Whew. What an exhausting day yesterday was. It started bright, er, well early. A group of us met up and headed over to our orientation at University College Cork. Even though it was a pretty bleak morning the campus was as beautiful as ever. An eclectic mix of ancient castle-looking buildings and super modern laboratory facilities surrounded by huge fields of green grass make up the campus. Our orientation was held in a large lecture room without any windows. For four hours we sat listening, snoozing, and trying to absorb information but to no avail. Eventually we were released for lunch and discovered that the day had turned into one of the most beautiful without a cloud in the sky. My roommates and a few other friends headed over to one of many school cafes and got a "cheap" lunch of a sandwich and pear for 5 euros. We did some exploring and people watching before heading back to the basement.
The second half passed much more quickly with some presentations from student groups including student government. It's funny how student council kids are very similar no matter what country you're in. The UCC system is different than the United States in a cool way. The council members are students who are taking a year off in the middle of their 2nd and 3rd year to take on the full-time position on student council. They are very knowledgeable, dedicated, and really understand what students want and need and have time to make changes. Pretty neat. Once my brain had officially turned to jelly tour guides came and showed us around campus. PICTURE. Knowing me, I'm sure I'll still get lost plenty. I'll just have to ask the friendly Irish students where I need to go!
Orientations are always a weird mix of anxiety, excitement, and a feeling of having bitten off more than you can chew. Because everyone came with different programs they already knew 6-10 other people. Overall, it really felt like everyone knew everyone else and that I had to scramble to meet everyone because if you don't make friends then you won't ever! It's a silly idea to stress about, but it is nerve-wracking nonetheless. After orientation a friend of mine from my group and another boy we just met walked downtown and went to the English Market. The English Market is a super cheap and nice permanent, indoor farmers market where you can get vegetables and fruit, fresh bread, meat, cheese, and health food. PICTURE. Because it is so chalk full and popular it can be quite overwhelming after a day of orientation. With groceries in hand and a tension headache we walked the 20 minutes back to our hotel with heavy loads in the hot sun (sun in Ireland, crazy I know!) Back at home the trek was made all worthwhile after we fixed delicious burritos.
Full of burritos we went our separate ways to rest and reboot (and read some Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) before meeting up for our first night out in Cork. Once dolled up we inadvertently got a pint at a heavy metal pub before heading over to a very trashy nightclub where the student council had made a deal that the cover charge was prepaid. They played all American music (Gaga, Kanye, Kesha) and dancing was a great way to blow off some steam and move after a long and stressful day. Eventually, as the crowd started dwindling, the girl to boy ratio became more and more uneven and the Irish boys became more and more desperate dance partner. Let me tell you, the Irish boys at that club were persistent! Luckily, my girlfriends and I evaded all attempts and survived the night free of creepy boys!
Today, thankfully, passed without any anxiety. I finally bought my phone (which though free, is much nicer than my phone at home!), fleshed out my pantry with Olive oil and spices, settled into my room, and bought a Cork-Rebel County shirt to wear to the pubs tomorrow. At 3:00 tomorrow Cork plays their rivals, Dublin, in a Gaelic football tournament. I don't quite understand what it is, but it looks like a mix between rugby, soccer, and handball. No matter what, it should be quite an exciting afternoon out in the pubs!
