So far I've done a great deal of traveling throughout Ireland on organized trips with other Saint Mary's Belles. I might eventually write in depth posts about those trips, but here's an overview of the places we've been:
- Boyne Valley
- Hill of Tara
- Hill of Slane
- Newgrange
- Wicklow Mountains
- Glendalough
- Powerscourt
- Local places of interest in Co. Kildare
- Causey Farms
- Dublin
The Dublin trip was self-directed; we were left to plan a trip to Dublin on our own without a chaperone or guide. I visited a lot of old churches, some gardens, and best of all: Dublin Castle! I plan on going back this weekend to see the Book of Kells at Trinity College, and hopefully hit up some literarily significant sites. Maybe this time I won't miss the bus back to Maynooth.... In the future, I would like to visit Scotland, London, Amsterdam, and Paris since airfare is so cheap! However, I have to wait for my GINB card to come so that border control will actually let me back into Ireland when I return!
Classes are going well (I think). They are much more self-directed here with very little homework in between classes (except for my Irish Language class). Grades for most of my classes are determined by one midterm essay and one exam. My classes include:
- Intro to Irish Studies
- Intro to Irish Language
- Irish Literature (20th-21st century)
- Archeology of Early Medieval Ireland (counts as an SMC history course)
- Conversion, Sin and Virtue (a moral theology class at the seminary across the street)
- Culture and Tours (a one credit class through SMC where we travel and write short essays)
If I pass all my classes, I will have an undergraduate certificate in Irish Studies that will hopefully increase my chances of getting into grad school! My favorite class so far is Irish Language. Contrary to popular belief, "Irish"is not the same as "Gaelic." "Gaelic" more commonly refers to Scots Gaelic. Both languages have Celtic origins, but they are entirely different dialects (even more different than Southern English and British English; think around the same level of difference between Spanish and Portuguese.) Although it is challenging and not widely used anymore, it's a very fun class.
The biggest challenge so far has been getting used to doing real life grown up things. At SMC, all I had to do was walk to the dining hall (or take the tunnel) and eat. But now I actually have to walk to the grocery store, get ingredients, walk back, unpack stuff, and cook. For laundry I have been hand washing all my clothes because it's 6 euro (over $6) to do one load of laundry here, and the machines are in another building. But overall, I am surviving, becoming a pretty good cook, gaining valuable life skills, and meeting awesome people!
Stay tuned for (weekly?) updates on my travels!
Slán agat!
