jobiv

But I saw a lot. I was traveling with the CUI Galway Choir Soc. We had a joint concert with the CUI Cork Soc. that went really well. It was great to be on the beautiful campus, but we also had the experience of hanging out in pubs and clubs, staying in a hostel (with sexy Canadians), visiting Blarney, getting lost on hilly streets, etc.

I saw a great concert, and the next day had time for a taxi tour around the town and up through the battling neighborhoods. The whole thing was an education.

I was intrigued by the mish-mashed culture there. The city could feel very British (what with statues of Victoria and architectural styles) and then melded with all I knew of Ireland, as well. The accent sounded more Scottish to me, to add to the confusion. I loved feeling that swirl of influences.

But when I could position myself with some strategy, the stones were amazing. Also amazing; the layout of the lands surrounding the stones. They can’t show you that in pictures. There are mounds built in a purposeful pattern, spread out in the fields.

What a strange mix of cultures… I loved the Roman baths, the fact that you can walk through and TOUCH walls that are older than the U.S. by a thousand or so years. I loved thinking of it as Jane Austen’s topography. I loved the Abbey, whose doors were open when I found it. There was music so I went inside very quietly. A man was directing a rehearsal for a children’s choir. Maybe it was just the beautiful weather that day, but everything in Bath seemed extraordinary and peaceful.

I loved Glasgow – the appealing way the architecture melded from one century to the next, the beautiful University, the amazing people, and especially the museums. I had a crush on Charles Rennie Mackintosh before I got there, and it only got worse…

I was only there for a summer semester, ‘99.

A good percentage of the students may speak Irish in your presence, but don’t let it get you down. The Irish students are friendly, but not always easy to befriend. So many of NUI Galway’s students come from rural counties and they tend to stick to their own for a sense of safety. Join a soc or two, get involved, and you’ll get to know great people.

The University is great for a walk-through visit, as well, with all styles of architecture and a beautiful walk along the water. And last time I was there, the gardens were still blooming in December!

I spent most of my semester abroad actually IN Galway, having traveled enough to want to get to know a place instead of merely taking photos and blurring on to the next place. It was worth it. Galway’s personality is surprisingly international, sometimes artsy, sometimes completely uncultured. I loved it, and I want to return.