A Break from the Green

To do a little catch up, Ireland has been busy.  From spending St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin to weekend trips sight seeing, things have been hectic and exciting to say the least.  Immersing myself in the university’s curriculum has also been an experience.  Professors (whom you call solely by their first names) treat students as adults and expect your complete effort plus some.  Since learning is more in the student’s hands, it makes for a more relaxed learning environment and one is able to pull more information out and let it sink in; if they are willing that is.

As the study abroad experience is all about learning new things and getting out there, I decided what better way to spend my Spring break than a little trip around Europe.  In just a short amount of time, I have recently visited London, Amsterdam, Munich, Athens & Barcelona.  All of which were completely beautiful in their own way.  Throughout the travels very few sites were left unseen.  It was absolutely amazing to simply walk down the street and hear the different native language and experience the lively cultures.  Although most of the places I visited spoke a different primary language than English, the challenge simply emphasized the experience and gave me more of a realization of the opportunities studying abroad has enabled me.  With classes starting back up again for the last few weeks, I can only hope that the end of the semester brings more adventures and some slightly warmer weather!

Cheers!

The Lessons of Coleraine

As I continue my adventures and travels not only on campus but throughout Northern Ireland as a whole, I can’t help but realize the significant amount of lessons I have begun to learn.  While studying here, I thought that I would have an advantage of already knowing the language, thus less stress to overcome.  On the contrary, being unaware of the culture, habits, and geography of Ireland itself, has proven me wrong on many occasions.  As I notice these little differences and learn from them, I have started to compose a list.  I thought it may be beneficial to provide some insight on my experiences in order for future travelers to prepare and past travelers to relate.  With that said, here is a list of a few  lessons I have learned so far:

Lesson 1.  Don’t let the weather ruin your day.  As long as you pack your bag for any and all weather conditions, no matter what occurs you’ll be ready.  Plus, its a great bonding experience to reminisce on the weather you withstood with your friends that day.  Also a single day of some sun, instantly puts everyone in a great mood!

Lesson 2.  5 people traveling by cab requires a bus/van cab and when ordering said cab, this must specifically be stated.  If not, your group is split up, you pay more, and people get left to wait in the cold.  Also, it is a good idea to book cabs in advance for weekends, otherwise expect to get home at least 2 hours after you initially planned.  A payment system may also be a helpful establishment amongst the passengers, as everyone is not guaranteed to always have the change necessary.

Lesson 3.  The paper currency is very logical; the higher the amount, the larger the size.  The coins are a different story.  1 pound is a medium sized coin. 2 pounds is silver and gold and just a tiny bit bigger.  50p is similar to 20p but, 20p is a hexagon and the size of 1 pound. 1p is copper colored and significantly larger than 10p and 10p is the size of a penny.  Practice makes perfect.

Lesson 4.  Food ingredient may seem strange but if you don’t know, just ask. For example, rocket is a pepper herb, champ is mashed potatoes with chives,  smash is boxed potatoes, and goujons are chicken tenders.

Lesson 5.  If a train timetable is read incorrectly, your idea of being early for the train may turn into you just missing it by a few minutes.

  Lesson 6.  Not only are you supposed to drive on the opposite side of the road, but when walking on a sidewalk the same is expected.  To avoid the awkward dance/shuffle with the approaching person, just do yourself a favor and choose the opposite side that you would normally walk on.

Lesson 7.  If the flyers or posters for an event tell you a time to arrive, don’t believe it.  The event or departure really occurs within that hour to hour and a half time frame.

Lesson 8.  Holidays are easy to celebrate here, as card stores are just as easily found on the streets as pubs.  Variety and theme included.

Lesson 9.  Expect your mind to be turned on full spend while in stores or having a conversation.  This is due to the fact that you will be constantly doing money (euros, pounds, dollars), temperature (Celsius, Fahrenheit),  length (Kilometers, meters, feet), and time conversions.

Lesson 10.  No matter what country you come from, a welcoming smile can warm your heart and lead to a friendly or familiar conversation and that sense of feeling at home.

Lesson 11.  When asked where you’re from, the correct responds neither involves listing your heritage nor simply saying ‘America’ as everyone can tell instantly.  Skip the embarrassment and just say the state!  Everyone in Europe is taught the 50 states and have a general idea of their locations.

Lesson 12.  As an American you have a slight disadvantage.  We lack knowledge of geography, history of countries (sometimes even our own), and language skills ( many people know at least 2 languages fluently).  Thus, striving to learn is necessary.

Lesson 13.  It is not uncommon to hear all American musical artists playing everywhere!  Much to my disappointment the stereotype of hearing traditional Irish music constantly does not exist.  The same goes for television and movies.

Lesson 14.  Change is not a bad thing, its simply just gaining a different perspective.

Lesson 15.  Ireland is very laid back and rushing is nonexistent.  There are no early morning classes, unless you consider 9:15am early  and businesses close at 5pm, so no nights of working late.  Also, environmentalism and conservation of products and energy is a top priority, thus the tiny cars and excessive use of public transportation and recycled products.

These are just a few of the lessons I have come to learn and embrace and I expect there to be a few more to come as explorations continue!

Cheers!

The Emerald Isle

Hi my name is Tanya Cheeseman and I’m currently studying at the University of Ulster, Coleraine campus.  Not being Irish myself, my expectations were based mostly off of stereotypes, stories and movies.  In preparation for my departure from the States, I was constantly asked “are you nervous?” “are you ready?” “are you excited?”  Honestly, in answering the questions, I was never fully confident in my reply, “a little” “almost” or “yeah”.  With no idea of what to expect, how could I not be nervous?  Scared to leave my familiars behind, no amount of preparation would truly allow me to be ‘ready’.

Upon descent from the clouds, fields of endless shades of green shown through and at the very second I could finally answer the final question with confidence: yes, I’m excited!  It was just how I had imagined it; possibly even better than the random internet pictures, as these imagines were finally my own.  Having done some exploring and traveling the excitement is slowly hitting me more and more.  Although the weather is unchanging and predictable: cloudy, slight chance of peaking sun, highs in the mid 40s & 100% chance of rain, the idea of a new adventure the next day give me motivation to continue to explore.  After visiting some sites already such as Port Stewart, Coleraine, Dunluce Castle and Giant’s Causeway, I have found everything to amaze me.  I find myself taking pictures of grass and walls, which seem common enough, but in this new perspective is fascinating.  At some points I even find myself thinking that the surroundings, being so picturesque, resemble a green screen ready to snap me back to reality at any given second.

With classes just beginning this week, I continue to experience new things everyday which makes me wonder if the excitement will ever wear off.  Having had a few “ya live, ya learn” lessons, getting acquainted with the new culture is easier that I had anticipated.  Everyone is very approachable, which brings the comforts of home a little closer.

Off to make travel plans for the days and weeks to come.

Cheers from across the pond!

Russia on a Whim

When I received my acceptance letter for the Irish American Scholars program for a semester of study in Northern Ireland, never did I expect to have to opportunity to travel through Europe for 2 months—let alone visit the country of Russia. As we were taking a break in our hostel, my friend Miles paged through a leaflet on Helsinki tourism and after a few moments he said excitedly: “we can go to Russia!” After a little research, we discovered that it was in fact true—you are legally allowed to be in the country for less than 72 hours without applying for a visa. The next evening—we boarded a ferry destined for Saint Petersburg, Russia.

As we arrived at the port in the early morning—all that could be seen of the city were the massive constructivist apartment buildings towering all around the port. They were blank, concrete towers—all built exactly the same and lined up in rows as far as the eye could see. The architecture was typical of the socialist era—I recall seeing the same type of buildings in Bulgaria while on the King’s Short-Term Study Abroad program through Bulgaria and Turkey. Once past the “wall” of concrete buildings—the city of Saint Petersburg was surprisingly Western. The architecture featured in the city was quite beautiful and the city had much to see.

We went to the Hermitage, which is the biggest art museum in the world—bigger than the Louvre in Paris. The Hermitage actually has over three million pieces, but only displays 5% at a time. We spent hours there and I even recognized some paintings such as “Woman holding a Fruit” by Paul Gaugain, which I had originally learned about in Dr. Scarboro’s Honors Modern and Contemporary History class in my first year at King’s. The Hermitage was beautiful and enormous on the outside and is known as “The Winter Palace,” featuring a baroque architectural design.

Aside from the Hermitage, I also enjoyed visiting the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, so –named because it is built over the site where the Russian Tsar, Alexander II, was murdered. The church was, in my opinion, the most unique building in the city—with both Baroque and Neoclassical elements. The church contains over 7500 square meters of mosaics, more than any other church in the world. It took over 27 years to restore the church to its current state because during World War II, it was used as both a morgue and a vegetable warehouse.

We also learned about the Siege of Leningrad, and about how over a million civilians died there in Saint Petersburg. The city now bears little visible scars from the attacks, and was overall a great place to visit. We were very fortunate to have to opportunity to get this taste of Russia and to really see how Westernization and Globalization has even reached as far as Russia. Not everyone speaks English there and sometimes getting around with street names in only the Russian Alphabet was a struggle-but the experience was well worth it.

My next stop is the country of Estonia, the last place that I will visit before making my way home.

Cheers!

On the Move.

While backpacking, life moves fast, and everyday is just as exciting as the last. Imagine each day, being in a different place—a different culture than your own, and within a few days, being in another new place just waiting to be explored. Since visiting the island of Santorini in Greece, I went through Athens,Thessaloniki, Sofia, Beograd, Budapest, Zagreb, Split, Brach Island in Croatia, Ljubljana, Vienna, Martin, Prague, and Krakow.

My time in Eastern Europe has actually been more enjoyable to me than Western Europe. These cities are all still beautiful and brimming with history and culture, but they are just not as “commercialized” as Western Europe. This means two things: less tourists and cheaper prices (which to me has created a much better experience). For example in my hostels in Croatia, Ljubljana, Vienna, and Krakow—I have had entire “8 person” rooms to myself (it helps too that I am not traveling during “high tourist season”).

Budapest

In Budapest I couch-surfed with a Hungarian couple, Jozef and Andrea, and they were great hosts. After a day of seeing the city and visiting the “Museum of Terror” (which was once headquarters of the both the Nazi and Soviet leaders in Hungary—now a museum devoted to the history of the double-occupation that the country of Hungary underwent) Jozef and Andrea took me to a local theatre production at a University in the city. The production was actually a satirical musical about a Jewish man secretly working as a Nazi commander in Hungary. It was quite good, and they projected English subtitles above the stage, so I was able to understand it well. It was, however, odd to me that they would have a play such as that. It was something that made-sense to citizens of Hungary and contained themes of Hungarian pride and elements of Hungarian humor—themes that wouldn’t make sense in American theatre. I was grateful to have been able to see it, and to have been able to talk to Dodo and Andrea about how it was to live under Soviet rule. Andrea said when the change occurred in 1989—it was a smooth transition for them, they were all ready for it.

Martin

When I went to Martin, Slovakia, my brother, Joseph had arranged everything for me to meet and to stay with his friends there. Joseph taught English in Martin for a year with a Full Bright scholarship two years ago—and while on this trip, I wanted to take the opportunity to see where he lived. I stayed with his friend Lorenz, and met his other friends and some of his old students. I was able to see some of his favorite spots in the city and eat some traditional Slovak dishes like Halusky.  It was a great way for me to connect with Joseph and to understand what it was like for him to live in Slovakia. His students remembered him well and spoke of him with good regards—I was proud to hear it.

Krakow

The city of Krakow was also a beautiful city, and being that I am half-Polish myself, I was very excited to be able to see a little bit of Poland. Krakow has the biggest market square in Europe and it was bustling with merchants, locals, and tourists. I was able to try some traditional polish food and listen to live Polish folk music. On one day, we visited the Salt Mines of Wicesism, which contained old statues and enormous underground cathedrals all carved from rock. They were beautiful and featured intricate carvings of religious stories and figures.

We also visited Auschwitz to see the remains of the concentration camp that existed there during WWII. The experience was moving, and certain aspects made me feel uneasy, such as walking to “death wall” where they shot and killed hundreds of prisoners, seeing the enormous pile of human hair that was saved from the shaving of the victims of the camp, and walking through the gas chamber and crematorium, where thousands of people were killed. It felt strange to be there and to walk through the camp—among other tourists and school groups. I imagined the scene at Birkenau, where thousands of Jews and other prisoners were marched to their collective death—now herds of tourists march through the camp—trying to fathom the monstrosity of the camp. I tried to imagine what the camp looked like in its use, and tried to realize that this place was the last place that so many people would have seen.

I learned a lot from visiting Krakow, and seeing Auschwitz. It is important to know that part of traveling is learning these hard lessons and applying them to your knowledge of the world. I know that I have already taken much from this trip and these lessons will forever change my perceptions and understanding of both history and life.

That’s it for now-Copenhagen waits!

Cheers!

Michael Deegan – Northern Ireland

My time in Northern Ireland has been an experience that I will never forget. I studied at the University of Ulster, Coleraine where I took classes for my International Studies Minor. The classes are definitely different from King’s, but it made me appreciate what I have back at home, as well as learn in new and different ways. Being in Northern Ireland, I met students my age from all over the world-France, Spain, Hong Kong, Greece, Bulgaria, Germany, the Netherlands and many from the United States. I made some very good friends, and spent much time listening to them and learning from them. I applied their perspectives to my own and learned so much about the world. In particular, I was able to learn much about the History of Ireland and listen to it told from people who were directly affected by the violence of the troubles.

All of this, while being in the beautiful landscapes of Northern Ireland. Coleraine was a great small town just a short walk from the University. It was only ten minutes from the two summer-towns of Port Stewart and Port Rush where many tourists come from all over to see the beautiful North Coast. Also, a short bus ride away was the iconic Giant’s Causeway. The Causeway was so beautiful, I walked upon it several times, and I never really understood the causeway until I went. It truly is a world-wonder.

I learned so much this semester, including many unexpected things. For instance, in order to save money-I cooked more than I did in the last few years with my meal plan. My friends and I got to the point where we took turns cooking for each other every evening. It brought us all together-and made it a little easier for all of us. Never being on a train before, I had to become very good at using public transportation. In a short time, I found myself planning whole days-balancing timetables and estimating times. I learned so much and I was instilled with the confidence to continue to travel and see more of the world.

—-

Currently, I find myself backpacking through Europe–and seeing parts of the world that I had never imagined being able to see. On a very tight budget–utilizing services such as “couch-surfing” and free museums/ tours, staying in hostels, and reaching all destinations by train–I have already been able to see so much. I purchased a discount EUrail pass and began my journey 20 days ago in Berlin Germany. Since, I have
been to Hamburg, Cologne, Amsterdam, Brugge, Paris, Rome, Pisa, Florence and Athens.

It is amazing how cheap it is for me to travel–and I feel so blessed to have this opportunity and these friends to help me along the way. I have met some truly incredible people on the road–as well as seen places pouring with history and culture.

I will continue to travel until the date of my return flight in June.

I guess I just wanted you all to know that I am alive and well–and learning–always learning so much. I feel so prepared for the experiences that I have had, and the experiences that still lie ahead and that is mostly as a result of my time at King’s.

I hope all is well as you prepare for the end of the year there–and I look forward to returning this Fall!

Cheers!

-Michael Deegan