Wait, a study abroad trip involves studying?

With all the fun we've been having around Ireland, reality is about to set in as we take finals :/
Ethics final is on Wednesday, but first we need to survive an Irish language final on Tuesday at Waterford Institute of Technology. This past weekend, most of us have been trying to speak Gaelic to prepare ourselves for this test. The professor will be testing us on everything possible. Sections if the test include language comprehension (a conversation in Irish in front of the professor and then answering random questions he asks you in Irish), writing an essay entirely in Irish, spelling what he reads off, and so much more. With only 6 classes to learn all this, it's definitely going to be tough

Wish me luck!
(And yes, I did write this just to procrastinate studying)

Weekend in the West

Our weekend in the west has come and, unfortunately, gone. This was our chance to get a tour of the "real Ireland" and see a side of the country that most of us had never been to before. 

Like all of our trips, we were up bright and early on Friday to board out bus. On the way to Galway, we stopped at Cashel and had a chance to take some pictures. 

After Cashel, we went to the site I had been dying to see since I arrived.... The Cliffs of Moher!! We were extraordinary fortunate with the sunny weather; however the typical coast line winds were there as promised. The cliffs were an absolutely breath taking view! Just standing at the top of them made me feel so little as we looked out onto the Atlantic Ocean. 

Next stop on our trip was Poulnabrone where we learned how dogs are used to herd sheep. The dogs are trained to bite the sheep in the butt, so that they are afraid of the dog. The dog can then run in a semi-circle behind the sheep, making them go in any direction which he pleases. To make it even more practical, the header trains the dog with a whistle... Certain sounds will tell the dog whether to run left, right, straight, or stop. The whistle can even make the dog run with the sheep or walk. 
The owner then demonstrated this! It was so cool to see how just by simply blowing a whistle, he could control anywhere that the sheep went in the giant field!
I also got to pet a sheep... Strange Ireland goal accomplished!

After the long day, it was finally time to get to the city of Galway and check into our hostel. We got our crazy 10 person room and then enjoyed a wonderful dinner cooked by Carmel (Tom Keith's wife) and her daughters. I cannot thank them enough for taking the time to make us a home cooked meal!!

Before we all went to sleep, we had some exploring to do in Galway! A few of us found a traditional Irish pub and enjoyed the live band. It was a great end to an awesome day!!

Saturday was spent entirely on the Aran Islands! (Blogged about in previous post)

Sunday was the last day of our trip. It wouldn’t be a complete Tom Keith tour, however, if we didn’t tour any castles! We left Galway early in the morning and drove to the Athenry Medieval Town where we toured the castle and went to Mass. After that, we concluded our trip with a stop at the Bunratty Castle. It was such an amazing weekend, but I’m glad to be back in little Dungarvan J

The Aran Islands

This past Saturday, the Mercyhurst students spend the day on the Aran Islands! To be honest, I had never even heard of these islands before our trip, but I was pleasantly surprised at what I saw when we arrived!

It took a 45 min ferry from Galway to get to one of the three Aran Islands. Once we arrived,we grabbed some food at a pub and ten started our adventure! 7 of my friends and I took a guided your to see all of the island. Below are a few facts about the main Aran Island itself:

- 9 miles from Galway

- 9 miles long
- 2 miles wide
- 800 residents

- the Islanders use the Irish language everyday
- 3 churches (but only 1 priest)

Since the island is so small, we were able to see just about the entire island. A few sites included seeing seals, horses, a lighthouse, old church and graveyard, a cliffs. The cliffs were definitely my favorite part. The driver dropped us off and we had to hike up a huge hill until we couldn't go any further! The view was breathtaking!

I am so glad the school took us to this place!! There's no way I would have found it on my own, and it was an experience that cannot be missed! This island was different from any town or village I've ever seen before. With such a small population, there's no crime and everyone knows each other. It was nice to see such a small community where everyone is looking out for one another!

The Blarney Stone

I have officially checked off the number 1 item of my bucket list..... KISS THE BLARNEY STONE!

Saturday, April 20, my four friends and I took a bus from Dungarvan to Cork. We explored Ireland's second largest city and did tons of shopping! The center of the city is filled of endless streets of stores, farmer's markets, and entertainment. We were fortunate enough to have beautiful weather, so we walked around and checked out the local shops.

After the city center, the five of us took another bus to get to the Blarney Castle. I have always wanted to kiss the Blarney Stone, so I was literally jumping up and down once we arrived! I practically ran up the 120 spiral staircase to get to the top and was the first to kiss the stone! With all the adrenaline I had, I wasn't even a little bit nervous! I laid down on my back, leaned my head over the edge, and gave the stone one giant kiss! Now I have the "Gift of Gab" =D

Once the five of us kissed the Stone, we ran around the gardens and found beautiful spots to take some pictures. The Castle is surrounded by flowers and little paths through the woods. We climbed down to a river and just had fun checking out the area on our own.

An hour or so later, the gardens closed down so we headed off to dinner! Near the Castle there was a huge Irish pub where we enjoyed traditional Irish food and beer. That same pub had live music at night which we all loved! The band played Irish music for hours and everyone in the pub was dancing! To make the pub experience even better, we were the only tourists there! All the locals LOVED our accents and were amazed that we were from America. We spent the whole night talking to each other and enjoying the atmosphere!

Leaving my footprint in Ireland

After a long day studying at WIT yesterday, my roommate and I decided to take advantage of the nice weather and bike to the beach! We took the 12 mile route and then enjoyed some time on the beautiful sea side. The ride itself was great because the path went through literally every type of terrain! We rode through farm land, mountains, and a bridge over the sea. That was definitely the first bike ride I have ever taken when I saw cows, sheep, horses, and a peacock!

Once we made it to the beach, we climbed over rocks and simply enjoyed the cool, fresh breeze. It was one of the most relaxing moments I have had here! After we walked by the water, my roommate and I took some time out of our hectic schedules to just sit on rocks. It was the perfect view of the sea and the mountains!

Festival of Food!

Today was the famous Festival of Food in Dungarvan! I've never been to a food festival before, so I was not  sure what to expect... but I can easily say that the day surpassed all my expectations!

I headed over to the festival at 10am to volunteer for a two hour shift. A friend and I stood at garbage cans to remind people to recycle and make sure all garbage is thrown in the appropriate bin. After that, we received a free t shirt and lunch from the town!

Once our work was over, it was time to explore the festival! The entire town square was closed down to cars and was PACKED with tents of food vendors. My friends and I walked around for over an hour getting free samples and checking out the Irish food. It is really cool how the majority of the food here is grown locally. All of the fruit and vegetables are incredible fresh and the desserts are super tasty  I even had my first crepe today and loved it! As much as I miss American food, the food in Ireland is way better.

Waterford Tour

Yesterday was another one of the famous Tom Keith Tours! This time we headed to Waterford to see many of its well known sites

1. St. Augustine's College
The day began with a stop at St. Augustine's College in Dungarvan. The faculty here were so generous and gave us the traditional Irish welcome! We were all treated to a cup of tea with scones and fruit. They explained to us how the school system works in Ireland while a few of the students had breakfast with us. No matter how long I live here, I will still always be amazed by the hospitality we have received!

2. Waterford Crystal Factory
Next was the crystal factory! We took a tour and learned how the glass is made there- from blowing to cutting to the finishing. It was so interesting! I even get to hold a fireman's helmet that is being made custom for Mariano Rivera! All of the glass made here is beautiful... it is giving me motivation to somehow get rich so I can actually afford it

 

 

 


3. Waterford Museum of Treasures
A short walk across the street is the Museum of Treasures. This museum focused on medieval Waterford and had many artifacts from that time period. My favorite part was going into an underground wine cellar that was built in 1440! They also had an exhibit which held vestments from medieval times.

 

4. Dunbrody Famine Ship
The Dunbroady Famine Ship is a recreated ship of one used during the famine in Ireland. We were able to walk on it to see what life would have been like sailing across the Atlantic. The ship was much smaller than I would have imagined, and the living conditions were awful  It was extremely tight under the deck where the passengers would sleep and eat. There was also no bathrooms! I cannot even imagine the smell and disease that would have been in there. This tour was definitely an eye-opener.
Before we even got onto the boat, we were all given a "ticket" with a passengers name, I practically got chills when I saw that my surname was Rodgers, the same as my Grandpa! It was very strange!

 




5. Good Council College
The afternoon was spent at another College in New Ross. This school has very close ties with Mercyhurst because a lot of our international students attended. We were told we would be having dinner there, so I was expecting small sandwiches and a quick tour of the school. Instead, we walked into a cafeteria and we're served a three course meal! I was absolutely in shock at all the school did for us! In addition to the soup, chicken, and cake, they also gave each table two bottles of wine. The school went so out of their way for us and I am so appreciative of it!
We all had a very interesting experience, however, before we had our dinner. This is an all boys high school, so you can only imagine all the looks we got when 30 American girls stepped off a bus and walked across the campus! We were laughing so hard while these boys were standing up in classrooms to get a look and try and figure out who we were / why we were there!

6. John F. Kennedy Arboretum
The last stop of the day was the JFK Memorial in New Ross. This statue was set up in honor of JFK and to remember the speech he gave there only shortly before he was shot.