Made the leap --- I'm going to summer school!

Maggie L · Senior Member

Made the leap --- I'm going to summer school!

Irisheyes · Senior Member

Maggie,
Sounds great. I'm curious, what is your age? Did you choose the homestay for economical reasons maiinly? What do you especially like about Dublin?

IR

Maggie L · Senior Member

Irish Eyes, I'm 57 (but I think I'm still cool on the inside!! ). For various reasons I didn't start travelling abroad until I retired from teaching two years ago. I've made two trips to Ireland but they were both with tour groups, so I didn't have to make any arrangements.

The whole Donegal experience will be new to me! I chose the homestay for several reasons:

I could have a single ensuite room and that was important to me.
It was a lot more economical (and when I consider what it will cost in airfare and Dublin accommodations, saving some money here seemed like a good idea)
Because the school is in a very remote area, there aren't many options other than B&B anyway.
I'm not leasing a car so that limits how far away from school I want to stay. There was only one hotel within walking distance and I did seriously consider it, but it would have cost significantly more.
I was lucky and made contact with a woman who has attended the school and she was very reassuring about the homestay.

As for why I love Dublin .... hard to answer. I only had a short time there in July of '04, and I really felt energized and alive roaming the city. I liked people-watching on the streets and riding the buses. I didn't mind the crowds --- maybe it's still a novelty to me because I've never spent much time in large cities. Also I'm into Irish lit and history, so Dublin is like a little treasure box of places I have yet to visit and/or see. That's all part of it, anyway.

Maggie

oopsy · Senior Member

How wonderful Maggie! I'm sure it will be a spectacular experience.

oopsy

yesiree · Guru

Congratulations Maggie. It's great that you are following your dreams. You will have an entirely different experience by having a trip that is not centered exclusively on touring. Something magical happens when you are able to settle in for several days.

Dublin is a great city. I love how you can be on a bustling street on one block and find a quiet park or side street only a few blocks away or disappear into an old-fashioned pub. We cover some of our favorite Dublin sites in our latest podcast at www.irishfireside.com that you might want to check out. We're putting together a "bonus" episode on Dublin that should be posted in a day or two as well.

(For those not familiar with podcasts, they are like internet-based radio shows. A high speed internet connection is recommended, but not absolutely necessary. In the next few days, we'll be updating the Irish Fireside site to help those unfamiliar with podcasts find out what it's all about).

I'm looking forward to hearing about how things go. A little tip, consider taking the private coach (I think it's McGeehan's) rather than the Bus Eireann coach. Both are fine, but the private coaches tend to be a little nicer and only cost a few euros more.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Maggie,

Fantastic! You are on your way to making your dreams come true. This will really be a uinque experience. I wouldn't be surprised if you make some good friends along the way. I think it will be a fun two weeks and the time will just fly by. I'm glad to hear you found a B&B to stay at that also includes dinner.

In Donegal try Donegal Manor. It is just outside town and within walking distance. It is a guesthouse so the prices are a bit more than a B&B.

I predict that you will have some wonderful and heartwarming experiences and have a trip that is absolutely unique. We will all look forward to hearing about your progress and, of course, the detailed trip report afterwards. Maybe you should think of doing some sort of an article about it since it is something that few people actually get to do. You might want to keep good notes and take lots of photos. I also find that traveling with a small tape recorder is very handy.

Michele

Irisheyes · Senior Member

Michele,
Could you expand upon the travel article info a bit? I've had some unique travel experiences and wondered how to go about it. Would you contact the newspaper/magazine/ pulication ahead of time or wait until your return and send it somewhere? I wasn't even thinking about getting paid, it would be mainly to share. And I wasn't thinking about my Ireland trip ( just a month and a half away!) just wanted general info.

IE

Maggie L · Senior Member

Thank you all for so much encouragement --- you're the best!

I like your tip, Michele, of using a small tape recorder. I've tried before to keep a travel journal, but after a few days all I have is really just a list of what I did that day. It just seems there's not enough time to write everything down. (I still have never posted my trip from last April ) I am so impressed with the folks like Bill who can recall/record such detailed information for their trip reports! Maybe the recorder thing would work .... should I record and write it in Irish (right!)?

Also, I agree that it will busy and fun and full of new friends. (I've already made one new online friend in the Australian nurse who has already attended the school!) And I love the idea of it being so wild and isolated, and hope I can have some time to just sit on the beach or on the cliffs (or in the middle of the sheep herds?) and zen-out. Who knows, maybe I'll have a life-changing epiphany out there ....

Corey, I'll try your podcast, but I only have dial-up (yep, still in the stone-age here, scratching travel plans on the cave wall .... ). And yes, it's McGeehan's --- the school sent some info on them. They've combined somewhat with Bus Eireann. I'm just so tickled that I can work out getting from Dublin to Glencolmcille online (not to mention checking out accommodations, make airline reservations, etc.)--- is the internet great or what?!

I do have a couple accommodation questions, but will start a different post.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Irisheyes,

It is always a good idea to contact the publication ahead of time as they may have a certain slant they want on an article. However, if you have a good idea after the trip you should still contact them. There are also many online newsletters and publications not just those in print.

Michele

Michele Erdvig · Host

Maggie,

The tape recorder is great for other things besides your journal. You can record notes at your school, like the correct pronounciation of Irish words, etc. You can tape sessions at pubs or the sound of the surf and birds. The wind and rain during a storm. A conversation, the sheep on the hills, etc. You will be surprised at what memories listening to Ireland will evoke. Just take plenty of tapes or memory.

Michele