3.5 weeks and counting...

I am officially 2 weeks closer to being a doctor (roughly 258 weeks to go). I'm not going to lie, there have been some moments in the past few weeks where I have wondered what on earth I've signed myself up for. All in all though, things have been good and I am happy to be here. I am really enjoying my classes and am slowly getting to know my classmates. The lecturers at this university have so far been really, really great! They have been really good about teaching all of the basic science material in a very applied way which helps to make it interesting and motivating to learn. There's no doubt though that the next 5 years are going to be a lot of work.

The last couple weeks have given me the full experience of what Irish weather can be like. My first two weeks here it was beautiful. Many day of sunshine and blue sky with only occasional rain. This past week, we were getting weather from the tail end of hurricane Gordon and it was CRAZY!! The rain was coming down in ropes for 4 days straight paired with really strong winds. I would get to class soaking wet and be that way most of the day. In order to help with this problem, I've purchased my first pair of Wellies rubber boots (brown with pink flowers of course).

Outside of school, I have been keeping busy with running, biking, swimming, studying, and learning my way around the area. Clubs day took place at the unversity the other day. They don't have sports teams or intramurals organized by the university here; instead, it all happens in the form of clubs that are student organized and operated. There are a million options from darts to archery, to martial arts, to video games, triathlon, irish football, rowing...etc. I had the thought that while here by myself, I would take advantage of the opportunity to learn something totally new. I signed up for Tae Kwon Do because I was really impressed by this guy running and doing a flying kick over four crouched people to break a board on the other side. Unfortunately, my membership in that club lasted only about 2 hours until I got home and remembered that I hate fighting so joining a club that involves learning to fight might not be the best choice for me. Really dumb idea. I'm no longer in the club and have decided to stick more or less to what I know. I joined the mountaineering and surfing clubs, both of which seem more like my speed.

Last Saturday I went on a my first bike excursion to a town called Oughterard (roughly pronounced 'oocht-er-ard'). It is a very small town northwest of Galway. I chose to go there because it is located on the edge of Loch Corrib (Corrib lake), the biggest lake in Ireland and it is the start of a popular walking trail called the Western Way (crosses the Maumturk mountain range). My plan was to take the quick route to Oughterard on the highway so I could explore the lake and ride the first 15 km of the Western Way once I got there. According to my map, Oughterard is a straight shot 27km up the N59. No turns or junctions. Easy. Good thing because I forgot my map. For the first 3-5 km there was a wide shoulder that was perfect for riding. Then...it abruptly ended. I had to stop and gather the courage to keep going. I finally made my move out onto the road and then pedalled like mad. After about 3km of riding on the highway, I was ready to go home. The speed limit is 100km/hr, it's 2 lanes and the "shoulder" is about an inch wide (just enough space so they don't any grass or leaves in the yellow line paint). The bail-out option should a car or bus come too close is generally a stone wall covered in blackberry bushes. Not good choices. The other really awesome thing about the highway is the puddles. Since it was raining, each car or truck that went by where there was a puddle gave me a head to toe shower in mucky water.

The end of the shoulder

Totally drenched, I ducked off the highway at my first opportunity and since I didn't have a map, asked a local farmer for directions to Oughterard via the back roads. "Take your first left at the lights and follow the road until you reach the highway. It's a good long way and all up hill but nice and quiet for biking". Okay. Off I went in the rain. The road to Oughterard was very quiet and scenic; mostly small farms and two golf courses. After a couple of hours (he was right about the uphill part), I reached the highway. Dead end. I had no choice but to get back on it and ride it into town. Luckily, town limits were within a couple kilometers of the junction and the speed slowed to 60km/hr. I was really happy to see that sign. Unfortunately, it was not Oughterard, but a town called Moycullen. Oughterard was still another 15km down the highway....
First stop in Moycullen: The bookstore to buy a map so I could take the backroads to Oughterard. Thankfully, this country is very well covered with small country roads. The map showed I could make my way to Oughterard with only about another 2km of highway riding and a lot of weaving.
When I got to town, my 27km ride had turned into 55km but at least I was alive to tell the story and I had a very beautiful ride along the lake. From town, I continued along the lake for 15 km to the end of the road section of the Western Way. I was right at the base of the Maumturk mountains which was really spectacular. I can't wait for Chris to get here so we can head into those mountains together and see the rest of the Western Way. The lake itself is long and narrow with many little islands throughout. The islands and surrounding are are very lush and green. I rode through some forest reserves that reminded me a lot of the west coast of B.C. There are also church ruins on some of the islands that you can hire a boat to visit. I didn't see much for wildlife other than rodents, birds and fish but I sure do enjoy the farm animals. I visited with lots of donkeys, horses, dogs, cats and sheep along the way. A few fun stories:

I stopped and had my lunch near a really cute little donkey. He ate more of my carrots than I did then reached through the fence to give me a nuzzle on the cheek.

I stopped near a field of horses to check my map. The horses immediately came to the fence to check me out and gave my bike a thorough inspection. It was all fine until one of them bit my handlebar and wouldn't let go. He ended up biting through my grip tape.

Horses inspecting my bike

This horse would make that face each time something touched it's lips.

(There's a prize for the person who can come up with the best caption for the picture)

I was chased my many large (and small) angry dogs. Dog bylaws are new to Ireland and it doesn't seem that the local farmers have bought in to the program yet. The dogs are simply doing what they've been trained to do...protecting the heard. Biking guidelines suggest that you don't ride away from a dog that is aggressively chasing you as you stimulate its chase instinct. Therefore, I had to repeatedly defy my own instincts to pedal like mad and instead stop to 'face the dog sqarely, make eye contact and appear dominant' as they growled, barked and showed me their teeth. A couple of the dogs looked especially mean and determined to attack me so I thought I should maybe yell at them. I don't think my 'yells' sounded very dominant. Eventually, the showdown would end and I could slink away without being chased. I survived the day with all four limbs but I'm sure the graph from my heartrate monitor would show some pretty dramatic spikes.
After nearly 90 km of biking, I was very tired and ready to catch the bus home. I had a great day and saw some beautiful countryside. Ireland is like a well designed garden path- it always keeps you moving forward to see what's around the next bend. Here are some more pictures from my day:

Loch Corrib

Country Road

Loch Corrib

Loch Corrib with the Maumturk Mountains in the background

I am loving living by the ocean and try to take advantage of it as much as possible. I might have mentioned this already but Galway has a number of "blue flag" beaches (designated that way because of the clean water). One of them (Blackrock Beach) is just 1.5km from my house. I go there as often as possible to swim. The water is cold (about 15 celcius right now); it takes your breath away at first but is nice once you're in and there's a nice firm sandy bottom). I also enjoy going for walks or runs along the 'prom'. This city feels really alive all of the time. Any day of the week, morning or night, you can head down to shop street or the Spanish Parade and there are people everywhere. There are many buskers that also help make the atmosphere great...anything from musicians to human statues, to people giving sermons. The weekend market is also really fun. It is right downtown and there are stands selling everything including clothes, jewelry, pottery, paintings, bread, meat, cheese, produce, jam, incense...you name it. I go there every weekend to visit the guys who sell olives, artichokes, hummus and feta cheese...yummy!!

Blackrock Beach

Musicians on Shop Street

One man (and some stuffed toys) band

Anyway, that's all for now. Thanks again to everyone who's been posting comments, e-mailing and calling. Love Kell

My First Day of School.....

Today was my first day of school. It started out as most days here have...watching the bus drive by just as I got to the stop followed by a long walk to school. DARN!! We didn't have lectures...just introductory seminars to learn about the program and meet classmates etc. I was pretty excited about finally being let in on the secret of what I am going to be studying this year. Overall it was really good. The program looks awesome and I am very excited to get going. I have about 90-100 students in my class. Irish students can get into medicine straight out of highschool because it is a six year program. That means that there are some 18 and 19 year olds in my second year class. They seem very young. I was talking to a guy in my campus tour group and he asked me how old I was. When I said that I was 26, his jaw dropped as if I'd told him that I was 90 and from another planet. After a long moment of silence he said "well then, you're much more advanced in life than I am". I think that's a compliment?? He's 18. Fortunately, there are some older students too. By total fluke, I sat down in the first seminar right next to a guy from Edmonton. We are the only 2 students admitted to NUI Galway through the Atlantic Bridge Program. I have to admit that it was a very big relief to meet someone from home. You could almost see the weight lifting from each of us as we debriefed about our experiences to date. Another helpful thing is that he is also married and his wife is not able to come for the entire year. She is completing her nursing degree at UofA. Too bad for all of us bad at least we can understand one anothers challenges in the months to come. And... now I don't feel so bad about having to endure 3 and 1/2 months apart from Chris. His name is Ian and I was very glad to meet him. I also met classmates from Malaysia and Trinidad. It is more difficult to meet the Irish students as they were all classmates in first year last year so those of us joining them in second year feel a bit like awkward implants. It should be a very multicultural experience. They handed out a nice detailed lecture schedule for the entire year. It actually outlines the exact topic of every lecture day by day. It is fun to look through it and see what I will be learning. My first semester is made up of anatomy, physiology, biochem, pharmacology, and general practice. The program is taught with a systems approach so those will be my basic courses for most of my program as we look at each body system individually. I have many hours of class each week...7 on Mondays and Tuesdays. My shortest day is 4 hours of lecture. Looks like I'll be getting a workout too...my classes are back and forth between the hospital and the main campus...about 15 minutes walk each way if I really hustle.
My place is still okay but first year students arrived on the weekend so the tone has changed a bit. It has been tough to sleep through the loud partying all around me. Hopefully that will end soon.
Anyway, that's all for now. Thanks for all of the emails! Love Kell

I am on my own now...Mom left this morning. It feels strange to be here alone. Thank goodness classes start tomorrow so I can have something to focus on. Anyway, as promised, here are a few more details of our experiences in the last 10 days and my early impressions of Ireland:

The residence where I'm living is about a 20 minute walk to the university, and twenty minutes to downtown. There are a number of grocery stores along the way. I was really worried about finding vegetarian foods necessary for me to be healthy as this is a meat loving culture. Fortunately, it hasn't been a problem. Things aren't always available in the regular grocery store but there is a natural foods store and a Mediterranean grocery store in the same complex as Dunnes (the main chain store here).

This place wasn't super clean when we moved in so we had to spend some time scrubbing (yuck!). Only my Mom would scrub my shower on her vacation.

Thanks Mom!!!!!

It was also a bit of a challenge fitting all of my things in this tiny bedroom but we managed to do it and I feel quite comfortable and settled.

Cliffs of Moher-

Last Sunday we went to the Cliffs of Moher. They are a famous site in County Clare (south of Co. Galway). The cliffs rise straight out of the sea to a hight of 200m. They cover 8km of coastline and you can walk the entire distance. There are some ruined watch towers along the way. We had a nice sunny day but the winds are fierce up there. At times, the tailwind was strong enough to make us run up hills. There are spots where you are walking within a few feet of the unprotected cliff edge so you have to be careful when the wind picks up. After walking along the cliffs, we walked about 8km to a small town called Doolin. It was a very friendly, cheerful little place and we had a great dinner in the local pub listening to traditional Irish music. It was a great experience and started to make me feel like I could be at home here.

Cliffs of Moher

Cliffs of Moher

Doolin

Inishmor-

Our next adventure was a trip to the Aran Islands (Inishmor, the largest of the islands). They Aran Islands are a group of 3 small islands off the coast of Galway. To get there we had to take a bus to the docks and then a 40 minute ferry ride. Once there, we rented bikes and toured the entire island. These islands are where many people still practice the traditional Irish way of living. The island is 18km long and 3km wide with a population of 800. They are known for making Aran sweaters...beautiful wool sweaters with different knitting patterns to symbolise selected attributes or wishes (e.g., love, prosperity, work, etc.). The island is made of of many small pastures seperated by stone fences. Each field would have 1-6 animals grazing. The islands are very rocky and don't have any natural soil to speak of. The residents have developed a technique of soil making where they mix sand and seaweed and allow it to compost. They have been quite successful as the island is very green. The island also has many historical sites including 9th century Roman graves (Roman students came to Ireland for their reputation for good education), early Christian church ruins, and a fort set on some large cliffs. I was most fond of the many thatched roof buildings and ruined stone houses. There are also many new and more modern looking homes on the island. The day was beautiful until it started to pour rain at about 3:00. We were on the extreme end of the island with no shelter to be found (we only saw one tree on the island) so had no choice but to keep pedalling until we found a small cafe to have a cup of tea. Unfortunately, the rain only got worse so we had to head back out in the storm to get back to the ferry docks. I was wearing jeans that apparently still had soap in them from the wash because they were foaming up at my knees and ankles as I pedalled. We had many laughs getting drenched but a very cold ferry and bus ride home.

Chicken on the doorstep

Donkeys

Mom riding in the rain

Goats climbing the stone fences

Old House

White Sand Beach!!! I didn't expect to see this and wished I had a swimsuit.

Thousands of the most colourful seashells I've ever seen.

Thatched Roof House

Soaking wet and on our way back into the rain

Connemara-

Our next trip was to go see the mountains. They are located about 100km north of here in Connemara National Park. We took a bus to a town called Clifden and planned on exploring from there. Unfortunately, when we arrived we found out that many of the transportation options for getting around the area end on Sept. 2nd for the winter. Although we could see them, we were not able to get close enough to hike in the mountains. Instead we hiked along the coast where we found the old Clifden Castle (former home of the founder of that town) and some standing stones. There were 5 in a row and I haven't been able to fully understand their purpose but it has something to do with them lining up at the winter solstice. We did another walk out into the country to see the lakes and peat bogs. My favourite part was being serenaded by a very agitated donkey. It was hilarious but he calmed down in time for me to scratch his ears and feed him some clover. The terrain in that area changes very quickly from barren peat bogs to dense spruce and pine forests to rocky mountains (the mountains here are totally bald right from the base). The main mountain ranges are the 12 Bens and the Maumturks. The highest of them is Benbaun which is at 730m (2400ft). There are no distinct or predictable patterns of transition from prairie to mountains or forest to alpine like at home. It's quite neat to see. The plants here are also very diverse. I didn't expect to see so many wildflowers and there are blackberries growing on every roadside and in every ditch. We stayed overnight in a B&B and again took in some great traditional Irish music. Next time I go back I'll rent a car so I can camp and hike in the mountains.

One thing that is really nice about Ireland is that despite the higher population density than I'm used to, it is very easy to escape the crowds to find the peaceful seclusion that we love so much in the mountains at home. People seem to stick to the cities so the countryside and coasts are very quiet. Even right in Galway, it is not hard to find a quiet spot at the beach.

Blanket bog with Roundstone Mountain in the background

Connemara Horses

Hiking trail along the ocean with steps built over farmers fences

Clifden Castle

Standing Stone

Inlet at Clifden

View of Clifden and the 12 Bens Mountain Range

Cow scratching his chin on a fence post

When we haven't been touring around the countryside, we have been exploring Galway and the University. The University (NUIG) is very beautiful. There are lots of old buildings and many lush green spaces. There is a stone wall surrounding the entire campus. Martin Sheene is a student here. He is starting his first year towards a degree in English Literature. We spent at day at the Galway beach because the weather has been very sunny and warm. I had a swim in the ocean, which was cold but fun (16 degrees celcius right now). There are nice beaches with great sandy swimming spots. The tides right now are the highest in 25 years so the city is on flood watch and there are disaster crews everywhere setting out sandbags and getting big pumps ready. Friday night the water was up to the top of the river banks and touching the undersides of the bridges but only just began to spill over when the tide turned. They say it will take the ideal combination of conditions (high winds and low pressure) to cause serious flooding. The forecast is that those conditions are unlikely and the high tides end tomorrow. That is a good thing because much of downtown is located below sea level. Here are a few more pics...

The River Corrib

Galway Swans

University Hospital Galway

The Quadrangle- NUIG

Main entrance- NUIG

Some Things I've Learned About Ireland...

• Many people still burn peat to heat their homes. It has a very strong smell (similar to a stale burned building or a campfire that has recently had water thrown on it). Often I can smell it through my open window when I wake up in the morning.



• The buses never run on time in the city. Sometimes they don't come at all. I think that the schedules they print are actually a list of the times the bus wont be at the stop. Frustrating.



• Irish people LOVE meat. Example: A 'full Irish breakfast' consists of 2 fried eggs, 2 rashers (bacon), 2 sausages, black pudding, white pudding, baked beans, fried mushrooms, broiled tomatoes and toast. This breakfast is not just for special occasions...it is served EVERYWHERE and people here eat it often. It's really a vegetarians dream.



• It takes a long time to get places in Ireland. The roads are very narrow and windy. However, the speed limits are still higher than you'd expect...The road in the picture below is hardly wider than a back alley.

Lots of people have been asking about the weather here. Since I've been here, the temperatures have varied between 10 and 22 celcius. It is very humid and it does rain often. We have had only 1 solid day of rain, a few days of off and on rain and several days of sunshine. It is generally quite windy. Often when it rains, it is just a brief shower and the drops are very small (almost like mist). The extremes feel more extreme. 22 felt very warm and 10 feels quite cool. The weather also changes very quickly. You definately need to carry an umbrella and a jacket all the time.

Well...that's all for now. Please keep e-mailing and posting comments on my blog. It makes my day to hear from friends and family. Love Kell

It's now been almost a week since I arrived in Galway. Mom and I are having a good time doing a whirlind tour of Galway and Western Ireland. We spent the first couple of days learning our way around the city and University and buying the things I need. It is funny to arrive in a new city and look at it in the light of living there....you don't usually look for the hardware store on your first day in a new country. We put on many miles walking all around town and are now easily able to find our way around on foot and using the bus system. My place here is fine but I was obviously not the student selected to live in the show suite that they use for promotional photos online! I have a very nice roommate from Iowa who is here for the year to do her masters in English Literature. Her name is Kim and we should get along great if she can just learn to drink tea with me. She's been practicing but has a long way to go as she had never heard of or seen a kettle before moving here. Once I was set up in my place here we started exploring the surrounding area. We spent Sunday at the cliffs of Moher and walking the Burren trail to a small village called Doolin and listening to local music in the pub. Monday Mom and I took the ferry to Inishmor, the largest of the Aran Islands. We rode bikes around the island, ate in a quaint little 'cafe' and got soaked in the rain. Today we spent the day shopping in Galway. For those of us that know us well, you will be amazed to hear that despite our best efforts the two of us did not manage to buy a single pair of shoes in this city (no lack of options, just no sizes). Tomorrow we are heading off to Connemara National Park where we will do some hiking and then catch the local mail boat to a small island called Inishbofin. Ireland is such a beautiful place and we have already had many great experiences. I will write about our fun in more detail when we return on Thursday. For now, here's a few pictures from our Adventures. Thanks to everyone for keeping in touch...I love to get messages from all of you. Love Kelly

Quay Street, Galway

Galway Bay- Where the River Corrib meets the Atlantic

Old Building on Inismor