UPDATE pt 5: Flatmates and Classes

Ok, as promised here tis!

Day 8: Yes, I did part of this, but now for flatmates
Part way through our delicious dinner of pizza, I heard the door open. I went to investigate and found Marguerite! She's the last of the flatmates, making us 4 in all. Hannah (American from North Carolina), Christine (Irish and from about 60 miles away), Marguerite (Irish and also from a 60 miles away, in the other direction from Christine) and myself. Christine and Marguerite joined us in watching The Court Jester (I love this movie, by the way, and was delighted when Bethany and I realized our shared enjoyment). The four of us shared good laughs and got along crazy well. They are both sweet girls and I enjoy their company quite a bit. Christine is a biology major (YAY) and Marguerite is in architecture...yikes. Both said that they'll go home for weekends since they have jobs at home rather than one's here. The Irish students actually tend to go home on weekends, every weekend, if they live even remotely close, it's so different from back home. I'm hoping that somewhere down the line I'll get invited to go with one of them so I can 1) get a free meal and 2) experience an Irish home. I'll just have to wait! :)

Day 9: First day of classes
Well, today it began with the long trek up to the music building (I have since found a faster way to get there, but it took about 40 min on Monday) for my Difference and Otherness in Western Music class from 1-3. This class seems like it's going to be awesome actually. The lecturer is very engaging and the course material is like nothing I've studied before so I'm going to learn a lot :) After that I had a very confusing journey to the Connelly (pronounced CONNally, emphasis on the "conn" and a sound like you're saying "convict") Building. This is not because I am challenged, let me assure you. I was told Connelly was a big pink building "Ye can't miss it"...riiiiiiight. What they failed to mention was that said pink building was behind a normal grey looking one and that you couldn't see the pink from the street. Bloody brilliant. Once I finally found it, I had my Intro to Traditional Irish Music class. It also seems really interesting- I'll be learning about the different types of Irish instruments and their evolution through the years, along with recognising where in Ireland a type of playing originates. For example, there are 4 very prominent types of fiddle playing down the West coast of Ireland: Donegal, Sligo, County Claire, and Sliabh Luachra (I can't remember how she pronounced this, maybe after my Gaelic class I can tell you). Each has distinguishable features, such as more trebles or a longer bow sound vs a short bow (longer more drawn out notes vs not essentially)....it's fascinating. After years of Irish dance who'dve thunk I'd learn the differences in the type of music I was dancing to?

That was pretty much the extent of my first day of classes...a whole 2. Both of which only meet on Monday- one for 2 hours and the other for 1. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G

Day 10: 2nd day of class
One of the classes I'm taking is the Uilleann pipes. They're kind of like bag pipes, but more complex and you don't actually use your breath to "power" it. Instead you use these pumps that you put under your arms...hence its nickname of making the people who play it look like chickens. In the morning I went to set up a time for my lessons, which will be for an hour every week...which doesn't seem like much, but ok. She'll let me know when my lessons are later in the week.

Later on I had my Sociology of the Family class, which is kinda meh. I could try to find a different class, but this one will fulfill my social science requirement in the states, so I'll stick with it. It's not gonna be hard, the lecturer just isn't overly engaging. But I only have to listen to him for an hour Tuesdays and Wednesdays (the only class I have that's more than once a week). And that pretty much concluded class Tuesday.

Day 11: 3rd day of classes
All I had today was a meeting to set up the time for my Intro to Irish Gaelic class (she tries to schedule things around our schedule and has multiple groups that she splits us into apparently) where I will find out what time my classes are on Monday *sigh* and my sociology class again.

After my absolutely exhausting day *insert sarcasm* I went to hang with Bridget and Jack and we watched the season premiere of House!! Yay!! We saw it 2 days late, but whatever, at least we got to see it :) Once the beauty of House was finished we just hung out and then I wound up teaching them some basic hardshoe moves (from Irish dance) which was quite the adventure. I've never taught complete newbies, and it was a tad harder than I anticipated. But we got a few laughs and they got the basics...eventually ;)

We went for a walk around 10:30pm or so and found the most random thing: a barrel with a spigot labeled "Holy Water"...I'm not even kidding. It was the funniest thing ever. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera, but I had my phone so I took a picture with that....now to figure out how to get it off of there...but no worries, I will find a way! Cause that was just too hilarious :)

And...wait for it...I'M CAUGHT UP!!!!!! Thank goodness.