This past week, as I mentioned before, was Rag (Raise & Give) Week at UCC. It was great to see the Irish equivalent of the fundraising stuff we do at home on college campuses. City centre was packed every night like I've never seen it before. And it was really fun to see what they had going on on-campus every day--they had a giant blowup obstacle course, bands playing, DJ battles, and lots more stuff that I'm sure I just didn't see. But once again, things ran from Sunday to Thursday--so many people go home on the weekends that they didn't have any events on Friday, and the official end of Rag Week was Thursday night.
I was heartbroken this weekend after not running into Will Ferrell in Cork. As most of you know, I may or may not have a mild interest in the actor, who happened to be in Ireland this past week with his dad and brother researching his Irish roots, and I think he also received an award from University College Dublin. Anyway, on Wednesday I heard he was in town in Cork, and I was DETERMINED to find him. Apparently someone's boyfriend from the flat above mine met him in a pub, bought him a pint, got his autograph, and chatted with him for awhile. And I got really excited when I was at UCC on Thursday and there was obviously a group with security getting a special tour over by the quad--but it wasn't Will Ferrell. So unfortunately it didn't work out for me...
But I did have a great weekend! Since our Irish friends are mostly gone on the weekends, it makes traveling a great option. I'm liking Cork more and more every day, and one of the reasons is because so much is accessible from the city. The whole country (and even Belfast) is open for a weekend trip, and you can do so much in day trips. I took two this weekend! When our program directors came to campus on Thursday to pick up some forms and check on us, one of them recommended that we go to a wildlife park. So since the weather was supposed to treat us better this weekend (sun on Thurs + Fri + Sat = excitement!!!) a few of us decided to go on Friday when none of us have class. One the commuter train, Fota Wildlife Preserve is only 15 minutes outside of the city. And it was amazing! It's a wildlife park, and not a zoo, so the majority of the animals can wander around wherever they want. The only things that were caged where the cheetahs and the eagle, and the bison, rams, ostriches, giraffes, and zebras were fenced into these huge fields. But even so, you could get up close to them, and nothing was behind glass. And everything else was free to roam! I got to walk right next to llamas, kangaroos, maras, peacocks, monkeys, and more. It was one of the coolest things I've ever done! The animals would hop right in front of you on the road, and you got to see things like flamingos that you would never think you would see in Ireland. And now I know where the train station is!
On Saturday, two others girls from my program and I took a bus to Midleton (Mainistir na Corann), which is about half an hour away. It's a cute little town, and we actually showed up when they were having a farmer's market, so we wandered around that for a little while--all the food looked really good, and it reminded me that I should look for one in Cork. I also finally got to have an ice cream cone that I had been craving for awhile, and while it was no Handel's, it was delicious! The three of us stood out with our American accents, so the two guys running the stand were asking us where we were from and what we were studying at college. One of the girls is from Minnesota, and so they were talking with her about the bridge collapse there--the fact that people here know SO MUCH about international news never ceases to amaze me. They can talk with you about politics (even though it's just the primaries) and sometimes even American sports. It's something that you don't see reciprocated in the US. Anyways, after the farmer's market, we went to the Old Distillery for the "Jameson Experience." They've restored the original buildings and everything that went along with it, so we were able to see all the storehouses, the water wheel, and even whiskey aging in the casks. (One old man got really excited about those and asked if there were taps on them. Sadly, he was disappointed.) One of my friends was chosen to take part in the whiskey tasting at the end, and they even gave the four participants certificates that said they were now official Irish whiskey testers--and encouraged them to put that on their CV's or resumes. So I'm bummed I missed out on the chance to add that...
It's hard to believe that I've been in Ireland for a month! Time is seriously going even by even more quickly than it does at NU, which I never thought possible! Four months suddenly seems like not enough time to fit in everything that I want to do, but darn it, I'll try! I'm starting to feel really comfortable in Cork, and I'm even learning street names and giving directions. But the moments when I feel like a total stranger pop up really unexpectedly and are completely random. And it's in the little things, too, like when I couldn't figure out how to work the washers/dryers in the laundry room, the fact that ketchup is sweet, when I awkwardly can't figure out how things work in a restaurant or cafe, and how Coke doesn't taste the same as it does at home. And while our American accent is usually a great conversation starter with anyone because people are so friendly, I've finally realized what it's like to really stick out somewhere whether you want to or not. And people definitely do have certain stereotypes of Americans--just see the hilarious title quote. The views of Americans here are nuanced--although people seem to have a negative view of America in general, they generally only have positive things to say about their visits to the country and are usually nothing but warm and friendly in conversation. But they aren't bad moments, just different, and something that I think is helping to give me a better worldview. Because at the same time I'm learning things like the way around the city, the fact that I'm a sucker for Australian soap operas, and how to be confident in a completely new environment. I wouldn't trade this for anything--like I've said before, this is definitely one of the top three, if not the best, thing I've decided to do in college!
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