Talbot Place Dublin!

Hey Everyone!

Sorry it's been so long, just wanted to give you an update. This past weekend was my first trip out of Galway! I ventured to the incredibly large city of Dublin. I couldn't believe the size of it (you would understand if you saw Galway and why Dublin was such a change of pace). I'm going to share with you a few stories and images to give you a gist of what my trip was all about!

The People: First there was the API couple, Max and Kay who ventured to Galway together from Massachusetts. Then, of course, was my roommate Evita and our new pal Ryan (who I call "Ry" out of habit due to my friends at home).

The Place: This was my first Hostel abroad. We stayed at Jacob's Inn located a bit out of the main part of the city on Talbot Place. We had a six bed ensuite that had an empty bed (thank goodness) so it was just our group. The bathroom was amazing. I know that sounds weird but our bathroom at home has a broken toilet seat and limited space and hot water (making it nearly impossible to shave my legs, so I just haven't done it yet). If I bend down in my shower at Gort my head literally kisses the glass walls that encase me. Europeans must be tiny, or just always with hairy legs.

The Activities: On Friday it was pouring when we arrived by bus so we ventured from coffee shop to coffee shop sipping on tea and exchanging stories. In the evening Ry, Evita and I went on our first pub crawl which introduced us to a lot of great pubs and live music! I have to say the best part of Dublin was the music scene. They had unique instruments and great sounding bands no matter where we had a pint! Saturday was a different story, we took a "short" trip to the Guinness factory that only lasted five hours. That was the best Guinness of my life and we snapped a million great photo's! That night we ended up going to a nearby pub and meeting fellow Jacob's Inn hostelers that were travelling from London. They were extremely entertaining and curious about Americans. They asked so many questions and even tried their best American accents, which were terrible. Sunday was a full tour of one of the oldest jails in Ireland. The building was unbelievable and eerie, but completely different from anything I had ever seen. After visiting Alcatraz in San Francisco I had something to compare it to. The history was bleeding from the walls (somewhat literally) and taught me loads about the Irish people and the IRA! I enjoyed the shopping, good food, and great people all weekend!

SURPRISE FACTOR: We managed to land in Dublin during the annual TradFest! How lucky were we? There were stages set up in the middle of the cobblestone roads with unbelievable women musicians playing both Saturday and Sunday! People gathered all around and swayed to the talent that was presented on stage. It was a good weekend and I cant wait to travel again soon!
Until Next Time,
Lex

My People

Hey Everyone!
I don't know how I got so lucky! Evita, as you read in my previous post is my roommate. I mentioned earlier that we thought our third housemates name was Peter, and boy were we right. Evita and I had recently purchased men's pajamas (because they are bigger and warmer and it is FREEZING here), so we were just casually lounging out on the couch. We heard the door open and Peter burst through, adorable and awkward as ever. I freaked out, I probably jumped about five feet because I had been having nightmares about our Peter having long nails and leaving us raw meat in the refrigerator for a month (true story as far as the meat goes). Evita had been waiting to confront him about the meat for five days, so she was ready. Turns out the meat was his last international roommates, and they left after he did! He still walked over the the fridge, picked up the meat and chucked it out the window. Evita and I sat with our jaws wide open and ran to the window and looked down. A moldy slab of meat lying in the middle of the road! Little did we know Peter would turn out to be one of our closest friends who protects us when we go out! He has been an amazing roommate and we feel very lucky to have got him!
Here is a picture of us at our favorite pub The Skeff!

The people in our group have been amazing. I am the only one from Seattle, but Evita is also from the west coast, California. Everyone else (the other 23) are from Connecticut, Virginia, Massachusetts, Maine, and Ohio. I spend my nights hanging out with my girls, Kyle and Alysse, and get the opportunity to talk to someone fantastic in my program (API) everyday. These people are all amazing and I feel very fortunate to have this experience!

Until Next Time,
Lex

On My Way To School

My first time walking through campus it was dark, and I couldn't see any of my surroundings. Luckily we had to return the next day for orientation and I got to see this bad boy...

I can't even begin to describe what it feels like to stand in front of such a beautiful building. You can feel the Irish history filling the air around it and appreciate what this country has been through and how it has been preserved.
I can't believe that I have still seen so little of the city, there is so much to come! My school rests on a winding body of water. When you are walking across the bridge from our apartment, Gort na Coiribe, you can see the edge of our engineering building peek over the water. The campus is awesome minus the fact that it is going through extreme construction so the library is really hard to get into. If you know anything about me then you know that the library being under construction is the end of the world!

Tomorrow is my first day of classes! I am really excited. I have a history course (my first one ever in college) and I have an english course. I am studying Irish Literature in Ireland finally! I don't know how many quarters I have studied James Joyce at home, my time has finally come to shine here in the city of Galway!
Well off to bed,
Lex

Galway!

Hello Everyone!
After an hour long bus ride I finally made my way to the city I will be living at, Galway. Yesterday felt like the longest day I have ever experienced. After arrival we were given two and a half hours to unpack and buy our bed sheets and basic necessities.
I met my roommate Evita, born and raised in California but attending school in Boston! She is AWESOME! I knew we would get along the minute she walked around the corner with her luggage, smiling from ear to ear, and panting while laughing from exhaustion!

 This is our new bedroom! It is awesome. We were supposed to have two other rooms in our place but only have one single because we got the handicap room next door so its just the three of us! Our third roommate has yet to return from vacation, meaning they are probably Irish! And we found hints that their name is "Peter" perhaps!
Galway was incredible (even though we only got to walk around in the dark). My campus is absolutely huge, so I know I am going to get lost no matter what. Tonight we have a wine tasting with our entire U.S travelling group and then I am going to catch up on the rest of the sleep I have been missing out on the last three days. I am going to post one more picture of my room!

Until Next Time,
Lex

I Made It

Hello Everyone!
I started my trip saying goodbye to the amazing friends and family I have in the States. My first goodbye was to my oldest sister Morgan and her fiance Matt, and ended with my Dad, Mom, Carolyn, Nicole and Connor! My flight to London was fantastic, I am pretty sure that the guy who sat next to me and I were the only two Americans on the plane. EVERYONE was British and it was such a fun experience. I was served a "gourmet" meal, and a plastic teacup for dinner while I ascended to one the largest airports in the World, Heathrow London!
An Irishmen that I had met on my flight walked me all the way through customs in London (Thank Goodness! I still have zero sense of direction) and personally escorted me to my gate after taking both a tram and a bus to find the correct terminal. My flight to Ireland was just an hour in a huge plane with only twenty people on board. The flight attendant asked me what I wanted to drink and he talked so fast with such a thick accent I had to ask him to repeat himself a few times! He started to make fun of me, it was a good time.
When we finally lifted our tray tables, straightened our seats, I glanced out the window to one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. It was covered in green, rows and rows of trees, fields and meadows, and one odd grey patch (aka where I landed, Shannon)! I am staying the night in a little hotel right outside the airport where I have unbelievable jet lag (even though I purposely didn't sleep on the plane) and have face-timed my family multiple times letting them know I made it!
I am going to try and catch some sleep (not likely) because tomorrow I wake up and take a bus to my city, Galway! I can't wait to meet my group of U.S traveller's who will be attending NUIG with me, and for all of the great memories to be made this semester.
Until Next Time,
Lex