Hello from Galway, Ireland!
March here has been a whirlwind of activity from everything like assignments, celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, a dance showcase, and many local adventures. When it came to celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland, I was a bit lost on what to do for the holiday. We asked our roommates from Ireland what the day usually consisted of, and they filled us in on all things Paddy’s Day. We started the day out by donning our green clothing and set out for the parade through the city center.
The Parade was packed with people celebrating and displayed a beautiful blend of cultures who had Irish pride. We got to see some traditional Irish musicians play on floats, folk dancing, and all of the cool clubs and businesses that participated in the parade as well. After the parade we headed to a place to grab a bite to eat before the night got busy and exciting.
Later that night we went out to a couple of different pubs to celebrate the holiday with drinks and dancing. This exciting day had everyone in a festive mood and allowed us to feel closer to Irish culture by getting in on the celebration.
Another fun thing that happened in March was the dance showcase. My roommates and I dance back at Linfield in the showcases that are put on every year, and this semester we were missing the feeling of being a part of something like that. Zell found that open classes were offered through NUIG, and we signed up right away. When we went to the classes, we found out that they were holding a showcase at the end of the four weeks. This month worked hard on learning our routines and participating in dance at NUIG.
I unfortunately was not able to perform due to an old injury acting up, but I was able to watch Zell and Haley perform in the showcase and have a wonderful time working with the other dance students. It was very cool to still be able to do something we love from Linfield while we were abroad.
Lately the weather around Galway has been wonderful, and we have been filling the days with walks to the beach and studying outdoors.
Finals are in our near future now, but we have had the best time this month in Galway.
Best,
Isabel Brown