Now, of course, my internet has stopped working again. I've heard rumors that Skype isn't allowed on the school network, and I'm not sure what I'll do if I actually have to pay for phone bills. Perhaps I'll try to find some illicit wireless.
I ended up going to the Church of Ireland (Anglican) this morning. The service was mostly familiar, but I noticed that one of the first songs in the hymnal is the Butterfly Song... I wonder how many times the priest makes them sing it.
I still haven't really met many Irish students since almost all of them won't get here until tonight. The fire alarm went off twice while I was in the apartment yesterday, and the half hour I spent each time waiting for Security was spent getting to know my neighbors. Mostly I'm hanging out with the other Butler students. One who is a much better cook than I is having everyone over for dinner tonight.
Yesterday and today I've been having fun going shopping. They do have "USA style" peanut butter, my biggest concern before leaving the country. Pretzels don't really seem to exist, though. And while some people have made it their goal to try all of the different Irish alcoholic beverages while they're here, I'm attempting all of the Irish/British brand candy bars. So far I've been having a lot of Cadbury.
I haven't taken pictures yet of campus. The North Campus is pretty hideous (the main building is made out of some sort of orange and blue sheet metal), but the South Campus is gorgeous. Maynooth started out as a Catholic seminary in the 1700s, and the South Campus still has some of the original buildings. Everything is more or less matching old stone. There's also a statue of the Pope outside John Paul II Library, which closes each evening at 9:30 and is only open on the weekends from 9-12 Saturday morning. The school is definitely not designed for American study habits. I'm annoyed in general with the administration, mostly for the internet, but their hours of operation, registration process, and general inaccessiblity are up there.
On the other hand, there are some advantages apart from the scenery and really cool accents. I have my own bathroom (and room) for one, and the room is actually equipped with a full length mirror and more than enough shelf space. I can take beginning language courses for just a semester if I want, and cell phones are cheap enough to be worth it.
Next weekend I won't have to deal with the abandoned campus, as I have a 3 day homestay. I'm going to Tuam in Co. Galway. I'm really excited to be able to spend some time in western Ireland. We also have a trip to Delphi and Northern Ireland later on in the semester. I'm starting to look at other incidental trips to visit friends who are studying in Europe.
Rowing doesn't seem like it's going to happen-- it doesn't appear on the list of active clubs. I have been running, though, and at Fairs Day on Oct. 3 I'll try to sign up for some other sports. They do have a few ergs in the gym, which I'll have to utilize if I don't want Justin to kill me in January, but there's some sort of fee to get in.
It's drizzling again. At least I don't have to worry about snow storms...