The Orientation was to give us all of the information we need to survive this semester, like contact information, ID numbers, course information, etc. We also found out about the 85 clubs on campus and 40 something sports groups. I am interested in joining the orchestra (if I can get a trombone), the Archaeology Society, and the Mountaineering Club. The M. Club takes trips around the country to hike; they have a open trip coming up, so I'm going to go and see if I like it. I think that it would be a really authentic way to travel, rather than just going on tours. Also, the dig that I thought was closed to international students seems to be open...so I'm going to try to get into it! To sign up for classes, we have to go to all of the departments on Monday and pick up the "timetables" for each class. The first week we can go to as many as we want to try them out, and then we have to turn in a registration form Monday the 18th to finalize which ones we'll actually stick with. I'm pretty sure I know which ones I want to take, but there are a couple that I didn't know about that I might try out. Also, the Irish course does not count for any credit and it costs 80 euro, but it would be pretty awesome to learn some Irish (they don't call it Gaelic here). We'll see! I'm trying to keep busy even though I don't have anyone to hang out with.
I also am thinking about volunteering with ALIVE, the college's group that organizes student volunteers. They seem to do a lot of tutoring in the city and help with the homeless, but since I did that last semester, I am more interested helping plant trees or doing Habitat for Humanity or something. If I can do everything I plan, I'll be very busy!
On a different note...
The food here is quite similar to what I'm used to, but sometimes the packaging is funny. Here's my lunch:
Normally they call chips "crisps," so this brand is making fun of that.
The jam looks normal, but the PB is so happy to be eaten!
On grocery receipts, they mark down how much you spend on Irish products. Check the bread off on that list, dude.
You can see the nutrition facts on the bottom of the bread bag here. It's really hard to figure out what the serving size is on most containers, since they put down a lot less information than we do.While I was shopping in Dunnes, the grocery store, today, I noticed a couple of funny things:
- You can buy normal-sized tissues, but all brands make special, extra-big tissues that are called "mansized" tissues. I was amused, but felt hypocritical buying them since my nose is clearly not mansized?! Maybe that'll be someone's souvenir...
- They call contact solution "eye solution," and you have to go to the chemist (pharmacist) in a completely separate store to get it. There are a lot of other different words...I'll have to remember them some other time.
- Rather than having grape-flavored things, like juice, jelly, or even Starburst candy, they have black currants as a flavor. It's kind of like grapes and cranberries had a baby. Basically, yuck.
Random cow-colored horse...and a mini one too!
One of the girls, Jackie, and a very shaggy horse. How can he even see?
See? No eye holes.
Now he's playing shy.
Come say hi!
If you zoom in, you'll see the remains of a castle in the distance on the right.
There are stone walls like these all over.
A water plant. Next to houses. Odd.
The area is very rustic and has lots of beautiful old houses and walls...and then tons of generic housing lots.
On the walk to school, we pass by this ruin. It is marked off because they are strengthening the support so it doesn't keep falling down. To the left, just out of the picture, is the River Corrib.
See? A river. With a swan. He and his friend must be freezing. There were chunks of ice floating next to them...
Hope this gives you all a better idea of what Ireland is like! Good night.
