Our second week in Ireland has integrated the students into everyday life. For attending school, we go to one class each day for 4 hours. This time length has proven itself to be difficult at times, but the amount of information that we are receiving is abundant! On Mondays we study Gaelic language with our hostess in Ireland, Jane Marie. The language is very different from English but the students all enjoy learning to speak the local's native tongue. Later in the afternoons, a professor named Brenden speaks to us regarding other cultural information. He is actually my favorite professor so far, he is very kind, insightful, and it’s clear he has a passion for teaching. Tuesdays are the most tedious for our Irish history class. Irish history is very in depth and extensive, so prepare for information overload! Wednesdays we take a literature course, which I happen to enjoy a lot. The professor has given us some books to read already Dubliners by James Joyce and The Country Girls by Edna O'Brien, and both books' synopsis sound very interesting! Lastly, on Thursdays we meet with Dr. C to discuss our blogs and other travels for the week.
Our first week here, we had no plans for the weekend. Because of this I decided to plan a trip to Cork for a few of the other students and myself. Planning was quite simple, a quick Google search of the bus schedule and a look at hostelworld.com was all that we needed for this trip. Because it was short notice, we did not have concrete plans for the trip but instead took the chance to explore the city on our own. I personally find this way to be most enjoyable. After arriving we managed to maneuver our way through Cork from our iPhones to get to the hostel. We checked in and then left to meet up with the rest of the group for supper. We asked directions from the locals as to where the main street was for the night and they advised us that Oliver Plunkett Street would have everything that we wanted. We have already gathered that the locals in everyplace of Ireland so far are extremely friendly! After an exciting night out and a rather toasty night's stay at our hostel, we had all of Friday to sightsee. Our group split up, half shopping and the other half walking around and exploring. Billy and I initially stayed in the city center, taking in the sights of the busy streets, finding a small cafe to have a sandwich and a pint at, and then finishing our time at the Crawford Art Museum (which was free). My favorite part of the trip however, was when we decided to wonder off the main path to stumble upon the University of Cork Campus, the Shaky Bridge, and see some of the most breathtaking views of my life! To finish off our last full-day in Cork, we met up with some locals for a pub crawl. This was an extremely fun experience, not only did we see some very cool bars but the people we met were a blast! The experience was definitely unforgettable but we were very ready to be back in our cottages to rest up for our next week’s adventure!
*The top picture is a view of the some of the books we will be reading during our stay.
*Below, a slideshow features some sights from Cork!
Our first week here, we had no plans for the weekend. Because of this I decided to plan a trip to Cork for a few of the other students and myself. Planning was quite simple, a quick Google search of the bus schedule and a look at hostelworld.com was all that we needed for this trip. Because it was short notice, we did not have concrete plans for the trip but instead took the chance to explore the city on our own. I personally find this way to be most enjoyable. After arriving we managed to maneuver our way through Cork from our iPhones to get to the hostel. We checked in and then left to meet up with the rest of the group for supper. We asked directions from the locals as to where the main street was for the night and they advised us that Oliver Plunkett Street would have everything that we wanted. We have already gathered that the locals in everyplace of Ireland so far are extremely friendly! After an exciting night out and a rather toasty night's stay at our hostel, we had all of Friday to sightsee. Our group split up, half shopping and the other half walking around and exploring. Billy and I initially stayed in the city center, taking in the sights of the busy streets, finding a small cafe to have a sandwich and a pint at, and then finishing our time at the Crawford Art Museum (which was free). My favorite part of the trip however, was when we decided to wonder off the main path to stumble upon the University of Cork Campus, the Shaky Bridge, and see some of the most breathtaking views of my life! To finish off our last full-day in Cork, we met up with some locals for a pub crawl. This was an extremely fun experience, not only did we see some very cool bars but the people we met were a blast! The experience was definitely unforgettable but we were very ready to be back in our cottages to rest up for our next week’s adventure!
*The top picture is a view of the some of the books we will be reading during our stay.
*Below, a slideshow features some sights from Cork!