Galway Girl: The Perks of Being a Tourist

Let it be stated, once again, that I am not very good at keeping journals/blogs. I am going to sincerely try to update this about every week. I can already tell you I won’t have any flowering prose or well crafted paragraphs. I’ll just give blurbs about what I’ve been up to and leave it be (that way I’ll actually write them). [[Fair warning: this entry may be a bit longer because I've been doing a lot this week. I will not be offended if you decide not to read all of it (nor will I know)]] :).

This week my parents made a stop in Galway on their Ireland-tour. It was really, really wonderful* (insert warm-homey adjective here*) to see them and my Aunt and Uncle Tuesday night and spend the day together on Wednesday. I skipped my History lecture (which probably wasn’t a great idea) and my Archeology lecture (which doesn’t matter), stowed away on their tour bus, and headed off to the Aran Islands with them. I was excited to see my first glimpse of the Connemara as we drove through on the way to the ferry (and of course- to hang out with my parents). Once we arrived at Inishmore (one of the three Aran Islands) the sun came out in all of it’s glory. The weather was absolutely perfect. The Irish landscape is stunning. It really is how it's depicted and described in works of art. The grass is about 20 different shades of green and there are little stone walls that separate fields. Here are some photos from Inishmore, I’ll probably put a lot more up on facebook when the mood strikes me.

I really love the stone walls here. Apparently thousands of years ago the landscape was all rock (specifically since the last Ice Age 11,000 years ago). So the farmers, to get the stone off the land, moved it all to the sides which later became territory dividers (aka fences).

Just a random shot showing the Island. Even though this is the biggest of the three Aran Islands- it was only 8 miles in diameter. Lots of people bike around here, but I don't envy them. Lots and lots of hills.

Not sure if this would even be legal in the States. There is no rope, no protective barrier. Just you and the sea. As the Irish say 'mind the wind'.

Shout-out to my Aunt and Uncle :)

Being tourists. :)

More stone walls that I'm obsessed with.

The ancient Seven Churches.

My mom almost being left behind. Typical.

There was such a feeling standing on the Earth looking out at the fields and the ocean- I don’t know how to describe it. It wasn’t exactly ‘peaceful’, although it was very calm and still. I’m not sure if ‘peaceful’ does the Irish land justice. Learning from the culture and from my classes starting around 700 (Viking invasion) the Irish have literally fought for every square inch of their land. Those ancient battles don’t seem so far away when you see thousands of ruins standing today alongside modern buildings. There is an ‘oldness’ to the land, something you don’t really glimpse back home unless you’re near mountains or deep in an old forest. There’s a vast stillness/power to those places that stand through time, and it humbles you. There is also grit to the land and the people. The weather and landscape of the West is harsh. People who live here are survivors. It is not some picturesque living-by-the-ocean-without-a-care-in-the-world type of place tourists assume it to be. And you can feel that in the energy of the place. I love it. But enough of a rant..

Back to business. When I said goodbye to my parents on Wednesday I got hit with my first real wave of homesickness. I was pretty sad for a little bit. But on Thursday I picked myself up and threw myself into school. I maybe was a bit too overzealous, but I have now signed up for: mountaineering club, surf club, kayaking club, skydiving club, international student society, the nothing much society, cooking society, organic gardening society, archeology society, film society, and the trad music society. Woo! Don’t worry, I won’t be going to all of them- ha. I am excited to start getting into school (like a true nerd) :).

Things in Galway (as the Irish say) have been grand and I've been having the craic. I'm meeting lots of people- mainly international students. I think there is a deeply ingrained security in befriending people from your home culture, but where's the challenge in that? And now that I feel more secure in having friends and people to go out with I am spending more time on my own. Sometimes I really love being by myself and doing things by myself (but only when I have the knowledge that I have friends I could hang out with if I wanted to). I like wandering around, eating at cafes, finding bookstores (I think I've found all of them in Galway), or just sitting by the river all on my own. Here are some pictures I took with my iPhone around and about.

Sums up my experience of my first Irish-club experience perfectly. Started off a relaxed Tuesday- having a couple of pints in The Kings Head- chatting and meeting lots of people. Night ends up at a dancing club with lots of people, doing some brightly colored shots, and a little blurry (but don't worry caring parents- nothing too crazy). :)

The fourteen original tribes of Galway.

Soaking up some sunshine and caffeine by the River Corrib.

The famous Spanish Arch that's been left untouched since 1584.

I am starting to really feel at home walking around the streets of Galway.

The answer is yes. There are little old men in pubs everywhere wearing these kinds of hats and trying to flirt with you. Just the way it is.

I’m already losing my steam for writing all of this, so I’ll keep it short. I really wanted to explore outside of Galway this weekend. My roommate Elles in is Cork with some German friends, so I texted Erika to see what she was up to. So that's how I ended up along with Erika, her two roommates (Chloe and Teresa), and her boyfriend (Doug) touring the Cliffs of Moher and The Burren today. Needless to say it was awesome. I'll probably come back and edit this to be a little more descriptive- but here are a couple of shots.

A fairy fort.

I can completely understand how this landscape gave rise to mythology about leprechauns and the fairy folk with the quiet soft rainfall and mystical green-ness.