Even though I fell in love with Iceland and will definitely be making a return trip, we still had another 3 months to go in Ireland! We left Reykjavik early Thursday morning and skedaddled into Dublin. We met up with another one of our study abroad pals in the airport and took a bus into the city center. After learning that public transportation and suitcases don’t mix, we finally made it to our Airbnb. Our area of Dublin was a little bit outside the city center in a more residential neighborhood. We walked into the city center to get better acquainted with the city where we found some waterproof coats and Dan got a new guitar! We took our time and went sightseeing a little but didn’t want to ruin anything for our upcoming class trip to Dublin the next week.
We left Dublin Sunday morning on the GoBus headed directly from Dublin to Galway and used Bus Eireann 424 to get to Park Lodge. We quickly found our fellow Nebraskans and set to the task of settling into our new homes. Here at Park Lodge, we have the most charming, little cottages. I get to share mine with Lex and Nicole so each of us get our own room! Bringing pictures to personalize my space was absolutely the right move; I love being surrounded by my people, even when they’re 4,000 miles away.
Our cottages have small fireplaces in the living room area that heat most of the house. Electricity is a hot commodity, so we attempt to use as little electricity as possible. We’ve already run out of our allotted amount twice now, oops. When it happens, the whole house just shuts down until you feed more coins into the unit. Having limited electricity like this has definitely made us all aware of how much we’re using; we unplug and turn off the outlet as soon as we’re done using something. A big switch for me was how I previously would charge my phone and computer overnight but doing so here would waste energy. I’ve adapted to being ok with my electronics not being fully charged all the time. Plus, I haven’t gotten a SIM card for my phone so I’ve just been using Wi-Fi. Without Wi-Fi, my phone is a glorified camera that doesn’t require much energy at all.
Having lived in Nebraska my whole life, an entirely landlocked area, moving to a place where the ocean is in the front yard is a dream. I saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time just last fall and the Atlantic for the first time in Iceland. We’ve spent a lot of time exploring the rocky beaches while admiring the powerful waves of the Atlantic. The weather is a little wonky, going from sunshine and warmth to intense 2-minute hail, to a downpour and the cycle begins again. We’ve been told we came here in the midst of the stormy season, and this year is especially cold.
On Thursday, we were spared from the moody weather and had a truly beautiful day. After class, we took the bus into Galway together for a walking tour about the founding of the town and medieval history. The core of the original town is still evident, including parts of the walls that once surrounded it, protecting it from invaders as well as keeping the native Irish out of the town while occupied by the English. We then spent the evening exploring more of Galway with the local college students during Rag Week!
One thing I was really looking forward to in Ireland was the free time. At home, I often felt that I was constantly running from one thing to another, never fully present or completely finished with everything that needed to be done. Even my “free time” never felt fully my own; there was always something to do or to work on. When there wasn’t something to do, that almost stressed me out more than having things to do. Here, I don’t feel that. Before or after classes, the day is mine to do with as I please. Thus far, I’ve filled the days with beach exploration, napping, journaling, embroidery, reading, and time in Spiddal.
UNK students have been coming here for quite a number of years at this point and the local people seem very happy to have us back. On one of our trips to Spiddal, we stopped at the Spidall Craft Village and Cafe. This village has a number of workshops and gift shops to peruse. It isn’t quite their peek tourist season so many of the crafters were gone on vacation. However, we got to meet Eric! He is a jewelry designer in the village and was so happy to have people visit him during their off season. So happy, in fact, that he gave all of us a snazzy new keychain FOR FREE! I’m excited to be meeting more of the locals as the trip continues.
We’ll be heading back to Dublin next week for our first class trip! From here on out, I have a feeling that time is going to zip by us faster than we think.
And She's Everywhere 