They have a saying here that refers to the bipolar weather in Cork, perhaps in all of Ireland- "4 Seasons in a Day"... that pretty much sums it up. The only way I've figured to dress appropriately is in lots of layers- prepared for warm sunshine, chilly breezes, humid rain or a brisk cool front.
I'm in my first week of classes. Yesterday I sat in on 2, one of which the professor neither showed up nor notified us of his/her absence- classy, eh? The way in which one signs up for class modules is an absurd system which wasted 4 hours of my weekend trying to figure out. Everything is written in code that you have to de-code, then arrange, which is more time-consuming than anyone would like it to be. After visiting 4 websites to figure out when and where classes were, I was able to set up my schedule of 6 classes and a potential internship.
After my Sustainable Livelihoods Analysis class I went to the library to get some books and, again, a crazy system that made no sense to me. On one floor there were 3 locations with books of the same call number. For any of my library friends- you'd be appalled at this arrangement. I certainly was- not to mention this library is enormous, which made it all the more difficult. Thankfully, the Irish people are all incredibly kind and helpful and the gentleman at the desk directed my Danish friend Gunvor and myself straight away. This class is a 200 level and there is no required text, only 6 or 7 suggested books. I've never heard of such a thing... I get the impression that professors don't expect the students to do a lot of work. Class time is a mere 2 hours a week, and our introductory lecture was only 45 minutes. Assessment for this particular course is one written paper and one group project. Seems pretty simple and straightforward.
Perhaps my favorite random fact about Cork so far: Police officers don't carry guns with them. The crime is minimal and generally only happens when the victim isn't being responsible. I like this place!
Another random fact: Some pubs in the city advertise 9am drinks... and coffee shops don't usually open here until about that time. An early morning coffee run doesn't seem likely here.
I spent most of the weekend walking and exploring the city. There is a lot to see, and it's all pretty centralized, so walking is the best way to take it all in. Towering cathedrals and rivers constantly give me a sense of place- I haven't gotten lost yet. On the streets it's quite normal to see anything from businessmen on bicycles, trashy (dressed) teenagers, classy 'Corkians' with long white gloves, and students all on the same street. The Europeans have great style, and I admittedly walk around a bit self conscious of my 'American' appearance. Regardless, I AM an American, so what difference should it really make? Pants never seem tight enough, boots never tall enough, and scarves never bulky enough.
On Sunday afternoon I found myself in Linnehan's (I think that's the name of it?) Candy Shoppe in the city, purchasing a selection of "the most Irish candies" they had. The young lady dumped about 25 candies in a bag, a sweet variety representative of this traditional Irish shoppe... or so she said. I walked along the river on my way out to the bay, sniffing the salty air and sucking on the sweet treats. After about 30 minutes, I realized that I had downed a solid 6 or 7 candies, without even thinking about it. Which brings me to my favorite delight of European cities...
Pastry Shops. Mmmm, delightful, fresh, friendly pastry shops. This is [dare I say it?] my favorite part of the day; from creme filled fruit scones to chocolate bars with raisins, from donuts to lemon cake, some are better than others, but ALL are delicious. I've decided to keep no sweets in my apartment, so it's an even more special moment when after a 30 minute walk into city center I find myself in the English Market picking out my treat of the day... definitely something to look forward to, usually around a Euro each (about $1.30).
I was happily surprised when I discovered that I'm not the only Mainer here- I met a sweet young lady named Molly who's a student at Bates College, and 3 others from southern Maine, who are studying out of state.
Finally, I will admit my weakness... bookstores. I can't seem to go in one and leave empty-handed. They are loaded with great reads, from floor to ceiling, on shelves and in piles. What's not to love about a shop full of avid readers, jazzy tunes playing in the background, and the simple ability to stroll around at my leisure for however long I desire? So far I've picked up 1 autobiographies, both quite different-
A Place Near Heaven: A Year in West Cork by Damien Enright; a naturalist's chronological perspective of living in the countryside of West Cork, a gorgeous land filled with birds, fishermen and wild weather
and
An Idiot Abroad: The Travel Diaries of Karl Pilkington; a humorous journey of a non-traveler who is sent to the 7 wonders of the world and into some of the sketchiest and funniest situations
Well... that's a wrap for now. Today I'm checking out 2 more development classes. Looks like my schedule will free up Thursday afternoon around 1pm until Monday at noon- can't complain about having a long weekend every weekend! Ahh, life in Ireland is brilliant!
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