What to do

We didn't know where to begin. There were so many options of things to do and places to go. One day Omar called and said "I know where we are going" and said that he had read several things about the Torres Del Paine Grand Circuit. We looked into it and it was perfect. It takes roughly 8 days and is between 50 and 60 miles. We would have enough time to have some layover takes or do short day hikes.

So then we had to actually start planning the trip. The past trips that I have been on have been completely planned for me so I didn't know where to begin. We found the travel agent that NOLS recommends for students doing the Patagonia course and she patiently worked with us as we figured out dates and found us a good deal on plane tickets. "Good deal" is a relative term, it isn't cheap to fly to Patagonia. So now I am working on getting the right gear and figuring out just what I need to bring down there. We are also starting to work on hostels and public transportation which might be a bit of a challenge since Liz is the only one that can speak any Spanish.

another trip

So this summer after I got back from Wyoming I visited my good friend Omar in Birmingham. I had heard of this movie/documentary and told Omar about it and he had heard of it to so we decided to watch it. It is called 180 South and features one of my heroes, Yvon Chouinard.

So the movie is amazing for those of you that have not seen it. It is a great example showing that a good trip is on where you learn more than you were expecting. It also shows beautiful images of Patagonia. They go to Conservacion Patagonica which is something that Doug Tompkins founded and basically they are restoring Patagonia by buying farms and removing the fences and invasive plant species.

Conservacion Patagonica seemed like an amazing organization and immediately after the movie Omar and I looked online to see if there was any way that we could go there. We found out that they had a volunteer program that operated from October through March and that volunteers were encouraged to stay three weeks. What about our winter break? We called a few friends and Liz was the only one who was persuaded to join our hypothetical adventure. I emailed the volunteer manager and we started to bring up this idea to our parents. None of them said no but they weren't saying yes. So we waited and a few weeks later I heard back from the volunteer manager saying that we could go but we needed to know soon because the spots fill up fast. Well, it took awhile for all of our parents to come around but eventually they did. I remember how excited I was when Omar's parents finally said yes. I wasn't at home when I received his call but as soon as I got home I emailed the volunteer manager with our basic information. The next morning I had a reply saying that they were overbooked and that we would not be able to go. I think I called Omar about 4 times before 9:30 am and when he finally called back he said "What is going on? Did someone die?" and I explained to him what happened. We were all depressed since our great adventure didn't seem like it would happen. It was hard for me to go from "I'm going to Patagonia over Christmas break to help restore the wilderness" to "I'm going to go home...probably sit on the couch and watch old Christmas movies" which would be nice, but not anywhere as amazing as going to Patagonia. Another thing is that this is our last chance to do something together. Omar is about to start medical school and Liz is about to start grad school so it seemed like it was now or never.

We thought about our options for a couple of days, non of us wanting to sit at home for the whole break. Then we realized that we could still go to Patagonia, we would just have to plan our trip. So we started working on that.

30 Days

It had been awhile and summer is almost over. You may know that I did a NOLS course this summer in the Wind River Range for 30 days. I learned so much out there about myself, dealing with others, a tolerance for the uncertainty so I've decided to just list some things that you may or may not have known about my trip.

For thirty days:

I did not take a shower

I carried everything I needed on my back

I woke up around 6:30 and hiked

All of my meals were made on a single burner stove

I carried all of my garbage on my back

I had to wait 25 minutes before drinking my water for it to be purified

I put on wet or frozen socks and boos every morning

I slept in a tent with 3 or 4 other people who I didn't know before the trip

I got to know everyone in the group and learned to see the good in all of them

I walked through waist deep snow (not everyday, but a lot of them)

I was the only one to not get a mosquito bite (genetic superiority!)

I learned that in order to motivate others sometimes you have to take initiative and do things first.

I learned that there are a lot of leadership styles

I learned that sometimes it is best to lead from behind

I did not have an ipod or any way to listen to music

I did not have a cell phone or any connection to the outside world

I did not carry money or any plastic card

I did not carry any form of identification

I learned that just because society tells us to do something does not mean it is the right this to do

I learned that we do not have control over the majority of things that go on around us

The list goes on and I'm sure that other things will come to me later tonight that I should have mentioned and other things will come a month down the road that I did not realize I got from the course but I just wanted to share a few of these things with you.

traveling

It is hard for me to believe that I have been back in the states for 3 weeks and in less than a week and a half I will be heading to Wyoming where I will be doing the NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) Wind River Wilderness course.

I have been wanting to do a NOLS course for quite some time and this is the one that I finally got my parents to agree to but now that it approaches I am starting to get nervous. I know that everything will be taken care of but I am still nervous. I just have to remember that this school has the wonderful reputation it does for a reason.

London Calling

The internet at our hostel in London has not been great but it is working now so I can update you on my London adventures.

Tuesday, after a four and a half hour train ride from Edinburgh to London we walked into the hostel and basically had enough time to drop our stuff off and unpack a little and then we were off again. wE got on the tube and when we came up and walked a little bit there was Big Ben (he's not as tall as I had imagined), the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. We walked across the river to the London Eye which is like a giant ferris wheel that lets you see all over London. We went up as the sun was starting to set and had a magnificent view of the city.

Wednesday we watched the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. Then after that we walked through Hyde Park and ate lunch at a cafe there then went to St. Paul's Cathedral. I was blown away by St. Pauls, it was so beautiful (no pictures allowed inside though) and we walked up all the 500 and something steps to the very top. Wednesday night we went to different theater shows, I chose the Phantom of the Opera, playing at Her Majesty's Theatre. It was a wonderful performance and what made it better was that I had blackberry ice cream during intermission.

Thursday we started off at the British Museum which has a little bit of everything and I was overwhelmed walking though there. Then we went to the Design Museum which I loved. There was an exhibit on sustainable innovation which showed new products, buildings, etc that were making moves in sustainability including a solar powered boat, new packaging for puma, and recycling rain coats into bags. After that we went to the firm uscreates (http://www.uscreates.com/) and talked with Mary Rose Cook, one of the founders, about what they do. They were service designers but their main focus was changing social behavior. One of their recent projects was getting more people to get tested for chlamydia. Then we went to radarstation (http://www.radarstation.co.uk/) which was one guy who did more of managing and coordinating people to work on projects.

Friday we went to Prospect (http://www.prospectdesign.eu/) where we talked with Richard Eisermann who I was very impressed with. He studied at RISD and has lived all over. He has been working for quite some time and told us a lot about how he has made transitions into new things. We ate lunch at the Black Friar and then headed to Seymour Powell (http://www.seymourpowell.com/). I think everyone was pretty impressed with Seymour Powell. Out of all the firms we visited they do more of what we are specifically trained to do. Their main focus is researching the future and doing a lot of forecasting. After that I walked through the National Gallery where I saw Van Gogh's Sunflowers and Da Vinci's Cartoon. Then I went to the National Portrait Gallery and then a few of us went to see Date Night.

Today I went to an exhibit at the British Museum that had Renaissance drawings then to a little French cafe near the hostel for lunch. After that I took the tube to the Tate Modern Gallery and then walked to Westminster Abbey which was closed for visiting by the time I got there. I did get to see a protest against the war in Afghanistan which was interesting. Then I came back to the hostel and I guess I'm about to start packing for my last travel day, my journey back to the states tomorrow.

Arthur's Seat and Art Museums

Yesterday a group of us decided to go hiking. The name of the mountain/hill is Arthur's Seat and it is only a mile walk from the hotel and it was such a beautiful day that we couldn't pass it up. We prepared by buying pre-made sandwiches from Sainsbury's and then we left the hotel sometime after 11. We made it up to the top in about an hour and ate lunch there. We waited to hear the cannon fire at one (this is the way that the ships set their clocks) and then we went to another ridge and got an excellent panoramic view of the city and then we went down. Most of us got soft serve from the ice cream truck at the bottom and then we came back to the hotel.

Today I woke up and went to St. Mary's Cathedral for mass and then came back to the hotel as some members of the group were leaving for St. Andrew's. I decided not to go after seeing the weather and realizing that it would literally be an all day event. Instead I got directions to the Art Galleries and set out. The first two were about a thirty minute walk from the hotel. I got a little lost but I found a beautiful footpath by the river that brought me right in front of the Dean Gallery. It was a smaller gallery but had some nice Dada and Surrealist pieces. I ate lunch in the cafe there and then walked across the street to the Modern Art Gallery and walked around there for awhile and then headed to the National Gallery of Scotland which had pieces from about the 15th century up to the Impressionists.

I love Scotland!

Glasgow was amazing to say the least. We had a fun project that had us thinking in a whole new way. The day we finished our project we had a tour of the Mackintosh building. It was so strange walking around in this building after seeing so many pictures and learning so much about it. The building exceeded my expectations for sure. I was sad when the guide first told us that we were not allowed to take pictures but as I was walking through it I realized that pictures would not do this building justice.

After the tour we meet up with Sarah and her partner Lauren at a nearby bar where they both gave some advice on social networking and meeting important people for jobs, so really valuable information. We left to go get dinner after about two hours and went to a place called Bella Italiano that turned out to be a longer walk that we originally thought. However, it was worth it because it was wonderful food and we had 2 for 1 coupons.

The next day we had off until 4 which is when we were leaving for Edinburgh. I ended up walking through the park to the Kelvingrove museum. There I saw Dali's Christ on the Cross and a Monet, Van Gogh, and Matisse. After that I went to the Mackintosh House which was picked up from its original location and moved to the University of Glasgow campus. The house was amazing as well, I truly enjoyed that tour. After that I meet up with the group and we got on a train to Edinburgh.

Today I walked the Royal Mile and ended at the Castle where everyone was supposed to meet at 2. So after the group got together we went inside the walls and walked around all the buildings and saw the crowned jewels and the stone which the royals are crowned on. After that more walking and city touring.

Day 2 in Glasgow

Today we ate lunch at the Willow Tea Room, designed by Mackintosh. The lunch was small but very good. I had the ham and cheese and got honey and almond tea which had a smooth taste and was just sweet enough for my liking.

The main idea of the project stayed the same but individually we changed course a few times throughout the day. Aft the beginning of the day I was in a group of four working on improving the library for families and a tech geek. By the end of the day I was working with a partner on creating a system to benefit the unemployed and the system is run through the library.

I am liking the idea of service design, it makes a lot of sense when you really about it. Our leader, Sarah Drummond, started a company called Snook and he and her partner work on improving services by learning about emotions while experiencing the service. It seems very interesting and it makes sense that people would need to be doing this sort of work. I think it is something I will have to look into in the future.

The Design Factor: Belfast

We had an office visit in Belfast and I was very impressed with William Lee and The Design factor. William Lee gave an excellent presentation about the things they were doing in the office and then gave us all some great tips for getting a job or internship and just overall things for our futures.

on to Scotland

I am glad to be out of Belfast and now in Glasgow, Scotland. Yesterday was a long day of traveling and I think we did just about as many types of transportation possible, minus a plane. We checked out of the hostel at 11 and then had some free time until 3 when we had to leave the city. So most of us went to the botanic gardens and then the Ulster Museum and then to lunch. At 3 we piled into taxis which took us to a ferry. The ferry ride was awesome! You could walk around and get food or sit and try to use the impossibly slow internet. After the 2 hour ferry ride we got on a one hour bus ride to take us to the train station which was another hour to bring us into Glasgow. By the time we got off the train it was dark and we walked through the hilly city to the guesthouse. It was very odd walking past the Mackintosh building of the Glasgow School of Art. I have seen so many pictures and have learned about him and it was just strange that I was in front of the actual building!

This morning I woke up early and went for a run, still not believing that that is the actual Mackintosh building and the Mackintosh tea rooms in front of me. Then I had a Scottish breakfast which included beans, bacon, potato pancake, toast, and eggs. It was delicious. Then we went to school, meeting on the steps of the Mackintosh building and then going across the street and getting to work on service design.

Our leader is a graduate student named Sarah and I really like the type of work that she does. It is not so product centered, but she thinks about the experiences we have when using services and how to improve those. Our project deals with getting certain user groups to use libraries more often. We went to visit a library today and talked to the librarian about the different services offered and how busy they were and things of that nature. So we should be ready to get working tomorrow.

Inch Island

The castle and the cows.

The Middle Project to Belfast

At the beginning of this week we were assigned a project that had us thinking differently that we had so far in our curriculum. We were given a problem and a solution and it was our job to come up with the middle.

The problem was the people forget things that they need to remember and the solution was a photo frame that had a reminder system that would alarm when necessary. It was our job to decide whom the frame would be for and to design the system and how this would work.

After a night of procrastination/frustration about what we were supposed to be doing Anthony (the assignment giver) came back to the Inch House the next morning and gave us a few ideas on how to get started, some confused me even more, and then there was the one that gave me the technique I used that brought me to my final solution. Basically, I thought of daily life for different people categories such as college students, middle-aged parents, the elderly and then I settled on working mothers as my target audience. We had a short meeting at 3 on Monday to show what we had thought of so far and then after that we were on our own until 9:30 Tuesday morning when we had to present powerpoints. I took a break and went for a run and then come back and worked until late in the night. The internet (which is already very slow) completely cut out on us around 1 a.m. when majority of us were still up and looking for pictures. So we all panicked and started figuring out what time we should get up in the morning, in hopes that it would be working then, to finish our powerpoints. The Internet came back up in about twenty minutes so we were all able to finish before we going to bed, the majority between 2 and 3 a.m.

The next morning went very well, everyone had their presentations and also did well presenting them. Anthony said goods things about everyone individually and then about the group after we were done.

Wednesday at the Inch House was a free day. We had a big game of Ultimate in the field across the street, which is next to a bunch of sheep. There was a newborn that was having a lot of trouble standing up. We all watched it cry for help and struggle to get up. Its mom would not go very far, it was funny because it seemed like she was getting impatient and wanted to walk to the other side of the field but didn’t want to leave the lamb alone on the ground with all these people standing around. Eventually the little guy got up and we all clapped for it.

Tony, the man who runs the Inch House, had told us about this castle on the island earlier in our stay there and since it was our last night a few of us decided to go out and find it after dinner. It didn’t sound like it was very far and it also doesn’t really get dark until after 9 so after dinner 5 of us set out to find the castle. We were told that we had to climb over a fence and walk though a farmer’s field to get down to the castle but that it would be obvious when that time came. So when we spotted the castle’s silhouette in the sunset we knocked on the door of the house in front of it but nobody came so we just hopped the fence and started walking towards the castle. There were maybe five cows in the field and the all began to stare and then slowly move towards us, which started to get a little intimidating so we slowed down a little, then about 10 or more cows appeared from behind some brush and started moving a little faster towards us. We decided that there had to be another way in so we turned around and climbed out of the fence and went a little further and went over another fence and down a hill, over a small stream, over a gate, ending up in a sheep field (we heard them but it was starting to get too dark to really see them) which is where this castle is located. We were able to walk all through it and up the stairs. We climbed to the very top, but once up there I realized that it was a much farther drop to the bottom than I had thought. We struggled to get good pictures, but I think that Taylor (carrying a SLR) was able to get some. By the time we got back down to the bottom of the castle flashlights were necessary. Instead of going back the way we came we took a dirt road after hopping the gate which eventually brought us back to the same cow pasture from before only this time they didn’t notice us and then we walked back to the Inch House.

Yesterday we came to Belfast after a long day of traveling/touring. The first stop was a short photo break at a castle. Next was Giant’s Causeway, which is this large formation of hexagonal rocks by the ocean. After that a tour of the Old Bushmill’s whiskey distillery including a taste test at the end. Our last tourist stop was at a rope bridge to a little rock island. Then it was an hour and fifteen-minute drive to Belfast. The hostel we are staying at is not the best so it’s a good thing that we are only here three nights. I have to say I’m glad we are on the move again for a little bit, over a week at the Inch House seemed too long.

I don’t know how familiar you are with the Troubles, a time in Northern Ireland beginning in the 1970s and I’m not so sure that they are over yet, but it is different in Northern Ireland. Inch Island is about 5 miles from the border on the Republic of Ireland side and very close to Derry or Londonderry. I also noticed that it just seemed different in Derry (there is also a wall dividing the city) and there is also something different about Belfast. Now this tension that I am sensing here may just be made up of the fear that I have in these cities that something could happen here, but I really think there is something different. To me it seems like these cities are pretty big and that more people should be out on the streets doing things but there aren’t that many people out here.

Inch Island Activities

Well, compared to the other places we have been there is not a whole lot to do here in Inch Island. All fifteen of us are staying in one house which has actually been a lot of fun. There is a large kitchen and a lecture room which is where many people have been working on their sketches. There is also a music/tv room that has a guitar, piano, 3 ukeles, 2 mandolins, and 4 accordions, all of which are out of tune/broken. Being a mandolinist I was very excited when I first walked into the room to see that there were two , but my dreams of playing one were crushed after I picked them up and noticed that they were both missing strings and that the remaining strings were so old that they did not want to be stretched anymore. However, the fact that all the instruments were either out of tune or broken did not stop the majority of the group trying to play them (which sounded awful in case you were wondering).

I have been able to go running here. Yesterday I took a left out of the driveway and ran for awhile, today I took a right. There is basically one road, so I ran in the same direction for awhile and then turned around and ran back. The views are very nice, definitely what I pictured Ireland looking like. There are lots of sheep, green grass, water, and some hills in the distance which all make for a very nice run.

Other things that people have done to entertain themselves here are set up a ping pong table, play hide and seek in the dark, and watch a lot of movies. Last night we watched both Boondock Saints. I had never seen the first one all the way through and enjoyed that. The second one however, I did not find so enjoyable. Most people that started watching it left before half of the movie was over. I stayed until it was done to see if it ever got any better and it didn't. Oh well.

Easter, Connemara, and Inch Island

Easter Sunday I went to mass at the Galway Cathedral with a few other Auburn Students. The cathedral is known as one of the last European rock cathedrals. It was a beautiful structure located next to the river and had a very nice Easter service. One of the main differences between this mass and the typical mass that I am used to was Communion. In Galway, when it came time for Communion everyone just got up and went to the altar with no order whatsoever so we just stood up and slowly made our way into the line and up to the altar. They also kneeled for Communion here and there was no wine, both of which I am not used to. After mass we stopped at a little cafe to get a nice lunch because we all realized that we were missing a feast with our families that day.

Throughout Sunday people had been talking about going on a tour to Connemara on Monday because we didn't really have anything to do and we were also without a chaperone telling us what we needed to do each day. When I woke up Monday morning in time for the tour only one other person had gotten up for the tour. Everyone was still asleep, most likely from the previous night's activities. So just Taylor and I went on the bus tour. It actually wasn't a bad day to be sitting on a bus because it was cold and rainy outside, so our pictures weren't the best but we still got to see everything. The main site was the Kylemore Abbey, a beautiful mansion set in the mountains next to a lake. It used to be someone's home but now the Benedictine nuns live there and make pottery.

Tuesday morning we packed everything up and got on a bus headed towards Inch Island. Our fist stop was in Sligo for lunch and a lecture from someone at the Sligo Institute of Technology. After that we stopped at W.B. Yeats grave site, then at Donegal Castle. I slept on and off the entire bus ride, as did everyone else until 5ish when we stopped at a grocery store to get food for the week. 20 minutes after the grocery store we were at the Inch House on Inch Island, a very small place about 5 miles from the border of Northern Ireland. Tony, the owner here, gave us a talk about the differences between Ireland and Northern Ireland and didn't really mean to alarm us, but he did.

Today has been kind of a slow-paced day for everyone here. We all slept in and are starting to work on our sketch project. Randy, the professor that just left, gave us a sketch assignment to keep us occupied until the next professor gets here. We are designing a tape dispenser and the first step is to come up with 5 designs, then we pick the best out of those and do 3 iterations of it and then we pick the best of those 3 and do a final sketch and these are due on Saturday. After sketching for a little bit I decided to take a break and go running. There are many roads here so I just took a left out of the driveway and went for awhile, taking in the beautiful scenery all around me.

Galway

I made it to Galway yesterday. Instead of taking a nap when we got here, I decided to go walk around. I discovered many wonderful stores that are close to the hostel. One in particular is called The Four Corners. I was drawn in because of the mandolins in the windows and discovered that there were many more inside. I also saw a few bouzoukis, which is an instrument that I am very interested in learning to play. I then walked upstairs and found that there was an art supply store inside and found a light gray pen which is a great find for a designer or sketcher. After that buy I found a celtic mandolin book to add to my music library. Then I walked some more and went into a natural/health store and looked at all the products.

The group set out to go to the movies last night around 9 and we were going to see the Clash of the Titans but when we got there the line was out the door for ticket sales. We looked at a schedule and saw that Alice in Wonderland was playing at a later time. After some group debate we decided to split up to see different movies, a few of us Going to Alice in Wonderland and the rest going to Clash of the Titans starting at 11:55. We made a quick stop at the Ben and Jerry's stand before going into the theater and seeing the movie. I had not heard very many good things about this movie but I still wanted to see it and after it was over I was glad that the bad reviews did not stop me from seeing it because I really enjoyed the movie. I thought that it brought up a good point about how imagination is suppressed because it is viewed as weird or not normal. I think it is important to keep thinking or crazy and impossible things because that it the only way those things can become possible.

"We must not be afraid of dreaming the seemingly impossible if we want the seemingly impossible to become a reality"-Vaclav Havel

The panoramic I took after missing mass.

some short stories...

This past weekend I was in a small fishing town called Dunmore East. Now I haven't been to mass since I've been over here because of touring or traveling but this Sunday was going to be different. Saturday night I asked a hotel worker where the nearest Catholic church was and he said it was about a fifteen minute walk and told me how to get there and said that mass was at half ten (10:30, thats what they say over here). So I set my alarm and allowed some extra time in case I got lost or wanted to take pictures. I woke up and ate the full Irish breakfast at the hotel and then set out. I walked for about ten minutes and then stopped to ask someone to make sure I was going in the right direction. She told me I was and that it was about a fifteen minute walk to the top of the hill where the church was located so I was glad I added in extra time. I hiked up the hill and got to the church and walked around the fence to the entrance and as I walked up I heard singing and though "Oh I'm just in time" only mass was letting out and people started coming out of the doors. I was handed a palm cross and then I looked around to see if there were anymore services that day but I couldn't find anything. Determined to make my hike worth something, I stayed up on the hill for a while and took some pictures before heading back. I took my time on my way back, stopping at the beach and getting a panoramic shot and then went back to the hotel. There was an Anglican church on the way back and just as I was walking by it the bells started ringing and I notices that the gates were open (they had not been earlier) so I started walking up and saw people going in and decided to go in. Now, I think I have maybe been to 3 different types of churches in my whole life and never an Anglican so it was a new experience for me. One of the things that I like about the Catholic church is that mass is always the same everywhere you go so I was a little nervous going in, not know what to expect. One thing that jumped out right away as different was that a woman was doing the service, something I never have experienced! But it was nice, I got to go to church and learn some new things.

Yesterday (Wednesday) the group went to Blarney Castle and I think we experienced all four seasons in that one day. When we first got there it was beautiful weather and we walked around the castle and then up to the top where I kissed the Blarney Stone. Side note: I read today that kissing the Blarney Stone is rated as one of the most unhygienic tourist attractions. After that I walked back down and then around the castle grounds. There is a really cool place called the Rock Close outside the castle where a witch used to live and many of the things around were based on things to keep the with happy. There was a staircase next to a waterfall called the wishing steps and if you walk up and down with your eyes closed and concentrate on a wish then the with will grant it within a year. She had to grant these wishes because she took firewood from the Blarney Castle. There was also a rock that is shaped like the witch's profile and her kitchen with fireplace was also nearby. While we were in the Rock Close it rained, then sleeted, then snowed, and then got sunny and warm again, I guess thats Irish weather for you.

Today we went on a tour of Cobh which is the last place the Titanic picked up passengers before it set off into the ocean. At first I was not too thrilled about this tour that was "optional" because I felt I hadn't even gotten to know the city of Cork very well and wanted to do that on my last day, but I went anyways. It turned out to be a very interesting history lesson and I felt that I caught a lot. I saw the building where the last passengers were before being taken to the ship and I saw the harbor where the ship came in. Besides being a harbor, Cobh also has a magnificent cathedral on top of a hill. The Catholics had to abide by penal laws for so long that when the laws were lifted, the Catholics wanted to build a huge Cathedral that was very showy and they definitely succeeded here. This cathedral was massive and had so many statues all around it. We were also told that the leader of the project was a bit of a perfectionist and ordered that all statues be made to ground level of detail (meaning they all had to be perfect pretty much when usually the statues that were going up high were not kept to that level of detail). The inside contained beautiful walls, more carved statues, and stained glass. There is a rosette window that was compared to the one in Notre Dame, the one in Notre Dame is 18 inches bigger but the one in Cobh has more vibrant colors. It is crazy to think of all the work that went into this magnificent creation.

Glendalough and NCAD

On Sunday we met in the lobby of the hostel at 11 and all the Industrial and Graphic Design students load up on a bus headed towards Glendalough (pronounced like Glendalock). We took the scenic route there and went by the coast and saw the beach outside of Dublin. The beach was so much longer that the beaches that I'm used to seeing in Florida and Alabama and the tour guide said that when the tide comes in it can be very dangerous because of the sandbars.

It took about an hour to get to the Wicklow Mountains where Glendalough is situated. It was absolutely beautiful there, a nice break from the city of Dublin. For those who are unfamiliar with Glendalough, it is a monastic village situates within two lakes (the name Glendalough means twin lakes in Gaelic) that was founded by Saint Kevin after the time of Saint Patrick when all of the monks retreated to the mountains to become hermits. The is supposed to be a cave there where Saint Kevin did his battles with the devil. It also used to be a place of pilgrimage in the time of indulgences however I forget what one got when they went there.

There are several hiking/walking trails around that range in difficulty. The group I was with started out on a trail around the mountain, but we were easily distracted and ended up having to change to a shorted trail because of time restrictions. It ended up being okay though because we spent more time in the monastic city that has the tower and the ruins of churches. After taking many pictures and walking around the cemetery we stopped for ice cream at Kevin's Cones, most people got vanilla dipped in chocolate, but I got the vanilla that had hot chocolate swirled into it and I think mine ended up being the best choice. After that we got back on the bus and came back to the hostel.

Monday we started a project with the National College of Art and Design (NCAD) in Dublin. We arrived at school at noon and had a lecture that showed past projects done at NCAD for the Auburn students and some pictures of Auburn for the NCAD students. After that we were paired up with an Irish student to work on a rubber band powered car, and my partner's name is Stephen. We worked a little bit Monday afternoon and got some ideas sketched out and then all the students went home around 4. I tried to do some additional research and realized that there was probably something very simple that I could do to get the car to go the maximum distance but I just couldn't figure out what it was.

Today we went to school at 10 and some of us had to wait awhile for our partners to arrive. The work ethic is different over here because the students do not have to pay as much as us for school, if they pay at all. I think someone said they pay 1,600 Euro for four years at NCAD which is not a bad school at all. But this is just something I will have to get used to for collaborative projects over here. My partner arrived around noon, which is lunchtime for me and I was starving when he got there. I took a lunch break and went down the street to the Spar and got a sandwich and came back and got to work. We got a good bit of work done today. It took us one trip to the 2 Euro store and a trip to the Charity (Thrift) store for records (our wheels). We left around four and I came back to the hostel and caught up on emails, uploading pictures, etc.

Cathedrals

Our group was not meeting up until 11 this morning so that everyone could catch up on some sleep. Since I went to bed early last night I took this opportunity to go for a run. I ran along the River Liffey for about 10 minutes and then turned around and ran back to the hostel. This was the first time that I just stayed next to the river so I saw some things that I hadn't before and made a mental note of things that I wanted to photograph before I leave Dublin.

We met up in the lobby of the hostel at 11 and went across the street to Christchurch Cathedral. I have seen this church everyday I've been in Dublin but today was the first day I was able to go inside. There was beautiful stained glass and very ornate decorations and arches. After that we walked down the street to St. Patrick's Cathedral which had a lot of the same architectural details and was just as pretty. There was also a small park next to St. Patrick's which is where he is supposed to have baptized a lot of people. I think I like St. Patrick's better just because of the park next to it.

After the cathedral tours we stopped at a fish and chips place for lunch and then went back to the hostel. The internet was going on and off while I was trying to email my mom just to give her an update and look up things to do tomorrow since we have a free day. I ended up getting frustrated and then wondering why I was sitting inside on a nice day in a foreign country, so I decided to go to the National Gallery which was a longer walk away but it also had free admission.

Since the majority of the group was napping or just sitting around I set out by myself with my map and headed across town to the museum. I somehow entered through the side entrance and got a little turned around inside but then located the main entrance and was set. I walked through the galleries and did not recognize most of the names since it was mainly Irish art, however I did find some new artists that I like and plan on looking them up.

After the museum I walked back to the hostel and stopped at Butler's Chocolate Cafe for a mocha and a cookie and then headed down Grafton Street. This time there was a ventriloquist making a dummy play a mini piano, an Irish band, and a guy making a sleeping dog out of sand. There are usually entertainers on Grafton Street but today there more than usual. I had seen the ventriloquist before and he was making the dummy dance and walk up stairs and had some crazy music playing which was very entertaining.

Now I am sitting in my room at the hostel wondering what tonight will bring.

St. Patrick's Day and more...

We had Monday morning off so I decided to spend a little time alone since the Graphic Design group was coming that day so the group would be doubling. I woke early and ate my toast and orange juice breakfast and set out. My main mission was to purchase headphones since mine died and headphones are a necessity for group travel. I walked to Trinity and took a right, which brought me to Grafton Street and eventually St. Stephen’s shopping center. I walked around inside for a bit and then found an electronics store and bought the cheapest headphones they sold and then I walked back outside. It was such a beautiful day that I decided to get a bagel and coffee from a nearby shop and then sit in St. Stephen’s Green. I sat on a bench facing the pond and watched all the life going on around me. It was so nice to be able to take a break from everyone. The group is made up of a lot of incredible people but I still need time alone sometimes since I am a melancholic phlegmatic. I did a little shopping in the stores close by and settled on a pale green tank top from a store called Topshop. After that I walked back to the Hostel feeling energized and at peace. I ran into the Graphic Design students on the way there, and they looked like they were about to fall asleep from jet lag and traveling. When were got back to the hostel we had a short meeting with our professor and ended up having the rest of the day off. I walked with some of the students to the other side of the River Liffey and did a bit more shopping and ended up purchasing a shirt that I almost got earlier in the day.

Tuesday we met up at 9:30 and walked over to the bus stop and headed to Newgrange. I really did not know that much about Newgrange getting onto the bus, just that the light did something cool on the Winter Solstice. For those of you who do not know what New grange is, it is a tomb that is oriented in a way that at sunrise on the winter solstice the sun shines through a whole and illuminates a path in the floor for roughly fifteen minutes or so. It predates the pyramids in Egypt and Stonehenge by at least 500 years. What was also interesting is that the sight was not protected for a long time so there are all sorts of graffiti and engravings on the stone, which originally only had swirled designs.

Wednesday was St. Patrick’s day, which was ridiculous to say the least. I began my day by going for a run. The streets were empty and the gates were up for the parade. After that we were treated to a full Irish breakfast at the café next door to the hostel. I chose not to have the pudding, but the rest of the breakfast was delicious. After that we started getting prepared for the rest of the day’s festivities. I bought a headband with a mini green hat on top and other people bought massive green hats, some with beards attached. The parade started at 12:00 and reached the hostel around 1. The pubs opened at noon and were serving Guinness in to go cups nonstop. The floats in the parade were not like any I had seen before, they were crazier than any parade I had been to, and many of them kind of reminded me of Across the Universe. The parade had an abrupt ending around 2. I walked back up to my room and the people that were in there to watch the parade were dancing in the window for the people on the street. A lot of people stopped to take pictures and videos. We waited until 3:00 and then went to buy beer because that is when the stores were allowed to sell it again and then came back to the hostel. Our professor Jerrod had been walking around and spotted a pub that we needed to go, there was a guy playing a guitar who had the whole pub singing along. We went for a pint and enjoyed the music. There was a dancing competition and we got one of the guys, Nick, to go up and dance and afterwards he was given a sparkly boa. After the pub we came back to the hostel and hung out in the common room until it was time to go out. We ended up at a club called “The Purty Kitchen” which had four stories, loud music and dancing. I was exhausted from the day and did not really enjoy the club. I decided then that I would probably not be going to these Euro Clubs many more times, they are just not really my scene.

Thursday we walked all over the city of Dublin it seemed. We started off at Trinity and looked at the Book of Kells exhibit. It is so crazy to think about someone doing all of the work by hand and it was very impressive. After that we had lunch at Trinity in a room that resembled the Great Hall in Harry Potter and then went to the other side of the city to the Collins Barracks museum. There was an exhibit on Eileen Gray who is an Irish designed that worked with Le Corbusier and had some very interesting furniture. Most of her things had very elegant and simple lines and she also used a lot of lacquer. After that we were free to walk around the museum. I think my favorite gallery was the period furniture gallery, but there was a Chinese art gallery that had some woodblock paintings by Hiroshige, who I learned about in Art History. Other exhibits were Irish Silver, What We Wore, and From Storage; all of them had very interesting things. After that we walked to NCAD to meet up with the Graphic Design students and go to the Guinness storehouse. There was a very cool exhibit on what goes in Guinness and its process. After going through that we went to the very top of the building (the 7^th story) to the Gravity Bar and had the pint the was included in our ticket. The bar was amazing because it was all glass walls and you could see all over Dublin and to the Wicklow Mountains, which is where Guinness get its water. Then we went through the store and then back to the hostel, where I got some much needed rest.

The Burren

This week I have been in Ballyvaughan at the Burren College of art. The school is a tiny fine art school that is basically a place for people from wherever, mostly the United States, to come to Ireland to study abroad. They also have graduate programs, but again the majority of the people are from the United States. All week my group worked on redesigning a drawing donkey. Our main things that we worked on were making it stackable and infinitely adjustable. We solved both of those problems by the end of the day Friday and had three built and the parts for a fourth.

This week was fun outside of school as well. Wednesday night we went to a pub called Logues and ran into some of the students from the college. There was some Irish set dancing going on in the pub that night and when we got there they were clearing out tables to make room. We knew that we were going to take part in something like this the next night so I was a little nervous.

Thursday night we went to a pub called Vaughan's for dinner in Kilfenora. After eating one of the best burgers I have ever had we had a set dancing lesson. I just had to laugh at myself and everyone else because we had no idea what we were doing. After the lesson we went down to the barn where the main dancing event took place. There were all these older locals there who actually knew what they were doing and then there were all the art students and us. We just hopped around and if you were lucky enough you got in a set with some of the locals who would just move you into place.

Friday night, after going through a few pubs, I eventually ended up where I wanted to be at the beginning of the night, which was a pub called Monks listening to an Irish band. I only heard a few song but I loved every second of them. There were about five old men sitting around a table playing music and they looked like they were having so much fun.

On Saturday a group of about ten or so hiked up one of the mountains. We left around eleven and stopped at the store to get some sandwiches and then hit the trail. The path took us through some enchanted looking forest areas and we eventually ended up behind the school. After that we headed up. It was a little difficult at times because it was hard to see where the rocks were underneath the grass. There was a little bit of climbing involved and eventually we ended up at the top where we took a break for lunch. We had a nice panoramic view of the small cities surrounding us. After lunch we split into smaller groups and headed back down. My group went down basically the same way we went up. The plan was to go to Logues afterward and it was kind of a competition to see who got there first. We stopped briefly to look at the baby sheep on the way and I have decided that I want sheep now. My group ended up at Logues first and I rewarded myself with coffee and tiramisu. After that I just walked around a little bit and then ate dinner. I later went back to Logues (it is basically the main pub there) with some of the guys. A lot of the art students were there hanging out and it was fun to talk with them since most of them have been here since January and kind of knew their way around.

Today we woke up and cleaned up the cottages and took a bus back to Galway. We did take a short stop to look at a castle and to grab a sandwich for lunch. After that we got on a train headed to Dublin. I read for a little bit but eventually feel asleep. By the time I woke back up we were about thirty minutes from Dublin. We got off the train and on a bus and eventually to the Kinlay House Hostel. Our room is much better this time, we have a very large window which will be nice for the St. Patrick's day parade on Wednesday.

Update

Last Wednesday we arrived to Carlow. The student who went last year told us that Carlow was not that much fun until their last night when they discovered that there was a downtown area. We had a short meet and greet with the students at the Institute of Technology-Carlow and they introduced our project to us. Our mission was sustainable design and each group had a different category to work in-ours was growing food.

On Thursday we arrived at school at 9:30 and got to work on our project. My group was made up of three Irish students (I could only understand one of them) and one of the Auburn students. We worked almost all day until 7 that night on a rooftop gardening system aimed towards people in larger cities who do not have that much access to green space.

Thursday night we went out with some of the Irish students to see what it was really like there. We started off at Shane’s house conveniently located next to our B&B and then around midnight we headed downtown to the Foundry, which was basically a Euro dance club with loud music and crazy lights. It was fun, not my normal cup of tea, but a different experience that I will take with me.

Friday morning we went to school to present our concepts to the professors. We finished around lunchtime and then left and walked downtown. I went out to lunch with Chelsea, Taylor, Ryan, and Jerrod at a place called Dinn Ri. After that we walked to Carlow Castle, which is one remaining wall from a castle that used to be there. After that we went to the Cathedral of the Assumption, which was absolutely beautiful. Then we went to the contemporary art gallery. After that I decided it was nap time.

By the time I woke up it was time to eat dinner, so I got ready and then we walked to a pizza place. After that we went to a pub called Scragg’s Alley. There was a bachelorette party going on this same night and these women were going crazy. It was very entertaining to watch. Eventually everyone in the group got there and we all had a great time. People left at separate times and by the time I got back to the B&B everyone that was still awake was in the girls room. They left after a little bit and I was able to get some sleep.

Saturday we took a train from Carlow to Gaulway where we then got on a bus to head to Ballyvaughan. We stopped at a mall for lunch and to get some groceries. After that we got back on the bus and I put on some Ray LaMontagne and went to my own place and took some pictures. We pulled up to some little Irish cottages and were divided up into our new living groups. Being that there are only three girls in the group, it is not very hard for us to figure out whom we are living with. The cottage has three bedrooms, two with two twin beds and one with a full. I lucked up this time and got the full, which also has a heated blanket (almost a necessity here).

Sunday we took a bus trip to the Cliffs of Mohor with several stops along the way. I found out that the O’Briens are from the Burren, which was neat because my great-grandmother was an O’Brien. The original Gaelic name for the Burren means Rocky Place because it is covered in exposed limestone. The Cliffs were amazing, very windy and cold, but absolutely gorgeous. A not so nice O’Brien built a tower there and if you go to the top you get a much better view of the cliffs. On our way back we stopped at another cliff where there were campers and repellers. Then we headed back to the cottages. Kata and Chelsea made an excellent taco dinner for everyone.

Today we went to school at the Burren College of Art, which is a very small rural art school. It was so beautiful though. We had a tour around the campus, which includes a castle tower and then went to the studio space they gave us and we told what our projects would be. We are only working with our Auburn group this time. My group is working on a redesign of a donkey used for life drawing. Another group is working on an entertainment cabinet, and the last group is making a cathouse for the campus cat.

Tonight was low key, I went for a short run after we got back from class and then made a peanut butter and banana sandwich. I went to one of the other cottages and sat for a bit. Then we went to the other cottage and put the movie “Snatch” on. I could not stay to finish it because I did not really know what was going on and I was tired from the day.

back to school

Today, we took a train ride from Dublin to Carlow, which in my opinion is a great way to travel. When traveling by train you just get on and sit for the duration of your ride. The seats have much more room than a car, and today we sat at a table so you could play cards or something. Today I just read and looked out the window at the country and saw some sheep for the first time of the trip. The train ride also reminded me of Harry Potter, especially when the snack cart came by.

After the ride we had about a fifteen minute hike to the Carlow Guest House Bed and Breakfast. We dropped off our things and then walked a little ways to Abrakebabrah where we had lunch and realized the the Irish like to put mayonnaise on a lot of things. After lunch we walked about twenty minutes to the Carlow Institute of Technology where we will be working for three days. We met the Irish students and visited for a little bit and found out that they do not have to pay for their first degree. Then we were divided into twelve groups for a charette. For our project will focus on sustainability, my group in particular on growing food. Other group's topics are things like water, light, and temperature control. I think that this project will be very interesting, as I have learned a bit a about sustainability but have not incorporated it into a project yet.

I finally made it

It is hard to believe that I have been in Dublin for a day. Sunday, I went out to lunch with some of my family and I could not believe that I was going to the airport after that. Sunday and Monday seemed like four days because I did so much. After three hours of hurry up and wait at the airport, we had a seven hour flight. After we landed we went on a 30 minute bus ride to our hostel, which is right across from Christ's Church Cathedral. We walked around on our on for a little bit, then went on a three hour walking tour where we learned about the history of Dublin. After that it was nap time. When we woke up we went to dinner at Peter's Pub for a sandwich and a pint.

Today we had our student travel cards made at Trinity College which made me feel like I was in Hogwarts. After that we had lunch. It is now easier for me to see why the Irish are a bit rounder, their food and beer are so heavy. After lunch we explored the city some more. We walked by St. Stephen's Green and down Grafton Street where there are many street entertainers. A few of us took a break in a pub, and I can now say that the Guinness is much better here than in the states.

Soon it will be dinner time and the next time you hear from me I will most likely be in Carlow.