Hurling: An Irish sport, not the aftermath of too much beer.

This wknd, Jenn & I were lucky enough to score tickets to the much anticipated semi-final Hurling game in Cashel. This would be my very 1st Hurling match, so I was stoked! I even googled the sport the night before so I wouldn't look like an idiot cheering at the wrong moments, or for the wrong team for that matter! The game was in Cashel, about a 2hr drive from Midleton. We hopped in the car around 11am, and I enjoyed the scenic mountain and hilly views as we drove! We drove thru little towns such as Holycross, my old High Schools name, and even saw the Rock of Cashel Castle. The castle itself is over 1000yrs old. I tried to get a quick snapshot of it, but it was raining and the Castle is under reconstruction so I will have to make a visit in a few months to take proper pictures!

We crossed some really beautiful bridges, and drove along really narrow roads, lined with stone walls and were surrounded by trees!

We arrived in Cashel around 1pm, and had time to kill before the big game kicked off. What to do? The pub of course!! The pub was PACKED with fans all dressed in red and white (Cork colors, which I approved of, being the same colors as Canada) I had some sort of cider beer. Tasted like apple juice and beer. It was alright..but plain beer is better I'd say!

Now, I had been sure to fold my ticket and put it in my pocket so as not to loose it @ the pub. Well...a classic Kayla momment...walking up to the stadium I was suddenly tapped on the shoulder by a sweet old woman handing me my ticket, saying it had fallen out of my pocket as I was walking. The irony? The very last RoughRider game I went to last year, the EXACT same thing happened. Thank god for the generousity of strangers who keep handing me my tickets. I can travel across the world on my own, not loosing plane tickets, yet when it comes to big sporting events..please hold onto my ticket for me!!

So, Hurling..is not the aftermath of too much beer as my fellow Canadians may think of it as, no, it is the biggest Irish sport in Ireland next to soccer. It's best explained as very similiar to Lacrosse. However the stick that they hold doesn't have a net, it is a flat piece of wood. The only equipment the team wears are helmets. Google it..it's easier explained that way!! hahaha

Here are some snapshots I managed to get of the big game.

We also went to the beach this week! It felt so good to be by the ocean again, the smell of the sea, and the cool crisp air! We brought along Alba, one of the dogs and she absolutely loved running in and out of the water, digging in the sand and playing fetch! We went for a walk along the waters edge, and eventually made our way back to the car.

I love you all, missing you in Ireland

 XOXO

Giraffes, Zebras & Kangaroos!

   I think I'm in love...with Fota Wildlife Park!! We went there yesterday and I was in my element! It was a photographers heaven!! The kangaroos run wild and are used to people being around, so if your careful, you can get real close for pictures!! We brought a picnic lunch and a baby kangaroo was snuggling its mama right beside us! It was ADORABLE!!      

There were so many giraffes, and it was nice to see that they really had so much space to run free! I would say they were my favorite! I don't think I've ever seen any of these animals in real life, our zoo in Saskatoon definitely is no comparsion to Fota!! We have a seasonal pass so you can be sure that I will be back, time after time!!

I'm convinced the giraffes in the photo are hugging -at least it's what I tell myself!! The zebras were pretty far off in the grass so hopefully next time I can zoom in a bit closer!! I also really enjoyed the monkeys on monkey island! There were 5 islands in all, and they would swing on the playground, having a grand ol time!! I like how in this photo, the monkey on the top is creeping on the mama monkey below who appears to be checking out her nails! Too cute!!

This week I also took the jaunt to Midleton, and found my way to Tesco! I was nearly struck by a car...traffic here is mad!! Crossing at the round-a-bouts is a tad scary too as no one seems to pay attention to the lights. I got to walk over a beautiful bridge above the stream, found some statues and eventually found my way to Tesco!!

Tesco is much like Superstore back home. It mainly carries groceries, but has your everyday things as well, along with some electronics and decor items! Its a fab store and the prices are pretty cheap, which is definitely a bonus!!! On my jaunt back home, I happened to find "Euro store" which is pretty much the European "Dollar store" I found the best t-shirt which I just HAD to buy!! It's your average store bought t-shirt so it will most likely be a pj top but anyways I love it!!! That's it for now, I'm off to buy fistfulls of postcards!!!

Love you all, missing you in Ireland

XOXO

Kayla

Sleepless in Ireland

    Jetlegg...it's a great thing isn't it?! Moving over here I went 7hrs ahead which originially i thought would be no big deal..wrong! The first few days were pretty rocky. I would be exhausted during the day and by night when I was really tired and headed for bed, as soon as I would lay down I would be wide awake, often not falling asleep until about 5am, and waking up @ 8am! Great stuff!
   I am definitely not in Canada anymore! For one thing, we wear our shoes in the house. This is something I aim to change. So far, were off to a good start! Another thing is we drive on the opposite side of the road and the steering wheel is on the right side of the car. Streets here are extremely narrow and the round-a-bouts are scary!!! All the vehicles here are "gear shift" and run on diesel. Now, I have never driven standard so this is a whole new level of scary for me!! I am studying to take my Irish drivers licence in a gear-shift, since many of the road rules and street signs are different than from Canada! eeek!!!
   The vocabulary is another adjustment. We both speak English but it may as well be a whole new language. Words like "the boot" is the trunk of a car. "Hoover" is a vacumn. "Fringe" is like bangs". "Passenger car" is a van. I brought this certain word up trying to figure it out. If you think about it, all vehicles carry passengers so why is a van called a passenger car?? Here they say "thats gas!" meaning thats hilarious, and a gas station is called a petro station! When it comes down to it 7/10 words here are different so its been very interesting learning all the new vocabulary!

   My 1st week here has been a busy one! On my 2nd night here I walked into downtown Midleton which is about a 10-15min walk and met Elena, a spanish au pair @ the main pub called McDaids. Its the only pub here open until 2am. All others close @ 12am, as it is illegal to serve alcohol after that! I have gone on many walks thru the country side, thur Midleton, just exploring and getting my bearings in check! Here is a picture of McDaids!

On Saturday, I walked into town and hopped the bus to Cork City. Its about a 30min ride by bus. I walked all along St. Patrick Street going into the different shops, and exploring on my own. They have many different stores here which is really neat to shop in, but also have the familiar Tommy Hilfier and Gap. All of the locals are very nice as well! I met Marcel, who works as a DJ and is a bodyguard for a local radio station..I think. I also saw a man who does memorial paintings of the King of Pop on the sidewalks every Saturday!!

I also visited the English Marketplace here in Cork, which is a major tourist attraction. It reminded me of the farmers market on Grande Ville Island in Vancouver with all the seafood, meats, cheeses, you name it they had it!!

    My family here is amazing!! We had a big family lunch on Sunday and Jennifers parents bought me some sweets and her sister Deb got my Champagne as a welcome to Ireland gift! They have really gone our of their way to make me feel @ home which has really helped!! My new neighborhood is so cute and quiet! My room is upstairs in the elcove, overlooking the backard with my own bathroom. It's nice to be able to escape once and awhile if I want, and they have also created a tv "tellie" room upstairs where I can have personal space.

Its off the bed for me!

I love you, missing you in Ireland

XOXO

Kayla

Bon Voyage!

The day finally came to say goodbye to friends, family, my home, and my comfort zone. It was time to start a new adventure, new experiences, and an oppertunity of a lifetime! It was an emotional goodbye @ the airport, but I managed to keep it together thru out my entire journey to my new home.

The flight to Calgary was short and painless, but the 5hr layover was not. I claimed my bags and had the pleasure of wheeling them around with me for 3 of those hours until I could check them. I had a bite to eat at "Chachi's" and met a man travelling to Africa on business. It was quite an akward conversation, but someone to talk to! Alas, I was on the flight to London, but it nearly didn't happen! Going thru security, I was held up because my boarding pass has somehow become invalid...how this happened I'll never know. Eventually they let me thru, and the grueling 10hr flight was loooong! I met a woman travelling home to New Hampshire, England who'd been in Banff visiting her sister. I watched the Blind Side, and tried to sleep but was very uncomfortable so I got about 2hrs sleep, waking every 15mins or so. In the morning I watched an episode of Friends until we FINALLY landed in London!


Our plane unloaded in the lot and we took a bus to terminal 5. I then took another bus to terminal 1, and tried to find my gate to check in. This was a task seeing as the boarding pass I was issused in Calgary only said my name, and that I was seat 14D. Gee..thats helpful seeing as I was in Heathrow airport that not only has 5 seperate terminals, but about a zillion wings, gates etc! Anywho, I found it after speaking with customer service and sitting for another 5hr lay over I met Cal from California. He noticed I must be Canadian, since I had been wearing my Canada hoodie, and had Maple Leaf identity tags on my bags. I told him it was so that the airlines wouldnt loose my luggage..then realized he was from the States! HA! He was a rather nice man so I talked to him for a good few hours. He offered to carry my bags for me but being overly cautious I carried my own damn bags! lol


The time came where I finally landed in Cork, my new home! Jennifer was there @ the gate to greet me. I was sooo nervous! Not only was I meeting my new 'boss' but I would also be living with this family whom I'd never met for the next year, had just travelled across the world, and was missing things from back home! Jennifer turned out to be really nice, and after grabbing my bags, I was finally 'home'.


Lets hope I made the right decision!!





I love you all. Missing you in Ireland


XOXO


K