Week 1: Classes, Connemara and the Gaeltacht

This week was our first full week in Galway. Technically we were supposed to have class this week, but due to the courses I chose to take I only had one class this week on Tuesday and Thursday. Our Irish Studies course, my Political Science classes and the Indigenous Arts class won't start until next week. On Monday I didn't have any class but I had to go and register for Political Science courses and turn in my *gasp* hard copy registration. We waited in line outside the office for about an hour before we turned in the form. I didn't realize how stressful it would be to find classes that fit with our required courses, but I figured it out and I'm looking forward to learning in this new environment.

After registration some of the group had class, so I took the opportunity to explore the quadrangle with my camera. The quadrangle is the building that will pop up first in photos of NUI Galway on google. Rightly so, it's the most beautiful building on campus because it's a straight up castle. This was the first time I did something alone since coming to Ireland. It was really nice to do something so familiar in an unfamiliar place. (I even took some self timer photos of myself, all my photos are in the "Ireland" page of my website).

Tuesday was our first Transnational Human Rights class. I'm excited to be studying Human Rights for the first time, especially in the setting of a foreign country. One of the highlights of this week was Wednesday. I didn't have class so I wanted to fill my day with an adventure. I've wanted to go to Kylemore Abbey, an incredible Benedictine Convent in the heart of Connemara, since I started researching Ireland over a year ago. I found a day long bus tour through Galway Tour Company that travelled through Ross Errilly Friary, Cong and ended at Kylemore Abbey. I booked my ticket, extended an open invitation to everyone in the program, and on Wednesday morning six of us got on the bus.

The tour was incredible. There were sheep EVERYWHERE. Each unique stop on the tour was full of Irish charm and made me feel chills down my spine. Connemara is full of an ancient Celtic power that is difficult to describe. I felt a connection to the pristine isolation of the land. When I saw Kylemore Abbey I started crying. I am so grateful to be here. I feel like I'm in the right place. Even though this journey is difficult, I know that God is helping guide me through. I'm in Ireland to grow as a person and discover a new version of myself. The bus tour through Connemara sparked this transformation process for me. I posted an album of photos from the trip, which I think speak to the trip better than my limited vocabulary can.

After Human Rights class on Thursday we returned to our apartments, packed our bags, and took a chartered bus into the remote Gaeltacht of Connemara for a weekend homestay. I thought that the bus tour was one of the greatest experiences of my life, but this homestay definitely beat it. I stayed in the home of Trina and Noel, an older Irish couple living in the Irish speaking town of Carraroe with their yellow lab Jani. Carraroe is a town full of old stone walls dividing property lines, green tufts of grass running abruptly into the sea, and a view of the Aran Islands soaring clear above the horizon. On Thursday and Friday we went to Irish language classes at the NUIG Irish Cultural Center in Carraroe. On Thursday night we learned a few songs with Brian, a traditional Irish musician. The songs we learned were in Irish and they were called Peggy Lettermore, Oró Sé do Bheatha 'Bhaile, and Beidh Aonach Amárach (There's a Fair Tomorrow in County Clare). Irish is such a difficult language to learn because it isn't latin based. Also the pronunciation of the words is NOT phonetic in any way. Luckily, our instructor Dáithí was amazing. He spent Thursday afternoon and all day on Friday teaching us basic Irish phrases, words and proverbs while also incorporating a crash course on Irish history and politics. At the end of the day on Thursday we went to a traditional music concert where Brian played songs with his band. They played the accordion, piano and flute. We had the chance to show off our Irish by singing the songs we learned.

Our homestay experience was such an incredible introduction into traditional Irish culture. Trina and Noel are both fluent in Irish and raised seven children in Carraroe. My favorite part of the homestay was the delicious food we had and the fact that our group ate each meal around a table together. Every morning for breakfast I had Trina's homemade brown soda bread with strawberry jam (I am absolutely obsessed with soda bread now). On Thursday night we watched a documentary with Trina about the Galway hookers that sail through Galway Bay. She knew at least ten people featured in the special because it was local Irish television. All of us were shocked at how close knit the community was.

On Saturday we had a new instructor that reviewed what we learned on Thursday and Friday. After lunch we hopped on a charter bus that took us to Patrick Pearse's cottage, which is still intact and also has a cultural center built around it. He was one of the leaders of the 1916 uprising against British rule in Ireland. The center was absolutely gorgeous and the cottage had a thatched roof! I took more photos there that I posted in my Ireland section. After the cultural center the bus took us to Coral Beach to watch the sunset over the bay. Irish sunsets are incredible. The light was pure gold.

The bus took us back to our homestay and our group took Jani for a twilight walk down to the beach. (Twilight is my favorite time of day for photos.) This dog was one of the best parts of the homestay. He basically took us for a walk around his home. The sun was still setting as twilight fell, and our group spent some time in silence together just soaking in the view of the sky.

We made our way back to the house for dinner. After dinner some of the other girls and I had about a two hour conversation with our host father where we talked about cultural differences, life lessons and what it means to be Irish. One thing Noel said to me about Connemara really stuck: "I belong here, if I lived there or anywhere else I'd never be happy. I'm part of here. It's my sustenance." He was such a kind soul that reminded me to slow down, enjoy this experience and surround myself with people that "nourished my soul." He also asked if I was related to his family because we both had curly hair, which was the BEST compliment.

Later that night we went to the local pub where some in our group attempted to order Guinness in Irish. I sat in the pool room and watched a high stakes game played out between a few people in our program. We left the pub around 11 and quickly went to bed.

This morning, Sunday, was really hard. We had to say goodbye to Noel, Trina, Jani and soda bread. I think I will miss the soda bread the most. (haha) We went to the center for our last review of Gaelic phrases, where I learned that if somebody wants to get my attention in Irish they would shout "Awally" (that's the phonetic way to say it). I think I have a new nickname now. Dáithí reviewed all the Irish phrases with us and told us a few folktales, one about the powerful Queen Maeve. He also told us that Connemara means "hound of the sea" and was the name of a powerful female pirate that used to rule the region. After our final lunch we boarded the bus back to Galway.

To end the day I went to Galway City Center with some new friends from Willamette and my roommate Sarah. We went to a really cute coffee shop for hot chocolate called Coffeewerk + Press. Then we took our hot chocolate down to The Long Walk and watched the sunset. It was the perfect way to end the weekend.

The opportunity to learn the Irish language and become immersed in the culture was so special for me. My entire life I knew I was Irish but never understood what it meant. It was an emotional experience to discover and connect to my culture. The language is beautiful and the folklore and music are enthralling. I'm so happy to be here as an Irish American and I'm grateful for the opportunity to develop my cultural identity that I can carry with me my whole life. I'm falling in love with this country and Galway especially. I feel myself growing and changing in this new place, and I feel a sense of belonging here that I never expected to encounter. I can't wait to explore more next weekend in Dublin. Slán go foill! (Goodbye for now)