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!