Category: 2022-23

Welcome back!

As briefly mentioned in my previous post, the University of Galway gives students two weeks of spring break… technically. The first week is labeled as spring break, and the second week is study week, or a chance for students to study for their end of year exams. However, because of my exam schedule, I was able to use study week as an extended spring break and do most of my studying this week. This two week break gave me the opportunity to check some sightseeing off of my Ireland bucket list.

The first stop on the bucket list was a day trip to Dublin, which I had yet to explore. I boarded the bus from Galway to Dublin’s City Centre, and 2 1/2 hours later I was there.

My first stop was at a boba shop to fuel up for the rest of the day’s adventures. I then made my way to Trinity College for a tour of their Old Library and The Book of Kells exhibit. The Book of Kells is a manuscript of the 4 gospel books of the Bible and dates from 800 AD. It is incredibly well preserved, and the library staff take great care to keep it that way, which means that photographing the actual manuscript is prohibited, as it can damage the book. The Old Library and the books housed within it are also consistently undergoing preservation work, which means that there was construction going on and about half of the collection missing when I toured. Nonetheless, the library was beautiful. My favorite part were the marble busts of famous authors, philosophers, and scientists lining the central walkway. Definitely a worthwhile visit as a bookworm.

The rest of my day in Dublin consisted of wandering Temple Street, where I grabbed dinner before my main reason for venturing to Dublin that day: a Rainbow Kitten Surprise concert. While the band name seems odd, their music is amazing, and they managed to climb their way to the #1 spot on my 2022 Spotify Wrapped in the span of a year. Their concert was sold out, but I managed to find someone reselling their ticket online. They rarely tour the west coast,  so I find it quite ironic that it was easier to see them in a different country than the US. The concert was such an amazing experience, and I met some cool people while waiting for the doors to open. Coincidentally, I had seen them earlier in the boba shop, which made for a nice icebreaker in conversation.

My second bucket list item of spring break was visiting the Cliffs of Moher. Most of the other international students I know had visited them earlier on in the semester, but I was holding out for better weather. The morning of my excursion was cloudy and rainy, so I thought that ship had sailed, but by the end of my 2 hour bus ride south the rain had let up and it was sunny and warm.

The cliffs, famous for their incredible view of the Atlantic (and for appearing in movies like Harry Potter and the Princess Bride), offer a visitor center, a gift shop, 800 meters of paved paths, and access to the coastal trail, which runs north-south through the cliffs. I went in the afternoon on a weekday, so it was a bit less crowded, which was super wonderful. After exploring the paved paths, I decided to venture northbound on the coastal trail for a nice little hike, and the view was spectacular. The cliffs are also known for their puffins, but I went a bit too early in the season to see any.

My next excursion of break was an overnight trip to Derry in Northern Ireland. There’s a direct bus from Galway to Derry that leaves twice a day, with the first one departing at 6 AM. A 5 hour ride and a nap on the bus later and I arrived. I checked into my AirBNB room to drop off my bag and set off to explore downtown. I ate lunch in a little café and wandered the small shops before heading to the Museum of Free Derry, which focuses on the Troubles and the Free Derry/civil rights movement in the early 1960s from the perspective of  the Irish nationalists that championed for greater rights and increased parliamentary representation for Catholic citizens of Derry. 

My next visit was to the Guildhall, which is Derry’s city hall. It also features an exhibit on the Ulster Plantation Era (which marks the beginning of British involvement in Derry) and one on the Good Friday Agreement, which was ratified 25 years ago and marked the end of the Troubles. Coincidentally, President Biden was visiting Belfast and County Mayo to commemorate this anniversary the same days I was traveling to and from Derry (which takes you through County Mayo). A few people I ran into in Derry asked me about it after realizing that I was American! Tangent aside, after a stop for dinner I headed back to where I was staying for the night.

The next day I started bright and early with a walk through Brooke Park and by St. Eugene’s Cathedral, then up the hill to wander the Derry city walls, which have remained intact since their creation in the 1600s. This offered an incredible view of the city, and a chance to look at old bastions and churches like St. Augustine’s.

I then headed to my third museum of the trip: the Tower Museum, which gets its name from its location in a historic tower building downtown. The main exhibit outlines the history and prehistory of Derry, including time periods such as pre-colonized Derry, the Siege of Derry in the 1600s, the Potato Famine, and the Troubles. There’s also a secondary exhibit on the excavation of a sunken Spanish Armada ship and an interactive room geared towards children. After exploring the museum I grabbed a late lunch in a different café and bought some snacks for the bus ride home.

Visiting Derry as someone who loves learning about culture was such a unique experience. It was Irish enough to be similar to the culture I’ve been immersing myself in for the past three months, but there were elements that felt more similar to my visit to London, which makes sense, given that Northern Ireland belongs to the UK. They still use pounds as currency, most of the road signs were written only in English (as opposed to the bilingual nature of Irish road signs), public transportation and infrastructure was more like that of the UK, and a lot of the architecture had British influence.  

I rounded out my spring break by attending a professional women’s soccer/football match here in Galway. Galway has both a men and women’s pro team, and the stadium they play in is a 10 minute walk from my apartment. Galway United took the lead off an early match score from a corner kick, but the opposing team scored in the last 15 minutes of the match to tie up the game, which made for quite an exhilarating match.

I have a little over two weeks left in Ireland before I head home. While I’m excited to see my family and friends, I am a little sad to be leaving such a wonderful country. But, my adventure isn’t over quite yet, so stay tuned for more 🙂

Talk soon!

Katie

 

Hello!

Much like my brief hiatus from blogging to work on midterms, I have recently finished my finals-induced blogging hiatus and am back with another entry. Our semester at the University of Galway runs for 12 weeks of lecture/class, followed by a 2 week break and a 3 week exam period, which means my final week of instruction was last week.

While class is in session, societies and clubs on campus host events, meetings, fundraisers, and trips. There are over 60 societies (what we would consider the equivalent to clubs) and about 40 clubs (sports teams) on campus, so there’s no shortage of things to get involved with. At the start of the semester, all of the societies get together for an activity fair, and it’s an excellent way to meet people from different societies, hear about upcoming events, and sign up for email reminders.

Over the course of the semester, I attended events from the following societies: African & Caribbean Society (ACS), Lit & Deb, Dansoc, Galway University Musical Society (GUMS), International Students Society, Photography Soc, Granny Soc, and FanSci.

ACS hosts both weekly meetings as well as large-scale public events. The event I attended was their fashion show, which showcased clothing designed by African and Caribbean designers and featured music performances in the breaks between when the models walked.

Lit & Deb functions similarly to the speech and debate program back at Linfield (which I happen to be a member of), so I immediately knew I wanted to get involved. Over the course of the semester I attended weekly public speaking workshops and debate events, culminating in an end of year party the last week of classes.

Dansoc, or Dance Society, hosts weekly dance classes and occasional workshops with professional dancers , has audition only competition teams, and puts on a dance showcase at the end of spring semester. I took a six week contemporary dance class, where we learned choreography for a song and performed it at showcase.

GUMS holds auditions for about two musical productions a semester. I auditioned for both, and, while I ultimately wasn’t cast, the audition process was still a lot of fun both times.

International Student Society hosts events catered towards international students, both those like me who are visiting for a semester, as well as long term international students. They organized a bus tour to explore the Connemara region north of Galway and it was an amazing trip. We stopped in the village of Cong – famous for being the place where John Wayne filmed The Quiet Man – and Kylemore Abbey, an absolutely beautiful castle turned Abbey that doubles as a museum/tourist destination.

Photography Soc holds events like photo walks and film photography workshops, as well as partnering with other organizations to take professional quality photos. The campus also boasts its own darkroom for black and white film developing, which I was able to get a tour of. I’ve been taking photos this entire trip on a 35mm point and shoot film camera, and to get to learn more about the development process was very neat.

Granny Soc hosts events themed around crafting, and offers weekly knitting, crochet, or sewing lessons, as well as meetings to bring your own projects to.

Finally, FanSci, or Fantasy and Sci Fi Society, hosts weekly card game events (think Magic: the Gathering), as well as bi-monthly TTRPG (tabletop roleplaying games) or board game nights. These were some of my favorite events to attend, as it gave me the opportunity to learn more board games and meet new people.

The moral of this post is that there are so many ways to get involved on campus, and your level of involvement in any society could be as little as attending one event a semester or as big as going weekly and taking up a leadership role in the society. Especially going from a smaller university with a limited amount of clubs to one with over 60, there were so many more options when it came to getting involved on campus. Getting involved allowed me to explore new places, meet new people, and try new things.

While it may not be as exciting as a travel post, I hope you enjoy this glimpse into my everyday life as a university student in Ireland these past few months 🙂

Until next time!
Katie

When an American study abroad student finds herself with the capability to purchase a €20 plane ticket to London, what better idea than to take a whirlwind, 24 hour trip? This was my exact thought a few weekends ago, and I’m here to take y’all on the journey with me 🙂

My day started with a 1 AM alarm to walk to the Galway Coach Station for the 2 1/2 hour bus ride to Dublin Airport. Security was a breeze (they let you keep your shoes on, which is a mindboggling level of leniency compared to strict TSA guidelines in the states), and, after a short flight, I landed in London Stansted Airport, which is 45 minutes north of downtown London.

After arriving downtown, I quickly realized that the best way to navigate London is via the London Underground, or the “Tube”. The Underground is one of the most expertly laid out public transportation systems I have ever seen (NYC Subway please take notes), and is very easy to navigate. A few stops later, I arrived at my first destination of the day: the Victoria & Albert Museum.

Most museums in London offer free general admission, and the V&A is no different. With 4 floors full of different exhibit rooms, I could’ve spent multiple days there and still not seen the full collection. Unfortunately, I had to play a game of museum speed-run, so I picked the exhibits I felt would excite me most, namely the theatre & performance wing and their temporary exhibit on African fashion.

After my museum perusing, I grabbed lunch nearby and hopped on the tube to head towards my second stop of the day, but not before making a quick detour to see Buckingham Palace. I then arrived at the Harold Pinter Theatre to watch Sam Steiner’s Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons on London’s West End (Broadway’s British equivalent).

By the time I finished the show, it was already dark and most of the museums were closed, so I killed time before my next scheduled stop by watching a movie in a nearby cinema and grabbing a quick bite to eat at a Japanese/Asian fusion restaurant nearby.

My last stop of the night was the concert hall at The King’s Place downtown to watch a performance by the vocal group HOWL. They performed a mix of original choral compositions and British/Scottish folk songs, and it definitely ranks among the top live performances I’ve seen. I was also met with an unexpected surprise at the performance, as one of my favorite music artists had stopped by to sing the closing number (a piece he had composed) with them.

Link to HOWL’s Instagram page for any curious readers 🙂

My 24 hours came to an end much the same way it began, only in reverse order. The tube to the train station, the train station to the airport, and the airport to a bus back to Galway, where I promptly fell asleep.

I may have ended my trip to London catching some z’s, but it was far from a snooze-worthy adventure. I hope to travel more domestically and internationally in my remaining time here. But, for now, I bid you farewell 🙂

Talk soon,
Katie

 

Hello! Long time, no talk. I am back after a midterms-induced hiatus to bring you yet another blog post.

5 years ago, a high schooler from Denmark found his way to my high school in Oregon for a year abroad. In the years since, Johan and I have managed to keep in touch over Snapchat and other forms of social media. So, when I knew that I would be spending a semester in Europe, he was one of the first people I told.  We quickly crafted a plan for him to come spend a weekend in Galway, and I got to hang up my tourist cap and become the tour guide.

We spent most of Friday and Saturday exploring downtown Galway. We went to the cathedral, strolled down Shop Street, stopped at an adorable café, walked the nature trail that runs by the University of Galway, popped our heads into Akumacon (the anime and manga convention held at the University every year), and eventually found our way to the Galway Museum and its accompanying visitor’s center. At the visitor’s center, we asked about fun things to do and the employee pointed us to a pamphlet about the Aran Islands.

24 hours later, we were on a bus headed 45 minutes west to the town of Rossaveel to catch a 45 minute ferry to the island of Inis Mór (Inishmore), the largest of the three Aran Islands. Upon arrival, we headed to the only supermarket on the island to grab sandwiches and coffee. What we should’ve grabbed in addition to our lunchtime spread was cash from the ATM, as many of the stores on the island only take cash, and the supermarket closes early on Sunday. But, hey, at least we know for next time!

On the way out of the supermarket, we were stopped by a man running a bus tour offering us seats. As the only other method of island transportation was to rent a bike on a windy, cloudy day for the same price, we happily obliged. This was perhaps the best decision we had made that day. We were able to bounce around the island faster than by bike, were given opportunities to get out and explore sites at our own pace, and got to learn history and current events about the island from an Aran Islands local.

Some of my favorite fun facts from the tour include the following: Inis Mór (and the Aran Islands in general) is one of the few remaining places in Ireland with native Irish speakers, and all schooling on the island is done in Irish; that the islands iconic rows of stone walls were built simply because there were so many rocks on the island that nobody knew what else to use them for.

Our main stop of the tour was at Dún Aonghasa, a semi-circular ring fort located at the top of a hill overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. At the bottom was a visitors center, detailing the site’s history and excavation efforts made by archaeologists. Dún Aonghasa dates back to 1100 BCE, and, as an anthropology major at Linfield with an interest in material culture studies/archaeology, it was perhaps my favorite stop of the day.

As with most places where tourism makes up a large portion of an area’s economy, the Aran Islands have many a shop for tourists to visit, including cafés and restaurants, bigger stores selling Aran sweaters and touristy knicknacks, and small shops selling handknit/crochet pieces and art from Aran Island locals. We visited in what is considered the tourist off-season on a Sunday, which means that many of these shops were closed, but it also gave the entire trip a more “authentic”, cozier feel. We ended the day with dinner at a bar, accompanied by the two other people on our bus tour from the day, who were university students studying abroad at the University of Glasgow in Scotland.

Being able to reconnect with an old friend and experience this little corner of Ireland together has been one of my favorite parts of my study abroad experience thus far. But, there is still ample opportunity to make even greater memories in my time here. So, this blog post is dedicated to the “ghosts” of study abroad experiences past, present, and study abroad experiences yet to come. Dickensian puns aside, I can’t wait to see where this adventure takes me next 🙂

Until next time,

Katie

                  

 

What do you consider to be “walking distance”? How long are you willing to walk to reach your final destination? My friend and I frequently have this debate, and my definition has traditionally been rather short (5-10 minutes), where his is rather long (45 minutes to 1 hour). A lot of this has to do with where we grew up (rural area where I could walk 45 minutes from my house and barely reach the edge of town vs. an incredibly walkable city where an hour gets you everywhere you could need to go).

I’ve been thinking about this debate a lot while I’ve been abroad. I am very fortunate that Galway, like most European cities, is incredibly walkable. But, it has meant that my definition needed some massive updating. It takes me 15 minutes to walk from my student accommodation to campus for classes every day. 30 minutes to go downtown, 45 minutes to an hour if you want to wander to places like Salthill Beach or the outer edges of Galway City.

While my change in definition sounds rough, it has yielded some pretty wonderful results. By walking, I’ve been able to take things at my own pace and explore the city. For example, I’ve found restaurants and shops and street performers on pedestrian-only side streets that aren’t accessible by car.

I also have the ability to stop and photograph things I think are cool without worrying that they’re going to disappear out of view. I don’t have to worry about paying for parking. I can catch up on new music and podcasts to pass the time while I walk, consistently “close my rings” on my iPhone’s fitness tracker, and the list goes on.

So, if you ever want to update your definition of walking distance, I highly recommend traveling to a walkable city and exploring for a while. You might be surprised at how many little things you see that you might not have otherwise 🙂
Bye for now,
-Katie

 

Fáilte (welcome) to my first post detailing my study abroad experience at the University of Galway!

My departing wish on January 3rd, before we made the 30-minute drive to the airport, was, of all the things, a chicken burrito (and the accompanying avocado sauce). My favorite restaurant had been closed for winter break and reopened the day I was scheduled to leave, so stopping before leaving the country for 4 months was a must. I even ran into one of my best friends while there and was able to say one last goodbye!

After acquiring the necessary fuel to tackle the 22 hours of travel ahead of me, I finally made it to RDM, with a suitcase barely under the 50 lb. limit, a carry-on full of all of my heavy and bulky items, and a backpack stuffed with school supplies and things to keep me entertained firmly in tow. I bid farewell to my family and spent about 5 minutes going through security (one of the perks of flying out of an airport with 4 gates, I suppose).

A 45 minute flight and three rides on SEA-TAC’s subway/shuttle system later, I made it to the international terminal and met up with the other two Linfield students headed to Ireland with me. Next came the long haul flight: 9 hours from Seattle to LHR, stuck behind a man who fully reclined his chair the second the pilot turned off the seatbelt light and only moved it upright during our in-flight meals (pasta for “dinner” and a breakfast sandwich for “brunch”, though the 8 hour time difference encountered over the course of the flight rendered labeling meals irrelevant).

Upon landing in London, the pilot announced that we would have to disembark the plane in a specific order due to the weight distribution of the passengers on the flight. This meant that we had less than an hour to deplane, change terminals, go through security again (only to have LHR security confiscate my scissors), and find our next gate. So, we put some pep in our step and sped through the airport, only to reach the proper terminal to see that our flight to Shannon had been delayed, which meant we could’ve put slightly less pep into our step.

Once in Shannon, we had to go through customs and claim our luggage. The very kind customs employee asked if I was of Welsh descent (I am not, but apparently my name screams Welsh) before stamping my passport, and our taxi driver was very patiently waiting outside for us to collect our luggage before we drove an hour north to Galway. One adventure down the road to the nearby Dunnes (think Target, but Irish) for pillows and adapters and we were all ready to crash.

Further adventuring and acclimation waited until orientation over the next few days. We suited up in our finest walking shoes and raincoats and one leisurely 15 minute stroll and a couple wrong turns later, and we arrived at Áras na Mac Léinn, or the Student Union building. We watched presentations detailing on-campus resources, student events (including orientation events like campus tours, a pub quiz/trivia night in the on-campus bar, board game nights, and a scavenger hunt around Galway), and information about course registration.

My “week 0” in Ireland ended with some downtown exploration in torrential downpour and a moderate wind advisory, as one does. We wandered Eyre Square and Shop Street in the heart of downtown, walked the Corrib River for a bit, and sought refuge from the rain at the Galway City Museum, which had exhibits on the Irish Civil War, the Aran Islands, Gaelic art and culture in the medieval period, and marine biology in Galway.

Going from having never traveled internationally to staying in a different country for 4 months has certainly come with a learning curve. Irish (or Gaeilge) is a national language along with English, which means that signage is written in both languages, often with Irish being written first. This can make it difficult to navigate at times, as I have had zero exposure to the language, but I’m slowly starting to acclimate. Food is called different things (most notably, chips instead of fries, english muffins are just muffins, potato chips are called crisps or tayto) and cars drive on the opposite side of the road ( and yet the universal phenomenon of drivers neglecting to implement their turn signal persists abroad). Despite these differences, I’m enjoying getting to learn about living in a different country and am having an amazing experience thus far!

With that, I say slán (goodbye) for now!

Katie

 

Now we come to Lisbon, that Iberian rascal. I prefer it to Italy, which is an outrageous statement, I know, but I live for controversy.

I arrived in Dublin in the evening, crashed at Megan’s, and slept for approximately thirty minutes before our 2 AM bus to the airport. Most painless TSA passing of my life, which I attribute to my expert packing: all my worldly possessions crammed into one, single Maxpedition backpack that’s seen me through, now, six international junkets. What a loyal friend, that green, ratty thing.

Arrived, again, painlessly. Immigration was a breeze. Had no quarrels with the hostel people when we arrived by, first, the metro, then our own untrained feet that had to be reminded of the woes of cobblestone. We treated ourselves to pastel de natas, God’s bloody gift, which I indulged in excessively. Then we checked out a market near the water where I bought my mother a little something for Christmas. Hit the hay early, I admit. Couldn’t help it after running on a half hour of sleep.

Day two, how salubrious. Walked ten miles with our legs of steel, pursing geocaches (a newly acquired hobby of mine, thanks to Megan’s influence) scattered around the city. Jerónimos Monastery, an utter smack in the face in its glory. Belém Tower, a surprisingly quick line, and built in that exaggerated style I wish, one day, for a future house of mine to mimic. Architectural debauchery, if you ask me, and I live for it.

Dinner at Faz Frio, whose waiter I danced with shamelessly when the music called for it. Let it be known, cod and wine mix well. To anyone visiting Lisbon in the future, if you don’t eat at Faz Frio, you might as well decline food altogether. It’s practically a religious experience.

Day three, trip to the town of Sintra for a walk through Pena Palace, the vacation house of the royal family (19th century grandeur, to give you an idea), and the Moorish Castle, which dates back to the 8th Century. Pena Palace was furnished, I tell you! No empty rooms, the walls dripping with color and detail and, in one specific room, a green, emerald wardrobe that made me drool. If ever I possess one, that’s how I’ll know I’ve made it. “Megan, look…” said, agog, around every corner, finger pointing here and there to the annoyance of the other guests. There may have been a moment of screaming. Me and my tea sets.

The Moorish castle was more of a meditation. A small hike on the walls overlooking Sintra, fog thick, people few (as few will brave the incline). Silence, mostly. “I don’t think you or I realize how old this place is…” The clouds were coming in and the rain was on its way. We made it back to Lisbon before the weather could dampen us, literally and figuratively.

Sofia

 

 

A few months before I flew to Ireland, I made a phone call to a dear friend of mine, Megan. The call’s purpose was to, I admit, brag of my upcoming study abroad trip. In seconds, however, I discovered that she, too, by complete coincidence, was to attend university in Dublin at the same time that I was to attend in Galway.

I do love it when the Universe plays tricks on us unsuspecting commoners. Surprises like that never cease to add a little flavor to the pan.

Megan came last weekend, the two of us reading books side-by-side in a student apartment bed meant for one when we weren’t out-on-the-town contributing to the general chaos of the city. The crowning achievement of our reunion, though, was neither finishing fantasy novels nor dancing in pubs. We gave that title to the 10-mile bike ride we took in Inishmore, the largest of the Aran Islands.

Ferry ride: peaceful. Bike ride: glorious. We rented cruisers and headed down the length of the island, passing horse-drawn carriages and stopping only to pet the ponies and look at the Bronze-Age settlements.

We shared a sandwich from the Jungle Cafe (which we had, the day before, purchased from the popular joint in Galway) over the edge of the cliffs at Dún Aonghasa. I bought a wool hat from an old lady and a postcard to use as a bookmark (as opposed to an old grocery receipt). And Megan, with her keen sense of direction, navigated us over old, stone walls and sunken grass to the “wormhole,” a swimming-pool-like rock formation at the base of the lower cliffs, east of the previously mentioned fortress.

Exhausted upon our return, we stopped for Korean food. It was well deserved, I assure you. 1500 calories burned, according to Megan’s apple watch.

Sofia