RAG Week wins

Despite my earlier skepticism, RAG Week has beaten out anything I've seen at Penn State. They started Sunday evening (maybe even afternoon) and are still going. Monday and Tuesday were the craziest days. Most apartments were having some sort of party and all the windows were open and everyone was out on the balconies and outside on the lawns, drinking. On my way to class on Monday there were dozens of kids on the bridge that takes you to school drinking out of cans and bottles in pure daylight at 11 a.m. Then it seemed to calm down by yesterday morning and I figured the worst of it was over. But that's only because I had been smart enough to avoid town at night the past couple of days -- mostly just because I was working on a big essay I have due next week.

Then there was last night. We ate dinner at my apartment (because it is currently the cleanest apartment) and then I went with my friends Tori and Paddy to the Kings Head. It's a more touristy pub, but I'm really starting to love it. We got often to see the band Donegal Catch, and its so great! It's made up of three male NUI Galway students. They all sing a little, though there is a main singer. One plays a sort of bongo-like drum, another (named Shaun, he's Paddy's friend) plays the banjo and the third plays acoustic guitar and sings. They are a cover band, but the best thing about them is that they do covers of popular American songs, but also covers of popular trad songs. Because they play stuff Americans and Irish alike know, everyone in the pub dances, claps and sings along. Some personal favorites are "Galway Girl," "Save Tonight" (yes, by Eve 6), "Ring of Fire," "Hills of Connemara," and the one that gets the most participation, "The Bog Down in the Valley."

Here's the song, sung by the Irish Descendants:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxgmAwoqr4E

After the concert was over the Kings Head closed, so we decided to head home. It was only about midnight and the streets were FILLED with college students. Most of them were drinking while walking down the street, singing and yelling. Mobs of them. There were also broken, and not broken, bottles littering the streets. And the Garda were all over the place trying to create order (i.e. stop the one kid from relieving himself onto a shop window) It was shocking, especially considering these kids have all been "on the beer," as they say, since Sunday. (And this is not to mention the "day drinking" I saw yesterday in town at one in the afternoon in the middle of shop street)

Classes were also pretty empty this week, and the teachers know it. All of them made RAG Week comments at the beginning of class. Some were pleased with the amount of students that showed to class and others were disappointed.

I don't want to give the Irish kids a totally bad rap, it is just one week that will soon be over, but at the same time it is way too excessive and really not a necessary thing. This week is supposed to be about raising money for charities. Last weekend Thon raised $7.4 million for kids with cancer, and now NUI Galway students are spending a week drinking, and maybe trying to raise 20,000 euro for charity. It definitely takes any good feeling about this week away.

But I must admit, it's still kind of funny. It is RAG Week after all ...

Capturing Castles

Yesterday was a trip around Galway and Offaly counties to look at castles for my Development of the Castle class. The class ended on Friday, it was only half the semester, so now I just have to write an essay for it by May. This also means I don't have class until 3 p.m. on Mondays, no class Tuesdays and no class until 2 p.m. on Thursdays. Sweeeeet.

But I'm a little sad the class is over. I thought it was very interesting and really liked the professor. The field trip was a lot of fun though! It was cool seeing what we learned about up close. We visited four castles -- and they're not like the fairy tale castles in Disney movies. We saw a fortified house, two tower houses and a crumbling masonry castle. The first one we saw was called Portumna Castle, it's a fortified house dating back to the early 17th century.

After that just a few miles down the road we went to Pallas Castle, which is a tower house built by the Anglo-Normans (as most of them were) dating back to the 16th century. It is surrounded by a bawn which is a defensive wall that surrounds the tower house. We got to climb up inside the tower, which was really cool.

(that's our professor chilling at the top, while another lecturer talked about the castle.)

(and me on the bawn wall!)

Then we saw another tower house, this one built by the Gaelic Irish. However, there was a bull inside of the bawn of the tower so we couldn't go inside of it. A lot of the properties around castles, especially smaller tower houses, are owned by local farmers and our professor wasn't able to get in contact with the owner of the land to check and see if the tower would be accessible.

Then we went on to lunch at a little restaurant/pub in Shannon. It was simple sandwiches, soup and chips. Chips here are fries and crisps are potato chips. Also, I have yet to have bad soup here - it is always amazing and usually some sort of seafood chowder or vegetable soup.

We then went on to the last castle, Clonmacnoise Castle. I think this one was by far my favorite just because of the location (right next to some bogs and the river Shannon) and also because it is falling apart - but in a really cool way. There is a fence surrounding it, so we snuck underneath to get a closer look - it was pretty funny seeing 50 kids wriggling their way under a fence. The castle is right by a monastery so we were also able to check that out. The monastery was founded in 545 by Saint Ciaran. It was one of the most famous monastery's in Ireland by the 9th Century. The cemetery near the monastery is filled with high crosses and a small church may hold the remains of the founder, St. Ciaran.

Does PSU hold a candle to RAG Week?

Penn State is a big party school. It's a fact. You can go there and not drink a drop of alcohol for four years, but you can also spend every weekend there drinking, too. I mean, we are the No. 3 party school in the nation after all.

However, this week at NUI Galway is RAG Week. You may be wondering, "what is RAG Week?" Well, each year during RAG Week the Galway Students' Union organizes events to raise money for four selected charities. During RAG Week this year the charities include: CD's Helping Hands, Galway Rape Crisis Centre, L'Arche and the Belarussian Orphanage Project. It's sort of like Thon ... but no dancing or Greeks. And it's definitely not for the kids, because although RAG Week is supposed to be about charities, it's more about partying.

I'm a bit skeptical.

I've been at PSU for two and a half years and have witnessed my fair share of crazy partying, so how bad can RAG Week be? Apparently, pretty bad. It's just a week of drunken debauchery, at least according to everyone I've talked to about it. It seems like everything I've heard is pretty much truth about this week, but I'll believe it when I see it. Sunday and Monday are supposed to be the biggest days because by the end of the week everyone is in a hungover stupor.

Since the boys downstairs are basically the Irish version of Animal House, for them RAG Week has already commenced. They decided to start partying last night, probably after I passed out at 11 p.m., because I heard music playing around 1ish when my roommate came back, then at 5:30 a.m. when she opened our bedroom door to go to the bathroom and the party was still going on when I got up at 7:30 a.m. this morning for class. Wow.

I don't think I'll be getting much sleep this week. As they say: if you can't beat them, might as well join them.

When a new place becomes another home

Life here goes on as usual. Nothing amazing or incredible to post on, but I guess that's the point of living in a different country. You begin to live like the people there. Every minute might not be something fantastic, but it just becomes ... life. The new place where you are becomes another home. I have a lot of homes. Chester, State College and now Galway. This city really is great, small, and clean. It has a sort of character that Boston and NYC lack. And I don't think I've been this unstressed in a long time. Ireland is the 5th happiest nation in the EU, and I can believe it. It's just in the little things. People don't walk around with huge smiles on their faces 24/7, but they take life at a slower pace. They make time to go grab a pint at a pub for an hour or so. The pubs are restaurants, meeting places and you can even grab a cup of tea and sit outside of one. Also, most businesses (besides ones that sell food) and offices close down from 1 to 2 for lunch. Even here at the university most employees that aren't professors take the lunch break.

People here retain their youth I think, more than in America. Sure they have jobs and responsibilities and worries of their own, but that doesn't mean sacrificing the little joys in life. Like last night, I went to this crepe place in Centre City with some friends and we sat outside to eat and there was a man playing bongos on the street (there are ALWAYS street performers out, it's great) a group of middle aged couples was walking down the street when one man went up to the drummer and asked if he could try it out. So they played together for about 10 minutes. And everyone in his group and those of us outside really enjoyed the drumming.

We also went to the Crane Bar last night, which is the cutest little pub. Almost every Tuesday students and locals gather to play trad music. There were about 10 people playing last night, with every instrument from violins, tin whistles, an acoustic guitar, a harmonica and our friend Paddy on the Ulliean pipes.

I haven't really done to much as far as school work goes because there's not much I can do besides reading. I've so far read one book, Lolita, and written two short essays. I have an exam in Castles on Friday which I am going to study for today and tomorrow, but our teacher told us even if you guess on all of the questions, you'll still probably be able to pass. But I will have a bunch of essays in the next few weeks as mid-term week comes.

A bicycle for two

This Saturday Arcadia took us on a trip to the Aran Islands. They are about a 45 minute drive and 20 minute boat ride from Galway, out in the Atlantic Ocean. There's three islands and we ended up going to Inis Mor, which means big island. The island has a population of about 800 and Irish is the predominant language on the island. It was really cool to finally hear people speaking to each other in Irish fluently.

In order to get around the island and see everything we took bikes. Those of you who know me well know I cannot ride a bike -- go figure. I guess I was just never willing to learn, I was a pretty unadventurous child, not that riding a bike is all that adventurous in the first place ... So obviously I was a little worried about getting around, but luckily my friend Adam was kind enough to agree to ride on a tandem bike for me (aka a bike built for two). Adam is quiet the thrill seeker so needless to say he biked very, very fast. It was a little terrifying but also pretty fun. We road around for about two hours going up and down hills, playing fetch with a local dog named Scout and taking pictures of the beautiful scenery.

But then my friend Courtney went down a rocky hill a little bit too fast and fell off her bike. She got a pretty bad cut from the fall so I accompanied her to the doctors office (being the smallest since there wasn't much room in the doctors van, and since I'm not an avid bike rider). We spent the better of two hours at the doctor's while she got the cut stitched up.

I didn't get to see all of the island, but it was still a fun day. Ireland just keeps getting more beautiful and the weather has been grand for this time of year. Warmish (high 40s, low 50s) and very little rain. AND I just booked a flight to Portugal!!!!! A bunch of my friends were going and figured why the heck not? We're not quiet sure exactly where in Portugal we are going to explore but we'll fly into Faro on March 4th and stay there until the 7th. I'm really excited to finally travel outside the country, and Portugal should be both beautiful and WARM.

Making our way up a hill on the island

Bakeries ... more than just cookies

Throughout town, in the local grocery store and in between there are tons of bakeries. A little different than the States the bakeries here sell everything from the usual cookies to breads, scones, sandwiches and fresh brewed coffee. But the weirdest thing I have seen in bakeries here are pancakes. Yes, pancakes. Sitting between cookies that look like teddy bears and eclairs they have stacks of pancakes. I'm not really sure why ... and if they're even kept warm. I do need to try a pastry from a bakery soon, maybe tomorrow. They have Valentine's day treats out that look really good. I also wish I was celebrating a birthday here, a cake shaped like a pint of Guinness would be pretty sweet. 

[On another note ... internet in my apartment still down. Thus the very few posts lately.]

Week end

The word weekend here is actually pronounced as if it was two separate words. Not that the term even means much here since the weekend is just when the Irish students go home. The big nights to go out are Wednesday and Thursday.

We went out on Thursday night to The Kings Head (yeah, no apostrophe). That night there was a promotional event going on for a student fashion show. They had James Bond 007 playing in the background with subtitles, a DJ spinning popular American tunes and fancy cocktails for sale. Then around 10:30 a student the band went on. I really enjoyed them, they played a mix of classic rock and some trad music as well. It got really crowded toward the end, but was a fun night.

Friday night we decided to stay in so the girls all baked cookies and then we went over to the boys' apartment and watched The Quiet Man. It was a pretty cheesy, but interesting movie. It was filmed in the 50s in a town called Cong, which is only about 25 minutes outside of Galway. We actually went there on our bus trip to Connemara and the tour guide pointed out a lot of places where scenes in the movie were shot.

Saturday I walked into town to meet up with some friends and we went to the local farmers market. It's pretty cool and has all sort of different stands selling clothing, jewelry and of course food. There's a falafle stand, doughnut stand, fresh vegetables, sushi, and a big stand with lots of fresh fish (they were freaky looking, especially the big shrimp). After that the boys were hungry so they took us to Finnegan's, a pub/restaurant that supposedly has the best seafood chowder -- which I now totally agree with. The soup basically has whatever seafood the restaurant currently had in stock. I had no idea what was in it since I don't eat fish very often, but Paddy guessed there was squid, clam, salmon and lobster in it among others. I thoroughly enjoyed it. And whenever you get soup here you aways get a side of bread -- usually two slices of brown bread.

Last night was a failed attempt to go out to a club. The girls and I got all dressed up and went out, but since the students go home on weekends town wasn't too hopping. We tried GPO first but it was empty so we tried Cuba (the most popular club) but it was past midnight and there was a 10 euro entrance fee. We then tried Club K, but didn't like it at all. There's always college aged kids standing in the streets to stamp your hand to get into clubs for free (it's sweet, but the stamps are not easy to get off). One of the kids was really outgoing and had stamped our hands for Club K (right as we left Cuba). When he saw us leaving Club K he questioned us why we didn't like either club and then recommended another place. Well, we didn't like that either and had to walk past him again. He started slagging (kidding) us about not liking any of the clubs and being picky. Apparently he has 'regulars' because some American guys came up to him to get stamped while he was talking to us. We had seen the guys earlier in the lobby of my friend's building and when she told him we had seen the boys in her lobby there was no end to the slagging. We now know not to say someone is in our lobby, haha. Hopefully we will run into Gary again, he was a funny kid (and told us he would be there most weekends). In the end we just grabbed some fries at Supermacs -- basically the Irish version of McDonald's/Burger King -- and came back and passed out.

The Internet is STILL down in my apartment and has been for the past week and a half. I'm hoping it will be fixed by Monday, but reception hasn't been very good at telling us what's going on.

Pictures

Not much to update on and the internet has been down in my apartment complex for about a week. Everyone's pretty annoyed. Also, despite everyone saying that the Irish never do work the library is always very crowded. Then again, one of the Irish boys living downstairs has been to about five classes so far this semester. And I personally have never had so much relaxation time -- but it's really nice. I learned how to play Rummy last night -- I'm not very good.

Shop Street (the street that leads into the city where all the shops/pubs are)

The Claddagh (those clouds look a lot more ominous than they actually are)

The living room in my apartment:

Cloudy with a chance of meatballs

I was very happy to see the bright beautiful sunshine this morning and not a cloud in the sky! Two hours later the clouds are back, it's still sunny ... but there's always clouds. Always.

Little differences

Here's some differences I've observed in Ireland over the past few weeks.

* Tea. Tea. Tea. It's every where and pretty much everyone drinks it. ALL the time, more than coffee actually and every cafe offers tea. The coffee here is really not that great, but the tea is very good. I'm partial to Barry's gold blend or Earl Grey (Jen, we'll have to have many tea parties when I return!)

* Where American teenagers throw like in the middle of sentences the Irish tag it on at the end, like. Not all of them do it, but those who do use it a lot.

*Pubs = Everything. Haha. The pub is the place to be at night ... every night. It is expensive to go to the pubs all the time, but it is EXTREMELY different than going to an American bar. It is a place to gather with friends and talk over a pint, almost like talking over a cup of coffee in the states. Pubs also have GREAT food, so they are restaurants as well. While at PSU we would go out less often but drink more in one night, in Ireland they go out more often and drink less. (well ... not everyone, but a lot of people)

* Music. Trad music is abundant. People who know how to play instruments just get together and play. One of my friends is in the university trad club (traditional music club). They perform at a pub called the Crane Bar every Thursday and play traditional Irish instruments. My friend (who is American) plays the Uilleann pipes.

* They also say grand and lovely a lot. Awesome is not used, and they often will imitate you in a fake American accent if you say it. Dear means expensive and runners are sneakers.

* They also dress a lot more fashionably. Especially the girls. Even when it's gale force winds and raining many of the girls can be seen in tights and skirts or dresses. (No Northface or Uggs though)

There's more but those are the ones I can think of for now.

Also, my friend Aliza and I took a walk to the bay in Galway and it was beautiful. We walked out on the Mutton Causeway, which is just a strip of land jutting out into the Galway harbour. We weren't sure what was at the end because there was a lighthouse and some buildings ... turns out it's a sewage plant. But what we also didn't realize we where in Claddagh. I thought it was much further away from the city but it's actually right next to it. I thought it was a whole different town but apparently it's just the stony beach on the outskirts of Galway City.

Mutton Causeway. (We went all the way to where the lighthouse is.)