I made it!

I made it to Galway after 2 LONG days of traveling, and it definitely took some adjusting, but after 5 days things have calmed down a little bit and I am thinking I might actually be able to live here for 5 months. Getting here was a pretty long process, with lots of planes, cars, buses, and finally a taxi. My first night was pretty rough, probably because I hadn't slept or eaten much of anything in 30+ hours and was trying to take everything in at once, but having Alexa traveling with me made it easier, and the beauty of Skype also gave me a chance to talk to my family and express all of my crazy emotions.
My apartment is not quite what I expected, and the first night that seemed like the end of the world, but now after realizing there are much more important things I am becoming comfortable in my cold little bedroom (I haven't quite figured out how to really use the heat). I have four other people living with me, but they have not moved in yet so I am assuming that they are all Irish not back from winter break yet. Stay tuned for information on them when I get to meet them! My kitchen (I am a Schisler, so that is of course the most important thing to focus on) is a lot smaller then I expected, and not quite as tidy as I am used to (I guess I have my mom to thank for ruining me forever haha) and there is just one small mini-fridge for five people, and I haven't quite figured out how that is going to work, but I am going with the flow.
Since being here Alexa and I have explored a lot and met quite a few other American students that will be studying here as well. On our first full day here we went into town to "Shop Street" (the big downtown area that is mostly just walking with TONS of restaurants, pubs, and shops) and wandered the city for quite a few hours. We saw the bay and a lot of the more urban areas, the city is VERY beautiful and I am excited to explore even more once I find out what I am actually seeing when I make friends with Irish people. We had lunch at a little pub and I had my first experience with brown bread (my dad's favorite). It is fantastic, pretty much a reason to come to Ireland in itself, except to visit me of course! We then came back to our apartment for a while then went back into town for dinner and my first pub experience. I love listening to the conversations and accents, but I think we were out a little too early for a lot of the fun happenings. Our apartment is about a half an hour walk from the downtown area so I kind of feel like I have to make a trip out of it every time I go down there.
The past few days orientation for school has started and I got to see the campus and start to understand how the next 5 months of classes are going to work, which puts me much more at ease. I think the student services and international offices are going to be really great resources and have definitely dealt with just about any problem that I can think of, so I feel much more comforted in that.
Alexa and I made our first homemade dinner last night, and finally after figuring out how to turn on the stove we made a pretty bland chicken and pasta, but hey it is only the first time after going actual grocery shopping I know my cooking genes will come out and I will be able to make something better. Tonight the international student group is putting on Karaoke in the COLLEGE BAR (I love Ireland), then we will probably hit up some of the pubs and be more social then we have felt the past few days. The adjustment period is kind of rough sometimes, but the ups and downs are what make it an adventure!