Today I took my final exam for the early start course in Irish Literature, and I'm happy to say that I'm confident it was a success. Once again, over preparation reigns. I turned in my Elizabeth Bowen paper and creative assignment (travel journal-esque composition) last week; thus nothing remains for that course, and I can finally focus solely on this semester.
My Critical Literary Theory professor always uses Wuthering Heights as an example in his lectures, as he thinks everyone's read it. So I've been reading it before bed and when I have a few extra minutes, because I've never read it before. It's really good and has been sidetracking me from my actual reading assignments. Oh Heathcliff.
Tomorrow morning, I have a Latin quiz, Lit Theory, and Jazz ensemble. It's difficult to practice piano, because it takes 25 minutes to walk to the music department, so I need at least two hours time if I'm to get there, practice long enough and get back... It was pouring after my exam today, so I ducked into the library and studied Latin for a little while, thinking I'd go to the music department when the rain abated. Yet it was too late by that time, and I just came home. I have to leave in 2o minutes for hockey practice. We're supposed to be going out to pizza after wards, but I don't want to stay too long because my quiz tomorrow is at 9am. It also takes at least a half an hour to walk home from the pizza place.
Friday Michelle and I are leaving Cork around 9:30 to head to Shannon Airport and then on to Paris! I'm beyond excited. What interests me most is the prospect of comparing my memories as an 11 year old to my perception of the city now.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
As of late
Over the past two weeks or so I've somewhat neglected this blog, but that's only because I've been rather busy.
Monday 15 September, I went to see Waiting for Godot with my class, and it was very good. I studied the play in my Existentialism course last fall, so I was especially excited to see it live. The actors were perfect, as they should be, for they've been playing the same parts for over twenty years, which adds another level to their wait...
The next day, we left for Inis Meain, which was an amazing experience. On the way, we stopped for lunch in Coole Park, once home of Lady Gregory and inspiration to Yeats. Michelle read his poetry as we wandered through the words, but I must say, his words don't appeal to me as much as other poets. He was obviously immensly talented, but I like others better. The park, however, was beautiful, but we didn't see any wild swans. Swans are to Ireland as Geese are to America; it's weird to see those white elegant birds as often as pigeons or sea gulls. Yet the magpies sound like pterodactyls....Or maybe the screeching comes from those other black birds that hide in the trees of campus. It's hard to tell, they are in the trees afterall.
My time spent on Inis Meain will be hard to rival. I wandered through the low stone walls scratching at my notebook. The entire island was covered in limestone: stone walls, stony beaches, ancient stone forts, stone cliffs. I was dissapointed by the amenities, as I was told it would be "uncivilized." It was far more civilized than I had hoped, but I shouldn't complain because the bed and breakfast was very cozy. I just thought I'd escape for a while, but it wasn't as far off as I had pre-supposed.
After the island trip, Michelle, Mary and I stayed on in Galway. Sarah, Eowyn and Sussanna were there too. We had a traditional Irish dinner on our first night. Michelle, Mary and I ventured to Sligo the next day, specifically to Drumcliffe to see Yeats' grave. We also went to Carrowmore, a Megalithic burial tomb site. It was really interesting, and reminded me of the Rick Steves DVD I watched with Mom and Nonnie before leaving for Ireland. So I pretended to be Nick Steves instead and gave my friends a tour while fabricating stories about the ancient people. But alas I did not have a fanny pack!
Back in Galway, we ran into a really neat market on Saturday morning, where I purchased a few gifts for people back home. There was also an amazing crepe stand.
I'm currently dividing my time between finishing my papers for my early start course and beginning work on my autumn semester courses. I've only had Latin and Jazz so far. I'm absolutely in love with Latin; I really enjoy going to the class and doing the translation homework. Learning new languages is fun and Latin is so similar to French, which is exciting! I'm slightly worried that I'm in over my head in the jazz ensemble. I practiced my part on piano for 2.5 hours on Friday and it's not quite there yet. Also, I didn't end up going to the music department this weekend to practice, but I will be going everyday until that ensemble meets again on Thursday! Plus my Early Music Ensemble begins on Wednesday...I hope playing in two ensembles isn't too much to practice.
As of right now my schedule stands as: Latin, 18th Century Literature, Critical Literary Theory, Early Music and Jazz Ensemble. This doesn't seem like much, but I already got credit for 2 courses from the early start semester and I can't go over 18 credits in total. I'm also going to audit a course called The Classical Tradition which studies literature, art and architecture that is rooted in the classics. I want to sit in on a French language course so I don't loose that. I wasn't too thrilled to learn I couldn't take French for credit, but if I were taking it, I wouldn't be learning Latin!
I've officially booked two weekend trips. In mid October, after our Early Start Semester in Irish Literature final exam, Michelle and I are off to Paris. Then around 13 November, Michelle, Mary, Sarah and I are going to Milan, which I'm really excited for because I haven't been there.
Monday 15 September, I went to see Waiting for Godot with my class, and it was very good. I studied the play in my Existentialism course last fall, so I was especially excited to see it live. The actors were perfect, as they should be, for they've been playing the same parts for over twenty years, which adds another level to their wait...
The next day, we left for Inis Meain, which was an amazing experience. On the way, we stopped for lunch in Coole Park, once home of Lady Gregory and inspiration to Yeats. Michelle read his poetry as we wandered through the words, but I must say, his words don't appeal to me as much as other poets. He was obviously immensly talented, but I like others better. The park, however, was beautiful, but we didn't see any wild swans. Swans are to Ireland as Geese are to America; it's weird to see those white elegant birds as often as pigeons or sea gulls. Yet the magpies sound like pterodactyls....Or maybe the screeching comes from those other black birds that hide in the trees of campus. It's hard to tell, they are in the trees afterall.
My time spent on Inis Meain will be hard to rival. I wandered through the low stone walls scratching at my notebook. The entire island was covered in limestone: stone walls, stony beaches, ancient stone forts, stone cliffs. I was dissapointed by the amenities, as I was told it would be "uncivilized." It was far more civilized than I had hoped, but I shouldn't complain because the bed and breakfast was very cozy. I just thought I'd escape for a while, but it wasn't as far off as I had pre-supposed.
After the island trip, Michelle, Mary and I stayed on in Galway. Sarah, Eowyn and Sussanna were there too. We had a traditional Irish dinner on our first night. Michelle, Mary and I ventured to Sligo the next day, specifically to Drumcliffe to see Yeats' grave. We also went to Carrowmore, a Megalithic burial tomb site. It was really interesting, and reminded me of the Rick Steves DVD I watched with Mom and Nonnie before leaving for Ireland. So I pretended to be Nick Steves instead and gave my friends a tour while fabricating stories about the ancient people. But alas I did not have a fanny pack!
Back in Galway, we ran into a really neat market on Saturday morning, where I purchased a few gifts for people back home. There was also an amazing crepe stand.
I'm currently dividing my time between finishing my papers for my early start course and beginning work on my autumn semester courses. I've only had Latin and Jazz so far. I'm absolutely in love with Latin; I really enjoy going to the class and doing the translation homework. Learning new languages is fun and Latin is so similar to French, which is exciting! I'm slightly worried that I'm in over my head in the jazz ensemble. I practiced my part on piano for 2.5 hours on Friday and it's not quite there yet. Also, I didn't end up going to the music department this weekend to practice, but I will be going everyday until that ensemble meets again on Thursday! Plus my Early Music Ensemble begins on Wednesday...I hope playing in two ensembles isn't too much to practice.
As of right now my schedule stands as: Latin, 18th Century Literature, Critical Literary Theory, Early Music and Jazz Ensemble. This doesn't seem like much, but I already got credit for 2 courses from the early start semester and I can't go over 18 credits in total. I'm also going to audit a course called The Classical Tradition which studies literature, art and architecture that is rooted in the classics. I want to sit in on a French language course so I don't loose that. I wasn't too thrilled to learn I couldn't take French for credit, but if I were taking it, I wouldn't be learning Latin!
I've officially booked two weekend trips. In mid October, after our Early Start Semester in Irish Literature final exam, Michelle and I are off to Paris. Then around 13 November, Michelle, Mary, Sarah and I are going to Milan, which I'm really excited for because I haven't been there.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Cycling in Killarney
I've officially decided that the best money I've ever spent was 12.50 euro to rent a bike in Killarney. It was the most glorious day. Sarah, Eowyn and I set out on the bikes around 9:30 am while it was slightly raining. Once we were on the main road it was no longer slightly raining, but pouring. I had my hooded raincoat on, but my face and hands were drenched and cold. On the bus ride home from Killarney, I wrote the following about my day.
The views in Killarney National Park are simply amazing; I have never seen anything so beautiful. Standing at the edge of the lake, I stared in awe at the deep-green hills beyond. Instead of snow-capped mountains, these were fog-capped. Everything looked so pure, undisturbed, organic; the fallen tree isn't carried away, but rather completely covered in the thickest moss.
Prior to arriving at the park, regret swam throiugh my mind. As I repeatedly blinked my eyes to see through the blinding rain, I began to wish I hadn't rented the bike. Riding into the rain, I could no longer distinguish between water and snot on my saturated visage. Upon entering the park, however, the thick canopy of leaves above helped to assuage the desperately falling rain. Elated to be cycling amongst such beauty, my mind forgot about my body's complaints for a while. My biggest worry became my camera, as it nestled in a zippered pocket of my rain jacket; I hoped the coat's waterproofing was sufficient to guard it from Ireland's moisture. She held up well and captured the sights of vast lakes, rocky hills, mossy trees.
A blonde-curly child with a pink puffing face blocked the path with her whining, forcing me to dismount and run my bike up the hill. Families with young ones should stick to easier routes. In these woods so thick, I could live and go unnoticed, if I could manage to stay clear of heavily-passed trails.
Resting in a cottage-turned cafe for afternoon tea, I eavesdropped on the family near by. Telling her two young daughters they will go eat outside, a mother is met with the reply, "But I want to stay in here!" The elder daughter, in all her seven-yeared-wisdom, changes sister's mind with just one phrase: "But if we eat outside, we can have a look at the world!" And what a world it'd be if she were covered with the lakes and lands of Killarney.
My muscles feel the stress of the day's bike ride, but my mind couldn't be more satisfied, renewed, at ease. Killarney gagne le medaille d'or, selon moi. Today my company was lovely, but had I been alone and with no watch's ticking stress, I would have laid in the grass at the lake's glassy edge. Perhaps if I were still and slept like Van Winkle, nature would give me a blanket of moss to warm after the setting of the sun. Forever I'd spend cycling through Killarney National Park, if only I had time to spare. Never have I been fond of countryside or rural quiet until Ireland. I think it's because hills in the states aren't pocketed with sheep. Parks at home are not comparable to Killarney's peace.
The views in Killarney National Park are simply amazing; I have never seen anything so beautiful. Standing at the edge of the lake, I stared in awe at the deep-green hills beyond. Instead of snow-capped mountains, these were fog-capped. Everything looked so pure, undisturbed, organic; the fallen tree isn't carried away, but rather completely covered in the thickest moss.
Prior to arriving at the park, regret swam throiugh my mind. As I repeatedly blinked my eyes to see through the blinding rain, I began to wish I hadn't rented the bike. Riding into the rain, I could no longer distinguish between water and snot on my saturated visage. Upon entering the park, however, the thick canopy of leaves above helped to assuage the desperately falling rain. Elated to be cycling amongst such beauty, my mind forgot about my body's complaints for a while. My biggest worry became my camera, as it nestled in a zippered pocket of my rain jacket; I hoped the coat's waterproofing was sufficient to guard it from Ireland's moisture. She held up well and captured the sights of vast lakes, rocky hills, mossy trees.
A blonde-curly child with a pink puffing face blocked the path with her whining, forcing me to dismount and run my bike up the hill. Families with young ones should stick to easier routes. In these woods so thick, I could live and go unnoticed, if I could manage to stay clear of heavily-passed trails.
Resting in a cottage-turned cafe for afternoon tea, I eavesdropped on the family near by. Telling her two young daughters they will go eat outside, a mother is met with the reply, "But I want to stay in here!" The elder daughter, in all her seven-yeared-wisdom, changes sister's mind with just one phrase: "But if we eat outside, we can have a look at the world!" And what a world it'd be if she were covered with the lakes and lands of Killarney.
My muscles feel the stress of the day's bike ride, but my mind couldn't be more satisfied, renewed, at ease. Killarney gagne le medaille d'or, selon moi. Today my company was lovely, but had I been alone and with no watch's ticking stress, I would have laid in the grass at the lake's glassy edge. Perhaps if I were still and slept like Van Winkle, nature would give me a blanket of moss to warm after the setting of the sun. Forever I'd spend cycling through Killarney National Park, if only I had time to spare. Never have I been fond of countryside or rural quiet until Ireland. I think it's because hills in the states aren't pocketed with sheep. Parks at home are not comparable to Killarney's peace.
Riverdance
Friday evening, our class met at Gaol Cross to board the bus to Killarney. I barely got through a few pages of The Aran Islands as the country scenery captured my attention. The reason we went to Killarney was to see Riverdance; I never thought I'd actually go see that show, especially in Ireland. My Irish writing professor thought the same, and told us how she was dragged to see it, but was surprised by how much she liked it. Telling us the story, she said it wasn't "high art" or anything like that, but was amazed at the "athleticism of the dancers." And it's true; they can jump so high and move their feet so quickly. It was supposed to follow a sort of Irish history. The first half was all traditional Irish dancing, but they didn't have curly wigs! There was a kind of story line based on mythology for the first part, but there was no point in trying to make sense of a story. After intermission, it moved on to dances about the famine and then emigration, which was when it got good. I'm probably biased, however, because this is when the soprano saxophonist was featured. They arrived in America and there were two African-American tap dancers accompagnied by the aforementioned musician playing jazz. Around this same time a man with a beautiful voice had a solo song about immigrants. He was my favorite. The Russian dancers were pretty cool too; they jumped really high and did the splits in the air. There was a dance off between the tappers and a few male Irish steppers and the male lead. It was funny because the tap dancers kept mocking the lead, and he deserved it.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Barrscourt Castle, Bowen's Court Ruins, Fota House: Photos
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This is inside the kitchen of Barryscourt Castle..jpg)
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Here is our tour guide inside the dining room
at Barryscourt.
Here I am under an arch made only of trees. The castle had beautiful gardens and an apple orchard.
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These are my friends Michelle and Mary.
Here are the photos of all that remains of Elizabeth Bowen's family home, Bowen's Court.
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This is Fota House, which was once a hunting lodge. Can you imagine this being your summer home?
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The back of Fota House
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Just the front yard...
A green house in the extensive gardens
These are all my photos from Ireland so far; I used a disposable camera, for as you know, my camera broke. However I bought a new one today and look forward to documenting Killarney, The Aran Islands, and where ever else I find myself!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
What I've been doing on Monday nights...
On Monday nights, I've been going to poetry readings/ open mic sessions here in Cork. They record the guest reader and the open mic portions of the evenings. You can listen to the mp3 of my reading online. It's not great because I didn't plan to bring anything, but I read two poems from memory. This is from their website:
pc Said: @10:33 pm
Open-mic night - 1st September 2008 We had yet another great turnout on Monday for Knute Skinner, who delighted all with a variety of verse from his 50-year canon of exceptional poesy. Thanks Knute. You can listen to Knute’s reading here.
Thanks to all on the open-mic, Jennifer Matthews, Nichole LeFebvre, Matthew Sweeney, Mary O’Sullivan, Bríd Buckley, Seamus Harrington, Patricia Walsh, Niall Herriott, Eugene Crowley, Dean Coady, Pat Cotter, Bairbre Flood, Bryan McElroy, Daw Harding, Kate McGrew, Brian Ó Murcada and Alan Titley.
The poetry challenge was won by Michelle, on her first attempt. Well Done!
The open-mic mp3 is here.
09/4/08; 10:33 pm
Detour to Dublin
After class finished on Friday, Michelle and I rushed back to the dorms to pack while Mary headed to the computer lab to print our e-tickets for the bus. With umbrellas in hand and massive backpacks soaking up the rain, we met Mary and Sarah for lunch at Kiwi Cafe. This has quickly become our favourite spot for lunch, as the prices are good and the portions are big. (And yes I meant to spell favorite that way.) Lingering after our meal, we attempted to let the rain pass us by. Once we realized that was a fantasy, we headed off to the bus station and said goodbye to Sarah.
The bus ride to Dublin was not bad at all. It took four hours, but we stopped half way through to get food and to use the toilets. Upon our arrival in Dublin, we had to find the city bus to take to University College, Dublin, and ended up waiting at the wrong stop for 15 minutes. Nevertheless, we got on the correct bus and actually ended up arriving at UCD right as Michelle's friend Charlotte came outside to meet us. Thankfully we didn't have to book (or pay for) a hostel, as Charlotte let us crash on her couches. The first night, we hung out with Charlotte, her two German friends, and the two Irish guys living below her. I told one of the guys that I could sing a German song, and as I started singing it, he joined in. I laughed and he said all children learn that song. It must be similar to our Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.
Saturday we went into city centre around half noon and took the advice of Charlotte's Irish neighbor to try Captain America's for lunch. He said it was really good American food. I really only wanted a bagel and tea, but didn't want to be picky and agreed to eat there. Unfortunately, his idea of good food is quite different from ours. The prices were terrible and the food was worse. I could barely find the noodles in my vegetarian lasagna. Searching through the cheese was like an archaeological dig. After that disapointment, we wandered around the city and decided to go in to the National Museum. We toured the Archaeology Museum and then went to the Art Galleries. Both were really nice. The art museum was a lot more extensive than the one we have here in Cork. Next we saw Trinity College. (Photos courtesy of Michelle Hicks!)
Here I am at Trinity:
Unfortunately, the college looked more like a castle than Dublin Castle which was our next stop.
Only the middle section actually resembled a castle. The couple in the bottom right hand corner of this photo were not shy at all.... They looked about fourteen.
We found a really cute little park across from the "castle." It had these cool thin walkways in circles and spirals around the grass
. So, of course, we followed them and were quite amused for a while.
That's Mary, Charlotte and me.
After sight seeing, we were all exhausted and decided to head back to the dorms for a nap. We bought some baguettes and apples to eat for a light dinner. Once we woke up, we got dressed and ready to go out. We headed over to another apartment were there were other Americans, friends of Charlotte. After meeting everyone, we took the bus into city centre and went to a few different pubs. At one club, we danced for a while, but the music they played to "dance" to was quite bizarre. Who dances to System of a Down? Sunday we repacked our bags and said goodbye. We walked into a cafe which had amazing food. Lesson learned: when in a new city, do not take the advice of a new aquaintance. Rather, walk into a random restaurant and enjoy! And enjoy we did. I had amazing crepes with syrup, sliced bananas and whipped cream. After the meal, we went to the bus station to wait for our ride home. Shelly would have died....There were pigeons inside the station.
The Irish Cinema portion of our class began on Monday and finished today on Wednesday. I thoroughly enjoyed all three of the films, "I Went Down," "About Adam," and "Adam and Paul." The last one reminded me of Requiem for a Dream meets Waiting for Godot. During the discussion after the film, I said it was very similar to Beckett's Waiting for Godot in the sense that one character represented the mind and one the body. I said a little more about it, and the professor asked me if I had been reading his work about the film... I said No, and told him I studied the play in my Existentialism course. I wonder if he really thought I read his articles or if it was supposed to be a complement.
Tomorrow we are discussing Beckett's Murphy, Friday we are working on Synge's The Aran Islands and Friday night we are going to see Riverdance in Killarney. Michelle, Mary and I are staying over night in Killarney and seeing the Ring of Kerry. I think we are going to rent bikes and go to the park. Monday night we are going to see Waiting for Godot and Tuesday we are off to Inis Meain! The Early Start Semester is flying by. I can't believe it's almost time for the fall semester to begin.
Oh and I almost forgot to mention I'm sick. It's really aggravating. I really need to be healthy for my stay on Inish Meain. It's going to be rather cold there. I've been taking Sudafed, vitamin C and sucking on Halls lozenges.
More slight differences:
flavour, favourite
half nine = nine thirty
Can I steal the sauce? (A man at another table said this to us at lunch. Sauce is ketchup.)
Cheers. (When I said sure and handed him the bottle, he said cheers. They say it a lot. I suppose it's like thanks.)
Wellies = rain boots
The bus ride to Dublin was not bad at all. It took four hours, but we stopped half way through to get food and to use the toilets. Upon our arrival in Dublin, we had to find the city bus to take to University College, Dublin, and ended up waiting at the wrong stop for 15 minutes. Nevertheless, we got on the correct bus and actually ended up arriving at UCD right as Michelle's friend Charlotte came outside to meet us. Thankfully we didn't have to book (or pay for) a hostel, as Charlotte let us crash on her couches. The first night, we hung out with Charlotte, her two German friends, and the two Irish guys living below her. I told one of the guys that I could sing a German song, and as I started singing it, he joined in. I laughed and he said all children learn that song. It must be similar to our Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.
Saturday we went into city centre around half noon and took the advice of Charlotte's Irish neighbor to try Captain America's for lunch. He said it was really good American food. I really only wanted a bagel and tea, but didn't want to be picky and agreed to eat there. Unfortunately, his idea of good food is quite different from ours. The prices were terrible and the food was worse. I could barely find the noodles in my vegetarian lasagna. Searching through the cheese was like an archaeological dig. After that disapointment, we wandered around the city and decided to go in to the National Museum. We toured the Archaeology Museum and then went to the Art Galleries. Both were really nice. The art museum was a lot more extensive than the one we have here in Cork. Next we saw Trinity College. (Photos courtesy of Michelle Hicks!)
Here I am at Trinity:
The Book of Kells is housed there, but we didn't go see it because it costs 8 euro and it's on display so you can only see two pages.
Unfortunately, the college looked more like a castle than Dublin Castle which was our next stop.
Only the middle section actually resembled a castle. The couple in the bottom right hand corner of this photo were not shy at all.... They looked about fourteen.
We found a really cute little park across from the "castle." It had these cool thin walkways in circles and spirals around the grass
. So, of course, we followed them and were quite amused for a while.That's Mary, Charlotte and me.
After sight seeing, we were all exhausted and decided to head back to the dorms for a nap. We bought some baguettes and apples to eat for a light dinner. Once we woke up, we got dressed and ready to go out. We headed over to another apartment were there were other Americans, friends of Charlotte. After meeting everyone, we took the bus into city centre and went to a few different pubs. At one club, we danced for a while, but the music they played to "dance" to was quite bizarre. Who dances to System of a Down? Sunday we repacked our bags and said goodbye. We walked into a cafe which had amazing food. Lesson learned: when in a new city, do not take the advice of a new aquaintance. Rather, walk into a random restaurant and enjoy! And enjoy we did. I had amazing crepes with syrup, sliced bananas and whipped cream. After the meal, we went to the bus station to wait for our ride home. Shelly would have died....There were pigeons inside the station.
The Irish Cinema portion of our class began on Monday and finished today on Wednesday. I thoroughly enjoyed all three of the films, "I Went Down," "About Adam," and "Adam and Paul." The last one reminded me of Requiem for a Dream meets Waiting for Godot. During the discussion after the film, I said it was very similar to Beckett's Waiting for Godot in the sense that one character represented the mind and one the body. I said a little more about it, and the professor asked me if I had been reading his work about the film... I said No, and told him I studied the play in my Existentialism course. I wonder if he really thought I read his articles or if it was supposed to be a complement.
Tomorrow we are discussing Beckett's Murphy, Friday we are working on Synge's The Aran Islands and Friday night we are going to see Riverdance in Killarney. Michelle, Mary and I are staying over night in Killarney and seeing the Ring of Kerry. I think we are going to rent bikes and go to the park. Monday night we are going to see Waiting for Godot and Tuesday we are off to Inis Meain! The Early Start Semester is flying by. I can't believe it's almost time for the fall semester to begin.
Oh and I almost forgot to mention I'm sick. It's really aggravating. I really need to be healthy for my stay on Inish Meain. It's going to be rather cold there. I've been taking Sudafed, vitamin C and sucking on Halls lozenges.
More slight differences:
flavour, favourite
half nine = nine thirty
Can I steal the sauce? (A man at another table said this to us at lunch. Sauce is ketchup.)
Cheers. (When I said sure and handed him the bottle, he said cheers. They say it a lot. I suppose it's like thanks.)
Wellies = rain boots
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