In Dublin's Fair City...

I haven't written a post in a few weeks because we slowed down our travels a bit after Easter and I've actually been busy working on coursework.  Last week was the last week of lectures and this week is exam review followed by a reading week and exams.  We all seem to be a bit more busy than we were and we are quickly learning that studying in Ireland has made us a bit more lazy about school work than we might have hoped.  We were lucky enough to take a bit of a break from working this weekend though and make a trip to Dublin.

Dublin is a great city, but we learned quickly that it is very different from Derry.  It was a lovely place to visit and there were plenty of things to see and do, but I couldn't handle living there for an extended amount of time.  Though I wouldn't want to live in Dublin I had the best time visiting.  We got to see St. Patrick's Cathedral which was beautiful inside and out.  I learned about how Guinness is made and poured a perfect pint at the Guinness Storehouse.  We visited Jameson Distillery  but didn't have time for a tour because we were also headed to Dublin zoo where I got to see 6 giraffes (which absolutely made my day).  Then we headed back into the city center to visit the Wax museum which was a bit disappointing except for the horror room which was terrifying!  After a full day of adventuring we even woke up early the next morning and visited Trinity College, Dublin and saw the library and the Book of Kells which was inspiring.  Then, as if the weekend wasn't eventful enough (especially since we were celebrating Stephanie's birthday) we went to see The Lion King which was just beginning its run in Dublin.  The show was absolutely breathtaking and I was taken aback by the music as well as the ability of the actors to portray animals so well.

We ended our stay in Dublin in the typical Irish fashion by enjoying dinner in a local pub followed by drinks to celebrate Stephanie's 21st birthday while listening to live traditional music.  It is sad to think back and realize that my time in Ireland is coming to an end and that this was the last Irish adventure that Megan, Stephanie, and I will take together.  I feel like it was only a few weeks ago that I arrived and I am already having to say goodbye to people and a place that I have come to love so dearly, but there is time to dwell on that later.  For now I am still here and am determined to make the best of the time that I have left here.  This time is a blessing and I intend to enjoy every last bit of it!

Exploring Ireland - week 2 of Easter Break

After spending an entire week in Scotland, it was nice to be back in Derry for Easter and to have a chance to explore Ireland a bit for the second week.
On Monday morning, after being woken up by a fire alarm at 5:30am, Megan and I began our travels to Cork in the Republic of Ireland.  We started off with a 4 hour bus trip from Derry to Dublin, then another 4 hour bus trip from Dublin to Cork.  When we arrived on Easter Monday we were a bit surprised to see that pretty much everything in the city was closed for the holiday, but we explored anyway and got to see a couple of really beautiful churches and headed to the hostel to get some sleep so that we could spend all of Tuesday exploring before we got on the train to head back to Derry that night.
On Tuesday morning we woke up and went directly to Blarney Castle.  Blarney Castle was the ideal picture of Ireland.  We got to see the Castle, kiss the Blarney Stone, and explore the grounds of the castle.  Kissing the stone was a bit more terrifying than I anticipated because (after we asked the people to sanitize the stone) we had to lay down and lean back over a gap in the stone walls that dropped 3-4 stories down to the grounds.  After we gained the "gift of gab" we explored the grounds which are home to one of the most poisonous gardens in the world as well as fairy gardens and druid stones.  Playing outside of the castle on the beautiful day that we were there was a blessing that fulfilled any preconception that I held about Ireland.
After a day of resting I went to Armagh with some Irish friends.  While we were there we went to the planetarium and then headed to the cathedrals (which was why I was there!).  Armagh is home to two cathedrals that are both called St. Patrick's.  One of the cathedrals, the oldest and the one that is said to sit on the spot where St. Patrick established the Church in Ireland, is affiliated with the Church of Ireland.  The other church, in typical Northern Irish tradition, is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church.  We had a lovely day exploring another city and ended the day by teaching me how to play pool once we got back to Derry.  It was a fun day and a great way to end another week of adventures in Ireland.
I realize in moments and days like these what a blessing it is to be here.  Not only am I learning a lot from another culture, but I am learning about myself and ways that I function best.  This time as I explore a bit of the world on my own is something that will shape and influence the rest of my life.

kissing the Blarney Stone

St. Patrick's Church of Ireland Cathedral

St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Cathedral

Scotland the Brave!

The goal is to share enough about Scotland without writing a million pages.  I could not have happier with out decision to go and spend a week.  The girls and I were blessed to have the Wehmeyer family, who is living in Scotland for a few years, open their home to us.  I had not realized how much I missed living in a home until we were settled into the flat at the Wehmeyer's house.  Not only did we have plenty of space, but we had a living room to sit in which was wonderful.  It was also nice to have a mom around to cook occasionally and to take us places and give us advice on what to do and see.
We were able to take our time seeing the city.  We slept in a little the first day and still had time to go to the museum, get tea at the Elephant House (where JK Rowling would sit and drink tea while working on Harry Potter), explore a bit of the city, and get a bite to eat.  The next day was devoted to Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile.  The castle is enormous and I'm not sure that I have ever been more cold in my life!  Tuesday was the day of castles.  Kate took us out all day and we saw two castles and a palace.  We started off at Dune Castle which was used in the filming of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, then we went to Stirling Castle which was huge like Edinburgh Castle, but more restored on the inside.  Kate also took us to Linlithgow Palace.  The palace was in ruins, but it is one of my favorite places that we went.  We also took a day to tour the Highlands of Scotland.  We got to see many beautiful lakes and mountains.  We traveled all the way to Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle.  After exploring the castle we took an hour long boat ride on Loch Ness and got to search for Nessy between snowstorms.
We ended our trip with a full day on Friday.  After attending Good Friday service at Old St. Paul's in Edinburgh we hiked up to the to of Arthur's Seat which was a steady uphill hike most of the was and almost rock climbing at the top.  All of the work was worth it though because the view from the top was unbelievable!  We got to watch the sun set while we hiked down.  After dinner Megan and I went back into town for a ghost tour through the town and in the underground of Edinburgh.
The first week of Easter was amazing.  So much was done and so many beautiful things were seen!  More exploring to come during the second week of Easter break, but I will save that for a later post!  

Luck of the Irish

I'm not sure I will ever experience a St. Patrick's day that could top Sunday.  First off...St. Patrick's Day in Ireland is a big deal.  Even on a Sunday when the city is pretty much shut down for the majority of the day, the place was hoppin'.
I started my day off with church, which is fitting because it is the Feast day of St. Patrick.  I even got to sing what has become one of my favorite hymns...St. Patrick's Breastplate, or I bind unto myself today.  I learned a little about the real St. Patrick and then decided to head back to the flat to meet up with everyone else.
After changing into my green attire we all headed out to watch the parade.  The parade was lovely with lots of Irish dancing, what I'm assuming is the Irish version of bagpipes (which are Scottish by the way), and tons and tons of people.  After the parade we ventured toward the City Center to hear the open-air concert during which I decided that I could live in that moment and never leave.  The moment quickly passed though and we headed to the pub to toast to the day!
Overall it was a great day to spend with the wonderful people that I've met since I've been here.  We had great craic and I realized how luck I am to have such a great group of friends!
Now its time to get ahead on some work this week so that I don't have to worry about anything over Easter break.  Cheers

She is the Belle of Belfast City

This weekend in Belfast, Northern Ireland was both eye-opening and comforting.  We were lucky enough to spend time with two families that were extremely welcoming.
Maria and her mom, Michelle, hosted us at her house and made sure that we were well taken care of.  Michelle  cooked us our first fry on Saturday morning taking into consideration the fact that we were American and not used to such a heavy meal.  When we came back to the house that night she had dinner for us as well.  We really ate like kings...roast beef, roasted potatoes, creamed potatoes, steamed veggies, Yorkshire pudding, and gravy.  I was so full afterwards, but I couldn't help but eat as much as I could because it was so good!
We also got to spend time with JP's family.  Friday night they welcomed us into their house and talked with us well into the night.  My eyes were opened to how real and ongoing the discrimination against Catholics in Northern Ireland is.  We learned a bit about history, shared a little bit about ourselves, and even got to hear some embarrassing stories.  We were also invited back for Sunday dinner because that is a big deal here.  JPs mom made us chicken, ham, sweet chili potatoes, mashed potatoes, steamed veggies, cabbage, and gravy with chocolate cake for dessert.  Luckily we literally climbed up and down a mountain before dinner, so we could handle it.
On top of getting some well-needed family time we also got to see lots of Belfast which is still a vivid picture of segregation.  We toured the entirety of the city on a bus, but the windows weren't conducive to picture taking.  We saw murals, peace walls, and many flags.  We toured Crumlin Road Goal (Jail) and saw St. Anne's Cathedral with the largest Celtic cross in Northern Ireland.  Our adventure side took hold when we climbed up Cave Hill and down through the Devil's Whirlpool to Belfast Castle.
There was so much fun to be had.  I am very grateful to have wonderful friends (Maria and JP) that welcomed us into their homes and planned and made sure we were taken care of all weekend.  I am so very blessed!

"By seeing London, I have seen as much of life as the world can show" -Samuel Johnson

Last weekend I went on my first big outing...off the Island.  They say traveling in Europe is easy once you're here...and compared to traveling from the States that may be true, but traveling to London from Londonderry was not the easiest thing that I've done.
After several buses, taxis, and a plane, we made it to our hostel in Victoria, London at about 2:00 in the afternoon.  After a brief nap we decided to venture out into the city.  We decided, after a treat, to walk first to Buckingham Palace.  The palace is enormous and beautiful!  I saw the famous guards out front, though you can't get as close to them as I once thought that you could.  We took pictures outside the gate and around the statue and fountain in front of the gate, and noticed that the flag was flying which meant that Queen Elizabeth was home.  Then we walked, through the darkness of early evening to Big Ben and the London Eye which were both beautiful in the falling snow at night.  Feeling accomplished enough with our day we headed to dinner and then to bed to rest up for Saturday.
Saturday was packed full of adventure and overwhelming...it is hard for me to even remember what all we got to do on Saturday.  We went to platform 9 3/4 and lived out our Harry Potter dreams and walked all over the rest of the city.  By the time we made it back to the hostel at the end of the day we calculated that we walked over 6 miles.  Needless to say we slept soundly before our adventure on Sunday.
With so many things to see and do it is hard to put them all into a post that isn't too long to read.  For the most part I can say that everything we saw was amazing and I would gladly go back to London!  Now that I'm actually back from a weekend in Belfast I will try to post about that soon so that I can also post about St. Patrick's Day which is this weekend.  I'm excited to share all of my adventures, I just hope I can keep better track of my posts than I have for the past few weeks.  Remember to check Facebook for pictures!

STUDY Abroad

I guess since I am technically here to study I should talk a bit about the classes.  Though I didn't expect things to be very different from the States, I was wrong.  I am only taking three classes here, as opposed to the five I was taking back home, but these three classes transfer as five credit hours each, so I am taking 15 hours.  My expectation is that these classes would require more work because they hold more credit, but the opposite is true.  There is very little coursework to do here.  I am taking 2 final level psychology classes (Peace and Conflict Psychology and Health Psychology) and a middle year history class (The Irishman at War with an added emphasis on the religious aspects of those wars).  Each class consists of one essay and one exam (or another essay).  I may have one added presentation for each class, but that is it!  No sweat.  I am ahead working on my coursework and I still feel like I haven't done much of anything.  The trick, however, comes with the classes themselves.  I am lucky enough to only have class 2 days a week (Thursday and Friday).  This leaves me plenty of time to travel and explore, but t also makes for long days seeing as I have to sit in each class for 3 hours.  Thursdays consist of a 2 hour lecture on Peace and Conflict, an hour break, then an hour seminar for Peace and Conflict, then another hour break and a 2 hour history lecture on war where names are thrown around that make no sense (especially since everyone seems to have the same last name!) then an hour break followed by an hour of seminar where the previous week is reviewed in a more concrete details.  It makes for a long day and a conscientious lengthening of my attention span, but if that is the price I pay for getting to be in Ireland, then it is worth it!