Pre-Trip Pondering

So, 3 weeks from tomorrow, I will be leaving for Dublin from Charlotte-ready or not. As of right now, I definitely fit in the latter category. According to my account on UCD's website, I am currently registered for 6 hours, or 3 classes, of the 8 classes I originally submitted as my choices. They are, with the descriptions attached,

1. Drama 20030- Staging Performance: The course will introduce students to issues of staging dramatic texts by focussing on stage directions and the choreography of the body in the stage space. Students will be introduced to methods and skills of staging the body in performance. The course has a practical focus and students will be invited to research and stage micro-sequences from selected play texts. The course will develop and enhance students' reading of dramatic play texts, and advance students' understanding of play texts in performance.
2. History 20270- Protestants, Papists and Popular Belief: the Reformation in early modern Britain and Ireland 'On the eve of the Reformation the average westerner was but superficially Christianised'. This statement underlines the profound impact religious change had on early modern Europe. The Reformation not only altered people's attitudes to religion: it also affected the political, social and cultural environments within which they existed. This course will explore the origin and development of the Reformation in Britain and Ireland in these contexts. It will examine how Henry VIII's conflict with Pope Clement VII initiated a sequence of remarkable events culminating in England's break from Rome. How did the clergy and, more importantly, the laity respond to the challenges posed by the Tudor monarchy? The success or failure of Protestantism in Ireland will be a central theme for discussion. And how did the Scottish kirk adapt to its particular circumstances? Emphasis will be placed on its battle with Catholicism and the threat of superstition and witchcraft. Finally, this course will consider how the kingdoms of England, Ireland and Scotland, although united by the Stuart dynasty, produced three competing expressions of the Christian faith before the monarchy fell to Cromwell.
3. Music 20310- Popular Music and Culture: This course examines the history and development of popular music in the West, focusing particularly on rock and roll, with an emphasis on the social values and technologies that contributed to its stylistic development. This exploration of trends in popular music also focuses on movements that reflect important political and cultural currents in North America and across the globe. Although the course does introduce and employ a few basic musical-analytical concepts, it is an elective course and has no prerequisites. 

Now, Noel (you may be saying to yourself), did you not say that you were heading over to Dublin to see what kind of fancy thee-ate-ur they had over there? Yes, I might say in response. I'm currently a little worried to see what the final schedule will look like. The classes I originally submitted had no Fridays, and late Monday classes to give me a pocket for traveling. However, this is not facebook, nor twitter, so I shall attempt to refrain from using YET ANOTHER MEDIUM to complain about class registration.

So, to focus on the fun parts- I'm currently in conversation with the managing director of Crooked House Theatre Dublin, and he's giving me plenty of reading material to focus on before I get there. If all else fails, at least I'll be well versed in Irish Drama before I arrive.

In addition, I'm currently reading through the Canterbury Tales:

I feel like this is kind of a pilgrimage, so I thought it was appropriate. Ireland is such a big theater town, and I'm going to be focusing solely on that art this semester, so why shouldn't this be the book of choice? Besides the fact that it's an ENGLISH literary masterpiece? The John Fischer translation is pretty decent, as it lets you cross reference the work by Chaucer directly.

A good friend informed me that although U2 is the thing you think of with Irish music, apparently David Grey is still the best selling artist there, so I'm going back to listen to his White Ladder album (fantastic).

I think next post I should be more calm about this entire experience, as this is probably just the extent of my pre-trip jitters. I'll be including my potential travel list!

Preliminary Post

Hello all!

1st: I know I'm not actually over the Ocean yet, but obviously if I'm up at 2 AM before the fact creating a blog I'm pretty excited about it. I'm purposely keeping this first post short because I don't want to turn into a person who blogs about something before it happens (ironic that we're here, no?). Just a quick introduction. 2nd: I know the subtitle is hokey. It's a work in progress. Work with me,

First time blogger, long time reader. I'm hoping to go to Ireland to find a deeper understanding of what I want out of the rest of my life academically and holistically. I graduate from college in a year and half, and will be thrust from my sweet womb of collegiate nativity into that scary scary existence we call "the real world" on the other side. What I'm hoping to accomplish by going to Ireland is that I will gain a better understanding of what I should expect without the collegiate coddling here. Perhaps leaving my friends and safe-guarded ideas behind will help me learn what life is about? Or perhaps it will just throw my mind deep into a state of madness because I will have no affirmation from my peers that I have grown so used to.

The excitement for you, hopefully, will be finding out which way it goes! Insanity or development! No more posts until January, I promise. But I will be fine tuning the site to make sure it's up and running smoothly as possible before I leave.

Which is better for a title? "A Lucky Tarheel" or "Not the slightest bit Irish?"