Thank You

So, this is a really special, sentimental blog (so if you don't want to read it I don't blame you.)

One week from now, I will be on a plane home back to the states. To be honest, I thought I was ready to leave this past week. Maybe it was the exams being over, maybe it was the fact that I have been out every night doing something different since last Monday, or maybe it was just because enough time had passed, but I thought I was content. I remember saying "If a plane sucked me up today and took me home, I'd be totally okay."

Scratch all of that!

A friend of ours visited from Spain this weekend, and she and I got to talking at one of my favorite pubs. We recounted fun stories and interesting things about our cities, but my favorite part of the conversation was reflecting on how much we've changed. I'm still the same bubbly, obnoxious, loud Jimmy everyone knows and loves (or pretends to love but secretly cringes on the inside...if this is you, just keep on pretending for my sake), but I've grown up A LOT; little things aren't as worrisome to me, I'm not as afraid to voice my approval and disapproval, but, most of all, I've become a lot better at staying in the now, the present, the moment that comes and goes before I have a chance to clasp it between my fingers.

Galway is an amazing city with so much culture, beauty, heritage, love, strength, hope, sorrow, worry, courage, and conviction. I recommend this place to EVERYONE. Come for a day, come for a week, come for four months, come for a few years, stay here forever! The time is irrelevant; you will be changed by this experience forever!

This will be my last blog post because I want to spend my final week as far away from a laptop as possible. I want to walk the River Corrib, stop by Hogwarts on campus, go to pubs, visit the Donut Man, walk to Salthill, and soak in the beauty of Shop Street.

So, here are a few thank yous to all the people who made my experience possible:

To everyone who visited from other countries: Thanks for making us appreciate our own country! It seemed like fate that you guys visited when you did. Every time someone would come, one of us would be slightly down or home-sick, but having to show people around and explore always made us re-appreciate and cherish this place we have called home. Thank you for being game to live the Irish life, and for the hospitality of all the places we visited. Best of luck to you in your final weeks, and safe travels home!

To my fellow classmates in our Irish Language Class: I had an absolute BLAST learning the language with you guys! We survived a language that seems completely random and only exists for the sole purpose of torturing us! From swear words to action verbs to phrases including the Devil (Devil a bit? Really??), we took the courage to immerse ourselves in a beautiful culture. Thank you for making those weekly four hour sessions a highlight of my week.

To any Irish students/friends/acquaintances I've made: Thank you for showing me how to have a good craic! With traveling and being ridiculous, I didn't necessarily get to see you guys as often as I hoped, but I am still eternally grateful for the memory I have of each of you guys. Thank you for reminding me that my family heritage is full of trouble-makers and killers, and giving me a truly Irish experience.

To my penthouse/305 crew: You are the ones who made me NOT an old man!!! You guys were the ones getting my sorry butt to stay out past 1am and actually experience the legitimate night life of Galway. Even if I wasn't in the pregames as much as hoped for, I cherish every ridiculous story of being peed on, prostitutes in Amsterdam, games of flip cup, random outbursts of dancing in the apartment/Sonny's, and eerily spot-on impersonations. Let's make this last week the best memory of our entire freaking trip!!! I love you all from the bottom of my Guinness filled heart. (Great Baby Guinness shots, by the way :) )

To my 401 gang: Guys, I cannot tell you how many smiles you've brought to my face. I love hearing about stories from California, realizing that my cousin is one of your roommates, having feuds about St. Joe's/LaSalle basketball (we're totally dominating in January, btw), sharing Thanksgiving dinner together, or playing games of MASH. I am still jealous you guys got new furniture and have a balcony, but I'll let that bitterness go since it's our last week! Thank you for the smiles and the laughter you brought me every time I hung out with you; looking forward to a few more Java's and coffee runs!

To Stonehill: Guys, what the hell can I say? We've become thicker than thieves in literally less than 4 months. The stories and experiences we have shared make me feel like I was destined to know you; thank you for being you. Unapologetic in who you are, I always knew I was in for a ridiculous ride. Who would have thought our journey would begin with an awkward meeting in Kennedy's pub, drinking Guinnesses at 6pm with the old folk. You guys are an amazing, incredible, beautiful group of people who will always remain in my memory. We at SJU cannot be thankful enough to know you guys (seriously, it's unhealthy how much we love you all), and I cannot be blessed enough to call you guys my friends. Christmas party shall be most epic, and I cannot WAIT to see what final stories we can muster up this week! (Yo, let's LT this joint!!) (BTW, don't get too cocky about case race victories...we're waiting for the perfect chance to strike...)

My 205 SJU/Marquette ladies: Well, ladies, you know my words of wisdom: SEXY BUT SAFE!!! What can I say except I love you all for soooooo many reasons. I have been on this ride with you guys more than most here, and I couldn't be more thankful for your group. I have countless memories with each of you: Molly, for the innumerable amount of conversations we had about AMUURICA, PBR, writing, love, Irish language (I wonder if we ever actually perfected how to say "Hello"), or ridiculous escapades involving Irish men; Lauren, for the Titanic dreams you shared with me, our very-real Ronnie/Sammi pub fights, playing airplanes in you apartment as I tried to pull off a yoga pose, PERSEVERANCE, or any other unreal mayhem that we call our life; Liz, for your friendship before and during this amazing experience (but, sadly, because I know so much about you now...we can't be friends when we get back), beautiful trips to Paris, Edinburgh, London, and Rome, AMAZING Sammi impressions, almost hitting nuns in the Vatican, and our talks about the craziness of SJU and our love for it; Kathleen, for being my girl from day one! and always having my back...you and I have had too many self-affirming conversations so I'm keeping this brief, but know that I love you always, especially for our Papa John's, McDonald's, Supermacs, Fat Freddy's runs and incessant need to buy each other stuff (and for being the ultimate bro)! Thank you girls for an amazing semester.

And, of course....DRUMROLL PLEASEEEE.....to my 105 Apartment!!! Guys, I wouldn't want to live with ANYONE else this semester; you guys are the greatest bros a bro could ever have. Chris: I love the fact I have an excuse to visit the midwest now! From teaching me the anatomy of a gun to the millions of electrical signals sent via nerves, from hating Canada to loving Seth McFarlene, from Taylor Swift to older women who dance with you in pubs, and everything between, I am insanely stoked you got to be our roommate. I cannot WAIT to hang out when we get back to the states! Sean: how the hell do we not see each other ever considering we went to the same high school AND college?? I could not be more thankful you and I actually had the chance to get to know each other and just hang. Our late night conversations and oddly strange fake-family impersonations, cooking dinner and collecting pints, discussing books or movies, or just dancing like idiots at Sonny's or some club. We definitely gotta' grab lunch when we get back to campus and you're always more than welcome to chill at our place! And to Kyle: my roommate now of two years...Congratulations! We haven't killed each other yet! Haha I can't tell you how freakin' excited I was when you told me you were thinking about coming to Galway. It has been another amazing semester getting to experience this crazy ride with you. Thanks for helping me become a ginger for the night, adopting me into your family, showing me Chris Brown and that cute little kid, and, of course, heating our room every night to fend off the bitter Irish cold! Not too many words can express how lucky I am to have you as a roommate, and you must be so thrilled we get to live together again next semester! Right...Kyle? RIGHT?? Love ya' buddy.

And, to my family and friends in the states: I love you guys, I miss you guys. Thank you for listening to my stories and reaching out when needed, but also allowing me to have this experience for myself. You are all the reason I even had the guts to be here, and you will never know how thankful I am to have you guys in my life, especially now that a fairly large body of water separates us. You guys are all so amazing and special and close to my heart! I will see you all so soon!

And, of course, THANK YOU IRELAND!!!

With Irish Love and Gratitude,
Jim Jam

P.S. I'm gonna' thank myself: Thanks for being really really really ridiculously good looking, Jimmy!

Follow Me Up to Carlow

Hey guys!

Sorry for the delay; it's been a crazy few weeks! So, let me start with Paris and Halloween weekend (this won't be as long as the Rome post, PROMISE!)

So, I never ever ever expected to enjoy Paris. For some reason, it was never a city I had any interest in visiting. However, it ended up being my favorite international destination so far! The city itself is beautiful (and clean!). The Eiffel Tower is a lot of fun because it is wayy bigger in person than any picture ever shows. During the day, you walk around and have street vendors bombard you with mini-Eiffel tower sales; tourists line the lawn in front of the tower getting shots, and we even saw a flashmob start to dance on one of the side lawns! Personally, though, the tower looks way cooler at night. It puts on a light show where various lights around the edge sparkle for a few minutes illuminating the sky, and the tower glows a brilliant golden color that can be spotted from really large distances. Going to the top was breathtaking as we looked over the entire city (Paris is HUGE, btw). A few of my friends were really nervous to go that high, but it's an absolute must! You get crammed into an elevator with around 30 other people and get to see all the internal structuring of the tower as you ascend.

We also got to visit the Lourve (Mona Lisa is a little anti-climactic in my opinion; go visit the painting across from it for an amazing piece of art) which you need a LOT of time for. Walking in the courtyard outside is a lot of fun to take pictures of the glass pyramids and architecture around the museum. Also, getting in was FREE for us! There are a lot of exhibits to see so make sure you leave plenty of time to explore. Notre Dame Cathedral is awesome because it has an organ player perform every few hours with a really haunting, yet lively song that resonates through the cathedral. It's really beautiful. And Sacra Coeur is also definitely worth checking out; one of my friends dressed up in devil horns (because it was Halloween) and kept forgetting to take off her horns in churches...awkward!

But, for the best part of Paris...you MUST eat SNAILS AND CREPES! I know...snails? Sounds crazy! Trust me; it's worth it. (You may wanna' pass on frog legs...they're not that great). And you will most likely eat your body weight in pastries while in France. I had sugar and chocolate crepes, eclairs, fresh bread, and so much more! To sum it all up: PARIS ROCKS!

Oh, one fun fact: Parisians don't really seem to celebrate Halloween; we learned that the interesting way.

Now...back to Ireland!

It's been pretty low-key the last few weeks because of papers and exams coming up (we finish class in 2 WEEKS!!!). BUT, I finally managed to accomplish one of my goals while in Galway! There's this giant diving board in an area called Salt Hill which is about a 25 minute walk from my apartment. Essentially, the diving board is two levels and leads into Galway's bay. My friends and I have been saying we were going to jump off of it since August, but, alas, we kept forgetting. So, this past weekend, I decided enough was enough. Right after picking a friend who was visiting from London from the bus stop, we booked our way over to the board. Now, picture this: me, jumping 15 feet into freezing water in the beginning of November...pretty awesome, right?? Suffice it so say, it was one of my favorite memories from this trip, even if I was forced to look at really old men in articles of swimwear too tight for their own good or mine (that image will never be burned from my memory). I may have lost feeling in my fingers and feet for an hour, but the numbness/pain was worth. For anyone curious to see how it went, there's a video of it on Facebook.

With about a month left in Galway, I'm re-appreciating everything I have experienced while I've been here, both highs and lows. Now, I refuse to allow myself to not enjoy the time left here. Even with exams and papers and assignments, I cannot allow myself to sit at home and idle my time away. My plan for the next month goes as follows:
ENJOY!

With all of that said, I am sending my deepest love and blessings and good wishes from here to all of my friends and family back in the states. I love you guys so much and cannot wait to see you all, but I pray that this next month doesn't fly too quickly!

Slán go fóill! (Bye for now!)

With Irish Blessings,
Jim Jam

The Irish Rover

So, someone brought up this week that tomorrow marks the halfway mark of our study abroad experience...and I'm definitely feeling a big mix of emotions.

Terror: I am so in love with this area and the freedom of this experience. I have changed already so much in basically two months; it's absolutely insane! I DON'T WANT TO GO HOME!!!

Confusion: Where the heck did this time go?? Everyone warned me how fast it would proceed...and they were right.

Relief: As much as I love this experience, the comforts of Christmas in New Jersey with my family and friends will be amazing. I think part of the relief came because a lot of people's family/friends have visited and will be visiting during this semester and it reminds me of home. Going back to SJU and seeing Philly will be such an amazing sight.

Acceptance: Time is fleeting here...so I just have to realize that, and make the most of the time I have left.

Next week, a few friends and I are going to Paris, which will be a CRAZY Halloween weekend. Despite the travel warnings, we agreed that we need to see places. We refuse to psyche ourselves out. (Don't worry...Paris will have it's own epic blog post).

And remind me to blog about Dublin soon...it was a great day!

With Irish Blessings,
Jim Jam

Boys of the Old Brigade

Dia daoibh!

Is mise Jimmy. Is as Meiriceá ó dhúchas mé ach tá mé i mo chónaí in árasán i nGaillimh.

Sorry; I'm trying to use the Irish I know in more everyday situations, so why not start with this blog? (enquire further for translations)

So...it's been a little over two weeks since I last posted, and I figure I should probably fill you in on some Irish life. Galway is as gorgeous as ever, but you don't want to hear me rant about the beauty of Ireland for another twenty posts; you wanna' hear some crazy stories.

Well...in order for the crazy to begin...I have to take you to a little place I like to call "Rome". Now, let me fill you in on what I thought Rome was: a bunch of loud, hand-gesturing individuals handing you pizzas, pastas, and gelati as wine flooded the cobblestone streets. Lots of individuals riding mopeds as you waved happily at them as they drove by. Basically, what I'm trying to say is I had the quintessential ignorant foreigner view of Rome. This weekend made me realize how off my impression was. Now, before I begin, I want to say overall that Rome is an amazing city and the experiences we had were wonderful, but there were some interesting...slightly negative experiences (but who doesn't have those?). First thing I noticed about Rome: a LOT of graffiti. And not like the cool artistic kind, but a lot of random tags with people's names, Italian phrases, cuss words, and phone numbers. I was slightly surprised.

In terms of food and drink, Rome houses! I ate my body weight in pizza and pasta and drank my share of wines galore. Every restaurant we went to provided us with really hospitable service, wonderful food, and great atmosphere over all; if you ask any of us on the trip, food and drink probably are our fondest memories of the city. Also, who can deny all of the wonderful historical sites we saw. In 2 days, our group managed to see the Colosseum, The Arch of Constantine, The Trevi Fountain, Vatican City, AND The Spanish Steps!! The Colosseum is pretty stellar, I'm not gonna' lie. You walk out of the metro station and facing you is the overpowering, towering masterpiece of the arena; it's a pretty breathtaking site. The Arch sits right next to the Colosseum, so you get a great 2-for-1 deal of Italian historical madness. Funny enough, the Arch was one of the sites I was most looking forward to and was one of my favorite stops on the trip. I always looked at it as the smaller, not-as-appreciated-or-well-known brother to the Colosseum. The Arch is absolutely HUGE; all of my pictures in front of it look like I'm an ant about to be crushed. Anyway, the Colosseum is amazing to get a view of that part of town and to immerse yourself in a pretty fundamental part of Western Civilization (man, I hated that class).

The Trevi Fountain, at both day and night, became our sanctuary on the trip. Our goal was to eat gelato at the fountain at night time as the crowds began to die, and that's exactly what we did (but more on that in a moment). The Trevi Fountain rocks because (1) you get to make a wish, (2) gelato shops ALL around it, (3) Lizzie Mcguire movie was filmed there (okay, so that one I don't actually care about but that was a shout out for a friend). So many people come to see the fountain; it feels like braking through a maze of people just to see the water! But, I completely recommend anybody going to Rome to go check it out. Oh! And we went again later at night to have some gelato and I must say the fountain only gets more beautiful as the day goes on. The Spanish Steps are beautiful also; we arrived at the top of the steps and didn't even realize at first we were standing on them! You can look out and see so much of Rome's city from the very top, and we happened to catch the steps as the sun began to set so it pretty much felt like your typical romantic comedy film. The steps are definitely a hike, but it's so worth it to see both the top and bottom view. Looking up from the bottom, all you see is the beautiful construction of the steps as they lead up to what looks like Heaven (but it's really just a metro stop).

And, of course, how can I forget the freakin' Vatican?? Let me just say this, criticize as many do about the wastefulness and elaborate nature of the Vatican...it's pretty damn beautiful! Now, I am not the biggest fan of over-excess in the world, but I definitely recommend going to see the Vatican at some point. We sneaked some photographs in the Sistine Chapel, gallivanted in St. Peter's square, and one of my friends almost managed to take out a nun while she was looking at the basilica. And, as we were leaving, we saw a rainbow arch over the square.

Okay, sorry, long and unnecessary rants (and I promised I wouldn't rave about beauty anymore...sorry...). So, here are some crazy stories. One thing about Rome that gets annoying is the amount of people on the street who will literally just approach you and get in your face about buying things, selling things, stealing things, etc. At the metro station on our first day, some dude walks up and begins trying to help us buy our train tickets and take our money and work the machine for us. We were all in such shock of what happened that at the end when he asked us to pay him for his services, we didn't have time to process what had just occurred. On the Spanish Steps, I had a guy approach me by grabbing my arm and beginning to tie strings around my finger as he rants about each string meaning love, luck, and something else. I had been warned about people trying to pickpocket with these distractions, so luckily everything I needed was in my inner jacket pockets and not in my back pockets. As the guy wraps, he begins to do the demonstration to another friend of mine. As I am about to walk back up the steps and away from this one guy, another creep comes along, taps me on the shoulder, and tries to do the same thing! I showed the guy my string and tried to walk away, but he proceeded to follow me asking me for ten euro for their help. I said no, but the man continued to pace right behind me as I tried to walk away. In a frustrated confusion, I offered the guy a euro and then proceeded to (I will admit in a slightly rude way) cut him off and tell him he didn't deserve anything more than that, and that euro was pushing it. Luckily, the guys backed off and we managed to leave unharmed.

Later that night...

I was walking back to my hostel with the group. We walk up behind these two guys who looked like they were going to a club for the night; very unassuming people. At one point, the guys slowed down and I ended up accidentally bumping into the one. I apologized as I turned to leave, and I felt a hand pull on the back of my shirt and try to feel for a pocket. Quickly reacting, I knocked the guy's hand away and gave him the biggest death stare this side of the hemisphere. He proceeded to walk ahead and then he and his bigger friend cut off the sidewalk into the middle of the road, staring at me as they walked away. I was in mid conversation with my friend as all this happened, and the moment was so fast that nobody realized what was just happening. After asking me why I got so quiet, I explained the situation and told the group to keep possession of all their stuff. Luckily, that was the last of our creeper problems while in Rome.

Overall, Rome is a great city with a lot of European character and charm, but I do advise that anybody going just always be aware, and always know where your things are. This should be the case everywhere, but Rome gave me a nice reminder of the beauty of safe traveling.

Phew! If you read all that..God bless you. Tomorrow marks the official half-way point of our trip, and I have a lot of mixed emotions. But that will come up in my next post which I'm probably going to write in ten minutes.

With Irish Blessings,
Jim Jam

Erin-Go-Bragh

So, I realized that a bunch of my older blogs haven't really talked about IRELAND yet! So, here we go!!!

Where can I begin?

People at home keep asking me what my favorite part of Ireland is so far, and I always respond without a thought: the national pride. Wherever I walk around Galway, I am reminded of the fact that I am in Ireland, whether it be rugby jerseys displayed proudly in store windows, groups of authentic Irish bands blasting their music down Shop Street, or the joyfulness of a hearty laugh from a thick Irish brogue. As I gaze around at the city that is Galway, I realize that Ireland has literally permeated itself into every cobblestone, alleyway, and pub. Not a day goes by where I forget where I am, but, more importantly, not a day goes by where I'm not proud to be a part of this beautiful country. Now, by no means am I claiming to be a legitimate Irishman; I will always be a slight tourist to this place, but it certainly doesn't feel like that with the people I've encountered. Whether I'm discussing plays with a Donegal native or befriending people from Cork, it seems that my mere presence is enough for others to say, "Hey, come join us!"

I have encountered some truly unique individuals while being here, whether it be an elderly bus company tour driver who impersonates leprechauns, an elderly woman who sits outside of SuperMac's charging 5 euro to tell your fortune, or the hordes of young college students trying to stamp your hands for a discount at the club next door. If I had to describe the daily mood of people in Galway, I would have to say "pleasant." Actually, that word does absolutely no justice to the feeling here, but let me explain. I walk around the streets every day realizing that people are happy, but not the in-your-face-oh-my-God-I-wanna-punch-you-in-the-face-cuz-you're-so-obnoxious-happy...it's a calm happiness. People's walks suggest that they know they live in one of the country's coolest cities, but they don't have to brag; all they have to do is bask in the awesomeness.

I went to the Aran Islands this past weekend, and I think it was my favorite trip thus far. Now, don't get me wrong, the Cliffs of Moher are an absolute breath-taker and Connemara is such a quaint, beautiful region, but nothing beats the authentic feel of Ireland quite like the Aran Islands. Before I left, my friends who had previously studied here told me this was a must-go destination, and I wasn't going to pass up a ferry ride! Over the weekend, I went with three friends for a day of exploration, biking, and epic adventures. We took an hour bus and a half hour ferry ride to get over to the main island. Right away, I was blown away by the simplicty of everything; we walked past the bay area which seems to be the center of town and saw multiple vans waiting to whisk us away on island tours as horse and buggy drivers watched from the other side. These horses were unbelievably beautiful; they looked more like ponies than full-grown horses, but we were informed otherwise. Right away, we had to grab lunch and once again, I am blown away by the quality of vegetable soup in Ireland. Seriously, you can vegetable soup ANYWHERE!!! It's not like in the states where the soup is kind of watery; all soups here are cream-based, which makes them even better!

Anyway, after eating, we rented bikes and set out to find the Black Fort, which was a destination one of the Irish students told us to check out especially if we were writers (win!). Now, let me explain how the road system on the islands was. Basically, the road was wide enough for one car. There were no sidewalks or biking areas; we merely had to watch out backs as we biked. It was funny to see all of us slowly moving to the right side of the road before realizing that everyone drives on the left here. We had more than one close call that day (I think I almost got run over by a truck carrying piles of hay..but I'm not positive). We were told to look for an orange house after some turns, and that would lead us to the Black Fort. Thank GOD for that orange house; being the typical tourists we were, we completely started getting lost in the scenery of the bay rushing past us as we biked. If we hadn't noticed the only orange house on the entire island sitting atop the hill, we probably never would have made it to our destination.

After vigorous biking, we had to walk our bikes the rest of the way of a rising trail of pure rocks. The hill started to resemble the Burren with all of the rock formations surrounding us; eventually, we made it to the top and were greeted with the most stunning view of the ocean I have ever seen. Seriously, check out my facebook to see pictures of the view. My words and pictures cannot do justic to the beauty of that area. We stood atop a cliff side that was over 300 feet high; the sea was so powerful that foam collected on top of itself, making the water look like snow. The sun perfectly sparkled across the water, giving us the most beautiful view of nature in the world. For me, this was a moment where God existed, no "ifs", "ands", or "buts" about it.

We all decided to take stupid pictures of ourselves hanging off the ledge side and peering over the cliffs. Eventually, we found a bed of grass so thick that it actually felt like a bed (more comfortable than most college beds!). We proceeded to bask in the air on this hillside as we slept/talked in the grass, simply just enjoying life. However, little did we know the epic adventure about to occur. As a friend of ours explored one of the other cliff sides, she noticed a crack in the ground that led deep into a crevice in the cliff. Well, we weren't going to pass up an opportunity to go spelunking free hand, so a few of us descended the crevice deep into the cliffs. It was so cool to see all the raw iron deposits that had formed, painting the bottom of the crevice red. We passed animal bones that had collected over the years (we think lambs had come to the cliffs and fell into the crevice) which was really cool but pretty creepy at the same time. Small ropes had been attached to certain rocks so we could descend further and, eventually, we found ourselves right above the water level, basically at the bottom of the cliff!! We could feel the waves splashing against us as we peered out towards the water. It was a magical moment.

Soon, we realized we needed to find this fort, so we climbed back up and hussled over to a figure we saw in the distance, which we assumed was the fort. And the fort it was! I don't know any of the history of this place, but basically the Black Fort is this collection of rocks tat forms a small wall that looked like a blockade from the sea. I climbed atop and watched the rocks run away from me; I dubbed the Black Fort "The Great Wall of Ireland." Behind it were cool rock formations that created maze-like shapes. We walked atop and past the fort to a cliff edge where we all sat, only to discover that the waves were so strong where we were that the splashes could hit us! Think of the log flume rides you used to go on at theme parks, and multiply it by ten. That's basically what happened to us. As we watched the waves crash against the rocks, we realized that one of the sets of foam was rushing towards us! For a moment, I couldn't see anyone or anything as I was covered in a layer of liquid white. Still one of the coolest things I have EVER experienced!! We took this as a sign to start heading back to the ferry, which is exactly what we did.

So...there you have it folks! This description is really lame and not well-written and totally dry: I know. But I had to get these experiences somehow out of my head. All you need to know is that I love Ireland. Ireland is exactly what I needed this semester. I definitely miss all you guys back in the states and abroad in other countries, but by no means do I wanna' leave this Emerald Isle, this land of beauty. Erin-Go-Bragh!

With Irish Blessings,
Jim Jam

On the One Road

So...sorry about the delay! My laptop died for the past week but it is FINALLY back!

So, I want to tell you guys about my trip to Edinburgh, Scotland. Last weekend, we took a trip to Scotland to explore the beautiful city of Edinburgh. And, I think this statement sums up our weekend,

"Um...is it bad that I kind of want to study abroad in Scotland now that I'm here?"

We had an amazing weekend exploring Scotland's castle-like exterior. Flying out of Shannon Airport on Friday night, I had such a buzz of excitement to begin my international escapades. Typically, many don't think of Scotland as one of the top trips to take while abroad, but it has such an amazing history and landscape that I encourage all to see.

Edinburgh is such a cool city. Right as we got off the bus from the airport, we looked to our right to see a beautiful castle-like cathedral staring at us. The pointed tiers lit up against the city lights casting an eerie yet peaceful glow over the surrounding area. Luckily enough, our hostel was right down the road from this cathedral! Now...our hostel was...interesting to say the least. Actually, we had a great experience with this place. The main staff was really friendly when we first arrived and our roommates were all really quiet, but totally normal people! (Though I was a little perplexed by the french couple who literally didn't leave their bed the ENTIRE time we were there!) It was everything you would picture in a hostel: a lot of young, artsy kids who are clearly not from the area all trying to look as authentically European and sophisticated as possible. I saw everything from chains to pink hair to a group of guys sitting next to me engaging in...um, well, let's just say illicit drug activity (once we noticed this we decided to move ourselves to a different part of the hangout room).

On Saturday morning, we awoke to a very filling breakfast of toast and more toast...

Then, we began our crazy escapades around the city! At first, we merely walked around trying to get a view of the beautiful buildings. Our walk led us through a large cemetery, cathedral, and eventually to an outside view of the southern face of the famous Edinburgh Castle. Eventually, we found ourselves on a free walking tour of the city (perfect for our poor college student budgets). Too much happened to fully detail, but here are a few of the fun things that occurred:

(1) We learned that the area I originally suggested to go out to for a pub was the worst area to walk around at night because of the stag/hen parties that erupted.
(2) That same area was once a famous murder ground for two serial killers trying to make bank by selling corpses to the local university as cadavers.
(3) I was brought up in front of a group and helped re-enact public punishments in Scotland...it involved my ear being nailed to a door and people throwing feces at me...enough said...
(4) Some college kids stole the "Stone of Destiny" from the English after centuries of Scotland losing it, only to drop the stone and crack it...way to be, college kids...
(5) I learned I would have been a "wonderful looking male prostitute"..I also had the option to be a pirate

Following this craziness, we went on a ghost tour later on at night exploring the darker history of the city. Most of that tour was a repeat of the day tour, but we did have some creepy encounters in the cemetery and tried to find some ghostly friends. Also, we learned that the Scots really need to rethink their building strategies, because they managed to build a half-replica of the Parthenon and an observatory in a country that has cloudy skies about 99% percent of the time.

But, in all seriousness, Scotland has an amazing and beautiful history that still resonates in the modern cities. Our group had a fantastic time that weekend, and I recommend everybody checking out Edinburgh at least some point. I'll update more about the Irish life soon! Until then...

With Irish Blessings,
Jim Jam

Give Me Your Hand

So, I never thought I'd say this, but I REALLY miss SJU registration (allow me to explain).

So, registration here isn't online like in the states (or, at least not for visiting students). Basically, every department works in its own world. No department really connects with others, so every policy is different. Some classes require pre-registration while others don't, and some classes that look like they don't need registration actually DO need it. Classes are divided between lectures and seminars (lectures are big, seminars are small and only allow roughly 2 to 5 visiting students in each). What's great about this system is that for the first two weeks you can sit in on any lectures you want to get a feel for the class. Here is the lame part:

Today, I had to sign up for an English seminar. I waited on line for five hours to get into a class that meets once a week. Now, most readers now probably are shaking their heads saying, "Of course you would, Jimmy, you nerd!" or, "Wow, do you have a life?" But, it's crazy because I was still 30th in line!!! Here, you have to line up and sign up for individual seminar classes. Registration started at noon and I got to the line at 7:30 A.M. Picture a Hogwarts courtyard with a bunch of eager wizarding students waiting underneath a gorgeous stone corridor waiting in front of a maroon oak door to get into a class...it sort of looked like that (sorry for the Harry Potter reference). So, it was cold, it rained, about 20 people cut in front of us, there was no food or drink, and I left my pillow to sit against back in the room. To put it lightly, registration is mayhem, BUTTTTT, I did get the Old English Language class I had been dying to take! (Yes, once again, I'm a nerd.)

BUT, we made some new friends on line which was awesome! And, as a whole, it was a beautiful morning once the sun rose. So, I guess I don't totally miss SJU registration, but it would be nice if everything could be online.

So, this blog post is more of a rant than anything else, and if you've read this far, God bless you for putting up with this!

With Irish Blessings,
Jim Jam

P.S. Aside from registration, NUIG is basically the greatest school ever. 'Nuff said.

I'll Tell Me Ma

This is why I love Ireland.

So in our first few days here we decided to travel to this beautiful part of Galway called Salt Hill. Our initial journey to Salt Hill turned into curious foreigners' need to explore, so we began walking around the local high school and more high class areas. What struck me right away was the beauty yet simplicity of these high class homes; sure, they had beautifully paved driveways and perfectly cut lawns, but none of the houses had ornate decorations out front or flashy colors. In fact, most of the homes looked similar to each other. It was refreshing to see a beautiful development that still maintained simplicity in appearance. The local schoolkids were all hanging out on the sidewalks, laughing and enjoying the beautiful sun.

As we walked further through the development, we noticed a group of four irish guys just hanging out on one of the street corners. They looked about our age, maybe a little bit older. We thought nothing of them until they called after us, asking where we were going. They asked us what a couple of Americans were doing wandering around the neighborhood, and they laughed at us when we told them our original plan.

"That'll take you furever!" one of them chuckled.

After small banter, we were invited to join these guys for a drink at their hanging spot. Slightly unsure yet intrigued, we all decided to follow suit. The next ten minutes consisted of typical irish bawdy humor, slurred irish songs ringing through the streets (oh yeah, these guys were pretty sloshed), and random questions about life in America. Eventually, we found ourselves sitting on a grassy knoll with these guys, watching people go by as we enjoyed a drink. We asked them a lot of questions about daily life in Ireland, places to see while we are here, their impressions of Americans (no, they don't drink Guinness warm; Dublin, Cork, Limerick, and Aran Islands were all brought up; they don't hate us for being American), and we thoroughly enjoyed their company. The weather had been beautiful all week, so we asked them how it felt to see the sun for more than a few hours at a time. One of them responded,

"It's so bright out we don't know what to do with ourselves! So, we drink!"

We also picked up a few great life lessons/phrases while hanging out with them. Essentially, they told us to make the most of the time we were here and not to allow ourselves to miss out on anything (I think these guys meant drink as much as possible, but I'm choosing to interpret it in a much deeper fashion). "See ya' in Alaska!" is now a common phrase for us (if curious, ask for meaning). But, the wisest words we heard all day came towards the end of our hangout session,

"If there's one thing an Irish man fears...it's his mam!"

So, moms around the world, congratulations on holding a universal claim on your children's behavior at home and abroad!

With Irish Blessings,
Jim Jam

Come Out Ye Black and Tans

It's 2 P.M. as I sit in my apartment blasting The Dubliners' "The Lord of the Dance." I had promised to create a blog at some point to commemorate my experience in the Emerald Isle, but I'm realizing with every letter that this will be much harder to do than originally thought. Today marks my 2 week anniversary in Ireland, and I'm already dreading that 2 weeks have flown by.

I guess I should begin with the blog title. While here in Ireland, I promised myself I would do everything I could to acclimate myself with the culture and heritage. In an effort to do so, I decided that learning the Irish language would help me bridge gaps (and look really learned/awesome compared to most other Americans). Next week, I will begin my 4-hour-a-week class on Irish for beginners, and I cannot wait to get started! Having the language in mind, I looked up classic Gaelic phrases and settled for the simplistic, yet utterly beautiful phrase, "Sláinte," meaning "Cheers." It's actually really fitting that I settled for this because the word "Cheers" has been on my mind since I first landed in Galway. Whenever I would buy something at a store or thank someone for their help, I would get the response, "Cheers!" It made me uncomfortable at first because I never knew if I should respond with the phrase or make a comment about the T.V. show or crack some joke about everybody knowing my name. Every time I think of the word, I think of a smile, because I have not yet received the phrase without some genuine smirk or smile from the person saying it. It seems that "Cheers" can be used both as a "Thank You" and "You're Welcome," but it really means "Health." Now, I'm only working off assumptions here, but I took this to mean that every time I've received the phrase, "Cheers," somebody has wished me good health. This is what I have fallen in love with: a land that genuinely wishes to provide me with good health, whether it be through the people I encounter or the places I explore or the stories I hear.

So, my hope for this blog is that I can share this health with you. That I can cheer you up (see what I did there? Wordplay? I'm so clever, aren't I...) with ridiculous anecdotes of my life abroad. Alright...enough of the mushy, sentimental nonsense. Let's have some fun!

With Irish Blessings,
Jim Jam

P.S. Each post title is the name of a classic Irish drinking song. A friend of mine from the states sent me a bunch to listen to, so I wanted to share the awesomeness. Hopefully I'll have them all memorized soon!