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The view from my bedroom window. I can just barely see the canal.

Internet and Euronews

Well I finally have the internet! It appears to be super fast, but Skype will be the true test of this. Even more exciting than this development is that our tv gets Euronews Russia. I am fairly certain they may have given us more channels than we signed up for so I need to check on that. Until I figure it out though I get to enjoy Russian news! I am actually enjoying even more the ads for extremely swanky hotels and restaurants. I am beginning to think my Russia experience was a bit lacking.
And we have the Irish equivalent of tivo. This is the cheapest internet/cable package out there and I am so far pleasantly surprised. To add to my astonishment the men came to install it ON TIME! This is almost unheard of by American standards, and even rarer by Irish standards.
There is a down side to all this joy, however. I cannot for the life of me locate my camera cord. I am (almost) positive I packed it. The hunt continues...
Hope all is well with everyone!

Snorkeling, Socs, and a Cold Snap

Hello all! Winter it seems has arrived in Ireland. I am not entirely sure what happened to autumn. The weather decided to transition straight from summer sun to freezing windy rain. I left the house wearing a sweater this morning and it is now well into wool jacket weather. Hopefully this is just a random cold snap as this early arrival is both confusing and distressing.
I have started going to my clubs and societies. So far I have had two day of archery which I am really enjoying. I did archery for a semester at Olaf and loved it so I am happy to get back into the swing of things in Galway. I went to DJ soc as well this week but about 50 other people showed up so we didn't really learn much. Next week they are planning to split us down into smaller groups so we can actually get a chance to use the turn tables. This is all very over my head so I am happy that I will be embarrassing myself in front of a small group instead of in front of 50 ppl.
Yesterday was Arthur's Day, which is basically just an excuse for everyone to drink Guinness and go mad. I did not participate in the festivities because of class but, I could hear the world wide toast at 17:59 in my apartment!
Tonight there is some sort of free arts festival in Galway. I am not quite clear on what exactly it is, but a bunch of the theatres and art galleries are hosting events. As I type this I am listening to the Contempo string quartet play in the lobby of the library for the festival. Sam and I are heading down to his mom's studio space for free printmaking classes.
This weekend I am trying to figure out a way to get to Drum, Athlone to visit what is basically a glorified petting zoo, Glendeer Pet Farm http://www.glendeer.com/
I read about it in one of the tourist pamphlets and have decided that I absolutely must go. Unfortunately it looks like buses don't run there and it closes Sept. 30th. I might have to put this mission on hold until next summer. But, I am trying my best to figure something out for this weekend. They have LLAMAS and GUINEA PIGS! Hopefully I can figure something out!
Last Monday I had a grand day out in Galway. Went to the Galway cathedral from some free organ music, went on a hike along the river and went snorkeling. I haven't been snorkeling in ages! It was great fun but sadly the Irish waters leave a bit to be desired in terms of interesting aquatic life. I saw a crab and some tiny fish. Bit disappointing but great fun all the same.
I have officially registered for all of my classes, including the Econ. class I wanted to get into so badly. I am over the moon about finally being done with all that hassle and getting into all the courses I wanted.
Monday I should have Internet in my apartment, so fingers crossed! This means I will have no excuse not to upload photos :)
Hope everyone is keeping well!

Classes and Socs.

Classes have begun. For real this time. The first week pretend to be real courses, but then turned out to just be a general introduction. I love, love, love my How to Argue with an Economist Course. The professor has an excellent sense of humor and comes off as very down to earth and accessible. Could it be my favorite class of my law masters is an econ. class...haha. Introduction to Public International Law is a bit heavy on the reading but all in all seems decent enough. I am taking it because it was recommend for student who don't have any sort of legal background. So it's more out of necessity than enjoyment. Not to say the class is terrible, it's just very "legal". Makes me absolutely certain that a 3 year law degree in the states would not have been a wise choice for me. Introduction to International Human Rights Law is tonight in about 20 minutes. So I can't comment on what I think of it, though the readings were interesting.
Still waiting on a hoover for the house, but other than that everything house related is just dandy! Still loving my housemates and my tiny but comfy room.
I signed up for societies today; photography (they promised to teach me how to use my dad's old manual camera), DJ, Human Rights and film. I also emailed archery club about joining so hopefully that will pan out!
I made bangers and mash again for dinner tonight. I am not becoming the culinary genius I had hoped. The teeny fridge is a bit limiting when it comes to cooking. But, at least I am now a pro at making mashed potatoes :)
I have the rest of the week off after today! Most of it will be devoted to my massive reading load, but I am hoping the weather is nice so Sam and I can get some biking and swimming in before fall officially arrives here and it starts raining 24/7.
Hope everyone is well!

I am no longer an illegal alien

So I am now officially legal in Ireland. Went this morning to the Garda station and registered. They didn't even look at my documentation! I could have handed them a stack of scratch paper and they wouldn't have cared. I guess illegal immigration from America isn't a huge concern to immigration. This is the second day in a row I got to wake up at 5:15 to make the trek out there. Yesterday made it all the way down only to find a tiny printed sign stating that due to unforseen circumstances the station was closed for the day. How typically Irish. Today went well though. I was the 4th person there and I got there at about 6:30. They only hand out 20 tickets a day so competition to get there early is fierce. Haha.
I got my classes today. Everything I hoped for! For first semester I am taking How to Argue with an Economist, Intro to Human Rights Law and Intro to Public International Law. Second semester is comprised of Business and Human Rights and Human Rights and Development. I am a bit heavy on the economic side of things but I figure that is really one of the biggest hurdles for human rights law; justifying expenditures for policies and programs that do not first glance provide that added incentive of economic boost. Here's hoping for an interesting semester!
Nothing much else going on. Bought a drying rack today, wooohooo. It is not just a drying rack however, it is the Bugatti of drying racks, the thing is huge, and came with clothes pins. I was quite pleased :)
Sam's Birthday dinner was really nice! It was at Cava a local Spanish restaurant. http://www.cavarestaurant.ie/ The tapas was amazing. I finished the night playing Jenga for the first time ever with Sam's bros while he chatted with his parents. I am really going wild in Ireland :)
Oh and Sam and I both got bikes! Sam got one for his birthday from his mom and then I got one from his mom as well. The neighbor was apparently getting rid of it and she asked if she could have it. She took it in to get it fixed for me and I can collect it this weekend. Now if only the weather would clear up we'd be in business!
Hope all is well with everyone!

The end of vacay

Classes start tomorrow. So far all I know about my fellow classmates is one is a trained opera singer from Ireland and another one is a Polish rapper. It promises to be an interesting year :) The weather here seems to finally be changing back to the Irish weather I was expecting. I am so glad I got a swim in yesterday. Sam caught some crabs, but they were too tiny to cook. One of them was a female with an egg sack, which was neat to see.
Made dinner for Sam's birthday; a variation on bangers and mash. Turned out pretty delicious and made a ton of leftovers.
Tonight is Sam's semi-birthday party. I am hoping to maybe go out for a bit and then come back in around 9. We'll see. My new house is cleaned from top to bottom, the house mates are sound and I am finally settled in. This weekend is move in week for Olaf... it's weird not to be moving into the dorms.
Tomorrow is also a wine and cheese reception for the new LL.M. students. This strikes a bit of a contrast to Olaf's rootbeer float and ice cream sunday socials. I feel almost like a grown up...haha. I am looking forward to finally beginning classes.
Tomorrow is also a play with Sam's family at the Druid. It's called the Silver Tassie and is about WWII and tenement Dublin. I haven't seen a production at the Druid so I am looking forward to it. Then Tuesday night is dinner out with Sam's family for his birthday at Cava a Spanish restaurant in town.
I have been handing out CVs but so far no luck. Just have to keep going. I am sure something will pan out eventually, but it is taking a bit longer to find work than I had expected. This shouldn't come as a surprise to me considering the Irish economy thought.
Hope everyone is well!

Lack of Posts

So there will be a bit of a hiatus on posts. I moved into my new place which was supposed to have internet. Well it did when I looked at the place. It doesn't anymore. So I am in the process trying to figure out which of the many ridiculously expensive internet options best suits my needs. Charging for the internet over is really odd...they charge not only for the speed but also for the amount you use it and the amount of data you look use. I am trying to determine how much I use, because things like skyping, and posting photos take up a huge amount of your allotted time/data for the month. Blerg. So until that all gets sorted it is the posts are going to be a little less regular. Other than that everything is going well. Moved into the new place and gave it a top to bottom clean with one of the housemates. Went to the rental agency yesterday with a list of things that were wrong with the place. Nothing major, just nothing I want to be charged for when I move out. They are sending someone out either tomorrow of next week to fix everything...Hopefully! Sam's birthday party is this Sunday at his friends place in the country. Sadly I won't be able to go because my classes start on Monday. Tuesday is his actual birthday with the family and then we will celebrate on Saturday. Can't believe the start of my course is almost here! I am both excited and a bit nervous. I will be happy when all of registration stuff is taken care of...then I can just sit back and focus on the program. Hope everyone is well!