Finishing up semester 1

It’s been a good bit since my last blog post and for that my only excuse is the end of the semester being overwhelmingly busy. I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised considering that this is an accelerated masters program, but especially the few weeks leading up to final exams, the workload was almost too much to keep up with! Can’t believe I’m already done with my first semester and 1/3 of my way through the entire program! My first semester went really well, and I’ve made some great friends, learned a lot through classes, and been able to do a bit of exploring on the side. 

A few observations about my program so far…one of the things I’ve really enjoyed so far about my program is the hands-on nature. A few of the courses included laboratory work as well as field work observing and collecting data. The program also involves a large amount of group work which has proven to be both a blessing and a curse. Ideally, all members of a group would pull their own weight and the project would flow together easily. Unfortunately, my experience so far is that some group members take the opportunity to sit back and let others carry the bulk of the work load. I think the goal of the program coordinators is to simulate a real working environment, but I personally find that I keep wishing for more individual assignments. Another struggle has been the lack of feedback. Going into final exams, we still had not received grades back from any of our assignments throughout the semester, and will not receive our final scores until the end of January. I think being used to more regular feedback at University back home, I find it difficult being kept in the dark. The program has been great though, and if those are the only things I can list as downsides, I think they barely count! This next semester I have all new courses, and they all sound great! They include Engineering, vegetation ecology, Soil conservation, environmental geology, GIS, and marine ecology. This upcoming semester I will also decide what I will conduct my research on this coming summer. Exciting!

In October my roommate Alex and I signed up for a trip with the International Students Society (ISS) to check out the picturesque seaside town of Cobh, the bustling city of Cork, and the well-known Blarney Castle. Cobh was a beautiful city with brightly colored buildings lining the boardwalk which in many ways embodied what I often picture traditional Ireland to be; charming, cozy, and welcoming. The Blarney Castle, although I had been warned was a slobbery tourist trap turned out to be well worth the visit and very impressive. In case you are unfamiliar with the Blarney Castle and the magic surrounding it, there is a stone on the very top of the castle which is rumored to impart anyone who kisses it with the “gift-of-gab” aka “blarney.” The special stone is of course not easily reached, and there is a man stationed there to help less than limber tourists lie down, bend over an 80 foot drop backwards, and kiss an inconveniently placed and germy stone to receive this special gift. Tourist trap? Yes of course, but still worth it for the fun. Another reason to visit the Blarney Castle is the poison garden out back (complete with tobacco, nightshade, and yew, only to name a few), and the beautiful landscaping.

Another trip I took this last semester was with the Mountaineering club to the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland. We did some hiking, rappel practice, and lots of enjoying in the beautiful scenery of these legendary mountains. It was fun to meet some new people and take a weekend away from the city. Also in October, Alex and I went to a High Kings of Ireland concert which was great! I’ve included a clip for your viewing pleasure :)

I’ve always loved Irish music, and I’ve found there to be no shortage of great live performances everywhere from the local pubs to the impressive street performers frequenting the city center. There’s always something fun to see or do in Dublin, and I found myself already feeling quite at home in this bustling city. I’ve finally mastered the bus system, know my way around the main parts of the city, and I think am getting a decent hold on the lingo. 

Another highlight of my semester was taking a trip down to Barcelona, Spain for the weekend to visit a friend and check out the city! Barcelona is full of incredibly unique and beautiful architecture, largely influenced by Alexander Gaudi. We visited too many places to list them all, but Park Guell, Casa Batllo and the fort overlooking the entire city were a few of my favorites. Probably the most recognizable building in the city, the Sangrada Familia, was one of the most beautiful buildings I had ever seen! Gaudi designed many of the structures after the natural world. The pillars inside the cathedral split out at the roof like branches, there are animals worked into the masonry everywhere, and the brightly colored and plentiful stained glass flood the building with light. He designed it to feel as if in a forest, and he succeeded. Under construction since 1928, the Sangrada Familia is still a work in progress, and someday I hope to return to see the finished product. There are so many details I could have spent hours there just exploring! The food in Barcelona was delicious as well, and Rolo introduced me to paella which is a traditional Spanish dish made of rice and seafood…some of the best seafood I’ve ever had.

In the time leading up to and after exams I also enjoyed being in Dublin as the holiday season approached. Dublin more so than Washington State, creates a festive environment with Christmas lights, wreathes, and trees everywhere (they even decorated our campus appartments!). City center was particularly fun to walk around after dark with carolers and lights everywhere. As pretty and festive as Dublin is during the holidays, there’s no place like home, and I was lucky enough to be able to travel back to Washington for two and half weeks to spend time with family and friends. Although I was able to spend a good amount of quality time with people, a little bit of skiing, and indulging in some missed American foods (Mom made me thanksgiving dinner---yum!!) (And cheetos…who knew I’d miss those?? Haha), those two weeks flew by too quickly, and as I sit on the plane on my way back to Ireland, I already miss home. Crazy to think that it will be another 9 months until I’m back again, but if this last semester was any indication, these 9 months will fly by too! And its not that I am wishing my time here in Dublin away, quite the opposite in fact, I have lots to look forward to in the upcoming months and I’m still so incredibly glad that I made the decision to embark on this crazy adventure to experience life in another country and go back for my master’s degree!

Until next time! :)