Howth

The Group

 Today we took a train just about 20 minutes from Dublin to a small fishing town called Howth. We walked up and down the East and West piers to see the big boats that are used for fishing.We spent the day taking in the sites and adventuring to the cliffs where the views were beautiful.It was a relaxing day away from Dublin City.

  Since this is a fishing town, fish and chips are a must for people to eat. Being the ONE person who doesn't enjoy fish, I substituted the fish for chicken, of course. My friends said it was some of the freshest and best fish and chips they have had!

A friends plate of fish and chips.

 It was a VERY windy day so getting a proper picture without hair flying all over the place and in our faces was a challenge.

We were greeted by this little guy when we first arrived.

Our lunch location, Caffe Caira

We're Not in SJSU Anymore

The first week of class is complete and let me tell you, it was interesting. My experience has been the complete opposite of how the first week of classes at SJSU are. In my first class on Monday I was one of twelve students as opposed to back at home were the first week of classes is a competition to crash, add classes, and spend time sitting on the floor due to lack of seats. It took the entire week to figure out which classes to take, what times, how many lectures there are in a week, and where on campus they are located. Irish students at Griffith College doing the normal three year plan have their schedules premade, but as an international student we have the freedom to pick and choose which courses we want to take throughout the three year programs. After a lot of confusion and plenty of meetings with campus staff, I figured it out and I am taking at least one class, five days a week. One of these classes is Irish History & Culture which is offered to international students only. This week we met at Trinity College and our professor took us on a small history walking tour of Dublin.

Here was my classroom on Friday:

Inside the Irish National Bank

Dublin Castle

Daniel O'Connell in City Hall

Happy Arthur's Day!

Today in Ireland, the creator of Guinness is celebrated. Arthur Guinness created the world famous black lager back in the 1700's. So today, all around Ireland, people including myself will hold up a pint or two of Guinness to the man who started it all. I hear that today is like another St. Paddy's Day. There will be music played at all the pubs and bars with local music as well as popular music. All headliners such as Mumford & Sons, Ellie Goulding, Mika, and Tinie Tempah will play in some of the top pubs in Ireland, but their locations are top secret.
If you have some free time today, grab yourself a Guinness and celebrate Arthur's Day!

It's Just the Beginning

It's been a long time coming, but I am FINALLY in Ireland. Nine months ago this was only just a a dream of mine and three months later I received the acceptance letter, and now it's a reality. I am in Dublin, Ireland and am already in love.

  The journey began on September 11 at about 6am. The two best people my mom and Megan took me to SFO, we lugged my very large(and heavy) luggage to check in and I was on my way. It was a long day of traveling and didn't arrive in Dublin until 9am the next morning. Once arriving in Ireland I grabbed my bags and immediately met a few girls that are a part of the program as well and met the rest of the group upon arriving to Griffith College.
   Finally being in Ireland was so exciting, but that became the longest day ever. We got dropped off by our taxi driver and were off to registration that consisted of sitting around for 3 hours..... by the time we got our room keys and were able to leave registration we had to meet with Olwyn our program director who showed us places close to campus to buy groceries, shop, and enjoy a pint.
  After our quick introduction to Dublin we were all back to the dorms to get ready for our first night in Dublin, Ireland! The nightlife in Ireland is a blast! There are always people out in every pub and bar, every night. I've had a blast learning about the city and enjoying a pint or two with the locals.
   We didn't have any commitments for the first four days so we all spent our days exploring the city and seeing all that it has to offer. We went to City Centre where I will be doing plenty of shopping in an amazingly cheap store called Penny's. In this same area there is Trinity College, Grafton Street (high end shopping where I will be doing window shopping), and Temple Bar. We also spent a day on the hop on/hop off tour bus where we were able to see more of the city.

                                          The Guinness Factory, an incredible place to visit

                                                                       Our Bus

                                                           The Old Jameson Distillery
  Monday the 17th was our first day of orientation out of 4 where we learned about the campus, the student union, and the courses offered throughout the semester. As international students we get the first two weeks to sit in classes and test them out before we have to actually submit our official class schedule. Awesome, right?

Today, September 22, our group had a preplanned trip to the County Wicklow and Glendalough. All I can say is that it is a breathtaking place. For the past week and a half we have been living city life and busyness, but today we got to experience the country side. It was what you would imagine if you thought of Ireland, green and gorgeous. We were picked up bright and early in the morning by an older Dublin native man. He was so cheery and excited to show us around. We made many stops on the way to Glendalough including the bridge/road where, P.S. I Love You was filmed.

A view of all of Dublin

                                 

Our Tour Bus!

Location of P.S I Love You

    Our tour guide today was determined for the group of us to fall in love with and learn every word to the song, "Galway Girl." This meant that we listened to it just about 8 times throughout our day and he was successful, we all do love it and can't stop singing it. If you don't know it, here it is as part of the movie, P.S. I Love You. Listen Here :)             

So many sheep are EVERYWHERE. Aren't they just adorable?

Glendalough, once a small town, now an incredible place of history.

                  I once had a tour guide that told me Glendalough was the "Land Between Two Lakes"

So this has been a long and exciting post. I will try to keep up to date as much as possible! :)

Oh, and just so you have an idea of where in the world I am, here's a little map of Ireland....

Here ya'll go, some more photos for your viewing pleasure;

Our Tour Guide