Program Nearing the End

Good Afternoon!

I hope this post finds you all in good health and even better spirits. It's sad to think I only have one day of regular class left and then the final. This program has went by so fast.

This past weekend was probably my least exciting but most relaxing. Friday my friend's mom came to visit and took a few of us out for dinner. It was great to hear stories of my friend when she was younger. It did remind me, however, that my mom is absent. I know she would have loved to crash my trip.

Saturday, Sunday and Monday were spent relaxing and hanging around Galway. I love exploring this area. It is so beautiful and it has a different smell than any other place I have been. Its a sweeter sent.

Today I had my first Irish massage, it was awesome. It got out all my knots. The only difference I noticed was they massaged my belly which I'm not too sure if I really like it. Tomorrow, I hope to attend the Galway races. I hope to experience a different side of Galway, a fancier side.

Friday is my final and the goodbye banquet. It will be hard to say goodbye and go our separate ways. I have made such good friends with complete strangers, its unreal. One thing I will take away from this experience is my new level of independence. It certainly has increased my self-efficacy.

Saturday we move out of our apartments and I will take a train to Dublin. I'll be staying in a hostel that I found when my group was in Dublin earlier. My travel companion will arrive Sunday morning. We are planning on staying in different places around Ireland before we embark on our European journey. I can't wait to start another adventure!

Lots of Love,

K .Keene

Time Flies When Your Having Fun!

Good Morning Loved Ones!!

Sorry I haven't updated in a while, it has been non-stop excitement. This past week I went horseback riding, explored the cliffs of Moher, went to the art's festival parade, and traveled down to Cork to visit the Balarney Castle. Everything was amazing.

Horseback riding was great because we went off the beaten path and got to see a part of the country few people get to see. The only down side was when a girl we were with got bucked off her horse. She was a skilled rider so she held on for a good amount of time, but did fall on her butt. She only suffered a few bumps and bruises. In true cowgirl fashion, she got back on her horse to finish out the ride.

The cliffs of Moher were breath taking. I'll be adding pictures as soon as my internet will allow me to upload them. There were parts of the cliff that were blocked off for safety reasons, but of course no tourist follows that rule. There was also a castle at the cliffs, but my camera died before I could snap a shot.

The arts festival kicked off Sunday evening with a very theatrical parade. One of the girls I was with was eaten by a demon! Very entertaining. The month of July is the fullest (activity wise) for Galway. Our group has gotten to take part in the film and arts festivals. The next big event is the Galway races. I guess big stars and royalty even come to the races. Thursday is the day I will go because its lady's day and everyone dresses up in the newest fashions with the biggest hats. I should have some great pictures.

Yesterday, I returned from my Cork adventure. I love Cork. I think I will be traveling to either Cork this weekend or Limmerick. Cork is in the southern part of Ireland. It has warmer temperatures and better shopping than Galway. The size of Cork compared to Galway is 1.5 times bigger. But like the other big cities I have visited in Ireland, still has the small town feel. The Balarney castle is a big deal because it is said have a majestic stone at the top. People travel from all over to kiss the stone to receive the gift of gab. I only took a picture of it because I feel I talk enough;) Also, it is rumored by the locals, that some young lads sneak into the castle at night and pee on the rock. (Plus think of all the germs.....yuky)

I have officially traveled by bus and train in Ireland. I prefer train for comfort and bus for flexibility of time. The public transport here is amazing. Most people I have encountered do not own cars.

Another thing I love about Ireland is how "green" or earth friendly they are. The government has implemented a 22 cent tax to use plastic bags. It was only a problem the first few time I went to the market and forgot to bring my bags.

As my program is nearing the end, I feel a slight tinge of sadness. I have met some amazing people and had some outrageous experiences. It will be sad to see it all come to an end. The exciting news is I shortly will be exploring Europe, as much as I can. I would post my itinerary, but the changes would drive you all crazy. Just know I am planning to see britain, the netherlands, spain, france, greece, switzerland, and germany. Lots of ground to cover in a short 20 days.

I hope you are all doing well and are enjoying your summers.Please keep emailing me, I look forward to hearing about your lives.

Nothing but Love for ya,

K. Keene

pictures of Aran Islands and the hike

busy busy busy

Wow. This past weekend just flew by. I was able to go to three films that were involved with the film festival here in Galway. I saw the Colony, the Pipe, and Bloody Sunday. They were very educational and helped me understand the very sad history of Ireland. The films also made me realize that the world we live in is very evil and ugly place. I am fortunate enough to have a lot of great people back home and here to make up for the crappy world we live in.

Saturday a group of us went to Westport to stay in a hostel to explore some new areas then climbed a mountain over 7 miles high on Sunday in the same town. I'll be adding photos in the next post. (But if we are friends on facebook, you have already seen them). The remainder of Sunday was spent watching the world cup with some Irishmen. It was very enthusiastic and entertaining. (Watching the spectators not the game..... Holland should have won)

On Monday the USAC group traveled to the Aran Islands to visit the traditional Irish speaking language. The pictures are amazing but of course do not do the scenery justice.

Lots of Love,

K.Keene

Fourth of july and random's.... so nicole doesn't think its soo grey here

Pictures of Connemara

Wow

What a great fourth of July spent in Ireland. The group of students I'm with had a barbecue to start off the holiday. The rest of the day was spent chumming around and laughing. I was teased because I was the only person who wasn't drinking an American beer. Later in the night we all (40 people) went to the American bar to collect our free drinks for America's freedom day. It was fun to see Irish people excited for our country's independence.

Today we are off to Connemare and I'll be sure to bring my camera.

This morning I have been studying my EuRail map to plan my assault on Europe. So far I'm thinking I will spend two days in Dublin after my program ends then fly to London (It is under 100... AMAZING!). I was then planning on flying to Amsterdam. In every place I was hoping to spend about 2 days, but I'll play it by ear. After Amsterdam I was thinking Paris then Bern in Switzerland followed by Santorini, Greece. Although I am not sure which route to take to Santorini, it is a must do. A girl in my group has been there and says if I go anywhere I need to go to Switzerland and Santorini. After that, I would like to get over to Spain before heading back to Ireland for the last few days. Lots to do in a short 20 days.

Hope all is well,

K. Keene

First Day of Class

Today I started class and it was awesome. The tutor, as they are called here, seems really excited to share her native language with us. We have some light homework, but the tutor stressed the fact she wants us to have a good time and really enjoy Galway. She also said the Irish language is very difficult but she has taught for a number of years and is confident we will all learn the basics pretty quickly. Especially since there are pubs in Galway that use Irish for ordering.

After class I explored campus a bit more and it was beautiful. There are some construction sights that make it difficult to navigate but otherwise it was a breeze. The weather was bright and shinny with a great temp of 72. We have been really fortunate by only having one rainy day.

I found a path near my apartment that follows the river to the ocean for my morning run. It was fantastic running with the green leafy trees for shade and the pretty water to look at. There was some boaters on the river that helped keep my pace. I also saw a man doing laps in the river. I counted two during my run and he showed no signs of slowing down. Very impressive because the length he was going was over two miles long.

I went the fresh market yesterday for some delicious veggies and fruits. Today, I think I will stop at the fish market to pick up some dinner. I am also going to search for the traditional ring that was developed here in Galway many years ago. I can't think of the name on the top of my head but I'll have it when I publish a picture of the ring.

Off to see the rest of Galway...... Lots of Love

p.s. my phone number is 86-051-6015 and i have free incoming calls but it will cost you to make an international call. (keep in mind the time difference 8hr pacific time, 6 central)

More pictures

Good Morning!

The last two days were jam packed. On Saturday we went to the country and got to see the real Ireland. A wise person once told me, don't just see Ireland, feel it. And boy did I feel on Saturday.

We toured this garden of some really wealthy person and it took over 12 years to complete. It was really unreal. I think the garden's total area was some where near a square mile.

We then went to an old monastery near two lakes. The first lake was similar to any other mountain lake. The second, must be what heaven is like. I wish I have pictures of both tour spots but in my normal fashion, I forgot it.

No worries though, I'm in Galway now which will have many more opportunities for great pictures. I took a few yesterday and will have them up at a later date.

I got a new skype account because my other one had some flaws. My new screen name is girl-on-the-go hopefully you all can add me so we can video chat soon.

I hope all is well with you.

P.s. I did get to go to the gay pride parade and rally once we came back from our tours. I have never been to one before. I had an awesome time and got a shirt.

pictures

It's official, I'm moving to Ireland

I got up early today and took a walk around Dublin. It was just me, my eye pod, and walking sneakers. I can't tell you enough how fun it was to explore the city and embrace my curiosity. My walk lasted a little over an hour that ended with a mocha light frap from starbucks.

The tour my group and I did today was the Museum of Modern Art and the Kilmainham jail. The Museum was very pretty but I mostly hung around in the garden and explore the outside art. It was such a beautiful day I couldn't help but want to be outside. I was thrilled to see such an old garden. It reminded me of the type of garden's royalty has in the movies. Almost like Victoria's garden in the movie the Young Victoria (highly recommend watching it).

Just a short jaunt from the Museum is the closed Kilmainham jail. It is now a museum. Now that is a place full of history. I had no idea what an important part the jail had and still does have on Ireland. It is at the root of the war of independence and Ireland's civil war. Many influential people in Ireland found themselves in the Kilmainham jail. The conditions of the jail throughout time were astonishing. They of course got better in the more recent years, but they were awful for a few centuries. In Kilmainham's early years they had women children and men all mixed together in jail. The youngest child they had in jail was about five years of age. The child had stole a piece of bread and was sentenced to 48 in jail.

The most remarkable story would have to be of Anne Develin. She was a 23 year old house keeper of Robert Emmit, the leader of the IRA. Once he was executed she was taken into custody to get the names of other influential people in the IRA. Anne, being of strong will, never gave a name. Even after being whipped 20 times every week for two years. Her younger brother was even refused medical treatment in order to get information out of Anne. Sadly Anne's brother died because she refused to give up a name. Now that is true nationalism. Anne suffered severe beatings and torture for over two years. She was finally released at the age of 26 when the officials realized they were not going to get any information from her. Because of Anne's silence, Ireland was able to keep the dream of freedom alive and in working fashion. The tour guide pointed that although Ireland has some freedom it is not necessarily free. The people in Ireland, that I have run into, have a consensus that true freedom will only be achieved with a unified Ireland.

Tonight we are going to a theatre show and get to dress all fancy. I can't wait.

I will be adding another post of some pictures from last night and my walks.

Another great day

Today was another great day. My roommate and I got up early to grab some breakfast and scout out the city a little on our before we met up with the group. We found a store that is similar to a convenience store near our hotel that provided me with one of my favorite caffeine beverages, the monster. After that, my day was headed off to a great start.

The first tour my group did was to the church across the street. The Christ Church Cathedral is over 500 years old and had a neat crypt beneath it. It was so fun to see all of the hand made glass and hand carved wood pieces. You could tell a lot of love went into creating this church. The second tour we went on was the Dublin walking tour. Where our tour guide was a "true" Dubliner, as he called himself, and filled us in on the fascinating but sad history of Ireland. During our walk I found my future residence. It was right on the river within walking distance of the city's shopping district. I truly believe I will end up living somewhere in Ireland someday.

The second part of the day we went to the national library to look up our genealogy. The group had split into 2 and since I am taking the genealogy course I had to skip touring Dublin's castle. But have no fear I will be touring with my roommate and vegetarian friend tomorrow.

Tonight we are planning on grabbing some food and then heading off for the literary pub craw. I have never done a pub crawl before so this should be fun!

Ireland

Ireland, so far, is what I always hoped it would be. Its so green and fresh air, it almost reminds me of northern Idaho. I didn't feel the jet leg until after our orientation meeting and dinner. Then I could barley keep my eyes open and had to take a little snooze.

We are staying a the harding hotel in Dublin, a city of over 1.2 million people. As soon as I arrived to the hotel, I was whisked away by a group guide to start our tour immediately. I didn't even have time to drop off my begs at my room. We went to a park that seemed like it wold be similar to central park in New York city. We also toured an old home and the Trinity college here in Dublin. This city has so much history and beauty it's hard to believe I'm witnessing it. I sadly forgot to take my camera with me, but won't forget tomorrow:) We will be continuing our exploration at ten am tomorrow. We are planning on seeing a castle shortly after noon.

But now it is nearly ten pm and I am fully rested. I am planning on seeing the Dublin night life with my new roommate. Hope your days are going great!

Beginning

Hey Guys!

This day one of my travels to Ireland. I am currently in the Newark airport waiting to board my plant to London. This will be the first time I cross the Atlantic on my own. Once I arrive in Dublin I will meet the other participants at the Harding hotel where we will stay while touring Dublin. I can't believe I get to do this as a class and receive credit! I will move into the dorms at the end of June and will have a land line I can give out. Just keep in mind I may have as many as six roommates and as little as three. I cant wait to share all of my exciting adventures and pictures with all of you. I look forward to getting news from back home.

I am new to this site so you will have to bare with me until I can get the hang of it. I will try to add pictures as soon as I can. Hope you all are in great health and better spirits.

xoxo