Brilliant! That is a word used in excess in Ireland, and appropriately so. The people are absolutely brilliant! The culture, brilliant! The scenery, obviously it's brilliant! What better word to describe everything I've experienced so far...
Ahh, so I have arrived, safely and happily, to the city of Cork, aka Ireland's real capital city, or 'the rebel city'. From the start, the Irish people were tremendously kind and friendly, more than happy to share any bit of Irish tips they can think of.
My journey began in Portland Maine, where I flew out at 11:30am Tuesday morning. US Airways decided the best route to Ireland would be to Philadelphia, then to Charlotte NC, and finally on to Dublin. In Charlotte, as I waited at terminal B10, I found myself hearing the first of the Irish accents gathering around and boarding up. 2 older women from the suburbs of Dublin sat next to me, discussing the fine literature of the Reader's Digest and National Enquirer in their hands. After we struck up conversation, one showed me a picture of her granddaughter and in doing so I saw a list of her phone contacts. At the sight of the family name Redmond, our conversation quickly shifted to my Irish descent. Family roots run deep in Ireland, and she was happy to inform me that her dear friend is a Redmond, her Cousin a Hayden (from my paternal lineage) and she knows many Smith's... don't we all? Family names that I didn't even realize were Irish were proudly identified as so, and she suggested that we may be distantly related. On my 6 1/2 hour plane ride across the Atlantic I sat next to the kindest Irish gentleman who told me many stories of his life in Ireland and his travels all around the world. One of my favorites was about family traditions. People in Ireland drink, that goes without saying. They also LOVE to party. Family gatherings are typical, and Irish people are looking for any reason to celebrate and gather. Even though he didn't come from a particularly musical family, a few drinks into the night, without fail, a family member would begin singing a traditional Irish song which is native to either their family or the region in which they live. People in the room would begin to hush, and after the person was finished the verse, another would join in. Everyone participated and contributed their verse to the ever-growing song. These songs were sometimes accompanied by instruments, but not always. In his case, they were acapella, and the singing occasion would go into the "small hours". Next to him at the window seat was a young man from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, coming to Irleand and then on to mainland Europe on a whim- cycling his way through the countryside. He purchased his airfare just a few days earlier and packed his collapsible road bicycle into a box along with few precious items. His entire load was nearly 40 pounds, an incredibly light touring bag. From Dublin I took a 4 hour bus ride to Cork, meandering through the hills and pastures of this green land. Though I came in and out of sleep on this bus ride, this was the picturesque Ireland that I had always seen and been told of, stone homes with vines and greens climbing up the walls, large sheep pastures, rolling hills as far as the eye can see, and castles! Yes; beautiful, brilliant castles. Nearly 29 hours later, I found myself in my dorm at Victoria Lodge, exhausted and excited.
My dorm accomodations are far better than I could have imagined. I have an en-suite room, meaning I have my own private bedroom and bathroom. There are 3 other housemates in the apartment- 2 from Malaysia and one from Connecticut (whom I have yet to meet), and a shared kitchen and living space. I was tremendously blessed by my semi-Irish family (they're from California & Canada, and have lived here for 6 years now) who not only met me at the bus stop, but took me into their home and served me warm banana bread. What an incredibly comforting way to arrive in a new place. We did some basic grocery shopping, then I came back to my room, unpacked, and slept for a solid 13 hours.
Today I had my first day of orientation. It involved a lot of sitting and listening... and realizing that I don't have all of the necessary paperwork to be in this country (not to worry, though; they're taking good care of me and it'll all be sorted out quickly). The most interesting difference of university structure that I have noticed is the method in which one signs up for classes. Here, students don't register until after the first week of classes have run through. There is never an issue of space availability- they cater the classes to the amount of students who decide to take them. So, next week I choose the classes that I think that I'm interested in- as many as I want, and I attend the first week of lectures. After that first week of "trying out the classes", as they put it, I decide which ones will work best and continue attending class from thereon. As this process was being explained to us, I was absolutely thrilled at this style which seems to be far more practical and beneficial for both the students and the professors. I suppose the real test will be giving it a try next week.
I'm impressed by the environmental consciousness of the people at large. Recycling and composting is not only accepted but it is expected. In my dorm we have exceptional accomodations for both.
Cork has an English market, a market with many stands of all varieties. The difference between this market and the Jewish siouk- it's clean, the workers are happy and smiling, and there is space to walk through without bumping into hundreds of other shoppers.
Well.... there is so much more to say, but it's 12:30am and I need to get onto this European time schedule. This will be a much different season than the summer in Jerusalem, and I have a feeling I'll be blogging much more regularly, so do check in if you want to keep up on my time here. This will be the best spot to get a general sense of what I'm up to.
I'll leave you with this popular adage: May the luck of the Irish be with you!
[Cork city center is a lovely juxtaposition of old and new]
[at the UCC quad- this gorgeous stone building surrounds 3 sides of the green at the center of campus] 
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