might recognize Roundy's or Good Flavour. At Dunnes, the off brand is cleverly named Dunnes. These brands are college gold, as they allow you to save a few Euro every shopping trip.

I was pleasantly surprised to find some food is cheaper here than in the States. I can get a loaf of bread for 75 Euro cent here. This is advantageous because bread here molds really quickly. You need to consume an entire loaf within a week and a half, or lovely green spots start to appear.

Yogurt and milk are also fairly cheap. Apparently, the Irish love to consume tea and biscuits. Much to my delight, "biscuits" are actually cookies. Dirt cheap, delicious, chocolatey cookies. And I thought I would loose weight here. Oh well.

Meat, eggs, and cereal are all much more expensive here than at home. It costs about two euro for six eggs. I have reverted to yogurt and 15 euro cent bagels for breakfast. Still delicious.

Apparently, very few people bake their own cookies here. Cookie, cake, and muffin mix are all terribly expensive and are smaller in size. I have been unable to find relish or parmesan cheese.

I hope everyone in the States relishes their relish and savors their cookie dough. I will be eating
my bagels, yogurt, and "biscuits" and hoping the walk to class will get rid of most of those calories.

The Tour of Limerick

Being a directionally-challenged American, I decided that a free tour of the city and the surrounding area would be a good idea. We set off on the "Paddywagon" to see the sights.

Downtown Limerick reminds me of the twin cities, only more picturesque and less built up. There is a substantial amound of graffiti around as well, enough to make me wary of wandering around the city at night. Limerick is nice enough to have pedestrian only streets, which makes daytime wandering that much easier.


Limerick differs from Minneapolis in that it has its own castle in the city. King John's castle was apparently never the residence of King John, but it still qualifies as a castle, and certainly looks like one. Limerick is also home to the treaty stone, which ended the fighting between the English and the French in Ireland, in exchange for the safe passage of the French soldiers to their home. Unfortunately, the rock later became known as the "Broken Treaty" stone because the English subsequently killed off all of the French soldiers after they surrendered their arms.

We left Limerick to visit the very small village of Adare. Adare is a tourist trap, but then I am a tourist. I was charmed. They have a beautiful city garden and cute little cottages and overpriced souveniers. I ate my first hot sausage roll, which was delicious.

We returned to Limerick, where our guide was kind enough to point out the pubs that have special nights, where ladies and international students can get in free. While I probably won't take advantage of these deals, many of the other students seemed appreciative.

On the whole, I find Limerick and the surrounding area charming. The countryside reminds me of Hobbiton, and who doesn't love green grass, cottages, and castles?

First-Timer

First time in an airport. First time packing. First time flying. All of these pretty much describe my experience getting to Ireland.

I have always wanted to go to Ireland. The landscape has always looked gorgeous, and from the very little I have seen, the actual countryside does not disappoint. All of the people I have met have truly been as friendly as the stereotype suggests. It is a small, wonderful country with an amazing culture.

Getting here, however, was quite an experience. I began packing with every intention of bringing only one bag, fully stocked, for an entire four months. I thought it might take half a day to pack. Five days later, I was freaking out and making multiple trips to walmart. I did manage to pack everything into one bag, but my closet here is sadly understocked. I will simply have to shop and buy clothes here. Oh, what a shame. ;).

Getting to the Chicago airport was not as easy as I had hoped. Mapquest failed my boyfriend and me (or perhaps the navigator-namely me- was simply too directionally challenged), and we circled the airport at least three times before we found the entrance. Security was a new experience as well, and upon reflection I should have worn pants that did not require a belt with a metal buckle. Lesson learned.

The airplane from Chicago to Newark was much smaller than I imagined, and the plane ride a lot faster. I didn't think airplanes were made that thin. The airplane from Newark to Ireland was a lot bigger, and I thought it was a luxurious ride. I spent a total amount of three hours playing bejeweled.

We were driven from Shannon airport to our villages on the university campus. My first view of Irish countryside was amazing. It is a charming mix of rolling hills, older farmhouses, and new cars. So far, I love it.

More later,
Rachel