Along the river Corrib...

Wednesday morning we woke up bright an early to meet coach buses to take us to our home for the next 4 or so months (the other day I heard someone use the word "fortnight" in a sentence, coolest thing ever). I am living in Gort na Coiribe (pronounced gurt nah kuribah if you want to sound authentic), "self catered" student living accommodations about a 15 minute walk from shop street in Galway center and a 15 minute walk from the University. The name has something to do with the river Corrib (which we are nearby), although I can't remember the exact translation from Irish to English.

This is when I take a moment to apologize to anyone I've ever corrected for referring to the language that the Irish people sometimes speak as Irish. I always assumed the Gaelic was the way to go, but I have since learned that this is not the case. Gaelic can refer to any number of dialects between Ireland, Scotland and Wales, so best to stick with Irish. Also, Irish people will never refer to their accent as a brogue, though some fellows thought it was "neat" when I did.

Back to my accommodations. I'm living in a double room similar to a dorm room in a 4 bedroom 2.5 bath townhouse. The townhouse is 3 levels with a kitchen and living room on the 1st floor. I'm living with my American roommate and the other 3 girls in the house are locals. Irish students attend university for 3 years, generally in the national university closest to their hometown (there are 8 universities total). 3rd level education, or college, is free to Irish residents. Generally the students live in accommodations like mine during the week and pack up and go home on the weekends. This leads to American confusion as to why Irish students go out to the bars on Mondays and Wednesdays, not the norm in the states.

Galway is nothing short of charming. The road that I live on is not so much. It is the major highway that enters into Galway center, and is what I would consider Ireland's equivalent of Long Island's  Jericho Turnpike. Plus side! We live directly across the street from a supermarket/department store hybrid, and there's another one just down the block. No more planning for a week to go to the grocery store. The main grocery store here is Dunnes, but it's more of a Stop 'N Shop combined with Macy*s. Alcohol is only sold until 10 in the evening, though Dunnes is 24 hours. There are no open container laws, and there is no need for brown paper bags. When folks leave the bars they are handed a plastic cup to pour the remainder of their drink into...pretty funny seeing people carrying alcohol out in the open!

As you walk down the road from my accommodations the town gets more and more traditional. In the distance you can see the Galway Cathedral, a very handy landmark for finding your way around. The main road also follows along the river which runs straight through the town. In the spring I believe they stock the river with salmon. The shopping area in the city center is partially closed off to cars. All of the stores are brightly painted and the area is filled with a myriad of restaurants with food from around the world. Of course there are also loads of pubs. Galway is situated on a bay so the air smells salty and there are seagulls flying about. The area is known for its oysters; there is an oyster festival later in the year.

That's all for now, but possibly more later tonight or tomorrow! Leave comments!