Sunday, December 18, 2016

Kilkenny and Unforgiving Winds.

I give Carrie Bradshaw props for being able to keep a daily blog/article/column, whatever she does. Keeping a blog up-to-date is a lot harder than it seems. When you are out and about exploring, adventuring writing your blog is the last thing on your mind. Anyways, Kilkenny was a trip I went on with the International Society WAYYYYYY back at the beginning of November. It was also the last overnight trip hosted by the International Society.
International Group for Kilkenny trip!
Kilkenny is a medieval town located in the southeast region of Ireland. When you arrive in Kilkenny you can feel the history the surrounds the town. The itinerary for this trip included: Kilkenny Castle, Rock of Cashel, Smithwick's Brewery, and the Dunmore Caves. 

Day One: Smithwick's Brewery & Kilkenny Castle 

Our hostel was in a prime location only about a two minute walk from Smithwick's Brewery which happened to be the first stop of our day. Smithwick's Brewery is Ireland's oldest operating Brewery and was founded by John Smithwick. 

Smithwick's gives you a "hands on" experience. We are lead through the history of the brewery and then through the process of creating the different brews Smithwick's has! We even had a chance to taste the grain before it finished the process of becoming the delicious Smithwick's ale. I do have to say, it's a taste I hope I will never taste again. Near the end of the tour we got a glimpse of the 'secret' ingredient which was placed and locked behind thick glass, suspended in the middle by wires. Once the tour was finished each person was given a complimentary pint of Smithwick's.
The 'secret' ingredient. 
 They has three choices to choose from: The original Smithwick's, Blonde Ale, or a Pale ale. I obviously had to stick with the original, I felt that going with that one gave the most authentic feel to the whole experience.

Our selections of a free pint!
Kilkenny Castle was our second and final stop for today's adventures! This again was only a 10 minutes walk TOPS from out hostel. It was so strange seeing this large castle in the center of the city, just chilling, locals walking by like it was nothing. Then there out huge tourist group oohing and aweing at it. 


This castle was built in 1195 to help with protecting passage through the river channel nearby. We were given a semi guided tour through this castle. I say semi because our group was so large us who got stuck in the back could not hear everything clearly or fully. A few of us broke of and decided to just explore on our own and read all the plaques to understand the history of the castle.
Outside view of Kilkenny Castle.

After the castle tour we were given the rest of the day to explore and do whatever else we wanted around town. A group of us girls decided to get a reservation at a thai place and have a nice sit down dinner with good food! One I don't see too often because I am a poor excuse for a cook, although I have improved since September. It was a cool experience to sit around a table with 10 other people from around the world, at a thai restaurant in Ireland... an eye-opening experience to sat the least. 

Day two: Dunmore Caves & Rock of Cashel

The second day was by far the coldest day I have experienced in Ireland. The wind was an unforgiving force and lucky for us all of the scheduled stops were outdoors. Today's plan included the Rock of Cashel and Dunmore Caves. 

Dunmore Caves were our first stop and I can't explain how breathtaking they were. Although on the way down I did have some flashbacks to 127 hours, praying none of us would have a similar fate. These caves were insane!
Entrance to Dunmore Caves.

The group of people that established their village around these caves used them as a hiding spot from Vikings, our tour guide told us. When the vikings came to attack the villagers retreated into the caves torched their light sources (which were torches ha) and hid deep inside. The vikings be unfamiliar could not find any of the villages. However, being the ruthless vikings they were a new plan was hatched. Instead of executing the villagers themselves they would fill the caves with smoke eventually smothering the villagers to death. 

Even to this day vikings coins can be found in the caves that were probably lost during battle or an exploration of the caves.
The descent into the caves :O. 
At the very end of the cave tour our tour guide told us to stand still and she was going to turn off of the lights. It was probably the eeriest feeling I've felt. We all stood motionless and silent in the dark for a good minute or two. It gave a real since of what the villagers who too refuge in the caves felt as they awaited their unescapable doom.  

Rock of Cashel would have been a beautiful, rich part of history I wish I could have been more grateful for but the wind tarnished it for almost everyone. No one could keep war, being up on a huge hill with no protection from the piercing wind. Thankfully, our guide kept it short and sweet, I honestly felt he was just as cold as us and probably wondered if his job was worth it.....
Rock Of Cashel 

Just a random cool photo outside of Rock of Cashel.










Monday, November 14, 2016

Just a wannabe Galway Girl.

Whoops. 

So much has been going on that writing this blog, honestly, was the last thing on my mind. Which I guess is a good thing, means I am taking full advantage of my limited time in Ireland and exploring as much as I can.

Since my last post I have gone on a few trips with the International Student Society (ISS) and celebrated Halloween.
Galway trip 2k16


October 21st-24th, 2016: Overnight trip to Galway.

Out of all the places I have traveled to Galway is one of my favorite if not my favorite. I am not sure if it was the group of people I went with, the activities planned, or that it was the first trip I went on but I fell in love with Galway. I told everyone if I ever made it back to Ireland to visit Galway would be the city I go to. We left CIT on Friday and started our 3 hour drive to Galway, making one bathroom break at castle. It's weird to say so nonchalantly that a bathroom break was taking at a castle, that's Europe for you though.

Day 1 Friday: We arrived at Galway around 7:00pm and had a bar crawl organized for all of us. Due to the large amount of students on this trip we were split into two teams: Blue vs. Red. If we had a yellow team it could have been an impromptu Pokemon Go battle. We ended up going to 4 bars and one night club, which was American Themed. The Coyote were decked out in American flags and license plates from every state placed around the walls. Obviously, the Blue team won in the end.

Not a sight you would expect to see in Ireland. 
Day 2 Saturday: After a fun night out it was actually surprisingly easier to get up for an 9:00am bus departure when you have an amazing day planned ahead. I guess that's the cure to a hangover: have fun activities planned. The second day we drove through Connemara, visited Kylemore Abbey, and hiked through Connemara National Park.
One of the many breathtaking views.
Connemara was absolutely stunning, mesmerizing. You felt guilty taking your eyes off of the horizon to take photos. Seeing the landscape through a 4-inch screen does not do any justice for the natural beauty of Connemara. We drove through Connemara on our way to Kylemore Abbey.

Kylemore Abbey was another breathtaking place. This 'castle' was built by Mitchell Henry as a private home for his wife. After this trip you know every female is going to be comparing and searching for her Mitchell Henry; quite the standard to reach fellas. Not only did this estate hold a beautiful house but it also had a private garden and church.
The house a man gifted to his wife....


Day 3 Sunday: THE CLIFFS OF MOHER ! I still don't know the correct pronunciation of the Moher part but I do know this is my favorite place I have been to in all my travels. I'm getting ahead of myself though. Before out stop at the Cliffs of Moher we visited the most quaint island called Inis Oirr. This island is only reachable by plane or boat and the population is a staggering 250....
Inis Oirr, island of 250. 

The tractor gang: USA, Canada, France,
Holland, and Finland represent
I said the whole time we were at this island that I would move there. I loved the closeness and simplicity you could feel while roaming the streets and taking in the sites. The island had a small grocery store, school, hotel, and bar; really what else do you need? The only downfall would probably be the strong, unforgiving winds. We spent a few hours touring the island in whatever way you wanted to. Some walked others opted for biking, some others and I decided on taking a tractor ride. The trait of laziness was definitely prominent when this decision was made. After touring the town we all boarded the ferry and headed towards the Cliffs of Moher, seeing them from the bottom and then driving to the top.
Even growing up in Maine did not prepare me for this boat ride.
Describing the Cliffs of Moher and portraying the beauty I think is unachievable at least for me, maybe Mark Twain, Ernst Hemingway, or even Dr. Seuss may be able to think up a cool rhyming book to describe it, but I can't. Cliffs of Moher was the #1 attraction I wanted to see during my time in Ireland. I looked up photos on the internet and sent them to my family with the reply "what's so cool about them?" Which I guess is an appropriate reaction, they are just cliffs after all. But once you are standing on the edge looking down at the waves crashing, the ragged cliff face, or just the massiveness of the cliffs you're opinion will change forever. The Cliffs of Moher is one thing that you can't truly appreciate until you are there in person.
Boat view of Cliffs of Moher
Just living life on the edge.
There were no guardrails.


This trip will probably be the highlight of my trip here. I can confidently say that I will most likely return to Ireland hopefully with friends or family and take them to Galway.

Halloween

Halloween ended up being a two-night celebration. It started off with a pub crawl organized by the International Student Society, which also involved the competition of two teams supplied with tasked to finish through the night with predetermined points.
Halloween night one. 
The pub crawl was my first actual time experiencing the nightlife in Cork, which is totally different from Bangor, Maine. The diversity between bars/clubs is amazing, there is something for every type of taste you can dream of. It's also always nice to hangout with the other International students, everyone is here away from home experiencing Ireland for the first time. It's always easier to relate and talk to others going through the same thing as you so even if you are shy hanging out with the International Students is by far the most easy going/ carefree attitude of people I have ever met. We all com from all around the world: USA, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Spain, Austria, yet we all have the similarity of being foreigners in Ireland.
International Society takes on Halloween.
The second night of the Halloween festivities is when we all dressed up. The nights started off with meeting at a friend's place where 10-12 of us International students hung out and then trekked downtown. Dressing up wasn't as big as a deal over here though as compared to the USA. It was mostly just our group dressed up, but it was well received.
Anyone need a doctor?
There's really not too much to say about Halloween, it was fun to experience it in a different country but it didn't really feel like Halloween. I mean I only ate like 3 candies bar that day. Haha... All in all it seemed like a costume party that us International kids definitely demolished the other competitors but was a great time to bond and get to know one another better. 


Monday, October 17, 2016

All Aboard the RMS Titanic

The Titanic Experience

Young love, carefreeness, adventure, sorrow, and heartbreak is everything one of my all-time favorite movies graced upon on in 1993, Titanic. Sadly, my Titanic this past weekend didn't include my own personal Jack Dawson instead I had a grim first person experience of what happened in the early morning of April 15, 1912. 
Group of the International students at the Cobh day trip.
For some background information the CIT International Society visited Cobh this weekend, which was the last docking of  the Titanic before its fateful collision with an unforgiving iceberg. Now, at some point during childhood you are taught of the Titanic, the tragedy and then eventually exposed to the movie. The movie is the closest thing we have to understanding what occurred during the final hours of the self proclaimed Unsinkable ship. It shows us the division of classes, the priority of boarding determined by age and sex, the heartbreak that must've coated the decks as families were broken up and most likely those left on the ship did not make it. Truthfully, it was a story that portrayed a tragedy but was also about a blossoming love story that many young girls, myself included, could only dream of experiencing...minus the premature death. I swear this whole movie review has a point, I'm not just rambling. The movie was able to mask some of the tragedy with a love story and in the end Rose escaped her abusive fiance, Cal. However, being at the Titanic Experience in Cobh there was no star-crossed love story to alleviate the sorrow that surrounded the sinking. 
"The Journey to America begins here."
Drawn to scale replica of the Titanic.
As you enter you the museum which is the same building the passengers back in 1912 entered through you are given a boarding pass with your passenger information on it. These are actual passengers that boarded the Titanic from Cobh, formerly Queenstown. I was Thomas McCormack, age 19, third class, traveling with 2 other adults. The tour lasted about 30 minutes and you were treated as a passenger boarding the ship. Now, I thought I was a well-versed student in the class of facts about the Titanic, however this tour informed me I was not...not even close. Cobh, although dubbed the last docking port of the Titanic, technically is not. The Titanic was actually anchored about 2 miles away from where the 123 passengers gathered and shuttled to it on tender boats. As the time period required the classes were divided... the third class members had to cram on tender as the first and second who were about 10 in total leisurely rode out in another one. The original pier still stands, although as probably guessed in pretty bad shape and not walkable.
My ticket to board the ticket as Thomas McCormack 
As you 'board' the ship the tour continues on to a third class bunk room which actually had electricity and running water although quite subpar in comparison to the first class suites. The second class boardrooms were larger than third class but still had no comparison to the first class. First class rooms were each individually decorated, ranging from single, larger rooms, to en suites with rooms for the passenger servants and a private porch. Each room we entered had port holes that contained few of the only photographs that existed of life on the Titanic. Most photos that we have are from passengers that disembarked in Cobh, not realizing how thankful they would be in 4 days time. The last room of the tour was dark and had a projector screen that simulated the sinking. It was the closest to a first experience we could have. We were situated in lifeboats and listened to voice overs of surviving passenger interviews while watching a reenactment of the chaos that swarmed the ship post iceberg collision. And no, "My Heart Will Go On," was not played once while there. :(
Model of a
third class room. 
First class suite. 

First class passenger
menu.
After the viewing of the sinking, in video form, we entered an exhibition room that had some interactive activities. You were able to play a game called "Guess the Smell," which included smells that would have been found all across the Titanic. These aromas ranged from, parlor smoke to the burning of coals. In accompany to the interactive stations the three room museum had historical facts listed about. You were able to learn about the Carpathia (ship that came to the rescue), families that were aboard, daily ship life, and there was a list of the passengers that boarded in Cobh. This is where you discovered if the ticket you were given at the beginning survived or not. I'm please to sat Thomas McCormack survived and lived, I hope a wonderful life, until 1975.

The Irish Alcatraz 

As a preface, I did opt out of the guided tour and explored Spike Island with a few friends so I do not have much inside knowledge regarding it. 

Spike Island, also known as the Irish Alcatraz, is an island viewable from Cobh but a ferry is needed to explore it. The island that started as a fort to protect Cobh from the threat of France invading turned into a prison to house criminals afterwards. Surprisingly, the island was inhibited by some 60 families who lived off of daily ferry loads of produce, milk, and other good from the mainland. The fort was in the start shape and strategically positioned to be able to ward off attacks from possible attacks. While exploring the island you are able to walk through underground bunkers, past prison cells, and actually see where the Titanic was docked. 
Titanic was docked off of the land in this picture.
Seen from Spike Island.
Through my knowledge Spike Island had some troubles within itself. These troubles were mostly brought on from the prison population. Uprisings were a common occurrence, during one of them the inmates climbed atop a roof where they stayed in contest for 12 hours before surrendering... all that work for nothing. All with this, the families that lived there during this time petitioned to be given safe haven elsewhere. I'm guessing living 1000ft from an unstable prison was not a great selling point, a realtors nightmare I suppose. Haha. I do not recall if they were ever actually granted it, but as of today the population of Spike Island is zero. One interesting fact about the families is that there was no school on the island since the attendance would've been below 12... it would've been 1. One lone pupil made the trek of boarding a ferry to Cobh and back every day to attend school. That's some real dedication. 
Entrance to prison/fort on Spike Island. 
Church located on the mainland of Cobh. 
I went to Cobh with the mindset of the Titanic correlating with love, hope, passion and left with a new real understanding of the tragedy behind the word Titanic. This experience wasn't sugar-coated with a Hollywood tagline of whirlwind love, no it truly showed the bare bones of the tragedy and gave me a new profound respect for it. Don't get me wrong the movie Titanic is still a 10/10 and I'm hoping for a Jack Dawson to show up in my life, but I've given a new definition of what Titanic means to me. I had the opportunity to experience and learn more about this historic event in greater detail than my third grade history book or reading about it on google ever could. I was there, I was able to walk and stand where these 123 people from Cobh stood thinking of their new lives that awaited them in America, not knowing what fate actually awaited them. It truly shows how unpredictable life and fragile life is. These people were boarding the Unsinkable ship with no worries in the world. The Titanic Experience fully immerses you into the what being a passenger on the Titanic was like during those last few hours. It's truly not something a movie and reading about can ever achieve. 

You can probably tell what event was my favorite at Cobh. Don't get me wrong, Spike Island was a wonderful place to see but the Titanic Experience, being a movie fan, was just amazing. 












Monday, October 10, 2016

Immigration and Celebrations

One month! It's mind blowing to think that I have been in Cork, Ireland for a month. If I'm being completely honest though it's about 4 days over a month, but for the purpose of promptness lets just pretend I'm punctual and it's been exactly a month. It's strange to look back and see how insanely fast time has gone by.
My semester abroad in Ireland is 4 months, once again not exact but go with me on it, and I have already been here for 25% of it. When I first landed in Ireland it felt like I would be here for a lifetime, now though I understand when our parents and grandparents say life passes by in a blink of an eye. Although, this past month I wasn't able to travel around Ireland I still gained invaluable life experiences and lessons. Personal growth has been my adventure these past 30 days. I've had to be more self- reliant on accomplishing things that range from just walking to the grocery store, navigating the bus, to setting up an Irish bank account.  Coming from a small town in relation to Cork with a solid friend group that did everything together 24/7 to Cork with absolutely no security blanket has been a lesson I will continue to benefit from long after my time in Ireland is over.

Don't worry I'm finished with my "oh look at me I"m maturing from this experience speech." I'll dive into the more exciting aspect of the adventure....the adventure I've been since being in Ireland. Celebrating my birthday, passing Immigration and Oktoberfest are the two large events that have happened this month that are justified to becoming a part of this blog forever cemented on the web for generations to see. Haha.

21st Century Style Birthday. 

What a birthday looks like 21st Century Style. 
Birthday's are seriously my favorite holiday to celebrate and just not my own. This is a day to celebrate another year of your life, a day to be about you, a day to reflect. It's similar to a mini New Year's. For some reason birthday's are one thing my mind is just equipped to remember birthdays. It's a blessing and a curse in it's own ways. A blessing because well, I won't forget your birthday. A curse because sometimes it's weird to just know and remember people's birthday's. It's the worst when dates were exchanged in casual conversation and then months later it's brought up again and you already know everyone's birthday...got to act casual though.
"I'm feeling 22," Taylor Swift
This year my birthday was a little different. Last year was my 21st, a monumental one for us Americans. I was lucky enough to spend it with a awesome group of friends laughing and making memories. This year though still not having made connections with people I was doomed to spend the day making my own memories. That is until I realize I'm surrounded by technology. After spending the day roaming around Cork and exploring I was able to Skype with friends and family back home ringing in year 22. In absolutely incredible that I was skyping with friends and family from Maine. Florida, Georgia, and Brazil. Older generations can rag on us millennials about our obsession with technology but hey, I wouldn't change it for anything.

Immigration. 

Forget about the clowns, Stephen King should really publish a book with it's focal being immigration...it's truly a nightmare. It has all the makings for a real horror book: long lines, fear of being rejected, bright lights. Hearing the horror story from a friend that went to immigration at 9:30am waited 7 hours and did not get seen I was not looking forward to this day. 

Immigration consisted of waking up at 6:00am to arrive at Immigration at 7:15 to be 10th in line. Keep in mind the offices do not open until 9:30am so it's safe to say Immigration's reputation precedes itself. To put immigration into perspective I would loosely compare it to the DMV. A place where everyone doesn't want to be but by law has to be...or maybe even jury duty? Take your pick at whichever you think is worst then that's Immigration. It wasn't all bad, I am now legal to be here until my departure date in January! No illegal alien status for me. 

But really, Stephen King if you are looking for a new horror story idea I got you covered. Easily a best-seller. 

Oktoberfest 

A culturally diverse festival that focuses on socializing over a common beverage: beer. Oktoberfest was an absolute blast and something I'm grateful I was able to take part in. Even though I did live in Germany I actually never made it to an Oktoberfest.
A British, Irish, and American
at Oktoberfest...Sounds like
the beginning to a bad joke. 
On arrival at the Oktoberfest tent you could feel the atmosphere change from a fast-paced city feeling to a blanket of young, vibrant, carefree energy radiating from every direction. It felt as if you were teleported into a different country, Germany if you will. Haha. There were 1 Liter steins of beer, Lederhosen, folk music, and bratwurst! I was back in the place I called home for 7 years, it was heaven. 
Oktoberfest 2K16
*No clowns were in this tent. 
I can't explain how culturally diverse this event was. It's dubbed Oktoberfest but there are more layers to it than just that. Obviously, beer was a huge part of the fest but against all odds poutine was being served. Now, I don't think the vendors realize what they were serving was a coveted delicacy in Canada and thankfully Maine but after some guidance of THE GRAVY GOES ON TOP OF THE CHEESE, it was passable as poutine. Not only was there a variety of food but also a variety of people all gathered at this single event. Even with different backgrounds everyone was there for the same reason to happily celebrate Oktoberfest in the company of current and possible new friends. 
Prost, (Cheers) to new friends and memories! 
Where there is a will there's a way.
Oktoberfest Beer, 2016
























One month down three to go, I can't wait to see what else I have in store for myself. Personally and academically I'm excited to see how I will continue to benefit from my semester abroad in Ireland. 







Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Adjustments and Academics

I'm only adding this picture so people will be intrigued
to read my blog. It's basically click bait.

Uhhh. 

My "how's Ireland?" face.
That's the first sound that usually comes out of my mouth when someone asks how it has been in Ireland so far. It doesn't necessarily mean something negative it's more of a "holy crap, this is the most challenging, difficult, soul-searching thing I have ever done." You can't expect me to be able to sum all of that up in a casual, small-talk conversation which is mostly done out of politeness.  But for the purpose of this blog I will attempt to put my scattered thoughts into a coherent post.

The Irish Academic system is as comparable to America's system as an apple is to an orange. They  have one common factor: it's a place to learn, that's about it. Now, it's not a bad thing, I think both have negatives and positives in my opinion. Over here school is treated as a full-time job. I have six classes which was pretty manageable in the States but over here I'm slightly overwhelmed. I'm a self-proclaimed nerd. I'm a person that spends hours researching specific subjects ranging from: murderers to city populations. Heck, yesterday I spent 40 minutes reading a Wikipedia article regarding toilet paper orientation. In summary the article talked about the long running debate of 'should you hang the toilet paper over or under?' Personally, I hang over unlike the rest of my family which just grinds my gears. It also gave the positives/negatives of each side. So, now that I have just released my inner and have successfully made a forever lasting record of it on the internet I will get back to my original point. 

America vs. Ireland Academics. 

For us in America the higher education scheduling system is usually an easier, more flexible version of high school. College is when we get to go to classes 3 days a week for 4 hours then either go to work or take part in Project X inspired activities. But here... nope. With my six-class schedule I have 5 classes everyday  going from 9:00-3:00 roughly. I'm simplifying my schedule here for the sake of promptness.... it is not a straight down the week 9:00-6:00 but you get the picture. Although, it seems you get more bang for your buck over here I am totally on board with the American way in this aspect. I love the flexibility of creating your own schedule. Heck, my last semester at EMCC I had classes on Tues/Thurs, I was living the life. However, every single class here is only 45 minutes long. I think the Irish are onto to something here....COLLEGE KIDS HAVE A SHORT ATTENTION SPAN. Who hasn't gone to a 90 minute class and at the 30 minute mark start dozing off, doodling, or obsessively glancing at the clock every 5 minutes? Guilty as charged here. 

Even better than 45 minutes classes is little to zero classes require a book you have to buy. I am in an Anatomy class over here and surprisingly that 190$ book that was REQUIRED for my class in Maine is not here, yet we still learn just as much....interesting.

Other than the time-scheduling, school is pretty similar as far as I can tell. You still have the overachievers, the half hungover, glazed eyed students, the interesting classes, the 'I would rather be anywhere else but here' classes, the same thing American Colleges have. It must be an age demographics thing. 
It's pretty official now. Featuring an emoji
covering a picture that will never see the light of day.

Obstacles. 

With the scholarship I am on while here,  I am required to document my stay with this blog. And honestly, not everything is going to be frolicking through the Irish fields, drinking beer and great memories. No, this is a huge adventure and times will be tough. I'm not going to sugar-coat this experience.... what's the point of a blog if you do that? 

I've been in Ireland for two weeks and I can honestly say these have been the most mentally tolling weeks of my life. I'm a military kid, I've moved more than the average Mainer has. I went to four different high schools.... two in Germany. But these two weeks have been more challenging than any other move. Even living in Germany I have never felt more foreign than I have here. I guess while living in Germany I was spoiled by having that small slice of the United States on post. I went to an American school and had my family there to talk and decompress with.  

Here though, I come home from school and I'm still the one with the accent the one from abroad. It has definitely been an eye-opener in respect to that I am not as worldly as I initially thought nor as independent. But this is what the opportunity is about, I'm here to test my limits. I'm here to grow on a personal, social, and academic level. I'm here to experience new things. I'm here to push my shy self out of my comfort shell, which shouldn't be hard because it is quite small. 

Even though these past two weeks have been extremely difficult, here's a cheers to the next 112 days of self-discovery and a once in a lifetime experience. 

Still trying to find my beer of choice.
5/10 though. Not bad.


Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Beer, Tesco, and Kissing

The title pretty much sums up how my first few days in Cork has gone.

After the plane landed and I made it through customs which was a breeze and  easier than I had ever experienced while traveling to the USA, reality sunk in. It didn't sink in in a bad way just more of a "holy crap it's not a dream anymore," type of way. It has been a very hectic experience thus far from getting everything that I need to survive, trying to get school set up, and letting the culture shock set in, I haven't had much time to sit back and take a breather. My mind has been running at full speed the last few days, so I'm glad that today I get a chance to update the blog and let everyone know (I'm guessing mostly my family) what has been going on.

Beer. 

Hey,  I'm a college student in a country known for beer and potatoes. I'm pleased to say I have already tried both. All my friends back home know that I annoyingly say "I'm not a beer drinker." It's probably a disservice and unfair to all those beer fanatics that I get to come to the land of beer, so out of respect I'm giving beer a chance....or at least trying to. I went with a light beer called Carlsberg. It wasn't a total turn off but lets just say my options are still open on finding my type of beer.

Tesco.

Oh will I never say I hate Wal-Mart ever again. Oh and how spoiled we actually are in America. When I arrived at Edenhall I had asked where  the big shopping store that will satisfy all apartment needs... Tesco was their answer. Tesco is a wonderful store with selections of food, cleaning supplies, some clothes, but aren't they limited. My biggest surprise was when I asked for ponytail holders and they had only one type to choose from. Unfortunately, they were not the kind that would withstand my thick hair so I'm praying the three I have hold out until January! Things on average in my opinion are my expensive over here. Other than that shopping has been a breeze and the locals are wicked friendly and helpful. The Irish also have a cooler word for Pharmacist, they call it the Chemist which I think we as Americans should start calling our. It's sounds more hardcore to say "oh yeah I have to pick my prescription up from the Chemist."

Kissing. 

Not the typical type of kissing but even more magical or I'm hoping so! For those who have not guessed what I am referring to I am speaking of the BLARNEY STONE. I feel this attraction is not given enough attention. No, I am not talking about the stone but the grounds it lays on in general. Most people, including myself, only know of the stone but yet there are so many other hidden gems surrounding it!I was shocked to discover there was a mansion, three waterfalls, lookout tower, fern garden, and the coolest tree ever 600 feet away. Don't misunderstand me the stone was awesome and you got to travel up the castle with stops along the way explaining what each room was used for back in the day. Just imagining how it was to live in this castle was breathtaking. Who hasn't dreamed of living in a castle? I know I have. Kissing the stone is not as simple as one might think. You have to lay down and practical put your life in the hands of the worker that drops you backwards over the edge where you then reach out for the stone. I had height on my side, thankfully, which I think helped out quite a bit.
After kissing the stone and receiving the gift of gab, which I am impatiently waiting to be bestowed with, it was off to discover what the rest of the grounds offered. The grounds were beautifully kept with posted signs to direct clueless tourists, like my father and I, in the right direction. There were so many things to see but the place closed at 6:15pm and unfortunately we had arrived late so did not have time to see everything. 

With the time we did have we were able to see the most awe shocking mansion I have seen in person. Sadly, the mansion is only open for viewing to the public from June-end of August. We missed it by 3 days! The rest of the year though caretakers live inside of it. Not a bad accommodation setup if you ask me. 
In addition to the mansion we were able to see three waterfalls and a fern garden that could easly be mistaken for the Rainforest. Each sight was breathtaking to say the least. One of my favorite spots was the Wishing Steps. In order for your wish to come true you had to make it down and up the steps with your eyes closed and think of nothing but your wish. I was determined to do this and we spent a good 20 minutes practicing on the steps, then we discovered we were on the wrong steps....After finding the correct steps, which were right next to us and had A HANDRAIL it was much easier to accomplish the task. This waterfall also had a rock formation called the Dolman next to it, which is one large rock wedged on two smaller rocks with a crawl space underneath, I obviously had to crawl through it. 
PICTURES ABOVE: (L) The waterfall hiding the wishing steps. (M) Climbing through the Dolman Rock. (R) Small tunnel underneath the castle.. I felt like I was in the movie 'As Above So Below"

The lookout tower and the strangest but coolest tree ever. 

On top on the castle that houses the Blarney Stone!

And to finish this blog post off is me accidentally and awarding capturing a canoodling couple. All I wanted was a cute picture on top of the castle, but let's be honest #goals to them. Haha.