snow!

Though I'm sad that across the ocean Duke basketball has lost to UNC, I've woken up here to snowflakes tumbling down outside my window set to Rachmoninov's 2nd Piano Concerto in the background. It's beautiful.

...some shots from my walk around campus and town...


The view from my apartment this morning.


Students playing in the snow on North Campus.


A statue in one of many lovely gardens on South Campus.


South Campus architecture.


I love that you can walk from from town, passing a 900 year old castle into campus.


Signs on South Campus.


Students on a South Campus quad.

... and I'm now going to bed after having had my first lesson on the Tin Whistle, given to me by my lovely Irish roommate, Grainne. What a great day.

some pictures!

South Campus at dusk


At the bus stop on Main St. in Maynooth, waiting to go to Dublin. Notice the funky trees here...


Sam and me at the Dublin Spike. Our hats matched.


We also have Irish wooly jumpers and hats to match :)


Lindsey and I enjoying the countryside of rural Co. Galway on a walk during our homestay at a farm in Tuam.

Tuesday

So, my roommate, Grainne, has already vowed she is going to teach me to play the tin whistle and to irish dance, two things she knows how to do well. I'm holding her to her word. Amazing.

We had homestays this weekend out in Tuam, a town near Galway. I stayed with two other American girls - friends from my program - in the home of an older woman named Mary. While I'd heard stories of previous homestays during which students had meals with ginormous irish families or sang merry songs until late in the night, this experience was not that. Unfortunately, I think Mary is just getting a bit old and didn't quite understand the concept of a homestay: rather than being very interactive with us, she often just let us to ourselves and didn't even eat at meals with us (though she cooked us fabulous dishes and offered plenty of tea and brown bread, God bless her), and we did not meet her family who lived across the way from her farm. It was certainly lovely, and the three of us all took in the amazing country side on long walks. But definately a different experience than I expected! We did not vist any other area of Co. Galway either. But that will just mean a trip back will have to be planned :)

I missed Trampolining today due to class registration, but look forward to going later this week! Am signed up for a competition in Dublin already! I thought these kids would be crazy at trampoline, but I've learned that there are no fully-equipped gymnastics centers in all of Ireland, so non actually have much previous experience with it. So fun to get back up and bounce after all these years out of the gym! Am also enjoying getting ready for the performance of a Haydn and Beethoven mass with the large Maynooth chorale. Though they aren't the duke chapel choir, i'm definately pleased to continue singing!

was able practice organ today... I have to practice in one of three places on campus: either the old Chapel (currently being refurbished) or one of the oratories within the seminary! Practicing in those spaces with the sunlight beaming through onto the pews has been some really special time for me on this campus. My organ professor here is also a nice, odler man, who is retiring after this semester, so I'm glad that he's offered to teach me!

About to go to a lecture by John Buckley, a contemporary Irish composer, with free wine&cheese reception after to boot!

The beginning!

Hi friends! I thought I might do this blog for me and you. I'll write in here often and try not to get caught up in anything too fluffy. This way, I don't have to inundate you with emails, but you can check up on my activities when you like!

Well, I've been in the love Emerald Isle about 16 days now. I came through an American program, so that I had orientation and other organized events with 11 other American students, all from different universities. On campus, however, we all live in different apartments with 4-5 other Irish and/or international students. I have 4 Irish female roommates, and though I thought co-ed living might be nice (most apartments are co-ed), I'm quite pleased with my relatively quiet and clean female companions! I don't actually see them all too often - most are here just monday thru thursday, and go home on the weekends. Most all Irish students at Irish universities do go home on weekends to be with family (and don't seem to do much/any work then either!) ... I really love that connection to family that is still so strong here. But yeah, the rundown - I have a nice spacious bedroom with private bathroom, and look out over some tennis courts and a bit further across the road to some lovely cottages... The apartments are on the North Campus. NUI Maynooth (that is the college that I am at) is split into two campuses - North and South. The north is relatively new, with on campus apartments, sports facilities, lecture halls, and student spaces. Across a small street is the South Campus, which was first founded as a seminary. The buildings of South campus are from the late 18th century! Fortunately, all my classes are on the beautiful South Campus, as it houses Music, History, and Theology, the three subjects I'm studying here.

Backtracking a bit... our group of 12 students had our 3 day orientation in Limerick, interestingly called "Stab City" by Irish folks. Sadly, one of our students also got pickpocketed his first night there, but he had a great attitude about it, and I would say that is not characteristic of Ireland at all!! A lover of music, I was super anxious to hear real irish music, and wonderfully, also our first night there, we went to a pub that had a great session (term used for when a bunch of musicians are together playing "traditional" irish music.. today sessions take place in pubs) going! Of course, I made sure we returned the next evening! Then we came over to Maynooth about 4 days before classes started. We were quickly made familiar with the laid-back attitude that is typical of people in Ireland. Many of us found mistakes had been made with our housing assignments, and me and a friend stayed a night in "guest accomodations" (in an upper floor of a georgous old building on South Campus) until they found a room to put us in! One also cannot expect to accomplish anything from 1-2, the hours that appear to be the national lunch time, and everything closes early and is closed on weekends. Wonderfully, Maynooth's campus library closes at 10 pm!!! Students here "work during the day"... (and they certainly do not work at night!).

I LOVE the village of Maynooth! It is mostly populated with maybe a few thousand folks. There is one Main Street, which is a 5 minute walk from campus. It has all one could need - groceries, banks, a pharmacy, and even a Supermacs (a superisingly amazing irish fastfood chain... i think the only fastfood chain in the country), and of course, at least 4 pubs... Just today, I walked past the 900 year old castle on the edge of South Campus and right on to Main St. to runa few errands, and made it back quickly with plenty of time to get to my next activity!