Connemara & Cork

     Oh my, where to begin?!? What a whirlwind of a weekend. Early Friday morning I left for Connemara with my CEA program. With only 11 of us total and Brian our program director we're getting to know one another quite well. It's nice to have such a small group and spend time traveling together. We took a bus tour to Connemara and stopped at a couple small villages between Galway and our final destination of the Kylemore Abbey.

Kylmore Abbey

The Abbey was originally a castle and private home built, by Mitchel Henry, as a wedding present for his wife. Nicely done Mr. Henry! Although I wouldn't mind it, I'm not so sure I'll be receiving a wedding present quite like this. One can always dream! In 1920 the castle was founded by the Benedictine nuns and turned into an Abbey. Currently 12 nuns still reside in the castle planting the walled gardens and running the gift shop. Inside the gift shop I found beautiful blankets that I would have loved to purchase...if I had much more money. (I feel as though I'll say this line many more times throughout my travels)

Beautiful Wool Blankets

     Near the Abbey a chapel is located on top a small hill. The green marble used inside the chapel is famous for it's beautiful color and found locally in Connemara.

Green Connemara Marble

A few picturesque views along the way:

     Just before arriving in Connemara we passed through a small village where I ran into a little piece of home. Check out what I saw through my bus window...

A John Deere!!

Yes indeed a John Deere tractor! It made me feel right at home :  ) Along the way our tour guide explained to us that 60% of Ireland is made up of bog. For those who don't know what a bog is, it's a wetland with acidic peat on top. Basically grass which floats upon acidic water. Up at camp we have the Blueberry bog which is quite a bit of fun to walk on. Anyway Ireland's farmers harvest the peat for fuel. Seeing as though it floats on water it's very wet when harvested and requires 7-8 weeks to dry. Once dried it is used as fuel to burn. This little tidbit helped answer quite a few questions Abby C. and I had. Walking outside there is a specific odor of something burning that we couldn't quite place. We are both used to the smell of burning logs...which I greatly miss. Peat doesn't necessarily smell bad, however nothing beats coming home to a glowing stack of logs in the fireplace made by Dad.

     During our trip Martin, our bus driver played us traditional Irish music. I will greatly miss the music when I leave, however there were two songs that stuck out to me. We drove along listening to the beautiful music and then we heard Cotton-Eyed-Joe...the Irish version. All the girls paused, looked around at one another and erupted in laughter. Cotton-Eyed-Joe is not a traditional Irish song. The other song that made me smile was Morning Has Broken, because it is one of Dad's favorites. Another small reminder of home.

     While driving through the countryside you see sheep everywhere. I was able to see sheep from just a few inches outside my bus window all the way to the tops of the mountains. Due to a lack of fences or boundaries sheep are marked with red and blue paint to distinguish ownership. I wondered if this would ruin the wool, but Martin explained that these sheep are raised for their meat. Taking a closer look at them he showed us how their wool is very stringy and not puffy and soft like kind you would want to use to create wool. 

     At one of our stops we found a tree with a collection of random items thrown or tied on it. UW-Eau Claire has the gum tree and U of M has the shoe tree, well it looks like Ireland has the ribbon and socks tree.

      The weather in Connemara was absolutely beautiful with sunshine and blue skies all day. I'm thankful I went on the trip with my CEA group. Returning at 5:20pm I ran into my apartment, threw leftovers in the microwave and collected my bags for Cork. Shoving the food down I ran out the door in a hurry to get to the bus station for my trip to Cork. My bus didn't leave until 6:30, but I had yet to purchase a ticket, meaning it was important I get there earlier. Thankfully I arrived in plenty of time to purchase my ticket and secure a seat on the bus. 

Side note: This mad rush also reminds me of my panic to find my Violence class on Thursday. I had read the dates wrong and missed the first class last week. With only 17 students attendance and participation are very important. Leaving early to give myself plenty of time to find the classroom I unfortunately misread the e-mail and I took down the professors office number rather than the classroom number. With the class starting in a matter of minutes and no classroom number I began to panic. My face became flushed and I could feel myself begin to become flustered not knowing where to turn. It only took a few seconds before I thought "Abby, what are you doing?...relax. How is panicking going to help you find your classroom. God's in control, there's no reason to panic. Remember Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding with guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." After reciting the verse I took a deep breathe and set out to find the sociology department. On my way there I ran into my friend Chris, together we found the room number and he pointed me in the right direction. No reason to panic, God is in control. 

     I thought of this situation because of the bus ticket dilemma. Over the last year God has given me a whole new perspective on life. Last year, I would have been trapped in panic and self-pity not knowing what to do, too caught up in the struggle and anxiety of the moment. God has shown me His sovereignty and I've gotten my heart to not only know this as Truth, but also believe He is in control.  I am able to trust him even in the times of panic. What a blessing; talk about making life easier. Knowing He is guiding my every step I don't have to worry 1 Peter 5:7 "Cast all of your cares unto Him, because He cares for you."

     After a 3.5 hour bus ride I arrived in Cork. The girls collected me from the bus stop and wanted to go out for a drink. We ended up at the Washington Inn Pub, but I was a bit too tired. Not wanting a drink I turned to my trusty companion, my camelbak water bottle. After the pub we turned in for the night at the hostel knowing we had an early morning bus tour ahead of us. This was my very first stay in a hostel, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Hearing stories from Katie and other travelers I had a little mental picture, but I decided I would prepare myself for the worst. I know it sounds a bit nuts, but I pictured wooden bunk beds, dirt floors and bugs. With such low expectations I would be pleased with anything better than this. So to my delight I walked in to find a brightly painted room with carpeted floors and metal bunk beds.

Kinlay House Hostel

In the morning we had free toast, jam and tea. I wasn't expecting this little morning treat, so again it was a pleasant surprise. The girls purchased bread, ham and cheese to make sandwiches for our lunch during the day. Unfortunately, our ham was stolen out of the fridge.  We opted for cheese sandwiches, which ended up to be much tastier and filling than I had thought. 

Locking lips in Ireland:

     Our bus tour took us to the Blarney Castle, Kinsale and Cobh. I have indeed locked lips in Ireland, and it's not with Michael...with the Blarney stone of course! Leaning backwards off the top of the Blarney castle I kissed the infamous stone. It is said, once kissed, you are supposedly given the gift of gab for 7 years. I can't say I believe the myth, but it's fun to say I've done the deed. 

Kissing the Blarney Stone

The stairs leading up to the top of the castle were incredibly narrow. With mom's claustrophobia I'm not sure how much she would have enjoyed the small stairwells and doorways.

Tiny doorway!

Just hanging out off the top of the castle...pun intended!

Blarney Castle

Inner stairwell of Blarney

On our exploration of the castle we found the dungeon. Creepy, dark and wet, yep fits the classic description of a dungeon. It was fun to explore, but I can't say I'd ever want to spend a serious amount of time down there.

The dungeon!

     We finished our tour of the Blarney Castle and moved on to Kinsale. A small quiet town with cute boutiques and nice cafes. Here we sat outside the supermarket to eat our cheese sandwiches and enjoy the warm sunshine.

Lunchtime

Loved the brightly colored buildings

     Our next stop was Cobh, a small costal village centered around sea life. We passed store after store selling fresh fish, the mariner spirit was alive and well in the small village. The village is pronounced cove because the "bh" makes a "v" sound in Irish.  Cobh has turned into a special destination for many because of it's notorious history surrounding the Titanic. Before sinking the Titanic made it's last stop for passengers picking up 120 Irish in Cobh. Sadly only about 40 survived. Although the village is small the St. Colmans cathedral is massive. Many villagers who once lived in Cobh or had loved ones that were lost at sea have said the citizens of Cobh take great care of those left behind. This incredible sense of hospitality leaves behind lasting memories and gratitude, hence the large donations given to build the cathedral.

Cobh

St. Colman's Cathedral

     Our stop at Cobh concluded our bus tour as we headed back into Cork. Most of the girls returned to the hostel, but Aurelie, Elise and I decided to journey off to see UCC. University College Cork is known  for it's beautiful campus and Quadrangle building. It was unanimous we were quite jealous and wished our campus was as pretty as UCC.

     Returning back to the hostel around 6:30 I was starving. In the states my dinner time is generally between 5-5:30. The French don't eat dinner until 7-8:30. Thankfully I brought a long a few crackers to hold me over. We ate pizza's and drank wine for dinner. The girls said the white wine was awful, I had no idea. I've only tried wine a handful of times. They promised by the time I leave they will teach me what good and bad wine is. Cork was much colder than Galway so I was quite cold from being outside all day. Downing 4 cups of tea in 20 minutes I knew I was assimilating to the habits of Irish tea drinking. 

Wine & Tea:
the result of living in Ireland and eating with the French.

Saved by the ring:
     During dinner a man was sitting alone across from us at another table. He began a conversation engaging in small talk. Something seemed off, giving short answers and looking down we tried to quickly end the conversation. After dinner Abby C. and I both agreed that we were much too tired to go out that night. However, the other girls always seem ready for a pub or club...or maybe both! Staying in Abby C. and I went to the living room to watch T.V.  The odd man from dinner showed up and began speaking with us again. Not wanting to be rude I continued small talk with him, but tried to end the conversation multiple times. Taking a hint wasn't his speciality, so he continued on and on. Just when I thought he was done he told me that I was "cute, very beautiful...I'm impressed, very beautiful. Could we meet up sometime, you think you & me? We could go out tonight, we could meet up sometime?" EWWWW! Okay I'm done, Abby C. and I left to get tea. Well guess who followed us to the kitchen and continued to ask if we could meet up. Now I was desperate, the situation had turned from awkward to creepy and very uncomfortable. Looking down at my tea I spotted my purity ring from my father. I've got a solution! Shooting up my hand I flashed him my ring, I proceeded to explain how I was engaged. I told him "my lad and I are separated for 5 months while I study here, but as soon as I return to the states we will be happily married." His face displayed a shocked and confused look. He then had the audacity to ask "oh so you think maybe we could meet up?" My heavens, I just told him I was engaged! Noticing the horrified look on my face he said "well okay maybe I shouldn't interrupt." Well sir, no I don't think you should. Geez next time I'll say I'm married with two kids! Of course I am NOT actually engaged, just to clear the air.

     Sunday morning we were required to be out of our hostel by 10am. This meant 6 hours of carrying our bags, thank goodness Katie lent me her backpacking backpack. We walked the city stopping at various locations like the Cork Butter Museum and other historical sites. Even a small stop at the lake to visit the swans.

Pillars with pictures engraved

Swan line up

Excitement:

      Last night after returning from Cork I was able to Skype with mom. On the bus ride home I prayed that I would challenge Mom to run a triathlon with me. Nervous about her response I wasn't sure when I've bring up the topic. Before I had the chance she told me she is doing a team triathlon June 5th. I just about lost my mind I was so excited. I could hardly contain myself. A prayer requests answered in just 3 hours. Wow! Exhausted from the weekend I desperately needed sleep, but I could hardly contain my excitement. Had it not been dangerous for me to go running alone at 1 am I would have done it! I will be back from Ireland, but not sure if I'll be in town on the day of the race. Depending on where God places me for the summer I would absolutely love to join her team!

The thought of running a triathlon with Mom!

      After two weeks of absolutely beautiful weather, the rain came back. Seeing as though Abby C. and I  already paid for our yoga class we weren't about to skip it. Utilizing our new rain gear we put our suits to the test. I must say, they are quite handy. We were able to stay warm and dry during out 40 minute walk to class. We had a bit of fun playing around in our gear

We'll brave the rain.

The joy of a good rain suit!

     However, we returned to our apartment to find this mess and a giant hole in the side of our wall. For quite awhile the window in Aurelie's bathroom has been leaking. They picked an awful nasty day to fix it, but nonetheless it should be repaired.

Bathroom Repairs

     It has been a crazy and exhausting weekend, but well worth it. What a joy it's been to take in more and more of God's creation and explore Ireland.

With Love from Galway

Moose Knowledge

     Yesterday marked my first day of class at Emmaus Scripture School; I absolutely loved it. With only 4 of us is the course we receive one-on-one attention and are able to freely ask questions as well as engage in discussion. I'm really looking forward to growing in my knowledge of Christ's word and experiencing His grace and love through it. This class will be by far my favorite out of the courses I'm taking while in Ireland. With that said I also had my first sociology seminar today. The courses title is Revisiting Violence: Aggression and Abuse in Contemporary Irish Family and Institutional Life. With 17,000 students on campus and only 17 seats in the class I was very excited to secure a spot. Our classroom is absolutely tiny. I've never seen such a room, but we're positioned in a squished horseshoe shape allowing for great discussion. Todays class was intimidating, but very informative and interesting. My professor Dr. Declan Coogen does a wonderful job teaching by facilitating conversation, bringing in differing viewpoints and creating a welcoming classroom atmosphere.

     Today during my psych class we had a speaker come in and talk about decision making. He threw out a hypothetical situation saying it in a rhetorical manner "So what if a moose stepped out in front of your car? What do you do then? Do you swerve left? Swerve right? What happens?" As he was about to continue on with his presentation, explaining the decision making process, the kid in the front row apparently didn't catch on that it was a rhetorical question and went on to give a 5 minute speech on how you should swerve to hit the moose in the behind quarters. He had a full explanation as to why, but unfortunately I couldn't tell you, because it took all I had to keep it together. Really kid? A 5 minute speech as to why you hit a moose in the butt? If only you could have seen the professors face...priceless. His response: "Well then, obviously someone has moose knowledge, but for the rest of us, we would have a decision making process" ahah.

     This morning I received my package from Mom and Dad! Finally I have my pillow, I can't tell you how excited I am to sleep on it tonight. Hopefully this will mean an end to the headaches :  ) Also included in my package were my rain pants, jeans, Reese's peanut butter cups, a few crafty items and colored pens! Thanks mom and dad! Mom I so appreciate you sifting through my pen collection to get me my colored pens, but I'm going to guess you didn't try them before sending them? The "lime green" pen is actually black ink, the purple and pink pens have no ink and the blue pen is leaky and makes a dreadful mess. lol Thanks for trying! If anything it made me laugh. Functional or not I appreciate your effort.

Hooray it came!

Random items I've learned while here:

         Windshields are called windscreens. The last month or so it's been "cold" here in Ireland meaning in the 20's...I know, I know those of you back in Wisconsin are thinking, that's not cold! One day Dad called and said the wind chill was -35, so I checked the temp in Galway. It was the same, but positive 35! Anyway in my lecture our speaker was complaining that his windscreen was frosted over. I thought, if you're complaining about one day of your windscreen being frosted you should not move to Wisconsin, this happens to be a daily occurrence for many months.

      There are are little to none when it comes to water fountains. Back in the U.S. if you can spot a bathroom you're almost guaranteed to find a water fountain near by. Not so, in Ireland. I have seen 2 so far on campus. My poor camelbak water bottle rarely gets filled!

      Traffic lights change very quickly at cross walks for pedestrians. In the U.S. it seems as though you have to wait awhile before the light will change for you to cross a road. However, in Ireland it's only a matter of a few seconds before the traffic light will change allowing you to cross. I believe traffic lights are the only thing I would classify as "quick" in Ireland.
  
     A full rain suit is a necessity in Ireland. Most people wear dark colors here and almost all rain pants are black, with the exception of one navy blue pair I've seen. Do you think I'm going to stick out?

Full Rain Suit

     This morning on my walk to school I passed a man who had a little problem keeping his pants up. Let's just say he looked like a plumber, I definitely got a nice view of his crack. I wanted to take a picture for all of you, but I thought that was a little creepy. But I've learned a lesson, say yes to craic in a pub, say no to crack in pants.

Prayer Requests:
1. God would provide a bike for me to use. The 30-40 minute commute to school is really nice when the sun is shining and I can enjoy God's creation. However, it gets quite long when walking in pouring rain. Not to mention it's kept me from getting involved, because after 2 hours of walking, I just don't feel like another hour long walk to attend a club meeting or bible study on campus.

2. Sore throat and sickness. Yesterday I developed a bit of a sore throat and today I've been sneezing and had quite the runny nose. Certainly not the end of the world, but this weekend I'll be doing quite a bit of traveling and would like to be feeling well and enjoy my time.

    Bright and early tomorrow morning I leave to see the Kylemore Abbey. I will be there most of the day   returning to Galway at 5:00pm. Running to the bus station I'll catch another bus at 6:30pm and head off to Cork for the weekend. Hopefully I'll have many picture to share with you!

With Love from Galway

Back to Normal

Yes! What a great morning. Rising at 5:00 am I spent time in prayer in the kitchen for a half hour. Abby C. and I have not been working out, so we made an agreement to run together at 6:00am. This gave me a half hour for prayer and another half hour to grab a bite to eat and get my warm gear on. Setting a timer on my ipod I sat in quiet communication with God. What a blessing it is to enter his presence whenever I'd like. Back at home I would often get up and spend early mornings in prayer. However, here my schedule is all over the place. Lately I've been up until 1:30am or later and then slept until 10 or 11am. That's a full 6 hours of sleeping in longer than I'm used to! My quiet times in prayer and devotions have seemed to be scattered all over. Don't get me wrong, I certainly appreciate having an open schedule and all the flexibility one could ever ask for. However, without a schedule my exercise, eating habits, devotions and prayer life have all taken a downward slide. Yesterday I was lazy all day long. It's nice to have those days occasionally, but I've seemed to have them quite frequently lately. Sitting inside eating all day is not glorifying the Lord with my body. 1 Cortinthians 6:19-20 reminds us that our bodies are a holy temple of the Lord. Right now with my lack of exercise and poor eating habits I'm certainly not treating my body like a temple of God. So I'm going to change it!

     My alarm went off to conclude my time in prayer, I was so bummed. It was a refreshing feeling to have my precious time in prayer back to normal. Eating a banana and getting my winter running gear I was now set to go. It's amazing to run in Ireland in January. Unlike Wisconsin my lungs were comfortable with the crisp air, as opposed to home where they feel like they're going to explode taking in the frigid wind. Usually my first run, after a long period of not running, my legs are killing me and body is in rebellion. However, this mornings run felt great! I love the quiet of the morning, running under the moonlit sky, speckled with stars and listening to birds chirping.

Read to run!

     Today marks the first day of my Bible Course at Emmaus School of Scripture. I will be taking a course called Biblical Interpretation. I'm excited to learn more and grow in God's word as I take this course for the next 12 weeks.

     Last night as Abby C. and I discussed running, we brought up the idea of running a 5k here in Ireland. There seems to be a 5k almost every weekend in the states, so they've got to have them here as well. Somehow jokingly the topic of training for a triathlon came up. I thought about it for a second and came to the realization that I have everything I need had I desired to train for one. My running shoes, swimsuit, cap, goggles and bike (still need to rent the bike). It wouldn't be at all impossible to train for. Different? definitely. I wouldn't have the YMCA to train in and lift weights, nor would I take it very seriously. Either way the thought of it makes me giddy! So I began my search, triathlons in Ireland. Quite a few options came up. The one I'm most excited about is the Spiddal Triathlon, which would include swimming in the blue flag waters of Spiddals's sheltered beach, cycling on the closed road through beautiful Connemara and running on the flat loop through Spiddal village. Ahhhh it sounds like so much fun! I need a goal, something to work towards. Simply running gets boring and I loose motivation. However, if I have a deadline and a finish line, something to earn, I can stay motivated in my training. I have yet to pay the entry fee, because I figured 11pm wasn't the greatest time to make my decision. I'll think about it for the next few days, knowing that I'll be traveling and not doing very intense training. Crazy? Yes, but nonetheless I think it would be amazing!

Harbor where the swim would take place

Cycling course in Connemara

With Love from Galway

Crazy lazy

     So it's 2:30 and I have officially done NOTHING today. This is truly a problem. I love that I have a cozy apartment, but the combination of a nice warm apartment with no bike, no classes and dull weather means I'll stay inside all of the time!

     Here is a little hello to the residents of the Primrose. My mother informed me that she has been printing off my blog for you to read. Hope you're enjoying all of my random and ridiculous adventures. I miss my visits and lunch time chats catching up with you. Time flies, so by June I'll be back to see you all!

    I wish the workout facility was cheaper here. Working at the YMCA for the last 5 or so years has spoiled me. Not to mention our recreational center at UW-L is included in our tuition so I'm not used to going without a gym.

    After two and half weeks without a bedroom light, it was finally fixed yesterday! I'm glad to be able to see into my closet and no longer rely on my desk lamp. In addition they also fixed the wireless internet...well sort of. It was fixed yesterday and down again today, hopefully next time it'll be a permanent fix. On a lighter note I did receive a letter from Michael. Certainly a happy day when I get mail from a such a great guy : ) That reminds me several people have asked for my mailing address, but I'm not sure if I've gotten back to everyone. Any and all mail sent my way is certainly appreciated :  )

Mail from Michael

Abby Jamison
Apartment 38
Centrepoint Apartments
Tuam Road
Galway City
Galway
Ireland


Abby C. and I have made a commitment to get up early tomorrow morning and run. Neither of us have been working out so we'll see how this goes!



With Love from Galway

Pints & Packer Pride

     Thanks to the Hole In the Wall pub I was able to watch the Packers dominate da bears!! Chris, is the only other student from UW-La Crosse studying here in Galway with me. He found the pub first and invited me to come along to faithfully watch our team. Chris's hometown happens to be Green Bay, needless to say he is a diehard Cheesehead. We sat next to Jack and Angie, both from Chicago and of course bears fans. It was fun to have a little banter back and forth throughout the game. Many of the American students didn't even know who the Packers were or where Green Bay was. A group of girls thought Green Bay was in Missouri! Catarina and Mickey both Irish students also sat with us and cheered on the Packers. They don't quite understand American Football, but are slowly catching on. Chris and I taught Mickey the GO Pack GO! cheer.  It was great to hear him cheer along with us in his Irish accent. The Irish students expressed that they've never seen Americans cheer like Chris and I had. We explained to them, that this was because we're Green Bay Packer fans, not just any ordinary NFL fans.

Chris and I celebrating our trip to the ship!

     Sadly we don't get American commercials here so I'll have to wait until the Super Bowl game is over to go online and view them. Irish commercials are pretty weird, so during commercial breaks Angie, Chris, Catarina and I would chat. Upon finding out we were from Wisconsin Mickey asked if he could guess it's location in the states. With hand gestures he drew out New York and then Boston and proceeded to put Wisconsin next to Boston. This made me chuckle, I had to explain that it wasn't quite next to Boston. The easiest way to explain the location of Wisconsin within the states to the Irish is to tell them it's in the middle, but way up north boardering Canada. I almost always get, "Oh, wow I didn't know that....it must be cold!" 

      Anyway Mickey asked if I'd ever seen the film Drop Dead Gorgeous. I responded that I had and that yes we do talk like yoopers in Wisconsin. Both Mickey and Catarina erupted with laughter and began quoting the movie. Catarina then pleaded with me to talk like a yooper. In my best UP accent, holding my vowels longer than anyone should,  I invited them over for "some coffee and bars, so we could watch da Pack. Don't cha know dem Packers are our pride and joy, da boys watch em even when their off at deer camp. Well sure, ya can't miss out on da Pack."At this point Catarina and Mickey could hardly contain themselves. Then Chris joined in so the two of us could converse like yoopers together. This proved to be too much for Mickey and Catarina, I thought they would end up on the floor. Catarina said my accent was just class (used along with grand or brilliant to describe something great) and begged me to always talk like a yooper. 

Too bad I didn't have a little blaze orange over
here to go along with my yooper accent.

     This morning I had my first Irish language class. Oh my goodness, it may be the death of me. Unfortunately Gaelic/Irish is not a latin based language and is not spelled phonetically. It's truly ridiculous. Thankfully my instructor is very nice and the class is based upon us gaining a basic understanding, so the assignments will be easy, but wowzers this is going to be an adventure to say the least.  Our course includes a manual and two CD's for us to listen to,  I think the CD's will be very helpful. I'll give you a little taste of what I've learned today

Dia Duit- Hello God bless you.                     Pronounced: (Dia-dwhuit)

Cen chaoi a bhfuil tu? - How are you?                               (Kerry-will-to)

Ta me go maith, go raibh maith agat. - I'm well, thanks.    (Tommae-ga-mah, gerah-ma-ha-gah)

With the exception of the first you can't tell me that these pronunciations look anything like the actual spelling of the phrases?

     Abby C. and I signed up for a yoga class here on campus that runs for 7 weeks each Monday afternoon. We both arrived early to find a greasy hippie looking guy setting up mats. Hmmm this should be interesting, I've never had a male yoga instructor not to mention one with a highlighted, dread lock  rat tail growing out of the back of his head. At the last minute another man, Paul, walked in and explained that he was actually our instructor. I was both relieved and bummed to hear this. Relieved because the greasy hippie didn't look like he'd be the best instructor, but bummed because I thought he may contribute greatly to stories for my blog. Paul, is a very good instructor, but very flamboyant so I am still hopeful for entertaining stories to come from yoga class. It was bittersweet to have Abby C. next to me instead of Jordyn. Most of the yoga classes I took in La Crosse I did so with Jordyn. Not necessarily a good choice to put the two of  us in a situation where you're in awkward positions in silence. Every class no fail we would end up with the giggles, shoulders shaking with uncontrollable laughter as tears would stream down my face. So much for relaxing and letting go. Even with Jordyn in a different country I couldn't keep myself together in todays class thinking about memories of our ridiculous yoga moments together. Overall yoga went pretty well with the exception of guys b.o. It's been a few years since I've worked out with guys, so I've forgotten the nasty stench that often accompanies them when working out. During todays yoga session I had a flashback to the high school weight room and the raunchy odor of guys b.o. Unfortunately, there are a couple of males in my yoga class that could use a little help in this area.
  

     Tonight I wasn't especially looking forward to cooking, but was pleasantly surprised by Aurelie walked in asking if she could make us spinach and goat cheese lasagna. Yes please! This was my first time trying such a lasagna and it was delicious. 

     My castles class has been canceled for tomorrow so no classes for me :  )

With Love from Galway

Clifden Countryside

Finally! I made to Ireland's beautiful countryside. My roommates and I got up early yesterday morning to walk down to the bus station taking the CityLink bus to Clifden. About an hour and half drive from Galway, Clifden is the capital of Connemara. A sleepy little town with a few cute boutiques and beautiful countryside Clifden makes for a great day trip. Arriving around 10:30 none of the stores were open. I realize it was a Saturday morning, but many didn't open until 11:30-12 or just not all. People in Ireland certainly run on their own time.

      It was a bit chilly so we found Walsh's bakery to sit inside and enjoy hot chocolate and scones. Sitting at the back of the café near the windows we were afforded a spectacular view of the narrow winding road passing the ocean. Finishing our sweet treats we decided we'd give the weather another try and see if the sun had come out.

Hot Chocolate & Scones : )

Our view out the cafe window

      Thankfully the sun had shown up and made it quite a bit warmer. Sky Road is famous for it's picturesque views and livestock along the way. The road not only met our expectations, but far exceeded them! Spending about an hour and half walking the road we passed incredible views of Clifden and the Atlantic. Small houses tucked into the hillside, sheep spotting the rollings hills, lush green pastures and radiant sunshine along the way. 

So green!

Resourceful. Once a bath tub, now a water trough.

      We could not have asked for a better day. Galway was foggy and a bit chilly all day, however Clifden was wonderful. By the end of our tour on Sky Road neither Abby C. nor Aurelie were wearing jackets. Of course seeing as though I am cold blooded and always seem to be chilly I had my jacket and mittens on, but it truly felt like May. Along the way we decided to sit a top a hill and enjoy a small picnic of sandwhiches and biscuits. The view was amazing as we soaked in the sun and enjoyed a break off our feet. Listening to birds chirp and feel the warmth of beaming sun rays I couldn’t quite get myself to believe it was January. 

What was left of our picnic

      During our walk we came across a few castles and several bed and breakfasts, each with their own stunning views and stories. Especially toward the middle of Sky Road everyone seemed to own a donkey. I can’t say I understand the benefit of owning a donkey? Anyone else know? Sheep are good for their wool and a goat for it’s milk, but a donkey? Either way they were quite cute and many of them very small, making them look like the donkey character on Shrek.

Abby C. & Aurelie

One of the many donkeys

View of Atlantic

         By the way the bus system in Ireland is wonderful. Irish students use it almost every weekend to go home. It’s relatively cheap and very convenient. The buses appear to be brand new and even have Wifi onboard . It was fun to ride through the beautiful rural countryside and put up a status on facebook about the picturesque views out my bus window. I wasn’t expecting to be able to do that!

         Returning to Galway around 4:30pm we walked back to our apartment in the foggy cold weather of Galway. Needless to say we were thrilled we spent the day in Clifden.

Clifden

         Last night I received a text from Gretta saying she and Larry were not able to make it to church in the morning. This left me without a lift. However, I remembered Villy offering lifts to Galway Fellowship Church. Not wanting to miss out on church I sent him a quick text and he responded that he would pick me up around 10:15.  Unfortunately my alarm clock did not go off in the morning because my iPod died during the night. Thankfully I woke up at 10 and noticed the time. Scrambling to get ready I ate a piece of toast and ran downstairs to meet Villy. He introduced me to Paul from Kenya studying at NUIG to receive his PhD in bio mechanics (I think?...either way it was some ridiculously difficult degree) When he heard I was from Wisconsin he said he only knew one thing about Wisconsin. UW-Madison, it was a very good school and they have a great genetics program. I confirmed that he was correct. Crazy to think people half way across the globe know about Madison.

         Galway Fellowship Church was celebrating 30 years today. It was neat to see members of the church come up and share early memories of the church. It reminded me of stories from Highland. My favorite part of church was standing between Paul from Kenya and Villy from South Africa listening to their accents as we all sang worship songs together praising God. It was such a neat reminder of how large the body of Christ is and how far reaching. The church was pretty charismatic, but very focused on teaching from the word. I don’t think it’s where I’ll choose to worship here in Galway, but I’m certainly glad I had the opportunity to meet even more believers and try a new church. However, I did miss the members of Galway City Baptist this morning. It’s crazy to think I’ve only been there two Sundays, but they already feel like family.

         Everyday I’m learning new things. For example: I am not able to rent DVD’s over here and play them in my laptop. The globe is split into 6 regions each with their own codes for DVDs and electronics. North America is in region one and my laptop is also from region one. This means any DVD from back home will work just fine if played in my laptop. However, Europe is considered region two and I cannot rent a DVD in region two and play it in my region one laptop. Seeing as though Aurelie is from France, region two, I could rent a DVD and play it in her laptop.

         Another quirk about electronics is the name for cell phones. It seems as though everyone is the states calls their phone a cell phone or their cell. However, in Ireland it’s called your mobile phone or just mobile. It’s not as though this isn’t ever said in the states, but I think maybe I find it funny partly due to the way it’s pronounced with the Irish accents (mow-bye-il)

         An additional small difference with the names of things is drink driving. In the states we would say someone was drunk driving or drinking and driving. However, over here they’ll say someone was drink driving. It was explained to me that in Northern Ireland drink driving is common place and generally accepted. I don’t know whether this is true or not, but I surely hope it isn't.

         In the states we would show up or arrive somewhere we needed to be. In Ireland you would be told to “turn up” at a certain location. Quite a few times I’ve been told to turn up at such and such a place. Whenever someone tells me this I can't help, but think of vegetables. 

         I must give a thank you to Katie, I would never remember all of these little oddities and experiences that occur throughout my days here unless I wrote them down. Before leaving she gave me a small travel notebook to keep with me. It has proved to be quite handy. Thanks Katie!

My notebook comes with everywhere I go!

     It's game day for Green Bay and I have to go secure my place down at the pub to cheer on my Packers. Go Pack Go!

With Love from Galway