Hello again, faithful readers. As evidenced by this new post, I am currently back in Ireland. While I was staying here last semester, I met Emer, the most amazing and beuatiful girl in Ireland. We saw each other for two of the three months I was in Ireland and decided to try a long-distance relationship shortly after I returned. After five months, it is decidedly less long-distance.
I arrived in Dublin airport yesterday after quite a journey. I spent the long weekend in New York City, visiting and being touristy with my dad and Vicki. Although the city was much larger than I expeccted, we managed to pack quite a bit into the two and a half days I stayed. We saw the Statue of Liberty and floated by Ellis Island, but apart from that we stayed within Manhattan. We saw Wall Street, the Emipre State building, walked to the top of the Rockefeller Center, and took a couple of bus tours around - one around downtown and one around uptown. I was only able to see Central Park from the outside, which was a bit of a shame, but it's a good reason to go back to NYC :)
After all of the walking and sightseeing, we made it through the harrowing New Jersey Turnpike and to LaGuardia airport. My flights had to be rerouted because of the stormy weather coming through the Great Lakes, but my final destination time was (thankfully) unchanged. After landing, I managed to stumble through Customs and I found Emer. My luggage apparently took a detour, though. We took a cab home and I promptly collapsed and fell asleep.
Today was unnaturally warm and sunny (at least for Ireland), so we've spent most of the day outside so far. We've walked around campus, revisiting all the old buildings I used to take classes in. After spending an hour or two basking in the sun in the Garden of Life and Death (seriously), we spent a bit of time walking around town as well then stopped for ice cream in the shopping mall right by the canal. A very good start to what is hopefully a very good month.
Showing posts with label Maynooth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Maynooth. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Monday, December 14, 2009
Finally Finished, Farewell
The week before was a nice week. I went to Dublin twice this past weekend. On Friday, Arlette and I were invited to a reception / lunch by the Lord Mayor of Dublin. She was doing this for international students. Never one to pass up free food (especially free good food), we both attended. We met a lot of other internationals. An American here or there, a few Russians, and your standard assorted Continentals (French, Spanish, Italian, and German). Several ambassadors also attended, so I chatted up the Indian ambassador. On Sunday, Arlette, Ita, and I went back to Dublin to see some more sights and such. We saw the Kilmainham jail and walked by the Guinness factory on the way to St. Stephen's Green. We were to meet Dan Shannahan there for lunch at Wagamama (awesome name, I know). We would've walked around Guinness factory were we not already late for lunch. Or on time, I suppose, if you're Irish. Lunch was delicious and we wondered around the decked-out mall nearby. Once we got back home, I made the last flat dinner - the famous American Breakfast for Dinner. Again, delicious.
I've finally finished my semester. This past week has been quite busy. I've had SQL assignments, two 3500 word essays, and two exams. It feels nice to be done with it all. Of course, that means my time in Ireland is coming to an end. I've got some mixed feelings about that. I am really looking forward to coming back to the States, seeing family, watching sports like a proper American, etc. Yet I feel like I've been on an adventure for the past three months (which seems like much longer than three months. I feel like I've been here for ages.) and I don't quite want that adventure to end. I've landed in a foreign country and knew a single person (brother of a friend). I've been all over the country (north, south, east, and west) and was able to spend nine days in Paris. I've met some amazing people here and made some great friends. I've learned a lot about Ireland, America, and myself. (I also learned a little of that college education stuff). I feel culturally educated now. Good job me.
There are many things I'll miss about Ireland. Guinness is probably in the top three. Or two. The people I've met are up there as well. I'm gonna miss the friendliness that everyone seems to have - where you could wander into a pub, sit down next to someone, and have a new best mate. I might miss the Irish accent, even though I haven't given it a second thought for the past few months. I might even miss Euros and how coins are actually worth something.
I've taken some more pictures of Maynooth town and its pubs. Oh pubs. You will be missed as well.
The road leading up to North Campus. The shopping mall is the big building in the back.
O'Neills. Jazz nights on Tuesdays and Rock and Roll on Mondays - the music was always good. As the second smallest pub, it had quite a cozy feel.
The Mantra. The upstairs is the closest thing Maynooth has to a nightclub and the only place in town to charge cover. The downstairs was more traditional and had a pub quiz every Tuesday. This place just opened up last year. It used to be the dive bar but is much snazzier now.
This is the Roost. Yes, everything in this picture, except for the chimney way on the right-hand side. There are four different bars and two separate dance floors inside. The Roost had live music Sunday through Thursday nights. My personal favorite pub.
Church. I went here on Sundays. It was conveniently located on the way to the pubs.
There are two other pubs - the Student's Union pub and the Clocktower. I never went to the Clocktower because it's just a little too far away. The SU pub is notable for the three euro pints they had every Monday. As a student, I often felt compelled to take advantage of this offer.
This will be the last post in my blog. I've enjoyed writing about my experiences and adventures and I hope you've enjoyed reading. I'd like to thank everyone who read this blog, especially those of you that commented and made me feel loved. Extra kudos to you.
I'd like to say something profound in Irish here, but my vocabulary is pretty limited. I think 'goodbye' is 'slawn' or something like that, which I suppose will do.
S'long and slán.
I've finally finished my semester. This past week has been quite busy. I've had SQL assignments, two 3500 word essays, and two exams. It feels nice to be done with it all. Of course, that means my time in Ireland is coming to an end. I've got some mixed feelings about that. I am really looking forward to coming back to the States, seeing family, watching sports like a proper American, etc. Yet I feel like I've been on an adventure for the past three months (which seems like much longer than three months. I feel like I've been here for ages.) and I don't quite want that adventure to end. I've landed in a foreign country and knew a single person (brother of a friend). I've been all over the country (north, south, east, and west) and was able to spend nine days in Paris. I've met some amazing people here and made some great friends. I've learned a lot about Ireland, America, and myself. (I also learned a little of that college education stuff). I feel culturally educated now. Good job me.
There are many things I'll miss about Ireland. Guinness is probably in the top three. Or two. The people I've met are up there as well. I'm gonna miss the friendliness that everyone seems to have - where you could wander into a pub, sit down next to someone, and have a new best mate. I might miss the Irish accent, even though I haven't given it a second thought for the past few months. I might even miss Euros and how coins are actually worth something.
I've taken some more pictures of Maynooth town and its pubs. Oh pubs. You will be missed as well.
The road leading up to North Campus. The shopping mall is the big building in the back.
O'Neills. Jazz nights on Tuesdays and Rock and Roll on Mondays - the music was always good. As the second smallest pub, it had quite a cozy feel.
The Mantra. The upstairs is the closest thing Maynooth has to a nightclub and the only place in town to charge cover. The downstairs was more traditional and had a pub quiz every Tuesday. This place just opened up last year. It used to be the dive bar but is much snazzier now.
This is the Roost. Yes, everything in this picture, except for the chimney way on the right-hand side. There are four different bars and two separate dance floors inside. The Roost had live music Sunday through Thursday nights. My personal favorite pub.
Church. I went here on Sundays. It was conveniently located on the way to the pubs.There are two other pubs - the Student's Union pub and the Clocktower. I never went to the Clocktower because it's just a little too far away. The SU pub is notable for the three euro pints they had every Monday. As a student, I often felt compelled to take advantage of this offer.
This will be the last post in my blog. I've enjoyed writing about my experiences and adventures and I hope you've enjoyed reading. I'd like to thank everyone who read this blog, especially those of you that commented and made me feel loved. Extra kudos to you.
I'd like to say something profound in Irish here, but my vocabulary is pretty limited. I think 'goodbye' is 'slawn' or something like that, which I suppose will do.
S'long and slán.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Campus and Classes
This was my first week of classes. I've been pretty busy, as you might imagine. I did manage to find time for a photo tour of campus. Hurray!
This is the apartment building where I live.
Pope John Paul II and his library. People here are crazy for the guy. The Pope John Paul II Society has even more members than the Harry Potter Appreciation Club.
The Aula Maxima. Lots of musical performances in here.
The campus chapel. Currently unused except for the Christmas choir concert. It's really beautiful inside.
A poorly shot panorama of St. John's Square in the middle of South Campus (the cool, old part of campus). I only have one class (History) down here.
A few shots of Maynooth Castle, which is about twenty feet off campus. It's not that impressive these days, as only the keep and the gatehouse remain intact.
I'm taking six classes this semester (the equivalent of 15 credit hours in the States). Mostly, I'm taking gen eds, but there are a few classes related to my majors.
Advanced Topics in Computer Science - This is the topic I'm most excited about. Every six lectures, a different professor comes in and teaches a subject they currently do research with. I'll be learning about things like information theory, multiple view geometry, and other cool things.
Graph Theory - Higher level math. Seems like a lot of fun so far.
Microeconomics - The teacher reads Powerpoint slides for an hour. Luckily, these slides are available online.
Biological and Developmental Psychology - Seems like an interesting topic (and definitely an interesting professor). However, I think this class will be the least useful to me, career-wise.
The Irish Sociological Imagination - Although we'll be examining a few Irish issues, this class isn't as focused on the Irish as I expected.
Ireland Since 1800 - This class, on this other hand, is. I haven't been to this one yet. This lecture is only once a week and I had to miss the first class so I could register for classes. Did I ever say that Maynooth does things at the last minute? I meant they do it a few minutes afterwards.
Interestingly, Maynooth does not seem to be a liberal arts college. You sign up for a 'major' and your classes are almost exclusively in that subject area. Internationals are exempted from this, but it means I'm taking most of my classes with freshmen. Ever been in a lecture theater with two hundred kids fresh out of high school?
Luckily, I was never like that :)
This is the apartment building where I live.
Pope John Paul II and his library. People here are crazy for the guy. The Pope John Paul II Society has even more members than the Harry Potter Appreciation Club.
The Aula Maxima. Lots of musical performances in here.
The campus chapel. Currently unused except for the Christmas choir concert. It's really beautiful inside.
A poorly shot panorama of St. John's Square in the middle of South Campus (the cool, old part of campus). I only have one class (History) down here.
A few shots of Maynooth Castle, which is about twenty feet off campus. It's not that impressive these days, as only the keep and the gatehouse remain intact.I'm taking six classes this semester (the equivalent of 15 credit hours in the States). Mostly, I'm taking gen eds, but there are a few classes related to my majors.
Advanced Topics in Computer Science - This is the topic I'm most excited about. Every six lectures, a different professor comes in and teaches a subject they currently do research with. I'll be learning about things like information theory, multiple view geometry, and other cool things.
Graph Theory - Higher level math. Seems like a lot of fun so far.
Microeconomics - The teacher reads Powerpoint slides for an hour. Luckily, these slides are available online.
Biological and Developmental Psychology - Seems like an interesting topic (and definitely an interesting professor). However, I think this class will be the least useful to me, career-wise.
The Irish Sociological Imagination - Although we'll be examining a few Irish issues, this class isn't as focused on the Irish as I expected.
Ireland Since 1800 - This class, on this other hand, is. I haven't been to this one yet. This lecture is only once a week and I had to miss the first class so I could register for classes. Did I ever say that Maynooth does things at the last minute? I meant they do it a few minutes afterwards.
Interestingly, Maynooth does not seem to be a liberal arts college. You sign up for a 'major' and your classes are almost exclusively in that subject area. Internationals are exempted from this, but it means I'm taking most of my classes with freshmen. Ever been in a lecture theater with two hundred kids fresh out of high school?
Luckily, I was never like that :)
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