Photos from our Hike

Sorry for the delay! Here are some photos from when we hiked up the mountain =)

This was ground zero petty much.

The puppy that came with us and Hannah

The view from about half-way up - That's all of Ballyvaughan down there and the Galway Bay

Epic photo. It was pretty windy up there. Casey and Hannah and the puppy

Cows!

The boys that ditched us, haha. Also you can see my school down there, the one with the castle tower directly above the boys. This was on our way back down.

Galway

So we took a trip to Galway for the day today and I think I died and went to Heaven. It was wonderful! I didn't bring my camera because I didn't feel like lugging it around all day and I knew we were just going to be aimlessly walking around for a bit and that worked out just fine for me but I'm sorry I don't have any photos!

Well, first things first, we had a mission. This mission started a few days ago in the form of a heavy search and a heavy craving. That craving was Starbucks. You can't help but miss a few home comforts when you are in a different country! No judge! Anyways, Mandy was right on it and got the lead from google that there was one on the University's campus so that was the start of our journey. We finally found it after getting a little lost and it was everything we could have asked for. We had to ask one of the students where the "coffee shop" was though, because we were a little afraid of sounded like the dumb American girls on campus looking for the Starbucks, haha. Despite our sneaking we found it and four frappiccinos (or creamices) later, four happy girls continued on their journey.

Next we shopped. We were a little nervous it was going to rain since the sun started hiding behind some grey looking clouds, so we dodged into the nearest clothing store. Again, everything I could have asked for. The shopping here is incredible, people!!!! Sales are out of control and all the clothes are BEAUTIFUL. Can I just live here already? I got a couple hats since I was in dire need of some and a warm black wrap sweater, something I had been looking for in the states for a while. We hit a few more smaller shops (a little too expensive for our taste) and then we hit another jem, Warehouse. Again, dream come true. I bought a couple appropriate "going out" tops and a new strapless dark blue dress, I've actually really needed a nice solid colored dress for some time now. Before going to this store I was eyeing this beautiful top at a smaller more expensive shop that was almost black with hints of forest green that was sleeveless with iridescent black and green feathers around the collar. It cost 55 euro so obviously it was out of the question, however, let's just say I bought all three of the previously mentioned items for way less than that one top. It was a good day. Earlier we hit a cafe and had delicious "Baps" (hot sandwitches on incredible bread - have I mentioned the bread here is incredible?) and tea.

After some more shopping, Mandy and Hannah decided to go see a movie while Casey and I continued to wander Galway. The city is a mix of Boston and Diagon Alley (HP reference, sorry folks) in my mind. It was completely magical with the old squished together buildings, stone roads where people could walk freely (kind of like downtown crossing!), lots of cafe's and little shops, along with the cloudy weather and mist. It blew my mind to say the least. Casey and I just could not get enough of it.

We managed to find our way back and do a few more little things before eating another snack and heading off to the bus for the ride back to Ballyvaughan. I do not have enough nice things to say about Galway. It's just wonderful. Now I really cannot WAIT to see Dublin next weekend.

I repeat. Can I just live here already?

Classes

So my classes have started! It's kind of exciting and kind of overwhelming at the same time. I'm taking advanced photo, advanced painting, life drawing, art history, and irish studies.

Irish studies is awesome because we get lectured a bit on some aspect of Ireland or the Burren and we take trips to places relevant to the subject matter. This happens every friday so that means tomorrow is our first official class.

I had art history today which was great. My photo professor, Martina, teaches it and she is wonderfully soft spoken but also talks very fast (to which I can relate!) and has a great sense of humor but is also incredibly knowledgeable. It's an emphasis on European art and identity. I'm very excited, I love it already. It's also very inspirational which helps because I feel a bit lost trying to figure out what kind of art I want to make while I'm here.

My first official class this week was photo. It's much more assignment based than I've ever experienced before which I think will be good. It's about time I get some structure in my photo life, haha. Our first assignment is Place as Identity. I'm finding a place in Ballyvaughan to basically study with my camera for the next week and a half. I think I've settled on Louge's Pub, the one we visit the most. It is open all year round and serves food as well as drink. It's quite a hot spot for Burren students but also for the locals. A good place to start I think.

I also had my life drawing class and started my advanced painting class. They are both taught by the same professor, Terry, who is from Wisconsin surprisingly. He is very nice and encouraging, we will see how I end up liking him. We also have an "every other week" painting professor called Emmett. He is a very nice, younger Irish man. We chatted today about my work and what type of paintings I will be making while I'm here. He was also very encouraging. Since I have only been in such structured painting classes it's very overwhelming to me to have al this freedom to paint whatever I like, I almost don't even know what I like to paint! I mean, people obviously, haha, but self portraits? or regular portraits? Myths or real life? Dreamscapes or just a focus on the figure? I don't know, I guess I will figure it out though. This weekend hopefully I can start with some painting sketches to get me back on track.

As for life drawing, it's just great to draw a model again, I missed that. I bought some really crappy soft pastels because I left all of mine at school for some stupid reason, but they will have to do. The art store here on campus is more like an art closet chock full of art goodies, again overwhelming as is everything else, haha, but Robert is a big help.

(for those of you that don't know, Robert is Burren's handy man/van driver/art supplier. He pretty much runs the school, it would shut down if he left because something is always breakind down. AKA heating systems, gas systems, washing machines, etc, etc. It's very helpful having him around and he has quite the sense of humor. I love the Irish.

Anyways, we are taking a trip to Galway this Saturday so that is exciting! It's actually funny, a couple of my friends and I (specifically my friend Mandy) have been craving a bit of Starbucks in our lives so sadly enough, the first thing we are doing once we get there is seeking out the Starbucks. It's a comfort food thing, guys! After that we will do some hardcore exploring. Hopefully book shops, clothes shops, pubs, and so on. I'm excited.

So Yup, that's about it for now. I'm feeling a little lazy so I need to snap out of that and get to work! Study abroad peeps were right, It is hard to stay on track with this lax teaching environment. Oh well, I'll get the hang of it.

Perfect.

“the air was soft, the stars so fine, the promise of every cobbled alley so great, that i thought i was in a dream”

—	Jack Kerouac

DJ at the Pub and Hikes up the Mountain

So it's the last funsie weekend before the real work starts! Yesterday was a lazy lazy day where everyone, exhausted from the busy orientation week, slept in until about 12 and then finally crawled into the kitchen looking for food. It was rainy and cold, typical Ireland, so instead of our plans for being productive, aka food store and laundry, we all pretty much stayed in the house until we had a dire need to leave. Casey, Hannah, a couple other friends, and I finally decided it was quite important that we make a food run, so unwillingly we left the house to do what we needed to do. The trip was a success but we came home soaking wet from the rain. The rain did not, however, stop us from excitedly getting dressed up and going out to the pub down the street where a DJ, finger food, and the rest of the art peeps in our program awaited us. We made some dinner, got ready and headed out and it was all we could have hoped for: drinks, craic (the irish word for fun times), and lots of awkward art students dancing around in the middle of the dance floor with an audience of the locals sitting around the perimeter.

It was insanely wonderful and such a great time. We danced all night and headed home, again despite the cold and rain. The night started with me and Hannah requesting the song Barbara Striesand by Duck Sauce and ended with us very happily devouring our newly acquired Vienetta mint ice cream logs with a few of our other friends.

This morning we were pretty exhausted but it was SUCH a beautiful day so there was no question that we were going to go on some kind of adventure. Everyone was out and about today despite how tired we were. It took us a while to get started but we finally headed out, Me, Casey, Hannah, and Emmerson along with his friend from Limerick. We ventured off to climb the mountain near our house.

We started off by picking up a border collie that lives near by. We stopped to pet her and she decided to she wanted to continue on with us and follow along. Then we went the wrong way, missing the path, and decided to ascend the mountain anyways, the dog still following us. After we got past the barbed wire it was quite the incline. We basically rocked climbed up the mountain the entire way. We girls were left behind by the boys who were just too fast for us, but the dog stayed with us and made sure we got up alright, very loyal dog. We got very close to the top (the boys actually made it up there) and then decided to head back down after walking through a heard of cows. It was quite the adventure. The dog stayed with us the entire way and the view at the top was incredible. We are definitely going back to have a picnic sometime soon. The air was crisp and fresh and we had an amazing view of Ballyvaughan, the school, and the bay. We finally made it to the bottom, lost the boys, found the path, and brought the dog home. It was a wonderful trip.

Now we are all sitting in the kitchen recouping and eating food. I'm going to be so sore in the morning, but it's a good thing there is a van to pick us up and bring us to the school! I'm definitely going to bed relatively early so that waking up at 7:50 won't throw me for a loop.

Classes start tomorrow! I'm wicked excited, although I still am not quite sure what kind of art I will do this semester. It's all a big question mark so hopefully I can figure myself out soon.

That's all for now, I will post pictures of the hike soon!

Connemara Photos

Along the drive, the glacial valley

Kylemore Abbey

Erica, Me, and Hannah

Sand created by exoskeletons

Casey, me, and Hannah

Connemara Pony - The only kind of indigenous horse in Ireland

Photos!

I told you I would get them up soon haha. These are photos from around town, around the Burren, aaand that's about all for now.

Ballyvaughan's storyteller that gave us our tour

Monk's Pub

Some of the cottages in Ballyvaughan

The Faerie Tree

In the town (Logue's Pub is at the end)

My house! (Orchard House)

Our tour of the Burren

Double Rainbow! :)

Faerie Fort

The plants growing through the glikes and clints

Part of the XPO project

Vaughan's pub

The coast

Cliffs of Moher

Me and Mandy

Me and Hannah