Second Day of Classes and Green, Red and Yellow

Thursday 1.23.2014

Second Day of classes. I woke up at 7 in order to get ready for class and to make it to the bus stop on time. So at Irish colleges, the girls are always dressed up. Some girls even wear heels to class. Although I am not putting on my stilettos for class I am dressing nice for class. I probably have dressed nice more days here more than all of last semester. My first class on Thursdays is Business Analytics. It is basically a combination of every math class I've taken in college. Since I like math I don't think this class should be too horrible but I have heard it can get really hard. Fingers crossed it isn't too awful. After class all the Illinois students planned trips and took care of some emails. We then went to Australia Day luncheon. Apparently there is a big day in January called Australia Day that celebrates Australia, us Americans didn't really understand it but we did understand free. There was a free lunch for anyone that signed up. We were all over that. 

After lunch Catie and I went to our last class for the day - the tutorial for eMarketing. This is basically the discussion for the class. All we did was listen to our TA talk about twitter and statistics for an hour. I mostly just sat there trying to figure out if a person across the room resembled someone from back home. In case you were curious - he does. The beauty of my school week is, it feels like I just have Mondays and then Fridays and I get to skip everything thing else in between. After class Catie and I went and signed up for another day trip before we hopped on the bus to head home. During our walk from the bus stop to home, we stopped in Tesco to get our favorite wine deal of €4 for a bottle. Unfortunately, the guy checking us out said we needed our passports in order to prove we were of age. That's one annoying thing here is that some places accept my Missouri license and then some places don't. After being rejected from the checkout counter we walked home. We unloaded our bags and picked up our shopping bags in order to make a quick run to the grocery store. Upon return we made some quick dinner then got ready for a Stop Light Party hosted by a group from school. 

Pearse Street Single Crew

For those who don't know what a Stop Light Party is, people dress according to their relationship status. Single people wear green, people that are complicated wear yellow and then people in relationships wear red. To no ones surprise I wore green, but thankfully all the other Illinois girls were in green too. Our home hosted the pregame since we were close to the pub the party would be at. Everyone came over and enjoyed their wine, cider, and beers. We played a couple of games before heading over to the party. We were an hour late but apparently that wasn't late enough because the party was dead, after deciding that pub was a bust we all roamed Temple Bar area looking for a new place. We eventually ended up at Mezz where we listened to this great band play some music. Even though the Traffic Light Party was bad the night was salvaged and turned into a pretty chill night.

First Day of Class

Wednesday 1.22.2014

This is the Business School that all my classes are in

So despite the fact that school really started on Monday, I didn't have class until Wednesday.  I am blessed with only two days of classes a week. Catie and I woke up early in order to make it to campus early. So, at Illinois I could wake up at 9:45 and make it to a 10am class on time, here in Ireland, I have to wake up at 8:45 to make it to a 11am class on time. This adjustment is a little rough for me. We arrived to the Quinn school about 30 minutes early so we took care of some emails and piddly stuff while we waited. About 10 minutes before our class started we decided to head to class. Typically at Illinois by 10 minutes to the hour the class would be over and the next set of students could come in - we learned, the hard way, that this is not the case in Ireland. We walked into the classroom so proud that we found the class no problem. Our confidence was shot to hell when the professor in the classroom yelled at us that her class was not over and that we should leave immediately. The worst part of the whole scene was that the Irish students were laughing at us as we walked out. It was a FOB moment to the max. 

After being mortified, we tried to mentally recollect before walking back into the classroom (at the right time). The first class, Marketing Communications, wasn't too bad. My professor is very young but he seems really knowledgeable. This class may be a little annoying since there seems to be a lot of busy work but it doesn't seem like it will be a very challenging course. The set up of all my classes is one hour then a 10 minute break then another hour. Although I'm not used to 2 hour classes, the break will be very nice and much needed. After the first class we went and grabbed a bite to eat. We decided to eat in the Global Lounge which is basically where all the international students congregate. 

After lunch, our next class was eMarketing and Social Networking. This class seem like it will be lots of fun and very interesting. My lecturer for this course is the only non-Irish instructor. Matt (yes he wants us to use this first name) is German which isn't too bad. Some of my roommates have Middle Eastern lectures who was very hard to understand. In this class I met a very gorgeous French man. He photo bombed a couple of my snapchats to friends. He was given the seal of approval from both Fionna and Sophia. After this class I have a really long break in which I plan to blog and get homework done. Towards the end of the break, a couple of the Illinois kids decided to get some dinner before our last class for the day. My very last class of the day is a Business Irish History class. All of the students are Americans which is kinda nice since I didn't feel like a fish out of water for once. This class will definitely be the most boring class I have this semester. The lecturer is very dry and mono-toned. Snapchat will most likely be my best friend during this class. Despite how boring this class will be, we will get 3 free field trips out of it, which should be interesting. After the painfully boring two hours we headed back home. At home I just watched some Friends before calling it a night. 

Post Black Monday

Tuesday 1.21.2014:

Post Black Monday = lounging around the home. Everyone had too much fun the night before so we all just chilled at home for the majority of the day. Eventually Sarah, Catie and I worked up the energy to make a trip to school in order to sign up for a day trip that weekend. At least it wasn't a completely wasted day.

Cheers,
Jenny

BLACK MONDAY

Monday 1.20.2014:

Woke and got ready for the day. Catie, Jeni, Cierra, and I decided to wonder around the city in order to take super touristy pictures. We started at Trinity College. The campus pretty but it was quite small. We wanted to see the Book of Kells but after finding out it cost money to go into we decided to not go. I also figured my parents would want to see it, so I added it to the list of "Touristy Things to do with Deb and Bob." After Trinity we ventured to O'Connell Street. O'Connell Street is like the Main Street of downtown. Instead of calling it down town, they call it City Center. On the way to O'Connell Street we stopped and took a very touristy picture of the River Lifey and all the shops along the river.

Good Ole' Molly

On O'Connell Street we wandered and looked at all the different stores. We stopped in Penny's (which is a kinda like their Forever 21) I picked up an umbrella (much needed), some gloves, and a cheap big purse in order to put my big camera in. I got a little tired of the big camera bag screaming AMERICAN TOURIST every time I went out of the apartment. Catie and Jeni also bought some stuff. We then decided to head towards Grafton Street. Along the way we saw good Ole Molly Malone.

Grafton Street

On Grafton Street we looked at all the shops we couldn't afford and we got some crepes. Even though Ireland is by no means known for it's crepes, these were pretty delicious. We took our crepes and walked to St Stephens Green. St. Stephens Green felt basically like the Irish version of Central Park. It was very relaxing to sit back and watch families feed the ducks while I ate my chocolaty crepe. We then went into the St Stephens Mall to look around. Catie bought a couple things but I refrained. I'm trying to save my money so I can spend it on souvenirs from other countries. Catie and I then went to the O2 store (a phone store) so that Catie could figure out her phone situation. After that headache of an encounter we went back home. 

Some Wisconsin and Illinois girls on Black Monday

We made some dinner and then got ready for Black Monday. Black Monday is a tradition for UCD students; all of the students go out the after their first day of classes. It is said to be one of the busiest Mondays in Ireland. Catie, Becca, and I all got ready for it. Unlike most of the nights since we've been here, we got really dressed up. We dressed like all the Irish girls do - high heels, skirts, nice tops, teased hair, tons of make up, etc. We then made the long walk to the Fortesque Lane home (the boys place). On the way we stopped and picked up some wine. We found a great deal where a bottle of wine is €4 (it's a little unheard of to find wine that cheap here) All three of us picked up our own personal bottle. We made it to the guys place and enjoyed hanging out with everyone before heading to Diceys. Diceys was an adventure. To say the least. Black Monday held to the expectations of all the Wisconsin and Illinois students.

Cheers, 

Jenny

Getting Touristy - First Official Week: Saturday and Sunday

Saturday 1.18.2014:

Today we got to go on two tours provided by my Uni - The Guinness Storehouse and Croke Park. We took a bus to the storehouse and then went on a guided tour through the museum.

Fun fact 1: The Storehouse is designed to resemble the shape of a Guinness pint

If there was every a doubt in my mind that I am Bob Heck's daughter, it was shattered when I was on the tour. Not only did I want to stand and read about everything, but I was seriously disappointed/upset that the tour went by so quickly. I even wanted to raise my hand and ask a couple of questions....in classic Bob Heck fashion. After the tour we had the opportunity to learn how to pour a glass of Guinness (yes, there is a specific technique). For instance, you fill up the glass until the golden harp logo, then you let it sit for a while until all the foam has formed at the top. After this has happened then you top up the glass.

Fun fact 2: It takes 119.5 seconds to pour and serve a pint of Guinness.

After learning the correct technique, I had a chance to try it out my self.

After everyone had there chance to pour there own pint we went up the Gravity Bar at the very top of the storehouse. I was able to see the whole city from up there! Even with it being rainy and grey out it was a fantastic view!

Fun fact 3: I like Guinness.

Hunger started to set in with the whole crowd so we went to grab lunch at the restaurant. I had some Guinness beef stew and it was delicious. After our incredibly filling lunch we explored the gift shop a little then hopped back on the bus to go to the next place - Croke Park. 

Croke Park Stadium is the home of all Gaelic Sports. So if one wanted to watch Hurling or Gaelic Football they would go here. In Ireland there is something called the All-Ireland, which is a competition hosted by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) for all of the counties in Ireland. Every county has their official Hurling and Gaelic Football team and so every county is represented. The competition culminates with a Final match for both sports. These final matches are played at Croke. It's a really really big deal here in Ireland. We got a chance to tour the stadium then try out some game simulators to see if we have any of the talents needed to be good at these sports. Despite my fairly good athleticism, I do not possess these talents needed.

After this museum visit we all headed home and relaxed for the night. This mostly consisted of watching Friends while lounging in the beanbag sofa. 

Sunday 1.19.2014:

On this day we ventured more on the outdoorsy side. We went on another organized tour through a group called ESN. We went to a former fishing village, now a current suburb of Dublin, called Howth. We went to the harbor and took some scenic pictures there before starting the long hike for the day. While at the harbor we saw a seal. Yes, a seal....in Dublin...who knew that was a thing? Catie decided to name the seal Guinness (clever right?). 

After the Harbor we started our long hike for the day. In the middle of the hike we were interrupt by a 8K run. It was really interesting to watch people struggle up the hills and in the mud no less. After about an hour, hour and half of hiking we stopped and ate some lunch - I had fish and chips. After lunch we continued the hike back to the harbor. Below are lots of pictures from the hike.

Koadie in her natural habitat

  

 

 

 

 After this very exhausting hike everyone called it a day and went back to their homes in order to rest up. This trip really showed me why studying in Ireland is such a great opportunity. It covers everything that one should have in a study abroad opportunity - fascinating history, world-known locations/sites, outdoor activities, sporting events, nightlife, museums, etc. With everyday I am loving Ireland more and more!

Cheers,
Jenny

First Official Week: Thursday and Friday

Thursday 1.16.2014:

Everyone got up super early this morning in order to make it to the another orientation meeting and our Business Advisory Meeting. Orientation was pretty basic and didn't really give us any new information. The Business Advisory Meeting was a lot better though. We met the Dean of the Quinn School of Business and the Business Study Abroad Adviser, Madeline. In the meeting all of the American students learned a lot about how to be successful in the school. We also played a game about perceptions that the Irish have of Americans and perceptions that Americans have of the Irish.

Americans:                                                          Irish:

      -lazy                                                                    -catholic

       -McDonalds                                                        -potatoes

  -cowboys                                                            -drunk

    -power driven                                                      -friendly

         -ignorant                                                              -always late

                   -timely                                                                 -starts lots of fights

       -selfish                                                                 -all gingers

          These are some of the perceptions that we listed in class. 

After this meeting we went to another reception where we ate some free food and drinks. During this reception we had a chance to learn some tradition Irish dances....despite the Cotillion m mom made me take I was still a horrible dancers. But unlike in 7th grade Cotillion class, I wasn't taller than the guys. Everyone decided to head home in order to make some dinner before heading back out to try out another pub. I made my classic pasta dish of noodles and sausage. Then a couple of us went to a pub off O'Connell Street (which is one of the main street in Dublin). 

Here's a very cold Spencer

Friday 1.17.2014:

Catie and I decided to sleep in. After our beauty rest we woke up and headed to campus to catch a bus tour of Dublin. The bus tour was very informational (Dad would be proud) but it was very cold. In Ireland, almost all buses are double-decker and this bus was an open top bus, so with all the cold air and wind we were very chilly.

Here are some of the places we saw on our bus tour:

Fun fact: windows 

River Lifey

St. Patrick's Cathedral

President of Ireland's home

After the tour we went home and relaxed a little before going a school organization Pub Crawl. The Pub Crawl was tons of fun. We got to go to 5 different pubs, which was a real experience. Below are a couple of pictures from the night:

Spencer's sick dance skills

Three of the roomies

Cheers,

Jenny