Anna's Awesome Adventures!!!: July 2018

I'm still adjusting to sleeping in a small dorm bed, but more than that, getting used to constant traffic/people/city noise all through the night! My room is just a stone's throw from N22, a busy four-lane road that leads right into the heart of downtown Cork. Right as I would start to get comfortable enough to drift off to sleep, a host of vehicles would come by or people would come by shouting about something, and it seems to be happening right outside my window! Plus another student and I heard lots of loud banging (trying to open a door?) at 1:00 am, so sleep was not the greatest last night either unfortunately! I did catch a few off-and-on winks from about 3:00 to 8:00, at which point I just decided to get up, do a little reading in preparation for our lectures, and have a few oat biscuits and a vanilla Greek yogurt for breakfast. Then it was time to head over to the Geography Building on University College Cork's campus, approximately a 15-20 minute walk from our rooms. I LOVE how much walking there is around here, just naturally built into the day and required to get from place to place. I've consistently been logging at least 15,000 to 20,000 steps so far throughout each day, which is awesome. Also, the walking to get to and from dinners (and really anywhere/anything else) is quite relaxing. I will miss this routine when I get home!

Today's activities were entirely lectures by Colin Sage, a professor at the college and author with special interest in the environment and food. Except for a brief break to grab coffee/hot chocolate, stretch our legs, and an hour for lunch (I had chicken, a rice salad, steamed mixed vegetables, and water), we spent the entire day in lecture with him...so about seven hours. We covered so many topics from climate change and GMOs to sustainability and how to best feed the world. There was a TON of information to process, absorb, and think about, plus I am not used to sitting -- in class or otherwise -- for that long, so I think my (and a few other students') brains were in desperate need of a break once we were released at 5:15! There was a lot of good information shared with us in clear, understandable ways, and an important foundation was laid for the upcoming lectures and field visits. We decided to head into Cork for some dinner at Milano, Italian in Ireland as we laughed about! I had the Fiorentina pizza, brimming with spinach, mozzarella, tomato, garlic oil, black olives, Gran Milano cheese, and topped with a free-range egg! They even offered it (and many other pizzas) on gluten-free crust. Complete with a Watermelon Chill, a blend of strawberry/watermelon/apple juice and fresh mint, it was a superb meal. We took the long way back to our dorms, admiring the small shops tucked in side streets (practically alleys, they are so small) and the River Lee, which cuts through the center of Cork. It was a beautiful evening, pleasantly cool, to be walking and drinking in more new parts of this lovely city.

Fiorentina pizza

Enjoying the beautiful sights and River Lee after dinner

~Anna

Hi everyone!

I am writing to you from Cork, Ireland, where I will be for the next two weeks. I consider it such a blessing to have the privilege and ability to study abroad here, learning about the food, culture, history, culinary, and more parts of this beautiful country via lectures and field visits. I am traveling with a small group of students and our teacher from Fontbonne University in St. Louis, my home campus, as well as several retired/current health professionals (mainly dietitians, a dietetic intern graduate student, and a nurse), so we have a broad amount of different backgrounds, knowledge, and study abroad experiences coming into this class. I am six hours later than central time in the United States, so make sure to check my page regularly to keep up with our adventures.

Saturday, July 28 -- I arrived at the airport just before 4:00 pm, having spent the earlier part of the day wrapping up last-minute packing, taking a quick run with my miniature horse, and enjoying a lovely lunch with my fiance and his family. Checking my bag and getting through security was quick, and I was to the gate with plenty of time to spare. Two fellow students and I had a snack/dinner while we waited, then boarded the small regional jet for a prompt 5:45 pm takeoff. About two hours later, we landed in Toronto, where we had a three-hour layover to wander around and stretch our legs before boarding the huge Boeing 777 to "hop the pond." I know it is standard for flying so far, but having never been on such a large plane, I was quite impressed -- 10 seats across, two aisles, and personal screens for each seat complete with complementary movies, music, games, and a detailed flight tracker.

Sunday, July 29 -- Our inter-continental flight from Toronto to London took around seven hours. Although the seat next to me was empty, making for a pleasant surprise of additional room to stretch out, it's still difficult to get good rest on an airplane. I listened to lots of classical/orchestral music, laid my head on a pillow, and snuggled under the blanket, periodically peeking at the flight tracker to absorb all the cool details such as our ground speed, altitude, outdoor temperature, miles flown, miles remaining, and current location. Dinner, a snack, and another breakfast-type snack were served, but I was resting for all of them. We landed in London around 11:45 am, went through security and customs, and had a very brief waiting period before the queue began for the final leg of our journey, the flight from London to Cork, Ireland. This flight, barely over an hour, brought us to our final destination, and words can barely describe the relief and joy I had when the plane finally arrived at the gate and we exited directly onto the tarmac. Far off in the distance were lush, green, rolling hills, and the air was so fresh, clean, and cool, a welcome respite after hours of stale airplane/airport air! We took taxis to University College Cork (UCC) student housing, where we will be staying for the entire duration of our visit. Each student got their own room, with a bed, desk, full bathroom, and plenty of room to spread out and unpack. Every four rooms share a common area with couches, a dining table, and a full kitchen. We are responsible for our own breakfasts, as well as a handful of lunches and dinners, so it's nice to have a fridge, stove, microwave, and oven for anything we might decide to prepare. We had a nice amount of time to settle in and take showers before heading for a group dinner at Greene's Restaurant, a lovely upscale spot with impeccably-prepared plates. Dinner was a standard three courses, with multiple options to choose from each course. I selected a duo of Orchard Farm & Ardsallagh goat cheese for a starter, with the flavors of beetroot, candy walnut, and raisin puree melding together gorgeously. My main course was free range English Market chicken, deliciously moist and served with celeriac, bacon, tender stem broccoli, and red cabbage. Dessert was Woodruff Set Cream Pudding, a decadent and creamy perfectly-molded pudding served with black currant and crumbled pistachios. Tea or coffee with dessert is practically mandatory over here, so I had a nice cup of tea with sugar and milk served out of an adorable little glass bottle. Dinner was such an experience from so many dimensions, not the least of which was time (over 3.5 hours!). It was a very relaxing, enjoyable experience to get to know everyone and enjoy such a delicious feast for our first meal in Ireland.

Monday, July 30 -- Today I was up around 7:15, not having gotten the greatest sleep due to traffic and people noise all throughout the night right outside my window but eager to explore. Two other students and I went on a lovely walk across the street from our apartments, as well as the perimeter of UCC campus. We grabbed some breakfast staples at Centra, a corner grocery literally right next to our rooms, then had a quick bite (toast with jam, apple rice pudding, milk, and tea) before walking with our group to the UCC quadrangle, where we met Colin and Regina. They will be our course instructors and tour guides over the next two weeks, leading us on a culinary journey of Ireland through a variety of lectures, field trips, and restaurant visits. They gave us an excellent tour of the campus, providing its history interspersed with small previews of the upcoming lectures. Lunch was in the UCC dining hall -- a salad packed with kale, edamame, salmon, and brown rice; cream of vegetable soup; chips; and water. Following that and a quick exploration of Cork city center (basically their downtown), we were back at UCC campus for a two-hour introduction and orientation. We got to know each other and extensively went over the course syllabus/itinerary. There are a lot of interesting topics and field trips forthcoming, which I cannot wait to experience and share with you! Our day concluded with dinner (just us five students) at Liberty Grill, where I had a delicious lamb burger served with "chips" (America's version is called French fries, but these are MUCH less greasy and salty), as well as water and a Bellini (peach juice & lemon-lime soda). Walking to all of these places is fantastic because it helps us stay active, get our steps in, and experience the city from a different (much slower) perspective than we would if we rode in a taxi or bus or on a bike. I love everything I've experienced in Ireland so far and I cannot wait for each day to come, bringing more adventures!