Student Bloggers

January 11, 2015

As I thought about my morning spent at my choice of a coffee shop, I coaxed myself out of bed and out the door. Costa Coffee sits right on the end of Galway’s most famous street, Shop Street, and is conveniently located right around the corner from my apartment. I welcomed the morning with a piping hot latte and a delicious breakfast scone. It was nice to be able to relax and spend time writing as I thought about the many opportunities I could choose from today. Since it was Sunday, I wanted to take advantage of the chance to attend mass. I glanced at my watch and realized that I still had time to make it to The Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St Nichols, commonly known as the Galway Cathedral. The beautiful gothic stone cathedral was enormous and surprisingly was only fifty years old. As mass began, I watched the Irish woman sitting next to me through the corner of my eye to see when to get up, when to kneel and pray, and when to make the sign of the cross. By the end of the service, I watched so many people make the sign of the cross that I finally figured out how to make the symbol: top, bottom, left, right. When communion was served, I followed a crowd out the door, shook the priest’s hand, and walked back towards my apartment. I was glad I experienced mass, but could barely understand a word that was spoken through the thick Irish accents, songs in a foreign language, and my inability to resist dozing off now and then throughout the service.

I checked my orientation itinerary and realized that I had missed the walking tour of Galway, but I still had time to make it to the lecture on the history of Galway. After stopping in a department store to do some window shopping and pass the time, I walked towards the National University of Ireland: Galway campus to attend the lecture.

A room filled with approximately thirty students greeted me as I found a spot and pulled up a chair. One of the archaeology professors gave the lecture about Galway’s history while telling stories and flipping through powerpoint slides. At times, it was hard to understand his thick Irish accent that forced words to slur together, making the information difficult to understand. Obviously I was tired today, because I nodded off to sleep multiple times throughout the lecture. Apparently I wasn’t the only one, as I watched a guy a few rows ahead of me try to hide his closed eyes. In a nut shell, the hour and a half lecture explained how Ireland unfroze and became inhabitable 1400 B.C., the Claddagh people resided in Galway and were a little strange, and the devastating fact that Galway is now filled with dreadful shops, according to the lecturer. Now I know a thing or two about Galway’s history.

After the lecture, I walked back to my apartment, tucked my feet under my covers, and caught up on some writing. My best friend, Callie, knows a girl from her university who is studying in Galway as well. I ironically met her the other day during orientation. We planned to get dinner tonight together, so I had plenty of time to catch up on some much needed time to write. With a quiet apartment, I popped in some earbuds and enjoyed the time to myself.

As the night approached, I pulled myself out of bed, away from my laptop, and got ready for the night. Having to plan at least 45 minutes in advance to shower puts a kink in my normal routine, so I have learned to rely on hats and headbands to cover my often messy hair. I walked out the door to meet Adrienne at Taffe’s before choosing a place to eat dinner. Being so close to the city centre of Galway makes living in the Niland House worth it. It may be cold, damp, and a little bland, but it is literally around the corner from anywhere I need to go in Galway.

I sat outside Taffe’s and waited until Adrienne greeted me and we walked down Shops Street. We both agreed that we wanted to try something new for dinner. The wind grew colder and stronger and the rain began to fall, forcing us to make a quick decision on a restaurant. We picked the Quay Street Kitchen where we talked and learned about one another over a spicy chicken sandwich.

After dinner, I walked myself back to my apartment and prepared my schedule for my first day of classes tomorrow. The thought of classes stresses me, but I also look forward to setting up a routine for my semester.