First Week of Classes

All right folks, I know it’s been a while since I posted last, but don’t panic. I’m back, and I’m planning a double header. Too much stuff has been going on the last few days to fit into a single post. So this will be the first of two, unless I change my mind, forget, or get bored.

Classes started on Monday, the 15th. The first (unplesant) surprise of the day came in the form of a mandatory meeting with the program director, Chuck, at 10 A.M. Apparently, this is a weekly event; we’ll meet and discuss Irish culture and experiences. Not bad, except that it starts at 10 A.M. That’s pretty early for a bunch of college students… especially when you’re staying in a resort with a pub attached to it.

Let me explain a bit how our classes work here at the Park Lodge Resort. One, Senior Seminar, is taught by Chuck. The other 3 (Irish Catholicism, Gaelic Literature and Culture, and Anglo-Irish Literature) are taught by professors that come out to the Park Lodge from the University of Galway. Convenient for us, but also kind of a bummer that we can’t meet any Irish students. But the light schedule allows us plenty of time to meet people on our own. Each class will be offered one day a week, for 3 hours each session. The exception to this is Senior Seminar, which will be held twice a week, for 45 minutes each time. Unless, of course, we are going on an excursion trip on Thursday, then the Thursday Senior Sem class is cancelled, leaving the entire day open for travelling. Oh, and we have Fridays off, too.

Anyway, after the meeting, the next class was Irish Catholicism. Our prof didn’t really talk much about Irish Catholicism, but mostly seemed interested in getting us settled into Galway. She brought some Irish newspapers and told us about some cultural oppourtunities (plays, poetry readings, that kind of thing), and she told us where to find the best deals on cheap college food. The homework load she assigned was rediculously light; only 7 pages of reading over the next week. Score.

The next class was on Tuesday, Senior Seminar with Chuck, the program director/biology professor from SJU. It’s basically a discussion type class about morals and responsibility. We should get some good debates going in that class. Plus, it’s only 45 minutes long.

Gaelic Literature and Culture. Funny thing about this class was that it didn’t actually include any Gaelic Literature or Culture. It was an archeology class. Apparently, the prof was an archeology professor from Galway, edited the course, and I missed the memo. But the class should still be very cool. Prof. Jackie is a bundle of ideas; she was even talking about going out to various ancient ruins for an on-site lecture. Hopefully that gets off the ground.

The final class I took was on Wednesday. This one was the ‘hardcore’ class, Anglo-Irish Literature. Professor O’Brian is an Irishman through and through; he could even tell us the county or town of origin of any Irish surname. He gave a quick introduction, then dove right into the literature, reading exerpts from an ancient Irish poem. From that 20 minute reading, I knew that I loved ancient Irish poems. They’re very earthy. And by that I mean they have the most wonderfully scathing insults I’ve ever seen in print. Next we read a one-act play that was written by W.B. Yeat’s friend, Lady Gregory, then Professor O’Brian assigned us a bunch of short stories to read for next time, and that was it for the first week of classes. Done by Wednesday at 2:00.

That night, a large portion of the group went out to the pub in the Hotel. (Pubs are everywhere in Ireland… the Park Lodge Hotel has its own bar, and the alcohol is cheapest there). Those of you who know me know that I have never had any alcohol. While I could probably cite a few reasons for this, the main would be simply that I never felt any pressure or saw any reason to drink. It’s legal in Ireland, though, so that changed my opinions. At the pub on Wednesday night, someone offered me a drink, and it was here the I broke my 20 year sobriety. I had a Bulmer’s, which is a very popular kind of Cider made here in Ireland. Later, someone asked why I chose tonight. I answered simply, “Because I was tired of watching everyone else drink.”