Starting Grad School

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever get my Masters.  I wasn't interested in it and couldn't afford it.  Now I'm getting it in Educational TECHNOLOGY.  unbelievable.

I'm getting a Masters of Arts in Educational Technology through Michigan State University.  I go to school for a month every summer for 3 summers and I have to take one on line class during the school year.  I did not have to take the GRE to get in and I don't have to write a thesis to get out :) This year the overseas program is held in Dublin.

It is being held at Dublin City University and we are staying in the dorms.  I live with 4 other women.  We each have our own room and bathroom but share a living room and kitchen.  I can't imagine students living here for a whole year.  The bathroom is the size of a cruise ship bathroom.  The room is even tinier than my dorm room in college.  The closet is laid out weirdly and there are NO drawers.

Jessica is in year 3.  The rest of us are year 1. She's really cool and laid back.  She's lived all over the world - just left Uganda, is delivering her baby in Uraguay in September and is moving to Chile this fall.  She is originally from Uraguay.  Blair is young and bubbly.  Only been teaching 2 years - she has boundless energy and is nice to everyone.  She teaches in Michigan.  Janine is from Wisconsin but is currently teaching in Jakarta (she is on the same 1st grade team as Mrs. Studtz - the wife of the man I replaced in India!) Laura is the person most like me I think.  She is from Wales but teaches in Seoul.  She's quieter and needs more alone time (like me and Jessica).  She teaches PE and is really nervous about school like I am.  It takes us a little longer to understand material.

Michele and Kristen are our instructors.  They are doctorate students at MSU.  They are super sweet and helpful.

There are 14 in our year one class and there is a good mix of overseas and Michigan people.

We go to school from 8:30 - 3:30 with an hour for lunch.  not bad.  and the teachers will stay after to help you.  after school I go workout then do homework and chat with my roommates.

This week we had a famous literacy specialist from Ireland - Bernadette Dwyer - come to speak with us, she was great.  We got to take a fieldtrip to Trinity College - one of the oldest universities in the world  - to see the Book of Kells.  It was a beautiful day!

We get to sign up for a topic for "unclass" time.  It is ungraded time but we are supposed to discuss a topic then present something to the group.  My topic is Flipping the Classroom.  Basically that means having the kids do the instruction/learning part at home and then doing the homework/practice part in class where I can monitor it.  We have a pretty good group and I am excited about it.

I have a school blog where I present my school projects if you want to check it out.
http://bobbijostaleymaet.wordpress.com/

On Saturday I went on a group trip to the Cliffs of Moher.  I had gone last week but signed up for this because most of the students were going and I thought it would be a good way to socialize. Also we got to go to this family farm that has been operating for 300 years.  One of the owners took us on a hike up their "mountain" and told us history and geological and biological information.  It was cold and raining.  Then we got to go to Grandma's house on the property where family members bake pies and cheesecake and you can sit in the living room by a fire :)  We were supposed to go to Galway but there was a boat race going on and we couldn't get there due to traffic.  So the guide took us to another town to get dinner.

We went through a town that I've been through before where they hold a Match Making Festival every September.  Tons of people from all over the world come to get matched up by a 4th generation matchmaker.  :)

We left at 7am and got home around 10pm - long long day.

Ireland Day 4 Bunratty and cliffs of Moher

Ireland Day 4 Bunratty Castle and the Cliffs of Moher

I stayed at Noraville House B and B for a second night.  The mother/daughter pair that stayed there with me last night left to stay at a place closer to the center of town so I was on my own.  Eugene got up early to make me a continental breakfast since I was getting picked up at 7:15 which was before he makes breakfast.  Ed and Marie were in the car and we were the last to get on the bus.  The bus was packed and I sat with David again. He was one of the 13 people from Seattle who went to the Isle of Mann on business (they raise trout eggs and sell them around the world).  We rode to Limerick and met people coming on the train from Dublin.  They transferred us to a bigger bus since there was 51 of us. 

Our first stop was Bunratty Castle.  It was completed in 1425 and was still in great shape.  You could actually tell that it used to be a home – unlike Blarney Castle which seemed like an awful place.  There is a Folk Park at Bunratty – they found buildings still standing in the area from that time and took them apart brick by brick and rebuilt them so you could see what a typical town would look like.  It was great to walk around.  I wish I’d had more time to explore.  The castle serves medieval feasts at night and you can make reservations to eat in the great hall with music etc – sounds like fun!

Bunratty Castle

drive from Cliffs to Galway

After Bunratty we drove to Doolin where we ate lunch at a pub called O’conners. They specialize in making food really fast for bus groups.  They sold traditional soups, stews, fish and chips etc.   Our tour guide always tells us to be on time and that he’ll wait a few minutes but we have to stay on schedule because to have to catch a train in the evening.  After lunch we were missing a person – he waited, he asked around to see if anyone knew who was missing.  He even called my name to make sure I was there.  He knew I was by myself, but I make it a point to make friends on these tours so people notice when I’m gone!  We ended up leaving without the person which some people think is harsh, but he said to be on time.  We got to the Cliffs of Moher and by the time we left there, the person had been located and put on another Railtours bus and was back on track – they were one of the new people that joined us today.  The Cliffs were amazing.  No wonder they are the top outdoor attraction in Ireland (indoor is the Guiness factory J  It was cold and windy.  I actually put my jeans on in Limerick today – I couldn’t stand it anymore. 

The Burren

Cliffs of Moher

After the Cliffs we drove to Galway through the Burren, which they pronounce “Burn” It is a “unique lunar landscape of limestone” and was described in 1649 by one of  Oliver Cromwell’s men as “ No tree to hang a man, no water deep enough to drown him and no soil deep enough to bury him” We got to Galway and grabbed some dinner – you can bring food and alcohol on the train.  It was about a 3 hour train ride and I sat with Dave and Kara – a very nice couple from the states – she’s an art teacher so we discussed education.  There was wifi on the train so I got to load some pics post a blog.  We enjoyed the scenery and saw LOTS of rainbows and occasionally someone would spot a patch of blue in the sky J  Kara showed me how to take the tram to my hotel and I got there a little after 9.  I am in the Temple Bar area so it is loud.  I have to get up early for my tour tomorrow so I hope it quiets down.  

Ireland day 5 Celtic tour

I stayed at the Mercantile Hotal in the Temple Bar area and didn't like it as much as the Jury Inn. It was much louder and the people weren't as nice. I got up and walked to the nearby tourist office on Suffolk street to join my Extreme Ireland tour of Celtic sites. It was ok, but I didn't enjoy it as much as the other tours. I don't know if it was the guide, the other tourists or the sites themselves. We were on a small bus - there were only 10 of us. We drove throu the Boyne valley. Out first stop was the Hill of Tara.

It was the political and spiritual center of Celtic Ireland. The hill was the seat of the high kings. There is a statue there of st. Patrick who converted the area.

We got to go in a passage tomb and see the carvings. I am hoping to get to New Grange where there are supposedly great ones. We went to Trim Castle in Trim which was a Norman stronghold on the Boyne river. It was freezing cold but we walked around the castle. Trim was the backdrop of Mel Gibson's "Braveheart"

 We visited Clonmacnoise a medieval monastery. There were some beautiful Celtic Crosses there. Scenes from the Bible were carved into them to teach the Bible to illiterates.

 We stopped at a pub near Slane for lunch. It was warm and served turkey,stuffing, carrots, and mashed potatoes. thanksgiving on the last day of June! Hill of Slane is where st Patrick is said to have lit the paschal fire as a challenge to the pagan high king of Tara. The event symbolized the triumph of Christianity over paganism.

 Our last stop was Drogheda. It is a Norman port near the mouth of the River Boyne. St. Peter's catholic church is there and house the head of Oliver Plunkett, an archbishop martyrred in 1681. He was hung and drawn and quartered and the pieces of his body burned but a follower got his decapitated head and it is on display in the front of the church by the alter. Weird.

St. Oliver's head is in there!

Supposedly a Relic of the True Cross

 Got back the Dublin around 6.Got some food, walked around and read my boom "leaving microsoft to change the world" from the guy that started Room to Read.

Ireland Day 3 Ring of Kerry

Ireland day 3 Ring of Kerry

I slept really well in a very comfy bed.  The shower had great hot water even though there are 8 people staying here right now.  Eugene served toast, a poached egg, sausage, ham, tomatoes, and OJ.  I asked where I could buy a new umbrella since mine blew inside out multiple times yesterday – he said don’t bother.  Stick with the pancho because umbrellas are useless in the wind J  Our van picked us up at 9:30 to take us into town and we had some time to walk around before the coach left at 10:30.

The Ring of Kerry is a driving tour around the County Kerry.  The busses are only allowed to drive in one direction so that busses don’t have to pass each other on very narrow winding roads!  People were freaking out about how close vehicles were etc.  I am not phased by it!  Mumbai has made me immune!  It was a nice day, but we didn’t see anything major – just a lot of nice scenery.

We did get to see a sheep dog demonstration - they showed how a few dogs can control a whole herd of sheep - it was pretty interesting.

traditional Irish stew

I am enjoying the people on the tour and I’ve found of couples that are willing to let me eat with them etc! 

Ireland day 2 Cork, Cobh, Killarney

Ireland Day 2

I booked a 3 day tour with Rail tours Ireland so I had to be at the Heuston station at 6:35am.  There were lots of people going on different tours so at each train stop a guide got off with certain people.  I rode the train all the way to Cork.  I sat with a girl named Tracy from Oregon who was here visiting a friend (He is an American teaching in Kuwait and had her meet him here on his layover on his way home. ) I asked what kind of job she had.  None now – Her father had several strokes and has been in a care facility for 10 years, her brother is bi-polar and a drug addict.  Her mother died last year and she is taking care of the family now and just couldn’t handle the commute.  She’s been out of work for 6 weeks she said once she sells her mom’s house and finishes some legal stuff she’ll go back to work.  Whew!  You never know what other people have to deal with!  The ride to Cork was almost 3 hours.  We got on a bus and went to Blarney to see the castle.  It was built in 1446 for Dermot McCarthy.  There are 127 steps up to the top where the stone is.  The stairway is ridiculously steep and narrow!  It took forever because when people kiss the stone, they have to take off all their jackets, glasses, hats etc because they have to bend over backwards to do it.  There is a guy that helps people get down and up – what a horribly boring job!  I went up to the top to see the view, but did not kiss the stone.  I already have the gift of eloquence J  The grounds were amazingly beautiful – lots of trees and grass.  Besides the castle there is Blarney House – A Scottish baronial mansion and the residence of the Colthurst family since the 18^th century.  There is a “poison garden” behind the castle.  It’s an “educational collection of poisonous plants from around the world including ones from Harry Potter likes the Wolfsbane and the Mandrake.   I had lunch at the mill – a “bacon and egg pie” yummy!

We left at 1:30 and took a short tour of Cork in the bus.  It has a population of 140,000 which is the 3^rd largest in the country (Dublin and Belfast are bigger and Belfast isn’t part of the Republic anyway) After Cork we stopped at Clommel (Old Church) Cemetery.  There were incredibly old graves there including mass graves from the Lusitania. 

Next we went to Cobh – pronounced Cove. It used to be called Queenstown and was the last port of call for the Titanic.  The White Star Line office is now a museum.  There are still remains of the dock that people boarded the titanic from.  A lot of people Emigrated from Ireland especially during the potato famine.  3 million people left from this spot.  There are more people with Irish ancestery in the US than in Ireland. J  The population of Ireland decreased drastically during the famine and never recovered.  There are less people living in Ireland now than before the famine!  There is a memorial set up for Anne Moore – the first Irish person to register as a immigrant at Ellis Island (there is a statue there too) She was 17 and went with her two younger brothers to meet their parents – she received a$10 as a reward for being the first through Ellis Island.   Cobh is the home of the Irish Navy – there are only 15,000 people serving in the Navy.   We visited St. Colman’s Cathedral which was pretty astounding and there were some really cool houses nearby that the locals call “the deck of cards”

We caught the train at 4:15 and went to Mallow, then switched trains and went to Killarney.  I sat with Ed and Marie – a couple from Bolingsgreen KY.  He is a professor there but took a year sabbatical and has been studying in the UK – they have two weeks left before they have to move back to the US.  His arm is in a sling because he fell 3 MONTHS ago down some stairs  - they are staying in a gatehouse of  a castle or mansion or something. 

A van picked us up to take us to our B and Bs or hotels.  Killarney is adorable!  I am staying at Noraville B and B run by a guy named Eugene.  I have a cute little room with a bathroom.   I walked to Killarney National park – it was gorgeous!  I walked for 5 or 6 miles and visited a castle in there called Ross Castle.  It was closed but I wandered around.  I walked back to Killarney city center and it was deceptively late –aabout 9pm and a lot of the restaurants stopped serving food.  After another place told me they were not serving food she suggested I go to Burger King.  Augh!  But it was 100% Irish Beef and the fries were Irish potatoes so does that count as an Irish meal?!  I had asked Ed and Marie on the train if I could eat with them but we got separated at the B and Bs – maybe tomorrow I can eat with someone.  I did listen to some live Irish music in the courtyards.   I got back to the B and B at 10:15 and it was still light out.  I can hear rain falling and I am exhausted.  Going to call it a night and get ready for another adventure tomorrow.

Off to Ireland

On Sunday a bunch of family members had lunch at my Aunt's house.  I haven't seen most of them in 18 months - last Christmas.  We had a great time catuching up.  There were lots of questions about India.  My cousin kept asking "when you say there is garbage everywhere, what do you mean?" I just reply with "There. is. garbage. everywhere."  He asks "like there is garbage bags full of garbage everywhere?"  NO!  it's like people get done with something and just throw it on the ground!!  Most of my family are firmly resolute in the fact they will never come to India!

My dad hurt his leg lifting 100 pound beams (go figure)  so we took it easy and watched Northern Exposure the last couple of days.

I picked up Jimmy Johns to eat on the plane.  My flight from Bloomington was delayed so I was the very last person to get on the flight at O'hare.  whew!  Sat next to a very nice Irishman who gave me the aisle seat when I asked :)   It was a pretty turbulant flight but we made it to Dublin at 8am on time.  There were hundreds of people in line at immigration and I flashed back to the same line at US immigration and the HOUR I spent in it.  this was the fasted immigration line EVER!  The Irish just said "Hi!"  and let every person in without a fuss!  sweet.  I got a very chatty cab driver to take me to Dublin City University.  I was supposed to drop off my big suitcases so I don't have to haul them around.  I was misdirected several times and finally just took them with me to my hotel for the night.  I got on the internet to contact someone to see where I was supposed to leave the bags.  Found a different   cab to take me back there to deliver them.  Those cabs cost A LOT.  I am not in India anymore!

The first cab driver was awesome.  The Irish people were so nice and I see American flags waving like I did in Israel (the countries that start with I seem to like us!  Iran needs to jump on the bandwagon!) He said "If America sneezes, Ireland gets pneomonia!"  ha!  He asked me how many US presidents I've seen - not on TV but at an actual event or something.  I was running in River Oaks when Bush Sr. left his house and drove by me.  Does that count.  He has seen SEVEN American presidents speak - whenever they come to Ireland everyone whats to see them!  He gave opinions on Romney and Obama.  He told him how bad the economy is here - places shut down - no work available.  He said that people are leaving, but no longer for the US because they are in the same situation.  They are having a drug problem - heroin etc.    He said "In India they have sacred cows, right? If one gets in the road people just wait for it and go around, right?  Well, here we have sacred vehicles.  (He points to a Guiness truck unloading on the curb) Anyone else would get a ticket, but these truck are allowed to do whatever they want.  They are our sacred animal"  HA!!!

When I was in Israel 95% of the men were HOT! Here, many are hot, but they all SOUND hot.  Seriously an Irish accent is to die for :)

I got to walk around the main downtown part.  It is cool here - high 60s and I only brought one pair of jeans.  I have capris I hope it is enough.  should have brought more, but I was trying to save room in my suitcase for bringing things back from the US.  Hopefully I will get a better handle on this packing thing....

lllinois and Kentucky

My Dad met me at the airport and took me to Avantis to get a Gondola :)  We went for a walk and I enjoyed the quiet country cornfields.  The next morning we went for another walk and while dad worked on the house, I worked on sorting out my suitcase disaster.  I bought a lot of stuff in Texas - spent over $1000 in a WEEK.  I had to got to the eyedoctor.  I had to get medicine that I have a hard time getting in India and my insurance wouldn't pay for 90 days so I had to pay like $100.  I bought workout shoes, 4 pairs of dress shoes, dress clothes, workout shoes, toiletries, etc....


On Wednesday Dad drove me to Indianapolois where my brother-in-law Ben was going to meet us and pick me up to take me to Lexington KY.  I got to spend 9 days with Ben and my sister Brianna and my niece Charlotte.  They live in a quiet residential neighborhood in Lexington - I went on a lot of long walks and a few jogs :)  I'd get up and play with Charlie before her morning nap.  Then we'd play again before her afternoon nap.  In between, Bri and I would run errands with her.  She loves it when aunt Bob sits in the back with her! We played in the park, went swimming, read books, etc.

Bri and Ben have been so sweet letting me stay for over a week at their house!  They live in a section of Lexington KY that is beautiful and very close to rural areas. 

Bri and I went to a Shaker Village nearby.  Tons of Shakers lived there for 100 years.  One Shaker village still exists in maine.  There are only 3 Shakers left. 

Bri and I also took a morning to see a movie - What to expect when you are expecting - she said it is the first one she's seen since having Charlotte.