From Celtic mythology to surfing on the west coast – taking advantage of all Ireland has to offer

Enjoying the surf off the coast of Ireland

Monday was our first day of classes at National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG). We woke up to the sun shining for the first time since we had arrived in Galway, what a wonderful way to start the week.

These first two weeks are used to kind of shop around to see what sort of classes you may like to take. It feels odd not having registered months in advance like I’m used to at ASU. A lot of back and forth went on between myself, ASU, and Butler regarding how many classes I need to be taking. So stressful.

In the end it was determined I only need to take five (just like normal back home), a fact I am beyond thrilled about. I feel sorry for all of my fellow students who need to take six, good luck to them. I managed to schedule no classes on Fridays, thereby leaving my weekends free for trips.

Here are the classes I will be taking during the semester:

1. Celtic Mythology, Religion, and Folklore
2. The Development of Medieval Castles
3. Forensic, Abnormal, and Clinical Psychology
4. Northern Ireland: The Politics of a Divided Society
5. Poverty, Crime, and Gender in Europe, 1778-1914

Tuesday was Societies Day, where students can sign up for groups they’d like to participate in during the year. I signed up for quite a few, many of which I probably won’t even have time to get to. Some of the Societies I joined include: Harry Potter, Photography, Archaeology, Irish Studies, Volunteering, Traditional Music, Comedy, Nothing Specific, and International Students.

Thursday was Clubs Day, which was basically the same thing except geared more towards sports and athletics. Again, my friends and I signed up for probably way more clubs than we will ever have time for.

Peer pressure at its finest. I joined Softball, Badminton, Archery, Skydiving (only 220 Euro for your first solo jump), and Surfing (just because the guy was a ginger).

After signing up for the clubs we decided to try our hand at archery, as there was a group practicing on the other side of the gym. In three attempts I managed to shoot all around the target but never hit the bull’s-eye, even though we were only about ten feet away. So sad. I blame these elbows. Shout out to Tiffany though, who hit the bull’s-eye on her third attempt. Looks like we have a Robin Hood in our midst.

Aside from a few frustrating moments it was a really fun week getting my schedule figured out and beginning to fall into some sort of routine. I also rented a bike today which will make the commute to school much quicker, although I will no longer get to say hello to Fred and George (they’re horses) every morning. I’m definitely going to be keeping busy with all the clubs and societies I joined as well! I have a sneaking suspicion these next five months are going to fly by.