Northern Ireland

January 29, 2011


Tomorrow, January 30, we are leaving for the north for a week! We are going to have a very busy schedule and going to see so much! One of the things I am looking forward to the most is going to the city of Derry. For our culture class I did a presentation on the history of Derry and all the events that have occurred and to actually be where I have learned so much about is going to be fascinating. Not many people can say they have researched something and then gotten to go there and see it in person, I am very lucky. 


We are going to have internet at the Inch House, where we are staying so hopefully I will be able to post about all the fascinating things we are doing! 


So long Republic of Ireland, hello Northern Ireland. 

Galway Girl

January 28, 2011


This morning at 6:45 we all woke up and left for Galway :-). We first had to walk to Letterfrack to catch the bus to Galway. On our way to to Letterfrack, a school bus stopped and gave us a lift into town. When we got on the bus, the students all were making fun of our accents and then as we all were leaving the bus, a few of the students flicked us off! I don't know what we did to them, but they thought it would be funny to taunt us. 


The bus to Galway takes about 2 - 2 1/2 hours and the scenery is amazing! Once we arrived in Galway, we left the bus station and went to the Vodafone store where I purchased my first Irish cellphone. From there, we went into the mall and went to Penny's and shopped for a while. After a mini shopping spree, we met up with a few others on the trip and stopped for soup and brown bread at a fair trade store. After lunch, I went and checked into the hotel we had booked for the night, but not before getting very lost on my way there. After checking into the hotel, I met back up with the group and we walked around and shopped for a little bit longer. I love the city of Galway, the streets are so colorful and filled with cute shop after cute shop. I purchased a long-sleeve Ireland rugby shirt for only 9 euro. There were seven of us in the group and somehow four of us split up from the other three and did not know where they went. So, for about an hour and a half, the four of us searched the streets of Galway looking for them. I am now very comfortable with Galway and know how to get around now. 


We then went back to the hotel and all changed for dinner. Two of the girls on our trip were not feeling well and stayed back in the hotel room. Five of us went out to dinner at Fat Freddy's for dinner. We had pizza for the first time since we arrived in Ireland. After dinner we found an cute ice cream shop where you ordered on the first floor and then walked upstairs to eat. From the second floor you could see the streets of Galway. We then went to the King's Head pub in Galway for the remainder of the night. I was carded walking into the pub and then had to rummage through my purse trying to figure out which ID to give the bouncer. When we asked which ID to give him, he laughed and was joking with us saying that as long as all the ID's were of us and had the same birthday it did not matter. Once we got into the pub we sat down at a table and waited for the live music to start. I was able to meet up with my friend from Dayton and it was so surreal to be in a pub in Ireland with my friend from Dayton, OH! We stayed at the pub until about midnight and then called it a night. 


Galway was so much fun, even though we were only there for a day. I cannot wait to go back soon. 

First Day of School :-)

January 27, 2011


This morning was my first day of school at Eagles Nest National School. When I arrived at 11:00am, the students were on their first break of the day. The playgrounds here are crazy, the kids run all over the place playing tag and soccer. As soon as I walked out onto the playground one of the little boys ran up to me and asked me if I would play tag with them. The kids are so nice and welcoming and all ran up to me and asked me what my name was and if I would play with them. The school is about a 40min walk from Tully Cross and the view from the playground is spectacular! Behind the school there are mountains and then from the front of the school you can see the ocean in the distance. After the break, I went into my classroom and the students resumed their class work for the day. The students in my class range in age from junior infants to second year (5-8 years old). They are all adorable and if I could I would take them home with me. Their accents are so adorable and they all wanted me to sit next to them during class. The younger students went to gym for about thirty minutes while the first and second years worked on math, which in Ireland is called Maths. All of the binders and books the students and the teachers have say Maths on them. While the older kids were finishing up math, the infants came back from gym and worked on coloring a clock and filling in the numbers on the clock. 


Around 12:30, the students said a quick prayer and then had lunch. After the students eat lunch they have another 15 minutes for recess out on the playground. During recess I played hopscotch with a few of the younger girls in my class. The playground for the most part is blacktop because the grass here is always muddy and the students would come back from recess dirty and muddy. After recess, the students begged the teacher to let me read them a story and so I read the class two stories from their "special book" which the teacher only reads to them on special occasions. I was told to read slower than usual because my accent might be hard for the students to understand at first. When I finished reading a page, I showed the illustrations to the students. When I finished the first page and was showing the pictures to the students, one of the little junior infants looked at me and said in his cute little Irish accent: "Aww...isn't that loovely!" It was the cutest thing ever! After story time the class split up and the junior/senior infants worked on their handwriting while the older students practiced Irish. Their words for the day were items from the kitchen and they were able to talk to their teacher in full sentences about the items of the kitchen, it was very cool to listen to. I asked the teacher if it is hard to plan lessons when she has such as wide range of grades and ages in her class and she said for the most part it is very challenging but what she tries to do is start the lessons so that everyone can participate and then has the lesson split off. She mentioned that even though the younger students do not do the Irish worksheets by listening as the older kids practice, they pick up on the words at a young age. 


At 2:00 the younger students left for the day and the older kids then switched and worked on their reading and worksheets. I worked with a girl who had been sick for the past few days on her reading. She was struggling with her b's and d's so I helped her differentiate the two. It is such a different experience working with students this young, but I am really enjoying it. The kids are all so adorable and I love listening to them say my name and talk in general. The school is very informal and the kids call me Maggie and the teachers by the first name or they call them teacher. 


I won't be able to go to the school for a few weeks, but I cannot wait to get back!        

From an urban high school to a rural Irish elementary school

This morning I woke up and drove to the school I am going to be doing my placement for my education class this semester. I am going to be at Eagles Nest National school working in a kindergarten through third grade classroom. I will go ten times this semester for four hours each day. Eagles Nest is a two classroom school with kindergarten through third grade in one room and fourth through seventh grade in the other room. What shocked me more than the fact that there are only two classrooms is that the principal and the vice principal are the two teachers. I will be working with the vice principal this semester. Eagles Nest also received a national grant two years ago to build a computer lab and is one of the only schools in the area with computers for their students. It is going to be a very interesting semester working with such young students but I am very excited to see what it is like!

After spending an hour at the school, I got a lift back to Tully Cross and the older students at Eagles Nest put on a performance for all of the Aquinas students. They began by playing a few songs on the tin whistle and then the students danced two Irish dances for us and then acted out a play for us.

I am so excited to start my placement soon!

Forgotten Picture....

I forgot to upload this picture with all of the other pictures from the day we walked to Lettergesh. I am the green and white little dot on the top of the hill. 

Woodworking College & Crossing the Shannon

January 18, 2011 Maggie's Malarkey


This morning we walked to Letterfrack which is about 3 miles away from Tully Cross. When we got to Letterfrack, we went on a tour of the Furniture Cottage in Letterfrack. Woodworking College. The students there are studying how to make furniture and also how to teach others how to make furniture. Our tour guide was a first year student and he took us to see the large machine hall with the various machines they use to create their furniture, the library and also a room where they have classes. After our tour we had a delicious soup, sandwich and tea lunch in their canteen. 


After lunch we went on a tour of the Connemara West Association. This was started some 38 years ago as an attempt to bring the community together and better it as well. They began by collecting donations from local community members and then no matter how much someone donated, if you donated anything at all, you became an equal shareholder in Connemara West. One of their first projects was building the cottages Aquinas students now stay in. The cottages were built by volunteers most of whom we encounter on almost a daily basis without even knowing it. The people around this area who are shareholders feel that they own the cottages, rightfully so, and they will park in the lot in front of my cottage or the other cottages if they come to Tully Cross for mass or any other event. We also toured the radio station which is run totally by volunteers and two full time staff members. The radio station runs from 11am until 9pm and since they are a local organization run by volunteers, they are not allowed to play national advertisements and therefore must run advertisements for local businesses and hope it is enough money to keep the radio station running.  We also visited the Youth Center which specializes in offering “Early School Leavers” a second change at an education and being a productive member of society. Most of their students have learning disabilities such as dyslexia and therefore need the help they receive at this alternative school. The students are provided with small group and even in some cases individual tutoring outside the large group instruction, they have art class as well as shop class and a computer lab. A project the students are currently working on is establishing and maintaining a garden. The director at the school mentioned how gardening is something no one seems to do anymore and it is there hope the students will want to have their own gardens and know how to properly maintain and care for it. We also visited the children’s day care center where the students are divided into three categories “Babies, Wobblers, and Toddlers.” I think the name “wobblers” is absolutely adorable. Our final stop was to a local restoration and conservation workshop in the village. The man who owns that company works on various projects that are brought to him. The coolest project he showed us was a late 17^th century cabinet and writing desk which had been stolen from the owners of it in the 1990’s and had been severely damaged by a water leak where the thieves kept it.



We walked back from Letterfrack to Tully Cross and then quickly changed and went to Clifden for a concert. The name of the concert tour was “Crossing the Shannon,” there were three men and one woman in the group. The woman sang and played the fiddle and the men played various instruments from the guitar to the flute and the fiddle. The four of them sat in chairs on a stage in a small theater complex. Besides being freezing cold, it was an amazing concert. What made it so unique is that they stopped to explain where each song came from and who originally recorded it or where they learned it from, you do not get that in America very often. They played music from all over Ireland, mostly from where they were from but it was all astounding. There were some songs that had no words and other songs the woman sang, and her voice was beautiful. I love Irish music and am so excited we got to go to a concert.


It was a busy day, but a lot of fun! 




  
 

Lettergesh

This morning our cottage woke up and went to mass at 11:00am at the local church across the street. While it was a Catholic mass, it was nothing like I am used to. One main difference is that there is no singing at all. Church begins when a bell chimes and everyone stands up while the priest and altar servers walk down the main isle. The lector was a young girl and she read the first reading and then went right into the response (which I am used to singing). And without a moment’s pause, she went right into the second reading. The priest then read the gospel and gave his sermon. After that communion was served and instead of an orderly line being formed as row by row stand up and exit the pew, it is basically a free for all and people get up whenever they want to form the line for communion. After communion the priest said a final few words and then mass was over. Mass was only thirty minutes long, but it was such a unique experience and I’m glad that I got to experience it. 

After mass a group of us went on a walk to Lettergesh Beach. It started out as a walk with no purpose and we just kept walking. We went to a local cemetery and saw an abandoned house behind it. There was also an amazing view of the beach. We kept walking and eventually ended up in Lettergesh and passed the local school, which has an amazing view of the ocean and then walked down to the beach. Once we were on the beach we climbed up a grassy hill on the beach and were able to look out over the ocean and the coastline. We also climbed onto a rocky mound which was out in the water. By the time we were heading back the tide had come in and we had to walk through the water which was very cold! We then walked back home which took about an hour (this time we were not stopping to take pictures so it went much faster). When we returned to Tully Cross, we stopped in Brian Coynes’ shop and purchased candy bars and picked up what our cottage needs to make a fire.

 

"Once you have seen one 6,000 year old tomb, you have seen them all"

January 14, 2011 


This morning we went to the study cottage at 10:00am for our walking/bus tour of the Renvyle Peninsula with Dave Hogan, our tour guide. The first sight we saw on the tour was the Renvyle Castle. One of the myths as to how it was destroyed was that the mother of the man who was living in the castle took her army and from sea fired at the castle because he son had betrayed her. Dave Hogan also told us other versions of how the castle fell apart and turned into ruins. 

Land divided with stone walls 

Graveyard

From there we went to a local grave yard which is centered around the tale of the seven sisters/daughters buried in it. I did not get the full story because in the middle of Dave’s speech it down-poured on us and turned into hail for a little while. As we were walking along the hillside and the landscape, we saw the plots of land that have been subdivided and given to the various farmers. The land is separated by stone walls throughout the countryside, it is truly breathtaking. We also stopped alongside the bog and Dave told us the history of how the bog was created and that the farming that was done on it 3,000+ years ago is the direct cause of why the land went from having trees to a bog not sustainable for trees. He told us about the “bog bodies” because the acid in the bog preserves things. He was able to find part of a tree that had been preserved from 3,000 years ago! It was fascinating to hold something that old.  

  

After that, we went and saw two different 6,000 year old burial grounds from the neolitic era. One of the tombs was in the middle of shared farming ground with horses roaming around and the other was on the ocean coast. Once again to be up so close and personal with something so old that has managed to stand the test of time is remarkable. I feel as though in America anything that has significance is roped off and we are charged an admission fee to see it. As Dave Hogan so beautifully said “In Ireland, the land is a textbook.” Everything you would want to know can be found in the landscape and it is so cool to see how integrated history and the present are. The people truly live with the memory of those before them. 

The Ocean

This morning a group of 9 of us woke up at 8:30 and all walked down to the beach together. I don't know why I had it in my head that the beach we were walking to had sand, but I was completely wrong! When we got to the ocean we ventured down to the slippery rocks and looked out into the foggy distance. Looking up and down the coastline was truly breathtaking. We also walked to another spot on the coast and on our way passed a famine house. After a little over an hour down on the coast, we headed back to our cottage and a few of my roommates cooked us an amazing egg dish! It was a great way to start the day!

 

Hello Ireland!

         After three flights and two hours of sleep, we arrived in Shannon Ireland!! Our plane landed in Shannon at 6:30am (1:30 am in Grand Rapids). My first encounter with an “Irishmen” was at customs. I asked the customs official how she was and her response was “Pass.” I was so confused because I had already given her my passport and my customs letter and did not know what she was referring to. Despite my blank and confused stare she said “Pass” again. I had to ask what she was referring to and she explained that “pass” meant she did not want to answer my question! I quickly realized that although English is spoken here, the manner in which people speak and the phrases they use are very different!

          After we all made it through customs and got our luggage, we all boarded a bus and headed to Tully Cross, a three hour journey. We stopped in Galway for about ½ an hour to stretch our legs and look around. We saw Kennedy Park, named after JFK, the bus stop, and the tourism center. We were given time to walk around and I went to a local coffee shop and had my first cup of Irish Tea. From Galway, we got back on the bus and drove for another hour before stopping for lunch. Lunch was at a cute little restaurant where we were served sandwiches, soup and crisps (what we call chips). After lunch we had one more hour left to go before we arrived in Tully Cross!

The view of Connemara as we drove to Tully Cross

          The drive into Tully Cross is beautiful and at the same time very hard to describe because any description or picture I provide will not do any justice to the Irish landscape. The landscape around Shannon is what you think of when you try and picture Ireland, the rolling green hills with sheep and cows roaming around. The houses are close together and well populated. The road that we took was very narrow and there is no such thing as a shoulder on the roads. The trees and houses are right next to the road and as we drove by I felt like I could reach out and touch the trees and the cows/sheep in the pastures. It is very different to be on the opposite side of the road and I kept thinking that we were going to crash with the oncoming traffic because I thought we were on their side of the road! The roads are narrow and winding so for those with motion sickness it’s not a fun journey. 

 After lunch the scenery completely changed. It went from rolling hills to bog land and steep mountains. The houses became sporadic and very far apart from each other. As we were getting closer to Tully Cross, our bus driver Owen told us “take a good look at the houses, this is the last time you will be seeing civilization for a while.”  Sheep are everywhere and take the shape of little white fluff balls on the slopes of the mountains. They are all spray painted so the owners know which of the sheep belong to them. It was such a surreal experience because I have never seen anything more beautiful. On the way we stopped and took a picture of Kylemore Abbey and to take in the surroundings.

The Welcome Sign

          Tully Cross is gorgeous; it is so weird to finally be in the place that I have been looking at in pictures for the last few months. Our backyard is a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains and also we can see the Atlantic Ocean. When you walk into our cottage you walk right into the living room which has a couch, two chairs, our dining room table and a fire place. There is a stair case which leads to the upstairs loft, where I am sleeping. Attached to the living room is our kitchen which is very small and narrow. Off of the kitchen is our bathroom and two bedrooms. I am absolutely in love with our cottage and feel so familiar already.

          I had my next Irish encounter when I went across the street to attempt to use my phone card and call home. I went into the pub and since no one was behind the counter, I went up to a table of three local women and asked them where the telephone was. As soon as they heard my accent they all smiled and were extremely kind and pointed me in the direction of the phone. As I was leaving, one of the women said to me “You’re welcome.” I was so embarrassed because I thought that maybe I had forgotten to say thank you. I stopped in my tracks and as I turned around to say how sorry I was that I did not say thank you, the woman said that she meant I was welcome in Tully Cross and in Ireland. Once again I was duped by Irish phrases.  

Once we moved our luggage from the bus and into our cottage, we unpacked for a little while and then headed to Tully, about a ten minute walk from the cottages where we stopped at the gas station and grabbed some food for dinner and breakfast. As a cottage we cooked pasta and vegetables and had our first Cottage 9 dinner. We do not have immediate hot water, in order for our cottage to have hot water, we have to turn on the hot water heater and it takes about 15 minutes to heat up also in the shower we have a hot water heater in the shower and we have to set the temperature we would like the water at and hit start (it will definitely take some getting used to).

          After dinner we unpacked some more and played a quick game of Bananagrams and then headed across the street to Sammons Pub to meet the locals. The first person we met was Patrick Sammon, the owner of the pub. He was very welcoming and loved to chat us all up. We also met Brian Coyne the owner of the other pub two doors down. Everyone I have met so far has been so nice and welcoming, I feel as though I have already been here for a long time. After going out for a bit last night, I went home and slept for about 11 hours and ended the extreme exhaustion and am now on Ireland time.

A street in Clifden with the church in the background on the left

          We woke up this morning had breakfast and then got on a bus and went to Clifden, a “big” town nearby, which was about a 15 minute ride. We had three hours to walk around and go grocery shopping. We stopped in a local shop and got a map of Ireland as well as a few postcards and from there went to lunch. We ate at this cute sandwich shop called “Upstairs Downstairs.” After lunch the five girls of cottage 9 went grocery shopping. We stocked up on potatoes, fruits and vegetables, milk, eggs and ingredients for soup and spaghetti. We also bought a ham and chicken pie which we are going to cook in a little bit for dinner.

          After Clifden we returned to Tully Cross and had our first class which was a quick overview to our Irish Culture class. A few of us are now in the study cottage, the only place where we get internet talking to family and friends and journaling. There is an eery fog that has settled today and it visibility is very limited.Tonight at 9:00 a dart team from the town over, Letterfrak, is coming to Sammons Pub to battle the Tully Cross dart team at Sammons pub. I have never been to a dart competition before and I am very interested to see what it is like.

          We are taking a walking tour on Friday and classes are beginning tomorrow.  I am having such an amazing time already and cannot wait for the days to come!  

An Address With No Numbers

My bags are packed(at least I hope so...) and I have 24 hours left before I leave for Ireland! Where has the time gone? 


My hope is that this blog will serve as my way to stay in touch with everyone, share my stories and hear what is going on back home. I have never done a blog before so bear with me the first few weeks as I try and figure it all out. 


Where I am living:

Tully Cross, Ireland 

For the next four months I am going to be in Tully Cross, Ireland. Tully Cross is a small village in Western Ireland, north of Galway, and extremely close to the Atlantic Ocean. The land surrounding Tully Cross is not all green rolling hills, there are rocky cliffs, brown bog land and brisk winds. Tully Cross consists of a church, two pubs, two small groceries, a hotel and three roads leading out from the city. There are also nine thatched roof cottages in Tully Cross where we will be living this semester. 


One of the most unique things about living in Tully Cross is that our addresses do not have any numbers in them! It amazes me that without a single address or zip code, the mail still finds us.  If you want to send me snail mail (which I would love :-) ) this is my address:
Maggie Edison
Aquinas College Study Center 
The Cottages
Tully Cross, Renvyle P.O 
County Galway, IRELAND 


I cannot wait to experience life in the Irish country, it is going to be a big change from life at UD. The whole experience still is surreal, I do not feel as though I will be in Ireland in approximately 48 hours. I am so blessed with this opportunity and am thankful everyday. 


I guess there is nothing left to say right now except goodbye, I will miss everyone, but promise to keep you all up to date! 


Next time I will write I will be in IRELAND!!!