Typical weekday

·         Take us through a typical weekday for you—from morning to evening

Every weekday is a bit different. For example, on Mondays I have 5 hours of classes, Wednesday I have none, and on Tuesday and Friday I only have one. Thursdays are the best days. I only have two hours. It’s nice because it forces me to wake up early but I am not rushed all day. If I sleep late it’s basically a given that I won’t do anything that day so I like days where I have class. I always get the most done on Thursdays and I love it. I wake up at 9 or a quarter to 9, shower real quick, throw on some clothes, and eat breakfast, and then head to class at about a quarter to 10. The class is in the main area of classes so it’s only about a 10 minute walk. I have class for just one hour, and then I go back home to charge my computer, do a little reading or take a quick nap (depending) and then I make lunch and head back to campus for another class. This time class is a 15 minute walk away. Again, I am in class for only an hour. Then I walk over the library and study from 2 until 5 or so. After that I go home, and do whatever. Maybe I study, maybe I sleep, or clean my room, whatever. Then around 8 or 9 my friends and I eat dinner. Tuesdays are good too actually. I like to wake up early to study, then I have my favourite tutorial at noon. After tutorial I go workout and then come back home, shower, eat, and study some more. 

Culture

a)     Explain the most exciting holiday, tradition, or custom that you have experienced.

I spent my winter break in Spain and was able to experience so many new traditions. It was so interesting. The best though was Catalan tradition of Caga Tio. It’s unbelievable. Caga means poop and tio means log (in Spanish tio means uncle). Every year, on the 8^th of December, a family sets out a log that looks like a cartoon character. They cover Caga Tio with a blanket and feed it. Then, on the 25^th of December the children gather around the log and sing while hitting it with a stick. They sing:

"Caga Tió avellanes I torró
Si no vols cagar
Et donanem un cop de pal."

Which translates to:

"Caga Tió hazelnuts and turron
If you don't want to poo
We will hit you with a stick"

Then they remove the blanket to find his poop, which is magically presents. The family I stayed with did this three times. All the grandchildren would leave the room while the parents put more presents under. It was fantastic. I want a log that poops out presents. All you have to do is feed it cookies and keep it warm? Sounds like a good deal!

b)     What live entertainment have you seen (shows, parades, music, sports, etc.)? Tell us about some interesting observations you made there.

One of the best things about studying aboard here in northern Ireland is the live music at the pubs. I love when we go to a pub and sit and listen to someone jam out on the fiddle, accordion and guitar. The best bands (that I have seen at least) are in the Republic. Whenever we go visit we make sure we find live music. At a pub in Galway it seemed like some folks just met there every week to play music. People came and went. When different people came they played slightly different types of music. It was awesome. They played traditional songs and cover songs. Their version of black bird by the Beatles was incredible. Watching rugby matches at the pubs is great craic too (Irish way of saying a really good time). Everyone is always singing and cheering like crazy. It’s a really fun environment. J  

                 Explain the best way you have found to meet the local people.

The best way to meet local people here is in class, particularly in tutorials. I really don’t know what else to say about this. It is pretty much just like back home. Some classes have people jump into conversations and are easy to start something with. Other classes have a lot of people who don’t speak at all. Needless to say, it’s easiest to meet/make friends in the classes where people speak. I guess you could say people here are a little more reserved and keep to themselves more than back home. However, people are also kinder. So sometimes it might be a little more difficult to get people to talk but it is nothing personal.

What is the most interesting thing you’ve purchased abroad?  How are you adjusting to using a different currency and keeping within a budget?

Hmmm….I have not really purchased anything interesting. Probably my tickets to Spain were the most interesting haha ;). Adjusting to using a different currency is easy: you transfer the money from your bank account back home, close your eyes when you have to look at the difference between pounds and dollars, and then just use your bank account as normal. I am horrible at keeping track of how much money I spend. Although, I am good at keeping things really cheap and not spending too much, but it am bad at keeping perfect track of it. I made a budget for how much I can spend every month and I just take that amount out in the beginning and pay for everything with that cash. I try not to use my debit card. Of course, this is not going to work in the future when I have to manage a real, grown-up-person budget, but it works for now.