Westwind

Labor Day.

I was invited by Todd to go to this camping trip. Well, it wasn't really a camping trip because there were cabins, but there were sleeping bags. I absolutely loved it there. 3 days of relaxing, reading, eating, playing games, and strolling on the beach. They were also days of alcohol consumption for a lot of the parents. I mean why not? Todd and I got some cidre and walked a lot on the beach.
West Wind is sort of private beach area close to Lincoln City. We took a boat across a river to get to the area. There was a nice main cabin in which everyone settled all their chairs and used the dining tables for games and reading.

It was absolutely lovely. I hope to go next year.

Cheers,

Claire

La Normandie

So, I've been in France for the last 2 weeks. Here was the view from the plane flying into Rennes from Dublin.

I've spent a lovely 2 and almost a half weeks in Normandie visiting my grandparents, cousins, other relatives, and my uncle in the south of France.

Maybe I'll write about it at some point when I'm back in the states.

Cheers,

Claire

Cork and the Blarney Stone

Friday I went to Cork and the Blarney Stone.
We took one of those just a bit too expensive tour buses that was really nice anyway. It was leaving at 6:50 in the morning. Disaster was spelt when I woke up at 5:30, the time I was suppose to meet my friends to catch a Taxi in which the meeting point was 30 minutes away. I ran, didn't make it, and took my own taxi. The taxi driver got me there in 8 minutes.
The first stop was Rock of Cashel. It was really beautiful. The roofs were long gone but the grandeur of the height of the building was still there.
The second stop was Blarney Castle. Yes, I kissed the damn blarney stone, because it took a bloody 45 minutes to get to the top. So why not. I felt my immune system crying to me after. Despite that, it was a beautiful site. The Blarney Castle is surrounded by gardens, a lake, and some other cultural things like a Fairie camp. After kissing the stone, we went through the poisonous garden. There was a mandrake.
The last stop was Cork! It was a dreadful day because it was cloudy and humid. Not very nice. We hadn't really planned anything out so we roamed around. We went to a TopShop/TopMan, a sex shop, and ended with soft ice-cream on a cone. All in the 1 hour and 30 minutes we were there. It was really interesting to be there since a lot of the turmoil during the war for independence.

More pictures after the cut!

Hello Ireland | Cliffs of Moher

One our very last day in Galway we headed to the Cliffs of Moher! We were so excited to get there. However because of lack of proper planning or time management we were only able to stay at the Cliffs of Moher for a measly 1.5 hours! Terrible. Despite that we were able to see some of it and enjoy the nice day. Before that we went to the beach where several people decided to take a swim with a bathing suit or with their clothes.

It was so nice to be at the beach and just by the sea in general. I'm really enjoying that Dun Laoghaire is a costal town. I really like being able to walk by the sea every once in a while whenever I like. Living in Eugene Oregon, I don't normally get that luxury during the year because it is a blasted 2 hour drive. Not exactly worth it.

Overal, I'm really enjoying my time in Ireland. I never learned the history of Ireland until the past three weeks. School doesn't do a very good job talking about history of other countries. The only things I've actually learned about Ireland is immigration and famine. In a way there is so much more, but at the same time it is a lot about the resistance of the British and viking raids.

Cheers,

Claire

Hello Ireland | Bray Swans

My friends and I went to Bray for some filming. We ended up with the swans and making the very last DART train into Dun Laoghaire.
It was surreal how many swans kept coming to the shore. They were probably just trying to show off their numbers.

Cheers,
Claire

Hello Ireland | Galway

Here are my videos for this past weekend's trip to Galway! Read about my Galway experience HERE!

It was my friend Alex's birthday on Saturday so of course we went out for drinks and food! I don't drink at all so it was mostly the food I was after.

Enjoy and Cheers!

Claire

Hello Ireland | Clonmacnoise

On our way to Galway we stopped by Clonmacnoise. We only stayed for 30 minutes so we couldn't really enjoy the area as much as we should have.

We saw a bunch of cows. Some friends and I took a bunch of selfies with the cows. Someone tried to pet the cow, but it just wasn't having it, hence the cow standing in the distance in disdain. The graveyard was really beautiful. There was a ruin of a church and I even found a bowl with euros in it. It was right beside a river; it was a very nice resting place.
However I had trouble with it. I felt because it was a graveyard that it should have a bit more boundaries, especially for the older graves. The way there were so many people littering the area was shameful. That's my two cents.

I'm really glad we received heritage cards. Heritage cards are cards that allow you to visit "heritage sites" for free! It was part of our program package. I'm going to make good use of it this weekend when my friends and I museum hop. We're going to the Book of Kells, Dublin Castle, the churches, and other small museums we can fit in a day!

Cheers,
Claire

Swimming in the Irish Sea

Last week some friends and I went swimming in the Irish sea. Everyone said we were crazy because oh no it was raining, but we surprisingly had lovely weather so jokes on them. Anyway, Shelby and I have decided that we will swim rain or shine because you're not always going to get the weather you want.
I couldn't take video because I was too busy jumping off the pier as shown by the photographs below. It was freezing! However, thank goodness my body numbed up a bit and the farther we went into the bay, the warmer it was. It also helped to just jump in! The cold does take a toll on the body because all I wanted to do when I got out was to collapse, I mean lay down.

We're going swimming right after classes today at a place right by the one above! It's called the Forty Foot and it looked like a glorious swimming area!

Cheers,

Claire

Hello Ireland | Jon Bethel & Galway Film Fleadh

Hello!
I got back from Galway just yesterday evening. I haven't been posting or making videos because you know, life is being lived.
In Galway, we went to the Galway Film Fleadh or the Galway Film Festival. It was glorious. We went up on Friday and watched three movies right in a row. That was the worst thing in my life. I had a monster of a headache for the 3rd film and I felt I couldn't enjoy it as much as I should.

The three films we watched were Stay, Reefer and the Model, and the world premier of Glassland. My favorite was Stay. I just really enjoyed the dynamics and the characters. All the films were very child to parent oriented, which was super interesting.

The second day, Saturday, we went to two sessions for a few shorts. The first one was Brown Bag Retrospective. This was an animation production company based in Ireland. The founders explained the company's origins and had chosen shorts that showed their progression as animators and as a company. It was really interesting to see how they progressed through the past 10 years. I especially loved their short Granny Grim about an old granny who twists the plot of Sleeping Beauty to the chagrin of the child in bed.

The second session were Irish films. There were nine in total. My absolute favorite was an authentic Irish film in that it was funded by the Irish Film Board and the language spoken was Gaelic. It was called Céad Ghrá, or First Love. I thought was really cute and interesting how they made it being gay as a fact of life in the eyes of a 10-year-old boy.

More on the trip in another post. I leave you with my recent Hello Ireland featuring Jon Bethel during a performance portion in a contest in a moving bus.

Cheers,

Claire

Hello Ireland | Trim Castle

Part of yesterday's excursion was going to Trim! We visited Trim Castle. It was a really interesting tour. We started on the main level with a few models to show us how the keep progressed through the years, with the addition of various defenses and levels. Our tour guide showed us on the walls where things would have been or when extensions were added. It was really cool to see the models first so when we got to each room we would have a good idea of what we were seeing. The models kind of skewed my perceptions of each room. For some reason I thought it was a lot bigger.
The grounds around the keep were also very cool. We had a nice view of the lot from the top of the keep. There was a little river on the side, practical when the keep was still in use. There was also a layer of defense of a wall and then a ditch.
After our tour we went to the ticket office for BraveHeart photographs because the film was shot there. It was cool to see the progression of building the set using Trim Castle as the location. We could also see little Mel Gibsons in a few of the photographs since many of them were taken from a distance.

It wasn't much, but it was interesting and I hope I've made it lovely.

Cheers,

Claire

Hello Ireland | Hurling Championship

Today I went to probably my 4th sporting event ever in my life. It was Ireland's own sport, hurling. We watched Dublin vs Kilkenny in the hurling regional championship! We met up around 2 and walked over as a big group. It was so much fun to see how many people had team jerseys and accessories. There were a lot of people on the side of the road selling headbands, scarves, hats, flags, and more on the side of the road towards the stadium.

For those who do not know what hurling is, I shall link you to the wikipedia page. Coming from the United States, hurling is a mix of American football, soccer, and water polo. The players were so unbelievably fast! I was super impressed with their speed and their thighs too. It was really rough and intense; I felt I was watching 30 dogs run after the same white ball, but with sticks.

We were sitting relatively close to the field. This came with a downside because of the weather. It started pouring right as we settled in our seats for the junior match. Thankfully I had my umbrella so I covered my legs and avoid major dampness. Plus the weather brightened up for the rest of the game after that!
Hurling is probably the only sport I would actually be willing to see live.

Cheers,
Claire

Hello Ireland | Howth

Howth. It is a coastal fishing town about an hour away via DART from Dun Laoghaire. It is pretty and quaint. I went there with a couple of friends. We had some lunch, or more like I came late and freeloaded. Then we walked the pier, which was freakishly cold, but lovely. To the right was the sea and to the left was the port; the sea is so vast and dark blue. We walked all the way to the end and encountered an accordionist along the way. He played "La Vie en Rose" and it got stuck in everyone's heads. On the way back Shelby and I danced to the music making the accordionist smile.
It started sprinkling at some point so obviously it was the perfect time to get ice cream! We went to a shop called Maude and I got a chocolate ice cream cone. It was nice, but I still prefer Teddy's soft vanilla ice cream. We then went looking for the local castle. Along the way, we found the farmer's market. It was small with a lot of food stalls. I ended up buying some of this nice tea called Cloud Nine.
The group split up because one found a church where someone's house parents got married at and the other went to the castle. The church was really pretty with roses on each side of the doorway. My group went to find the other group at the castle. To be honest it wasn't much of a castle. Apparently it is a culinary school now.
We took more pictures and headed back to the DART station. Shelby and I decided to stay a bit longer just to enjoy one of the many walks Howth offers. We had bad luck because a third of our way into the walk it started pouring and hailing. Thankfully Shelby had an umbrella or we would have soaked. Note to self: bring at least an umbrella everywhere.

Later that night I met some friends at a pub in Blackrock. It was called The Wicked Wolf. I played pool and apparently won. Then the whole lot decided to go into town for some clubbing. It was awful. It was only awful because I'm not the kind of person to go into a club at all anyway. Plus the music was bad. Some few of us (actually five of us) found a wall to stand by.
Later I left with four other people. The others wanted to go onto this other club called "Crystal", but since I already had a headache and the smell of cigarette smoke was killing me, it was time. It was really nice because the five of us went into Sparo (a convenience store of some sorts) and bought sandwiches. We talked super loudly in the bus and went home.

And I leave you with my happy feet:

Cheers,
Claire

Hello Ireland | IADT + After-School Adventures

As you may or may not know, I am studying during my time in Ireland. I'm taking a History of Irish Cinema class and a production class. We are attending our classes at IADT or Institute of Art, Design,  and Technology. The campus is relatively empty because it is summer time. This school is located in Dun Laoghaire, about a 30minute DART ride into Dublin City.
It's really nice because we are by the sea, we can take the DART, bus and whatever else transport system anywhere around. It's really convenient. My home stay is actually really central to several places: a DART station, buses that go into town, and a reasonable walking distance too anywhere. It's really nice.
My friends and I roamed around campus and found a beautiful tranquil garden with lavender. It made sense later on why the lavender was there because when I walked there the next day, There were benches that had relaxation and contemplation written on the sides. A very peaceful area away from the craziness of schoolwork.

Because I am writing this the next day from when this should have been posted, I am going to Howth for half of the day. It promises to be very beautiful.

I suppose you should expect a video tonight, but I don't know yet.

Cheers,

Claire

Hello Ireland | Dublin Tour

Dublin, Dublin, Dublin.
We took a lovely tour of the city involving walking mostly in circles. However, we got to see places we could potentially visit. I'm getting a heritage card next week; this allows me to visit any place deemed a part of Irish heritage for free! I'm pretty excited for it because I love visiting museums and sites.
We started our tour in Trinity College, made our way several streets, saw the castle, the churches, Temple Bar, and then of course the biggest street. I actually didn't hear a lot what was being said because I was too busy taking video and enjoying everything and looking about. Plus it was way too noisy and it was impossible to hear a lot.

We went to an art cinema that was showing Frank. I cannot tell you how excited I was to see this film. It was about a man wearing a fake head who is the "lead singer" of an experimental band. It is told via the eyes of an outsider. Overall it was a really cool film and had a very interesting and compelling way of looking at mental illness.
Here is the trailer:

A few of us went to the shopping area to do some shopping (especially at Penney's). I bought a cobalt blue shirt, a red and white striped dress (with pockets!), and shorts with pineapples on them. We went home for dinner and I always passed out in the bus.

Later around 9, I decided to go for a short walk. It ended up being an hour walk and instead of my original plan of taking a specific route, I got ahold of myself and wandered around to the beach. I decided it would be really nice to start taking walks on a regular basis if I'm not doing anything late at night around 9.

Cheers,

Claire

Hello Ireland | Exploring Dún Laoghaire

Hello! Long time no see. Well, it's been a really long day. We went around town today. But more on that when the video is ready, so get excited.
We've started classes and it seems interesting so far. I'm taking a production class and a history of Irish Cinema. So, far we've watched The Quiet Man. It was a really great film. I would definitely recommend it. It follows a young man from America who is originally Irish and travels back to rediscover his roots. There was a moment that collectively made people uncomfortable. However, I saw it as a vital part of the film or plot. It also added a humorous aspect to it as well.
Yesterday was the US vs Belgium World Cup game (US lost). Everyone from the program got together for a little walk before heading to the pub. It was a lovely walk. We walked on a promenade to a tower where Ulysses was supposedly written. Also learned that every year on the date in the book, a parade of people walk to the tower. There was a bathing area that we really want to walk back to for some well needed swimming!
We ended the night at Gilbert's, a pub where the young people hang in Dún Laoghaire. The pub was packed with people excited for the World Cup. They had a screen pulled down and there were drinks everywhere. I got myself a French Martini, however my desire for alcohol from it has diminished. I don't react well (eg. shaking). The game went overtime, but I left with two other students from my home stay, but not from my program. More on them later.

I'm really excited to visit more places soon!

Cheers,

Claire

Hello Ireland - The Pier

The Pier is a lovely place. There are people always walking in the late evening. I really like that there is an ice cream shop at the end of the walk under the light house. It's called Teddy's and it is very well known. We walked, took pictures, and even saw a lone jellyfish by the rocks. I ogled at all the little dogs and the beauty of the sky. There were clouds in the sky so the sun rays were peeking through. Quite a magical start, if we're getting all excited here. I did not get any Teddy's because I was stuffed full by my home stay mother. We were not ready for that. However we did snag a ride at the carnival on the ferris wheel.
We've been going to the pier every day since our first day. It has been a good way to walk after dinner and enjoy the nice sea breeze.
Here's what we did on our first day:

Cheers,
Claire

Hello Ireland - Day 1

Yesterday I arrived in Dublin. It was a stressful flight, but I got to watch Her, A Film with Me in It, and Flipped, and I took a direct flight. I also was able to drink a lot of tea. And I mean A LOT. It was joyful and relaxing. The plane was delayed for both leaving SFO and arriving to DUB. My friends and I were so worried that we were going to miss the pick up. We made it out okay and found our group.
My home stay family was so welcoming, at least the parents. They clearly have done this hosting thing for quite a while. Their home is absolutely beautiful. I think I will take photographs of the house specifically for a blog post, and for my parents. Oh my, the room that I was place in is gorgeous. It is absolutely beautiful. I felt like I was in a room from a sorority house. The family is about 20 minutes to the campus where I will be taking my classes and about 15 minutes to the Pier. Very central. They also own a black fluffy cat called Jinxy, sort of and like the cat of Meet the Parents. Overall it's a very lovely family, even if I am being over fed.
Here is my arrival video:

I haven't been in Europe for a while. How much have I missed it. All my friends, whom incidentally all have not been out of the country, are so amazed about the differences. I'm just in my corner of "Yeah... not everywhere is America."

Cheers,
Claire

Hello Ireland

Google

I am in Ireland right now for study abroad.
Why Ireland? No reason. I actually wanted to go to the Czech Republic, but that was not going to happen apparently. No worries, I will go to the Czech Republic and anywhere in Eastern Europe for the day I am fired from a job and have no desire to look for one immediately. With that said, if I have the funds.
Despite that, I am thrilled to be studying in Dublin, Ireland for Cinema Studies. I am taking a class on the History of Irish Cinema or should I say Contemporary Irish Cinema, and a production course.  But really what is the most exciting is visiting another country other than France or Singapore. My family, we are not very adventurous. Unless you count Singapore as adventurous. Maybe in American standards. We prefer to spend time with family that we don't see very often than spend time with each other, is a good way to put it.
I decided to make videos every other day about my trip in Ireland. This is inspired by Emily Diana Ruth's series of videos called "Letters to July" in which every day of July a video was made talking about July, summer, life, living in England, and so on. I will do this by making my own "Letters to Ireland" or "Letters in Ireland". Except I have decided it will be Hello Ireland.

 Cheers,
Claire

Berkeley and Gregoire

Helping my younger brother settle into his new home for summer classes is a weird thing. I never really helped him last year since I was still in school and he never had to help me my freshman year of university.

He is living in a Co-Op that apparently normally houses only females. Despite that, his room is lovely. I didn't take any photographs of his room, but I did of things found around the house/apartment complex.

My mother kept trying to tell my brother to "be social" and whatever other social things one should do. I think one should be as social as one wants to be. There shouldn't be an absolutely need to be or appear social. 

For lunch we tried out this place my mother was dying to try out called Gregoire. A quaint restaurant that only serves one menu a month (including breakfast, lunch, and dinner.) I absolutely adored the simple design on their packaging and napkins.

All of their foods seemed to be sandwiches. I chose one with scallops, chipotle sauce, and avocado. It was absolutely amazing. I never tried scallops before today.
We also got potato puffs? They were round crispy balls of potato. Delicious. It also came with a sauce that I was not entirely fond of. Plus it already felt fattening already.

We ate in the car at the Marine because it was freakishly windy. I unfortunately wore a dress so exiting the car was the worst idea possible. 

Hope this is mouthwatering.

Tomorrow I will be watching France vs Switzerland in the World Cup, while recovering from Wisdom Teeth surgery. So, this was my last drool-worthy meal.

Cheers,

Claire

Reflection on a term of joyful writing

    This was a reflective essay for my writing class on my experience with writing throughout the term. I tried to give a little insight on my thought process with essay writing. However, the best advice I can give for good essay writing is to find something in the subject you are required or intend to write about that really interests you. Topics that do not interest you get you no where.

Enjoy:

This term has been the most enjoyable. I chose the class because I heard that through this professor I could write on whatever topic. I knew from previous writing experiences that if I were not passionate about the subject, I would not be able or even be willing to write. This is true for most people. Throughout the term, I felt very inspired. I personally find that any kind of discussion having to do with the nature of humans very interesting. The first essay cycle was particularly exciting for me. I was always very interested in what things mean to people and in this case, it was notebooks. Since I was younger, I have always liked the idea of having a notebook, or a diary, and have kept quite a few. Writing that essay allowed me to explore what forms of writing or creativity do people use to express themselves and to transmit the message they wish to tell the world. The second essay cycle was very interesting as well. The idea that people’s perspective can be skewed was fascinating because this was something I had thought of before, but never really got the chance to look into. Human nature in general is very fascinating because we have so much potential to do so many great things, but are not taking the time to do them. In this essay cycle, it was not much different. I wanted to explore what we need authenticity. If we need real authenticity, then why are we trying so hard to find authenticity in an “unreal” place? In all my essay cycles I discussed them with my friends about them. I also just asked them, for example, what is their “notebook”? This gave me more information on people’s perspectives than just my own. I feel that a good essay allows room for discussion and if there is everyone’s idea in it, they can all use the text to their advantage. Another of my thought processes is thinking about how the ideas that we read in the essays were apparent in the media today. Because the media is a representation of how the current society is today, it was a good source. This term I learned a lot about writing essays. I learned that essays needed to be written when you feel the most inspired because you will never get to six pages. I also found that it was easier to create transitions and fluidity at this state because only at this time would I be able to think clearly. A way I viewed all my essays were like films. We have the introduction of the film that introduces the main characters (sources) and the overall plot (theme or enthymeme). Then there is the whole body of the essay or film. The plot thickens and more ideas are thrown out on the table. Then comes the realization of what the film truly is about or the essay. At this point, the author talks about things basically asking you to think about the things he or she has written about. Then it concludes with an open ending.

I realized throughout the term that my English teachers in high school were messed up when it came to writing. There was so much structure and no room for thought. These people were like the super computer Alpha 60 of Alphaville. Writing is when you want to tell the world what you are thinking about a certain subject. It is used to convey ideas and news. Writing is also a form of creativity. There is not right way to do anything and that is what taking this class has thought me. There is no right way to write an essay. There is no right way to express your thoughts. What matters it that those ideas are being conveyed to promote discussion and thought. That is what we did this term. We read essays and articles that forced us to think about our lives and what we are given. These essays also promoted somewhat lively discussions and every day after class I came out feeling a little bit more enlightened and inspired to write my next essay. Everyone needs to experience feeling inspired to write and think at some point in his or her lives.

I believe that this last essay cycle brought all ideas of humanity that was prevalent throughout the term together. What is the nature of humans? We are always searching for something, whether it is self-fulfillment, truth, or authenticity.

Cheers,

Claire