non ducor, duco.

I slept way too long today so I'm not quite tired yet. But don't worry Mom, and all the other "mothers" I have who might be reading my blog. I promise that I'm eating well, sleeping enough, taking my vitamins and, of course, going to class.

We had a rather quiet weekend here in Limerick. We just went out on Friday night until about 4 am. You know, the usual.

My friends and I are resting up because 1. life is expensive and it costs way too much to go out, 2. we're going to Belfast next weekend so we need to rest up. The softball team has it's first tournament of the season in Belfast. It should be a GREAT time.
 
I've noticed that Ireland has an overabundance of snails, so I decided to adopt one as a pet.

Presenting... Seamus O'Snaillivan.

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Yep. Brian does look a little crazy... but you can see my new pet. I brought him into the bar that night. I found him on the way up to Stables, our on campus pub, and I didn't have time to take him home. He survived two hours of dancing and singing traditional Irish songs. My favorite one is "bog down in the valley-o." Ask me when I get home to teach it to you. It's hilarious.

well, with one week of class under my belt, i feel like i'm starting to find my little niche over here. i've got a solid group of friends to hang out with, both Irish and American.

I've figured out how to do lots of things I couldn't get before... like how to get hot water in the shower, or how to use the kettle. The kettle is an electric water heater. I also baked my first batch of cookies using metric measurements! Adjusting to life in another country is a slow process. We were sitting around last night and thinking about what our respective schools had told us about culture shock. I don't think it's hit me yet, I'm still in that lovey-dovey "Ireland is amazing" phase. But there are little things that make me miss the US. Like no naked juice. and missing the Iowa/Iowa State game. haha I found some guys who have a huge dish package, so they invited us to watch the world series with them.

This week was basically a blur. On Wednesday all the campus clubs held a fair to get people to join. I joined soccer & softball. I was going to join rugby... but i think 2 sports is plenty!

A few of us are going to Galway tomorrow. We're going to check out the Cliffs of More and maybe the Aran Islands if we can. All the hostels are booked, so we'll have to come back to Limerick at night. It's a good thing though, we're all getting worn down and starting to get sick. I don't know how the Irish lads can go out night after night.

Well thats all for now! I have softball practice!

well class starts today! I'm a little nervous that I might have trouble understanding the professor. I've gotten better at understanding people when they talk, but sometimes its still a bit tricky. Especially when they're older guys.

I'm taking Legal systems & methods, Women in history, Social of media, Comparative European politics, and Intro. to traditional irish music! I'm excited about all my classes. Plus I don't have class on friday which means I'll be able to travel!

This weekend was SO amazing. We got up super early on Saturday to go on a field trip to a castle. Unfortunately, we were supposed to sign up for it. So we weren't allowed to go. They don't tell you much here. You have to be a little more proactive.  Instead of going back to bed, we walked into town. It took us an hour & a half, but it was worth it. We walked along the River Shannon. Saturday morning is the traditional milk market. We went to that and walked around, sampling local foods and smelling all the great smells.

That night, we barbecued with some guys from the softball team. They are hilarious. We went out to a pub called the Cornmarket later on and then to a disco called the Trinity Rooms. It was 12 euro to get in. It was well worth the ridiculous price though. It was huge & packed.

Yesterday we watched Ireland destroy Nambidia in rugby. Friday was the beginning of the world cup. We have a pub on campus so we went to that and watched the match on the big screen.

Alright, here are a few pictures from my night out! The first one is me, my American friends and Eoin (say it like Owen) at the Trinity rooms. The next one is Brian teaching Amanda & I how to do a dance, which is slightly inappropriate. People are so friendly. They totally have taken us under their wing and shown us a great time so far!

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Well I'm here! Sorry its been very very busy here and I'm just now getting a chance for an update. I've already got a  good grip on things.

The flight over was long, but we actually got into Shannon a half-hour early. It was rough staying awake all day. The Americans who arrived on the same plane all stuck together the first day. We went into town, which was daunting. We didn't have much of an idea where the bus went. It's hard to remember that one euro doesn't equal one dollar. The exchange rate is a killer. Things are quite expensive here. A pint is about $6 US. Food is pricey too. It's funny to me that I could fly to London and back for 20 euros but a pizza will cost me about 24 euros.

Everything is, as they say, grand! My village is on the edge of campus, right next to the arena (gym) and track. It's beautiful. The picture below is me in front of the track. My village is in the back.

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In case you want to write, my address is:

Myra Gottl
House 35, Room 1
Kilmurry Village
Castletroy
Limerick
Ireland.

Campus is large. About 350 acres. They have a crazy system of numbering floors. The bottom floor is ground, then you have 0 level, then the mezzanine. Then they start with numbers... I feel like I'll be completely lost my first day of classes.

I will write more eventually, I promise. We have orientation all day. We get a free meal which ROCKS. anything free is amazing. I miss all of you. Quite a bit. But I do really love Club orange soda. Its basically sprite with orange juice mixed in. But on the label it says "with real orange bits!" They love the word bits here. Oh and they all curse like sailors. F this and f off etc. Oh they'll even stick it in the middle of a word... like Tech-fucking-nology. haha

I can't believe it. It's finally hit me that I'm leaving!

So I get to study abroad! I'm sure if you're reading this you know very well who I am and that I'm leaving soon for what will probably be the best experience of my life. I'm starting this blog as a way to keep in touch with my friends and family... mostly so I don't clog up everyone's inboxes with huge, long e-mails. And so no one thinks I died overseas.

I hope you'll read about my adventure in Ireland at your leisure and enjoy all the pictures I post.

If you'd like a post card, comment at the end of this post and I'll make sure I send you one!