wild & crazy!

(the hair, that is!)

So I am going to skip ahead today instead of the usual chronological timeline I've had going so far because I would like to introduce you to the new (and improved?) Stephanie:


YEAH. This is me after my adventurous day!

It started out normal about 8 hrs ago... and then I had class with my 2 new crushes. One is a prof! *sigh* I've never had a crush on a teacher/prof before. He's a Mike -- see previous blog re Galway part 1 for more info on this topic -- and he's soo... intellectual! :)

Anyway. The class is 3 hrs every Tue morning and it is not a "fluff" course. I am constantly writing, thinking, asking questions, discussing for the entire time... oh... and I am being a girl and truly enjoying just listening to the prof talk... I never saw it before, for any of you who have had these crushes before, but now I get it!

So. After 3 hrs of intense concentration (of various kinds), I went to get some lunch in the restaurant around the corner and a fellow student (from California) and my prof both walk in after me. No biggie, right? Right. Until we all get into the cashier line (I had never eaten here before) and I am in front -- and it's cash only -- and I have no money... AND Ireland doesn't understand the concept of having ATMs in convenient locations! So I am a little panicked and about to remove my tray when this 5 euro bills pops up in front of me... of COURSE -- the prof is not only attractive, smart, funny and successful... but he's generous, too! *SIGH*

By now I am thoroughly embarrassed. My first thought is "isn't he great?" which immediately switches into over-analysis Stephanie thinking, "what if he thinks you're some flighty idiot and only wanted you out of the line so that he could eat his lunch???"

haha

oh well! Now that I owe him $$, I have another reason to go to his office... :)

So this pic is not just a result of that adventure. It's all-inclusive. After lunch, I had another 2 hr research methodologies class where I sat the entire time with my hands in my hair trying not to get stressed about all the research I have to do. And then I walked my 15 min walk home in some crazy, blustery, soft rain nonsense that made my hair at one point literally stand straight up! :)

So I thought, "hmmm... why don't I share the new Irish Stephanie with all my friends back home?" And here you are! :)

Coming soon:
my other crush, a list of things I miss about Canada and photos from the hosteling adventure. Hopefully by Friday at the latest! :)

Moving day

Hi again :)

So I've completed my thrilling tales of the hosteling world and now begins my journey into the world of academia!

Sunday, after church in Sligo, Ky & I caught a cab to the bus station and headed for Limerick. It was a 2-leg trip: part one was from Sligo to Galway, where we listened to the all-Ireland hurling finals on the radio (Limerick was playing Kilkenny and we couldn't have told you what hurling is...) and then from Galway into Limerick, we listened to the post-game commentary about the all-Ireland hurling finals. It was bad enough that I hadn't a clue what hurling lingo there is, but I was completely unable to distinguish everyday words for nearly 5 hours! After about 3 hrs, I figured out that Limerick had lost and they weren't supposed to, so it was a bit of a letdown.

Later in the week, I sat down and watch a replay of the game and I learned some things! (of course.) FYI: Hurl ing is an old gaelic sport that uses a weird-shaped stick (kind of like a hockey stick, but with a fatter, rounder foot & a shorter arm?) and a tiny baseball-ish sized ball. Points are scored by getting the ball either into the goal/net (3 points) or over the net, but between the posts (1 point). Other than that, it's a tiny-bit like soccer, except players can use their hands to pass the ball... I don't get it, but it was MUCH easier to follow on tv than on the bus!

Then we get to the dorm! The office was closing in 15 mins, so we barely made it, but I got moved in FINALLY! I was unpacked and felt like I wasn't living in a suitcase within the hour... :) My room has a double-bed, a desk that might be big enough for me to use as a bed in emergencies (haha), a floor-to-ceiling deep bookshelf, a walk-in closet (without a door), a full-length mirror, and a full bath. All to myself... *sigh* :) There are 6 bedrooms like this in my apartment, all in the hall when you first walk in, and at the other end of the hall, through a door, is the living space. The 6 of us have a living room with 2 loveseats (and 2 missing chairs - we're "on the list"), a dining room table with 6 chairs, a balcony, and a kitchen that comes with everything except a microwave - including dishes, which is nice for international students like myself!

About my roomies -- when I applied for living on-campus, I was told that I would have little/no say about who I roomed with, the example being smokers. I couldn't request a non-smoking room. I was a little concerned about that - and the fact that I could be with a bunch of partiers I didn't know, but it didn't hit me until about a week before I moved in that I could be in a co-ed apt. So I was at the mercy of the university... and yet God was able to make things nice! :) First of all, because of the floor-plans, even though I do have 2 guy roommates, I usually only see them when we're all watching tv together (which is rare) or at mealtimes, so it's kind of like camp...

And then when we all sat around and talked, it turns out that none of us are smokers, and those who do drink, had made it a priority to not drink during the school year! WOOT! And to top it all off, so far, everyone has been in his or her room between 10 & midnight every night! It's crazy how God takes care of the little things - I'm not surprised, but I am encouraged to know He's involved in the little things! :)

The other great thing about our living situation is that all 6 of us have either taken, are taking, or are native speakers of spanish! :) Two of us are from Spain (Manuel & Nuria) studying english literature, David is from Cork and he's a languages & cultural studies major (german & spanish) who is taking a comparative literature class this term, Siobhan (pronounced "shavon") is a 2nd yr languages student, studying spanish, and Eleanor is a business student, but she took spanish her first 2 yrs of Uni.

So YAY! I feel like I have my own place without being in isolation - we all get along and have sat around talking about politics & religion in Ireland & Spain, about Catholicism v. Protestantism and the apathy toward Christianity that is a universal trend. The effects of the EU. And there has already been a death - David's grandmother died with Alzheimer's last Wednesday. But we've also talked about dumb things like "why are there crazy zig-zag lines randomly placed on irish roads that no one can explain?" and the impact that Joss Whedon has had on society... very important topics!

I think I'm gonna like it here - thanks to my roomies - but I also keep telling people that I am SURE I would like it so much more if I hadn't fallen in love with SK and didn't miss it as much as I do... *sigh* :)

Also, for Pa-pa: I am okay, but I had to wait until today to buy phone card minutes and my skype is down -- sorry I haven't called.

bye for now ~

THINGS I JUST LEARNED!

Hey all!

I may be the only person who didn't know this, but just in case:

If you double-click on the pictures in the blog, they will get bigger! For example, if you double-click on the photo of the mystery grave, you will be able to see the words and #s all scratched out! FYI.

LOVE YOU!

WB, John & Jack, oh my!

Hi guys!

So last leg of our hosteling experience took us to Sligo, on the northwest-ish coast of Ireland. The only reason this interested me was it's connection to the Yeats' and I knew next to nothing about any of them! I did know that there was a WB Yeats who wrote some kind of poetry...

so once again, I set out to learn!

Pretty much, all you need to see in Sligo will take about half a day. We had and extra day to relax. :)

We got there and the lady who was running the hostel picked us up in a tiny "weird-shaped" car. And by "weird-shaped," I mean that is literally the only way to describe it. It was red and had strange bubble shapes jutting out of various parts of it such as the hood just above the bumper and somewhere in the back... I don't know. But it had a clutch and a stickshift and got us where we needed to go! I wish now that we had taken a pic of it...

The lady informed us that the hostel was closing down that weekend and that they had pretty much stayed open because of our reservation. She also told us some history about the house. Turns out that a Yeats cousin built the house and that the Yeats' used to visit the house regularly and visit on weekends. So it was pretty neat (for history weirdos like Ky & myself) to wander around the house and imagine what it must have been like with a bunch of Yeats' running around!

Most of our weekend was spent lazing around - I taught Ky how to play canasta! - and missing movies at the theatre. But we also got to see a great Abbey. Creatively called "Sligo Abbey." Actually, it wasn't an abbey at all - but that was it's name and I don't remember what it actually was... oh well! It was where Bram Stoker's mom lived for a while during a plague. She told him all kinds of horror stories about the place, so Sligo likes to think they indirectly influenced the brilliant author re his tales of Dracula, etc. There was also a cool wishing stone built into a column facing the courtyard (which also had a fancy convent-ish name that I don't remember) where Ky & I each put our two fingers into the stone and made a wish... I made a simple wish with a 50/50 possibility and it did happen - does that count? :) see pic below:








In addition to Bram Stoker & wishing, there were LOTS of graves. They said something like 5000+ ppl had been buried there(if I'm wrong, Ky will correct me and I will write you guys an apology), but most of them were in unmarked, mass &/or illegal graves. It was a place of both history & mystery. I really enjoyed it! Below is a grave that is of special importance for at leat 2 reasons: #1, it is the only grave that was placed in that direction -- all other graves were placed in a perpendicular direction to this one. And #2, because the important info, ie names, dates, ages were all professionally removed post-installation.

Other than the abbey, there was the Yeats museum in which we learned all about WB and a little about his brother, Jack, and his dad, John. I have found that I am not a big fan of Jack's, but I love both John & WB's works. I learned that WB did not get married until he was 52 (I may be off by a year) and when I mentioned my surprise to Ky, she said it was because he was waiting for this one woman the entire time and still wasn't able to marry her.

At this museum, we found out about this amazing woman named Countess Markievicz who was a revolutionary leader who pioneered the forces of Irish revolt during the times of British oppression during the early 20th century. She was ahead of her time in the arena of active politics, including the founding of an organization that taught teenage boys how to fight with firearms in guerrilla warfare. She was jailed at least once.

And, I found out later, that this was the woman with whom WB Yeats was in love that whole time! (Which is probably why she was in the Yeats museum to begin with! Hmm...)

Sunday morning, we postponed our 10am bus to go to church in a pentecostal assembly that met in the "stables"/building in the parking lot of the hostel. Turns out that the church owns the hostel - fyi.

It was a really nice service with a small group & body ministry & active prayer & it was spirit led! I was grateful to be able to participate. They all really cared about one another and reached out to us outsiders with just the right amount of interest. I am glad that this was my 1st Irish church experience, that's for sure!

So that is the end of our tour of Ireland! The rest of my blogging will involve predominantly Limerick, which - FYI - is not a big tourist town. Next post: the big move!

Love you all and I miss everyone SO MUCH!!!

Galway Part 2

Hi everyone!

I am terribly sorry that it has taken me this long to post, but it really was out of my control (see previous blog). Now that it has been over a week, I am hoping that I remember what happened! I will take things one day at a time in my mind and try to go chronologically for the end of my tour with Ky. Here goes!

SO last you heard from me, we had gone on tours & met cute boys... sigh... :)

The day after the Burren/Cliffs of Moher, Ky & I did a self-guided tour of Galway city. It is a beautiful place! We went to a catholic cathedral first and I was impressed with the architecture, but there were many borderline altars for some saints that kind of creeped me out... then we went to a church of Ireland cathedral and it had such a sweet, inviting environment. It was a great mix of past & present with old stained glass and folding wooden chairs instead of pews.







We kept getting lost and spend a good while looking for a castle that was supposed to be right in the centre of the city - turns out we had passed it a billion times but that it had been transformed into a bank! Just inside the doors, the walls were covered in pages & pages of information on the history of the place. I learned that the term "lynching" comes from an irishman named "Lynch" who decided that because he was responsible for the well-being of the city, he made himself judge, jury & executioner. The first time Lynch filled these roles was when he tried, convicted & executed his own son for something that today would have been quite trivial. He was not a mean man - it was the law - and he was devastated by the decision that had to be made (so says the stories) - but nonetheless, that's the origination for the term "lynching." Cool, eh? :)

There's your lesson for the day!

Also while we wandered the lovely city of Galway, we went to the Claddagh Ring museum/store. It is the only store that still uses the original molds from the 1700's for the rings and it is the only seller approved by the Irish government for authentic Claddagh rings, so of course, I bought one! :) FYI: for anyone who is curious about the rules of wearing a Claddagh, the only rule is the direction in which you place the ring (heart pointing toward your arm = married/in love, heart pointing toward your fingernail = single/available) -- there is no rule about which hand or which finger on which to wear the ring...

Later that night, we made plans to meet a couple Swiss girls in my room at a pub for traditional irish music. Ky and I arrived early because we had gone out for supper and we wanted to get a seat. It was a cute pub, but way crowded! There was a(NOTHER) older man who came over and introduced himself to me before Ky sat down and he came back later on in the evening and chatted us up for a minute or two. What is it with me & Ky and men old enough to be our dads/grandpas??? oh well!

It got too hot in the pub, so Ky & I were leaving just as the Swiss girls showed up. We gave them our seats and met them back at the hostel later. It was too early to go back, so Ky & I went and sat by the river at the Spanish Arch and enjoyed the swans for a while and to Eyre square where I saw my 1st passing out drunk adult. It was sad. I nearly cried watching this 50 yr old man wobble halfway through the square (a giant square-shaped park) and hit the ground and just lie there. I don't look forward to witnessing that again...

LAST DAY in Galway:

We took another tour, yay! This time, it was to the Aran Islands. We bused for 2 hrs to the ferry point and rode the ferry to the islands for over an hour. Arriving at Inis Mor ("inishmore"), we were bombarded by men with vans who would take us on a tour of the island. Ky and I had been a little concerned about riding a bike all over the island - but had begun to seriously consider it because there was stuff we wanted to see that was too far to walk when this cute old man approached us and asked us if we wanted a tour; it was the same price as a bike rental, so we jumped at the chance! :)

We saw the 7 churches (see picture below) & seals & the gaelic school & the smallest village on the island (about 8 houses) & dun aengus. Dun aengus was an ancient fort built on the coast of Inis Mor. Over the centuries, part of the island eroded into the Atlantic and half the fort went with it, so dun aengus is now half a fort and a cliff. There is no barrier between the public and the cliff, so Ky & I went to about 3 ft from the edge of the cliff, lied down and looked over it. THAT was craziness! It felt like the ground was tipping us headfirst into the sea (view = pic on right)!










Dun aengus is also the place where I received a "get out of jail free" card in Ky's books... there was this really cute, broody, black-irish fellow who worked in the entrance to the fort that Ky found... interesting... :) So while she was in the bathroom, I went back into the bldg and asked him if I could take his picture. I knew she wouldn't let me do it if I'd told her, and I didn't embarrass her by saying I was taking it for her! Actually, what I said was, "I am obviously a tourist, and we have decided that you are the epitome of what an irishman should look like, would you please let me take a picture of you???" And he burst out laughing and gave me permission! See picture below:
okay... so he's not so broody, but he's cute & irish and I made him laugh out loud! :)

After the tour, we arrived back at the port village and wandered around the stores (Aran Sweater Market was cool) and then sat on a wall looking out to sea and took photographs of people passing by... we did NOT, however, take pictures of the brave old man who decided that it was a good idea to go swimming at a very public beach at a very populated port and change his clothes in the wide open spaces! :) Besides the shows we got (before & after the swim), we also thought he was brave for swimming in the ocean at all! The water doesn't get above 50F!

And that, I believe is the end of our Galway experience. :)

Look for a Sligo update in the next couple days...