Aran Islands

We spent the day at the Aran Islands, an island chain consisting of three islands. The largest island is where we spent the day. Here it goes.

9AM, leaving the house for the tourist office to buy tickets (25euro) for bus and ferry ride roundtrip. Meet Mira's 3 friends from the English-language school they all attend. Must help them work on their English over the course of the day. I knew it'd be interesting.

Bus ride takes about 40 mins and is very bumpy. We can't see much due to fogged-up windows.
Get on the boat. Laura's fascinated by the sea and spends most of her time up top on the deck. I tried it for a few minutes but the wind and cold drive me back down into the warm seats and tvs. I tried to nap a bit (up late from night before) but the massive waves rocked the boat.

Off boat 10/10:30AM. Have until about 5 to get back to boat. Must find bathrooms (toliets, here) for girls. Wander around most of the town and finally reach small cafe who kindly let us. Most of the shops and resturants are closed due to the off-season. Their busiest times are July-September when they can get 2,500-3,000 people/day! We had around 100 and only because it was a very nice day. The ATM is broken so I'm broke. Hooray!

We were followed to the cafe by one of the buses from below (there to pick up tourists and take them around, they get kinda pushy). The driver's name was Berttie (short for Bartholemule sp?) and he offered to take us around for 7euro, much cheaper and warmer than walking or riding the bikes available. We got to see seals, the house from "The Matchmaker" (where they got near the old guy's house and get pelted with stones and it only stops because the guy can say "May I use the bathroom" in Gaelic), cows, cats (hooray=Laura), and seals. I found a lighthouse that looks just like the one Lands End uses for it's adverts. Tourism is the number one industry of the islands, but ag, fishing, and communications are also prosperous. I'm not sure how much agriculture you can do on some of those plots of land. Not only is the soil rocky, but some of the plots are extremely small. Everything is sectioned off by rock walls. If you lined up all those walls together, they could make it to the States and back! We saw the Seven Churches, old ruins with a cemetary still in use after 100s of years. All of the crosses/headstones face east to Jerusalem, or heaven/paradise to the islanders. They are starting to make this a custom in mainland Ireland. Some houses currently in use have thatch roofs...amazing. The island didn't even get electricity until 1975. AT&T had a communications workhouse there but moved when it got too expensive to ship off of the island. It's currently used to teach people about computers.

We were dropped off at an old fort that overlooks the ocean called Dun Aengus. It's a long long drop to the rocky shores below! The color of the ocean was an amazing blue there though. Laura was mesmerized. I was blown about by the strong winds. The entire island is constant wind, but I'd never really felt wind like that! We ate the packed lunch there and a good thing too because we needed energy for the climb. Laura and I tried to find "homes" for everyone, and Dun Aengus was mine. It's truly amazing. I ended up buying 1/4 of a skein of purple woolen yarn which I intend to learn knitting on so I can make myself a scarf. 6.50euro was a bit high, but I can always say it was from Aran Islands which are famous for their knitting and wool. We never saw a sheep though.

We got to go to the highest point on the islands, an inland lighthouse built in the 1800s that is no longer in use because it's too far inland (oops!). A few hundred yards behind it is a well-preserved round fort. It was locked off to visitors because it is the off season. In order to get near the lighthouse and fort you either climbed over an old rusty fence or around a stone wall. I chose the stone wall and didn't slip. Woo hoo! We didn't get to go into the fort (couldn't see an entrance in the outer wall to get any closer) but it was amazing. Decided this was Laura's new home. I got a little hovel near the outer wall...I feel so special :) Mira's house is a building attached to the lighthouse that the walls had fallen in.

We were picked up and taken to the last remaining bit of an old castle (a bit of wall not even 40 feet long) and dropped off to climb up a field (seriously, CLIMBED) to Europe's (and perhaps the world's) smallest chapel. Climbing there was a true pain in the bum....wonder how they got supplies there for the monk. The inside of the chapel wasn't bigger than a twin bed inside the deep stone walls. We decided this was Jessica's new home even though she couldn't make it. The walls of a house (about the same size as the chapel) were a few feet away. I can't imagine living up there and the house had no windows! We would've stayed longer but it started to drizzle and our blue skies had been chased away by dark clouds.

We ended up walking to town since we had paid our driver and said we didn't need a ride back. After that climb a ride would've been great. We got company with a few friendly dogs. We stopped at a beach on the way and picked up shells (I'm going to use them for a frame although a couple have holes that are perfect for necklaces). Made it to town were Laura and I went into the famous Wool shop - I would've gotten something but the prices were extremely high (the zip-up with a hood was 69.95euro!). We got great hot chocolate back at the same cafe and then headed for the boat. Thank goodness we were early because it left right at 5PM. It was dark by then, so I decided to nap. I was so confused when were got there because there was land...I honestly thought we hadn't left the islands! Unfortunantly the bus wasn't there so we had to wait 10 mins in the cold. At least it wasn't windy!

Back to Ros Geal by 7PM (hooray for the late dinner). I loaded pictures on my computer and started to label them. Watched "Les Choristes" - a French film with English subtitles about a teacher at a troubled boys school who tames them through music. Highly recommend. We watched the "Making of" featurette which turned out to be just about as long as the movie. Great to see the kids talk and that the bad guys really had a hard time being bad.

Came upstairs to read my e-mails...I got three nice long ones from Caroline, Taffy (who has broken her ankle so Preston's at her mom's while she recovers), and Mom (asking me where I am.....she was going to call me!). Finished labeling my pictures and am now writing this.
Oh, before I forget, the numbers from the Aran Islands:
1 doctor
1 High school
1 Language school for mainland children to learn Gaelic in the summer
2 languages in daily use
3 primary schools
3 churches
3 cemetaries
3 islands
800 people
and 6 bars

Yep, more bars than churches. Makes me feel not so bad about Darlington, where the number's just about even!

Friday night we went out to a pub, Monroe's, for pizza and Irish music....really fun. I didn't have classes on Friday (since it hasn't started yet, next week) so I slept in until 11AM and then finished off a book called "The Silent People" that our priest lent me. His father wrote it and it's really good. It follows an ordinary man through O'Connell's rise to Parliment and the Great Famine. Also about an amazing love between the man and his well-born Protestant turned Catholic schoolteacher wife. Sigh. I am going to borrow the third book, which actually is about a time period we are currently studying in class. He spent years researching the history behind each book so they are so historically accurate that no historian could find fault. He put a lot of his life (and own wife) into his trilogy. I learned this from Fr. Macken tonight at confession (along with discussing the Aran Islands and ritual in Catholicism). And they are fun to read.

Thursday night was Elaine's (from Ros Geal) going away party. She's heading off to Austrailia for a year so we had a big ol' celebration for her with her friends. I ended up leaving early so I could call Alissa...sooo good to hear a friendly voice! She'll be back in school soon so I won't have to rack up minutes on her cell - always a good thing when calling internationally! The rest you know. I'll put up pictures maybe later today, but as it is 2AM I'm going to call it a morning. Must be up later in order to go to mass (for I'm going to try and be a better Catholic). Don't want to break my confessing in the first 24 hours!

Lots and lots of love, Christi

Well, it's almost 2AM

Tired but happy

I found out that I've gotten another class I really want to take today (#1 on the list!). Still can't decide which classes I'm going to take though. I have until next Wednesday to decide, because that's when the English seminar sign-up happens. If I can't get into the Jane Austen course then I'll know. And I'll have Mondays off. We'll see.

I broke down and bought some more shirts today. You know how people say they brought too much clothing with them when they go places? Guess I brought too few, because I run out of clothes before washing day. This week is especially stressful because the laundry person is sick so either I wash my own clothes (and be off the wash cycle again) or wait until she's better. My shirt stash will now hold (thanks to Penny's, one of the cheapest places for ANYTHING in Galway), but now there's everything else to worry about!

I'm going to be taking donations for a clothing fundraiser to help me wear something other than pjs to class tomorrow. You know where to send the donations to :)

Oh, and I'm trying to adopt a plant. The girls suggested I take the one downstairs by the payphone. Thing is...it's kinda dead. And crispy. Hahahahaha...funny joke chicas! I found a really cool plant but I know if I got it I'd want to take it back to the States...a big no-no. Oh well, there must be something I can find!

Lots of love, Christi

Hello from the windy city...

...and I'm not talking Chicago. A few gusts there really almost had me off my feet. One lady (who brings her daughter to Ros Geal for piano lessons) said she made her young son hold her hand outside the whole time for fear that he would be blown away. I kid you not. Apparently when her oldest son (now at NUI Galway) was about this son's age, the wind did actually knock him off his feet and blew him a few meters away. Luckily they were in their backyard at the time!

Not much happening around here. Since we've got two weeks to decide what classes we are taking my days are busy deciding. I'm torn between a Jane Austen lit class and an American history course. Otherwise my mind's pretty much made up. It helped that I'm (almost-must be ok'ed) taking this seminar (= 2 classes) on Slavery... in the American South class. The professor was upset that no one had e-mailed him before class today, but as we were instructed to show up that's what 4 of us visiting students did. Unfortunantly there are only 2 open spots, but with 6 NUI students missing, perhaps it will be possible for us to get in after all. One of the Americans is thinking of dropping it anyway, which would make it easier for the rest of us, but he did sound excited about the course so I tried to encourage him to stick with it. The biggest thing is the 7,500 word essay final that is most of our grade due May 15th, but I've heard it through the grapevine that he's a generous grader. Also heard that he's not to keen on Americans. Will work to change his mind and get my good grade. This means that I won't be taking the Great Famine course with the UW professor, but I figure that I'll take one of his seminars (the last thing I have to do for my History major) when I get back. Other than that, the rest of the semester depends on my Poli Sci course schedule (handed in yesterday, posted on which classes I'm taking on Thursday) and if I do the Jane Austen course (I'll probably have to be at the library a couple of hours before scheduling begins in order to get NEAR the front of the line!). Hopefully all will work out.

Wish I could be at home to take care of Mom, who hurt herself lifting (mostly my) boxes. I hope you feel better soon, Moogie!

Well, it may be 6PM CST, but it's midnight here and time for bed. I've got to get up early while everyone's at mass and see if my laundry got done. Boy I sure hope so! I'm probably going to head into town tomorrow (if the weather's not as it was today) to some of the "cheaper" shops and see if I can't find a couple more shirts to tide me over until spring. There are some good sales on so I should be able to find something I can afford.....fingers crossed.

Below are some pictures from our walking tour and postcard party on Saturday.

Lots of love, Christi

Alive and happy here at Ros Geal. Me and Mr. B. Bear are chilling in my room while making postcards for family and friends. Unfortunantly I got glue on my nice pants and Mr. Bear was no help in actually making the cards! We are both happy here in Galway, despite the damp cold and crazy wind! I think he likes it because he just lays in bed all day!!! 

Yep, that is a Wisconsin shirt in a shop downtown in Galway. On sale for only 60 euros (approx $75)! I think I'll stick to my Steve and Barry's $7.50 shirts. 

This is my friend Laura. She's a chem major at Truman University in Missouri. We've discovered that it's much cheaper to take brochures from the various departments on campus and use them to make our own postcards rather than by them in town at the shop. Here she is with two of her creations! 

This is my friend Jessica from Alaska in front of her dream house. It is an old fishery outpost. The person on watch would look for the salmon heading upstream and send out nets to catch them. Actually it's a fishing museum now, but think of a kitchen downstairs, living room in the middle, and a bedroom on the top! 

This is Mark, a math major and chem minor from Truman University in Missouri. He's from Illionis though. Met him through Laura and I always seem to see him around campus, especially in the Concourse. Of course it's never hard to find him. He's 6'4" and therefore very easy to find in a crowd! 

A few pictures of my room to kinda show off how big it is. From front left looking at right back at messy computer area 

A few pictures of my room to kinda show off how big it is. From right-hand back corner to front left corner and fire-escape door 

Yes, there are palm trees in Ireland. The Cathedral is in the background- about 3 blocks from our house 

A few pictures of my room to kinda show off how big it is. This is what you see when coming in the door