Thursday
Mar192009
Shannon is Irish after all
Thursday, March 19, 2009 at 11:18AM
Cheers lads and mollies! Top o' the mornin' to ya! What's the story?
Oh I'm sorry, did I not mention that I'm going to Ireland in five weeks? And that's why I'm talking like the feckin' Irish*? Has nothing to do with the fact that St. Patrick's day just occurred. I really am. I'm going to Ireland!
I'm almost done with my degree, and even though I'm taking six summer credits, I'll be walking at graduation in April. And the very next day I'll be on a plane over the Atlantic. I'm spending exactly two weeks there, and while it's facutly-led and technically a class, there is a lot of time built in for sight-seeing and fun and getting involved in Irish culture (hello pubs!). I'll be traveling with a small group, six other students from a variety of academic programs. It's actually a social work course though, so I'll be visiting a lot of social service agencies, which is really appealing for me. Who knows, maybe I'll find a great job with an Irish agency while I'm over there. I'd be okay with that.
The professor is taking care of all the travel, trasportation and lodging arrangements, which is kind of relief. But I don't want to follow along blindly the whole time. So what do you know about Ireland? Ever been there? Do I have any readers from/in Ireland by any chance? What should I do, what should I know, what should I see, where should I go?
*I had to look up that Irish slang and it's probably all wrong. I am such a faker.
Oh I'm sorry, did I not mention that I'm going to Ireland in five weeks? And that's why I'm talking like the feckin' Irish*? Has nothing to do with the fact that St. Patrick's day just occurred. I really am. I'm going to Ireland!
I missed out on studying abroad as an undergraduate, which I've always regretted, and so I was determined to find a way to do it as a graduate student. Two weeks in Ireland on a faculty-led group trip isn't quite the same as living in another country for a semester or two. But I'm thrilled anyway because a) I'm going to Ireland, b) it's affordable, c) I get three credits for spending two weeks romping around Dublin and Galway and the Cliffs of Moher and several other amazing places, and d) I'm going to feckin' Ireland!
I'm almost done with my degree, and even though I'm taking six summer credits, I'll be walking at graduation in April. And the very next day I'll be on a plane over the Atlantic. I'm spending exactly two weeks there, and while it's facutly-led and technically a class, there is a lot of time built in for sight-seeing and fun and getting involved in Irish culture (hello pubs!). I'll be traveling with a small group, six other students from a variety of academic programs. It's actually a social work course though, so I'll be visiting a lot of social service agencies, which is really appealing for me. Who knows, maybe I'll find a great job with an Irish agency while I'm over there. I'd be okay with that.
The professor is taking care of all the travel, trasportation and lodging arrangements, which is kind of relief. But I don't want to follow along blindly the whole time. So what do you know about Ireland? Ever been there? Do I have any readers from/in Ireland by any chance? What should I do, what should I know, what should I see, where should I go?
*I had to look up that Irish slang and it's probably all wrong. I am such a faker.
Reader Comments (12)
You can't see it, but there is jealousy radiating from every pore on my body. I've never been, but it's definitely on my bucket list. Within that file are also to go on the Guinness brewery tour, roll down a grassy hill, and visit as many pubs as possible. Bring back some good stories!
Shannon! I did the same thing, three maybe four years back. It was an education class of some sort and to be honest Im not sure I ever found out what the class even was, thats how lax it was. Hopefully you'll learn a bit more than I did and still manage to have as great a time. Im sure you will. You're not by chance staying at a bed and breakfast in Moate are you?
Wow.... I'm so jealous... even though I already knew about it. A new wave of jealousy has passed over me. :)
That's amazing! My mom just went to Ireland for 2 weeks but I can't remember all the things she told me. Ireland is definitely a place I'd like to go.
Did you go through the commencement ceremony as an undergrad? If so, you probably already know to wear comfortable shoes because there's a lot of standing around. Also, don't worry about getting there at 9:00 like the DOS office tells you to do. You can easily get away with arriving at 9:30 and still find your place in line. We no longer line people up in alphabetical order so the whole process is a lot more relaxed. Of course I wouldn't advise EVERYONE to arrive at 9:30 because that would just be nuts.
Bring a safety pin for the scarf-like thing that drapes over your gown (I forget the actual name for it.) If you pin the end of it to the zipper of your gown, it won't ride up to your neck and drive you nuts.
I plan on working both ceremonies, so maybe we'll finally be able to meet!
Eeee! That's one of my top destinations around the world. My family is really Irish. I know that one side was from Galway, so say hello to them for me!
when i envision ireland, i totally see bogs, rain, oatmeal (dont ask) and the blarney stone!
Very exciting! What a blast. Wish I had some insight for you. If the temps or anything like England and Scotland that time of year, you have to pack anything layerable and layer, layer, layer and def. bring an umbrella. The culture in E & S I found to be very similar to ours. The big difference that I noticed was how we have soooooooo many choices available to us (as far as foods in restaurants, beverage choices, grocery choices, fifty gazillion shampoos to choose from) whereas the selection in E & S was much more limited (and a bit different which was cool because I tried some new things). Even when ordering in a pub, it wasn't, "Can I have mayo on the side and, oh, please bring me some extra tartar sauce too." If we asked for a bunch of things, tailoring our orders as Americans tend to do, we received some funny looks. And if we wanted ice in our drinks, we had to ask for it.
That's all I can think of right now that might be similar.
This is so exciting. I hope you have a great time. I found it fantastic to have had someone else who planned the trip because I wouldn't know where to begin. We were also allotted time to explore on our own too.
Congrats on the nearing of graduation! You've come so far and your are almost there!!!! WOOHOO!!!
Better pack your Wellies if you're going to Galway. It rained all five days we were there last summer.
That's so awesome! I'm dying to go to Ireland. You'll have to share every ounce of your experiences. Needless to say, I'm jealous as hell.
What a great opportunity!! I wish I could recommend places but I've never been. One of my friends honeymooned in Ireland, my in-laws took a road trip around Ireland and my brother speaks with an Irish accent if he drinks too much. That's about as close as I can get to Ireland. :-) (Although I DID got to Scotland last year)
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