Many First Experiences...

Last Friday (February 20) Anna, Catherine's and my flat mate, invited us to go home with her to Kilmacthomas. After an hour and fifteen minutes of scenic driving, we were at Anna's lovely home. We were in awe as we sat in her living room with the view of green farmland and the ocean in the distance on one side and then the view of the mountains on the other side. After getting our bearings, Mrs. Hearn prepared a wonderful "dinner" (lunch) of stew and spuds. Mr. Hearn got a good laugh at Catherine and I trying to peel them with a knife. After a cup of tea, we all put on our Wellies and headed outside. We got to walk the greyhounds (extremely well behaved) and watched them practice racing. I asked how long it took to train them, and Anna said it's all natural. Definitely a first! The one that Catherine walked had a race that night and won! We "met" the dozens of beef cattle and then drove down to another part of the farm. This farm is where they raise dairy cattle and grow barley. After having a cup of coffee with Aunt Mary, who lives in the family homeplace, we helped load some barley into the milking parlor. Then I watched in amazement as the cows were guided into the parlor, 16 at a time, and were milked by a very sophisticated machine. Most definitely a first. Then I watched as Anna filled up her family's milk bucket with the pure product. After feeding the calves, we headed back in time to meet Anna's twin Joy, have "tea" (dinner), and go to Dungarven to see a movie.

Saturday morning we headed down to the beach with Anna, Joy and their younger sister Emily (home from working in Dublin). The rocks on the beach were beautiful. We then went to another aunt's house to pick up a tart, and we stayed for tea and a chat. After dinner, we went up into the mountains for a walk to the waterfall (Emily, Anna, Catherine and me pictured above). Overall, the days were scenic and the time with Anna's family was filled with delightful conversation, hospitality, food and tea! That evening we all headed to the nearest city, Dungarven, for a night on the town. We met up with our other flat mate, Hannah, who is from a small town near Dungarven (all four flat mates pictured below!). Sunday we went to 11:30 mass, followed by an exquisite Sunday dinner, and we were off to Cork again. No wonder Anna goes home on the weekends...

Edinburgh and Beyond

To avoid sitting around alone on Valentine's Day, Catherine, Aileen and I decided to make our first out of country trip to Scotland last weekend. We took a bus early Thursday morning to Dublin Airport (5 hours!) and flew into Edinburgh via cheap Ryan Air. Immediately upon arriving we were impressed by the architecture of old Edinburgh. We stayed in High Street Hostel, which was the first true hostel experience for us all. Our all-female room had eight beds (pictured below), allowing us to meet some incredible women from all over the world. They were of all different ages, 20s to 50s, and backgrounds, from an au pair on 'holiday' to a mother and daughter traveling Europe. We also got great travel advice - like our Argentinian room mate suggesting a convent to stay in while in Rome instead of the expensive, dirty hostels. The hostel experience itself was remarkable - plus I ran into someone I grew up with in Midlothian! Will was in Dublin for six months is now living in that hostel in Edinburgh! What a small world...

Thursday night the hostel hosted a pub crawl which was full of meeting new people and taking in the Scottish drinking culture! Friday we explored the city, starting with a three hour, free walking tour. College students give this wonderfully animated, historical tour for tips only, and we all know that the drive for money will make someone put on his best show! Saturday morning we took a bus tour up through the Highlands and to Loch Ness. The mountains were snowy and picturesque while our van driver told wonderful Scottish stories. Our final destination was Loch (lake) Ness, and we learned all of the statistics about why it is probable that some creature is indeed living at the bottom of this Grand Canyon-sized lake. (We are pictured here on a boat on Loch Ness.) Sunday we took a smaller tour through the Kingdom of Fife and to the town of St. Andrews, also known as the homeplace to golf. When we boarded the 15-passenger Mercedes van at 9:00am, our van driver said, "I've got breakfast!" as he tossed us each an airplane bottle of "The Famous Grouse" Scotch-Whisky. These tours allowed us to see the coast and mountains of Scotland in a very short timespan. And our Scottish guides provided endless entertainment and facts on history and culture. This included an overwhelming dislike for England. Their history with England is similar to that of Ireland yet with a different reality. As one van driver said, "Sean Connery said he'll come back to the Highlands once Scotland is free." [We passed through the area where Ian Fleming, author of James Bond, used to live - which is now owned by the original Bond, Sean Connery.] After a fun filled weekend, we departed Scotland early Monday morning and arrived back in Cork around 3:30, just in time for my 5:00 class!

Cultural Correspondent

Today I had my first session as a Cultural Correspondent! This program is new within the Center for International Understanding in North Carolina. The goal is to educate K-8 students about different cultures around the world. I am paired with a first grade class in Jacksonville. During our first session, the students presented information about North Carolina and its geography, Jacksonville, and their school. I presented them with information about Ireland's geography and weather, what I am studying, and other interesting facts. This is done through Elluminate, a program where we communicate through web cam and microphone. The program allows you to upload PowerPoint presentations to the "blackboard" where you can point to different pictures/words while you talk. Our next lesson is on March 17, so I told the students that they better be wearing green!

On a side note, I'd like to mention how loved I feel to have so much communication with everyone from back home! I have received cards, packages, e-mails, and blog comments that make my days! Thank you for all of the support! Coming soon: an entry on my trip to Scotland ...

Fun in Dublin!

Aileen, Andrea and I (pictured below) left on the train early Friday morning for Dublin! Although the trains are very expensive here, the quick and comfortable ride was worth it. We checked into our hostel, Abraham House, where we were greeted by the wonderful Seamus. He noticed that I was left handed while filling out an information card, and he said, "You know, only the most attractive and brilliant lads are left handed." He told us how he was slapped on the wrist with a ruler and told he was a spawn of the devil by nuns in school for being left handed. Seamus was very kind, chatty and helpful - as I have found most Irish to be - and when we said thank you he replied "only the best for us left-handeders." We did much sightseeing in two full days, but the highlights were St. Stephen's Green, Christ Church Cathedral and the Guinness Storehouse. St. Stephen's Green is a lovely park in the middle of the city with beautiful flowers, water and birds. Christ Church Cathedral (pictured above) dates back to the 11th century, with a fascinating crypt and treasury along with the largest peel of bells in the world. The Guinness Storehouse is an extensive museum of the history of Guinness and how it is made. The top floor is called the Gravity Bar, where you can drink a pint of Guinness (with a shamrock in the foam) while having a 360 degree view of Dublin through the glass windows. While Dublin is indeed filled with tourists and international residents, the city has a ton of history and beautiful sights to see.

Snow!

In case anyone has not seen it on the news, much of western Europe was hit by a lot of snow yesterday. But don't worry about me here! The western part of County Cork is the only part of Ireland that was not hugely affected by the snow. On the news I saw that in most other places kids were out of school and businesses were closed. They react to snow here much like we do in North Carolina! Luckily I don't drive here, so it wouldn't affect me much anyway. I walked to class while it was snowing last night and it was beautiful! And the temperature should go up by the end of the week...hopefully in time for a trip to Dublin.