Land of Saints and Scholars

I know my blog has been long, detailed, and thick, so I thought that I would just give the short version of everything that I did while I was there.  Granted, this as just a much as a reference for me as it is for you…

(28 March) Met Nick, Rachel, & Kathleen at the Tourism Center in Dublin and walked around the city with them.  We started at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin Castle, Trinity College, and walked down through town to Christchurch Cathedral and ended at O’Connell Bridge.  Ate dinner at Cassidy’s Pub.

(29 March) Went hiking with Rachel up to Kilkenny hill.  Saw the gate to Bono’s house and the view of the beach.  Walked the long way home and ended up in Dalkey.

(30 March) Started my first day of school at All Saint’s National.  Met the teachers: Anna, Martha, & Leah (Leah came in the 2^nd day).  Liz, the resource worker, and Úna, the secretary.

(1 April) Taught a lesson on the American Revolution to Senior Class (5^th and 6^th Classes).

(2 April) Went out the beach at Shankill and took a walk.  Read my Bible and took pictures of the rocky shore

(3 April) First day of Easter break.  Went out to Dun Laoghaire after school and walked the pier.

(4 April) Took a PaddyWagon to the North with the other American Students.  We took a bus to Belfast and went up the Giant’s Causeway, Dunluce Castle, the Robe Bridge, and Derry.  We came back to Dublin and ate dinner at Fitzgerald’s Pub.

(6-8 April) Went to London with my host family.  I saw Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, The Tower of London and took at tour with a “Beefeater,” and saw the “Henry VIII Dressed to Kill” Exhibit of Henry’s amour, I then took the Underground to Piccadilly Circus where I walked around for a while before meeting with my family and doing a bit of shopping.  We went to go see Wicked that night.  The next day we went to the “Movieum.”

(9 April) Went in to the city with Rachel.  We went to the Thomas Roberts exhibit at the National Art Gallery.  We went to Temple Bar where we went to a pub and listened to a traditional Irish music band for a few hours.

(10-12 April) Took a PaddyWagon tour through the South-West; I met 3 people from South Africa, 1 from Australia, and 1 from LA.  We started by going to the spot in Phoenix Park where the Pope delivered Mass.  Went up to the turf pits and went to the ruins at the Clonmacnoise monastery. We stayed the night in Galway where we walked around the city and saw the Bay, the Spanish Arches, & the Cathedral.  The next day we went to the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher, and took the ferry, drove through Tralee.  We stayed the night at Killarney (at a B&B). The next day we took a horse and carriage ride in Killarney, went to the Blarney Stone, stopped for a photo stop at an ancient church (name?), and ended at the Guinness storehouse in Dublin.

(13 April) I met with Kathleen and her fiancé, Dustin, at Temple Bar for dinner and drinks.

(14 April) I went into Dublin alone and saw the Book of Kells, more of the National Gallery, the National Archeology museum, and the National Library.

(16 April) I took a bus tour out to the site of the Battle of the Boyne, Newgrange, and the Hill of Tara.  When I got back into Dublin that evening I went to a Gothic music concert and readings from Dracula at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

(18 April) I went back into Dublin and took a Hop on-Hop off bus tour of the entire city.  I saw O’Connell Bridge, General Post Office, Trinity College, the old Parliament Building/the National Bank, Nassau St., Marion Square, St. Stephan’s Green, the National Gallery, City Hall, the Cathedrals, Phoenix Park/Dublin Zoo, Jamison’s Brewery, the Collins-Barrack’s museum, and the Guinness Storehouse.  At the end of the tour, I got off and went into the Dublin writer’s museum.

(20 April) I taught lesson on the American Revolution to Middle Class (2^nd, 3^rd, & 4^th Classes).

(22 April) I taught a lesson on America to the Junior Class (Jr. Infants, Sr. Infants, & 1^st Class)

(23 April) I taught an art lesson on Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel. They lay on their backs under their desks and painted on a sheet of paper taped underneath.

(25 April) Went into Dublin alone and went to the Dublina museum on Viking and Medieval Dublin, and into Christchurch Cathedral.  While there, they had a prayer sermon for peace and I stayed for it.  Strongbow is buried in Christchurch and I saw his sarcophagus.  Then I went to City Hall and went to the exhibit on the history of Dublin city.  After I left, I went down through Temple Bar, up Grafton Street, Powerscourt and St. Stephen’s shopping centers, Dawson St to the World’s Smallest Pub, and into St. Stephen’s Green.

(26 April) I took a PaddyWagon tour to Glendalough monastery and Kilkenny.  I saw (but didn’t go into) Kilkenny Castle and the churches in the city.

(27-30 April) On-going lesson with Middle Class, using a drama to expand knowledge of the American Revolution. On the last day, we spend time talking about America and they were able to ask me a lot of questions about my country.

(29 April) Taught a lesson about Pirates to Senior Class.  After school I went to Dalkey Castle.

(30 April) Taught a Science lesson to the Junior Class

(1 May) Last day at All Saint’s. Taught a second lesson about Pirates to Senior Class about the importance of archeology to history. After school, Martha took Cici and I to the shopping mall at Dundrom.  Went into Dublin for some shopping and met up with the other American students for dinner and drinks

(2 May) Went to the Dublin Zoo with Rachel and Kathleen.  Then we went to Nick’s host home to watch the Leinster v. Munster rugby match (Go Leinster!!! They killed!)

(4 May) Took a train up to Belfast.  I started by taking a Hop on-Hop Off Tour of the city.  I saw the Catholic and Protestant Quarters, Queen’s College, the Grand Opera House, the city murals, the downtown area.  I didn’t get to see the Titanic Quarter because of a Marathon in the city.  I went for a ride of the Belfast Wheel and got a Bird’s Eye view of the city. Then I took a train to the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum in Cultra and saw the living history village there. I got back to Belfast and wandered around for a bit and did a little bit of shopping

(5 May) I went into Dublin for the last time.  I took the Luas to St. Michan’s Church where I took a tour of the crypts and was able to “shake” the hand of the 800 year old Crusader mummy (or rather gently rub his finger). I left St. Michan’s and took the Luas to the Decorative Arts and History Museum at Collin’s Barracks.  I spent a few hours there tour its exhibits, including a portion of the “dead zoo” from the Museum of Natural History which is closed for renovation.  I went back to O’Connell Street, went inside the GPO (just to say I did), took a picture of Daniel O’Connell’s statue with its bullet holes from the Easter Rising, and walked back through the city one last time: past Trinity and up Nassau, my favorite route.  I stopped in Dun Laogahaire on my home.

 

Here at the end of all things

Oh wow.  In just a few short hours, I am going to be getting on a plane and flying south…and west….very, very far west.  I’ve come so far in 6 weeks that I hardly know how to begin.  Or end.  I guess I’ll start with my last whirlwind trip and my last day in one of my new favorite cities. (Also, sorry the last post and this one don’t have any pictures, my camera, and ergo my camera card, are packed.  They’ll be up soon.)

I decided on Saturday that I wanted to go to Belfast, and go I did.  I booked a train from Connolly Station in Dublin to take me the just over 2 hour trip to Northern Ireland’s capital.  On my previous trip North, when I went to the Giant’s Causeway and Derry, I had spent a grand total of about 30 minutes in Belfast, and most of that was inside the bus station, but I knew right then that I wanted to go back and explore more of the city.  The first thing I noticed was that Belfast is so obviously not Dublin.  What I mean by this is that the city itself just feels different.  Dublin is a globalized city that is growing quickly.  It is diverse(ish) and metropolitan and bustling.  Belfast contains elements of those as well, but there is a curtain hanging over the city of the intense history and troubles that the city has faced.  And even today, these troubles are completely gone.  The Protestant and Catholic sides of the city have these fences called “Peace Fences” which are closed and locked tight on nights and on weekends in order to ensure peace between the two sectors, which are literally right next to each other.   I could not help but get drawn into the city.  It was so rich and deep, I just wanted to take it all in.  I took a bus tour that drove around the city and gave its history, and then went on “The Belfast Wheel,” which is basically a miniature of the London Eye, and got a birds eye view of the city, along with about 13 minutes of commentary.  I was in a carriage alone, so it was another chance to just soak in what I saw.   However, as much as I was loving Belfast, Kathy (my host mom) suggested that I would really like this living history museum about a 15 minute train ride out of Belfast, so I decided to make time for that.  It turned out, that this was a very good thing.  The Ulster Folk and Transport Museum has quite literally transplanted a 19th century Northern Irish town and set it up.  There is the “town” section and a “rural” section (which felt like I had stepped back into time in the Irish countryside).  And, because it was the May Day Bank Holiday, they had May Day celebrations all throughout the “town.”  If you know me, you know I was right at home.  I spent a few hours there before making my way back to Belfast (ok quick side story: I didn’t really know where this museum was, so I went to the tourist office to ask how to get there; the lady told me the name of the stop I needed to get off of at the train, so I bought a ticket and made my way there.  Everything is fine and dandy, right? NO. I got off of the train at the Cultra stop and I thought I had gotten off at an abandoned station.  There were no attendants, no buildings, no nothing but track.  I was out in the middle of nowhere with no idea where I was supposed to be going and out of the country twice over–as Northern Ireland is in the United Kingdom.  Luckily just up the street was an Inn and Spa, the only building around for what seemed like miles and they were able to point me in the right direction, but I definitely had a minor meltdown for a minute there).  Back in Belfast, I walked around the city, just to see. It was incredible.  The history…I can’t even really put it into words, but it blew me away.  After a quick dinner, I made my way back to the train station to come back to the Republic of Ireland…and just a different world.  I’ve been reading this book about the history of Ireland and I just read about the 1916 Easter Rising and the struggles with men like Eamon de Valera and Michael Collins with the English, and then the beginnings of the Troubles in the North, and everything just becomes so much clearer.  Did you know that for a long time, Northern Ireland was the “most Irish” part of the country, and that’s why the Stuart kings started setting up English Plantations in the North and began to Anglicize it, making it the divided country it is today.  Suddenly, all of that is so much clearer to me.

Today, I went to Dublin for the last time of my trip.  There were a couple of things I wanted to do that I hadn’t had the chance to yet, so I thought I’d better.  First, was going to the crypt at St. Michan’s Church. It’s out in kind of a run down area of the city and so far out I hadn’t wanted to walk out before, but I have recently discovered the Luas, a trolley like system within the city, which had a stop like right in front of the church, so I went. Um ok, it was awesome.  There are some natural methane gasses and limestone in the crypt which have preserved the bodies almost perfectly in the coffins. There are four in particular that range from a couple hundred to 800 years old that you can see are just incredible.  The 800 year old body is a man who could have possibly been a Crusader, because he was buried with his legs crossed.  According to myth, it is good luck to shake his hand.  Now obviously, they wouldn’t let us shake his hand, but a slight graze of the finger is considered the same….so….I touched the hand of an 800 year old Crusader.  Awesome.  Not even kidding.  Then I went to the Decorative Arts and History Museum, which was just one Luas station next to St. Michan’s.  That was really cool too, just my kind of thing.  They had a really interesting exhibit on the 1916 Rising, which was perfect timing for me.

And now here I am, 11:24 at night and I fly out at 10:55 in the morning.  This has been a great trip.  I don’t feel changed, I’m not the kind of person who is going to change her entire life over one trip, but I am taking away something from it.  For one, I’ll be the only World History teacher in North Carolina to teach Irish history along with everything else, curriculum be damned.  For another, I’ve learned to travel alone and not panic.  I appreciate my Jeep much more too–I have taken 7 different forms of public transportation since I’ve been here.  And surprisingly enough, I appreciate American history much more.  I appreciate what we stand for and how far we’ve come in so short a time.  I appreciate what the American Revolution really accomplished.  There are two Irish “rebels” buried at St. Michan’s who lived at the same time of the American Revolution.  Our guide was telling us how they failed, were captured, hanged, drawn, and quartered (a gruesome process that I am going to spare you the details of if you don’t know them).  Had they succeeded and lived, they would have been known not as rebels but revolutionaries–as Founding Fathers.  Had our own Founding Fathers failed, they may have held the same fates as these two men rather than becoming writers of the Consititution, Presidents, Secretaries of the Treasury, Senators, ect.  But most of all, I’m going to take away a richness of culture that is so entrenched in its people that it exhudes from them.  That’s why I love the people here so much.  That’s why I’ve grown to love Ireland more than I thought I would.  That’s why I’ll be back.

 

Where HAS the time gone?!

So here I am, Sunday May 4, 2009; a mere 3 days before I board a plane to make the looooong truck back home.  I can’t believe it.  Really. It’s been crazy.  But…more on that later (and by later, I mean a future post, so keep looking over the next couple days–I’m not done yet!).

Since I’ve last written I’ve done a bit more travelling and a bit more teaching.  I’ve actually taught some pretty interesting lessons, if I do say so meself (that was an intentional “me,” just fyi).  First, I finished up the American Revolution with the Middles by having them perform a play about it that I found online. I divided them into 4 groups and each group did an act of it.  Then I showed them the Schoolhouse Rock clip again, and they all seemed to understand it much more this time.  They really seemed to enjoy it!  After that, they asked me all sorts of questions about America–anything was open.  I talked about the Amish, the Pledge of Allegiance, the Civil War, Presidential assassinations, really, everything was free game.  They were so curious and so interested, and I felt so proud of America to be able to talk about it with them.  When we were finished, the Middle Class teacher (who was also asking me questions) told me that she was very grateful that I was here to talk to them about it. “American history is not something they will ever get in school,” she said.   It was awesome, and probably the best time I had in the classroom whilst I’ve been here.

Then with junior class I did a science lesson on magnets.  There’s not much to say except that I think kids that age think that magnets are magic.  They were so amazed.  “Look Ms. Jones, I think this leaf is magnetic!” said one boy who had a paper clip stuck to one side of the leaf and the magnet was connecting to that.”  Basically, I gave them a worksheet I made that had little pictures on them and they had to use the magnets to see what was magnetic and what wasn’t.  Simple, not much planning, and they loved it.  Works for me.

Then, right up my alley, I got to teach a “unit” (i.e. two 45 minute lessons) on….wait for it…..PIRATES! Ok, so that was awesome…not gunna lie.  They are going to start reading Treasure Island next week, and I mentioned to the teacher that I took a course on piratical history in college and loved it, so she asked me to teach a history lesson on pirates.  I made it a myth v. fact kind of lesson.  And, the best part, it required no background research because I already knew everything.  All I did was make a powerpoint that had 9 true/false questions on it and them write down what they thought it was.  Then I went through each of them, saying if it was true or false and then showed a slide that may have had a quote from a pirate (such as one describing the taste of turtle), a copy of pirate’s articles that I had them read round-robin style, pictures or paintings, and even a recipe for hardtack.  The kids loved it.  Even the ones that normally give problems paid attention and really got into it.  I ended up talking so much and sharing so many neat little anecdotes that my throat was sore by the end (which actually, now that I think on it, may have been a precursor to the cold I’m not experiencing…no worries, it’s NOT swine flu.)  The second lesson was really more of an archeology lesson, where I talked about the importance of archeology by having them read an article from National Geographic about a pirate ship (the Whydah) which was the first pirate ship authenticated in the world, found off the coast of Cape Cod.  Then we talked about the article and I showed them a clip from the Nat. Geo. site about it (to give them a visual) and just had a nice discussion about pirates and archeology.  It was really neat.  And again, they got into it.

On my last day there, the whole school got together to say good-bye to me and all of the kids had made projects and cards to give to me before I left.  It was so awesome.  I really grew to love these kids, even though they aren’t exactly my age group.  Some of them were just so sweet and so special that I am going to miss them so much.  I gave them my home address and told them to practice their penmanship by writing me letters.

Now on travel:

Last weekend, obviously was very hard for me (see my post, “One Year”). I went into Dublin alone on Saturday to do some things I’d been meaning to do and just soak up the city.  It was kind of nasty and rainy that morning, so I went straight to a museum called “Dublinia” about Viking/medieval Dublin.  Then I went to City Hall where they had an exhibit set up about Dublin’s history.  Very cool.  By the time I left City Hall, it was bright and sunny, so I decided to spend some time outside.  I made my way to Grafton Street via Temple Bar (i.e. the long way) and went into a couple shops here and there, then I went to St. Stephens Green, a park, and just sat for a while and wrote in my journal.  It was nice.  I decided then and there that I really love Dublin.  It’s such a great city, and I hope this will not be my last time here.  Last Sunday, I took another PaddyWagon tour to the ancient Glendalough monastery and the town of Kilkenny.  It was super nice and really lovely.  While I was in Kilkenny, a random guy, who was quite nice looking, stopped me and started talking to me.  I kept to the small talk and then kept walking…and felt like an idiot later–guess I passed up my chance for Irish love–HAHA!  Friday, I went into town with the other American students and we celebrated our last day of school with dinner at a nice pub where they were playing Irish music and then to Hard Rock.  Yesterday, Kathleen and Rachel and I went to the Dublin Zoo. That was fun, I love zoos.

A few more things: my family is awesome.  They’ve been so great about everything and it has been a blessing to be living with them.  The weather, not awesome.  It is soo cold and pretty wet.  I miss the heat soooooo badly.  I can’t wait to go to the beach when I get home.

Well anyway, I’ve got to be up early tomorrow for a whistle-stop trip to Belfast–I’ll let y’all know how that goes when I’m back! Good night world!! (Pictures are also to come soon, so hurry back!!)

 

Teaching in Ireland

Ok, so we all remember I’m here for a student teaching experience, right?  I know I’d almost forgotten with all of the hubbub of traveling and such, but there was no forgetting when I went straight back into the classroom this Monday!

This time around, I taught the Middle class (2nd, 3rd, and 4th class), which is approximately the same as 3rd-5th grades in the States.  I have come to the decision that this is my favorite of the three classes.  The Junior class is fun and they are super cute, but they are WAY too young for me…but more on that in a bit.  Senior class….well….more on them in a minute too.  (See what I’m doing there, creating suspense so you’ll keep reading.  Yes I’m that good.)

Anyway, back to Middle Class.  They are my faves for two main reasons: 1) They are by far the sweetest of the classes.  They always greet me in the mornings like there is no one else they would rather see in the day, and they give me hugs and love on me.  From this class, I have received cards and pictures.  They are precious (well most of them).  2) They are old enough that I can have a real conversation with them, but they are young enough to where they aren’t super cocky.  They know they aren’t kings and queens of the school yet, and so they are by far more humble because of it.  Most of them also still have that desire to be in school, which is always nice for a teacher.  I taught them a similar lesson that I did for Senior class before Easter on the American Revolution (See my blog, “Brilliant Lesson, Ms. Jones!” , but I replaced The Patriot with Schoolhouse Rock’s “The Shot Heard Round the World“–a more appropriate clip for the younger ones.  I also had to “dumb” down the lesson a bit.  Even though I would say that these are my favorite kids, I do miss being able to ask critical thinking questions, like I can with 5th and 6th class.  Most Middle class hasn’t quite gotten to that analytical thinking skill yet, and as my teaching style is largely a question-based discussion, I found that to be difficult with them.  However, it went well and I enjoyed it.  I had them draw political cartoons at the end of the lesson, and I have no intention of giving them back, I want to keep them to remember my students by.

On Wednesday, I did what I had been dreading since I got here: I taught Junior class.  Don’t get me wrong, I love them, I really do, but I am NOT cut out to teach 5 year olds.   Seriously.  I will play with them all day long, but when I am in a classroom, I want to encourage learning, and I just don’t know how to do it with them.  For them, I decided to just talk about America.  I started out the lesson by showing them a 5 Euro note and 1 Euro coin and then had them describe them to me.  Then I pulled out a $5 bill and a $1 bill and told them that they were the same as their Euros and had them tell me how they were different.  Then I read them a book I had brought with me that was called “America: A Patriotic Primer” that used the ABC’s to talk about different aspects, history, and values in America.  I got them to tell me what the next letter was going to be, and some of them really got into it.  Then , in the end, I had them color a picture of the American flag and write “America” at the top (to practice penmanship).  It was kind of a mess, but I survived it.  And again, I have something to remember them by.

Then today, I taught my last lesson for the week: an art lesson.  Yes.  I’m not kidding.  My first three lesson had been great because they were history lessons and right up my alley.  I was back in Middle Class, and being as I am, I’m sure you can imagine that I wasn’t going to let an art lesson get away without putting some history into it.    I decided that I was going to teach about Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel ceiling.  I talked about Michelangelo and who he was as an artist, and showed them pictures of the Sistine Chapel.  Then I told them about his scaffolding and how he had to paint either standing up and looking towards the ceiling or lying on his back.  So I had them tape a sheet of paper underneath their desks and lie on the floor.  Then they painted like they were Michelangelo. It was actually pretty cool.  Art is chaotic (which makes me understand art majors a bit more…haha…just kidding, love you guys) but it is fun.   Of course, when I told them what they were doing, it was kind of like, “Seriously? I think Ms. Jones is crazy,” at least at first.  In the end, though, the kids really seemed to eat it up.

Ok, back to what I was saying about Senior class.  Some of them are really good kids, and I mean that.  But pre-teen is a difficult age as it is.  Now I understand why 6th graders are more often the bottom of the totem pole in the States; it keeps them humble.  These kids are about the same as 6th and 7th grade and being at the top of the school is bad news.  They know they are at the top of the school and they act like it.  It doesn’t help that the school is so small (about 56 students) and the staff is forced to give them responsibilities in helping out the younger kids.  They know they have power.  They are all (minus a handful) arrogant and walk around all day with their chests puffed out.  Some of them are downright rude and disrespectful.  I would love to stick some of them in the middle school I went to (Neal in Durham) for a day.  Some of them who think they are king here wouldn’t last 5 minutes there.  I know that going off to secondary school in the next year or two will humble them up, and they need it.  All of that being said, however, I do like the class.  They are funny and entertaining, and some of them are really sweet kids.  They are smart too, doing math that I certainly didn’t do in 6th or 7th grade–heck, math I don’t even do now.

I can’t believe that tomorrow is Friday and it will be a week before my last day, May 1st (May 4th and 5th are bank holidays and I fly out on the 6th).  This trip has just flown by! I know I am going to miss it so much, but part of me is ready to get home.  Now that I’m in the process of filling out job apps and answering questions like “What are your plans for teaching strategies?” I cannot wait to have my own classroom.

Things to be look for in the next week: I’m going back into Dublin this Saturday and may be taking another day trip on Sunday.  I’m teaching…yikes!!!!….science (of all subjects) to the Juniors next week and the history of piracy two days to the Seniors (now that’s more like it.) Until then,  May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon our fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

**Just a note of clarification for these pictures.  They are all of the Junior Classroom.  In this class, there are three different “grades” if you will.  Junior infants, the youngest, begin school at about 4; they are like our pre-k or kindergarten.  Senior infants, about 5 or 6 years old, are like 1st grade.  Finally, the oldest ones in the classroom, 1st class, are 6 or 7, and are like our 2nd grade.

 

Ireland Pictures!

On my blog, there are a selection of pictures I’ve taken…but I’ve got so many more!  If you want to see all of them you can visit one of two places.

Your first option is snapfish.  Now, you actually have to have a a snapfish account to view these, but it is free and easy to sign up for.  Here is where you will find all of my pictures.

Ireland photos on Snapfish

If that’s not your thing, you can see most of pictures, though still not all, from facebook.  You don’t have to have a facebook account to view these, so enjoy!

Ireland photos from facebook

Easter Holiday photos from facebook

 

Here, There, and Everywhere!

Ok, so obviously, I am a bit behind.  I first of all ask that all of my faithful readers forgive me!  The last two weeks have almost been non-stop going and even on days when I didn’t do much, I was exhausted!!  So here we are, friends, the recap of my journeys here, there, and everywhere!

I started out my Easter Holiday by traveling with my host family for three days in London! Ok, can I just say, I love England.  The people are a little bit pompous and arrogant, but let’s face it, you would be too if your country owned most of the world at one point.  I would imagine that it’s a little hard to let that go.  We flew in and go there by the afternoon, where  we bought our Tube (Underground, Subway, whichever you prefer) and did the normal touristy stuff that I have grown to know and love so very much.   I got to see Buckingham Palace, which honestly was not quite what I had expected, but whatever.  We don’t have a queen, so that was cool if nothing else.  The next day I knew I wanted to do something historical, let’s face it, that’s what I love.  I decided that I wanted to go to the Tower of London, which is not, as some might think, an actual tower.  It is a fortress dating from the Norman period of English history with the White Tower, a castle built by William the Conqueror.   The part I was intrigued with, was the Tudor history of the Tower, with which it is steeped.  I knew I was going to enjoy it, but I didn’t realize how much.  I’m glad I went there alone because it was a time of pure joy for me.  I’m not even kidding, I loved it so much I was close to tears.  It wasn’t just the pure history of the Tower that I loved, but they had an exhibit in the White Tower of, get this, armour of Henry VIII–anyone who knows me, knows that this is my thing.  I was one pane of glass away from something that Henry VIII wore…..I can’t even express how cool that was.  I’m missing it now just thinking about it.   That night, we went to see Wicked on the West End.  Did I mention I love Wicked? Although, I must say, I compared the actor playing Fieryo to Sebastian Arcelus, the actor I saw here on Broadway and whom I love.  Needless to say, though, it was great.  I miss London now just writing about it.

I got back to Ireland on Wednesday night, knowing I had all of one day to rest before I left again on another PaddyWagon Tour to the south-west of Ireland.  I hung out with Rachel in Dublin that day and got to listen to my first live Irish music in a pub…very cool.

Friday morning, me being me, I lost my sense of direction and almost couldn’t find the PaddyWagon Palace (yes, that is a real name).  I was worried how going on this trip alone was going to affect me, but everything turn out great…God was SO looking out for me! On the bus, I sat next to a brother and sister from South Africa, and between the three of us, we eventually gathered a group of six people that stuck together throughout the trip: 3 from S. Africa, 1 girl from Australia, 1 girl from L.A., and me.  It was so amazing.  We stayed at a hostel in Galway Friday night which was a lot nicer than I had expected.  Unfortunately, because it was Good Friday, most of Galway was shut down, but it was a beautiful city!  Everything in the south is beautiful! I couldn’t get over the contrast between the incredible greenness of everything + the blueness of the sky (the weather was AMAZING!) + the feeling that I had gone back into the 19th century.   It was so much different than Dublin, I can’t even express. Our tour guide/bus driver was a guy named Gabriel.  He had a mouth on him, but he was hilarious.  We all made friends with him, and when we got to the Dingle Peninsula, he gave four of us the opportunity to stay at a B&B because the hostel was full.  Awesome! Some amazing attractions I saw from this trip: The Cliffs of Moher, Ancient Monastery at Clonmacnoise, The Roman Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St. Nicholas (that’s a mouthful, it’s also known as the Galway Cathedral), the Guinness Storehouse, Blarney Castle.  Yes, that’s right folks, I kissed the Blarney Stone and received the gift of gab (eloquence, Winston Churchill kissed the Blarney Stone, so maybe there’s something to it) which should be helpful to me in job interviews, haha! The trip was awesome.  I met some great people and saw some great things.  So much was crammed into just three days, that I’m still blown away by it all.

Whew!  And that was only one week!  I got home late Sunday night with the decision that my second week of Easter was going to be devoted to seeing as much of Dublin as I possibly could.  I felt I got a crack at somethings, but there is no way I got even close to scratching the surface of all that I want to do.   One of the first things I did was went to see the Book of Kells (an ancient illuminated manuscript)–worth a trip to Ireland just to do that! I went to the National Library, the Writer’s Museum (all Dublin authors), and the Museum of Archeology.  I took a bus tour taking me around the city and showing me all of the main sights.  This is probably the most touristy thing EVER but it was worth it.  I learned a lot and went on a day where it was shockingly sunny and fairly warm (for Ireland that is, probably about 52 degrees at the highest) and I sat on the open top of the bus and got to see everything.  I met Kathleen’s new fiancee and went out to dinner with them.  And of course, I went shopping.  There are some really cool stores in Dublin and I’m finding some neat things.  I’m also very surprised at myself, as I am starting to be able to find my way around the city without whipping my map out at the slightest wind change.  This is mostly because I’ve been forced to.  I’ve been going into the city alone, so I can’t depend on someone else to read the map for me.  It’s nice.  However, NOTHING is open late here.  Most coffee shops and sandwich bars are closed by 5:00 or 6:00.  Seriously, when I was coming home from town I just wanted to grab a latte to take with me on the DART, and the six coffee shops I passed on the way there were closed up.  That was frustrating.

Thursday of this week was super awesome.  I took a bus tour out to Newgrange, about 45 minutes north of Dublin.  This is the site of an ancient burial tomb, known as a passage tomb.  It is a Stone Age tomb, older than Stonehedge by 500 years and the pyramids of Egypt by 1000 years.  Holy crap it was cool.  There were about 25 of in this tight little chamber door and the tour guide was explaining all of the technicalities of the tomb: how it was designed perfectly alligned with the sun on the Winter Solstice and how every year at dawn on that day, the passage of the tomb fills with light and illuminates the ancient carved spirals on the walls.  This tour also took me to the site of the Battle of the Boyne, one of the most important battles in Irish history; the Hill of Tara, site of of the ancient capital of Ireland; and through the town of Slane, where St. Patrick did…something or other, haha I can’t remember this one exactaly.  When I got back into Dublin that night, I wandered around for a while searching for a sandwich bar (not kidding, everything was shut down) and then, I went to St. Patrick’s Cathedral.  Ok, so if my nerd side hasn’t shown yet, get ready for this: I went to a gothic organ concert and readings from Dracula. Oh my gosh, guys, not kidding this was awesome.  The setting, a Medieval Cathedral, was perfect.  It was creepy, haunting, and chilling all at the same time.  I loved it.

Today, I went to church for the first time in Ireland.  I went with my family to a Church of Ireland.  It is amazing to me how different it was than an evangelical church like the one I go to back home is.  More structured, but no less worshipful.

Wow, that’s a ton of writing! I hope I didn’t bore y’all too much, I’ll try to stay more on top of it in the coming 17 days…cause that’s all I have left! How sad! God has really granted me a great trip and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

I’m back to school tomorrow and teaching to 2nd, 3rd, and 4th class (8-10 year olds)…….that should be interesting, I’ll let you know how it goes.

 

Travels North

Yesterday, was the start of my 2 week Easter Holiday.  On Friday, we sent the students off at school at 12:15 and then all of the staff went out to lunch.  Saturday, I went on a tour with the other American students to the North of Ireland.  As you may know, Northern Ireland is not apart of the Republic of Ireland, but is still part of Great Britain.  Therefore, I was literally in a different country.

The tour started with supposedly catching a bus called the “Aircoach” at around 3:55 in the morning–not even kidding.  So we get to the bus…it ONLY goes to the airport.  It wouldn’t let us get off in Dublin…losers.  Luckily, Nick’s most gracious and wonderful host mom picked us up and took us into Dublin at 4:00 in the morning.  We sat at the Paddywagon hostel until around 6:00 am when we caught a bus to take us into Belfast.   This is a looong drive and as much as I really wanted to watch the scenery, I was too tired and slept much of the way there.   We arrived in Belfast around 8:30(ish?) and from the bus station, we caught the Paddywagon bus which headed even farther North.  The weather that morning was miserable.  It was freezing cold, extremely windy, and raining sideways.  Our first stop was in the tippy top corner of the country at a rope bridge (Granny, you would have died).  The bridge was closed because of the rain, but we hiked up to the area, which was lovely despite the weather.

Next, we left the bridge to a place called The Giant’s Causeway.  This is just cool.  It is a natural rock formation that looks like a bridge that was built by the hands of a giant…hence the name.  It actually comes from a legend about a man named Finn McCool.  In short, he was a giant of a man that wanted to fight a rival in Scotland whom he had actually never seen.  His rival wouldn’t do it, so he built this “causeway” for him to come over.  When he finally did, Finn encountered a man 10 times his own size, so his wife hatched a plan where she dressed Finn up as a baby.  When his Scottish rival came to the house, Finn’s wife told him that Finn was out and would be back to fight him later.  When he saw their “son” in the corner he shuddered at the thought that if that was the size of their son, there was no telling how tall Finn was, so he left and destroyed the bridge behind him, leaving only a bit in Ireland and a bit in Scotland.  The weather wasn’t quite as bad there, but it still wasn’t perfect, but the rock formations were just incredible.  It was clear to me that it wasn’t Finn McCool who placed those stones there, but God who formed them perfectly.  Next we made a photo stop at Dunluce castle which is precariously perched on the edge of a cliff, but it was quite “photogenic.”

Finally, we drove into Derry, a city that has seen many struggles throughout its history and the site of the Bloody Sunday incident in the 70s.  There is a large division of Republicans (those who want Northern Ireland to be apart of the Republic) and loyalists (those who are loyal to England) in the city that still exists, though on a lesser note, today.  It is still called by its English name, Londonderry, by it’s loyalists citizens.  Unfortunately, we got to the city more than an hour after we were supposed to and we didn’t have much time at all to explore it as I would have liked .  Instead, we walked the wall of the city.  I thought this was a bit of shame just because it is such an important city to Irish history, but hopefully I will have a chance to visit again, if not this trip, then sometime in the future.

After leaving Derry, we returned to Belfast, where we only had just enough time to grab a coffee before hitting the trail back to Dublin.  Again, I really wish I could have seen more of the city and am considering taking another tour to go back one weekend before I go home.  We arrived back in Dublin about 8:30 and went to a pub to get some dinner before going home.  It was a long, long day, but it was overall, it was a completely wonderful trip.

In travelling all over this country, it is clear to me that God’s glory is all around.  When I went out to the sea in Shankill the other day, I brought my Bible with me and prayed that God would direct me to a passage that He wanted me to read, and I flipped my Bible straight open to Psalm 97.  The first verse reads “The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice!” (Exclamation point added by me)  I was just amazed by this verse because there I was, sitting on a rock on a “distant shore” and totally engulfed in the glory of the Lord.  The rest of the psalm contiunes to praise and worship God’s glory and mightiness.  I am seeing this everywhere, between the rocks of the Giant’s Causeway to birds I’ve never seen the likes of before to people that are willing to help me at every turn.  I didn’t even have to look or seek these out, but God puts them in my path.  “Rejoice in the Lord, you who are rightous, and praise his holy name” (Ps 97:12).

 

Brilliant Lesson, Ms. Jones!

Well, I’ve taught my first lesson at All Saints! It went really well, I thought.  As I said before, I was teaching the American Revolution.  I used M&Ms to demonstrate the tax system and “no taxation without representation.” Basically, I “taxed” them for items they had in their possession (pencils, shoes, jackets, jewelry, etc).  One girl was the “tax collector”; I was parliament; their teacher was “King George.” Each of use got a percentage of their M&Ms and they had to deal with it.  They loved it (obviously, I gave them candy) but more importantly, they got the concept.  Then I talked to them briefly about the causes, the differences in each side, the major battles, and had them watch a clip from The Patriot to see the battle techniques.  Then I had them draw a political cartoon (actually, that is their homework, lol).  They seemed to really like it (even the few who wouldn’t be quiet!) and at the end of the lesson, one of them said “Brilliant lesson, Ms. Jones!”  That meant more to me than anything because it doesn’t matter to me how many adults tell me I’m doing well–I appreciate it more from the students!

And while I’m on the subject: here are some pictures of my host home and part of the hill I have to walk up for 15 minutes to get to my school everyday.  I’ll post pictures of the school tomorrow.

 

As Promised!

Well, I’ve been in Ireland nearly a week now.  So instead of giving you a bunch of boring paragraphs, I thought I’d give the “run down,” so to speak.

Wednesday March 25: My flight at RDU was supposed to leave right on time.  Actually, it only left 10 minutes late because of taxing on the runway.  But I tell you, it was the first time I’d been on a plane where the pilot was all excited because we were actually ready to go at the right time.  Yee-haw!  We arrived in Newark around7ish I suppose.  I ate dinner at a diner in the airport and then went to sit and wait for my flight to board at 9.  I discovered I had an audiobook of Pride and Prejudice on my ipod I had forgotten about and so it helped me pass the time away.  I was wearing my ASU sweatshirt, and wouldn’t you know one of the flight attendants on the plane had a son who goes there!  She was super nice the whole way and even let me put my bookbag in the flight attendants’ closet because there was no space in the overhead (I was in a bulkhead seat so I couldn’t put it at my feet).   I had taken a Tylenol PM in the airport and as soon as we had taken off, I made myself comfortable and promptly fell asleep.

Thursday March 26: I slept the whole night (woke up only once when they were serving dinner, which I opted not to eat) and woke when they brought out breakfast.  It wasn’t much, but I had coffee to keep me awake.  I spent the last hour of the flight watching Casablanca in the personal TVs that Continental puts on their planes (awesome, btw).  I didn’t finish it, but hey, I’ve seen it 3.4 million times.  I landed without a hitch in Dublin and got throught customs quickly.  I got lucky because they customs room filled as soon as I had gotten in line–I would have been there forever!  I got my bags, again easy, and went to ask some info about the bus I was to take to meet my host sisters.  As it turned out, there was a a bus coming at 10:00 am (which we hadn’t known about) and I took it straight into Shankill, where my family lives.  Because I was there an hour earlier than we had planned, I had to drag two suitcases into a pub (yes, there was one open at 10:30 in the morning!) and call my family.   What a sight I must have been to the barman and the old drunk (yes, again, Ireland) man on the stool!  I called Karen and she and Aly came straight away to meet me.  It was only a short walk back to our house.  They showed me to my room and I started unpacking (yes, Mom, first thing, believe it or not!).  I skyped my mom and took a short nap and spent the rest of the afternoon getting to know the girls and Kathy (James was still out of town at a conference).  First full meal in Ireland: pasta!

Friday March 27: I slept in to overcome the jetlag and spent the rest of the day hanging out at the house resting.  I watched a little TV and didn’t do much, until everyone got home around four.  We went shopping for dinner and bought…pizza.  You know I was happy! The family I’m staying with is simply lovely!  We’ve gotten on very well and they are so helpful.  They help me run errands, point me in the right direction, and invite me where ever they are going.  I love them and feel soo fortunate staying here.  I love their daughters, Karen and Aly (16 and 13) and we’ve gotten along so well.  I feel like their older sister!

Saturday March 28: I went into Dublin with James and Kathy via the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit…basically, the subway above ground) around 10 that morning.   The city is fantastic.  I can’t really compare it to any city in the US, but it’s the perfect blend of the modern and the old.  The Georgian architeture is beautiful! At the Dublin Vistor center, I met up with the other American students in the area.  We spend the day exploring the city and taking pictures of everything from St. Patrick’s Cathedral to Liffey.   It was brilliant.  We ate dinner that night at a pub and watched the first half of the Ireland v. Bulgaria qualifying game for the World Cup, before taking the DART back home. That night, I watched The Boy in Stripped Pyjamas with the family.  Talk about a beautifully depressing movie.  Needless to say, I’m reading the book now.

Sunday March 29: I slept in a bit late and didn’t get to go to church as I had hoped.  Instead, I lunched with my family and then headed out to where Rachel, the other girl from ASU, is living–Killiney.  We spent the day hiking Killiney hill (passing Bono’s house as we did so!) and then walked into Dalkey.  I have to think we walked a good several miles.  I was exhausted, but it was amazing! The views here are absoluetly gorgeous!

Monday March 30: Monday was my first day at All Saint’s National School (oh yeah, I am here to student teach, aren’t I?).  The school is TINY! There are about 50 students in total, ranging in ages from 4-12.  It’s not a one room school house, but it’s almost.  In the mornings I work with 4-7 year olds, 8-10 year olds in the early afternoon, and 11-12 year olds in the late afternoon.  Next week (after Easter) my schedule will change a bit.  It’s sooooooooo different from high school.  There is one little girl I absoluetly love already, and I can’t wait to keep working with the rest of them.  I may prefer secondary, but it’s such an amazing experience in every other way, that it’s ok. Afterschool I couldn’t figure out how to work the key to our house (lame, I know), so I walked around Shankill and explored for 20 minutes or so until I came back home to find Karen there.  Again, it was a bit of a lazy day hanging out with the family, but I like it that way.  Dinner: Irish Breakfast….mmmmm

Tuesday March 31: Today was much the same as Monday.  Nancy, the little girl I love, gave me a sweet card she had made.  I really like all of the other teachers at the school.  There’s also another student teacher from Spain who is great! She doesn’t speak English very well, but she’s super nice.  Afterschool, I got in the house by myself (James had to teach me how to use the key again! haha!) and watched 24 with Karen before planning for my first lesson tomorrow.  I’m teaching the American Revolution to 5th and 6th class (11-12 year olds).  I have NO idea how it’s going to go, mostly because I have NO idea how to teach that age, but I’m excited.  It’s wonderful that I’m going to be able to teach what I love, but still make it relevant to these kids (it spurned an Irish Revolution in 1798).  Well that’s it so far–I can’t wait to see what comes next!

 

Blog Tomorrow

Be on the lookout for a blog tomorrow, including pictures, that I’m posting afterschool.  You can hold me to it!

I’m having a great time and I appreciate the thoughts and prayers I know are coming my way!!