Food Sciences & Geography & Geology Buildings

You might not think that either of these buildings would house my folklore class, but they do.  On Tuesdays I have Aspects of Irish Folklore in the Geography and Geology Building and on Thursdays in the Food Sciences Building.  Overall, I think this has turned out to be my favorite class.  I feel like I've learned a lot about traditional Irish culture from holidays like Samhain (the traditional New Years that helped inspire modern day celebrations of Halloween) to life cycle rituals like wakes and weddings to traditional beliefs like fairies (or the wee people).

Food Sciences Building

The Thursday professor's lectures are always a bit jumbled and don't always make the most sense, but I always find them interesting.  He lectures about the more ritual aspect of folklore in terms of ceremonies, festivals, and other practices.  My favorite lectures have to be about Samhain and the banshees (banshee literally translates to woman from the other wold in Irish).

Geography and Geology Building

The Tuesday professor generally lectures about folklore in the form of oral stories.  There has been a big effort to preserve the stories so a lot have now been written down.  I am definitely most intrigued by the fairy legends.  Fairies were often used to explain untimely deaths.  If someone died young (especially a child or a woman in childbirth) they were said to have been taken (by the fairies) and replaced with a sickly changling, which is actually the being that died.  It was thought best not to call the fairies fairies as speaking directly of them would bring their attention, this is why there are many names for the fairies including wee folk and hill folk.  Here is one short fairy legend:

That was a child that disappeared in fog long ago.  He had disappeared in fog and they started a search and spent a day and a night looking for him.  And at the same time, the child that was in the house-another child, as you might say, it seemed to them-that came in, a stranger.  He was sort of vicious and cantankerous and so on.  

But they found the child that had disappeared in the fog and as they were returning home, they declared they would burn the 'difficult' child in the fire.  Oh, he had reached the age of reason-he was nine or ten years of age, that child-he wasn't really a child.  But they said they would burn him at the back of the fire.

The made a huge fire and when they were going to catch hold of him, he disappeared out the door in the shape of a cat.  He was never seen again.

That's the way I heard it, now.

Thanksgiving

So this post is a little late as I actually ran out of space for photos (can you believe it?).  But now I have acquired more!

Phew I Didn't Get Ticket 34

This past Thursday was Thanksgiving and I know I for one was feeling a little sad being abroad for it.  It is the first Thanksgiving that I haven't spent at home and is a time that I'd get to see family and friends.  The week before though, Montana and I bought tickets for the UCC International Education Office and UCC Chaplaincy Thanksgiving dinner.

"Thanks for coming to dinner at Hogwar-I mean the Aula Maxima"

We headed over there a little on the early side because we wanted to be sure we got good seats.  I was honestly expecting more people as they said they had 150 tickets.  Still there were a lot of people there and the Aula Maxima (in the Main Quad building) looked great.

Montana and I sat down at a table with four other Americans.  Before too long three Germans and one girl from the Netherlands joined us.  It was fun just chatting and sharing Thanksgiving traditions, experiences, and favorite foods.  Another fun thing was the raffle (although I didn't win anything); someone at my table one a free car rental.

Not Sure how Traditional Brussels Sprouts are...oh well

Cranberry Apple Pie also isn't Traditional, but Very Yummy

My favorite part of the evening (other from the tasty, tasty food) was probably the quiz.  Each table got two sheets of questions that were read out to us and we got to either circle or write down the answer.  Some were easy like where did the Pilgrims land and in which state? and others were nearly impossible like what happens when turkeys get 'excited' (I later learned that their heads turn blue)?

After dinner, Montana and I headed home.  While my Thanksgiving was pretty different than normal, I did manage to chat with my friend Saskia.  Some traditions are too important to let slide.

Bye

Sadly on Monday one of my roommates, Kyla, left to go back to the U.S.  She had originally planned to go back later, but her flight got rebooked incorrectly.  Luckily though, she was the one doing the internship so the new departure date did not mess up her plans too much.

Kayla, Kyla, Me, & Montana at SoHo

We went out to celebrate Saturday night at SoHo (where we went for Montana's birthday).  It was pretty fun, but it didn't seem real at that point.  It still seems odd to be honest that she's not here.  For right now it just feels like we have conflicting schedules.  I think it won't feel quite real until we skype her and literally see her being somewhere else.

Kayla, Me, Kyla, & Julia

Even though we're sad that she's not here, I think she's happy to be home.  And I think we'll all keep in touch.

And the Lord Mayor Said, "Let there be light!"

Quite a few of us have been wondering when the Christmas lights downtown would go on.  A few days ago we found out that it was Friday night and that there would be a ceremony.  So Kyla, Montana, and I went downtown, eager for Christmas in Cork to start.

Patrick's Street was packed.  Buses were rerouted, traffic built up, but the people were happy.  We just wished that we had a better view at points as none of us are very tall and there were quite a few kids on their parents' shoulders.  We also wished that the choir we heard perform was a bit louder, but they still sounded nice.

The Lord Mayor and Other Diplomats

After the choir finished it was time to introduce the guests who would help turn on the lights.  I don't remember all of the diplomats, but the Lord Mayor was there.  I think that is one of the best titles ever.  Another special guest was a woman (I forget her last name but her first was Joanna) who helped fight for rights for the disabled (she even addressed the U.N.).  The various people then led us in a round of the "Jingle Bells" chorus.  The final special guest was, no surprise, Santa!

Three, Two, One, Zero!

Some of the Lights

Joanna started the count down and we all joined in.  When it reached zero, the Lord Mayor and Santa pressed 'Te Button' (te not the, cause we're in Cork) all the lights went on and fake snow shot into the air.  I really love Christmas lights and they were beautiful.

Although I think I might be more excited for the Christmas Market and the Sugar Plum Fairy in the park.

Failing to Register & Wandering

So I was told when I arrived in Ireland that I would have three months to register with immigration at the Garda office within three months.  I went twice before, but once I brought the wrong letter and the other time I knew that there were too many people ahead of me for me to be helped before it closed.

This time I went earlier, only stopping at the Chaplaincy to get my Thanksgiving dinner ticket, and got in line. I read a few stories about Banshees and patiently waited in line.  I was relieved that I was called before they went to lunch (which sort of seems silly to me but whatever).  I hand all my paperwork to the woman behind the desk, she looks at my passport and tells me that I have permission to stay until I leave.  Great.  At least I didn't have to pay the fee (which doubles from 150 euro to 300 euro on Monday).

The View from the Pizza Place, Fast Al's

Since I was downtown I was determined to make a day of it.  So I spent the day wandering about the city.  I got a slice of pizza and then a loaf of bread.  The bakery had just opened so it had a deal that all the bread was only a euro.  I then went and wandered through bookstores looking for gifts.  I did manage to find one for a friend and one for me.  The book I got for myself was 100 Pretentious Nursery Rhymes.

Here is one of my favorites:
An omnivorous mammal of the
family Ursidae,
Fuzzy Wuzzy was its moniker.
Fuzzy Wuzzy was as bald as a coot,
Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn't hirsute.
Was he?

The Onion Seller, a Random Statue I Found

A Random Market I Found

Overall the random wandering made getting up early and waiting in line worth it.

A Birthday & a Film Festival

Inside Soho

The Delicious Cake

Yesterday was Montana's 21st birthday so a few of us went out to celebrate.  The first place we wanted to go was sadly going to be full until it closed at 9:00pm (it was roughly 8:15pm).  But we went to a place we had passed many times called Soho.  Inside it was fully decked out with the holiday spirit which was a little intense, but overall very nice.  Almost all of us ordered the flourless chocolate cake.  It was delicious.

Cork Opera House

Today was one of the many days in the Cork Film Festival (technically the Corona Cork Film Festival).  Since I only had class today from 12:00pm-1:00pm, I decided to go to see a collection of Irish short films at the Cork Opera House at 2:00pm.  After a bit of confusion with tickets and where I was supposed to go (I'm fairly certain I ended up in the Press Lounge), I found a seat in the theatre.  I was the furthest up person and I was in the sixth row, although two people did later join me in the row.

The Crowd Inside the Opera House

A man came out and introduced the directors of the films who were in the audience, most of whom were in the audience.  He also instructed us on how to vote for the Audience Pick Award (or something like that, I don't quite remember the name).  We were to rank our top three favorites of the shorts with a 1, 2, or 3.  In the end I think I mostly voted for the films that I felt were short films as opposed to the excerpts from other films.  Overall I enjoyed being there and I got to see eight short films for five euro so that's not bad.

Now though I'm going to post my thoughts on the films.

Fear of Flying:  A small bird with a fear of flying tries to avoid heading south for the winter.
This one was very cute but the animation was a bit of an odd mix of things.  It also ended kind of suddenly, but in the end I did give this one my 3 slot.

Luna:  A young man stumbles across a mushroom ring and enters another world.
This one was beautifully shot and there was a definite story, but I thought it would've worked better as purely a dance piece.  I also couldn't quite figure out why, but something about it made it feel too staged.

Sassie's Gran:  Jean Elliot graced catwalks in the 1960s.  Now her grandson Scott follows in her stilettos.
This piece was very sweet.  Scott pretty much has one of the most amazing and accepting grandmothers out there, but this was one of the pieces that I felt was just an excerpt.  It didn't stand on its own as a short film, maybe as a long, and very well done PSA, but not a complete piece.

Bas Arto Leary (Death of Arto Leary):  Arto Leary and Brid Ni Chonaill share an illicit moment, a moment that will change their lives forever.
This is the pieces that got my 1 slot.  The acting in it was amazing and it was actually a short film, not an excerpt.  The story was compelling (if somewhat poorly described in the catalog) and all of the characters were interesting.  This film would be a very interesting one to discuss.

Buried in Light:  The burial mound Tulach a' tSolias brings the past and present together while also signifying loss and death.
This piece was beautifully shot, but to me it did not convey enough of a story.  Again, it seemed sort of like the opening sequence to what would be a really cool film, but it did nothing for me standing on its own.

Saving Turf:  How does the ban on turf cutting affect 30,000 families that rely on this precious fuel source?
Again, this one felt like an excerpt.  It got me slightly interested in the subject, but it would make much full length documentary because there wasn't enough substance behind it for it to stand on its own.

Eat the Danger:  Andy doesn't want to get his socks wet.
This one was just bizarre.  It starts off with two people, one lying in bed, and one on the floor (I believe this one is Andy).  The one in the bed accuses the one on the floor of taking his shoes.  Andy then leaves to go to his house but does it by going hand over hand on a wire that connected the two places.  Then a wolf wearing a Zorro style mask breaks into his house.  I can't fully describe how weird and, at times, a disturbing this film was.

No Messages:  One long day in the life of Dave, a barman who's stuck in emotional limbo.
By process of elimination you must've guessed that this one got my 2 slot.  What I really enjoyed about this film is that all of the characters seemed so real and the audience got a chance to know them in the 18 minutes of the film.  It was also a complete story.  Not one that ended in happily ever after, but it clearly ended at a turning point for Dave.

Brookfield Health Sciences Complex

Brookfield Health Sciences Complex

Every Tuesday night between 6:00pm and 8:00pm I have a history class in the Brookfield Health Sciences Complex.  Why it is held there remains a mystery.  However, the building is very nice and even has a cafe.  It is also very close to my apartment which makes going to and from there easier.  However, since one of my classes on Tuesday has ended I have a four hour gap before this history class and I'm finding it harder to get myself motivated to go.  Although, I'm definitely not the only person feeling this because it seems fewer and fewer people show up each week.  And usually about a third to a half of the people who do show up leave half way through the class during our break (which I actually find rather rude).

Closer Up (Not Sure What the Deal is with the Pillars)

I wonder if this has something to do with how the class is structured.  Introduction to Irish History for Visiting Students is a massive lecture class, so the professor won't know if you specifically are missing but the professor definitely notices when about half the class is.  However, our professor rotates every two weeks or  so which means that if our professor has a bad first lecture, very few show up for the next one.  The nice thing about having professors rotate is that we get a broad range of topics introduced to us.  The bad thing is that we have very little consistency in how the classes are taught.  Sometimes this is good though, but only when a bad professor is rotating out.

While this was the course that I was least excited for, I am getting a lot out of it.  I learned a great deal about the famine and most recently I've learned a good deal about food culture here.  Overall I'm glad I decided to take this course, even if it turned out its test day is the same as my folklore class.

Lewis Glucksman Craft Fair

Since I was already by campus when I said goodbye to my dad I decided to delay my planned nap to take a look at the craft fair in the gallery.  I had a few minutes to kill so I wandered campus for a bit and took some photos.

At first I was annoyed that you had to pay to get into the craft fair but they had a sign that made a fair point that the fee helped pay to maintain the gallery (which is normally free) and provide free programs available to everyone.

Craft Fair

There was a ton of stuff all around the gallery.  A lot was ceramic or wood based, but it was all beautiful to look at.  The fair wasn't quite for all budgets as it claimed, but I had fun wandering though and I think I'll go back one day to see other displays.

The Table Where I got a Present is Somewhere in this Photo

The Onsie is Definitely the Best

Besides the stall where I got a present for a friend, my favorite was definitely the section with stickers, cards, shirts, posters, etc. that had phrases on them like 'Keep Going Sure It's Grand' and 'Feck It Sure It's Grand.'

Dad Visits!: Garnish House & Goodbye

Dad in his Room (Actually Taken Saturday Night)

Today I met my dad at his bed and breakfast, the Garnish House.  It is a really nice place.  The staff is very friendly, the rooms are comfy (if a bit small), and the breakfast is delicious.  My dad and I were a bit worried that I wouldn't be allowed to eat there as I wasn't staying there, but it turns out that I could, my dad would just have to pay an extra charge.

Dad, his Shirt, and his Omelette

My Delicious Eggs Benedict

My dad got an omelette and I got one my favorite ever breakfast dishes, eggs Benedict.  We also scoped out the other items and I snuck away with a scone, a chocolate croissant thingy, and a small box of frosted flakes.  I meant to grab an apple though...

My Dad and Me at UCC

After breakfast we quickly ran across to the UCC gates so we could get a picture together in our UCC gear.  We stopped a friendly dog walker and he took our picture for us.

Then it was time to check out and walk my dad to the bus stop.  I felt pretty sad when the bus came and my dad left for the train station, but I just have to remember that I only have a little over a month left (although that's sad as well as happy).

Dad Visits!: Cafe Mexicana

After wandering around for a few hours, my dad and I took a break and just chilled at my apartment.  Sadly only one of my roommates was home, but I'm glad he got to at least meet Kyla.  I think we were both glad for the chance to rest our feet before heading out to dinner.

Huguenot Gurial Ground 1733

Cafe Mexicana

We walked downtown and then down a little side street to find Cafe Mexicana (that I've actually been meaning to try).  It was randomly next to the Huguenot graveyard, apparently about 300 of them came to Cork in the 1600s.

Daddio and his Placemat

The place was fun, but very mellow.  All of the decorations really colorful and bright and the wait staff was very nice.  My dad and I had fun talking about our day and other things, including figuring out when to meet for breakfast the next day as he was headed back to Dublin.

My Chimichanga

My Dad's Enchilada

Our food was delicious and in very large portions.  I got a beef chimichanga and my dad got a chicken enchilada.  After dinner I walked him back to the Garnish House where he gave me the scone and cheese he stole for me from breakfast.

Dad Visits!: Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral & Campus

A Cool Sculpture I hadn't Noticed Before

Even though I had been to Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral a while back I really wanted my dad to see it.  It is gorgeous, I'm not sure I can emphasize this enough.  While we were walking there though, we got a bit of rain, but once we stepped onto the grounds of Saint Fin Barre's the clouds literally parted.  We got an amazing view of the architecture and I noticed some details I hadn't before.

This visit, we also went inside the cathedral.  The very nice lady who sold us our tickets asked us where we were from, and, like everyone else this weekend, told us how happy she was with Chicago at the moment.  We both agreed that we were very happy with the presidential win as well and then went to look through the cathedral.

The Dragon Represents Evil Taking Flight when the Word of God is Spoken

Some of the Gorgeous Stained Glass

It is just as beautiful inside as it is outside and when you enter you get a nice helpful information packet about the cathedral.  Besides the gorgeous stained glass (be impressed that I've managed only to include one photo of it) there are also a ton of cool things inside.

The Cannonball

One of the coolest might honestly be the cannonball.  There is a 24 lbs. cannonball suspended in the ambulatory.  It is apparently from the Seige of Cork in 1690 and was likely fired from the nearby Elizabeth Fort.  It wasn't found until Saint Fin Barre's was being rebuilt in the 19th century.

Half Plaster Cast of Sculpture that Resembles William Burgess

I was kind of amused to learn that the only architect who proposed a price outside of the  £15,000 budget (over  £100,000 was spent) was the one who got it: William Burgess.  He also worked his likeness into a sculpture.

Me and my Dad at Saint Fin Barre's

After Saint Fin Barre's we headed to campus.  Besides showing my dad where I had class I also made sure to show him the Boole Library and the Stone Corridor.  I also successfully found the only university shop that sold t-shirts that was open as my dad wanted to get one (even though I tried to convince him to get the Boole is Coole shirt).

Dad Visits!: English Market

The one thing that my dad really wanted to see was the English Market, and I can't really blame him.  It's really cool not only because of all of the delicious and fresh food you can buy, but because it's not just a tourist or special thing.  It's a fully integrated part of the city.

Above the English Market

We opted to eat in the restaurant a little bit above the market instead of grabbing some of the food because there isn't really a place to sit with your purchases, but we made sure to wander through the whole market.

My Dad and Me at the Restaurant

We each got some tasty sandwiches and enjoyed people watching down below.  The guy sitting next to me heard our accents and us talking about going to Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral and gave us a few recommendations of his own.  He told me that I should try and get my dad to Kinsale before he left and that I should go to Dingle before I leave in December.  We didn't end up going to Kinsale because we wanted to spend the time in Cork, but I might go (I've heard conflicting reviews).

After the market we looked at part of the old city wall (13th century), part of what used to be a cannon, and a cool bridge that were all on our way to our next stop: Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral.

Dad Visits!: Electric

This weekend was really great because my dad came to visit!  He first spent a few days in Dublin and then took a train down to Cork.  Today he left to go back to Dublin for a few days, but we spent the weekend hanging out.

On Friday, after he had a little bit of time to settle in at the Garnish House, we met up and went to dinner.  It was kinda surreal to see him here, but still very nice.  I met him at the Garnish House and after a bit of confusion, we found each other and headed to Electric for dinner.

Me at Electric

Dad in Electric

Electric is a very nice restaurant right on the river.  The wait staff was very nice and we chatted a bit about  Chicago (each time this weekend we mentioned that we were from Chicago, Obama was brought up).  It was nice to just sit and chat with my dad about this and that, especially as it's been a while since I haven't made my own meal or just gotten something on the go.

My Steak

Dad's Fish n Chips

Our food was delicious.  I got steak and Dad felt he had to get fish and chips before he left.  I actually just finished off his fish and chips for my dinner tonight.

My Dessert

After a yummy dessert of creme brulee, lavender shortbread cookies (don't ask me), and 'boozy berries,' we walked around the city for a bit.  I really wish the Christmas lights would turn on.  A few places had their lights on, but the main ones are up but still dark.  Either way, I got to show off a bit of Cork, but I was more excited to show my dad what it looked like during the daytime.

Four More Years

I know that on facebook I said you could get away from election coverage by reading my blog, but I think you all knew that it was inevitable that I would blog about the election.

I woke up on Tuesday and dressed all in blue having left my Obama gear at home.  I wrote in my notebook next to the date Election Day!, but due to the time difference I knew it would be a long time before I knew anything about the election.  I almost didn't go to my evening class because it felt like results should be coming in then, but going gave me another chance to write Election Day! in my notebook.

Tastes like Childhood :)

Don't Worry I Didn't Finish Them

Besides dressing in blue, I decided that the theme of Tuesday night was America.  I made Kraft mac and cheese from my care package and later I ate Lays potato chips and chugged Diet Coke to help keep myself awake.

Me at the Beginning of the Night

I was determined to stay up until the election was called, but I was thankful that so many of my friends were online, in Chicago, at Swarthmore, and even in Ecuador, so I could share the experience with them.  We were all looking at different sources and every now and then we would have a flurry of updates from the various websites we were looking at.  I also listened to some BBC coverage, but gave up when I exceeded my fair usage for the day causing my internet speed to slow down greatly.  Our conversations also led us to looking things like states' voting histories up, which was actually very interesting to see.

Now I Could Sleep Happily

The night definitely began with us feeling uneasy as for a long time the sites we were looking at showed Obama with only three electoral votes from Vermont, but, as we all know, that changed.  It was around 4:30am my time that CNN declared Obama the victor.  We all breathed a sigh of relief and I decided it was time to head to bed.

This morning I awoke to so many status updates about the election, but they all made me smile.  I have still  not been able to get through all of Obama's victory speech (although I have read it) due to internet problems, but I did watch Romney's concession speech.  I know many say it was uninspired, etc., etc., but I think a short, gracious concession is all that was required.

It is important to note the other elections of last night.  Gay marriage is now legal in four more states, marijuana has become legal in a few, and the democrats held onto the senate.  I'm happy about all of these (although obviously to varying degrees).

While Obama's victory speech has many great moments, I just want to finish this post by including my favorite:

"What makes America exceptional are the bonds that hold together most diverse nation on earth.  The belief that our destiny is shared; that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another and to future generations.  The freedom which so many Americans have fought for and died for come with responsibilities as well as rights.  And among these are love and charity and duty and patriotism.  That's what makes America great."

Weekend in Dublin: Wandering & Saying Goodbye

Even though Montana and Kyla wouldn't be getting back until much later, Kayla and I decided to take buses back to Cork at 4:30pm and 4:00pm respectively.  After lunch we went to a touristy gift shop where I got a few more presents for friends.

Then we wandered to Starbucks so that Kayla could get some wifi and a Christmasy hot drink.  We stayed there for a while because it was warm and comfortable, but soon it was time to start wandering toward the bus station.  As we wandered I found myself stopping and taking a lot of photos while Kayla and Jen continued on.

A Cool Bridge and Ship

Statue at the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht

It was then that I began to feel a little sad, and this feeling continued on the bus (I have quite a few photos taken out of a rainy bus window to prove it).  I think I just began to realize that I might never see Dublin again.  It seems sort of silly as the city is not going anywhere and I should have every opportunity to come back to Dublin, Ireland, Europe, but I don't actually know if I will.

So for now all I can say is, goodbye Dublin, hope to see you again one day.

Dublin