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Published: October 16th 2008
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Ok . . . so now for a complete update of life in Galway. The Oyster Festival was just a teaser for those of you who don’t like to read too much of what we’re doing but just want to see cute pictures and know that we’re still alive. Well . . . we are . . . and here’s more . . .
Living in Galway So life at Studio 54 consists of daily adventures into Eyre Square to sit in the park and enjoy the brief moments of sunshine, nightly excursions into the local Pubs (The Quays and the Pucan especially) to meet up with our few friends, drink, listen to music, and watch futbol (Brian is in absolute heaven that he can get all the games all the time!) We venture across the road on occasion to watch the Greyhound races, which is an experience unto itself. Whole families, stag parties, hen parties, and ages young and old come out to the races. Everyone picks their dogs (Brian looks at statistics and I pick by awesome names! Ironically I beat him about 70%!o(MISSING)f the time by choosing dogs names “Princess Henny Penny” or “Death Tortoise.”) and
cheers at the top of their lungs in the hopes of making a few euro. Brian and I bet for chores around the apartment, which has worked out well since I dislike doing the dishes 😊 The funniest part is that kids can bet! So after a race ends, you see a group of 7 and 8 year olds scream and run up to the counter to collect their winnings. It’s a trip! All these little kids with lollipops hanging out of their mouths who can barely reach their noses over the counter saying, “Give me 2 euro on Moondancer!”
Brian and I spend most days applying for jobs, calling schools, going to bars (looking for work for Brian), and planning adventures. We’ve both taken turns cooking and surprisingly Brian has become quite an excellent chef. He always starts his nights with “I have the greatest idea . . . I’m not sure if its going to work, but I’m gonna try it anyways.” Eating in has saved us a bundle and its nice to feel like we are at home. We’re still getting the hang of the electric oven and have only burned through one pan so far
trying to figure out “how hot is too hot” on the settings. Thankfully there is always plenty of cereal around.
One thing about Galway, and Ireland in general that I love is how Earth-friendly it is. Ireland signed the Kyoto treaty and therefore has to do certain things in the next few years to make their country as Earth-friendly as possible. When you go grocery shopping you have to bring your own bags otherwise you purchase plastic or paper bags before leaving. After a few visits and shelling out extra money for bags you get used to bringing a reusable bag around. None of the bathrooms have paper towels either. There are hand blowers or reusable cloth towels at every restaurant, bar and gas station we’ve been to. Ultimately what Ireland needs to invest in is wind turbines. The amount of wind blowing through this country could power the rest of the world!
Our first Stag Party So before I get into teaching, I have to explain how Brian and I ran into our first stag party in Galway. A stag party is the same as a bachelor party, except in Ireland it’s pretty much the same as
going out on a Saturday night drinking with your lads. I happened to go down to the Pucan before Brian as he was still playing around the apartment, and I ran straight into twenty guys out on the town. I quickly whipped out photos of Brian and I together and explained that he was on his way. This warded them off for a bit until they decided that Brian and I both needed to come out with them for a night. They were relentless and is soon as Brian stepped in the bar and glanced my direction the room filled with cheers of, “Brian!!!!!” as the men grabbed him around the shoulder and guided him to the bar. So the rest of the night we ventured out with the guys, laughing, telling stories, and trying to understand their accents. We met new friends from Australia, Florida, and even San Luis Obispo. It was quite an adventure that ended late in the evening at the Pucan where Brian and I listened to music as we consoled our friend Kevin as he grieved over his lost his parents. There is something uniting and freeing about traveling. People seem more reachable, and we’re
uninhibited about talking to anyone around us. Everyday we meet new people of all ages and from various parts of the country and the world. Its truly magnificent.
Teaching in Galway So ultimately, I cannot teach in Galway, or Ireland for that matter. Schools are discouraged from sponsoring work visas for people outside of the EU, and as hard as I tried with all of my connections and prior contacts, things have just changed. It took a few days and a few tears, but I’ve accepted defeat. We tried getting PPS numbers (the equivalent of social security numbers), I applied for 12 different schools, several tutoring positions, several in-home adults with special needs programs, and several bars and restaurants . . . but all gave the same answer. But . . . my dream was not completely squelched. One school did take me in for a bit, and allow me the experience of teaching in an Irish school. St. Thomas’ National School in Peterswell Galway gave me the opportunity of subbing in for their resource teacher while she was out with a lung infection. I got to work with five different students of the seven on her caseload. Two
with hearing impairments, one with a visual impairment, one with cystic fibrosis, and one with mental retardation. The school itself has about 90 kids ranging from Pre-school through 6th grade. There are three classrooms: Pre-K - K, 1st - 3rd, and 4th - 6th. There are three teachers on staff, the principal, a speech teacher, and a resource teacher. The teachers all switch off between classrooms teaching different subjects throughout the day so that no one gets burned out on one class. The students are all required to learn in English and Gaelic as well as an introduction to one other language before going to secondary school. The students also have to learn about Irish culture including Irish dancing, tin whistle, and Irish history. When the students come to school, they take off their shoes and put them in cubbies by the front door and put on softer shoes for walking around the halls. That way if it rains while they’re outside playing, they always have nice, warm, comfy shoes to put on for the classroom. The office I had for my brief stay at this school looked out onto the Irish countryside and scones and tea were always in
the staff room. They even brought the older class tea for the last hour of the day. All in all it was an incredible experience, one that I’m very glad I had. I still have one visit left to the Abalta School (school for children with autism) tomorrow morning to enlighten my visit to Ireland.
So, all in all, I regret nothing. I tried. I tried until I exhausted every possible option available. One night a week ago, Brian and I were in our favorite pub hanging out with one of our friends Daithi and discussing our journey with one of his friends Paddy. I was explaining how we took a chance and at least I’ll never live with the regret of never trying. Paddy turned to me and said, “You are braver than I,” and it made me smile. A complete stranger acknowledging the risk of our adventure brightened my entire mood.
So what’s next? Europe! You still won’t be seeing us for awhile. We leave the second week in November for as long as the other countries will have us. And who knows . . . maybe we’ll make it somewhere else.
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