My very first post...

Seeing as this is indeed my very first 'post,' I will apologize ahead of time for any lack of excitement! Let us begin though, shall we? I have spent an entire week in Dungarvan Ireland as of today; and I must say, leaving will be quite difficult if such experiences and memories continue to be made! Upon our arrival to Dublin we were greeted with incredible hospitality and amusement! I could not have felt more welcomed by such a wonderful town. From the civic reception held for us, the banners hanging in the busy streets of the center of town, the numerous friendly smiles of the people of Dungarvan, and who could forget our lil' gathering at the local Merry's bar...a warmer welcome simply could not have been given.
My schedule has been very relaxed given we our missing a professor...I have attended some of the symbology classes being taught and have done the readings from The Dubliners all the while getting to know my new environment! It truly has been wonderful. For our Irish Seminar class we traveled to and toured the Gaeltacht region of Waterford county and watched a documentary on the cadets who were present for JFK's funeral. I loved every second of that trip! Not only was the documentary absolutely fabulous, but seeing the countryside and visiting a local pub together afterward was something for the books! As far as the reading, this is the first time I have really sat and read James Joyce, and I love him! At first being thrown into random stories and immense emotions threw me off a bit; but the more I read and the more I understood his style of writing I have come to have a great appreciation for his stories. It is very easy, now that I have experienced a week in this lovely country to make his characters come alive and understand what is happening. At one point Joyce refers to a 'northern accent' one of his characters has and this immediately stuck with me. Many of the other students and I have discussed the differences in language since we have arrived. The different accents or the usage of words or even the speed!
I know this post is not full of riveting things...but I know that once we visit Lismore this weekend, once we travel through the countryside on Monday, and when we experience the exciting St. Patrick's day and parade I will have much more to write about. Thus far my daily walks in the hills surrounding our hotel and meeting new faces has undoubtedly been my favorite part of this past week. I can only imagine what the next nine weeks have in store...