The next day held the three of us in great excitement as we staked out in Bridget’s kitchen waiting for the bus full of SMC girls to pull up and finally bring some more excitement to the ghost town campus. As soon as the bus arrived we ran to greet everyone and once everyone had moved in and somewhat unpacked, all the girls went to a lunch provided for by SMC at a restaurant in Maynooth that was shut down for us. It was unbelievable how good it felt to finally have a real meal. Stuffed on garlic bread, chicken, and desert, I was excited to hang out with all the girls, but jetlag hindered my excitement as everyone passed out and went to bed. So Audrey, Bridget, and I spent another night hanging out together, nothing we hadn’t become accustomed to over the last two weeks.
The next morning brought about the beginning of orientation and a great amount of boredom. We were given our e-mails and ID numbers to access the internet and were given a great amount of information about registration. After securing the signatures of different department heads, I had had just about enough of orientation. Later that day, some of the SMC girls decided to have a pasta dinner so nine of us headed to our friend Kelly’s flat for a night of good company and food. It was nice to finally have everyone there and to all be in Ireland after talking about it for so long! Completely exhausted from the day, we headed to bed before another day of orientation.
At orientation on Friday, we were given a tour of the campus. Our tour guides had spent their fair share of time at NUIM, making the quote “never leave college” count. Maybe better comedians than students, they took us around the North campus first where they pointed out all of the seventies style modular buildings that all seem to look just about the same, making it hard to distinguish where exactly you need to go. Then we took the footbridge over to the South campus, which may be one of the most beautiful campuses on earth. I know Notre Dame is beautiful and has a lot of charm, but trust me when I say that in a beauty contest, NUIM would win. Sharing space with St. Patrick’s College, the South campus is where I have my Theology, history, and one of my English classes. South is where the library is and just beyond there is an incredible church, which is only used for mass seven times a year and is full of grandeur. The ceiling hold paintings of all the Irish saints…maybe St. Keelin is up there!...and the walls are lined with crests of various parishes in Ireland. Everything was immaculate, outside behind the church is a garden with a pond that was constructed in honor of Pope John Paul II’s visit to Ireland and it is made to resemble the Garden of Eden. Through the hallways of the building connected to the Church are several portraits of past bishops, which make up large frames hung at an angle on the walls. Then we were taken to the staff cafeteria, which inspired the Great Hall in Harry Potter. I really felt like I was going to school at Hogwarts as I passed through the building. As we exited the main doors of the building we wound up in a large square, which was bordered on the other side by another building where my two of my classes are held. The building is covered in ivy, Georgian architecture, and an indescribable seafoam-esque blue/green roof. Apparently Maynooth was used for exterior shots of a film based at Trinity College in Dublin, but the director found Maynooth to be prettier. Legend has it that if you walk down the center of the square staring at the clock on the building ahead, you will fail your exams—our tour guides were able to prove the legend true. The buildings are all made of stone and have massive amounts of charm even put against a dull gray sky. After our tour, we learned of the Sports and Societies that were offered and highly interested in the Surf Club and no experience required, I’m hoping to break out in the surf world. Tired from the events of the day, I went back to my flat and napped a bit before the party the International Society was throwing that night at the local favorite pub, the Roost. However, after arriving late and missing the free food, the International party was not as exciting as I had previously anticipated.
Saturday morning brought great excitement for me because a group of girls and I were headed to Dublin for the day. Ever since I can remember I have wanted to explore Ireland and to see Dublin. I was greatly excited for the trip and could not wait to arrive. We took the train from Maynooth to Connolly Station in Dublin, which takes 40 minutes and were ready to hit the town. We started by wandering across the Liffey and finding ourselves to Trinity College. I really did not know how to prepare myself for taking in all of these sites that I had dreamed of seeing for so long. Trinity was beautiful and full of architecture. It was so strange to think that people actually went to school here, I thought it was more of a museum than a higher institution of learning. However, seeing groups of college students walking around as if things were normal was an indication that it was in fact not a museum. We walked around the grounds for a bit and came across a rugby pitch where an intimidating team stood standing. Another American studying at Maynooth who joined us for the day, Johnny, walked right up to the guys and asked if a few of us could have our picture with them. Needless to say I certainly wanted in, so feeling a bit like I was in Invictus, I got my picture with this rugby team from Belfast who were taking on Trinity and even learned how to pass the ball. Then we were without a map, but came across Grafton Street. Grafton is chalk-full of shops and is a pedestrian-only street so it’s nice not to constantly move out of the way for cars. There were several musicians lining the street along with artists and human statues. I was hoping to see Glen Hansard in a corner singing just like Once, but sadly he was not there. At the other end of Grafton St., is St. Stephen’s Green, which is a beautiful park with a large pond area and large lawns, comparable to New York’s Central Park. From St. Stephen’s Green we tried to find Dublin Castle, but somehow got lost and came to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Although the overpriced charge stopped us from going in, the building from the outside was enough to take in. Along the way to trying to find the Castle again, we saw Christchurch just down the street. Once we were completely lost and starving from walking all day, we found a pub where we could get good food and for some a pint. The Pale allowed us some time to realize that we were in fact in Ireland and that it was not a joke. I am still constantly overcome with moments when I forget that I am here. When Galway Girl and a song from Waking Ned Devine came on, it all hit me and I was swept away in emotion as I looked around and finally realized that this was it. I am finally on the adventure I had been waiting for forever to come, but still cannot grasp that it is real. Once the Guinness was gone and the stew consumed, we made our way back to Maynooth so that we could make it for mass. Mass was held at the local church, St. Mary’s, right across from campus which is a traditional Irish church built of stone. My favorite part of the half-hour mass was watching the young Irish boys and how they were scolded and guided by their mothers throughout the mass. It was quite interesting to see how important faith is for the Irish and how much it is apart of their lives. After mass, I came back and made some dinner and then tried to catch up with the world back home. Then I went to my friend’s flat to watch Boondock Saints with her and my two other friends. Completely exhausted and ready to pass out, I headed to bed after a wonderful day.
Sundays in Maynooth are fairly uneventful. The Irish students all go home for the weekends, so they are not around and being a small town, Maynooth does not have a great amount of activities to offer. Thus, I spent most of my day cleaning, running to the shop for some “messages” (errands), and then getting ready for dinner with the relatives. Meeting my fourth or fifth cousin, Des, outside the Roost, I felt like I had known him for years although I may have only met him once when I was quite young. He and his father, Luke, live quite close to me with only a short drive down the highway to their town of Lucan. For the evening I went to dinner at Des’ house where I met his wife, Anna and then his brother Kevin, Kevin’s wife Erin, and their three daughters. They were the most welcoming people I have ever met, I instantly felt apart of their home and close family. We had a great dinner and as I learned about their lives in Ireland, they also learned about the huge Grant family they had back in Chicago. It was a great exchange of bringing back memories and learning more about each other. We even managed to skype with my grandparents and a few aunts, uncles, and cousins back in Chicago. It was a great time and their hospitality astounded me as I was continuously reminded that I was not in a stranger’s home. After I was dropped of by Kevin and his wife, who live just 5 minutes from my door to theirs, I was grateful for the evening and the people who literally surround me on both sides in Maynooth. Their advice and offer to even bail me out of the Garda station if I found myself in any trouble has certainly been appreciated.
However, the next day I started lectures…
No comments:
Post a Comment