When I went to the Rise and Fall of Athens, I experienced a letdown. I had expected a class in the classic literature, some language, and mostly the culture of the Ancient Greeks, and I was right. It sounded fun, but the class was incredibly boring. There was too much history, and there were maps, and the class simply didn't appeal to me that much. Therefore, I did not go to the next lecture, which was on Tuesday night. However, I did go to Religion, which was a blast, and to Democracy and Citizenship, which wasn't really what I expected. But I'll get to that in a minute. First Religion.
I have never done a study in religions before and didn't know what to expect when i arrived. The class I went to is a second-year class, meaning most of the students had some experience in the topic. In that regard, I feel slightly behind. But if I stay on top of things, maybe do a little outside research, I should be ok. And the instructor is so enthusiastic and knowledgeable that it definitely makes it worthwhile.
Democracy and Citizenship is a different story. This class is for first-years and the instructor assumes we have no knowledge of democracy at all. I was interested in the class for the citizenship aspect, but we will spend one, maybe two, weeks on the topic. The rest of the semester will focus on democracy, the definition, the practice, the future, etc etc. It is still interesting, a bit, and I think I can stick it out since it's only once a week. If it was more frequent, I would probably drop.
Tuesday night was the first night we went out by ourselves. Jemma, Jocelyn and I explored the city centre a little bit until we found a place that seemed promising: the An Bodhran. Inside we found a friendly atmosphere and open mic night. None of us sang. However, we got a taste for Irish rap. ... Needless to say, that was interesting. Our next stop was at the Washington Inn. There was a large group of people we knew there already so we stopped for a couple dances. However, the pub was packed and was getting ready to close. So, we decided it was time to head home.
On Wednesday we finally got to see the sun. Up until then it could only be glimpsed occasionally through the perpetual mist. But on Wednesday it came out in full glory and stayed. Some of us even dusted off our sunglasses. I had just a single class in mid-afternoon: Management of Public Health Systems. The scheduled instructor was sick so the head of the Department of Management and Marketing filled in. The class was exciting and fun and I hope it continues to stay that way since I need to be there for two hours each week.
Thursday saw the return of the sun and Religion. It was the only class scheduled that day. Jemma and I attended a meeting pertaining to the Introduction to Modern Irish class. The instructors work with each person's schedule and fill the classes so they work well with as many people as possible. So we turned in our available times then headed for the city centre to do some grocery shopping. We ate at a small sandwich shop that was delicious. Unfortunately I don't remember what it was named right now. We also stopped at the hot chocolate cafe. Oh, that was delicious. The entire menu is simply different flavors of hot chocolate. I had cinnamon and nutmeg, and decided it tasted like Christmas cookies. The rest of the day was fairly uneventful.
Friday was an early start. After about an hour of wandering we managed to find the music building. But then we had trouble getting inside since our cards hadn't been activated to open the door. So we were late for step dancing. It was ok though because everyone was still doing introductions. Unfortunately, the zipper on my jacket broke during the walk and so I had to struggle to get out before we started dancing. We learned just a single step that day called "threes". It's a simple step but it holds together the first full dance we will learn, called the reel. Jemma and I then went to the Immigration Office. I didn't have all my paperwork done so wasn't served. However, it was a good walk, we got hot chocolate again, and I know where to go now when I have everything in order. 
After a long week of classes, it's a good idea to get out and have some fun. So on Saturday we took a bus up to Killarney and went horseback riding through the National Park. Oh, it was beautiful up there. A bit cold, but the sun was out and the company good. The ride was great fun. Mostly we went in train style, one horse right behind the other. There was a mishap when the lead horse spooked a bit and decided to go backwards instead of forwards. Since I was second in the train, my horse, whose name was Budweiser, decided to follow. Our nice line had become a jumbled mess. We also learned to trot. It looks easy watching someone else do it, but it's not. For the first trot, Budweiser decided to go a few feet, then walk, trot a bit, then walk. On the second trot he went a steady pace. I felt like my brains were going to bounce out because I didn't quite get the hang of it. After that I improved immensely because it suddenly made sense what to do. Since the ride was two hours, we didn't have time to stay and see Killarney. We hobbled our way to the bus station and headed home right away, found a greasy pizza shop, and ate a typical college student meal. It was delicious.Sunday was once again a day for relaxing and getting ready for the week to come. A week I expect to be filled with lots of excitement.
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