I Am A Slow Walker or Life in Galway

While attempting to read Ulysses by James Joyce, I realized that I had yet to properly blog about Galway, the actual city that I have been living in for the past month and a half, having apparently decided that the only blogworthy things were the times that I left. I deemed this a crisis, tossed the book aside (more like heaved really - have you tried casually tossing Ulysses? Ain't happening) and retrieved my computer.

So captive readers, what is it like you ask? Can I sum up this city in a few concise and witty paragraphs that leave you desperately searching for the soonest flight? (Although if the pictures of Connemara didn't have you blowing your life savings for a trip, you are probably a hard one to win.) Well, my primary observation is this: people walk inhumanly fast here. Like, there must be something in the water that just enables the citizens of Galway to move their legs twice as fast as us Americans while still maintaining the air of taking a leisurely stroll. Walking to lecture is depressingly reminiscent of gym class as I struggle desperately to make it within the allotted time, and watch as I am passed by hoards of people hardly giving a thought to their time or pacing. This was surprising to me because it was something I would have expected of New York or Los Angeles or London, with people anxiously trying to get from one place to the other, always rushing both to arrive on time to their important business meeting and to avoid getting harassed by all the homeless people on the street. Galway is not a big corporate city in the slightest. Even the roads themselves meander around, winding and changing direction without any care for efficiency. It is more than likely that no matter where you are going you will have to walk an extra kilometer (look at me talking metric) or so just because of the winding roads. This coupled with the interesting shops, the street performers and the beauty of the river and the ocean, makes it seem like a city that one should stroll through instead of rush.

Who wants to rush past this?

Luckily for me however, despite what the pace of my fellow students might suggest, most people are very relaxed about promptness here, especially lecturers. For someone who suffers from chronic tardiness, this is a blessing. No longer am I running to class wildly thinking through which excuse would be the most convincing (the number of times I have 'almost died on my scooter' is pretty alarming, my professors at USC must think I am a spastic klutz), but instead I can leave my apartment up to two or three minutes before class is scheduled to start and still be safely in my seat before the lecture begins.

I didn't take this photo, the internet did.

What is really best about Galway is simply how much is packed into a pretty small area. Unlike many of the other cities that friends of mine are currently studying in, Galway has no subway system or districts or even really distinct neighborhoods, and yet I don't feel that I am missing anything at all. Most of the action is centered around a street that runs through the city center that, except for early mornings when trucks are delivering goods to stores, is a pedestrian-only area. No matter the time of day or night, it is sure to be a lively place filled with people doing their errands, having coffee, playing music, attempting to get you to give money to their cause, and drunkenly stumbling from pub to pub or club to club. (This one generally occurs more towards the night time side of things.) Unlike in the US where it is almost as if buildings are too afraid to get close to each other, all of the shops are snugly packed in together, meaning that in these few blocks you can get everything you could ever want or need about three times over. Some days when I suddenly realize that I have been on facebook for a few hours too many, I will simply wander in and out of the shops and look at everything from clothes to antiques to chocolate to second hand books... the list goes on and on (alright, I mostly go to book shops, but what else is new).

But ah, the music. The music is what I came here for, and I can tell you that it does not disappoint. Galway is known for it's vast wealth of culture and traditional Irish arts, and it wasn't until I got here that I realized how much of a difference that makes. Coming from the Twin Cities, an area where it seems that everyone either knows someone in a local band or is in one themselves, I found it hard to imagine a place more "artsy" as you might say. However the difference is that the Twin Cities are a bit of an anomaly. Minneapolis is an "artsy" place to be, and people come just to be immersed in its music obsession. Here in Galway, and all throughout Ireland, music is a part of their culture. In fact, it seems more of an anomaly for someone to have no musical talent or knowledge whatsoever than vice versa. Music is so commonplace, that if you want to play traditional music, all you need to do is take your instrument and walk to one of the many pubs that hold regular sessions and you have yourself a group to play with. All music is appreciated, and the Irish are always happy to get a bit of music out of you, no matter what level you are at.

Which brings me to the biggest thing I have learned since being here: DON'T TELL SOMEONE YOU ARE A SINGER UNLESS YOU ARE READY TO STAND UP AND SING! I have been wrangled into giving a fair few impromptu concerts simply because I couldn't keep my mouth shut about music. At times I didn't even have to say anything at all, someone would have heard me singing along with  group, determined I was a singer, and then would call me out and force a song out of me. Although it was terrifying at first, it is actually a great deal of fun to sing for people that appreciate your music so much. It's like I am living this alternate life as Maddy the American Jazz Singer, and I am not especially excited to return to life as Maddy the Out of Work Actress/Student.

There is of course a lot more I could say about this city, but I am sure you are bored, and honestly this post has been sitting on my computer for ages, so I might as well go ahead and finish it. But FEAR NOT! I have a good many things to write about considering I am pretty much abysmal at keeping this blog updated. Until next time!

Slán go fóill
(I dare you to try and say that one out loud)
(It means goodbye)
(And actually it is relatively straight forward)

Some parting words of wisdom from a sugar packet