Where the Streets Have No Name

(This is actually my second update; look below for the first part)

Greetings from Cork! A lot has happened this week, so I'll try to be brief.

On Tuesday, to stave off jet-lagged exhaustion, I decided to go for a walk around Dublin with the tentative end destination of the National Gallery. Some of the paintings sounded excellent, but I wasn't sure how much I could actually appreciate a museum while so tired. I never got the chance, though, because I was lost after walking for ten minutes or so. In Ireland, they don't label anything. If an address actually contains a street number, which isn't guaranteed, chances are that none of the buildings have physical numbers on the outside so you can't find it anyway. More likely, you'll just get the name of a street and have to find the building yourself. But good luck finding the street - they aren't labeled half the time. Worse, street signs are stuck seemingly randomly on the sides of buildings at intersections, and it's almost impossible to figure out which street you're on. Cork is even more confusing because they have a bunch of streets called "quays" that aren't near water at all; apparently, Cork used to be a city filled with canals until they decided to pave them over years ago, so the streets are incredibly windy and not well planned.

Anyway, even with a detailed map of Dublin it took me about an hour to find my way back to the hostel. Once there, I had to wait until they cleaned my room and then I took a four hour nap. I woke up around 4:30, so it was too late to visit most of the touristy sights. The National Library is open late, until about 9 pm, so I walked there and managed to not get lost. They had an excellent exhibit on Yeats with tons of original manuscripts, readings of his poetry, and displays of cool artifacts like the instrument designed for him to use while he read his poetry, journals filled with his crazy mystic ideas, family photo albums, and a tapestry designed by his sister for "The Lake Isle of Innisfree." Afterward, I walked through Dublin a bit more, ate by the river, and then went back to my hostel and slept more.

On Wednesday I hoped to go around Dublin a bit more, but with all my luggage and everything I decided just to head to the train station. It took me a long time to find the tram (basically a trolley) to Heuston Station. The girl I sat next to was very friendly and showed me where to buy my ticket at the station and also carried one of my bags. After a long process at the train station of trying to buy cheaper tickets, I finally was on the way to Cork! The train ride was fairly long but I got to see a lot of Irish countryside on the way. It was very pretty, even more so when I saw my first bit of sunshine in Ireland! I arrived in Cork around 3 pm, then took a bus to my dorm. Public transportation and luggage, especially when you're not especially sure you're going the right way, are not the best combination.

A little bit about Cork - it is a great city! Dublin was fine, but it seemed a lot like you would expect any city to be. Of course, I was pretty jetlagged at the time, so hopefully I'll enjoy it more when I return. But Cork is wonderful. First, there is actual sunlight here! Sure, it rains half the time when it is sunny but I did get to see a really spectacular rainbow. The streets wind all over, there are wide sidewalks and cobblestone walkways for pedestrians in the shopping district, and it is so cozy it almost feels like it isn't a city at all. It definitely is a city, because it has all the culture, amenities, and fleets of taxis, but some of the neighborhoods are very residential and seem a lot like east coast suburbs. Part of this is probably due to the fact that right outside of the city, it is countryside. The hills that border Cork are covered in the patchwork green of farms, and the area seems pretty sparsely populated. As strange as this is to me, it is kind of nice. Most stores in Cork shut down early, around five or six, but the city is amazingly busy at night with tons of pubs, nightclubs, cafes and small take away restaurants.

I spent a lot of Wednesday and Thursday going around Cork, getting used to the double decker buses (the only form of public trans here) and exploring the various shopping areas as I attempted to fill my empty apartment. My room is pretty big, with a double bed and a spacious closet area. I also have my own bathroom, which is amazing. The apartment is for five students, and I only have one roommate so far. It will kind of suck to have people moving in after we've established a routine, but we might get some Irish students, which would be cool (especially if they can drive - grocery shopping using buses is not fun). Still, I am pretty happy with my apartment and will definitely be sad to return to the dorms at Swarthmore.

Friday was the day of the program orientation. The actual orientation part was pretty dull, as we just sat in a lecture hall and listened to information, half of which we already knew. Luckily the evening was more exciting. The UCC student council gave campus tours, which were interesting but not too helpful for actually finding your way around (this seems to be a common theme in navigating Ireland). I have never seen a college with greener grass. We heard all sorts of stories and legends about UCC, a lot of which were about Republican students (those who wanted an independent Ireland, not to be confused with US Republicans) destroying various parts of campus that symbolized England (as the school was built by Queen Victoria). Next, we went to the student council building for tea, coffee, and biscuits (in Ireland, cookies, not the rolls) and to socialize a bit. We walked to a movie theater nearby and got to see I Love You, Beth Cooper for free (plus free snacks). Movies in Ireland all seem to be a few months behind. After that, we went to a pub for free bowling, karaoke, and snooker (or pool - hilariously, the student council vp Ian honestly thought that Americans called it snooker, not pool). The karaoke was really fun. Then, they took us to a nightclub, but the techno music got pretty old. Some of us walked back at around 1 am, and it only took us about 30 minutes, at a slow pace, to get from the city center to our dorms. Afterwards, I hung out with some of the international students. Overall, it was a pretty fun, although very long, day.

More about Ireland: Think of early November. It is getting colder, and it is very gray and rainy. This is a lot like Irish weather, except year-round. Although it is August here, their summer, everyone wears sweaters and jackets, or at least long-sleeved shirts. I have seen very few t-shirts. Shorts are basically non-existent. The temperature has been in the low 60s all week, and when combined with rain and particularly the wind in Cork, it seems really cold. It's not too bad right now, as there is some sun in Cork and it just feels a lot like autumn. I am a bit worried about winter, which is the rainy season...

I hope you are all enjoying yourselves back in the warm Philly weather. I miss you all,

Julia