I conquered Croagh Patrick

This past Saturday Hannah and I had the opportunity to climb Croagh Patrick. For those of you who don’t know what Croagh Patrick (commonly known as, The Reek) is, it is a mountain near Westport in County Mayo, Ireland. It is the site of an annual pilgrimage on the last Sunday in July, known as Reek Sunday. Over 15,000 pilgrims climb Croagh Patrick this Sunday praying the whole way up and the whole way down. Many people even climb the mountain barefoot. I can’t imagine going barefoot! There isn’t a paved path, just rocks upon rocks upon rocks that slip out under your feet when you walk on them. It is a little dangerous, especially at the steep parts, but it was so unbelievably rewarding!

Claire, my mom’s cousin, who I visited last weekend, picked up us from the bus station on Friday night. Our plan was to spend the night at Claire’s house and then Saturday morning venture off to conquer The Reek. Since Hannah’s 21^st birthday was September 20^th, the previous Tuesday, Claire put up a “Happy Birthday” banner and made her a cake. She is so nice!I felt so guilty when Hannah’s sister Moira asked if she got a cake for her birthday because I totally forgot about it. This made up for it a little; however, I promised Hannah I would make her a cake and surprise her with it.

That night, Hannah and I went to bed early to prepare ourselves for our hike on Saturday. The next morning Claire made us a hearty breakfast, and we were off. It was an hour drive from Claire’s house, plenty of time for my nerves to kick in. As we approached Westport, Claire told to look out the window. My heart dropped. The mountain was huge. I don’t know what I was expecting, but to actually see it for myself made my butterflies really flutter. I know it is nothing compared to Mount Kilimanjaro, the volcano my Uncle John and cousin Liam climbed this past year, but I was prepared for a little scenic tour on a paved path, not actual mountain climbing. Hannah and I just look at each other silently. Seeing her expression, I guess my description to her of what Croagh Patrick was like wasn’t very accurate.

Once we arrived at Croagh Patrick, Claire and her sister-in-law, Francis, gave us walking sticks.I underestimated how important these pieces of wood were at the time. This was Claire’s third time climbing Croagh Patrick, while everyone else’s first. Francis kept setting a time for herself to do it, before she turned this age, before this year, etc. Now, she can finally say she did it!After a quick bathroom break, it was time to climb. There was a set of stairs leading to the path that we climbed to begin our journey. At the top of the stairs, Hannah and I just stared at each other again, panting. I knew we were off to a bad start right then and there.

Here are a few tips I found that might make anyone’s climb on Croagh Patrick more enjoyable:

1. Train. Either walk or run a few times a week for about two months before your climb. The only thing that benefited me on this climb was my age. If I was 40, in the same shape as I am now and tried to climb Croagh Patrick, I don’t think it would have ended well.

2. Wear hiking boots. Gym shoes are okay, but rocks slip out under your feet, which makes it difficult to climb.

3. Bring tissues.

4. Wear sunglasses. I think everyone should wear sunglasses outside to prevent wrinkles, or maybe my mom has just told me that piece of advice time and time again that I’ve heard it so many times it has become my own advice. I guess I’m growing up more and more like my mom each day.

5. Wear a light rain jacket. You can take it off and on as it rains and stops and rains again, but definitely bring one.

6. Bring a small backpack filled with a couple bottles of water and some snacks. Claire, being the veteran Croagh Patrick climber she is, came prepared. Once you reach the top, you are so hungry and thirsty. You need a little boost to help you climb back down.

7. Climb with someone, preferably someone you feel very comfortable with. This way you can complain as much as you like and not feel guilty holding them back if you want to take a break.

8. Take breaks along the way. You will find that only extremely serious climbers go all the way without stopping. Everyone else takes breaks. It also gives you a chance to see the scenery.

9. Take in everything around you. It is truly one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.Take pictures, even though they don’t do it justice.

10. At the end, thank God that you made it.

Now, I must say that Hannah and I did pretty well. The average time to climb up and down the mountain is between 3-5 hours. Hannah and I took 4 hours, 2.5 on the way up and 1.5 on the way down. Twenty minutes into our climb, we saw a 65-year-old man walking barefoot, smiling. Hannah and I didn’t complain the whole rest of the climb. After 2.5 hours, we made it.I have never been more content in my life. It wasn’t as hard as I imagined it to be; however, ignorance is bliss. If I ever climb Croagh Patrick again, knowing what I know now, it might be a tad more difficult. It was truly one of the most rewarding experiences in my life. I was so proud I accomplished my first mountain. Mount Kilimanjaro, 2012? I’m just kidding! But after Croagh Patrick, I know feel confident in saying, “Maybe one day I will climb Mount Kilimanjaro (after months and months of training, of course).”

That night, I slept so great! I was definitely sore the next day, but it was more than worth it. I guess that’s all. This weekend Hannah and I are going with her aunt and uncle around different parts of Ireland. I know Hannah is excited to see her family after coming with me to see my family weekend after weekend.

Love, Molly

P.S. There is a little church at the top of Croagh Patrick where there is mass every so often.Hannah said, “That is one time I would not judge anyone who comes in late, sweaty, or out of breath.” I agree with her.

Croagh Patrick

I made it!

Well actually, we made it!

From the top of Croagh Patrick

Just to give you an idea of what the trail looked like

Welcome Home?

Hello everyone! I hope all is well back in the states. I just wanted to fill everyone in on my weekend in Loughglynn. For those that don’t know, my grandma is from Loughglynn, well Kilruddane to be exact, and it has been a dream of mine to see where she grew up, went to school, etc. Actually one of the main reasons I chose to study in Ireland, specifically Galway, was so I could see all these places I grew up hearing about from my grandparents.

I was in contact with my mom’s first cousin and my Aunt Anne’s sister, Claire Giblin McCann. She picked me up from school on Thursday evening with her three daughters, Mary Ann, Martha and Kate. Mary Ann is 11. Martha is 8, and Kate is 16 months. Since Galway is a major city in Ireland, a lot of people come to do some major shopping here. So taking advantage of being in Galway, Claire did some shopping for school clothes for her kids. It reminded me of spending the day at the Oakbrook Shopping Center for back-to-school shopping in early August. After my little tour of the Galway shopping center, we headed to Eddie Rocket’s for dinner. I was craving an All-American burger and was so happy when Mary Ann and Martha chose this place. I must say though, it wasn’t as good as one of my dad’s burgers, but it got the job done. After dinner, we headed back to my grandma’s sister’s house just to say a quick hello.It was already 10 PM, and the kids had school the next day, so we didn’t stay long. Seeing Aunt Kitty made me really sad because I realized how much I was missing my Nana. Some people think they talk the exact same, just with Aunt Kitty having a little bit of a stronger brogue. The same goes for Claire and my Aunt Anne. When I was talking to Claire on the phone making arrangements for the weekend, I kept having to check my phone and make sure I was still talking to Claire and not my Aunt Anne. I also saw Sonny (Aunt Kitty’s husband) while I was there. He kept calling me a yank, a name I have now become quite proud of. (He would also call me “Molly O”, but I'm not quite sure why)

After a quick visit, it was time to go. I was so tired that I could hardly keep my eyes open during the five-minute ride back to Claire’s house. Mary Ann was kind enough to lend me her bed for the next three nights while she slept with her mom, and Martha was a wonderful roommate making sure I had everything I needed. The next morning the kids had school, so Claire and Kitty drove me to all the important places on my list: my Nana’s childhood home, Kilruddane Cemetery, Meelick School, Our Lady of Good Council Church, the bog, etc. It was surreal to see and walk inside the house my grandma grew up in. I dreamed about seeing this house ever since the first time my grandma told me the story of when she would walk from her house to the bridge with her donkey and cart praying the wheels of the cart wouldn’t fall off the edge of the bridge (The width of the cart was about the same width of the bridge). I told Aunt Kitty this story and she told me, “When the wheels would fall off the bridge, I would run back home and let Mamie fend for herself.” At that moment, I was never so proud to be Mamie Morrissey’s granddaughter.

After my little adventure through the roads of Kilruddane, it was time to pick the kids up from school. Claire is a wonderful cook, so dinner that night was delicious. After dinner, Claire dropped me off at Aunt Kitty’s to visit while she put the kids to bed. I brought my computer to show her photos from my Grandpa’s 80^th birthday dinner just two days before I left. I wish I could have brought the video my Aunt Chris, cousin, Clare, and I made for my Papa’s birthday. I know Aunt Kitty and especially Aunt Annie would have loved to see it. Then, Aunt Kitty, Sonny and I watched the Late Late Show. This is a popular late night television here in Ireland that millions of people tune into every Friday night.

After the Late Late Show, I went back to Claire’s house and the girls and I watched their favorite movie, Dirty Dancing. Before this weekend I never saw this movie, but I remember one time when my old babysitter Eileen was watching us, and it came on the television. She immediately turned it off knowing it was inappropriate for a 7-year-old and her 3-year-old sister. However, Mary Ann and Martha are very mature for their age as anyone who meets them can attest to.

The next morning, Clare made a wonderful breakfast for us filled with pancakes, yogurt, fruit, and orange juice. After breakfast, we drove Mary Ann to her trumpet lesson. (Mary Ann and Martha each play three instruments! Impressive? I’d say so.) Then we went to meet one of my grandma’s neighbors and childhood friend, John Butler. He is so nice and very funny! We chatted with him for about an hour and a half and then left to pick up Mary Ann.

Later that evening, Claire, Kate, Claire’s son, Fionnán, and I all went for a walk around Fairymount (where Claire and her family live). Fionnán is 4 years old, and to say he is cute would be an incredible understatement. During our walk, he asked his mom if we were going to go to the cemetery. Claire told him probably not today because it looks like it is going to rain.(I don’t know how anyone in Ireland knows when it is going to rain. It always looks the same to me, gray and cloudy). Fionnán was a little sad by this response because he said, “I wanted to say my pwayers, Mommy.” (That’s prayers for anyone who missed it) He is such a good boy. After our walk, we went to see Aiden Giblin (Claire’s younger brother). He currently lives in Dublin but comes home every other weekend to help with cattle and other things. I never met Aiden because he has never been to the states, so it was really nice to meet him.

The next morning we all headed to Sunday mass at the Church of the Sacred Heart in Fairymount. Masses in Ireland are a lot shorter, maybe only 30 minutes. This mass in particular was short because they didn’t have a choir or singer. It really made me miss the beautiful student church choir back at SLU. When we got home from mass, we arranged to skype with my grandparents. Just like last weekend, it was my Aunt Kitty’s first time using skype. It was so cool to see her and my grandma talk to each while being able to see each other. Compared to last week, there was a lot less shouting to each other. (Remember how my grandpa and Aunt Annie have difficulty hearing? There was no problem with my grandma and Aunt Kitty). After skyping with my grandparents, Claire made us another one of her delicious breakfasts and took me to the bog where they get turf (also called peat). Back when my grandparents were still in Ireland, turf was used to heat homes and stoves. Now since everything is becoming more and more modern and electricity comes directly into most people’s houses, turf is only used to make a fire in the fireplace.

Unfortunately my weekend in Loughglynn was coming to a close, and it was time for me to say goodbye. Claire arranged for me to take a bus back to school. She knew of a few other girls who came home for the weekend going back on the same bus. Students here go home every weekend to do laundry and eat a nice home-cooked meal. Thankfully I have family here where I can go for real hearty dinner.

I definitely want to go back to Loughglynn really soon. My grandpa’s older sister, Margaret also lives in Loughglynn, but she was in Medjugorje praying this week. Anyways, that is all I have for now. Tomorrow is Arthur Guinness Day (an equivalent to Mardi Gras in Saint Louis), so I guess I will be celebrating here for all of you back home!

Now some of you may be wondering about the title of this post. Well, anytime I would meet someone in Loughglynn (whether at church or on the street) they would ask me, “How long are you home for?” This threw me off the first couple of times because obviously my home is in Orland Park, but then Claire asked her mom, “What year did Cathy (my mom) come home?” (She studied here in Ireland for a year when she was 17). This may not be my home, but it is where everything began, where my grandparents were born, where their parents were born and so on. Before I left, my grandpa told me, “Molly, when you go to Ireland, everyone will have great welcome for you.” He was right; I have been welcomed home.

Love, Molly

Mary Ann, Fionnán, Martha, me and Claire holding Kate

Claire and Fionnán

This is a statue of a famous football player from Roscommon

The bog; where they dig out the turf

The bog; those are piles of turf drying

Our Lady of Knock Basilica

My grandpa's sister, Margaret's store in Loughglynn

Aunt Kitty and Me at the start of her neighborhood, Parkeel

Our Lady of Good Council Church

Meelick School (where Nana attended)

My great-grandmother's grave

Nana's childhood home

A Weekend in the Country

This past weekend, Hannah and I were lucky enough to visit my grandpa’s sister, Annie Broderick, and her family in the country. On Friday afternoon, Martin Broderick, Annie’s son’s fiancé, Anne Maloney picked us up. Coincidentally, Anne’s brother is a good friend of Hannah’s dad back in Chicago. It is such a small world. Martin and Anne are getting married New Year’s Eve this year. I was tempted to switch my flight to come home after the wedding but couldn’t imagine not spending Christmas with my family (and of course defending my title as "Jack Lebert's New Year’s Day Cribbage" co-champion along with Ms. Annie Lebert). There really are a lot of Annes and Annies in this blog. I hope I don’t confuse anyone.

Anyways, Anne picked us up Friday afternoon and drove us 35 minutes into the country where the Broderick’s live. She was so so nice, and I am so happy that I will be able to call her family soon. When we arrived, we dropped our bags off at Joe Broderick, Annie’s eldest son's house.He lives right next to Aunt Annie and Marty Joe, and down the road Martin and Anne are building their own house. I love how close everyone lives to each other. It reminds me of living so close to my Nana and Papa.

The minute we walked in the door we were greeted with hugs and asked, “Would you like a cup of tea?” (We would hear this question about 100 more times over the next two days) Bridget, I would like to pause here and thank you for making me tea about a month ago when I was sick. See, that was the first time I ever drank tea, and when I was asked if I would like tea here, I accepted. How awkward would it be to say, "No, no thank you" every time I was asked if I would like some tea. So after chatting and drinking our tea, we headed to Annie and Marty Joe’s house for our first home-cooked Irish dinner in Ireland. Aunt Annie, Teresa (Annie’s eldest daughter) and Catheriona (Annie’s youngest daughter) cooked us dinner, and let me just say, it was delicious! While we were eating, Aunt Annie, Teresa or Catheriona would walk around piling more and more food onto our plates without even asking if we wanted anymore.It was just like having dinner at my Nana and Papa’s house. We were joined for dinner by Martin, Anne, Noel (Annie’s third son), Declan (Catheriona’s son), Clodagh (Joe’s girlfriend) and Marty Joe. Just like my Nana, Aunt Annie didn’t eat until everyone else had finished their dinner. Later that night, Joe and Teresa took Hannah and me to the local pub in Kilconnell.There we met Gerry and Joanne, Annie’s second son and his fiancé. If you hadn’t noticed already, there are a lot of upcoming marriages in this family: Gerry and Joanne (this October in Spain), Martin and Anne (New Year’s Eve), and Noel and Emma (next summer).

I should tell you now that five out of the six Broderick’s have lived in Orland Park at some point. Teresa lived there (as well as Oak Lawn) for 17 years. She just came home this past February. Joe and Gerry (along with Joanne) lived out there for a few years, Catheriona lived there for three years, and Martin lived there for about three months. It was wonderful to see them all again!

But back to the pub. There, we met all the locals. It is such a small town, everyone knew everyone. I loved it! While we were there we also met Teresa’s boyfriend, Brendan. He was very nice!

After we left, we went straight to bed. I slept so well that night because I was so exhausted. I forgot to mention that Friday morning Hannah and I woke up at 4 AM to register for our English seminar classes. Registration didn’t actually open until 11 AM, but English seminars are so difficult to get into (only 20% are held for visiting students) that in order to get the one that you want you had to get there early. We were the 5^th and 6^th persons in line. Four Italian girls were ahead of us. They went out the night before and then got straight in line at 3 AM. I felt a little silly because I went to bed at around 8 PM the night before knowing I had to get up early the next morning. We didn’t really need to get there until maybe 6:30 AM because that’s when the line really started to form, but we did get the classes we wanted. To quote Shakespeare’s famous play, “All’s Well That Ends Well.”

The next morning when Hannah and I woke up, Joe had cooked us the most wonderful full-Irish breakfast. It was so good! After breakfast, Hannah and I just chilled out and watched some television. I was so happy to see that Friends (my absolutely, most favorite television show) was on. It made me feel at home again.

Next, we were off the see the farm. It was a beautiful, sunny day, perfect to walk around and see the country. I don’t know if all of you have a facebook, but I put up some pictures. For those that don’t have facebook, there are pictures below from our weekend. Teresa and Joe showed us all the cattle, sheep, hens, etc. They live on 75 acres of beautiful green hills. I never wanted to leave! Joe kept trying to take our picture with the cows, but they didn’t like us very much and kept running away. So all the pictures of us are with the cattle a little distance away. I would like to sincerely thank my Papa for telling me to pack my Wellingtons when I went to visit the farm. We definitely needed them! After the tour of the farm, they took us to an old Abbey in town that has been turned into a cemetery. It was so cool to see and really get a feel for the history of Kilconnell. When we got back, we had some lunch, and Hannah took a nap. I didn’t want to waste anytime sleeping because I knew I only had a couple days to spend with the Broderick’s. We watched the All Ireland Minor Hurling Final, Galway vs. Dublin. Galway won 3-14, 1-10. (For those that don’t follow hurling that is 3 goals and 14 points to 1 goal and 10 points. Also, you get three points for every goal.) After the match, Martin took me on a tour of his house and the house Marty Joe grew up in. Martin’s house is absolutely beautiful. Noel did all the carpentry for both Martin and Joe’s houses. He is extremely talented! Marty Joe’s old house is a small little house that no one lives in anymore. It is so old; Marty Joe’s father (and maybe even grandfather) was born in it. Martin said a lot of these houses have been torn down, so it was nice to see one that was still around.

After another one of Aunt Annie’s fabulous dinners, Martin, Anne, and Teresa took us to a pub down in Mountbellew (where Anne’s family is from). We had the best best time. I didn’t want the night to end! There was live music there, and since Hannah’s birthday is the 20^th, Martin told the singers to make a special announcement for her. Attached to the pub is a nightclub, which played music you would hear on 103.5 FM. We danced the rest of the night and actually convinced one guy we were all sisters. It was so funny! When we got back to Joe’s house, Hannah went to bed (her bed must have been so comfortable for all the time she was spending in it). The rest of us just chatted until about 4:30 in the morning.

The next morning the USA rugby team was playing Ireland in the World Championship Rugby tournament. The first-round game was set to play at 6:30 AM Ireland time. Martin and I both got up to watch it. However, I ended up falling asleep for the end of it. Ireland won (big surprise!). After the game I went back to bed for a little while before getting up again for mass.Aunt Annie and Marty Joe took us to mass along with Declan, who was an altar boy. In the car he told us, “I really hope I am the one to ring the bell.” Opportunely, he was the one to ring the bell while Hannah and I gave him big smiles from the pews. He is so cute!

After mass, Teresa had another full-Irish breakfast ready for us. I kept thinking to myself, “I could really get use to this.” It was a rainy day, the kind of day I expected to see a lot of in Ireland. We just hung out and watched the women’s hurling championships. In Ireland, women’s hurling is called camogie. The first match was the All Ireland Intermediate Camogie Championship Final, Antrim vs. Wexford. Wexford won 2-12, 0-15. The second match was the All Ireland Senior Camogie Championship Final, Galway (hooray!) vs. Wexford. Wexford was the defending champion, who beat Galway in the championship last year. Unfortunately, Galway lost 1-2, 2-7.

After the matches and our last dinner with the Broderick’s, we went to Brendan’s house to skype with my Nana and Papa, as well as, my mom, dad and Bridget. It was the first time Aunt Annie used Skype, and it was so cool to watch her chat with my Nana and Papa. Both my Aunt Annie and my Papa have trouble hearing so my grandma had to repeat everything we said to my grandpa, and Teresa had to repeat everything they said to my Aunt Annie. It was quite comical!

However, then it was time to leave. Anne, who works and lives in Galway City, drove us back to school. I cried saying goodbye to everyone. I am proud to say that I am a bit like my Nana in that sense. Well, I’m not proud that I cried, but I am very proud to resemble her even just a little.

I can’t wait until the next time I can go back and visit them. This weekend I am going to visit my Aunt Kitty, my Nana’s older sister. I am so excited because they sound so much alike it will be as if I am talking to my Nana, conversations I am missing very much right now.

Love, Molly

Week One (Part Two)

On Saturday, Hannah, Moira and I walked along the coast of the Galway on the Atlantic Ocean. It was gorgeous! It reminded me of going to Florida because of the smell of salt water; however, I don’t Florida gets nearly as cold. We walked up and down the coast for about two hours and it rained three different times. Thank goodness for my new red Anthropologie raincoat (And thank you Mom for convincing me that it was a good buy). The pictures from my first post were from this day.

On Sunday, Hannah and I attended mass at the Galway Cathedral. It was breathtaking. My Aunt Anne previously warned me that not many people in Ireland go to church anymore so I wasn’t surprised to see that the church was pretty empty. I would say that there were about 100 people there. I imagined a Sunday night mass at SLU where people have to stand and got a little sad. Something that surprised me was that families let their younger children run wild during mass, climbing over the pews, running up and down the aisle, and jumping into each other. One little girl even went across the aisle, took a lady’s purse, put it around her and swung it back and forth in the middle of the aisle while the priest was giving his homily. It was crazy! When a baby cries at Saint Mike’s, parents take them out into the Narthex or cry room.In comparison, here, they just let them cry which totally drowns out the priest. I felt kind of bad for him.

After mass Hannah and I went to this little waffle house right off campus called Mr. Waffle. One of the best decisions I have made! They have the most delicious waffles. I tried the nutella waffle with whipped cream. I wish I could send some home, but that would be expensive and I probably would have it eaten by the time I got to the post office. I have attached a picture along with Hannah’s mug of dark mocha coffee. So cute!

On Sunday night, a few girls decided we would go to Salthill and jump in the Atlantic Ocean.Now I promise this isn’t some crazy idea (well no, it’s crazy) that we came up with. People do it all the time. See this youtube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZuDcW-oLJI

Because the tide is highest at 9 AM and 10 PM, those are the two times to go. Of course the girls I went with thought 9 AM was too early a time to get up so 10 PM it was. So we headed out. Some girls bought some Bulmers along the way to warm themselves up for after the jump, but as for me I had my hat, gloves, scarf, wool socks, boots and two jackets on. People on the street must have thought we were going to Antarctica. If they only knew we were jumping in the Atlantic Ocean. After the 40-minute walk, we were finally there. This is when my Dad’s voice entered my head. “This is stupid and dangerous, Molly. It is dark out and you don’t know what is down there. What if there are rocks at the bottom? No, you are not going.”

“Okay, Dad. You’re right (like always). I won’t go.” End of conversation. For my fellow Twilight fans, I don’t know how many of you that are left, but I felt a little like when Bella heard Edward’s voice when she did something dangerous in the book “New Moon.” It’s good to know, Dad, that no matter wherever I go I will always hear your voice in my head looking out for me.

There were seven of us girls all together and a total of four jumped in. I promised them that I would come back and jump when it is light out. I feel like that is the safest bet.

On Monday, Teresa Broderick, my mom’s first cousin, met me for lunch. Her parents, Aunt Annie (my grandpa’s sister) and Marty Joe came as well. It was so wonderful to see her. For those that don’t know, Teresa lived in the Chicago area for 17 years and just moved back this past February. We all miss her back home! Anyways, it was so nice to see a familiar face and catch up. We went to Marty Joe’s favorite little restaurant in Galway city, Galway Bay Café.Cute name, don’t you think? Of course a meal would not be complete without a little dessert so we stopped for little ice cream cone. It was so delicious! It was so rich and creamy, much better than soft-serve in the US. Nana, you would have loved it! But I’m sure you’ve had and remember the ice cream here in Ireland. We should try and find a way to bring it back to Chicago. After lunch, they showed me where the bus and train station was. This is where I will catch the trains and buses to take me into Dublin and other parts of Ireland. They needed to catch the next train back into Ballinasloe so we said our goodbyes but not before they made sure I was safely secured into a taxi and on my way back to my apartment. They invited Hannah and I this weekend to stay with them in the country and see everyone. I am so excited!! My next post will be about my weekend there. I apologize for the length of these posts. I just want to fill you in on as much as I can. I promise I will post more frequently so they aren’t quite as long. Hope all is well back home!

Love, Molly

Week One (Part One)

So it has been a little over a week since I came to Galway, and let me say that this week has flown by. If this is any indication of how the next four months are going to be, I better start making travel plans for upcoming weekends now.

Well I guess I will begin where we left off, Wednesday morning, and my first full day in Galway.Hannah and I woke up a little later since we went to bed so late the night before that we got off to a little bit of a late start. We had a plan of going to get some sheets for our beds, food, and pretty much get a feel for the city of Galway. Yes, you heard me. I said sheets for our beds. I was too tired the day before to go look for a place that sold sheets that I laid my towels over the mattress pad they gave us and passed out. Our room came with a duvet, but we also needed to buy a duvet cover. So we were off to the city centre to find some sheets, as well as set up Hannah’s phone. In the city centre there is everything you need from department stores, the supermarket, and little shops to buy food and other miscellaneous items. The walk took us about 20 minutes (there is so much walking here that nearly all my shoes give me blisters), but it was so pretty I really didn’t mind. The only problem is bringing groceries back to our apartment from the city centre. There is no way I could carry all the groceries we need in two bags and walk for 20 minutes back to our apartment. Since then we have found a few places closer to our apartment, but they don’t have the variety the big supermarket, Tesco, has. I plan on buying a lot of groceries at the smaller stores by my apartment and going to the larger Tesco for the things the little stores don’t have.

The next two days were filled with meetings for international students about what classes to take, where to find important buildings and offices, what clubs to join, etc. There are over 800 international students studying here at National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG). Some students are staying for just the semester like me, others for an entire year and a few students are studying here for the next four years. (Don’t worry Dad; I won’t pull a Mom on you. I will be in your arms on December 19^th) Louise Kelly, the director for International Affairs and visiting students, welcomed us by saying, “Welcome to Galway! I know today might seem long, but I promise we’ll have some crack along the way.” Hannah and I looked at each other like this woman is crazy. Crack? Is she serious? Is it normal in Ireland to do crack? Fortunately everyone in the room had the same reaction. She went on to say that in Ireland ‘crack’ meant fun. Now, there is one way to welcome a bunch of International students.

They do classes a little differently here. Visiting students are allowed to go to any class or classes they would like for two weeks before deciding to enroll in them. I like this idea, especially for international students who don’t know what to take. I already have a list of courses that I found interesting and now am going to see how the teacher is before I make my decision.

For starters I am enrolled in a service learning class that is for US students only. I am really looking forward to it because it isn’t your traditional lecture class. This class (or module, as people here call them) allows you to go out into the community and tutor Irish kids who come from a home that doesn’t allow them the proper amount of homework time. The teacher said that some students are travelers (like from the television show “My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding” on TLC). This made me super excited! I’m sure I will have a lot to say on that later on.

Other classes I think I am taking are biological psychology, a Shakespeare course and possibly a class that allows me to see plays around Galway and discuss what we thought about them during lecture. Since it is the first week though, it is still undecided on what my schedule will be.

Now as many of you know I am quite the party animal… NOT. However, in order for me to get the real feel of Galway and make friends (As much as I love Hannah we have spent every minute together that we have nothing left to talk about. Sometimes we walk into the city and don’t say a single word to each other. New friends are a must!) I knew I had to experience the nightlife. I have gone out nearly five times this past week, more than I would have experienced one month at SLU. The first night we went to a pub called, The King’s Head (see photo below).It was awesome. There was a live band playing traditional Irish music and two male Irish dancers. I could have sat there and watched them forever. I was tempted to go up and join them, but I wasn’t confident enough in my only-two-hour-lesson-from-when-I-was-five-that-I-hated-so-much-I-quit-that-very-night experience. Maybe next time after a few more Bulmers (a delicious Irish cider that a lot of us foreigners have grown accustomed to drinking) I will go up there and dance the jig with them. Stay tuned.

I forgot to mention that when I first entered The King’s Head I felt I had to order a Guinness since it would be my first drink here in Ireland. Now before this I had never tried Guinness so I had no idea what to expect. I walked to the bar and confidently asked for a Guinness. I probably sounded more like a little girl politely whispering with her American accent if she could have a Guinness please. The bartender fortunately understood me and poured me one. However, I made the mistake by taking it before it was ready. Who knew that you needed to wait for it to sit after it was poured for it to turn black? Obviously not the American who thought it would taste similar to Miller or Budweiser. The bartender took it back, let it sit, and then filled the rest of the glass up. Then, I look my first sip. “Not bad; a little strange,” I thought to myself.Hannah informed me that I had only gotten the foam and needed to take a big gulp. Oh my goodness! Immediately I knew that this was going to be the longest night of my life. I would still be here tomorrow night finishing my pint. Being the wonderful friend she is, Hannah saved me as I finished my seventh sip and took it to finish it herself. I actually don’t know if she was being a good friend or if she just wanted to go to bed before lunch the next day. That is when I ordered my first Bulmers. It tastes like just like apple juice. Pure deliciousness.

The next few nights we went to a few different pubs including The Front Door and Hole in the Wall and a couple of dance clubs like Karma (if only the Jersey Shore crowd was there) and Central Park (known as CPs). These dance clubs are kind of like bars in the US except it is much more crowded and girls wear a lot less clothing. To say I was underdressed in my jeans and wellies would be an understatement. I didn’t mind though, I was warm during the 30-minute walk to and from the club.

I am going to end this post here because I feel like it is getting a tad lengthy, but if you are inclined feel free to continue reading onto the next post.

Better Late Than Never?

Hello Everyone!

I apologize for not starting this blog sooner. I had a plan to start this before I left but never really got around to it, but better late than never right? I arrived here in Galway on Tuesday morning at 8 AM, so I have been here for a week now. Luckily one of my best friends from home came with me, Hannah Knight. Anyways, I was all packed and ready to go at around 2 PM on Monday afternoon. I stopped by my Nana and Papa's house to say goodbye and then we were off to pick up Hannah and make our way to O'Hare airport. Saying goodbye to Bridget, my younger sister and my Nana and Papa were extremely hard, but I know the time here will fly by so I have to make the most of it. After we picked Hannah up, we were off (with a little detour back to my house because I forgot my umbrella). At O'Hare we checked our bags and entered the security line. Now I thought saying goodbye to my grandparents and sister was hard, but saying goodbye to my parents was even more difficult. I don't know if many of you know, but it doesn't take a lot to for me to cry, so saying goodbye to two of the most important people in my life obviously brought on the water works. However, I tried to remember that time will fly by, and I needed to take advantage of every minute. Having Hannah with me made things a lot easier, and she was fully prepared for my flood of tears. As we went back and forth in the security line, there was my mom waving at me as if I was 500 yards away (when in reality it was about 10 feet). I went through security, waved one final farewell to my parents and was officially on my way to Galway.

At the airport, Hannah and I waited at our terminal and met Moira Gorman-Fisk, a friend of Hannah's from University of Illinois. We talked for a little bit and then boarded the plane. The plane ride was fairly uneventful (thanks I'm sure to my mom and grandma's prayers). During the flight a flight attendant walked through the aisles selling some sort of magazine repeating “duty free” over and over again. This is for you, Colleen Novak: the episode of Friends when Chandler has a job interview and the boss asks him about his duties; this episode came to mind and I couldn’t stop laughing while everyone around me is trying to sleep. For those of you who don't know, "duty free" means no taxes.

As we flew past the clouds, I finally got my first glimpse of Ireland. To say it was beautiful would be an understatement. The coast of Dublin (where we were flying into) was remarkably breathtaking. Everything was so green. After we got off the plane, we headed to customs where we were directed into NON-EU (non- European countries, but mostly Americans) and EU (European countries) lines. Hannah and I laughed to ourselves because of course the first person we saw as we get off the plane was a fair skin man with bright red curly hair. I have never seen a leprechaun, but I imagine one wouldn't differ so much from this lad. Anyways, after the line for customs, we headed to the baggage claim. Thankfully, the airlines didn't lose any of our bags.

When we left the baggage claim we went off to find family of mine, Breege and Jim Moore. I was so happy to see them since it had been about 10 years since I saw them last. Breege grew up down the road from my grandma. Breege’s mother and my Nana’s mother are first cousins. I got a little nervous once I saw the size of Breege’s car. She has a little Honda four-door, and I didn’t know how we were going to fit our bags inside. Being the intelligent engineer student that she is, Hannah got all the bags to fit perfectly with room left only for ourselves. I was quite impressed because I never saw anyone pack a car so tightly than my dad for our family vacation to Spooner, WI.

As we drove across the country of Ireland from Dublin to Galway, I was amazed on how beautiful a place could be. As I said before, everything was so green. I couldn’t take my eyes off the scenery. Once we made it into the city of Galway, we came to the realization that we had no idea where our apartment complex was. So to quote Rick Steve’s Book of Ireland, “Want to really get to know the Irish? Ask for directions. It’s almost always a rich experience, and a fast way to connect with locals.” Oh Rick Steve, how rich of an experience this was. So here’s how it happened. Breege would stop the car, Jim would roll down his window and ask where Corrib Village (my home for the next four months) is. The response would always be with a smile and went a little something like this, “Go up to the light, take a right, go down two blocks, pass the roundabout, take a left at the next light and there you are.” (These obviously weren’t the exact directions, but you catch my drift). Then Jim would say thank you, roll up the window and say to us, “I have no idea what that lad was saying.” Now after the 5^th or 6^th time of this same routine, Hannah and I were dying laughing in the backseat. Nevertheless, we finally made it to Corrib Village. We checked in with the reception, put our bags in our rooms and headed to the Galway Shopping Centre. There, Breege set up my phone and took us for some lunch. Now as some of you may know, I am a pretty picky eater and was nervous about the food here in Ireland. However, at the food court they had chicken and chips (or as we like to call it french fries). This made me feel much more at ease because I knew I could at least survive on chicken and chips for four months. It may not be the healthiest diet, but I would survive. No worries though, I have had an array of delicious meals since then, but more to come on that in future posts. After lunch, Jim and Breege dropped us off at our apartment, and we were officially on our own. I must say though Breege and Jim are two of the nicest people I have ever met and am so lucky to have them here in Ireland because I know they are just a phone call (and 2 hours) away.

Immediately Hannah and I fell right to sleep because for us it was 9 AM and we had been up for 26 hours. After our naps we unpacked our things, emailed home, and watched a movie.

Now I hope that didn’t bore any of you (Mom, I know you are thinking to yourself, “How could that bore anyone? This has been more interesting than Janet Evanovich novel”, but that is just because you are my mother and you think everything I say and do is interesting). I promise in the next blog I will talk more about life here in Galway and the pub life. Well, that’s all for me right now. Hope all is well with all of you.

Love, Molly