Good Day Sunshine

Where should I begin? As one who rarely makes resolutions, I fear I might have to make one to write more often lest I forget something. This has been an important week; the inauguration was a moving event, even to those that were 3,000 miles away. I was graced with the opportunity to see Arlo Guthrie perform the very same night in a local pub, and also attended my first badminton practice. To top it off, Rory arrived from Dublin on Friday for a weekend of touring Galway. I shall try to recount the week to the best of my ability...

Monday was laundry day and my Garda appointment, which went swimmingly. I felta tad ridiculous for stressing for a month over immigration, but at least that meant I was prepared. The officer looked at my documents for all of 30 seconds before entering some information on the computer and taking my fingerprints... all in all, it took approximately 10 minutes. I arrived back from accross the street just as my laundry was getting dry. Perfect.

Badminton club began last Monday in the new gym on campus. Nearly 60 people showed up, and there were 8 courts, so I didn't get much time to play. I very much enjoyed getting a bit of exercise though, and a chance to hone my backyard badminton skills. I watched the pros play while waiting on the sidelines, and decided I've got some work to do!

Tuesday was the start of the second week of classes for me, and proceeded much like the first. I'm learning to relax a bit and like the fact that things operate at a slower pace. My local development class was cancelled as the lecturer came down with an illness, but it meant that I got to head over to the college bar and see the inauguration. The bar was absolutely packed--and not just with Americans. I stood on the radiator to get a better view (see photo), and the whole crowd booed when George came into view. I especially enjoyed the collective chuckle after Pastor Rick pronounced Malia and Sasha's names with such intensity. It seemed as though everyone, for that one day, was of the same mind. Afterwards Alex and I headed to the King's Head (a famous pub in the city centre) for dinner, and they had an American-themed menu... Mac 'n Cheese, Milkshakes, Burgers, Fried Chicken... it was lovely :) Then it was off to the Roisin Dubh to see Arlo Guthrie. I insited we arrive two hours early, as I was terribly worried that I wouldn't be able to see if we had to stand... oh, the trials of being short. Well, we arrived in plenty of time, and got a seat right next to the stage. It felt like such an appropriate way to celebrate the inauguration. Good music, good stories. I particularly liked his explanation of songwriting: its just like fishing. you just wait for one to come along. just don't be sitting downstream from bob dylan. he blamed this process for the song "i dont wanna pickle, just want to ride my motorcicle"...

Rory came to visit on Friday, and it was the perfect end to my week. We walked down to the bay on Saturday, which was a lovely activity for a blustery day. We hit up the city centre, and went to the national aquarium just in time to witness the feeding. The aquarium only had fish that were native to Ireland's freshwater or coastal areas, which was neat. I heard that there is some great fly fishing in the area, and might have to go check it out...

In the mean time, I think I'll keep enjoying the rain, and perhaps do a bit of reading. I'm finally figuring out how to feed myself as well, so mom, you'll be happy to know i'm eating my greens. My go-to dinner is salad with pear and dried cranberries, baked potatoes with green onions and sour cream, and some type of sausage or white pudding. Tea and biscuts for desert. Speaking of which, I should go make myself some lunch.

Here are some photos from my adventures this week:

Galway Bay

Rory in my Favorite Alley

Jenni, Alex, me and Leah in Taaffe's

Houses along Coast

I'm getting through my emails, slowly but surely, so I'll be in touch with you all very soon. Looking forward to hearing the news from home.

Love

Caitlin