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 19th) 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.
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