Ireland weeks 1-2

Greetings from Ireland!
Alas I have not been as active with this blog as I would have liked but I guess in a good way that means I am too busy out immersing myself in the Irish culture. For those of you who don't know I am spending a semester abroad at the University of Limerick form January 21st to May 20th or so. It still has not sunk in that I am here for 4 months, but It is starting to feel like home. I have made many friends both Irish and American and from around the world. Here I will attempt to cover the events of everything since I first landed in Shannon on the 21st:

Before leaving I had my doubts and misconceptions and stereotypes about what may come in the next 4 months, but I knew I wanted to study abroad and I couldn't wait. The plane ride was only 5 hours, and since we landed at 1 AM EST I wasn't at all tired and didn't get any sleep. We met up with other students from the IFSA-Butler program whose flights came in after ours and were taken by bus to our hotel in Limerick for orientation. It was too dark still at about 7 AM to see any of the landscape but I was excited nonetheless. There was some initial conversations on the bus and we since no one was tired we decided to walk around Limerick after we got settled in. We walked around the small city and experienced new surroundings and constant weather changes. If it's not raining, it looks like it will all the time. Limerick used to have a notorious reputation from Angela's Ashes and for many stabbing incidents, but that phase is over. The urban development is growing like nuts, there are more tall cranes in the skyline than tall buildings. I ate some breakfast at a cafe, checked out the grocery store and some other department stores. There is a nice pedestrian street lined with stores and pubs, and the River Shannon flows through the heart of the city. The rest of the day consisted of walking around and meeting other students and going out to a small pub called Tom and Jerry's in Limerick. Great craic! After being up for about 30 hours straight I got some great sleep.

The 22nd and 23rd we had Butler orientation across the street at the Clarion hotel. It was basically a reiteration of most things we had prepared for, but we did get used to drinking lots of tea and that most Irish people talk very softly, and very fast. I purchased a mobile (cell phone) with pay as you go credit. We also took a group trip to the Bunratty Castle and Village nearby. The afternoon of the 23rd we moved into our Accomodation (dorm) on campus and took a small tour of the nearby shops etc. UL has about 12,000 students, and about 4,000 living on campus (just a guess). There are five villages and I am in the newest, Cappavilla. It is actually across the River Shannon in County Clare, and it has great views (except I'm on the first floor). There is a brand new footbridge connecting Cappavilla to the rest of the campus, that cost 16 million Euro ($23 million). The campus has several different buildings but there is one Main Building in which most lectures take place. It has five floors, named 0, B, M, 1 and 2. It has five blocks A-E, and is interconnected to the Plassey house, where the Administrative offices are. It is very easy to get lost in there. Other highlights include the student center, with shops, pubs, banks and club offices, and the Arena with gym pool, indoor track, and tons of outdoor fields. It really is hard to sum up the entire camps as it is very large and there are many places I have not been. The first two days on campus (24th-25th) we had UL Orientation with about 400 international students, mostly American but many European as well. We got a confusing campus tour and settles into our luxury rooms. With a double bed, private bathroom and plenty of storage I was impressed. Each apartment also has a living area and full kitchen which I have put to great use. I have 5 Irish housemates, 3 female and 2 male and they are very friendly. They invited me out to Pizza Hut last week and got to know them.

Classes, (the call them modules or college) are different but it's hard to say yet. There are lecture periods where the lecturer talks for the whole class, then there are tutorials in small groups where you are to ask questions, and then there are labs as well. Most classes are only 1 hour and labs are 2, so it's a shorter time frame than I'm used to, but it seems like I'm spending less time in classes. As international students we are not registered yet, and do so later this week, so these first two weeks are a trial period. I have found 3 of my 5 modules, but since the semester schedule is modeled around the course (major) schedules, it is very hard to find classes that don't conflict since I am not in their courses. So far I'm in Analog Electronics 4, Digital Systems 2, and Communications/Networking 1. I would also like to do Applied Digital Audio and Video, but It's hard to say if they will fit, since modules change times and days. The teachers talk very fast and generally move through their lesson without pausing, and students usually follow along in the printed notes and after 45 minutes class is over. Labs and tutorials haven't started yet so I'll comment on those later. The biggest difference is that they only have a final examination for each class, and in most modules it is 100% of the grade. So one test will decide my overall grade? In a way it's a great way to motivate students to study and prepare months in advance. Hopefully I can get a handle on my classes.

On more of a cultural aspect I read in an Irish paper that Ireland is the second most expensive country in the EU (and probably the world) to live in. Way to make me feel great. It's true though, the average price of a home here is 300,000 Euros ($450,000). I assure you my frugal ways will be overwhelmed here, but I am mindful of not only the high prices but the horrible exchange rate.

We had a homestay with a family this past weekend in Carrigaline, a small town outside of Cork, which is 2 hours south of Limerick on the coast. My two friends and I stayed with a great family and they fed us some excellent authentic meals, and we watched tons of rugby. All of the students met up later in Carrigaline to go out, and we also ventured into Cork (pop 300,000) and took a nice walk near the ocean in Crosshaven.

That is a brief history of what I've been up to but the pictures at:http://s231.photobucket.com/albums/ee66/discmanro/Ireland%201/?albumview=slideshow should fill some of the holes up. More to come soon!