"Be one with the sheep."

Well, I have to state that as my days progress here in Ireland, I find myself meeting diverse people and throwing myself into situations I'd never even consider before my arrival. This was my first weekend stay in Cork, and it was nothing short of lovely! Saturday evening was spent at a wine and cheese party, where I was able to purchase my first bottle of alcohol (legally!) Since I'm no wine connoisseur, I went by the English Market and attained recommendations from the helpful wine seller who paired my Bordeaux up with delicious edam cheese and stuffed olives. The party was great...I was invited by my French-Canadian friend and most of the people there were French-speaking, so that language barrier was a little tricky. However, once the wine started flowing, communication became much easier :) I was also exposed to a lot more Irish people at that party, and that was great conversing with them. I'm beginning to generalize Irish boys as a little obnoxious, easy-going, and loud-mouthed about political and religious world-wide issues (I can't tell you how many times I've been asked..."So, are you happy that Arnie's gone?"). Of all the nationalities of people I've met here, the Irish stand out as the most entertaining and fun to speak with. They really know how to have engaging conversations! (Perhaps it's their aptitude for always proposing just one more drink)
Yesterday was spent...and wait for it...hiking the Mahon Falls in Waterford County! Now, I know I'm not much of a hiker, nor an outdoorsy person for that matter, but I went for it and decided to join the Mountaineering Club at UCC. I figured it would be an accessible way to see parts of the countryside that are rare to even the Irish resident. We left Sunday morning around 8:00 am, and took a two hour bus ride outside of Cork just to the base of the falls. I really had no idea how difficult the hike would be and definitely wasn't prepared attire-wise. Gators...high-tech hiking boots...camelbaks...all foreign necessities to me! Sadly, I arrived in running pants, trainers (running shoes), and a snowboard jacket and probably stuck out like an avid, under-prepared, sore thumb amidst Irish students that have been hiking all of their lives. With ample amounts of nervousness setting in at this point, we headed out (or shall I say directly up) on our adventure.

The quaint little coastal town of Youghal we stopped at on our way to the falls.

The Mahon Falls!

Hiking across the countryside.

The landscape was rife with bogs and a type of grass that resembled tufts of pom-poms. This was extremely cumbersome when scaling down the mountains (I nearly twisted my ankles fifty times). I've never been so grateful for flat concrete.

The rolling hills of Waterford.

After we'd hike up a mountain, we would come across expanses of land like this littered with small lakes.

A patchwork quilt!

Many Irish families own sheep that scatter the countryside, so to differentiate they spray them with colors. It was hard to catch them immobile like this...they're quite skittish critters!

A foreboding sign that you should never lose the rest of the herd.

It's still a mystery to me how the sheep scale craggy mountains like this. A Corkian hiker I met on the trip told me that sheep are the "real philosophers of Ireland" who survey the landscape while they chew meditatively on grass. After hours of hiking, my mantra became, "be one with the sheep" for one obvious reason...they've found a way to live on the treacherous topography!

The payoff to hours of hiking...simply breathtaking.

What Britt christened "the babbling brook," signaling the end to our long journey.

 

All in all, it was the hardest and longest hike (five hours total) I've ever partaken in and tested me not only physically, but more in the mental sense. There were so many moments where I wanted to quit, but when this happened I forced myself to breath and survey the beautiful land around me. The Mountaineering Club takes us to different hiking locations every Sunday, so I'm looking forward to next week's adventure. The club leaders also hold rock climbing sessions at our gym so I can't wait to try that, too.

It's my third week of class, and I can't help but fall in love with this place more and more everyday. Absolutely no work, minimal amounts of time spent in lecture, lots of reading paired with drinking beer on my own time (which I might add is an ingenious coupling), and the meeting of new people on a daily basis has been divine. I'm beginning to discover that most facets of Ireland suit my identity in so many ways: a laid-back drinking environment that involves having meaningful conversation, cold weather that allows me to bundle up (I have an excuse to be this white!), and a culture based largely around music. Such a refreshing change from the craziness and superficiality of Isla Vista!