Dublin

Seven o'clock in the morning on a Friday morning, to college students, is mad early. Like tired little school children we boarded a very small bus, where we had exactly the right amount of seats. Barely enough room to sit, let alone to stretch our legs we drove the 3.5 hours north to Dublin. Upon arrival, we toured the city slightly. The tourist center was our first stop where I picked up my "Dublin Pass" that my mom had bought for me. We, as a full group, toured the outside of Dublin Castle, The Parliament building, and the National Museum of Ireland - Archeology.

All were fascinating and I of course took a million pictures again, except inside Parliament. It was illegal to take photographs there, BUT...yes a big BUT...there was this bookshelf that held records. It was wooden and large with two glass compartments separated with a wooden piece, about two inches wide, and from the top to the bottom. The same wooden piece was also at either end of the enclosed bookshelf as well. So picture the doors as three wooded pieces and two glass in-between on the front of the enclosed bookshelf. The middle compartment swung outward to open! Our guide showed us that long ago, there would have been a hidden gun in this compartment! What geniuses back then just to have a hidden compartment there! I told my friend that I "wanted it," and used that phrase for a lot of things on this trip!

By early Saturday, many of us had gotten our bearings. We did things again as a group in the morning. We entered Christ Church first. The main attraction for me was the basement, dungeons. There are apparently wedding receptions in this part of the church. It also housed exhibits, like the skeleton of a cat in an attempt to catch a mouse. Both creatures died while stuck, and both skeletons remained intact. It really was a beautiful and amazing church.

We saw other things as a group that day including the Ha'penny Bridge, the Molly Malone statue, and the Book of Kells at Trinity College. In our own small groups, I visited the Writer's Museum. My roommate and friend at Mercyhurst College in Erie, Katie Rissetto, had me promise to visit the James Joyce Museum or house. I had currently read his, The Dubliners. The best one of those options was a good 8 miles out of town and had no way to get to it. So out of practicality, not out of failing at the task set before me, I decided not to go to anything James Joyce. However, I read about him at the Writer's Museum.

On Sunday, my small group and I visited the Kilmainham Gaol and the Guinness Storehouse. It was amazing to see the similarities between the American's prison system and the Irish's. It was a learning experience, especially since I am a criminal justice major. All together this trip was amazing and I can't wait to explore it again someday!

Exploring

I am exploring some more! What else would anybody want to do? It all started with a short visit to Cork last weekend and, for the sake of this post, has momentarily ended last night with a play. I can't wait for my Dublin adventure to start bright and early tomorrow morning!

I visited Cork the other day with some friends. The town's center was nice and had many shops and boutiques. We visited St. Finn's Church, a gorgeous church with intense architecture. It was closed, but the outside held wonders. I hope to visit Cork again before my trip ends and intend to revisit St. Finn's.

Heading back to the center of town for some light shopping and lunch, we crossed a beautiful, little river. There was a small waterfall where the dark and light water mixed. It looked amazing and as we were shooting our photographs stories from repeat visitors circulated. Apparently, a swan almost met his end at the waterfall the other day, but miraculously flew off.

My group and I then at lunch at a pub. It was nice and was ocean themed with stories and plaques of fishing expeditions and sailing trips. The pub also had live fish in tanks around the restaurant, even including the bathroom! The owner and his staff, as well as the fish, were very friendly and the food was good!

On Tuesday, I participated with some members from Mercyhurst College in a cleanup of an old cemetery. After getting lost, which I didn't mind due to the nice weather, we walked/ran to the cemetery. After a bunch of full garbage bags and the brush taken to the back, we successfully left.
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Wednesday was filled with origami in class, errands, an Irish heritage lesson by Tom, one of our regular guides and now a good friend (I would love to adopt him as a grandfather, as I'm sure many would want as well), and a play by the Dungarvan Theater Club. We learned many things during Tom's lectures: the Kennedy family's history with Ireland, the break-up of Ireland into counties, fun facts and stories about Ireland, and much more. Tom's knowledge seems to have no boundaries and his tales (in a grandfather tone) are humorous and enjoyable. The plays, yes two, performed by the Dungarvan Theater Club were entertaining. They both were tied together and illustrated a young poet who couldn't be with his love and thus joined the army in Ireland in WWI. He died in combat and the woman he loved died pregnant in an alley. However, they ended up together and loving each other in the afterlife. It was an odd play with a lot of narration, but was enjoyable.

Many things happen each day here in Ireland and it always is beautiful and fun! The other day while taking a nice country walk, I got to see brand new lambs (the mom of course hated my group being in the same mile of them)! They were adorable! Today, we played with chalk outside with one of my professor's children! Everyone was traced and had "Shreks" made out of them! Every day brings something new and I will keep exploring as I live the next 7 weeks here!

St. Patty's Day

St. Patrick's Day in Ireland was amazing! We participated in a flag raising ceremony, Catholic mass, a parade, and Irish fun! I brought up the gifts at mass. The church was gorgeous! And although most of it was in Irish, we could still easily follow along. It was a great experience to be part of such a beautiful mass service on such an important day in their country!

The parade was beautiful and reminded me of movies. My group and I were honored to be in the parade right behind the Mayor! Once we reached the stage, we were welcomed up on it to watch the rest of the parade! I even saw the elderly, that I had visited last Friday, dancing and singing on their float!

We were then escorted to a wonderful lunch at the town's Sailing Club! It was a traditional Irish meal with potatoes, cabbage, carrots, and ham! It was delicious! We followed it up with a drink to St. Patrick! Although, we all arrived back home by 11pm, it was a great day and night; one that will be remembered forever!

Lismore Castle

Castles, not princesses, were my thing growing up. In books and movies, a castle always became center stage to me. I used to imagine, not that I was royal, but that I could live in such a wondrous place filled with adventure inside and peaceful grounds out. A place where I could read a book on a giant landscaped field or sit in the gardens and write short stories. My fabricated tales almost always included a castle and even though I had never visited a one until this weekend, I knew I would feel more peaceful there than anywhere. I used to joke around with my friends that I was born in the wrong era. I could always picture myself ballroom dancing (after I learn to of course) in those heavy dresses and relaxing on castle grounds all day...but then again, couldn't everybody?

Today my group visited Lismore Castle! It was amazing and I had every emotion and feeling I had ever dreamt of! I felt so relaxed, yet had time for small wanderings and picture opportunity adventures. The Castle was beautiful and we went on a perfect day! It was high tea in the Castle and for a small price we listened to its history while sipping delicious Irish tea with a butler on call! I had a blast, as I'm sure the whole group did! We then paraded around the Castle grounds and took a ton of pictures! The feeling that I got from just being on the Castle property was indescribable and breathtaking. I wish to go back there on my own time to just sit and read.

Twirling, yes twirling, was my favorite "Kodak" moment of the day. Not only fun, this move is a winner of hearts and fantastic photo opportunities of smiling faces and relaxing times. We spent all day at the Castle, taking pictures mostly. I absolutely loved it!

Connections

The United States is connected to Ireland in multiple ways; people and their heritage, the countryside, and of course potatoes are just a few. The second we arrived in Dublin airport, we were overcome by welcome. Town officials met us with great care and were eager to share their beautiful land, experiences, and well love with us. We felt very welcomed as we traveled to where we call 'home' now and continue to feel so as we become settled in. The first few days of our trip were hectic and eventful, but wonderful! Between pictures, ceremonies and moving in, my group and I have enjoyed it all.

I love the fact that the countryside reminds me of the small town I grew up in. Although Ireland's countryside is more gorgeous and green, the small towns in the United States would merge well with it. The cows and horses on the hills, the green trees and grass, the smell of openness, calmness and belonging. I felt right at home the second I arrived here in Ireland and would like to thank all of Ireland and the town officials for making it so.

As we were touring the other day we saw an array of wonders; fresh markets, beautiful boats in the harbor, beaches, playgrounds, old castle-like churches, cobblestone walkways, a little town square and the list can go on and on. I took over 700 pictures in one day of just walking around this amazingly beautiful town. One caught my eye, 3 flags. It shows the connection between the United States and Ireland, as well as with other countries. This shared bond helped this trip happen and gave me the feeling of safety, security, love and home.

This small town even has a Subway and a McDonalds; an American past-time! Although I have tried to save money and eat in, the pub food is extraordinary here! However, I have eaten at the Subway, which is just as good the United States' and I have enjoyed the ice cream from McDonalds. The food, although slightly more cooked than most Americans', is amazing but has its comparisons. A sausage has a lot of chicken in it, a burger is a meatloaf, potatoes come with almost every meal, the salmon is the best I've ever had, the sweet chili sauce is to die for (one can dip almost anything in it - like ranch with Americans) and the list continues.

Having similarities along with new experiences has helped the transition from the United States to a foreign country become much more smoother for me. I feel at home, and no not because there is a McDonalds. I can't wait to see more of Ireland as I spend the next two months here! Every day brings new adventures and feelings and I can't wait to go out and explore some more!

The Elderly

Did you ever notice that the elderly come and go and it's not until you have laid a foundation and a connection with one that you finally realize they could be gone at any second? I found this out today. I volunteered at a nursing home this morning and was welcomed graciously. I enjoyed dancing and singing, eating fish and custard, playing pool and listening to their stories. Their wonderful tales of Ireland accompanied their tales of hardships. One woman in particular told of her only son committing suicide, her husband dying this past year, her hip replacement, her one blind eye, and a series of strokes she lived through. She told me about all of her troubles while we were dancing to a merry tune. The fact that such sadness could come out during a time of joy was upsetting. I was having so much fun with this new group of people, who were trying to teach me how to dance (something I failed horribly at), that I completely forgot they all had tales of hardship, love, glory, pain, and happiness to share. Also, they could leave this world at any moment; some big, some small, some in shape, some with health problems, some older, some in pain, some in love, some forgotten already.

It reminds me of a short story in the Dubliners by James Joyce. It was entitled The Sisters and told of a young boy who lost an old friend. This tale expressed how one might deal with the feelings involved with death and how until a specific event happens, it feels like the deceased are still alive. One may also have to just wait for them to pass. Watching the elderly today, some more active than others, showed me that some would be gone in an average of a few years time. This was an unsettling encounter being that I barely knew my grandparents but felt a connection with this Irish group instantly.

My grandfather didn't pass away until I was in 8th grade. I wish I had known then what I know now. I wish that I had taken advantage of his time on Earth and listened to him more, enjoyed him more, "hung out" with him more. I wish that I had been more considerate and caring instead of my "I just want to get out of here and meet up with my friends" attitude. I took for granted my one grandparent that was left on Earth. I feel absolutely horrible knowing that I could have learned so much from him. Now don't get me wrong, I loved my grandfather. However, I didn't take the time out for him like I should have. I know that many don't realize what they have until it's gone. However in my case, it wasn't until I grew up that I realized that I was honored to have a grandfather that loved to dance, loved to sing, loved to watch horse races, loved our heritage, loved to tell stories, loved to play games, loved to live. I know many people don't appreciate most things until time has passed or they have gotten older; however, I was very appreciative of many things while growing up. I did fail to see what I should have seen all along; my grandfather could have taught me about life.

As I horribly attempted to dance with the elderly today, I made a vow to learn. This vow was made in honor of my grandfather, my boyfriend (who yes, loves ballroom dancing), and myself. I want to experience and learn from the best and the oldest and I plan to return to the nursing home here in Ireland. I met wonderful, outgoing people who not only encouraged me to join in, but also helped me see what I had been missing all along.

Going Home

I am an American college student in Ireland. For the next 10 weeks, I will study and travel in a hope to experience not only part of my personal history, but gain a better understanding of the world. I also hope to gain good experiences to broaden my horizons and be able to attempt (for I will only be able to skim the surface in giving it justice) to describe Ireland's beauty and promises to those at home in America.

Home is described in many ways. Home could be where one lives and has family, the country and patriotism one feels, or in my case, the link between my ancestors and myself.

One reason I chose 'Going Home' as the title of my Blog was to emphasize my heritage and express my particular thoughts and emotions of traveling to such an amazing country. Ireland is a part of my ancestors and therefore myself. I am yearning to investigate my heritage and find out more about my history. I came to Ireland knowing that not only will this gorgeous country be my home for the next 10 weeks, but it has always been my home. This trip will hopefully help me find what I am looking for; part of my past, my present, and my future.