Oh laundry...

I guess I've always taken for granted the miracle of separated washers and dryers. It seems obvious: one uses water to clean things clean, one just dries them. But oh no, not here: here, we get special ones that supposedly do both in one nifty little machine.

I have spent the past five hours trying to wash my clothes. Mind you, this is only the past six days' worth, so it could have been worse if I'd procrastinated (or not run out of socks). First, I got everything together and opened the door of the machine to start loading it. After the initial shock of five gallons of water spilling out, I slammed the door shut and got my suitemate. We figured out that it would be smartest to call our program leader about the flood; she then directed us to the hotel next door. So some poor hotel manager and helper came over and let the rest of the water loose, then had to de-clog the machine and mop the floors. With the mop that was frozen solid, by the way.

Okay--so finally, the machine works. Or has the potential to. I throw my first load in. Although the machine sounds like it's about to take to the skies, it washes. Second load goes in after. Then I hung up the big stuff (like jeans) on the drying rack, since the dryer can only handle small loads, and throw in the small stuff to dry. I followed the directions to the dot, and yet after two hours of waiting anxiously, wondering why I kept hearing water, and struggling to open the locked door, I found out that really, the machine had just re-washed everything. So much for drying.

So now my bedroom is covered in wet clothes. It's too cold in here to even dry my towel after I shower, but apparently all of my laundry is supposed to finish drying. Aaaaahhhhhh... I was so desperately hoping that our Irish roommates would move in and show me how it's done.

Anyway...that was the biggest frustration of the day. I also learned how to use the oven today, and although it only cooked the top part of my pizza, the microwave finished the job. I can't wait to come home to American appliances!

But otherwise, today was a good day! Courtney, Alice, and I met to go windowshopping in the city for a few hours. We had some fun trying on some of the crazy dresses that the women wear here, but ended up most enjoying the bookstore. Alice and I each got an Irish children's book; we're planning on bringing them to class with us so the professor can help us translate them. Once I find out what it says, I'll have to post some excerpts!

The lecturer yesterday showed us pictures of one of the original defensive walls around Galway that were built in the 1300s by the Normas that still stands today. When we were in a shopping mall in the middle of the city today, we found it. It literally is IN the mall; there are several stone towers and a huge stone wall from way back when holding up modern windows and lots of market carts and store fronts. It's really disconcerting how people here take these ancient monuments for granted. Down one of the side streets, there's a ruin in between two apartment buildings. There's this wall in a mall. The church that we visited yesterday is ancient, and yet people still pray and visit and get married there now. The APG in me wants to separate it all and preserve the old, but I suppose today's people have to live somewhere too.

Tomorrow, I have to get up early to pick up the timetables so I can start sampling classes and eventually figure out which ones I'll be taking. However, there's a rumor that they may be canceling classes instead because of the ice. Either way, I'll be on campus tomorrow, so whatever is fine with me!

It's crazy to think that I've already been here for six days. It'll be weird once classes start up! Then I'll actually have stuff to do, and maybe even club meetings and such to go to. I'm enjoying the free time, but I can't wait to get busy. So on that note...I'm going to bed! Good night.