Moving!

I'm moving!  Actually, just the blog.  New web address: imisscornbread.wordpress.com

Apparently, I will be able to post photos now.  Woohoo!

I love Walt Whitman

So I haven't posted anything in a while.  Let's see where we left off...I had my timetables. That's still good, I got into the Sociology classes I wanted to, so all I have left is the English seminar, which registers on the 18th.  Turns out I can use some of the seminar courses for my "Additional Theatre History" credit for my major, so woo-hoo!

We went out last Saturday to a pub called Coyotes (American themed, very funny) to watch Ireland beat Cyprus. Go team! It was a good time, but not a very exciting game.

Some classes started this week, so that's been exciting.  I have purchased a few books and am waiting on the rest.  My Renaissance Lit professor (sorry, Ren-NAY-ssance) seems very smart--apparently he's quite a character around campus.  His names is Hubert McDermott, but the Irish guys behind me called him "Huuuuubes!"  So that should be interesting.

My American Lit course should be interesting--Whitman, Melville, Hawthorne, Douglass, Jacobs, etc. But it's taught by an American, so that's not quite as cool. I wanted to get the Irish perspective.  First day was quite easy: "Here are some themes in 19th century America.  This is Manifest Destiny. This is abolitionism. Yadda yadda yadda."  But most of the texts are new to me, so that's good.

I've been doing a lot of walking lately, which I've enjoyed but my feet have not.  I've got blisters on my blisters. Ugh.

Our friend, Alex, had to go home the other day.  It turned out that his credits wouldn't transfer back the way he needed them to, so he couldn't afford to lose a semester.  We went to see Inglourious Basterds (great move, by the by) and then picked up a cake to surprise him.  We gals stayed until about 1 in the morning, eating cake and playing cards, and the guys held on until 2.  Alex had to leave at 3:00 to catch his flight. Which sucked (or as Ricardo would say "Fraud!"  That's the new slang for anything lame or bad. Fraud. Start spreading it).  So that was sad.

Last night was the International Student Society get-together at Skeffs Bar on Eyre Square.  We managed to meet a few new cool people, but it was so crowded we could barely move.  There are some very cool internationals here, though. Lots of French and lots of Germans.  

Today I had no classes, so I enjoyed my morning, watch the first season finale of Torchwood, and finally did laundry.  I'm getting ready to start a pork roast in about 15 minutes, and perhaps watch the new episode of Glee. 

Tomorrow my darling Emma Locatelli is coming up for the weekend. Yay Yay Yay! So exciting.

We'll be going--along with my pals Stephen and Gonzalo--to Inis Mór by ferry on Saturday.  Hopefully I'll figure out how to post pictures. If not, check Facebook. 

I won't wait so long for a post next time. Cheers!

Timetable!

So, I haven't been able to figure out photos yet, but when I do, I'll show some.

But I (kind of) have my timetable! Yay! I have yet to register, but this is the plan. Let me know what you think.

MON
10-12 Gaelige
4-5 Modern Irish Literature
5-6 Renaissance Lit
TUES
3-4 Renaissance Lit
WED
9-10 19th Century American Lit
11-1 Gaelige
THURS
10-12 The Power of Story and Narrative (Sociology/Poli Sci)
1-3 Ireland: A Changing Society (Soc/Poli Sci)
FRI
9-10 Modern Irish Lit
10-12 Gaelige
1-2 19th Century American Lit

I also need one more class. We're allowed to take one English Seminar this semester, and I've narrowed down my list to those that fit (kind of) the timetable and those that I actually want to take. I'd love some input! (I am waiting to hear from Harry and Beth to see if any of them can count for a Theatre major requirement)

Milton's Poetry
Creative Writing for Performance
Film & Shakespeare
Contemporary Irish Playwrights (MCDONAGH!!!!!)
Contemporary Irish Fiction
Pain and Pleasure in Jacobean Theatre
Studies in 20th Century Drama

Cool.

Claire, Cassie, Gary and I tried to find the College Bar last night. For an hour. We wandered around the ENTIRE campus. For an hour. Finally found it as Ricardo, the guy we were meeting, was leaving. Of course. So we--joined by Ricardo and his friend Gonzalo--headed to the city centre and found a really cool, really big pub called...I didn't look at the sign. But it was very nice. Met a lot of international students, as the Irish ones aren't back yet. Ricardo and Gonzalo are very cool guys--a philosopher and a chemist (and a Bon Iver fan! EC represent!).

Will work on the picture thing.

Potato!

Yes, ladies and gents, my first irish potato.

I got up...not as early as I'd planned and set out to do some shopping and exploring. Seeing as I always get lost, the two have become synonymous. I accidentally found the city centre and the Cathedral (hopefully photos at the bottom) and shopped around some little chemist shops, 2Euro shops (like an expensive Dollar store), and Dunnes. In Eyre Square, inside a shopping centre, I started getting a bit hungry--not having eaten much for breakfast or lunch. I couldn't decide if I wanted hot cocoa or a pastry, and soon I stumbled upon a milkshake bar. I asked them for their best kind of chocolate milkshake (there were maybe 30-40 options for milkshakes), and the shopkeeper told me that Chocolate Muffin was the way to go. I said OK, and she proceeded to pour milk into a blender, drop in a whole chocolate muffin, and blend it up for me. Can you say awesome?

Found my way back to campus (after a few dead-ends running into the Corrib river--I guess I found the boat landings!), and joined a Campus tour. Met some other nice internationals from Chicago, San Jose, Kansas, and Germany. Kind of learned to orient myself and headed home for dinner and to figure out the evening. My roommate, Cassie is here with her friend from school, and he lives in the building next to us. He is, apparently, famous for his mashed potatoes, so we decided to collaborate for dinner. We gals brought over rice and stir-fry veg, while the guys made baked beans and potatoes. I got to meet all of the guys, which was cool--they're great. The International Center was showing The Commitments at 7, so we decided to head over (I was the only one who'd seen it). We left the potatoes uneaten, as they weren't quite finished yet. (For some reason, the guys' apartment has a potato masher, a drying rack, and tupperware. We have none of those things, but do have two extra spatulas and four casseroles without lids. Strange.) After the movie, we came back and ate the still-warm mashed potatoes, and I can witness, Gary's fame as potato cook is well-earned. There was a bit of garlic, some onions, and I don't know what else, but it was lovely. He insisted that they still weren't perfect and he'll try again, so I am looking forward to testing his new creations. (My other flatmate, Claire, doesn't like potatoes, so Cassie and I have decided to learn as many different recipes as possible until we find one she likes. It's the only thing here that's cheap!)

Claire joined Cassie, Gary, his flatmate Steven, and myself as we headed to the city centre for the evening. We found Shop Street and some famous pubs (Taaffe's, Quays, the Roisín Dubh), but they were all too crowded by 10:30 on a....Wednesday....night. So we found chill little pub a little ways from the hubub, and decided to get a pint and sit outside. It was a very nice little place--Jimi Hendrix and Simon & Garfunkel posters on the walls, assorted album covers and postcards hanging everywhere, tons of nooks and crannies full of mismatched easy chairs and couches. While we were sitting there, I heard the Beach Boys' "Come Go With Me," A-Ha's "Take on Me," and Billy Joel's "Piano Man" all in a row. Nice. When we got to the door, the security/whatever guy asked us how old we were. Claire said "20," and he waved us all through. Very tight pub, that. The guys got Guinness (of course), and we ladies each enjoyed a pint of Bulmers (it's an Irish hard cider--perfect for non beer fans). It was a nice evening, we all got to know each other, talking for about an hour and then all the way home (orientation started at 9:30 this morning, so we couldn't stay out that late). Cassie and Gary are both physics majors, Steven's a math major, and Claire is psych, so I was--as usual--away from my music/theatre geeks. But it was OK--Steven and I managed to agree on one universal truth: Superman < Batman. And the Phantom Tollbooth is awesome.

This morning's orientation session went from 9:30-1, mostly all speakers and powerpoint. Yay! I am still a bit confused out specifics, but I am excited to get started!

My toaster doesn't work, so I'm toasting bread in a pan

So...I shall begin at the beginning.

Flew out of O'Hare at 7:15pm Earth time--sorry--Chicago time.  Arrived in Dublin at about 8:20am, then stood in line to have my passport checked. For an hour ("Even in Egypt it wasn't this bad" complained the elderly Southern ladies who were late for their bus tour). I didn't really mind, though.  Got a bus to Galway and dozed off and on for the duration of the ride. Arrived in Galway, called a cab, dragged my suitcases to my room (a very disappointing sight), and checked out the surroundings.  

My "apartment" is essentially a dorm--comparable to the Duprojects, only you need a key to get into the kitchen/living room. Why?  I do not know. My room is a double, all grey and grey and a bit smaller than a Dupre double.  There is one bathroom with a shower, one without, and a kitchen/common area.  4 (I think) gals live on this hall, which is locked from the outside.  So it is like an apartment, but everything inside is locked.  Very strange.

So that was disheartening, and I hadn't slept at all on the plane, so I was in a very bad mood.  Wandered around a bit picking up odds and ends from the Dunnes superstore a little bit East of Corrib Village (my apartment place thingamajig). Got lost, found the University (very cool), found a path that runs right to my building along the River.  Very nice.  But I'll have to walk with other people after dark.

Got home, got wireless access, but the computer battery had run down.  And the converter that I had bought (thanks alot, Best Buy guy) only works with hairdryers, straighteners, and other 500+ Watt things.  Not computers, phones, ipods, etc.  Which put me in an even worse mood. So I went to reception to ask where to get an adapter, and bought M&Ms, which helped.  She gave me directions to Tesco (cue heavenly chorus), which is about 20 min away.  I went there, got my adapter and some odds & ends, and a trash can, and headed home.  And it was pouring.  

Rain here is like guerilla warfare.  You can't ever ever trust it. So I got drenched.  Really really soaking I-just-went-swimming drenched.  Got home, changed into pjs, and had a nice cup of tea while watching Torchwood. And felt much better as I got into bed at about 1030.

Woke up this morning at 10:00 as my roommate came in, along with her friend Gary, and his aunt and uncle.  I was going to get up earlier and tidy up before she got here, but my US cell phone had run out of battery and passed out during the night. Sad.  So that was embarrassing.  They went out to the shops while I showered, dressed, and started unpacking.  She came back and we introduced each other more fully. Her name is Cassie, she's from New York, a physics and poli sci major and a 5th year senior.  She rock climbs and rides horses (which Ireland is, apparently, very famous for). 

I headed out to do some more shopping.  Little things like dish towels and, well, food. Found the city centre (at last! I had gone in the wrong direction yesterday) and a nice little cafe with wireless.  And wrote the last blog post.  Then wandered around a bit more, stopping into a shop to ask about SIM cards and buy a pear.  I was feeling quite well, wandering around Galway munching on a pear.  Only got rained on twice, and not even that bad. Passed a really awesome old cemetery, where I hope to visit again soon.  I'll take photos, too. 

Managed to find my way back to the shopping centre, where I got a SIM card and reactivated my (neé Bozzie's) phone.  Then went in to Tesco (O Thou most Holy) and did my grocery shopping.  I love grocery shopping.

Walked back home, feet screaming in agony from blisters (good thing I bought band-aids!) and arrived to find another flatmate!  Claire from Orlando, who also rides horses.  Chopped up carrots with an AMAZING knife that was given to us by the oh-so-generous Corrib Village (them to thank for the broken toaster and my non-working key card, too).  But seriously, it's a great knife.  Now my hands are orange.  I'll have some chicken and rice tonight with carrots, but needed a little snack, so am finishing some toast.  Pan-made toast.  I feel very Irish. 

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT IRELAND:

Everything is ridiculously expensive.

You have to pay for shopping carts. Sorry, trolleys.

People walk on the road and drive on the sidewalk. Seriously, there are like NO rules for pedestrians.  Crosswalks are few and far between and always in the middle of the road, not at corners.  You just kind of cut across wherever, but nobody honks or swears at you.  This will take some getting used to.

It rains multiple times a day.  Often while it's sunny, but not in the light Wisconsin sun-rain thing.  Full on downpour in bright sunlight. But at least that's warm

No celery in Tesco. 

When you say "Thank you," shopkeepers say "No need."  I like that.

Anyway, that's all for now.  I'll post photos later.

If you need to contact me at all:

Email: jbrown8@macalester.edu

            j.brown1@nuigalway.ie

Irish phone: 011 (if from US) 353 085 111 8006

Skype: mirecraic

Talk to you later,

J

This door is alarmed

I'm here!

Didn't post yesterday because I was exhausted, wet and in a very very bad mood.

I'll post more thoroughly later today, when I get back to my room.  I'm currently in a very nice little coffeeshop called Mocha Beans, rudely neglecting a wonderful bowl of chicken soup and some brown bread.  Just what the doctor ordered.  So I'd better get back to it.

My roommate arrived today--she's very nice and very friendly. Which is good, because too painfully shy people in one room would not be good.

I'll have pictures tonight, too.  

Off to eat and probably get rained on again.

On the way

Here I am in the Minneapolis-St Paul airport, waiting for my 2:25 flight to Chicago. From there, I will wait 3 hours and fly to Dublin. And then bus for 4 hours to Galway. And then find a taxicab. Ugh.

So this is my very first flight ever, so I am quite excited. Now that I'm actually here and I know what I'm doing (at least this part) I'm not so nervous anymore.  This flight should be too bad, and I've come equipped with enough books, Special K bars, and Doctor Who to get me through the 10 hour trip to Dublin.

I'm currently listening to Mac Kwar's "Reconciliation" from the Jeffrey Van song cycle. *tear* I miss you guys.

Wandering about the airport was fun, as we sang here in quartets this past December.  I did have an urge to bust out "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen."  But then, I always have that urge.  I didn't.  All uneventful besides a memorable interaction with a woman and her 12-year-old daughter, Lucky.  That's right. Lucky. 

Just started Tom Robbins' "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues," which is awesome (at least from pages 1-10).  I highly recommend it to fans of late 20th century American authors and poets.  Definitely a satisfying read for a poet. Two samples:

"It has even been said that human beings were invented by water as a device for transporting itself from one place to another, but that's another story" (2).

"The brain, that pound and a half of chicken-colored goo so highly regarded (by the 

brain itself), that slimy organ to which is attributed such intricate and mysterious

powers (it is the self-same brain that does the attributing(, the brain is so weak that, without its protective casing to support it, it simply collapses of its own weight" (9). 

Off I go to wait at the gate.

Cheers

Not there yet

So I'm not in Ireland yet, but I can still post if I want to.

Preparations are underway (any advice would be appreciated!) and my room is a mess of packing/unpacking/repacking/sleeping.

My brother took me swing dancing last night, which was cool. Did you know Eau Claire has a nightclub with a big band? We do! Called the Red Parrot. It's where Woo's Pagoda used to be. Sweet.

Spent the weekend with the family in Bayfield (that's Wisconsin, right on Lake Superior). We did the lovely hiking/hanging out by the water thing and then saw Gaelic Storm at Big Top Chataqua. A great show--they are definitely the band to see live.

4 days! But who's counting?

Oh, and I got to meet my cousin's new baby girl, Grace. She's adorable.

Me and Gracie

Ok. Off to say farewells! I shall right again from...well, probably the airport.

I have a blog!

We'll see if I end up with anything interesting to say.

I am packing now, leaving my cozy home of 3 months and not getting enough sleep.

The title of this blog, "Mo Eachtra," means "My Adventure" in Irish Gaelic. (pronounced "mo AHK-truh). Hopefully it will be applicable.  Also, apparently, you can't get cornbread in Ireland or the UK. Hence the web address.  I've spent the summer eating amazing cornbread. I am sad.

Anyway. Bedtime. Moving in the morning. 

This is exciting. I've never blogged before.  It's a funny verb, "blog". hm.

J