The past few weeks have been crazy, and adjusting to Galway
has become a full-time job. Even though stepping outside my comfort zone to
learn as much as I can is exhausting sometimes, I’ve been having so much more
fun than I could have ever expected. It
hit me at some point last week that four months here is just not going to be
enough time, and I’m already not looking forward to leaving.
On Sunday, September 16, my roommate Jess and I woke up early and traveled by bus to the annual oyster festival in Clarenbridge (or Clarinbridge, depending on who you ask). We ate some oysters, had a couple beers, watched a rubber ducky race in the stream next to the festival grounds, and listened to a band called The Amazing Apples (not only were they very good, but they were also very cute!) After missing two buses (the first because we were so mesmerized by the band that we didn’t want to leave, the second because we didn’t realize you have to waive the bus down/jump in front of it to get the driver to stop) we finally got back to Galway and met up with our friends for dinner at the King’s Head.
On Wednesday, the 19th, I was sitting in a lecture and suddenly realized I had missed my appointment to register at the Immigration Office. I attempted to walk there after I got out of college, but had a really hard time finding it with the directions given to me by the International Students Office. After walking up and down the same road several times and asking a hotel receptionist (who had a mix between and Asian and an Irish accent, which I absolutely could not understand), I finally hailed a cab to take me there. By the time I finally got there, however, they had been closed for fifteen minutes. I went back on Friday morning at 9am with my friend Monica, and sat there for three hours until I finally registered. The Immigration Office was a strange place – there was a mix between foreign students, immigrants from the Middle East, and screaming children waiting in the lobby. Between that and what I thought was strep throat coming on, I was convinced I had been sent to hell.
Thursday the 27th was my new favorite holiday – Arthur Guinness/Sir Arthur’s Day! Since I don’t have classes – or “college” as the Irish students say – I had all day to prepare. My roommate Jess has come to realize a fact that those closest to me know – that I will literally take all day to get ready if you let me! Once Jessica got back from class and we were both ready, we went in to town with Kaja and Jenna to the King’s Head. We held up our pints of Guinness at 5:59 and cheered for Arthur Guinness… On the 30th of September, Jessica and I went with our Irish roommates and their friends to watch the tie-breaking match of the All Ireland hurling finals at the King’s Head. Unfortunately, Galway lost. However, I have come to really enjoy watching hurling (even if I still don’t really understand it!)
On Saturday, the 6th of October, I went with my study abroad group, CEA, to the Aran Islands. More specifically, we went to the island of Inis Mor, where we hired bicycles and traveled across the island to Dun Aengus. Dun Aengus is a fort that is over a thousand years old. We had amazing weather, so we soaked up the sun and took lots of pictures.
I’ve had some really telling moments about the weather in Ireland in my time here. There have been multiple days that I would be getting ready for class and I looked out the window. It would be sunny, so I would put on a sweater, jeans, and boots. When I go to walk to the front door, it would be pouring rain. So I’ll go back upstairs and put on my rain jacket, rain boots, and got my umbrella. When I walk back out the front door, it had completely stopped raining and the sun was shining bright. So I’ve learned that I really need to be prepared for any kind of weather, and I always bring my rain jacket with me.
At this current moment, I am packing as much as I can in to my tiny little backpack and getting ready to spend the next six days in Italy with three of my friends! I have to take a taxi in to town in less than an hour, and I still have to paint my nails!
"Shop Street" in Galway City
Oysters and beer at the Clarenbridge Oyster Festival
Cheers to Arthur!
The beach at Inis Mor
Dun Aengus
The view from inside Dun Aengus :)
