The worldwide Augustana College experience
We just arrived in Ennis in Co. Clare earlier this afternoon. This meant a few things: 1) We had to leave a place many of us had come to love , 2) that we needed to reorient to yet another new area, and 3) that we actually have decent internet access.
Here’s an update on our final week in Killarney.
Posted on April 5th, 2013 by hannahbohn10
Filed under: Hannah Bohn, Ireland 2013 | 3 Comments »
Hallooo
Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Our hotel in Killarney has only limited WiFi in the lobby, so accessing the internet is rather difficult. Also, we’ve been incredibly busy so finding time to blog…with limited internet…in a room where everyone is trying to get on the internet is just not a top priority. Sorry about that.
On to more exciting things.
Posted on March 31st, 2013 by hannahbohn10
Filed under: Hannah Bohn, Ireland 2013 | 2 Comments »
I can’t believe we have been here for two weeks already–our time in Dublin has flown by! Tomorrow we are leaving for Killarney, a smaller town in southwestern Ireland. I have been loving the city life in Dublin, but a change of pace and scenery will be so nice. Killarney National Park is beautiful and adventure-packed, with lakes and hiking trails and other outdoor activities. Hopefully it isn’t too rainy!
This last weekend in Dublin has been an eventful one: St. Patrick’s Day weekend. The city was flooded with people from all over the world. I’d heard that St. Paddy’s Day is more of a big deal in the States than it is in Ireland. While that may be true for most places in Ireland, Dublin was THE place to be. The city held a festival Thursday through Sunday, including traditional Irish dance shows, Irish music and a carnival. The most memorable part of the weekend is definitely the parade. Thousands of energetic people, wearing a wide variety of green/Irish-themed clothing, lined the street with an excitement that even the cold air and rain could not stop. First came the People’s Parade at 11 AM, in which various countries from around the world and organizations marched the street. Around noon, the real parade finally began. The floats and costumes were extremely colorful, highly decorated and fascinating, though some were quite bizarre. It was such an amazing experience to have spent St. Paddy’s Day in Ireland.
Posted on March 21st, 2013 by christinakunkel10
Filed under: Christina Kunkel, Ireland 2013 | 1 Comment »
We’ve had quite the eventful first week here in Dublin. We spent the greater part of the week getting accustomed to Ireland and oriented to the city…and the rest of the week getting excited for this weekend. That’s right, it’s St. Patrick’s Day weekend, and Dublin plays host to 4 days of events and activities. And what a weekend it’s been so far, not so much because of the Irish (who are generally disinterested in the holiday), but because of all the tourists and attractions.
And now for a brief recap.
Posted on March 16th, 2013 by hannahbohn10
Filed under: Hannah Bohn, Ireland 2013 | 2 Comments »
It is the end of day two of classes here and already the weekend begins tomorrow! After the first few days in Dublin without class, it was not the smoothest of transitions into actually having school work to worry about– so much reading. Being an English major, I am well-prepared for the Irish Lit class, but I’ve been anxious for the Anthropology and Natural History (biology) of Ireland courses. Thankfully all of the material is extremely fascinating and the professors are great. I know I am going to thoroughly enjoy all three courses and gain a lot from them.
There have been two particularly notable moments the past two days. On Tuesday, the first day of class, we went to the National Museum of Ireland and received a guided tour on “Bog Bodies.” Our very knowledgeable guide, Jennifer, informed us that the water-logged Peat bogs found in Ireland have the ability to preserve organic materials due to a lack of oxygen, insects and bacteria in this soil. The most memorable (and slightly eerie) displays featured four human remains at varying levels of preservation. Everyone definitely was excited about this tour.
Posted on March 13th, 2013 by christinakunkel10
Filed under: Christina Kunkel, Ireland 2013, Uncategorized | No Comments »
The entire group of us have been here for two full days now, and I think we are all FINALLY adjusting to Ireland time. These first few days have been great– we have spent a majority of the time wandering around Dublin and getting acquainted with the city. My one complaint is that we seem to have brought the windy and snowy Chicago weather with us! Although it rarely snows here, the last two days have been freezing with on-and-off flurries. Thankfully, being from the Midwest and used to such weather, the weather did not prevent us much from exploring the beautiful city. I am so fascinated with the building architecture here. Like the citizens and the culture, there is such an interesting blending of old and new.
When we arrived in Dublin on Saturday, the city was preparing for a rugby match against the French. The streets were so crowded with rugby fans and on our way back to the hotel in the afternoon, we walked past a crowd of fans waiting for the Irish players to exit their hotel. Local teens lined the streets flying their team’s flags. The high-energy was infectious, which was nice having slept only a few hours on the plane the previous night. Last night, several of us went to a local pub to listen to some traditional Irish music. It was so fascinating to go to a truly Irish place, instead of a pub made to attract tourists. The pub was bustling with locals chatting and enjoying the great music.
Posted on March 11th, 2013 by christinakunkel10
Filed under: Christina Kunkel, Ireland 2013 | No Comments »
We finally made it to Dublin around 2pm – after about 15 hours of travelling. The 6 of us who ended up travelling together had little problems with the immigration officers at the Dublin airport, so entering the country was easy enough. We were greeted by Dr. McDowell and we hopped on a bus to our hotel. Immediately I recognized the European: huge buses, narrow streets, expert and insane bus drivers. Our drive took us through Dublin City Centre -which we’ll be able to walk around today- and across the Grand Canal to a hotel near ours from which we walked back through the slight rain.
Yesterday was a fantastic day to arrive because it was the day of a huge rugby match between Ireland and France. So everywhere you went you ran into large green Irish flags waved by excited fans, or Frenchmen in red, white and blue afros. As you passed pubs you could hear crowds singing when the doors opened. All of the nearby ATMs were fresh out of money because of all the fanfare and walking down the sidewalk was like navigating a sea of people all headed the opposite way. Ireland and France tied the match, 13-13…but I don’t really know how that happened, rugby is a confusing sport.
Posted on March 10th, 2013 by hannahbohn10
Filed under: Hannah Bohn, Ireland 2013 | 1 Comment »
Nick Rudy, double major in business marketing and music, is interning at radio station 99.3 FM in Sydney, Australia. He appeared on-air on Feb. 4.
Posted on February 22nd, 2013 by nickrudy09
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Time is flying! So much has happened since I last posted. Honestly any down time I have is usually spent planning the next adventure. I think I will be fully taking advantage of the fifteen hour flight home to catch up on sleep. Well, shall we begin?
Posted on February 18th, 2013 by katescharnagle10
Filed under: Australia 2013, Katherine Scharnagle | No Comments »
Life has been good. We’ve been able to do so much out here it’s unreal. Things I never thought I would that’s for sure. I guess that is what traveling and studying abroad are all about; experience and living. Read more…
Posted on January 31st, 2013 by katescharnagle10
Filed under: Australia 2013, Katherine Scharnagle | 1 Comment »