Fresher's Week

This week at Trinity College is Fresher's Week. It's a week for first year (and other) students to get adjusted to things, attend meetings, and register for classes. There are also lots of social things going on. All of the clubs and societies have booths out with people giving out free stuff and trying to recruit new members. It's been nice to have a week break from classes.

Last Friday, after our final lectures for the Semester Start-Up Programme, I took the bus to Belfast. It was my first time travelling in the country alone, and I was thankful it went smoothly. Bus Aras, the bus station I had to use, was a pretty long walk from my apartment, especially when carrying my luggage. I made it there okay though, and caught the 1 o'clock bus. Just like at home, Fridays always feel good. Sitting on the bus eating salt and vinegar crips (chips) and watching the scenary go by was a great end to a long week! It took about two and a half hours to get to Belfast. Phil met me at the bus station in Belfast and we drove up, with his brother Ian, to Limavady. The weekend really flew by, but it was great to be back in Northern Ireland.

So some of you may be wondering if there are many differences between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The short answer is yes and no. Geographically, no not really. Both have cities, towns, countryside, and coastlines. It isn't at all apparent when you cross the border between the two (there is no border patrol or anything of the sort...you just drive right through), although in NI the signs stop having Irish writing below the English. Because Northern Ireland (unlike the Republic of Ireland) is part of the United Kingdom they use the pound for currency, whereas Ireland uses the euro. Northern Ireland has a higher protestant population (in most places), although I don't think that this is immediately obvious. There is some different slang used, and the accents do sound different once you're used to them(the Northern accent is probably a little stronger). I suppose I can't make a very complete comparison of the two at this point because the only place I've really spend much time in while in the Republic of Ireland is Dublin (which is a very cosmopolitan city). One interesting thing to check out regarding the political tension of the past and, to some extent, the present in Northern Ireland is http://www.belfast-murals.co.uk/. I have already seen a few of the murals that are on the site during my time in Belfast.

The weekend up north went very fast. On Saturday we had nice weather and went to a place called Lionsgate and walked around in Downhill Castle, and admired the beautiful views of the ocean and mountains. Gorgeous! I'll include a few pictures at the end of the post, but of course the pictures can't really do it justice. We also played some more squash on Saturday, and went to the movie Julie and Julia with Meryl Streep. It was a very cute movie, and inspired me to get more into cooking...although maybe not while in Dublin where ingredients are so expensive.

I took the bus back from Belfast on Monday, and made it back home to Dublin. This week I've stayed busy with trying to complete the final essay for the Semester Start-Up Programme. It had to be 2,000 words and include various sources. I wrote mine on W.B. Yeats and how his poetry contributed to Irish nationalism and patriotic sentiment. I just turned it in this afternoon and am enjoying the sense of accomplishment from having finished it.

I did managed to get registered for classes (I think!) and am taking three literature courses: Enlightenment, Contemporary Irish Fiction, and Literature of the American South. I am optimistic that they will be interesting courses. It is strange having such a free schedule compared to at home. At this point I only have class on Monday (from 2-3 pm) and on Wednesday (from 10am-12pm and 5-6pm). I will also have one tutorial (small group discussion class) added at some point, but that will only be one more hour.

The educational system here is definitely MUCH more indepedent than at home. It is a little intimidating because in each of the three classes my entire grade rests on ONE essay at the end. The speed which we go through readings is also very fast... (a novel per week for a few of the courses), so I'll have to be disciplined to set aside the time and study. In addition to the primary texts of the course there are lots of "suggested readings" for each, which students are expected to do. I'm definitely not expecting the classes to be easy simply because they don't meet often. In fact, grade-wise we were warned that the system not the same as in the States and that A's really aren't given out much. My main goal this semester is to learn, and to engage in the subjects I'm taking, and to write three essays that I'm really satisfied with at the end!

As for clubs and activities, I joined the basketball club. It is much less intense then playing a college sport back home, with just one or two training sessions a week and then games (I'm not sure how many of those). Hopefully it will end up being something fun. I also looked into the CU (the Christian Union) which is the main, and only that I saw, Christian organization on campus. Unfortunately most of their meetings are on Thursdays which is when basketball is, but hopefully I can get to some events, and meet some people through that.

One other random thing that I did this week was participate in a psychology study. I saw a flyer advertising a "Perception Study" that needed participants and thought why not give it a go, especially since it paid 5 euro (the equivilient of $7.50 USD) and only took 20 minutes. It ended up involving rating pictures of fruit and flowers on a scale (1-7) of how much I liked them. It was very simple, and as a psychology student I found myself thinking about the design and running of the study (thank you for that professor shaugnessey and research methods). On the downside, looking at so many delicious looking pictures of dessert made me hungry! :)

That's all for now- I don't have anything too excited planned for the weekend. Tonight my flatmates and I are hosting a "family dinner" with some friends (other Americans also studying at Trinity). Tomorrow I plan to watch one of my flatmates, Jessica, and another friend, Victor, run in a half-marathon here in Dublin. It's taking place in Phoenix Park which I haven't been to yet! I also may poke around the market in Temple Bar if I get the chance.

Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend!

Patience is a virtue.

If you ever want an opportunity to work on patience skills, register with the Irish Immigration Bureau (Garda). Basically, registering is the equivalent of getting a Visa; it allows you to stay in the country for more than there months. At the airport, your passport is given a stamp that tells you a date that you need to register by, and that involves bringing forms (acceptance letters, proof of financial stability, passport, etc.) to an office and answering some questions. Mostly though, it involves waiting.

I was aware that registering with the Garda would probably be a slow process, so I went on a day that I didn't have any set things to do in the afternoon or evening. After my last class I headed over to the Immigration Bureau, arriving around 1:30 in the afternoon. There was a long queue (line) that I got into and then waited for a little over two hours to receive a ticket. I was the lucky recipient of ticket number 347. The man who gave me my ticket said that I could come back around 5:00 and would get to go sometime around then. I made the thirty minute walk back to my apartment, got a quick bit to eat, checked my email and walked back in order to get there a little before 5:00. Then I waited. Four hours later my number was called, I was interviewed, given permission to stay in the country until the end of December, had my photo taken for an identification card, and got my passport stamped. Then I waited a little longer, until my photo ID card was made and passport returned. Finally, I headed for home and made it to my apartment at 10: oo. The whole nine and a half hour experience was a little frustrating, and took a lot of patience, but I guess it was another cultural experience to add to my list. The Immigration Bureau was actually an interesting place. There were people from all over the world waiting alongside me, and although the atmosphere was rather gloomy and tense, it was still interesting people watching (at least for about the first half hour). It feels good to have it done though, plus I got a 'difficult' level Sudoku puzzle done. I hear that registering for classes at Trinity can also be a pretty lengthy process so maybe I'll get a chance to practice my patience (and Sudoku) skills again soon.

I've continued to adjust to life in Dublin. Since my last post the weather has actually been really, really nice- lots of sunshine, and almost no rain! It gives the whole place a better atmosphere when people are happy, and I've enjoyed sitting in St.Stephen's Green (a huge park area) a few afternoons. Last weekend I went up to Northern Ireland to a place called Annalough with Phil for a retreat weekend through his church. I met a lot of his friends, and some more of his cousins, second cousins, etc. It was nice to get out of the city and the location was beautiful, it was right on the sea and there were mountains really nearby. On one of the nights we went to Newcastle (a nearby town) for ice cream. Newcastle was such a cute place, with a great atmosphere (probably mostly because of the gorgeous weather). There were people sailing, para-sailing, swimming, and lots of people out strolling around. My appreciation for the sweets here deepened when I tried my first ice cream cone since I've been over. It was honestly the best ice cream I have ever had. It was honeycomb which is a bit hard to describe, but it had pieces of crispy, airy, honey-ish sugar stuff and swirls of honey-carmel stuff... mmm delicious!

Since returning this weekend I've pretty much just been doing school stuff (lectures, tutorials, and trips). We went on a tour of Irish Parliament, and also visited the National Gallery of Art. The final essay for the start up program is due in a week, so I've been brainstorming for that. Fresher's Week is next week and there won't be class, just meetings and time to register for classes, sign up for clubs, and get other general details taken care of. After Fresher's Week the regular term will start which I'm looking forward to; it'll be good to get into a more regular routine.

A few more fun/interesting differences I've observed:
* The Irish don't seem to rinse their dishes after washing. It's more of a two-in-one process, where dishes are just swished in soapy water (scrubbed if needed) and then set out to dry. It seemed really weird at first, but now it makes sense.
*Cookies/cookie bars/shortbread/cupcakes/other little desserts are all called buns (there is no distinguishing) and are often served with tea.
*The keyboards are slightly different. All of the letter keys are in the same position but the @ symbol and the " " marks are switched.

I hope that wherever you are it's sunny, you're able to enjoy great icecream, and you are not stuck in any long lines!

Cheers,
Em

You can stand under my umbrella...

I'd heard before that it rains in Ireland, but now I have felt it. I've felt the damp, wet rain nearly every day. It doesn't rain for an entire days, just on and off, but its enough rain to fully soak you while you're walking somewhere. I've learned to carry my umbrella with me at all times. This semester might turn out to be a contest between my umbrella and me to see which, if either of us, can survive the weather - neither of us is used to this much rain! The weather hasn't varied much, it has been around 60 degrees (F) every day. Actually it has felt pretty pleasant and besides the occasional strong winds, has been great for walking.

The three week "semester start up programme" has proven to be a lot of work. The lectures have been a bit of a mixed bag in my opinion. All of the professors seem very brilliant, but some of the talks have been so scattered and hard to follow, especially with such a limited prior knowledge of Irish history. I am learning a lot though, and trying to absorb as much as possible. We have been on two more field trips, one to the Gaelic Athletic Association museum and Croke Park (one of the largest stadiums in Europe) and the other to Kilmainham Gaol. I found the jail visit to be especially interesting.

The jail was built in 1796 and has some very intricate architecture, especially on the Victorian Wing. Think narrow winding spiral staircases and high cathedral ceilings. Some popular movies including In the Name of the Father and the original Italian Job were filmed in the jail. More than the architecture though I was intrigued with the stories of the prisoners. During much of the jail’s existence poverty was rampant throughout Ireland meaning that many of the crimes placing people in Kilmainham were commited out of sheer economic necessessity. This is particularly relevant during the time of Ireland’s Great Famine, as number of prisoners rose dramatically. Both adults and young people alike were sent to Kilmainham and treated the same.The youngest prisoner was a five-year-old boy who, along with his family, boarded a train without a ticket. Some of the most noteable prisoners executed in the jail were the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising. I am working on writing an essay for the course about the jail and the significance it has had in Ireland's history.

I think I already mentioned that my apartment is about a 20-30 minute walk to Trinity. The walk is usually a pretty interesting one, as it takes me right through the ever-busy Grafton Street. Grafton street is lined with nice clothing shops, restaurants, pubs and cafes. It is also typically buzzing with people. Some of the more interesting people on the street are the street performers and musicians. There is usually a violin player and a guitarist or two and sometimes drummers, or keyboard players and singers. Almost every day since I have been here there has been a man that draws small elaborate pictures of all of the Simpson's (which is a really popular show here too) characters and then writes a message next to his drawing about needing money to have a place to sleep and food. Other acts I've seen include limbo-ing under fire and a man posing as a statue, letting pigeons land on his head (spray painted from head to toe to look tin).

I am starting to get used to Dublin, slowly but surely. I am getting used to the size of the apartment, the long walks everywhere, the busy streets, the frequent rain, and cooking for one. The other day I was able to give a foreign tourist directions (okay so it was to a hostel that happens to be right by our apartments, but still!). If you know how directionally challenged I am you will understand that it felt like a big deal.

One thing that I have really enjoyed here is trying all the new varieties of sweets. They have, what seems at least, like a bigger variety of candy (or at least chocolate bars). My favorite new chocolate bar is Lion bars which I can best describe as a blend of Twix, Kit Kat and Hundred Grand Bars. In a word: delicious.

A few of the language/cultural differences to share:

*The Irish call planners or datebooks "diaries." This may not seem like a big difference, but in conversation it can be pretty funny sounding, at least to me. Such as when I was at church last week and the man making announcments said, "The event will be on Saturday so write that down in your diaries."

*To be more 'green' grocery stores here charge money for using plastic bags (usually around 30 cents). Most everyone uses reusable bags. You also have to bag all of your own groceries here.

*The grading scale here for universities is between 0-80 with distinctions of first class, upper second, second, third, and failing.

I'm off to do more readings for class and work on this essay (school work is no more glamorous on this side of the Atlantic in case you were wondering). Thanks for reading, and feel free to ask questions or comment!

Warm regards,
Emily

P.S. Here are a few pictures of the Giant's Causeway which I visited my first week in Ireland!

Dublin

For the first time in my life I live in a city. Not just any city, but the capital city (and largest city) of Ireland.

On Saturday I moved into my new flat (apartment) which I share with three other girls, all from America who are also studying at Trinity. It's a two bedroom apartment and I am rooming with Marilyn, from Boston who attends George Washington. Justine, who goes to Ithaca College in New York, and Jessica who attends Rhodes College in Tennessee. The apartment is located in Iveagh Court which a somewhat upscale private business section located on the south side of Dublin. It is about a ten minute walk from St. Stephen's Green and about fifteen minutes from Trinity. The apartment itself is nice. It's cute and chic, but not too spacious. Maybe cozy is a more positive outlook. In addition to the bedrooms has a kitchen though (where the washing machine is located...no dryer, just a drying rack), two small bathrooms, and a living area. It's on the first floor of the building which is nice. It also have a balcony with nice glass sliding doors. Three other girls also doing the Trinity program live across the hall, and so we've gotten to know them pretty well which has been good. There are a few other American guys nearby who study at Georgetown but they are attending Dublin City University. For the most part though, the apartment building is not students, we were told it's mostly business professionals or young families. The most challenging aspect of the apartment so far has been dealing with electricity/hot water. Circuits, plugs, and breakers are just really different here and we've had a lot of appliances that haven't worked as well as some freezing cold showers. Most things are sorted out now (other than the toaster) and we've been adjusting. We have to buy all of our own supplies (grocery and other household items). After several trips to small, more expensive grocery stories I think I found one that I like and will be pretty cost-efficient and where I'll be able to find most things I want. It is called Dunnes Store (it also has some clothes and other supplies). I guess I would compare it most to a Super Wal*Mart, but not as big.

The second day in Dublin was IES orientation. IES (International Education for Students) is the "program" that I'm with. It's a little complicated because technically I'm directly enrolled in Trinity College and will be registering for classes like normal students when the term starts, but IES is a middleman of sorts, who helps do some of the leg work, provides insurance, etc. They have a center with resources for students, staff, and a computer lab with free printing. The orientation was pretty good, lots of little details and things to do (regarding insurance, travel, etc.). Afterwards they took us (about twelve students I think) out to this cute restaurant called SeaGrass. They bought us lunch and it was really delicious. A much more upscale lunch then I'll usually be eating! That evening there was a party on at Trinity for all of the students doing the Semester Start-up Programme. We got a chance to mingle and to be introduced to the staff of the program (history, arts, culture and literature professors). They all were very friendly. The students are from a variety of places, but the most popular location seems to be the East Coast (Boston, New York, etc.). Later that evening a bunch of students went to a nearby pub and continued chatting. It almost feels like freshman year of college again in that there are so many surface questions and chatty conversation about where home is, what subjects we study, and basic things like that. It'll be nice to hopefully form deeper relationships soon.

The next day was technically the start of "class" but it was more of an orientation to Trinity. We took tours, got a student card, computer passwords, library pin, and recieved some information about assignments for the coming weeks, as well as what registration will be like when the actual term starts. Trinity's campus is absolutely beautiful, but for a Hope student a bit intimidating. Campus seems SO big. It is all arranged around a square courtyard, which is possibly an influence from the medievil monestary that it replaced in 1592. That is the year that Trinity was founded, making it Ireland's oldest university. It seems to be a very prestigious school, over here mentioned along with schools such as Oxford and Cambridge. Most of the buildings were replaced in the 175o's still making them very old.

Today we listened to three lectures in the morning. One on the geography of Ireland, another on the history and architecture of Trinity, and the third on the literary figures Jonathan Swift and Maria Edgeworth both of whom are noteable figures in the literary history of Ireland. My favorite of the three was the geography lecture, maybe in part because it was first and I wasn't as tired. The lecturer, a Geography and Irish Studies professor, focused on the broad issue of Irish identity, and the relationships between the milieu (environment) and genre de vie (culture, social and political structures). He also talked a lot about possibilism explaining that for Ireland the relationship between the milieu and genre de vie is not inevitable, yet certain limits and possibilities arise.

After the lectures (during which there was a lunch break at one point) we had a brief meeting in our tutorial groups. Once per week we will have three respective seminars to cover each componant of the course we are doing. In these seminars we will be expected to have done reading and participate in conversation and discussion. Basically it is a time for students to debate and carry conversation on the topics while the professors guide. Participation, it seems, is key to doing well in tutorial. Our tutorial group is about twelve people (they are intended to be much less intimidating sizes than lecture groups).

Something else that I did today was go look at The Book of Kells located in the original Trinity library. The Book of Kells is a Latin manuscript of the first four Gospels of the New Testament, transcribed by monks in 800 AD. I plan to go back sometime when I have more energy because there were other manuscipts, descriptions, and things to look at. Trinity students have free access to looking at them while the public pays a fee. Students can also get visitors in with them for free, so if you make it to Dublin I'll take you there! :) There are always a lot of visitors around Trinity, many of them international! I am guessing that since it is still holidays for many Europeans there is a larger number this time of year then during term, but I've heard there are a lot all the time .

This afternoon I walked around a bit. I also went running with my roommate Jessica, it felt good to exercise again! It is hard not knowing any good routes yet or anything like that, and being awful at directions I'm a little intimidated of venturing out to far, so it's good to go with a buddy. We ran along a canal and it was a good run, only about three miles but good scenary. There are definitely a lot more people and cars to dodge than in Holland though!

I've noticed quite a few cultural differences, some big and some small. Here are a few:
*People are more reserved. It's not that they aren't friendly once you meet them, they just don't smile or say hello initially. The atmosphere in restaurants, shopping, and other public places is also quieter.
*Quantities that you can purchase items in are smaller. Especially staples like flour, sugar and peanut butter (which apparantly is not used often at all!).
*Service people (waiters, salespeople, etc.) in resturants and shops don't come up and ask how you are at all (except at the start and for ordering) and don't ask if you need help (you have to approach them).
*Washing machines are often in kitchens under counter space (like dishwashers) and dryers aren't popular at all. People use dryers or hot presses.
*I had a typical Emily moment last week when I was reading the cost of something (in Northern Ireland where they use British currency) to Phil and read outloud "Oh, it's five pounds and twenty ounces." :)

There are more but I'd better wrap this up and go study! I hope that all is well where you are, and thanks so much for your prayers. There are definitely still challenges and a few things in particular that I'm stressed about (getting my registration-visa thing at Immigration, registering for classes, figuring out the layout of Trinity, the cost of everything, etc. etc.) but God has been good, and I've already seen so many blessings in the past week and a half. Feel free to comment, ask questions or email me with suggestions, fill me in on the craic, or tell me prayer requests/praises of your own! It's great to hear from friends/family.

Cheers,
Emily