Tiger Woods is not the only American feeling defeated in Ireland these past few days. I think that I will need to grow webbed feet if I am going to survive the rest of the year in Western Ireland. Last week, Mother Nature plagued Galway with unrelenting rain storms and high winds. After losing two umbrellas to the wind, I adopted a fashionable school uniform comprised of rain pants, a rain coat, and rubber boots. Needless to say, I look very sexy cycling to school in the rain. Many thanks to a good friend for offering to send me an umbrella hat. I think that will complete my new look. It is amazing how significantly the weather can affect one’s mood. This past week I have been frustrated and overwhelmed with the study of modern economics – a.k.a. The study of advanced mathematics. I am having nightmares about production functions, proofs, and vector spaces! At least the weather encourages me to stay indoors and study. By Friday afternoon, however, Mother Nature redeemed herself by producing sunshine and warm temperatures for the rest of the weekend. I used the time away from school to bond with new friends. We took in a rugby match on Friday night, and surfed in County Clare on Saturday. The weather may sometimes drown my spirit, but the luminous greens and afternoons spent with good friends more than console me for the webbed feet that I will need to grow. Despite all the drudgery and cynicism, we still live in a beautiful world. I am aware that I have already failed to keep my promise to update my site every week. Many thanks to all of you who have reminded me! Now that I have figured out a more efficient way to post photos on my site, I should be on track to update it every Monday morning. On Mondays I will report on the previous week, rather than give future plans. My weekend plans seem to change ten times a day since there is so much that I want to do and see while I am living in Ireland. Besides, I now realize how wise a good friend was when he told me that the best way to make God laugh is to tell him your plans! I have finally settled into a 'normal' life in my new environment now that all of the initial registration and adjustment seems to be complete. I am trying to maintain a healthy routine during the week that includes frequent stops at the library and the gym. We will see how long this balanced lifestyle lasts as it falls on my 'to do' list just under 'run a marathon' and "become a morning person!' My weekends have been, and I hope will continue to be, more exciting. The weekend highlight of the past ten days has been a day trip to the Aran Island of Inishmor. The island is probably most renowned as the birth place of the Aran Sweater, a sweater which was first used by the island fishermen. The different stitches, which were invented by generations of island women, all have meanings and each family had their own individual design to distinguish their sweaters. I visited the Aran Sweater Market on the island where I learned the origins and development of the Aran Sweater, and I saw a demonstration of how they are made. The rest of my trip to the island was spent exploring stone forts and ancient archaeological treasures with my newfound friend Gwen. Gwen brought a heightened understanding to our excursion because she is an archeology student at the University of Pennsylvania. She previously studied the ruins we were exploring, so she was able to explain them to me. You can find photographs of our adventure in my Photo Album. The other highlight of the past ten days is that my cat, Cooper, celebrated his first birthday (actually the date that I adopted him because we don't know his true birth date)! In my absence, my family celebrated Cooper's special day with party hats and his favorite toys - nail files and rubber bands. Sounds like a wild time! Please feel free to browse photos of Cooper and indulge his neurotic mother by gushing over him (smile). As always, many thanks to all who have sent kind greetings and American gossip. It is a pleasure to hear from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. I hope you are all well, and I will be in touch soon. XOXO. The last few days have been a blur of activity, but during this time I have already fallen in love with Ireland. Lonely Planet accurately describes Ireland as encompassing a landscape that has a mythic resonance, a history that is almost tangible, and people who seem put on earth expressly to restore faith in humanity. I cannot imagine a better place to live and learn for the next year, and I am unspeakably grateful to the Rotary Foundation for giving me the opportunity to do just that. I arrived in Galway one week ago. In less than 24 hours, I managed to find a lovely sea-side cottage to rent for the year thanks to a wee bit of Irish luck. In the midst of trying to settle into my new surroundings, I started classes at the National University of Ireland ("NUIG"). I am studying towards a masters degree in economics, which I think will be quite a challenge. I have not studied mathematics or economics since my sophomore year of college, so I may actually look forward to returning to law school at the end of this year! However, I realize that these are good problems to have. The University has rolled out the red carpet to welcome their favorite American student - Not me, Martin Sheen! While I am not a fan of The West Wing, I must admit that the buzz surrounding Sheen's arrival in Galway has been exciting. Sheen, however, is not the only American "President" making headlines in Ireland. As an American in Europe, I have already been engaged in heated conversations regarding American foreign policy and Mr. Bush's leadership. While such conversations can be awkward with strangers, I think this type of informal interaction will prove valuable to my education. There is a bronze statue of one of Ireland's most famous sons, Oscar Wilde, in the Galway city center. A plaque on the statue reads, "It is only by contact...with foreign nations that...[one] gains that individual and separate life that we call nationality." I look forward to many more opportunities to debate and explore my values and beliefs as an American abroad. On the topic of education, I have already learned quite a lot from the Irish. My local Rotary connections already taught me how to select and enjoy the perfect pint of Guinness, as well as how to properly eat raw oysters. I plan to follow-up on these important lessons tonight when my new University friends and I kick-off oyster season in Galway County at the Clarenbridge Oyster Festival. I classify this part of my education as valuable life skills (smile). After a week filled with frustrating chores such as immigration and university registration, I am looking forward to more fun endeavors and tonight's festival should prove a good starting point. After all, such undertakings are necessary in order to provide interesting material for my weekly journal entries. With that thought, let the fun begin..! Return to Journal |
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