UK Days

My study abroad program held an early Thanksgiving dinner in London for all the UC students attending universities in the UK and Ireland. This meant I got a free trip to London and a proper American Thanksgiving feast. London was a lot of fun. I got an authentic experience because I stayed with Shai’s friend Olivia, who is a student and local resident of London, instead of in a hostel. We flew out of Cork on Thursday night and landed in London just in time to put our bags down in the apartment and go to a pub down the street. I was surprised because London initially reminded me of LA with better public transportation, a big, busy city, but with British accents.

The next day I went to the Harry Potter Studio Tour! I navigated public transit all alone to get there, this gave me a nice taste of the London life but I would have much rather used apparition or the floo network, oh well. At the studio I saw the original sets, costumes, props, and effects used in all the Harry Potter films. It was magical: I walked through the Great Hall, rode a broomstick, drove my friends around in a flying car (with the aid of a green screen), entered Dumbledore’s office, hung out in the Gryffindor common room, saw my reflection in the Mirror of Erised, drank butterbeer, and so much more. We were there for over 5 hours and never got bored once. It was surreal to live in a world I have only seen on screen. I went crazy with my camera and now have more than 200 Harry Potter related pictures- here’s a small selection.

I spent the next day playing tourist on the streets of London with Shai and Olivia. We started our day at the Borough Food market, a local outdoor market that is open every weekend and is full of delicious food from all over. As is our food market tradition, we bought homemade fudge, among other things. Next we saw the Globe Theatre, which was amazing to see in person after reading Shakespeare's plays and learning the history of the theatre in school. Then we crossed one of several bridges and made our way over to St. Paul’s Cathedral. It was pretty, but St Finbarre’s in Cork maintains its status as the most interesting Cathedral I have seen so far. We continued on to Trafalgar Square, named for a famous Napoleonic Battle.  This square used to be infested with pigeons. It was popular for tourists to feed them, and this lead to an uncontrollable, disgusting amount of birds in the square. Legislation was passed to stop this, now the square is clean and almost pigeon free which I liked very much. From here we took a bus to Buckingham Palace, then walked over to see Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. It was a whirlwind day of sight seeing, but having a local show me around made it feel like I was also experiencing the 'real' London at the same time.

After that long day, we were off to our EAP Thanksgiving dinner at Gibson Hall. Gibson Hall proved to be extremely difficult to find, and Shai and I arrived a little late, right as everyone was being let into the dining room. We were ready to eat, and after about 30 minutes of speeches from alumni and coordinators, dinner was served! They had it all: turkey, stuffing, green beans, sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie- Shai and I might have been the first people to go for seconds...It obviously was not as good as my usual Thanksgiving meal with Aunt Laura’s mashed potatoes, my mom’s delicious sides and homemade stuffing and grandma’s jello mold and cool whip- but it was delicious, festive, and perfectly American. After dinner they announced the winners of the photo, video, and blog competitions -guess what- you are currently reading an award winning blog! I entered my post about my visit to the Blarney Stone and won third place. My prize was an ill fitting t-shirt, which I ended up giving away, but it was great to be recognized for simply recounting my adventures.

After dinner we went to a karaoke bar down the street from Olivia’s apartment. It was filled with locals and had a carefree, fun vibe. We sang, or rather rapped, Ignition by R.Kelley and then Bills Bills Bills by Destiny’s Child. It obviously sounded perfect and we acquired some loyal fans and back up singers! I have been meaning to go to a karaoke bar in Cork, so this was a perfect spot to spend our final night in London.

After a week back in Cork I was missing the royal family already, so I headed to Scotland. On this trip I learned to never trust budget airlines. Our plan was to go to Glasgow and Edinburgh, but it turned out that our flight landed in Glasgow Prestwick, which is a 40 minutes bus ride outside of Glasgow-thanks RyanAir. Even though we arrived in Scotland to and unpleasant surprise, the rest of the trip was incredibly enjoyable. Apparently the Scotish are not short on holiday spirit, because even though November has not even ended yet, there was a Christmas Market in both Glasgow and Edinburgh. There was over the top decorations and great food-what more can you want? After exploring the Christmas Market in Glawgow we set out to see the rest of the city. It is very Urban and the main street reminded me of 3^rd street in Santa Monica. There was an H&M, a Forever 21, and a Hard Rock Cafe, so we decided to go off the beaten path and find some real culture. We saw the City Chambers, the local University, St. Mungo’s Cathedral, and the Glasgow Necropolis. Everything was stunning. The leaves were changing and the sun was shining; this set the stage for some beautiful photographs, and a fair amount of photo-shoots.

After two nights in Glasgow we caught a bus to Edinburgh (pronounced Edin-brah, we had fun with that). Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and is an unbelievable mix of tradition and modernity. Almost every building is medieval style architecture, so what looks like a castle could easily turn out to be a KFC- and I’m speaking from experience. Our hostel was 50 meters off of the Royal Mile. This is the main street in the city center and gets its name because it is a mile long with the Queen’s Residence at one end and the Edinburgh Castle at the other.

 

On Sunday morning we hiked up to Arthur’s Seat, the highest point in Edinburgh, and got a 360-degree view of the entire city. We could see EVERYTHING-the castle, the ocean, the city- it was remarkable. After seeing the city from above, we sought out a more grounded perspective and took a 2.5-hour walking tour. We learned about the complicated history of Scotland, some infamous grave robbers and serial killers, the man who inspired Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and the nation's obsession with the stone of destiny that England stole from them for 700 years.

I honestly did not know what to expect from this trip to Scotland. We planned it on a whim, without any particular destinations or sights to see, but it turned out to be the perfect way to really experience the country. Walking the streets, eating the food (yes I tried Haggis- we ordered it deep fried and it tasted like falafel) and simply exploring the culture with friends was amazing.

Weekend Warrior

A lot has happened since I last wrote for you! I guess I’ll go back 3 weeks and start by telling you about the Cork Jazz Festival. From October 24-27^th there was live Jazz in the City Center. Jazz Weekend is one of the liveliest in Cork all year, and I went downtown to experience all four days of it! The first day was my favorite because we headed downtown in the afternoon, and before the sun went down there were people playing on almost every street corner. We saw all different types of performers, even a band performing a jazz rendition of Get Lucky. That night, and for the next three nights after, we saw live jazz in several different pubs every night.

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The following weekend was Halloween. While the Irish do have the same traditions of dressing up, carving pumpkins, and trick-or-treating as we do in America, they also have some additional strange customs I learned about in my Aspects of Folklore module. November 1^st is a quarter day that represents the festival of Samhain and the start of the season of darkness and storytelling. The strangest Samhain tradition is the serving of Halloween Brack. Brack is a giant loaf of bread/cake with items baked into it. The item you get in your piece of Brack is an indicator of what will happen to you in the future. For example, if you get the pea it represents poverty in the year to come, the ring represents marriage, and the dreaded matchstick represent domestic abuse. We decided to avert any dangerous bakery related psychic mishaps and not try any brack. Instead, we stuck to American tradition and dressed up in costumes for a couple nights out on the town.

The next weekend, I went on a trip to Dingle with the Mountaineering Club. Dingle is a tiny, isolated town, in which our 60-person group took over an entire hostel for two nights. On the schedule for the weekend was hiking, climbing, and banter (this is not a joke, the club promised banter). So, the first day we had a choice to either go on a hike or chance the weather and attempt a day of outdoor climbing. I of course chose the latter, and the weather gamble did not pay off. As we walked to the sea cliffs we were hoping to climb, the sun was out, pictures were taken, and we were optimistic! However, once we abseiled down to the shore to climb a route back up it got FREEZING. And wet. And windy. With the Atlantic Ocean waves crashing at our backs we managed to get in one climb with frozen fingers and toes. After that we had to call off the outdoor climbing due to unsafe and intolerable conditions. I was bummed, but we had a back up plan. Despite how tiny the town of Dingle is, they have an enormous indoor climbing wall. It wall was amazing! The gym was at least triple the size of the one in the Mardyke at UCC and it had so many different routes that I did not climb the same one twice in the five hours we were there.

After an exhausting day of climbing for me and 11 others, and hiking for the rest of the group, we headed back to the hostel for dinner. Club members made us dinner both nights; we had homemade spaghetti bolognaise and then chicken curry. It was nice to be cooked for, and the group meals had a great family feel that I have been missing in my apartment. As was promised, after dinner the banter ensued! Around 2AM the giant dinner table was cleared and we began to ‘table boulder.’ What is table bouldering you ask? Just what it sounds like! We climbed under and around the table utilizing climbing skills we learned on the bouldering wall. It looked very difficult and I was reluctant to try and fail, but when people chanted my name I had to step up and give it a shot. I began laying face down on top of the table, flipped under and climbed to other side but could not manage to pull myself back up and complete the problem, but I was close. I guess anything can happen when you put a bunch of climbing enthusiasts under one roof!

(here's a picture of Hannah table bouldering because there are none of me)

The next day we explored the town of Dingle. Keep in mind that it is a tiny town and the weather was awful. We basically only went to a world famous specialty ice cream store, and I am not complaining. I split a pint of homemade baileys and chocolate chip ice cream with some friends, and enjoyed the warmth and good company in the tiny shop for a while. That night we decided to get out of the hostel and hit the town. However, to get there a couple of us had to wear headlamps because the streets were so dark. It’s a new fashion trend that I am definitely planning to bring back to Santa Cruz if they don’t put streetlamps on Bay St. soon.

 

Let's Talk About School

Maybe it isn’t apparent from what I have been writing about, but I am actually in Cork to attend school at UCC. Outside of all the amazing trips I have been taking around Ireland, I have established a nice little life in the charming city of Cork.

Coming from UCSC I was not expecting to be in awe of another college campus. For those of you who have never seen it, UC Santa Cruz is gorgeous. The campus is integrated into a forest and overlooks the Monterey Bay. After living there for two years, I still find hidden paths and new spectacular views. But enough about Santa Cruz-the point I’m getting at is that UCC surprised me; it is stunning even with my extremely high SC standard for cool campuses. There are some classrooms that look like castles, others like works of modern art, and some like office buildings. The architectural diversity is quite striking, and the more urban feel is a welcome change.

As for academics, many of you know my major is Legal Studies. Many of you also know that the law in Ireland is different from that of the US. For this reason, I am taking many cultural classes that aren’t available back home. The classes I am taking are: Aspects of Irish Folklore, Folklore and History, Modern Irish Music, Peace, Conflict, and Development, Health (from a physical education perspective), and People, Place, and Politics of Ireland (a quasi geography/history class with 2 field trips around Cork). My broad range of classes confuses Irish students because they must choose a course of study and then do not have much choice in the specific modules they take. The classes are all interesting enough, but I have nothing remarkable to report about them.

One of my favorite parts of UCC is the gym, the Mardyke Arena! It is so huge that I have actually gotten lost inside of it twice. There are a variety of exercise classes available to students for free and every piece of equipment I can think of and then some! But it gets better-- there is also a climbing gym and bouldering wall. I have passed my competent climber test and can climb whenever I want.

My weeks here are pretty busy. I have classes Monday-Thursday. On Monday nights I play soccer and then climb with the Mountaineering Club, and I climb with them again on Wednesday nights. In Ireland, the biggest nights to go out are Tuesday and Thursday because most of the Irish students go home on the weekends. Since the drinking age is 18 here, we go out to bars and clubs during the week. This leaves the weekends to lounge around and maybe do some homework, or rather consider doing it and then watch TV instead. If I am in Cork on Sundays, I join the Mountaineering club for their weekly hike up a different mountain. As you have probably gathered, I joined UCC’s soccer and Mountaineering clubs, and am taking full advantage of these wonderful programs.

Some things I am looking forward to in the upcoming months are the Cork Jazz Festival, which I have heard is one of the best and most lively weekends in Cork, and trips I have planned to London and Scotland. You’ll be reading about these soon! 

Kingdom of Kerry

Kerry is actually a county, but the locals say it is the second kingdom. They also say a day outside of Kerry is a day wasted-now I know why.  I spent three days on a tour around the county and had the privilege of seeing mountains, lakes, beaches, waterfalls, donkeys, dogs, and so much more!

We began our weekend with a bike tour through Killarney National Park, and it was surreal. The path led us through the town, into a forest, past a couple of lakes and finally to a ‘house’ (what I would refer to as a mansion) overlooking a lake. We got to the house just in time to watch the sunset over the lake-and the view was breathtaking. This place was so perfect that some people went so far as to plan their future fantasy weddings there.

After Killarney National Park I thought I had seen the most beautiful sights Kerry had to offer, but I am glad to tell you I was wrong. The next day we partook in a bus tour around the Ring of Kerry; it was complete with hilarious, informative commentary, and a lesson in Gaelic from our Irish bus driver. We stopped at countless photo stops, each more beautiful than the last!

The highlight of the Ring of Kerry tour for me was the sheep dog demonstration. We all gathered behind a small barn type thing to watch a local Shepard heard his sheep with the aid of three exceptionally well-trained dogs. Sheep are instinctually wired to be afraid of dogs because they look and carry themselves like predators. The Shepard takes advantage of this and signals his dogs to essentially scare the sheep into obedience. Each dog has a separate set of commands so the Shepard can make them to work together to move the sheep. Watching the Shepard control all three dogs, and in turn the entire group of sheep, was truly remarkable.

As we stopped at a particularly windy pass to take pictures, our tour guide Sean shared a bit of knowledge that really adds to my newfound obsession with taking windy selfies. The Irish say that as the wind blows through your ears all your bad thoughts are blown away with it. As you might imagine, my head is now clear as can be of bad thoughts!

Next stop on the tour was the Derrynane Dunes. Now, when I choose to study abroad in Ireland I accepted the fact that I would be leaving behind warm beach days and sunshine. It turns out that was not necessary after all! The water at this beach was unbelievably clear, and the beach itself was clear of any other tourists. The sand and water was even warm enough for me to take off my shoes and enjoy a stroll though the dunes, into water, and up onto some remarkable sea rocks. On top of all this, the rocks were purple! Anyone who knows me knows how unbelievably perfect that makes it in my mind. Seriously, it could not get any better! This beach is truly a hidden Irish gem, and I am so glad I was fortunate enough to be able to explore it.

After that unbelievable pit stop, we stopped at a mountaintop overlooking Lough Lake where a random guy was chilling, just playing his bagpipes. Typical Ireland.

The next day we went to the town of Dingle, and as was our luck this weekend, there was a food festival taking place. We went to almost every stall and sampled SO MUCH delectable local food. I was so content-but I had to buy some Baileys and Caramel Honeycomb fudge.

After enjoying the food festival we went to another Irish beach, Inch Beach, which is famous for its movie appearances. Unfortunately, we used up all the good Irish weather and it was foggy and cold. After another gloomy beach we went on a drizzly walk along the cliffs of the Dingle Peninsula.

This weekend was jammed packed, but I loved every second of it. The beauty of Ireland never ceases to amaze me. This country continues to exceed my expectations and I cannot wait for that to happen again and again in the months to come!

Arthur’s Day, Hurling, and Mountaineering

This weekend was full of fun and games! Thursday was Arthur’s Day, an Irish holiday created in honor of Arthur Guinness, the inventor of Guinness Beer. In the true Irish spirit, the point of this holiday is to consume beer. At 18:00 (6 PM) sharp, hundreds of students meet on the stairs of city hall to cheers to Arthur! My Irish friend showed me videos of past Arthur’s Day toasts and I was excited to take part in this illegal and exciting tradition.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iCKTdqB1Y8

Unfortunately, the Garda (Irish Police) must have also seen these videos, as they were on the steps of City Hall to greet us. There were swarms of teenagers and students standing on the sidewalk with pints of Guinness to toast to Arthur, and the Garda were having a field day issuing fines. We had already opened our cans of Guinness and wanted to continue celebrating, so we snuck past the Garda and on into town. However, two of my American friends were stopped. After they explained that they were foreign, the Gaurdi did not issue them a fine. Apparently the Garda don’t know it’s also illegal to drink on the streets in America. We did not get to cheers to Arthur on the steps of City Hall, but we did avoid a fine! To Arthur!

Two days after that lovely, and somewhat anticlimactic, Irish holiday, there was the replay (rematch because the last game ended in a tie) of the national Hurling Championship Game. Hurling is one of the national sports of Ireland, and I wish I could explain the rules to you. Despite watching the game, looking up the rules, and even practicing it myself once, I have no idea how the game of Hurling works. It’s kind of like an unnecessarily violent blend of field hockey, football, and rugby. Anyway, we went to a local pub to watch the game and got along fine by cheering with the locals. I must have seen and heard “Up the Rebels!” at least 100 times that day. After a hard fought game, the Cork Rebels lost to Clare. Everyone was surprisingly civil despite the devastating loss. I was expecting some kind of riot, but it turns out Rebel fans are better behaved than fans of the Dodgers or the Kings, Americans should take a hint from the Irish-drink more, fight less!

The next day I woke up early to hike Boughil Mountain with the UCC Mountaineering Club. Boughil is in county Kerry and the summit is about 650 meters high. And yes, we hiked all the way to the top! When I joined the Mountaineering Club I thought I knew what I was getting myself into, but it turns out my definition of hiking was way off. After this 5.5 hour trek up to the summit and back down the other side, I can finally say I have been on a real hike. I now know that Victory Trail, Malibu Creek, and Escondido Falls, some of my favorite ‘hikes’ at home are actually light strolls. The climb to the top of Mt. Boughil was brutal. During the hike I found myself questioning why I signed up for this, and even wanted to quit a couple times, not that quitting was an option because I was in a group of 20 people halfway up a mountain. For the first time in my life I was freezing cold and dripping sweat at the same time-I had to choose whether to remove a layer and cool down or keep it to prevent freezing my ears and arms off. Halfway up the mountain we entered a blanket of fog and were trapped in a layer of mist for the next couple hours. When we reached the summit, we could see about 20 feet in front of us, and the rest was a white haze. Despite the unexpected difficulty and awful weather, I am glad I went on the hike and will be doing more in the future. Now that I know what a real hike is, I will be prepared and hopefully the next mountain will be less foggy so I can get good pictures of the view from summit.