Leaving the Republic: Northern Ireland

As I briefly mentioned in the earlier post, last weekend included a trip to Northern Ireland with the other American students. We had just finished taking two weeks of "foundations courses," which taught us about Irish history, culture and politics/economics, and this field trip really brought to life many of the concepts/events we just learned. Here's a brief itinerary of what we did!

1.) Got on the bus and drove to Belfast in Northern Ireland. Two hours later we arrived and a lovely tour guide who has lived in the city for over fifty years led us through the city and we observed Catholic and Protestant communities. There are murals all over the city depicting civil rights issues and history of the conflicts that have occurred in Northern Ireland. In addition, we saw the "peace walls" that separate the communities from each other. It's hard to believe that there is still so much prejudice and racism in so a modern society.

2.) Saw where the Titanic was built, as well as all of the other ships in the White Star Line. The ship was created in a giant hole in the ground that could be filled with water so the Titanic could be floated out to sea. There was a smaller boat that was covered in tarps that I believe helped recover some of the victims. The details and materials were the same as used on Titanic, and the boat should hopefully be restored and preserved soon! Next year, 2012, is the 100th anniversary of the maiden (and unfortunately last) voyage of Titanic, and there's a beautiful new museum being built to commemorate it. The Belfast community is proud of the famous ship, despite her ill-fated life, and say "Titanic was fine when it left Belfast!" (it officially sailed from Southhampton, England!)

3.) Checked into our hotel, then a group of us explored a bit and found a wonderful restaurant that served the best fish and chips I've ever tasted. The crust on the fish was light and flaky and we put vinegar on our "chips." I was full for hours, but obviously later when we saw a cupcake store we had to stop for dessert and I got a Nutella one...heaven!

4.) Danielle, Elise, Sarah and I explored downtown Belfast and went into the ornate town hall and took in the scenery close to our hotel. We went into a mall that has a viewing point where you can see the entire city and climbed up to the top! The sun was just setting as we arrived and the silhouettes of the spires, buildings and mountains were absolutely stunning as we took in the view.

5.) Following dinner in the hotel we went to the a local put that a man in the viewing tower recommended. There was an live band that plays there often which featured a fiddle, guitar and drums, I believe. They played traditional Irish music all night and we danced and dang along with the locals. It was exactly the pub experience I craved when coming here, and we 'had the craic' with all who were packed into the back room for music. My favorite songs they played were "Brown Eyed Girl" and "Galway Girl." I love the Van Morrison classic because my little sister Paula has brown eyes that make me think I'm looking into a warm cup of coffee, so that's our song! And Galway Girl was featured in PS I Love You, so of course I and any other twenty-something female love it. In the movie Hillary Swank meets her husband in Ireland when she's in college and hears him playing that song in a pub. I'm not exactly sure if that's going to happen to me, plus the band members were the age of most grandfathers so I'm not too keen on that idea either. Regardless, listening to that song and being surrounded with happy people in such a cozy, historic place made me feel so wonderfully happy I chose to come to this country. The happiness is contagious.

Preview of Last Weekend

My sister and Dad are wondering where in the world I am, and maybe some of you are too!
We were in Belfast and Derry in Northern Ireland for the weekend and it was amazing! I'll give details soon, but some previews were: seeing where the Titanic was built, crossing a rope bridge to an island, going to the Giant's Causeway, seeing heaps of sheep and lovely coast and observing where "the troubles" in the country have occurred in regards to Civil Rights. Oh, and I went to the best pub ever and heard a live band that played 'Galway Girl' which made me feel like Hillary Swank in P.S. I Love You.  It was one of the best moments...ever!

And now, I am utterly exhausted! I have a marketing class at 9 a.m. tomorrow and I'll need my energy! I'll write more and put some pictures up soon!

5 Things from Yesterday and Today

I've been going non-stop for the past few days, so here's a quick synopsis of what's been happening in my little Irish world yesterday and today:

1.) Attempted to go to my first class. There was a schedule mix-up and I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off to find said class. I entered what was supposed to be my Intro to Marketing Course, and what followed was surely straight out of a movie. I walked in the room (late, as I'd been in the wrong building and was getting inconsistent information from people) and everyone started chatting/laughing. Whoops. Turns out that wasn't Intro to Marketing, but rather was a class that's been going on all year. For some reason they signed me up for a class that shouldn't have been available to me. I then went to another DBS building and met with a beautiful (...I mean...brilliant) marketing professor whose class I can hopefully join. Rewarded myself with 3 Butler's chocolates for one of the most embarrassing moment of 2011.

2.) Went to Kilmainham Gaol, a jail built in 1796 which is one of the most historically relevant places in the country. This jail held normal prisoners in the early days, then held executed leaders and politicians of Irish rebellions. The most famous executions were of the 16 leaders of the Easter Rising insurrection. These men staged an uprising to end British rule and establish the Irish Republic in 1916.

3.) Played Spoons at Paddy and Connor's apartment with my roommates! We then went out to a club the boys like because Wednesday night is when the students usually go to clubs and pubs. It was so much fun and we danced all night!

4.) Had my last days of my foundations classes! After class we hung out at a pub next door at a happy hour hosted by our school, and then I had a lovely Thai dinner with a few girls and our program director.

5.) Tomorrow we are going to Belfast in Northern Ireland to learn all about the conflict that Protestant/Catholic turmoil that has occurred there and still lingers to this day. We'll be there through Sunday!

As for now, I'm about to go to bed before 11 p.m, which is of absolute necessity. I want to be well rested to take in all Belfast has to offer, plus I have yet to pack for my weekend. Whoops!

Registration Day

Today I walked to the south side of the city with some classmates to register for our spring classes. This process was so much less stressful than any registering I've done at Elon. Usually I anxiously watch the spots fill up online, and when it's finally my time I sit on edge while the computer server takes forever to process the overload of requests to the system. Today I simply had to email the registration person what I wanted and I'm guaranteed a spot--sweet! I registered for Local and Global Media, Intro to Marketing, Experiential and Avant-Garde Film and Video, and Editing, Layout and Design for Print Media. This should help me be almost finished with the Communications electives I need to take for my major, and the marketing class will fulfill my requirement of taking a business class! This will be an amazing semester and I won't have classes on Mondays or Fridays...life is good. Unfortunately for some people, classes began this week but no one really realized that. I have marketing on Wednesday and Thursday, but that is going to conflict with some of my foundations courses that I have for winter term. I don't want to miss out on any of my classes or a field trip tomorrow because of conflicts beyond my control, but I'll talk to the professors and let them know what's happening.

After registering I walked the half hour back home and started to read my book by James Joyce called Dubliners. Joyce, a famed author, was from Dublin and this, his first work, was published when he was twenty-five. I checked the book out of the library and am excited to read lots of local literature, because Ireland is famous for producing renowned authors! However, my tiredness got the best of me and after page one I decided to "rest my eyes," which in my case always means fall fast asleep. I took an excellent nap--my first one in months--and then woke up to eat leftover crepes for lunch. After getting ready, I made the same trip I'd taken only hours before back to the classroom for an Irish History seminar. 

Something I pass on the way to class!

The walk home from class was very pretty as the sun was setting, leaving the sky purple and blue. The moon was nearly full and when I looked at it I thought of my Dad. Since I was little, whenever he traveled on business or I was at camp he'd tell me to look at the moon because it was the same one he was seeing. In fact, one of my first words was "moon," although I called it "moona." To this day Dad and I still say that sometimes. I sure do love my Daddy (and Mama, of course!) I also saw two swans in the river which seemed very strange. On rare occasions I've seen ducks in the Liffey but never swans! They must have loved me so much from the park yesterday that they followed me! It reminded me of Elon and Lake Mary Nell!

Walking home from class...what a view!

Tonight Sarah and I made ourselves a single girls' dinner consisting of pasta with butter and a huge carrot from the market. Wow. Good work, girls. We ate some tea biscuits coated in Cadbury's chocolate with milk for good measure. After eating we went to our Irish/English friends' apartment and chatted with them for awhile. We brought Mathilde and it was fun to listen to Ireland, England and France banter about the upcoming Six Nations rugby tournament and about past European tiffs. I love international relations in everyday life...it keeps things interesting and is a constant reminder of nationalism and love of ones' country. Speaking of love for a country...I can see the large Irish flag in their apartment from my bedroom in the building across from theirs. I told Connor, the Brit, that they should put an American flag in the family room too. Unfortunately the Irish won't allow Connor to hang a British flag in the main room (hm, wonder why), but they didn't dispute an addition of the beautiful red, white and blue! So now, thanks to me, the stars and stripes are adorning our international friends' wall. USA!

Phoenix Park and Crepes Galore

This morning we had Irish history class which was packed full of information! We continued to learn about how different people/events have shaped the country! Let me educate you in ten seconds or less! 1.) People have been living in Ireland for about 10,000 years. 2.) About 2,500 the Celts came to Ireland. 3.) Dublin (Dubh Linn) means Black Pool and was originally a Viking settlement. 4.) St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland he brought converted the monotheistic Celts to Catholicism. 5.) The Anglo-Saxons invaded in the 12th Century caused a history of religious and political differences between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. 

After class Elise F., Sarah and I walked around shops in the city, and I found a used book called War and Peace In Ireland. This will be great reading for my history seminar, and also for my personal library! After walking around and poking our heads into more cute shops with adorable European clothing just screaming to be worn, we headed home and the girls took siestas while I browsed my course options. Tomorrow we are registering and I am trying to craft the perfect schedule that allows me plenty of free time, but also maximizes my credits. I will need to take some communications electives, and I'd like to get my business course out of the way! Hopefully I'll take event planning or tourism management as well. We shall see!


This afternoon the girls and I headed to Phoenix Park, which is the largest enclosed park within a European capital city! Within the walls is lots of green grass, playing fields, trails, the Dublin Zoo, monuments, a cross from the Pope's visit, the President's house and US Ambassador's house. Obviously I loved it because it's called Phoenix Park, which is the mascot of my beloved Elon! Note to self: Don't even graduate from college. One of the first things we noticed was a pond with lots of ducks and swans! My previous experience with swans is that they are fussy animals and mean! They hiss! We have several at my school, and the pair who lives in the pond by my old dorm do not welcome visitors. These swans, however, were quite the opposite! I'm sure they've been fed bread and been spoiled by visitors, so my friends and I have decided to come back soon with bread that's too old for us. 

Phoenix Park...just a hop, skip and a jump from our apartment!

Being Phoenix  in the park! EU...U KNOW!

Friendly swan!

We also climbed a huge monument which is visible from where we live...I'm not sure what it represented exactly, but that will be my homework assignment for myself. I know it said India on one side...but that's it! Our last little activity was furthering our walk it the park and hunting for the deer that have lived within the walls for as long as the park has been around! We vowed that we will not leave Dublin until we see the Fallow Deer...sorry Mom and Dad.

The deer hunt is on.

 When we came home Mathilde our lovely French roommate said she had a surprise for us...tonight we were learning how to make crepes! YES!!! Mathilde gave us a cooking lesson which was excellent, and we mixed our eggs with flour, then added milk and butter. We whisked everything together and then poured it on the hot frying pan. She told us in France when people sunbathe they say "let's do crepes," meaning turn over on either side every so often so they don't burn. I love that and am going to adopt that saying! This was the first time we three American girls had really flipped anything in a pan, and I'm pleased to say nothing landed on the floor!

Step 1: Mix

Step 2: Flip 

Step 3: Fill with yum yums

Step 4: Dream about crepe perfection

Step 5: Slather with Nutella for the best dessert known to (wo)man.

After dinner we went downstairs to another apartment where more of our friends were making crepes! Cecilia, another French student, was showing them! Oh we Americans sure do love anything yummy and that can be filled with meats and cheeses or stopped with sauces, jams, syrups and fruit! Anyway, it was Cecilia's birthday tonight, so we celebrated! Happy birthday, Cecilia!

Mathilde and the Birthday Girl, Cecilia!

French Toast and Our French Roommate!

One of the things I love most about Europe is that the food has less preservatives than in the States, meaning that it's better for you! Even though it may be inconvenient that things like milk and bread go bad faster, I'm happy to know they're not choc full of chemicals! Sarah and I had a lot of leftover bread, so we thought that making french toast would be the best way to maximize what we had on hand!

Elise. F. came over and helped us whip up our breakfast treat, and right as we were finishing, our French Roommate Mathilde arrived! She's from the south of France and lives in a home from the 16th century. The fact that her home is ages older than my country is quite impressive. The four of us ate brunch together and talked about the differences and similarities between France and the USA. Mathilde promised she'd teach us how to make crepes, so I'm completely on board for that little cooking lesson coming soon! We spread Nutella and Raspberry Jam on our French Toast which was so tasty! I really, truly think I could live on Nutella spread alone.

After eating, Sarah and I took our new roommate on a little tour of the city center and gave her pointers about navigating our neighborhood. It felt nice to really know where I was going and to be able to recognize so much. The weather was cool and warmer than where any of my family was in the States! This Sunday stroll was perfect to see the buildings and the River during my favorite time of day--the golden hour! Sarah left us to join some family friends for dinner in their Dublin home, and I took Mathilde to buy a go-phone and to pick up some necessary groceries. While at the store I sent a few messages out to friends and organized a dinner at our apartment. It only seemed right after having French toast for breakfast that we eat Mexican food for dinner!

A word to the wise: for anyone trying to find ingredients for a Mexican meal in a Tesco grocery...good luck. There were no black beans, only a few small bags of tortilla chips, and the salsa jars were very small. Thankfully I found the necessary provisions and before we knew it, we were heading back home to begin cooking our Mexican feast!

We had soft tacos with beef, refried beans, sauteed peppers and onions, chips, salsa, and Coronas with lime for good measure. Our crew consisted of several Elon students, a friend from NY, and two French students! After eating we cleaned up and everyone went home. I've been looking at the spring semester courses online so I'll be ready to select my classes on Tuesday. Hopefully I'll have plenty of time off to explore, and do my homework, of course.

Que bueno!

The National Museum and Euro Clubbing

After spending a full day in Kilkenny, I decided to sleep in as late as my body would late me--something that doesn't happen as often as it should! I knew I wanted to make the most of my day, so Elise F. and I decided to spend the afternoon the National Museum of Ireland: Decorative Arts and History. Fortunately for us, the museum is only about a five minutes walk from our apartment and admission is free, so it was the perfect way to spend the overcast and blustery afternoon. We saw exhibits about Irish clothing through the ages, period furniture, artifacts that had been previously in storage, coins and currency, and an extensive collection of Asian art donated by a private Dublin resident in the 1930's.

Decorative Arts and History Museum

When we returned home and made dinner with Sarah and Katie, then got ready to go out and celebrate Paddy finishing his exams. Most all of the American students met in Paddy and Connor's apartment, and we were joined by several new faces--international students! It was quite the diverse mix--Elon would have loved that. The countries represented were Ireland, England, France, Norway and USA (but we may as well be different countries because we come from so many different states.)

We walked to the bus stop where I had my first taste of riding on a double decker! It was amazing! In the states school children think riding in the back of the bus is cool, but over here obviously the top is the best! Because it was so late, everyone riding it was going out and ready to party. I've never experienced anything like this--it was literally a party bus. All of the other riders were drinking out of open containers and someone was even smoking. I suppose what happens on the top of a double decker stays on the top of a double decker. 

Double decker...party bus!

Cool kids on top!

The first bar we went to was great, and all of us got so excited when they played "Build Me Up Buttercup." Everyone in the bar was singing along to it, and it made me miss doing the Carolina shag with friends back at home! We didn't stay there too long, but soon made our way to a club next door which was so fun! I've mentioned in earlier posts that chocolate is one of my favorite things in the world, but that is closely rivaled by dancing! We danced all night and they played a great mix of European and American music. Toward the end of the night a mix of that old song "Hit the Road Jack" came on, which we sang to our very own Elon Jack who we've dubbed as our big brother. After dancing to our hearts' content, we walked home along the River Liffey ready for well-deserved rest!