The Irish Countryside

Hello all,

I was simply too tired to write about the second outing organized by the school AND I didn't want to overwhelm everyone with a 20 pager all in one shot. So I got some rest, ate some spicy penne arrabiate and munched on chips and chocolate, which means my fingers and brain cells are ready to spit out some more fun adventures!

Judith and I got up early Saturday, after having gone out drinking with Alex the night before, in order to get to school and catch the voyager bus (bus eireann) to Causey Farm -  http://www.causey.ie/ - where we would get a chance to experience some of the more traditional aspects of Irish Culture! As I still have not received my suitcase, I didn't have access to my new super rainboots, so I did the next best thing in order to preserve my beloved purple boots: go to Pennys (the Irish equivalent of Winners) and buy a pair of runners for 2 euro! This turned out to be the best option since they are now covered in muck! -------->

It was about a 45 minute bus ride through 2 toll stations and on a 120km/h motorway as highways are called here, which presented us with quite a number of landscape viewing opportunities.

Once we got to the farm, the main farm operator, Matt Murtagh, began our visit with a demonstration of his Border Collie, Patches' impressive sheep-herding skills! He rounded up and led the sheep to the gathered students in about 2 minutes under Matt's careful commands, at which point we formed makeshift pen around them using our bodies. As sheep are scared of everything, they just ran around in a circle, pushing and bumping into each other, each one vying for a spot in the middle of the flock where it is 'safest'! It was quite a sight!

The group was then split into two and everyone was paired up; I became partners with Fabian, a German chemistry student. At this point, our guide, Kevin (who was around our age and not too shabby looking I might add), taught us the basics of Hurling - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgEMvRrOCRI - which made my day since I've been watching youtube videos about it since I first applied for this exchange program! It's played with a hurley, which is like a short hockey stick made of oak and a baseball-like ball... AND helmets as I think concussion are not uncommon in this sport!! I think I did pretty well too, considering we had a short carry-the-ball-on-the-paddle relay with our partners and Fabian and I won by a landslide! I did manage to slip on the wet grass and get mud all over my pants though! All in all a GREAT start to the day!

Mary (US), myself and Judith

Next up, we learnt how to made brown soda bread, which we later got to eat, along with home-made jam, scones and hot tea. It turns out that a chemist and an environmental scientist DO make good bakers... We were then taught the steps to a traditional Irish jig and it can only be described as an artistic mess when 24 international students try their hand at it with only 20 minutes of learning beforehand. But it kept us warm on that cold and rainy day and made us laugh, so no complaints!

We were also fortunate enough to play a beat on the bodhráin, which is an Irish drum and I must say everyone got the hang of that one quite quickly. Finally, we were all stacked into a tractor-pulled cart and brought to visit a bog, which is traditionally one Ireland's main economic resources. It was too cold for any of us to venture into it though.

In conclusion, despite being cold & wet, dirtying 1 of my 2 pairs of pants, and making a fool of myself dancing & slipping all over the mud, I'm glad I went as it was such a wonderful and enriching experience. It also provided some distraction from the fact that we are having a substantial amount of difficulty finding an apartment here as it seems that the Irish really do live on their own schedules, or "Irish time", as in things will get done... eventually! Which can be frustrating at times when they say they will call you right back! Hahaha