first day of school!

Today was the first day of classes, sort of. In Ireland they have a trial week and a half where you can attend classes and decide if you want to take them. None of the Irish students take this week very seriously and don't show up, which I didn't really get because the teachers start teaching. I guess it's kind of like syllabus week that no one takes very seriously. The registration process here is VERY disorganized but we finally all figured it out. 

The classes I'll be taking this semester are:

Intro to Practical Ethics

The Development of the Castle in Medieval Europe

Women in Irish Society

Imagining Modern Ireland: An Intro to Irish Culture Studies

Environmental Justice

Social Issues and Policy Responses

It's going to be fun to take totally different classes than I do at BC. It will be a nice break from nursing craziness! Irish classes are very different than in the US. There is no real work throughout the semester and usually just one final paper or exam. A teacher in one of my classes started out today by saying, "Don't worry, you won't have to take any notes in this class. I'll provide them to you at the end of class."

I could get used to this... :)

camera death

Today, our BC coordinator (Margaret) took us out to a really nice lunch at the Radisson hotel. It's probably the nicest meal I'll have all semester since I'm on a budget! :) The restaurant had a beautiful view and was right on the water. Then, we came home and all tried to figure out our classes, which is no easy task. Luckily, I found two classes to fulfill the cores I have left at BC.

Tonight, four of us went out for a walk, with no real destination, to get out of the house. We ended up at the beach and walked around parts of the city we hadn't seen before. It's really so fun exploring a city you've never been to. Galway has really pretty waterways that flow through parts of the city that we followed. The smell of water here really makes me feel at home and reminds me of the Vineyard.

I won't be able to share pictures from today because sadly my camera broke today. My computer charger fried and died on me too. Needless to say, I didn't have the best technology day. Hopefully I'll find a new one soon!

daytime exploring

Today a friend and I decided to go out for the day to see some more parts of Galway. It's really nice to be able to walk to get anything you need. It's such a different city during the day, full of people and entertainers. Galway is on a bay, so there is beautiful areas to explore near the water and also a fun really downtown area with lots of shops, pubs, and restaurants. Here are some shots from the harbor area:

The downtown area:

For the people that know me well, you'll know why this makes me so happy. (Answer: it's the name of my favorite bookstore in the world on Martha's Vineyard!)

Really great street performers.

The view from the top floor of my apartment complex of the harbor.

visitors!

My best friend, Elyse, booked her ticket to come visit me in March yesterday!!! And, my other friend Chelsea is in the works for buying hers too! I'm beyond excited to have visitors and feel very loved that people are coming to see me!

happy place

So, I've found my new special hang out place. I'm almost hesitant to blog about it because it's such a gem of a place, but I will :)

There are fifteen people total in my program, and tonight four of us decided to go out and explore a new area of town. We had such a fun time getting to know each other in a smaller group. I was tempted to just stay in tonight, but with a little pushing from my roommate, I didn't and I'm so glad. We found this small, absolutely beautiful pub decorated with trinkets and decorations everywhere. There were only Irish locals there, which is rare with all the visiting students in Galway. The bartender was extremely friendly and happy to have us there. As a whole, I wasn't expecting the people of Ireland to be so welcoming but they are always more than happy to talk to you about your stay here. The bars and pubs here are all so fun, especially the ones with live music. There was a man who played the guitar and piano who played anything from Neil Young, to traditional Irish music, to more Jazz-y things. We joked that this pub would be the place we return to when any of us are having a bad day. It was just such a warm, relaxing pub and a perfect night.

contact info

If you want to send me mail:

Niland House, Apt. 501

Merchants Road

Galway City,

Co. Galway

 Ireland

And I got a cell phone today! I know it's expensive but if you want to call me, it doesn't cost me any money to receive calls.

(086) 394 7144

So to call me you would need to enter:

353 + 86 394 7144

safe & sound.

I'm finally in Galway! After many many hours of traveling via every mode of transportation, I'm here. It was long and stressful, but traveling is always long and stressful so what can you expect. 

When we arrived, we were all really jet lagged and exhausted so spent the day mainly napping and unpacking. I'm living with three other girls from BC. We live in a huge apartment. There are a few kinks getting worked out like a lack of hot water or working outlets, but were working on it :)

At night my new roommate (Sarah) & I decided that we wanted to go out and explore. We went to this adorable bar called The Front Room. The bars here are absolutely beautiful! All cherry wood, warm fireplaces, beautiful lighting, and stained glass. Then we met up with the rest of our group at a bar name Taaffes, where there was live music and dancing. It was so fun and made me feel at home here already. 

I also learned that Irish people love Boston, especially people from Galway. Everyone that I met and mentioned the Boston area to immediately went into how much they loved the city and which of their family members lived there. A few even compared the cities to be very similar. People here are so welcoming and genuinely happy to have visitors there. They all rave about how amazing Galway is. All in all, it was a great first day. 

 First meal in Ireland.

 Beautiful bar.

 Most of the group out on the first night.

Awesome live music.