Blog- Week 4

Kelli Monheiser

Blog- Week 4

Daily Life

It is crazy to think that we have been living here for a month already. It has been an experience in itself, and after building a small home and family out of my cottage and cottage mates, I can honestly say it has made me feel at ease while living nearly four thousand miles away from home. The constant moving around and traveling is a great opportunity and one that should be taken full advantage of, but understand that it does make the time fly. This last weekend we had our first group organized field trip to the Aran Islands, and though I am glad that we didn’t have to stay in the rain, the island was very interesting and I wish we could have enjoyed it just a little bit longer. We left on a Saturday morning, like most planned fieldtrips, and came back early Sunday morning. The trip consisted of taking a ferry to the island where a majority of us stood on the top deck in the rain, which was well worth it. When we arrived, we grabbed some lunch at the deli and headed to get our bikes. I really enjoyed the fact that bikes would be our way of traveling for the trip because it allowed us to stop ourselves and enjoy the beauty at our own pace. We first visited a goat farm where we all gathered around admiring the baby goats. The owner, a young man new to the business, explained to us the process of how Goat Cheese is made. We then got back onto our bikes and traveled along the edge of the ocean up toward a historic Fort known as Dun Aonghasa. It was one of the neatest things when we were heading up the mountain and we looked back and could see one end of the island to the other. It was also something else to look off the cliff from about 330 feet high to see the waves crashing against the limestone rock. After the fort, we went to the Wormhole where our guide explained to us that there was a natural phenomenon of shifting causing a perfect rectangle to be formed along the base of a cliff about thirty feet deep. I have yet to decide if I buy it or not. From that, we began the long trek back to the hostel that we were staying at. It was a lot of walking and a pretty physically enduring trip, but if I had to go back and do it again, I would. To me the great landscapes, breathtaking views and historic structures were well worth my time.   

I feel like this week would be a good time to cover the daily life here at the lodge. During the week, we begin class at around ten o’clock and take a break at noon for lunch. When we come back for class at one, we go through till about 3. Because the Wi-Fi situation, a majority of us stay in the schoolhouse where we either make spring break or weekend plans, upload our pictures, send emails, watch Netflix or any other Internet needed task. Trip planning is something that can be handled early, or last minute. It is something that you will catch on to once you get here and understand the system. A good portion of our time is spent in the schoolhouse. At some point during the week, some of us will make the 30-minute walk into Spiddal where we will get our feel for the pubs that week, grab some groceries, or treat ourselves at Supermac’s.

Upon arriving, it is nice to get the food situation organized. For the start of the trip, we were doing our meals together, but because we are all different in our eating habits, we found it best to fend for ourselves. We do, however, purchase butter, sugar, soap and toilet paper together taking turns each week. This has come to work out for us pretty well.

Because every weekend that we have been here, I have went on a personal trip or a fieldtrip, I have yet to be around the cottage for a weekend. I do know that the group that does stay around has always managed to keep themselves busy by taking the free Lally bus trip into Galway or spending the weekend exploring the Galway bay. There you have it, the daily life in Ireland from the Park Lodge Hotel; an easygoing way of life allowing for all sorts of activities.