Tag Archives: Ireland

Farewell, America

Hello there! My name is Maddison and I’d like to personally thank you for visiting my blog space. I have a lot of plans in store for my GeoBlog, so I sincerely hope you return to experience Ireland with me each week. And, just so you know, this will be my last post before I depart for Ireland because I’m leaving a bit early to tour the country with my mother and my aunt before my Dublin orientation begins.

My goal for this blog is to share my experiences and adventures with you, though ideally, it would be great to interact with you in the comments section as well. I want my readers to gain not only entertainment from my blog, but a sense of culture, fun, and belonging. It’s a well-known fact that Ireland is considered one of the most hospitable countries in the world, so I want my blog to mirror that welcoming tradition!

Well, I suppose I should introduce myself, as you’re probably wondering who I am and why I chose to start blogging. First and foremost, my name is Maddison and I’m currently a third-year university honors student who will be studying abroad at The National University of Ireland, Galway during the Spring semester of 2015. I am double majoring in English and History with an intended double minor in International Studies and Writing. My hobbies include reading, writing, historical research and interpretation, acting, singing, crocheting, listening to music, archery, watching movies, cooking, genealogical research, riding roller coasters, traveling, and spending time with my family and friends. But you’ll get to know me better as I post more frequently.

So that’s a bit about me. But you still may be asking yourself why I chose to study abroad in Ireland. Well, to me, the answer is simple. I was raised in an Irish-American Catholic family, so I’ve grown up in an environment that has familiarized me with Irish culture ever since I was old enough to understand what it meant to be Irish-American. The values, morals, and traditions instilled in me as a child have guided my life in many ways, but now that I am in my early twenties, I am ready to explore and experience Ireland as an adult. And, if I’m honest, there really isn’t anywhere else I could imagine myself going besides Ireland. I’ve never been there before, but something inside me already warms to the familiarity of traveling to the place where my family came from. It’s going to be a very new experience to me, but at the same time, it almost feels like going home.

I can assure you that I will go into more depth about these topics in upcoming posts – this initial post is just my way of saying hello, thank you for taking an interest in my blog, and I hope you’ll join me on my journey. If you have any questions, feel free to post them in the comments section and I will respond as soon as I am able. Thanks again for stopping by and I hope to see you back again soon!

Until my next post… farewell, America!

Maddison

Location: State College, Pennsylvania, 16801

Dublin

@font-face { font-family: “Cambria”; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; }span.st { }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }

This past weekend, I went on my second trip out of the country, to a place that I have been longing to go to for years… IRELAND!!!

I am 50% Irish and I was an Irish Step Dancer for almost eight years, so naturally I had to go visit the homeland. So, my friend Phil and I left a rainy Barcelona early Friday morning and arrived in sunny, beautiful Dublin.

As soon as we checked into our hostel, we decided to head to the center of town to get some lunch. As luck would have it, we happened to choose the same restaurant that some of our friends were at, so we ate with them then decided to go to the Guinness Storehouse together for a tour of the factory. It was very similar to the Heineken factory that I went to when I was in Amsterdam, but interesting itself all the same. The best part was the 360-degree view of the city that was at the end of the tour of the storehouse. It was the top most floor of the building, and offered breathtaking views of the entire city.

As we made our way back to the hostel, we passed the beautiful Christ Church Cathedral, which was founded in 1028, and St. Audoen’s Church, which was built in 1190 and is Dublin’s Oldest Medieval Parish Church. After a quick nap at the hostel, we went out for the night with our friends on a pub-crawl, and had a fabulous first night in Dublin.

The next morning, Phil, our friend Hendrik and I set out on a mission to get to Kilmainham Gaol, a jail from 1796, but on the way found the National Museum of Ireland of Decorative Arts and History, so we decided to go in a look around. This museum is housed in an old army barracks, so it was HUGE! Inside we saw some cool things from the history of Ireland, such as old army uniforms and equipment, old scientific instruments, furniture, and clothing. My favorite part was the exhibition of ancient stone crosses, which had crosses that were over 1,000 years old.

After the museum (and quite a lengthy walk), we finally made it to Kilmainham Gaol. This old jail housed many common criminals, but also those that were involved in rebellions against the British when Ireland was owned and controlled by Great Britain. Although some parts such as the floorboards and metal grates have been restored, it was really interesting to see a jail from so long ago.

After visiting the jail we made our way to Trinity College, whose beautiful campus sits in the middle of the city. We then made our way through the city center to the incredible Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, a sight that I refused to leave Dublin without seeing. Unfortunately it was quite dark once we finally got there, but this glorious cathedral was mighty and beautiful all the same. Afterwards, we met friends at Ireland’s oldest pub, The Brazen Head, which has been there since 1198!

Although it was short-lived, I loved my weekend in Dublin. If I would have known how much I was going to love Ireland, I would have planned my trip for a longer weekend, and I would have travelled to other areas of the country such as Galway, Belfast, and Cork. Since I didn’t get the opportunity to see these places, now I have an excuse to go back again!!

Location: Dublin, Ireland

The Luck of the Irish

I’m fortunate that with my study abroad program, I can go on little school field trips. It kind of reminds me of my high school band days and although there are certain things we’re required to do, it’s still a lot of fun. One of those opportunities came up with our midterm break trip to Ireland. Since I’m half-Irish, I knew I definitely had to go to my homeland and explore.

We landed in Dublin to absolutely gorgeous weather- mid 50’s and sunny, something we weren’t used to being in London. And we were especially surprised since the weather in Ireland can be just as bad as London’s. But, we were off to the western part of Ireland to a little town called Ennis. On the way, we stopped at an old monestary right off the river Shannon where I took this photo above.

Next stop though was Ennis. The town reminded me of State College- very small but full of life even at nighttime. It was a traditional old Irish town that had something for everyone- the traditional stuff with live music that some of us got to be a part of and even a bar playing the best American music targeted towards our age group. We explored it all- even meeting one of the leading candidates vying to be Ireland’s next president. We were there during the elections, but I never did find out who won… anyways, we had a fun night. Of course, one thing anyone must have is Guinness, but we decided to wait for that and had Smithwyck’s instead, which is also a traditional Irish ale. Below are photos of Ennis and me with that pint of Smithwyck’s…

Then it was off to Galway. First stop was to the Cliffs of Moher, more famously known as the Cliffs of Insanity from The Princess Bride (a movie I have not seen) and boy, was it windy! All us girls scrambled into the bathroom looking like we had just gone surfing! But, it was definitely worth it- the view was incredible! Here are some more photos from that!

Galway was also an interesting town. We didn’t stay there long enough for me to have photos or experiences to share. We mainly stopped there for a bite to eat. But, then it was off to Dublin! Dublin I equated to my hometown of Bethlehem, PA. It honestly is a city but has that small-town feel. A bunch of us did think that Dublin was cool but we preferred the nightlife in Ennis and would have liked to stay there longer. Dublin does have its beauty with Trinity College and being right off the river. It’s an old city in a modern world and I would have loved to explore more of the town. Here’s a photo of Dublin Castle, then (hopefully it works) a video of the bells of Christ Church ringing, and another photo taken from the O’Connell bridge.

DSCF1355.AVI

When our tour guide finished giving us a walking tour of Dublin, he asked us if there was anything else he could help get us too. All of us looked at each other and replied practically in unison- “Where’s the Guinness Factory?!” Probably the one thing we all wanted to check out was the Guinness Storehouse, which is a museum all about Guinness (anything you can think of; how to make it, the history, media and advertisings… think Hershey Factory but way more intense). It was pretty cool. We got a sample of Guinness and even a complimentary pint (with an Irish twist just for me). Definitely a highlight for an Irish girl like me, and though it’s expensive, you should check it out (but only if you have a taste for Guinness… if you don’t, then skip it).

After that, it was time to return to London. After enjoying 60 degree weather in Ireland, we returned to a light drizzle and 40 degree weather (which after having 2 weekends of warm weather felt like 30 degree weather). I honestly loved Ireland- the people and culture were amazing and I was so happy to go with people in my program. If you ever have the opportunity to check out Ireland, do. And it’s true what they say- it’s very green and mystical. Maybe you’ll get lucky and find that pot of gold!

Location: Ennis, Ireland; Dublin, Ireland

Cliffs of Moher and Other Adventures

I’ve been really sick lately, and it sucks. I suppose it was inevitable, though. I always get sick with a change of environment.

This past Saturday, we took a tour through the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, the Ailwee Caves, and Bunratty Castle.

Photo blog, hoorah!

^Cliffs of Moher

^Castle at the Cliffs of Moher

^Cliffs of Moher

^Me at the gift shop at the Cliffs of Moher. hah.

^The Burren. Kinda cool lookin’, yeah?

^Roommates at the Burren.

^Ailwee Caves. Pretty cool. They turned the lights completely out and you couldn’t even see your hand in front of your face. A bit commercialized, but still fun.

^Self-explanatory.

^Roomie shot again.

^We found a phone booth! :]

Also, I went to a pub Sunday night to watch the Superbowl. Being from Pittsburgh, I was really rooting for my Steelers. The rest of the pub, however, was on Green Bay’s side. I’m not quite sure why the Irish like Green Bay, but it was really embarrassing losing…and it was not fun being harassed all night. Over-all experience? Horrible. Hah. Never again.

Other than that one bad night, I am starting to really love everyone here. Time is flying by. Ut oh.

Cheers,
Melanie

Location: Limerick, Ireland

“You have to go to the pub, it’s like our community center.” –Orientation

This first week has been incredibly hectic.

The flight was fine. No crying babies. Watched Easy A and tried to sleep (but failed quite miserably). I’m almost positive a little over half of the plane was going to U of L (about 65 people?) which made getting past customs and finding our shuttle quite simple.

I arrived at U of L around 10AM. Once dropped off at reception in my village (I’m living in Kimurry village), we had to fend for ourselves. We weren’t given any directions on where to get food or what to do. I was not used to this type of survival at all. I was in a strange place with no direction. After getting lost a few times, I found a grocery store and picked up very few items. This is where I learned that you are supposed to bring your own grocery bags to the store. I guess Ireland is green in more than one way.

It was then time to sleep. And sleep. And sleep.

The rest of the week was a lot of figuring out where everything is, orientations, pub hopping, and figuring out my class schedule. I start my first day of classes tomorrow at 9AM. We’ll see if I like it. The cool thing is that we (international students) have two weeks to test out any classes we are interested in. After two weeks, we pick our final schedule.

I really like all of my roommates. I have one from Finland, one from Canada, and the other three are from the states. No Irish roommates, which would be disappointing if my roommates weren’t so cool. We had some nice family dinners, and I seem to be the head cook of the household (which may seem funny to some). We don’t have a microwave in the kitchen, so my other roommates are actually learning how to cook! Yay! Life skills!

So, the Irish are a bit crazy. And when I say a bit, I mean there are people screaming, “I’m on a boat!!!! I’m on a boat!!!!” outside my house right now. The guys are very forward, so I am learning to get really good at rejecting people. I’m not quite sure how they wake up in the morning after drinking so much. I’m pretty impressed.

I am currently streaming the Steelers game and planning on staying up ’til 3AM to watch the whole game. The time difference is a bit crazy, because it’s usually the middle of the afternoon when I skype my friends who are just getting up in the morning. Also, fun fact: Hulu doesn’t work in Ireland, so that was a huge bummer.

Photo time:

^Blue skies the first day. Love it.

^My first Guinness in Europe.

^Family Dinner #1

^We ventured into the city of Limerick and found this.

^My roommate Meagan, and myself. She’s from Canada and brought all of the roomies awesome Canada mittens :]
^At a pub on campus called Stables. Fun friends :]

^Family dinner for Fleur’s birthday!

Will write later this week about my classes.

Cheers,
Melanie

Location: Limerick, Ireland

Wait, I leave for Ireland in a Month?

Hello everybody! My first geoblog entry. Yay!

My name is Melanie Versaw, and I am a junior at the Penn State University majoring in both Marketing and Advertising. I will be traveling to Ireland for the spring semester to study at the University of Limerick. I chose to study abroad because everyone who hasn’t says they regret it. Oh, and I didn’t want to graduate early.

I leave relatively soon (January 18th, to be exact). I am not prepared. And that’s fine. I like spontaneity.

Most of my posts on here are going to include a lot of photographs. Though I am not a photography/arts major, I am the Photography Editor of Onward State (an excellent PSU news blog), and I want to focus a lot of my time abroad taking photographs and bettering my photography skills. Also, pictures speak louder than words. So hooray for photo blogs!

I tend to be a rather sarcastic person, which can influence my writing quite a bit, so watch out for that. I do think this will be a fun experience, though. I used to be a creative writer, but since I joined so many activities at Penn State, I hardly have time to write during the school year; I’m excited for this little blogging opportunity. Random fact: I am obsessed with semi-colons.

Today it is snowing in State College. I wonder if it’s snowing in Limerick. Does it snow in Limerick? …like I said…SO unprepared. But I cannot wait to go. It will be a blast.

I’ll update you on the fiasco I like to call packing sometime in the near future. First, I must fight through this week (I am throwing a $30k concert tomorrow) and finals week.

^this is me

^this is where I am going

^sample of my concert photography and me hoping there is good music in Limerick.

I will hopefully get fancier with my photography as I learn. To bring up an awesome nerd moment: the geoblog website isn’t letting people upload photos via the image uploader. My immediate reaction: “You can just use the HTML coding.” Excellent, Mel. Excellent.

Cheers,
Melanie

Location: State College, PA

No more Leeds exchange? And trip to Dublin!!!

I learned yesterday that Penn State isn’t offering any spots to Leeds students next year, and apparently the only students able to come to Leeds from PSU are AE now. To say I find this incredibly absurd would be an understatement. I’m disappointed in the PSU study abroad team that they did not advocate Leeds more. So many students go to London, which is incredibly expensive, and Leeds is only a couple hours away by train and bus. Leeds is also a big, but student friendly, city. I just don’t understand why PSU hasn’t been advocating Leeds more strongly. Not to mention, the Leeds students I met who came to PSU last year had the time of their lives and are equally as disappointed that no one else can go. But I guess I have no control over any of it so I will just frown and carry on.

Anyway, I went to Dublin last weekend for four days! I went with a Canadian study abroad student who lives on the floor above me. We had a great time exploring Dublin without tours or tour guides and took a day trip to the coast at Howth to climb some cliffs.

Highlights include

Kilmainham Gaol: