This past week.

It's been five days since my last posting, and for good reason! This week was my official start for classes, and all of them have been bombarding me with reading to do. I've also be worried about getting my immigration card, but I plan on taking care of that tomorrow. They require either a letter stating that my money for the semester has been issued, and although I have something like that, I'm not sure if it will work. If not, I will then have to get a Bank of Ireland account and wait a week to transfer all my goods. I'm stressed out about it, because I was given three weeks to get it done, and next week is my last one. I should have done this sooner, but with classes and navigating the city, it's just been too much and not enough time.

Today whipped me beat. I had my first theatre course, and it was three hours long with an hour and a half's worth of...yoga. I've never taken yoga before, let alone done anything to stretch out my limbs (I'm stiff as a feather), so of course when it came down to doing the downward dog position, I nearly cried my eyes out from all the weight. On the bright side, I'm glad I get this wonderful opportunity to do extensive exercises in order to prepare my mind and body for the challenges ahead. My goal is to be able to touch my toes and bust out a performance that would make anyone proud. :)

This blog is not only to share with family and friends, but also to inform future study abroad students. For that purpose, I will now be adding more factual statements and tidbits to full fill that requirement. So from now on, each of my posts will include lists or interesting things I learned that day.

Facts of the day:

1. No one cares if you ride your bike in the street around Cork City. A man almost got hit and the driver didn't even bother to honk at them! I also saw a girl riding in the streets yesterday afternoon, and the cars just sort of drove around her.

2. Upon entering a cafe, office, etc, the person at the desk/counter may ask: "Are you alright?" This has nothing to do with how you're feeling, instead it means "How may I help you?"

3. Never ever hold a peace sign turned to the right. I won't even bother explaining the meaning, just don't do it.

4. Most Irish students know about America. Just say which state you're from, and if they don't know where it is, then do tell. But for the love of all Irish, never say you're American because they already can tell!

5. The weather is like Kansas. One minute it's cold and windy, and the next there's bright sunshine and you have take off your jacket. Rain comes and goes, but it never pours too hard. Mostly just sprinkles.

Huzzah! Found something to do. :)

Several months back I complied a list and posted it on Facebook. I had forgotten all about it until now, and I'm glad I remembered, because I figured out how to spend my afternoon tomorrow. I'll be taking a 36 minute walk up to Cork City Gaol, an old prison from the 19th century. It's located to the north of Fitzgerald Park, which I might also go take a gander at if the museum isn't too long.

I just realized while looking at the directions on google maps that I have already visited Fitzgerald Park when I got lost for the first time on my way to campus. It's a very beautiful place with a walking trail thick with trees and a giant bridge that takes you to the other side where campus sits. It sounds so pleasant right now, I almost wish it was daylight!

I spent most of my day taking a four and a half hour nap, and for the first time by myself I successfully prepared and cooked spaghetti. I celebrated with the worst glass of sparkling wine I've ever tasted (the alcohol over powered the grape taste). It's no wonder though, because I bought it at the grocery store. Next time I'll just buy some at one of the local wine stores up by UCC, which I pass by all the time. They have a deal where you can purchase five bottles of wine for twenty euro, but I think I'll just stick to getting one, since it would be a pain to carry it all back. :P

Right now I'm cheering on the Wildcats while finishing off this glass of wine. I can't believe we haven't scored once and it's already third quarter. I wish I could watch it but I don't have any access, and reading the comments box on ESPN just isn't the same. I hope we win though as always. GO CATS!!

Cork City Tour

This morning I walked over to UCC for a campus tour provided by one of the local church groups. I got to see the inside of the Honan chapel, which by the way is GORGEOUS. The floor is decorated with colorful tiles that come together to form all kinds of wildlife. The isle consists of fishes moving upstream, and towards the pulpit are birds, deer, oxen, and squirrels, all which surround scriptures in Gaelic. Surrounding the entire building are stain glass windows depicting various saints and hundreds of different images crowding each other within the oblong window pane. Below each window is a golden square with a scene from the twelve stations of the cross painted on it. The architecture of the building itself is very exquisite looking, having been carved into pillars and Celtic designs on the inside.

After viewing the chapel, we all headed towards the Elizabeth Fort, which was a wall used to protect the city. Along the wall are narrow slots built so that archers could shoot from within. At the moment it is part of the enclosure where the Garda (police) station sits. After that, we looped back around towards an old brewery that was sadly closed a few years ago, and then we ended the tour at the city park, where we got to see the last of the original wall that protected Cork during medieval times.

That was pretty much the highlight of my day. I went to the store to pick up some plastic containers (I'm making spaghetti tonight and needed to put the leftovers somewhere), and some Coke. On my way home I almost bumped into a girl who came out of a rather small coffee shop, and stopped in there to get myself some hot chocolate and a toasted bagel ham sandwich.

Not sure how I'm going to spend the rest of my weekend. The roommates took off to Kilkenny for some castle sight seeing last night, and yesterday I wasn't feeling too well. There's the Crawford Art Gallery up near UCC that I have yet to look into, so I might do that tomorrow or late in the afternoon. I also want to go back to Fota Wildlife Park, but I'm sorta worn out from walking and standing for three hours today.

School! School! Let's go to school!

I finally had my first class today (19th Century European History), and it went pretty well, except I made a complete fool of myself. We were discussing the revolutions that took place in France and Germany, and I was trying to remember the time when Prussia took over Alsace-Lorraine in the Franco-Prussian war, but instead of asking if it was Prussia, I said Austria instead. Now it's one thing to have a class full of European youths listening to my mistakes, but when there are five 60 to 80 year old Irish men who know their history better than anyone, you can't help but realize that you sound like an empty headed American.

I'm not so sore about it anymore, though. The professor jumped in and told everyone that it was ok to make mistakes, and that people shouldn't be afraid to speak their minds. He still didn't know what I was talking about, though, because I kept thinking it was Austria, and when I got home I looked up the correct answer. It's been two years since I took Modern Era/European history, but I know with a little bit of time and some research, I should have it down pat.

I saw the English market for the first time today, and it was just as I thought it would be. Stalls everywhere stuffed with fresh fruits, veggies, and all sorts of different meats down different paths. There's also candies, pies, cakes, and lots of other sweets that looked delicious. I didn't bring a grocery bag, and I had to withdraw some euro, so I decided to buy stuff there another time.

Not much else going on. I got lost the other day on my way to school, but I made it somehow. I ended up being late to my theatre meeting, but it went alright. Now I need to go to the store and pick up some honey for my tea before it closes. Adios Amigos!

What a day.

Today was a very long day. I got up this morning around 11am, hung out in the living room with my roommate Jillian, and got ready for the zoo around 1:30pm. I then ventured out with my map, walking towards Kent Train Station, but I took a wrong turn. I asked some girls if they knew where it was located, and they pointed me in the right direction. It didn't take more than fifteen minutes to get there.

My ticket only cost $4.50 euro, which I was rather glad about and then I walked out onto the platform and found a seat. I originally thought that the train went straight to Fota Wildlife Park, but it made several stops along the way. When it did stop at Fota, I thought everyone was going to get off the train, but no one did, and so I stayed in my seat. We all ended up in Cobh (pronounced Cove), and everyone got off there. I decided to get off the train to ask the ticket vendor if there was a train back to Fota or Cork.

After the train left, I walked up some stairs and headed towards a gift shop/historical exhibit. I asked if this is where I should go for train tickets, and a lady at a booth pointed back towards where I had just gotten off. So I turned back, and as I got onto the platform, I realized that the train I was on had just turned right back towards Cork (it was a dead end). Plus, everything there was shut down. Not a single soul was near or around the platform, and I freaked out. After waiting twenty minutes or so, I wondered around and managed to find a schedule. I couldn't figure out which time the train came, or if it was going to come back. Then this guy who was about my age came walking down the stairs and asked me something (I couldn't understand him, not so much the accent but he had braces on, too), and I explained my situation. He walked away and sat to wait for the train. Another twenty minutes later, and this guy sits one seat over from me, and I asked if the train coming was going to Cork, and he said that the train always comes and goes the same route. I was so relieved! I ended up waiting an hour and a half for it to come back.

Finally I was at Fota Wildlife Park, but the woman handing me my ticket informed me that it closed at six, and the train came in twenty before six. So I only ended up having forty five minutes to wonder around. It is AMAZING. Everywhere you walk, there are hundreds of birds meandering around in front of you. There's also an island with lots of wooden structures and nets for all kinds of different monkeys to climb on. I stood right in front of a group of lemurs playing on a fence, and I walked right past lots of wallabies that were sitting next to flocks of geese. I also saw these very strange rabbits, but they had hooves instead of paws. I don't know what they're called, but they were lounging around all over the place.

I barely made it to the giraffes. I was looking all over for them, and it wasn't until I only had twenty minutes before the train came did I figure it out. It was a very long stretch of gravel, and the giraffes were standing at the end of it. On the left of me were the cheetahs, and on the right was a huge hill covered in crows with zebras and a giant ostrich nestled on a boulder. By the time I reached the giraffes, a man came out and opened up the shed behind then, and then he started to rally them all inside. I got a few pictures of them, and I was sad to see that there were two fences spaced out in front of me, so that I couldn't actually pet them as I thought I was going to be able too. I was excited to see them, though!

I ran. I had to rush as fast as I could, because there was only thirteen minutes before the train came. I kept wanting to stop and take pictures of the cheetahs, but I couldn't risk it and just kept on going. I reached the end of the park with ten minutes left before the train was scheduled to return. I was very fortunate, because instead of arriving at 5:40pm, it ended up getting there at 5:35pm and leaving a minute later. There was another train after that, but it wasn't coming until 7:20pm, and after waiting so long already today, I really didn't want to do it again.

Random facts of the day:

1. Jaywalking is your friend. Everyone does it, and it saves two seconds to a minute, depending on where you're crossing.

2. The official colors of Cork are red and white, which stand for blood and bandages.

3. Pubs are not like American clubs, in fact better. People respect your boundaries, and the music includes anything from ACDC, to The Killers. It's also less crowded, and there's none of that dirty dancing.

4. Chai is not chai tea. It is milk with cinnamon type spices, yet it is still just as tasty.

Lost.

This afternoon I set out on an adventure to find Kent train station, only to end up getting lost for two hours. The main road that I went walking on was beautiful with lush trees, but to either side of me was large, crumbling factories that mimicked old abandoned concentration camps. There were fences with barbed wire and iron gates going down this dead end path. By the time I realized there was no where to go, I decided to turn back around. I saw a lady jogging who was happy to help me figure out how to get back.

I ended up at Parnell Place, but I thought it might be Kent Station. The lady at the booth said it wasn't, and so I went my merry way back home. I still had three hours to visit FOTA wildlife park, but I was too tired. I'm still too tired, haha. I'm glad I did it though, because it was somewhat adventurous and now I know where is what the next time I decide to attempt going there.

This afternoon I'll be buying curtains and somethings to drink. I'll probably heat up my macaroni and cheese meal for this evening. Tomorrow I'll try and find the zoo again, and hopefully it will be less crowded because everyone will be at the pubs for the big soccer day. It's a huge event for Cork, almost equivalent to our super bowl. I just don't like soccer, so I'll be doing some sight seeing instead. :)

Sad day.

It was a rather difficult day for me. My roommates and I went up to the college for "roundabout", which is when students walk around tables to get information about classes. We were late, and most of the professors had left. After gathering what few information we could, all of us went outside and walked around for awhile before going on a tour. It went ok, just I was by myself the whole time. When it was over, I decided to go to the art gallery while they went back home.

The art gallery only had five pieces, most of which weren't all that interesting. I bought a postcard, and walked back towards the apartment while looking for the English Market. I couldn't find it, but I did see the Mcdonalds and decided to get some. The fries are the original recipe (the one that was changed a couple of years ago), so I was very happy about that!

I feel rather lonely here now. I hope to meet people once classes start, but I dunno about that. I just want to go home. I miss it so much. Tomorrow I'm going to the zoo, and even though I'll be traveling by myself, I hope it will lift my spirits up a bit. I love giraffes, and you can pet them there...so that should be exciting. I'm also riding the bus and then a 15 minute train ride there, which I'm guessing will be a lot of fun.