All the Trees Lean Away from the Sea

The wind was really something yesterday. Outside it felt heavenly on your face, but inside it whistled and made you feel like potato soup and cornbread. If I weren't working so hard on procrastinating, I would've gone to the shop for some buttermilk. As it is, I spent the entire night working on a short story. The entire night. Gah. There was some watching of Highlander (don't judge me, it wasn't my idea) scattered through there as well, but for the most part, it was a long night. My routine will get more settled and it won't be so haphazard (at least I hope!).

We had poetry class yesterday and I must say, our instructor Eva Bourke is just simply amazing. The entire class felt like a conversation. There are some really great writers in our course and I can't wait to read what they write all semester. I hope some of that magic rubs off on my work! Anyhow, to prove I do write on occasion and don't just spend my days drinking tea and flirting with old men in the city centre, here's one of my poems from class:

Buffalo Bill's Traveling Show

From the second story

he could see her jumping

But not from the third

she broke her foot once like that

So when she stood there

in her teal ankle rainboots

he only nodded

and said he would catch her

The she flew

like off the high dive at the public pool

Screaming Watch me!

he knew he was in trouble then

There was a flash of color

and he made good on his word

but even the grass was holding a grudge

her boots stayed on

In the kitchen

there was hardly a sound

just a thud

like someone stacking wood

Over her shoulder

she remarked

to no one but the air

those are the ones that lived

Today I've got Fiction. I'm going to like this class, but I do not like my offering for this week. I began at least three different versions of this story, rewrote another version last night and still changed up a few things this morning. We'll see how it goes. After class I've got an interview for a tutoring job, cross your fingers. It'd only be two hours a week, which might work out just perfectly. Ireland's gonna work out just fine, especially if I can figure out a way to sneak away the Chester look-alike puppy from my neighbor. Or convince her that the puppy really needs to hang out with an American girl for a little bit each week. At the moment though, I think I'm going to eat some lunch and read for my class tomorrow (Women's Writing, yes!). Hope to hear from you all soon!

Forgive me pretty baby but I always take the long way home

This afternoon, I felt whimsical. There's just no other word for it. After a morning of running around trying to get my i.d. card, finding a bookshop that sold the novel I need to read by Wednesday and declaring my courses, I should have been frazzled. But on my way home, going towards the bridge, I noticed a path by the river. So I took it. It wasn't much, but it wasn't the parking lot either. The path went under the bridge, where I passed two fishing rods, a boom box, and below in the water, two boys in a boat. I wound around the corner to the stairs leading up to the bridge and my way home. Now, on one side of the river is the university and on the other is a large field. On my way to school this morning, I thought to myself that I'd like to explore that field, and I wondered where it led. This afternoon, I noticed a boy in a blue shirt with a grey backpack hop over the guard rails onto a small path. So I did what anyone would expect me to do and I followed him.

We walked through the field past an old ruined building with scaffolding in the middle and through the grass onto a tiny road. Then we crossed a red bridge and walked beside a giant whitewashed wall with red paint trim. The wall turned out to be the stadium for Galway United Football Club. I followed this boy past buildings and bed and breakfasts and rock fences and then the grey backpack turned into a row of houses. So I continued alone. I found the cutest little house I’ve seen yet, turned down the wrong road and came back up again. Finally I found the turn to take me home. At the bottom of this road is a hotel and across the street you’ll find a Courtyard Marriott and a gas station. But at the top of the road there is a field with two ponies and blackberries. Then there is a house set back from the road and on the other side of the house is a smaller field with two more ponies. The boys don’t know it yet, but we’re going to feed carrots to the ponies this weekend (Kasha went to London to see Muse in concert). Personally, I think they need a good brushing and if it were up to me, I’d hop the fence and take care of that and help myself to those blackberries. But I also don’t want to get arrested, so we’ll just stick to the treats.

Tonight I plan to do my poetry homework and start reading a novel for Irish Women’s Writing. The rest of the weekend will be spent reading (a lot) and writing. Those are my responsibilities. I know that my classes are going to require a large amount of work and that it’s not going to be easy, but that is my sole responsibility. Reading and writing! I still can’t believe it. No doubt my enthusiasm will calm down in an hour or so, but for now, even though the rain has come back and my legs are screaming at me (I ended up wandering for 3 hours at least), I am content. And I hope, my friends, you are too.

There's no crying in Fiction

I think our fiction professor's exact words were "We're not crybabies here". I sincerely hope not. I'm really excited about fiction! Mike McCormack is our professor and he seems just incredibly passionate about good work and improvement and reading good books. Right up my alley. The class is starting to get more talkative too, which is nice. One woman, named Maire (Myra is how she pronounces it) has been writing in the Irish language for years and is clearly well respected. She's really nice and I think she'll be really interesting to read and to speak with. So I left Fiction elated yesterday and just strolled along the street, not really knowing where I was, but figuring Galway is small enough that it would sort itself out. I found myself near what I thought was a church (and it might be), but then saw a giant sign for a secondary school. The road curved around the Church and seemed to just rest there before stopping and turning abruptly into a long road. So I turned down this road (Preservation Road, I think) and found it to be the prettiest little street I've seen so far. The sun was out and hit the pastel colors of the buildings and it was just amazing. I'll go back there with my camera and try to capture it.

Last night, I got home and spent some time chatting with the boys. I think I might be a little overzealous when I say they're just adorable. They're both 20 (Noel's birthday is today, so he's actually 21) and students at NUIG. Noel is a first year and Ryan's finishing up. Ryan is really into soccer, and it's almost like having two brothers around. Noel plays guitar upstairs while Ryan watches soccer matches on the t.v. and shouts at the players. Last night, we watched a little bit of Jerry Maguire. Today I'm going to attempt to make a birthday cake. We'll see how that goes.

Today is 20th Century Irish Women's Writing. I'm so excited! Ideally, I'd like to end up taking Poetry, Fiction, and Playwriting, because I can only choose three. But Women's Writing just sounds like a great course, so I'm going to check it out today, and who knows? So I'm off to finish my tea and head over to campus!

We're really sorry, we're American.

It's pouring rain. Not just the drizzly little stuff we've had all day for two days, but the kind you can hear on the windowpanes. The kind that makes you want to curl up in the big blue leather chair downstairs with hot tea and the lone soft brown blanket and not move. Ever. Guess it's time to wear my raincoat with the hood.

Sunday night I went with Kasha to see Collum's band play. Mostly, he told me, they do covers. So off we went to the Cellar Bar (I know! I just loved the coincidence!). There are a lot of Americans in Galway. Usually, they're pretty easy to spot, so as I sat down with Kasha with our bottles of Miller (yes, Kasha loves Miller), I spied a large group at the table above us. I'm instantly nervous. These are young looking kids and they've obviously been here awhile. I know a member of the band, I'm sitting there with his girlfriend, surrounding by their Irish friends. The Americans are having a great time. They're dancing and singing along and just being generally rowdy, in a good natured way. Everyone else is intent on their beer or the band (which is pretty good), but there are camera flashes, squeals of delight and drunken love flowing around this table. I'm highly amused. This was probably me not so long ago, and they all look like they're twelve. Eventually, the loudest of the girls turns around, looks at me and Kasha and says "We're really sorry! We're American!" then goes back to her antics.

I was slightly pleased, but disconcerted. I thought I looked pretty American, even though I was enjoying myself quietly. But before I could start to brood, there was a familiar opening riff, and Amanda Bishop, I thought of you. Oh yes, there it was, Sweet Child O' Mine. Kasha looked over at me, I guess I had given a whoop of happiness without realizing, and then looked at the other table, who were all out of their seats now and dancing. I just shrugged and said, "We love this song!" and began to sing along.

The next day was the first day of Poetry class. With all poetry classes, I go back and forth about my feelings towards them. One minute I'm fully engrossed, the next I'm thinking, are you kidding me? So it's important to be submerged in Poetry completely, or else you start to think you shouldn't be at one with that tree, or that the candy wrapper on the sidewalk is just trash, and then it's all lost. I think I'll enjoy the class regardless. The professor is very sweet. After class, I had lunch with some of the girls. One girl kept saying, "Oh my god, you just showed up and left all your friends behind, that's brilliant!" and every time she said that I thought "Oh my god, I did, what have I done? Where is my white cheddar popcorn and that awful broken couch of Ryan's?". In fact, the lack of quality junk food is my biggest culture shock. I told this to the girls and the outspoken one turned to the others and said, "You wouldn't believe it, we went to Florida once and went to Wal-Mart, this giant store, like a supermarket, but ridiculous, and any kind of cereal, oh the cereal aisle, any kind you could ever think of, it was there." So that was that, though I was assured Galway was increasingly Americanized, which I can see from the McDonald's and the Quiznos (yes!), the Subways and the Papa John's.

We went to a play last night, called "The Silver Tassie". I have to say, without reservation, one of the best plays I have ever seen. It's right up there with "Grey Gardens". The best part? It was free. It was set in WWII I believe and just really incredible. I laughed, I cried. I also think I made another friend, Danielle from County Mayo. She drove me home last night so I didn't have to walk in the dark. It was late and I was super grateful, Galway's a small city, but a city nonetheless. I hope we'll have some classes together (she's doing her MA in Drama & Theatre).

For now, I'm off to Fiction class in the rain. In other words, dear readers, send tissues and vitamins (I like the gummy kind :)).

Don't sit that way too long, you may get stuck like that.

The house has come alive. From my room I can hear the television downstairs, no doubt being watched by Collum while Kasha cooks dinner. The spices float up the stairs and smell suspiciously like home (she's making meatballs, but the onion is so nice!). In the room next door, Noel and Ryan are talking about something (I can't tell you what, because I can't understand their accents for the life of me). I'm writing and reading alternatively, which isn't really a big change from what I'd be doing in recent or distant memory. I do like this moment.

I slept in late today, began to work, and then changed locations for the next 30 minutes. This transition to student life again is proving to be more difficult than imagined, but I welcome the challenge. Deadlines! Yikes! Finally, I gave up and went out for a walk after chatting with Bertie for a couple of minutes (He came out to get the garden ready for winter, yes, it's only early September). I needed to buy groceries, find a reasonably priced printer, and maybe a couple of basic t-shirts. I found a tiny mall with a Penneys. Now, everyone here keeps telling me how great and cheap Penneys is for clothing, but while it's inexpensive, I didn't see too many fantastic deals. To set a visual, think Goody's before it closed down. racks of clothing put on haphazardly, stacks of once folded shirts just lying in heaps on the shelves. I couldn't handle it, so I left. All the printers I found were ridiculously priced, and the grocery store just wasn't conducive to bargain shopping. So I left the mall and went to Dunnes, the giant store just a 5 minute walk from my house. I didn't find any shirts (apparently the 5 pack white Hanes t-shirt doesn't exist here), but I did get my groceries. I met a lady in the condiment aisle as I was picking out salt. The containers weren't single person sized, so it took me awhile. Then I hear a voice saying, "I've found that one raised my blood pressure, but this one didn't at all. Of course it's more dear, so if you don't have blood pressure problems you could save with the other one."

From there started the awkward conversation between me and the Irish. I guess they don't realize I'm American until I speak, and I'm not sure they understand me half the time. But she was really sweet. So I bought the massive salt container that's sure to raise my blood pressure because it was a good .75 cents/euros cheaper. I'll probably never finish the whole thing. Then I haggled for a printer, a PRINTER. I could use the university services and pay for my copies, but the amount of printing I'm going to have to do just doesn't seem feasible to print out while I sit in a chair at the student library. I carried my new printer and my bag of groceries home, slightly dejected and focused on the new muscles I'm using. Then I compared prices at Wal-Mart and Target. They weren't any better. In fact, I did the best I could and came out fairly well. So with the help of plain potato chips and Coca Cola, I perked up considerably.

So, after meeting Noel and his mother and aunt (in my zebra pj pants, OH YEAH!), and cuddling in the giant armchair under a blanket and scaring both Collum and Kasha (who said I looked like a small kid, curled up like that), I'm writing this post to you from my cosy little room in Tirellan Heights. I know the posts aren't nearly as exciting as expected , but I promise there will be adventures if you're patient enough.

I'm SO excited! I'm so...so... scaaared.

That's right, I feel a little like Jessie Spano minus the caffeine pill addiction. Today was our first department meeting and while going through the class offerings, I was so excited I could hardly keep still. Adrian Frazier is the Director of the program, and for those of you from JMU, he reminds me a bit of Roger Hall. They both have this sort of assured arrogance about them, but you can't help but like them, because the arrogance I speak of is dodgy and flits in and out of view.

There are very few of us. Three Americans, one Albanian, and the rest are Irish (I think, I didn't get to speak to everyone today). We met two of the professors outside of Adrian. The first was Eva Bourke, who runs the Poetry workshop. She's very soft spoken and seems to live in a different atmosphere. I think I'm going to really enjoy her. Today she said, "We have to be careful with one another in a poetry course" and it really struck me and I thought it was quite nice and so true. We have an assignment this weekend to write down things that strike us, snippets and whatnot.

We also met Mike McCormack, who teaches the Fiction workshop. He might be a bit more direct in advising, but how do I know at this early stage? He gave us assignments as well, 200 words each on our favorite album, movie and book. We also have a reading assignment of two novels. Conveniently, this is how I've made a new friend and classmate. Anna from Baltimore went with me to discover Galway's bookshops, so we each bought one novel, will read it, then switch with the other. On top of all these things, we must submit an autobiography of ourselves as writers, a total of 600 words. So guess how I'll be spending my Saturday? I must confess, I'm really looking forward to it. I might even cook (gasp!) of course, that means I'll have to buy something other than pasta...

After school, the meet and greet and finding pretty much all the bookshops in the city, Anna and I met up with my new international friends and walked down to Galway Bay. It's a fishing village and very picturesque at points, where others are... not so much. You have the multi-colored buildings lining the street and the sometimes more colorful boats bobbing around in the docks, and then you see a sign about some sort of contamination on the north side of the green. So we stay on the south side and walk down to a small beach full of shells and shards of glass bottles. Two boys were putting up a tent in this unlikely place, a man was drinking from an unidentified bottle while slumped up against a wall and there was a girl in a bikini sunbathing. She even went in the water! Now, as I type this, I'm sure you're all thinking, holy crap, it's so cold over there! My friends, I got sunburned, in IRELAND, today. It's been sunny the whole time I've been over here. I'm assured that it will rain tomorrow though. We'll see.

This evening, we went out to the pubs. Or pub, rather. We got invited to one place that was doing an 80's night by some very eager Irish boys. We declined and went to another with live traditional music. It was dark, full of old men and fantastic. After a pint, we headed home and passed by a Papa John's that sold hamburgers, yes, hamburgers. There must be some mistake. I will investigate this further through my travels. But, as I'm safe and sound now and it's very late, I believe I'll start a reading assignment and go to bed.

Are you American? Oh good, I can't understand the Irish.

I feel as though there is too much to report back home about! So I began to write, then I took a nap, and erased everything once I woke up. I guess the best thing to do is to begin at home, my new one for the moment.

I took the bus from Shannon to Galway and slept a bit of the way. However, I did see some of the cutest little towns along the way, including rock walls. Literal rock walls, GIANT rocks, no mortar or anything. Lots of horses, sheep and cattle and Johnny Walsh's bar.

Bertie picked me up in Galway and drove me to the house on the other side of town. Galway isn't really a large city, though I haven't explored it thoroughly yet. Anyhow, there was a bit of traffic and so I got a lesson in reading license plates. the first two numbers are the year the car was made, then the city where it's registered is listed, then i think just random numbers, I can't remember. So mine would be 03 NT DMDQN17, but not personalized, haha. It's been fun guessing the towns that I'm not familiar with (G for Galway, D for Dublin, C for Cork, the smaller cities have the first and last letter). I know that sounds really nerdy to include on a blog, but I think it's fun, so there.

The house is really the equivalent of a townhouse. And smaller as to be expected. My room is the tiniest of all of them. Possibly the size of the bathroom. It fits my twin bed, a set of 3 drawers and a small wardrobe. I have a chair in the corner, but use it as my desk for now. A lap desk would be ideal, haha. But seeing as how my things don't really fill the room up, it's just the right size. There is a garden out back with a picnic table, a defunct basketball hoop, a weird clothesline thing, and two propane tanks. Plus one large pink hydrangea and other assorted plants. Bertie explained "I put the things in and these are the ones that lived."

I will have three roommates, two boys and one girl, but the boys haven't arrived yet. They must be brothers, and they're from Derry. The girl, Kasha, is from Poland but has been in Ireland for 5 years and spent some time in Wisconsin (?!) before that. She sounds Irish, but doesn't talk as fast. I like her and think we'll get along really well. She works at a clothing shop in town, Monsoon. Apparently Monsoon is very popular in England and VERY expensive, so I don't think I'll be sporting their designs anytime soon! Kasha dates Collum, Bertie's nephew. Collum's in a band and really nice as well. Also, we have an electric shower. It's awesome. You push a button and the water comes on, push it off, and it goes off, very neat! There's also a National School in our neighborhood, literally four houses down. I met a little girl this morning who thought I was a new teacher. The schools here are very small and look more like houses than schools.

Today was MY first day of school, sort of. International Student Orientation. For those of you in Blacksburg and/or Houston, guess what? The first person to introduce himself was ITALIAN. However, I didn't meet just Italians. So far I've met Anya and Rebecca from Germany, Carlene from Holland, 2 Italian girls (I forget their names already, yikes!), Fergal from Cork, 3 girls from Buffalo and Matt from St. Marys, PA. Matt will apparently be singing "Like A Virgin" at karoake night tonight. I may or may not attend. It's a 30 minute walk in the dark both ways.

And that brings me to the walking. If I'm not in better shape by even Christmas, I'm useless. It's not a bad walk, but there is a bit of a hill involved and let's face it. When do I walk anywhere for that long, twice a day? So, Mom and Summer J. Brown, be proud.

So that was today. We had a man speak about the library today that sounded exactly like Professor Snape. I feel a bit like an undergrad again with all the stuff that I could become involved in. I know I won't be able to do a giant amount, that's reserved for writing, but I definitely want to volunteer somewhere, and take some Irish classes if I can. For now, I'm going to cook up a bit of dinner and prepare for my department meeting tomorrow. I'm really excited about this! Wish me luck!