Avatar

Recently in our Cross-Cultural Symbology class with Keiko Miller we watched James Cameron's film Avatar. Many of the people in the class had already seen it, but I had not taken part in the frenzy to buy tickets before it even arrived in theaters. For some reason, I didn't share the desire to see it until Keiko announced that we'd be watching it in class. Normally, I believe that too many movies today are being released in 3D. Avatar, however, should be shown in 3D whenever possible, and I'm somewhat disappointed that I was so reluctant to see it in theaters.

While watching the movie, we were able to pick out many symbols that we had talked about during class, as well as parallels to our current experiences in Ireland. It might sound crazy, but Ireland is working out to be a Pandora of sorts for many of us. Unusual sights and languages are all around, and the overall beauty of this place can be overwhelming at times. I found myself identifying with the main character as he tried to learn about the Na'vi culture- we've had our fair share of mix-ups with the slang here thus far!

Aside from watching Avatar, we're gearing up for our trip to Dublin this weekend, continuing to explore Dungarvan and the surrounding area, and loving life here in Ireland. Slainte! (Cheers!)

What a bunch of Blarney!

It seems like every weekend in Ireland is full of adventures! This weekend we took a trip to Cork City- definitely my favorite place we've been so far. The highlight of the day was driving about 15 minutes outside the city to visit Blarney Castle (and, of course, the Blarney Stone!). Jill, Melissa, Taylor, Eoin and I climbed the approximately 13-story tower up the narrowest stairs I've ever climbed to see the famed stone. With only a rope to help steady you as you climb, the stairs were very intimidating! As someone who is scared of heights, I started to think maybe it wasn't the best idea to try to get to the top.
Once we got to the top of the tower, however, it was all worth it. The views from the castle are amazing and offer another beautiful view of the landscape of Ireland. Once we got to the top it was time to kiss the Blarney Stone. Because of my aforementioned problem with heights, I decided against leaning over backwards and being held up by the gentleman who worked there to kiss the stone, but I still enjoyed the journey!

Whenever we visit an amazing historical site, I can't help but be in awe of this amazing country. It seems like everywhere you look there is something significant to see or do. Being here has really opened my eyes to the beauty of this world!

St. Patrick's Day- Ireland Style

At home, celebrating St. Patrick's Day often turns into a day where one drinks green beer and watches a parade filled with various floats and children marching to show their "Irish" pride. In my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, there were a record 13,000 people marching in the parade, let alone the thousands who watched it. Personally, I've never really celebrated St. Patrick's Day, so my experience in Dungarvan on March 17th was a new one.

The first event of the day was to meet the mayor of Dungarvan and a few council members outside of the civic offices to raise the Irish, American, and Erie flags. With time for a few (more) group shots, we then headed off to mass at St. Mary's church. While I'm not Catholic, I still appreciated being able to go to mass on one of Ireland's biggest holidays. We were pleasantly surprised to find that they mass would be done predominantly in Gaelic! While I for one don't think I'll be learning the language anytime soon, it is certainly a treat to hear it spoken well. Ireland seems to be one of the only remaining countries with its own unique language, and the people are working to keep it alive as a part of their heritage.

After mass, we had a small break for lunch and then congregated outside the Park Hotel to walk to the Parade route. Tom Keith was standing by as always with American, Irish, Erie, Dungarvan and Waterford flags for us to carry, as well as a large banner that announced Mercyhurst's presence in the festivities. Many Dungarvan and Abbeyside citizens came out to support the parade. We stopped in the square and got up on stage so that we could watch the remainder of the parade- there was a lot of St. Paddy's Day spirit in such a small town. Our personal favorite float payed tribute to golfer Tiger Woods! Not the most "PC", but all in good fun.

Overall, the day was a huge success, with the people of Dungarvan once again welcoming us with open arms. I've always heard that St. Patrick's Day wasn't as flashy in Ireland as in the US, and perhaps that is true. But seeing the spirit of the Irish people alive and well, I can say that even without the green beer it was a wonderful experience to be able to participate in their celebration.

Cead Mile Failte- A Hundred Thousand Welcomes

Now that we've been in Dungarvan for about a week, I've decided to dedicate some time and energy to working on my blog. It'll be a mix of personal stories and experiences as well as linking in literature used in my British Literature course readings.

Let's see...we arrived in Dublin in the morning on Friday, March 5th. We were met by Damien-the mayor of Dungarvan, as well as assorted Dungarvan town council members. They whisked us away to meet our bus, which promptly drove us about 100 feet to the Dublin Airport Radisson Hotel for "the Full Irish", which, disappointingly, is not what it sounds like. Just a big breakfast, actually. After filling our stomachs with blood sausage, eggs, yogurt, and fruit (yum?), we departed for Dungarvan.

Along the way, we were treated to a tour of sorts, just letting us learn a little history and info about the countryside that we were riding through. It was nice to know what we were seeing throughout the 3-hour ride. Once we arrived in the town, we drove around in the bus a bit, which let us see the city a little better. It was nice to see a few of the signs welcoming us to Dungarvan. They're everywhere!

We were given a bit of time to unload our (almost) overpacked suitcases and settle in to the beautiful townhouses where we'll be living for the next (almost) 11 weeks. Dr. Hosey then showed us around the town a little. I'm sure the locals didn't know what to expect, but seeing 28 people traipsing around their small Irish town sure got us recognized quickly. The rest of the weekend was just as tiring and wonderful as the trip over here. We were welcomed officially on Saturday when we entered the civic offices through a tunnel of schoolchildren waving American and Irish flags and a bagpipe pumping out the tunes. We're not used to being welcomed like this! It was certainly not what we had expected. But any joking aside, the city of Dungarvan has been so welcoming and wonderful to us these first few days. We're all so thankful for the opportunity that they are giving us! There was also a really nice civic reception once we got inside, featuring the mayor, Dr. Hosey and all our favorite councilmen, as well as the Deputy Ambassador to Ireland!

This coming week(end) we've got a lot of activity ahead of us- and a lot of material for this blog i'm sure!

As James Joyce writes in An Encounter, "But real adventures, I reflected, do not happen to people who remain at home: they must be sought abroad."