September 3rd
I started off the day by going to mass at Galway Cathedral. I loved it. The priest added a beautiful touch to the Prayer of the Faithful by praying for the students who are studying in Galway this year. It may me feel even more comfortable now knowing I have a church to attend mass and stop into to say a prayer. Bridget and I were extremely lucky to be in Galway as their hurling team won the All-Ireland. We watched the game. Bridget and I watched the game amongst the die-hard Galway GAA fans in Eyre Square, which would be the town center. This victory created an amazing atmosphere throughout the city. Fans were cheering, music was playing, and horns were honking.
September 4th
At orientation on Thursday and Friday, the administrators explained that we could find our timetables online for the courses we wanted to take and hope that none of them conflict. Before coming to NUIG, I had to get my courses above at Manhattan College so I really didn't have the option of taking any other courses. Luckily, none of my courses overlapped, but I ran around campus on the first day of classes like a chicken without its head on. I had no clue where to go on the HUGE campus. Thank goodness at the end of the long day I had my schedule and was on the right track. After rather a stressful day, Bridget and I ventured over to the "Welcome Home" party for the Galway Hurling team. It was absolutely amazing. It seemed as if everyone from Galway was packed into this sports arena. The players and management thanked the cheering crowd for their constant support and love. I am so glad I got to share this moment with the people of Galway.
September 5th
The day began with classes. NUIG campus is much larger than the Manhattan College, which made it quite difficult to navigate and find my classes. The classes also consist of around 150 students. It is much different but it is nice to have a change like this for a short while. Today was Clubs and Societies day. I joined Best Buddy, Politics Club, Cancer Society, ALIVE volunteering, and Catholic Society. I also signed up for the Gaelic Football team. I can't wait to go to these meetings and start training for Gaelic football. It will be a great may to meet new people. That evening Bridget and I went to the outdoor cinema on campus. This was very relaxing after a crazy few days.
September 6th
I had a full day of classes today. I started at 11 and finished at 6. I'm really enjoying my classes and the curriculum I have in store for this semester. I am taking two English classes, a biogeography class, a Celtic Catholic studies class, and a Sociology class. After my four classes, we had a nice dinner with our housemates. They are all extremely sweet. Two are from Ireland and one from English. It is very different living with boys, but we like it so far (besides the messy kitchen).
September 7th
Today, I spent the day getting familiar with the different stores around where we are living. The shopping center has many similar shops to what we have at home. It is good to know this incase I need something in an emergency. We welcome the Irish weather with lots of rain today. After walking around, we went home to watch a movie, have dinner, and prepare for the exciting day we had in store for us tomorrow.
September 8th
Bridget and I took a bus tourist trip to visit Kylemore Abbey, Cong, and Connemara. It was an amazing day. Homesickness began to creep up on Bridget during the week, but the great day we had really helped her to feel comfortable with all the change we were encountering. Kylemore Abbey is an monastery with a great deal of history with beautiful grounds. Cong is the village where the film The Quiet Man took place. This film is my Grandpa's favorite which we have watched together every St. Patrick's Day since I was a young girl. It was amazing to see the movie come to life being there. Connemara is a gorgeous town where Irish is the language spoken. When we returned from the trip, friends of ours from back in New York came to visit us for the night. They are doing a study abroad program through Iona College in which they study for 5 weeks in Dublin, Barcelona, and Rome. Seeing them was awesome. This also helped any bit of homesickness we felt. We plan on visiting them as they travel around Europe.
September 9th
We began the morning touring around Galway with our friends from home and had a nice brunch before they left us to return to Dublin. We are spending the upcoming weekend with them in Dublin. After they left, we traveled to Mayo to celebrate my cousin Rory's 21st birthday. It was incredible to see how happy this made my grandma. Leaving Ireland at the age of 11, she never spent any more holidays or birthdays with her family there. Now, her granddaughter was there to celebrate the birthday of one of our cousins. Seeing how excited she got on FaceTime when she looked at the picture of my cousin Rory and I.
September 10th
I woke up very homesick this morning. Instead of taking the bus from Mayo to Galway, I would have rather be going back to NYC. As I do know this is an amazing experience for my independence and maturity, I am extremely lucky to have family in Ireland and plenty of family and friends coming to visit while I am here. I truly admire anyone who lives home to go to a foreign place with no connection. When we returned to Galway, Bridget and I stopped for coffee and she bought some decorations for our room. Later that day, we went to Mass and had a very nice dinner. We ended the night by watching a movie and having a "spa night".
September 11th
This was my first 9/11 not spent in NYC and it was a very different. I'm used to seeing American flags displayed, watching the memorial, and discussing in class where we were when the earth stood still. Here everyone is going about their day like it is any other day, which it is for them. Today, my heart is with my amazing city. I went to Mass tonight to pray for all of those effected by this day.
September 4th
At orientation on Thursday and Friday, the administrators explained that we could find our timetables online for the courses we wanted to take and hope that none of them conflict. Before coming to NUIG, I had to get my courses above at Manhattan College so I really didn't have the option of taking any other courses. Luckily, none of my courses overlapped, but I ran around campus on the first day of classes like a chicken without its head on. I had no clue where to go on the HUGE campus. Thank goodness at the end of the long day I had my schedule and was on the right track. After rather a stressful day, Bridget and I ventured over to the "Welcome Home" party for the Galway Hurling team. It was absolutely amazing. It seemed as if everyone from Galway was packed into this sports arena. The players and management thanked the cheering crowd for their constant support and love. I am so glad I got to share this moment with the people of Galway.
September 5th
The day began with classes. NUIG campus is much larger than the Manhattan College, which made it quite difficult to navigate and find my classes. The classes also consist of around 150 students. It is much different but it is nice to have a change like this for a short while. Today was Clubs and Societies day. I joined Best Buddy, Politics Club, Cancer Society, ALIVE volunteering, and Catholic Society. I also signed up for the Gaelic Football team. I can't wait to go to these meetings and start training for Gaelic football. It will be a great may to meet new people. That evening Bridget and I went to the outdoor cinema on campus. This was very relaxing after a crazy few days.
September 6th
I had a full day of classes today. I started at 11 and finished at 6. I'm really enjoying my classes and the curriculum I have in store for this semester. I am taking two English classes, a biogeography class, a Celtic Catholic studies class, and a Sociology class. After my four classes, we had a nice dinner with our housemates. They are all extremely sweet. Two are from Ireland and one from English. It is very different living with boys, but we like it so far (besides the messy kitchen).
September 7th
Today, I spent the day getting familiar with the different stores around where we are living. The shopping center has many similar shops to what we have at home. It is good to know this incase I need something in an emergency. We welcome the Irish weather with lots of rain today. After walking around, we went home to watch a movie, have dinner, and prepare for the exciting day we had in store for us tomorrow.
September 8th
Bridget and I took a bus tourist trip to visit Kylemore Abbey, Cong, and Connemara. It was an amazing day. Homesickness began to creep up on Bridget during the week, but the great day we had really helped her to feel comfortable with all the change we were encountering. Kylemore Abbey is an monastery with a great deal of history with beautiful grounds. Cong is the village where the film The Quiet Man took place. This film is my Grandpa's favorite which we have watched together every St. Patrick's Day since I was a young girl. It was amazing to see the movie come to life being there. Connemara is a gorgeous town where Irish is the language spoken. When we returned from the trip, friends of ours from back in New York came to visit us for the night. They are doing a study abroad program through Iona College in which they study for 5 weeks in Dublin, Barcelona, and Rome. Seeing them was awesome. This also helped any bit of homesickness we felt. We plan on visiting them as they travel around Europe.
September 9th
We began the morning touring around Galway with our friends from home and had a nice brunch before they left us to return to Dublin. We are spending the upcoming weekend with them in Dublin. After they left, we traveled to Mayo to celebrate my cousin Rory's 21st birthday. It was incredible to see how happy this made my grandma. Leaving Ireland at the age of 11, she never spent any more holidays or birthdays with her family there. Now, her granddaughter was there to celebrate the birthday of one of our cousins. Seeing how excited she got on FaceTime when she looked at the picture of my cousin Rory and I.
September 10th
I woke up very homesick this morning. Instead of taking the bus from Mayo to Galway, I would have rather be going back to NYC. As I do know this is an amazing experience for my independence and maturity, I am extremely lucky to have family in Ireland and plenty of family and friends coming to visit while I am here. I truly admire anyone who lives home to go to a foreign place with no connection. When we returned to Galway, Bridget and I stopped for coffee and she bought some decorations for our room. Later that day, we went to Mass and had a very nice dinner. We ended the night by watching a movie and having a "spa night".
September 11th
This was my first 9/11 not spent in NYC and it was a very different. I'm used to seeing American flags displayed, watching the memorial, and discussing in class where we were when the earth stood still. Here everyone is going about their day like it is any other day, which it is for them. Today, my heart is with my amazing city. I went to Mass tonight to pray for all of those effected by this day.
Your days (and evenings) are packed with exciting and interesting adventures. Between classes, Gaelic football, and visiting other spots in Ireland and the Continent; you will be kept quite busy. The news shows in NYC were filled with 9-11 information. Enjoy it all. Looking forward to reading your blogs as the semester progresses.
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