Erin Gets Adjusted to Ireland

Hey Everyone,

So since my internet is a bit unstable at the moment ie. I have no internet at my apartment, I decided to create a blog so people (if they want) can follow how I am doing in Ireland. Please feel no obligation to read but figured this might be an easy way to keep in touch.

I've been in Cork now for about a week. It's a neat city. I'm pretty close to the school and a little walk to the city center. I live on top of a hill and have to go down to get anywhere so my time in Ireland is quickly becoming Operation 2010: Calves of Steel.

The week has been spent getting set up and figuring out my way around the city. For example, I learned how quickly I enjoy hot showers when I didn't have hot water for a few days but that has now been resolved. The campus is very pretty. My roommate Maria says the quadrangle looks like somewhere you would play Quidditch. I have to agree with her. A lot of flowers, and trees and old gothic buildings.

The weather has been alright. Pretty typical Irish weather which means it will rain during the day, but you never are exactly sure when. Wonderful thing about Ireland is there is a pub approximately every fifteen feet. I was lost and caught in a downpour one of the first days I was here, so I went into a pub until the storm blew over. All was good until I saw a mirror and realized I looked similar to a drowned rat. Turns out I can't pull off the drowned rat look but I did enjoy that stout.

I have two roommates so far, one from Spain, the other from Montreal. I should be getting one more. Both are very nice so so far, so good.

I took a couple of day trips through the International Education Office. One to Kinsale (the gourmet capital of Ireland) and the other one to Cobh (last port of call for the Titanic). Both neat little towns on the coast. Out of 50 some students on the tour, about five were American, five were from somewhere else and the rest were French or German. I had tried to learn some French before I came from an old travel tape, but somehow the sentence of knowing how to order bread or croissant for breakfast did not come up in conversation with the other French students. Shocking, I know. The students were nice even though I got a lot of blank stares and nods when I would speak and then a couple of minutes later, "I'm sorry but I don't understand." One girl said she was ready to go back to her apartment, and I said "long day?" She heard "one day" however, and responded that it was going to be "this day, after she got on the bus."

There are five television channels. One is in Gaelic except for random showings of Judge Judy, Friends or "Cheaper By the Dozen" A few are all news or sports and one features just music videos. I didn't realize that Katy Perry was so big over here. Not many people know Philadelphia. One guy knew it because Will Smith was from there, a couple of people know it because it is in the Eastern Conference for NBA. No one has been there but a few have been to New York or Boston. It's kinda funny because I read about the Bruins playing a game in Ireland and being described as "the premier world famous Boston Bruins" which they are, but I got a little laugh when I think about how Philly beat them in the playoffs.

Anyway I should probably sign off for today but just wanted to keep people updated on how I am doing. Hope everyone is well back in the States!