Is It Wednesday Yet?

My first time at PSG, one of my camp-mates recalled reading somewhere that you can only live with the same group of people for three days before you start to go mental. Since we had arrived at PSG on a Sunday, we figured that we’d want to kill each other by Wednesday. Luckily, that never happened. However, I have been in Ireland for two weeks, and I can feel Wednesday brewing on the horizon.

Now don’t get me wrong. The people that I am staying with are all truly lovely people, and I am very lucky to be living with such a diverse and talented group of individuals. Nevertheless, I enjoy my independence and I enjoy the freedom of not being accountable to the same group of people 16 hours each day. Also, I have realized that being away from some people for too long—ahem, Morgan—leads me to make what I think are funny, albeit inappropriate, comments at what I think are funny, albeit really inappropriate, times. I guess I’m only gifted enough to pretend that I’m a good person for a two week span. Well, my housemates will get to meet the real me then.

Anywho, departing from that note. The past week has been good to me. On Wednesday we got a chance to tour Kylemore Abbey. (Look it up on Google, you’ll instantly recognize it.) The Abbey beautiful, as was the surrounding landscape. We were also scheduled to go hiking at one of the national parks; however, it was raining and rather foggy. Instead we ended up heading up the road a bit to visit a sheep and wool museum and to taste some hot whisky. All things considered, it turned out to be a good day.

I have been finding some time to dance in the evenings which makes me very happy. It’s hard to dance for extended periods of time as the only spaces available to me are concrete. My knees and ankles are not very happy with me at the moment. Still, I can’t lay off dance for too long, especially not with all that I have been eating!

Speaking of eating, I always thought that the Irish love for potatoes was something of a bad stereotype. I am, however, quickly being proven wrong. Every morning for breakfast and every evening for supper, the table is stacked with two or three different types of potatoes. I feel like I’m back in Plover living under the regimes of the potato baronies.

The course is going well. I am finding myself to be a lot more confident when speaking Irish, even though I make mistakes often. I did my first oral examination this last week, and, while not perfect, I think that it went well. I was really very calm about it, and I think that helped a lot.

Okay, I’m off to do homework now. Slán agaibh!

Cúpla Grianghraf - A Few Photos

I am at school early this morning and I actually remembered to bring my computer. So here are some of the pictures that I have taken while on my trip. The pictures really don't due this place justice, but they are better thn nothing, I suppose.

This is the view that I get everyday walking home. Seriously though, photographs do not due it justice.

A nice little ogam sign that the family has. It's by the front door and reads "fáilte", meaning "welcoming".

Sign from Inis Oírr. 'Tiomáin go mall' = 'drive slowly'.

Another Irish sign from Inis Oírr.

The altar of the ruined church on Inis Oírr.

A close-up of the relief that is behind the church altar. It's lilkely to have been carved in the 10th century.

The castle ruins rising over Inis Oírr.

There are a few stone faces that stick out from the castle walls. They think that these are actually older than the castle and that they were found by the builders and put into the walls as decorations. I'm very curious to know what the story behind these carvings is; then again, we may never really know.

A view over Inis Oírr taken from the fort. This is a pretty good representation of the Irish countryside that I have seen.

Another abandonded church. This one is from Trá na Reilige (Cemetery Beach), about 40 minutes walk from where I am staying.

And to finish, here are some very friendly horses that I met yesterday while coming back from Trá na Reilige. Ireland has been full of friendly animals.

Lá Saor - A Day Off

Maidin mhaith, gach duine! It’s a beautiful morning here in An Cheathrú Rua, and, since it’s Sunday and we have the day free, I finally have a few moments to write.

Last Thursday evening, we had a lesson on céilí and set dancing. As per usual, the instruction was in Irish, and it actually seems like it would be rather easy to teach céilí dances and sets as Gaeilge. I mean, most of it is counting to seven, right? Anywho, we had a wonderful teacher who, at the age of 57, is still remarkable light on her feet. We learned the Conamara Set, but we learned it with a few variations that are particular to the area; I found this particularly interesting. Hopefully I’ll still remember it all by the time that I get back to the States!

I decided Friday afternoon that I desperately need to practice some dancing. There’s nothing quite like doing the Highland Fling while overlooking the lochs of Ireland! However, the floors around here are all concrete based. I did most of my practice outside, on a concrete deck while wearing tennis shoes. However, by the end of my comparatively brief practice session, both of my feet were hurting and not in a good way. I’m not entirely sure what to do about the practice situation but, seeing as I have the day off from classes, I’ll have to figure something out.

Yesterday, we went to Inis Oírr, the smallest of the Aran Islands. Like everything else in this part of the country, the island was absolutely lovely. We met up with a tour guide who gave us an introduction to the history of Inis Oírr and its monuments, such as the ruined castle on the top of the Island and the 10^th century church and graveyard which lay a little closer to the coast. It was all very interesting a scenic. We were lucky in that the weather held out for most of the day; there was about a half an hour of down pour, but we were able to find shelter in a local pub.

I managed to have a conversation in Irish with some local shopkeepers on Inis Oírr.  They were surprised that I had Irish, and I was equally surprised that I could speak to them without worry or fumble. It was refreshing and reassuring feeling. Slowly but surely I am getting comfortable with speaking the language, even if I make frequent mistakes.

I have today—and every Sunday—off from classes. I’m actually very excited about this. I could use some time away and some time to myself. My roommate has gone off to mass, and I am sitting on my bed listening to the songs of the morning birds. I think that I may put on some Archer and stretch my feet. After lunch, I’m hoping to take a walk down to Trá na Reilige, a nearby beach with an old graveyard attached to it. I’d also like to fit some dancing into the day. Come what may, I am sure that it will be another great day in Ireland for me.

Too Much Food and a Bit of Sean-Nós

Good afternoon, everyone! We had a half-day today, and so I finally have a moment to write an update.

Things have been going very well over here in Ireland. I am getting along nicely with the course. I am in the highest level offered, and I am finding it challenging but not undoable. My biggest problem right now—both in class and at home—is that I am usually able to understand the Irish spoken to me, but I have trouble speaking back. When it comes to languages, I have always been more of a grammar rather than a vocabulary person. So, while I understand what people are saying to me, I just don’t have enough confidence in my vocabulary to respond with conversation. Nevertheless, I do think that I am getting better with conversing in Irish. As times goes on, I am lightening up quite a bit: I am allowing myself to take chances and to not necessarily say everything correctly but at least to say something. It’s a bit uncomfortable at times, but that is why I am here.

As I said in my last post, I have never been fed so well as in Ireland. Honestly, our bean an tí prepares us three meals a day, each complete with three, four, or five courses. No, really. I’m not kidding. Apparently more than just the cows in Ireland have four stomachs! While I am completely grateful for the abundance of food and the absolutely generous nature of my bean an tí, I have had to refuse most of her food the last two days. I have honestly eaten so much that my stomach is now in a constant state of dull pain. I mean, it’s hard to go from eating no more than a grilled cheese sandwich and toast in a day to having everyday be more abundant in food than Thanksgiving! I feel bad about having to say “no” at the dinner table, especially because it seemed to dishearten the bean an tí at first. However, I think that she is finally starting to get the idea.

On Monday we had a sean-nós dance class. (For those of you who don’t know, sean-nós [i.e. “old style”] dance is a type of traditional Irish dance. It is percussive like modern Irish dance, but it differs greatly in that it is loose, low to the ground, and requires no wigs, poodle socks, or Oompa-Loompa toned spray tans.) The dance class was completely in Irish—I have always wanted an Irish dance class in Irish! We spent an hour and a half learning a four step reel. Now and then I fell off the rhythm, but I think I got it in the end. We will have a sean-nós dance lesson every Monday from here on out. How exciting!

Yesterday there was an extra evening lesson in sean-nós singing. Now, I am not big into singing or even songs. However, I wanted to go because of the awesome culture value that sean-nós singing carries. Unfortunately, I was too sick to go last night and instead decided that it would be better for me to rest and to talk a bit of a walk. It was a pity that I didn’t go, but I will have other chances. I believe that there are three more sean-nós singing classes before the end of the program.

There’s a céilí scheduled for tomorrow night, although I am not sure what that exactly entails (céilí dancing? set dance céilí? b’fhéidir seisiún? measc?) I am excited nonetheless. I’m guessing it’s a good old céilí dance session, though, as my bean an tí keeps talking about what a great dancer our teacher is.

Speaking of dance, I am hardcore missing me some Highland dance right now. I keep finding myself breaking out into steps. There isn’t really a lot of time here to practice; we are at the University from 9:00am until 9:00pm almost everyday. However, I have been waking up a bit early to do some ankle strengthening exercises. At least it’s something. After dinner tonight, I’m hoping to squeeze in some practice. After all it takes a lot to look pretty for the judges, and I need to keep up with it! But seriously, I think I have a slight—okay, more than slight—addiction to dance. Also, there’s the fact that, when I take too much time off from dance, my muscles feel like they begin to settle and the start tensing up and aching. So, it’s always better to be dancing!

Saturday we will be going to Inis Oírr, one of the Aran Islands. It is the smallest of the three islands and, if I understand correctly, the least touristy. I’m excited to go; I relish the thought of traveling more around Ireland. It’s such a beautiful place.

Well, the bean an tí is almost done cooking dinner, and I suppose that I should wash up a bit considering that I just woke up from a much needed nap. I hope that you are all doing well in the States. I am truly having the time of my life, but I will still be very glad when I get to come home and see you all.

Slán go fóill, a chairde!

Sa gCeathrú Rua

Well, I made it safely to An Cheathrú Rua. It is absolutely gorgeous here. I cannot even begin to accurately describe the scenery. Everywhere you look there are old stone walls, rolling hills, lakes, and an abundance of wildlife as well as domesticated animals. We have been lucky in that it has been sunny as opposed to rainy. However, this has come at a price: it has been in the eighties the last few days, which is way too hot for my tastes, especially in a country without air conditioning.

Map of An Cheathrú Rua.

Despite the midday heat, the mornings and evening have been wonderful. I spent most of the latter day yesterday roaming around the peninsula (An Cheathrú Rua is a peninsula). Aside from the wonderful landscape, I also managed to catch sight of magpies, horses, cows, a goat, gulls, and a few wild pheasants. And while all of this is breathtaking in and of itself, I was also enamored with the fact that there are no mosquitoes in Ireland. I could walk around without having to reek of deet! Honestly, this place is unbelievable. [And, yes, I have pictures, but because I am writing this from the house, I am going to save the broadband and will upload them later on from the University.]

I am living with nine [I think?] other students. We are staying with a family in Cuileán. The house is fit to match the Irish landscape—that is, very beautiful. The bean an tí (i.e., woman of the house, aka my host ‘mom’) is very nice, as is her husband, the fear an tí (you guessed it, the man of the house). They both insist on only speaking Irish. It is a bit challenging to have to communicate through Irish about frequent daily needs, but it is a wonderful experience that you would be hard-pressed to find elsewhere.

I can normally understand the bean an tí, buíochas le Día. She has also told me several times that I have Gaeilge mhaith (“good Irish”). My Gaeilge certainly doesn’t seem good to me, but I’ll take every compliment that I can get at this point. Now, in regards to the fear an tí, I honestly have not been able to catch a word of what he has been saying. I feel somewhat bad about this. He has been very nice, witty, and chatty. However, I just give him blank stares and hesitant nods. I swear, most of his Irish must get stuck in his mustache!

The bean an tí is a wonderful cook. Upon arrival yesterday afternoon, we sat down for tea. This consisted of tea, juices, water, milk, breads, a salad, lasagna, and cake. That was tea. She told us that we would have a proper supper the next day. Seriously, if all of that was just tea, I’m a little apprehensive to see what the dinéar mór (big dinner) is like tonight! I’m afraid that I may not fit back on the airplane if I eat everything that the bean an tí prepares! (Not to mention the fact that it is impossible to refuse her delicious advances. I tried yesterday, repeatedly telling after my walk that I was neither hungry nor thirsty…and I was then given a cup of tea and some cookies.)

Today was our first day of classes. Originally I thought I would be in the intermediate level course. However, upon comparing my abilities with other students, I opted for the high level, the ardchúrsa. There is quite the spectrum of people in the course, ranging from the very confident to those with more limited vocabulary and experience. I am on the lower end of the class, but I still think that I am getting a long nicely.

The teacher lectures completely in Irish and all of the class discussion are, of course, in Irish. I am actually very surprised that I have been able to understand mostly everything thus far. It is a really great feeling. However, my speaking skills need a lot of work. For instance, when asked a question, I can usually formulate a great answer in my head—something that would look wonderful on paper, for sure. However, when I go to say my answer, I end up saying something along the lines of: POE-TAY-TO.

Of course, it doesn’t help that I have a perfectionist attitude. I don’t like doing things or speaking of things unless I can feel fairly confident in doing so, and I just don’t feel that way with Irish yet. I know that I am going to have to push through that feeling and take chances, though, if I ever want to succeed in the language.

Also, it is a bit tough to be in a course which focuses on spoken language and to not be a people person. Yes, I do consider myself to be generally amicable as well as approachable, but the truth of the matter is that I just rather not deal with people. I’d rather go about my day in solitude, enjoying the company of the clouds, mountains, and critters. So it’s highly strange and more than a bit uncomfortable for me to go out of my way to talk with people that I don’t know. I just don’t play well with others.

I have the morning off tomorrow, and then in the afternoon, I will be heading to Ros Muc to go visit Teach an Phiarsaigh. It’s the first of several tours that we will be taking around Conamara.

A few fun language things that I have noticed thus far into my journey:

1. “Ceart go leor”, Irish for “right enough; okay” is a common very common phrase. However the way that people say it makes me think that they are saying “cearc go leor” (kind of, “a lot of chicken”). It’s a very different image!
2. A Chaoimhín agus mo chuid cairde a rinne staidéar ar Ghaeilge, you’ll appreciate this: I have noticed several times my bean an tí, as well as her daughter, agreeing with a statement by either saying “yep” while inhaling or by simply inhaling. It does exist!

Bhuel, sin é anois. Slán go fóill!

My First Night in Ireland

Maidin mhaith, gach duine!

I made it through my first night in Ireland. I checked into my hostel, took a quick shower, medicated my head cold, and then promptly went to sleep. I laid down about 4:30pm and managed to sleep pretty much straight through until 7:30 am this morning. It was glorious. I did wake up once last night around midnight, and I could hear someone playing a whistle off in the distance. The folklore part of me was amused, and I chuckled to myself, “I’ve been in Ireland for less than a day. It is far too early into my trip to be absconded by the Gentry.”

My room was small but nice. While it had a musty smell that reminded me of the grandmother’s old club house, the bed was very comfortable. I will be staying at Corrib Village again for my last two nights in Ireland. It is a scenic place and the staff are very friendly. Plus I get a free breakfast. What more could I want in a place to stay?

The common room in my hostel suite.

My hostel room as I was packing up this morning. Cozy but comfortable.

I had to check out of the hostel this morning at 10:00am (it is currently quarter past ten over here). My bus for An Cheathrú Rua doesn’t leave the University until 2:30pm; so, I am keeping myself busy over in the game room, which is right across from the registration office. They have WiFi over here, and I figure that I will spend the morning managing my online affairs (that means taking care of you, dear reader), as well as editing the Gaelic Fusion videos. The best part is that the WiFi reaches outside. As long as the power supply on my laptop remains in good spirits, I will be able to sit and enjoy the lovely breeze this morning.

This is my view this morning as I write this post. 'Sé radharc álainn é.

I figured out how to text from my email yesterday. While I cannot receive texts on my phone, I can email text people who then can reply to my email address [I think that’s how it works?]. It’s a pretty neat system. So, if I text you at 2:00am, you’re welcome and I love you.

I am excited to head off to the Gaeltacht this afternoon. Thus far, I have seen Irish signs but have not heard any Irish spoken. I have, however, heard quite a bit of Polish, especially at the shops downtown. From what I have been told, and pardon the political incorrectness of this statement, the Polish are Ireland’s Mexicans. Nevertheless, I still find it comforting to hear Polish; it kind of reminds of being back in Stevens Point.

Speaking of language, I had a very nice Irish gentleman ask me this morning for a biro. Of course, being a freshly imported American and not knowing much Irish slang—other than to never ask for a “ride”—I politely stared at him and asked, “I’m sorry, a what? I’m not familiar with that word.” I now know that biro = pen in Hiberno-English. Thankfully, I did have several pens with me and was able to lend one the nice man. Still, I’m such a damn Yank.

And now, to end this lovely post, here is a picture that best sums up my day yesterday:

Apparently, if you attempt to wheel your luggage the two-ish miles from the center of Galway City to Corrib Village, your wheels go from rounded, rubber-covered contraptions to disemboweled flattened dragging surfaces.

Safely Landed

I made it safely to Ireland. Flying with a head cold was definitely not the most graceful thing that I have ever done—changes in pressure while battling sinus problems just leads to disastrous headaches. Nevertheless, I made it and even managed to get a few hours of sleep on the plane.

I arrived in Shannon this morning at 7:30. From there I took Bus Éireann to Galway City. Along the way, I met a very nice family from Missouri, as well as several very friendly Irish people. So far everyone has been very kind and helpful. I am very grateful for that!

Traveling the Irish countryside this morning taught me two things:

1)      Irish speed limits are really just loose suggestions     

2)      The crows in Ireland could carry off a small child. Seriously, those things are huge. I can see why the Badb struck fear into people’s hearts!

After arriving in Galway City, I went about arranging my way to my hostel. I am staying at Corrib Village, a section of the University’s housing. I asked downtown at the information booth how to get to Corrib Village, and they told me that there was a regular shuttle bus that I could access. Well, I went to the pick-up location and no bus ever came. Drat. Oh well, it was a nice day outside and I decided to walk.

I ended up making my way around pretty much the entire campus before finally finding the back entrance to Corrib Village. Then I had to make my way all the way up to the registration house. It’s not that it was a bad it. I just sweat a lot and was rather moist by the time that I reached check-in. I figured, whatever, I’d shower once I got my room. Wrong.

I choose Corrib Village for a number of reasons: (1) It’s on campus which will help me out tomorrow as I will be leaving for An Cheathrú Rua from campus; (2) I was able to get a private room for cheap; and (3) there was a 24-hour check-in. Well, it seems that the last point was a bit exaggerated. Check-in is not until 4:00pm. So here I am at 12:15, full of sweat, wanting nothing more than a shower and a nap, and I am now sitting in the game room trying to slowly dry myself off—I am sure that I smell of foreign, German-bred despair.

Still, whatever. I am in Ireland! That’s the exciting part, no matter what my stench/moisture level is at. I am very excited to be here. It is absolutely lovely, even if a bit warm for my tastes. In fact, after posting this, I think that I may change my clothes quick in the bathroom and then go for a walk. Perhaps I will be able to find a watch. I hadn’t even thought to bring one, but seeing as I have no cell phone, I now have no way of telling what time it is or of setting an alarm. I may want/need those things in the near future.

Before I leave, though, here are some quick pictures that I took during my transits this morning. I have not heard any Irish spoken yet, but there are plenty of bilingual signs. Enjoy!

Bilingual sign at the airport bus station.

Bilingual sign from downtown Galway City.