I'm back! It was a busy two day weekend and I can't wait to tell you all about it. First of all, I thought the orientation was only going to be students from UCSB who are studying in Cork, but it turned out it was all of the UC's who were anywhere in Ireland for the Semester. To put it simply, it was the most epic orientation I've ever partaken in. I'm sure it had to do with the fact that all of us had a lot in common by choosing Ireland to travel to, our UC backgrounds, and our sheer eagerness to make friends in a foreign place. Regardless, in two short days, I feel like I've made a whole group of really great friends. Our first day consisted of a cultural and academic lecture, a tour of downtown Dublin, and then we set off to my homeland...the Guinness Factory!

 D-town!

 Some lovely Georgian architecture in the heart of the city

 

Back to the motherland ;)

 Mmmmmmmmm

 I love their advertisements!

The hops used to make the delicious concoction

Later that night, a group of us decided to take a night out on the town and see what Dublin's pubs were really all about.

Natasha, Josh, Saralynn, and I

Josh was a real trooper with all of us tipsy girls!

 The next day was essentially a crash course in Irish History, in which we toured Kilmainham Gaol, a prison utilized by the dominating English to suppress the Easter Rising of 1916. I'll let most of the pictures dictate for themselves...

 Apparently serpents were architectural symbolism for "evil within"

 Winding staircases were utilized to slow down the movements of prisoners and prevent rioting

The crew

The gallows...dun, dunn...

...duuuunnnn...

Peering through the peephole of a holding cell

Prisoners were lined up and shot along this wall due to overcrowdedness in the jail. Apparently at this point in Irish history, common civilians were committing petty crimes to find refuge from the streets.

I'm locked in Kilmainham Gaol! (nerdy moment, but did you expect anything less?)

Intricate keys they used (this one's for you, Kate)

 After our tour, we decided to be true Dubliners and find our way back to the hotel all on our own...subsequently getting lost and trekking through the suburbs.

 A grand weekend, indeed. I wanted to post a couple more pictures of where I actually live in Cork and my flatmate's jam session with other Irish musicians from last week.

On my walk to class

The River Lee

Unfortunately it was too dimly lit in the pub, but you can still hear their sesh

 Things are honestly going wonderfully. For the most part, I've shaken off the homesickness and really feel like I'm embracing my experience here. Having my own room to myself and living with two laid-back, cleanly, and genuinely nice boys is making for a most relaxing living environment. Today I was able to go out, grocery shop, and run errands on my own (navigating perfectly...a big step for me!) and I really feel more comfortable in general with the city, my classes, and UCC. I'm starting to realize I really only have three more months of school, and then I'll be heading to Rome to stay with Irene and Caitlin for my Spring Break (the whole month of April). After that, May is dedicated strictly to finals, and then I'll be meeting up with Irene, Jess, and Jenna in Florence on June 1st. You know what they say...time flies when you're having fun! I'm so happy to be where I am right now.