An open letter to Chancellor Nordenberg

Dear Nordy (may I call you Nordy?  I'm just gonna go with it),

I would first like to thank you for making the University of Pittsburgh a fantastic place to get an education.  Seriously, thanks to all your hard work, Pitt is no longer just a safety school for us PA kids Who Aren't (get it?!  Classic Nittany Lion pun); it has become a reputable and selective institution with a better-than-average balance of athletics, academics, and activities, as well as a high level of school spirit without being obnoxious or forgetting about the world outside of our dear Oakland.  (still looking at you, JoePa-triots.  And they keep coming!)

Frankly, Pitt has spoiled me rotten.  Spending this semester abroad has taught me to appreciate the many, many perks of being a Panther, especially:

- 900 FREE printing pages that I can conveniently print from one of our many computing labs or even the comfort of my own room.  You even threw in the double-sided option so it's really like you're secretly giving me 1,800 pages.  My cup runneth over.

- Market Central.  Seriously, has dining hall food ever tasted this good?  Answer: it hasn't.  And again, you get me with the comfy booths and electrical outlets.  Not to mention the (mostly) friendly staff and the adorable panther print waffles.

- Spacious dorm rooms.  Yes, there are a few exceptions but listen, it's not my fault you decided to live in Hamster Cages A, B, or C, you conformists.  And even those are palaces compared to some of the accommodations elsewhere.

- Discounts and FREE Port Authority pass on my Pitt ID.  This one speaks for itself.  A Pitt ID really opens up the city and the surrounding neighborhoods to students.  Not only can it get you TO places like the Andy Warhol Museum, but it gets you IN the exhibits FO' FREE (or really cheap but that doesn't sound as good).

- The 10A and its more elusive older brother, the 10B.  Those shuttles are like knights in shining armor coming to rescue drunk kids and lazy hill-dwellers alike.

- Online course registration - but I think I'm on my own for this one.  I actually look forward to scheduling the next semester's classes.  Then again, I'm not frantically trying to squeeze both bio and chem lab into one semester.  But whether I'm doing an embarrassing victory dance because I scored the last spot in a coveted double req or screaming obscenities at my Student Center when 3 of my 5 classes are full, at least my laptop is the only witness.

- Security.  I absolutely hate signing people in and out, especially non-Pitt students (you REALLY need their zip code?) but I have never felt safer anywhere than a Pitt dorm.  Think about the crazies out there, including the angry drunk guy who tried to follow your roommate home from SAE.  Uh, hand over the pen please.  (Plus the guards for the most part are AWESOME and I love them).  AND I hear you've implemented a new system that swipes all valid Pitt IDs, eliminating the unnecessary process of signing a kid from Sutherland West into East.  It's like you heard my prayers, Nordy.

- The Pitt News.  Without fail, I read it every day.  Granted I usually skip some articles, like intramural volleyball play-by-plays (no offense though, you guys deserve the press!!).  But it's always at least entertaining if not always informational.  And there's nothing like a good police blotter (until you're in it...awkward).  Although, I kind of can't believe you let that one chick write those weirdly sexually explicit editorials that make me cringe bi-weekly (and there's the awkward innuendo, she'd be so proud).

- The Cathedral of Learning.  Nothing else needs to be said.  Of course I'm going to say a few something elses (you have realized by now that I'm verbose, right?).  I could go on for an entire post about this place, but I'll pick just a few highlights.  Cath (as she's affectionately known to all who have fallen under her spell) is like Grand Central Station without the homeless people (or trains).  Besides having 85% of my classes there, I can sleep, eat, lounge, study (read: hang out with my friends with my notebook open), WHATEVER in the Common Room aka HOGWARTS once I score a round table (and I always score a round table).  Or if I need silence, more room, or a chalkboard, I can just slip into a deserted classroom on one of the 37 floors (okay 3 floors, but it's imagery).  AND THE NATIONALITY ROOMS, MY GOD.  And the ground floor has TWO computing labs, a coffee cart, and the Cafe where I can get my Chik-fil-A fix or my veggie cup w/ peach yogurt or a chicken Caesar salad OR WHATEVER I WANT (kinda) with my handy dandy Dining Dollars.  And obviously, Cath is a thing of beauty.  She actually looks like the brochures too, it's like she's airbrushed.  Ask five Pitt students and I guarantee that four of them will list Cath in their top 10 reasons for coming to Pitt.

There are countless other things I love about my school but in the interest of time, I'll stop there.  I'm sure I'll think of more things that are blog-worthy (sofas in the Union, Soldiers and Sailors, Towers Lobby on a Friday night!!!) but let's move on to the main topic of this letter.

We've all seen the papers so I know that money is tight.  BELIEVE ME, I KNOW.  As you can see from the novel I just wrote, I love Pitt and you do your best to give us our money's worth.  But I still think it's ridiculous that I'm paying close to $100,000 total for a piece of paper that basically says I managed to study more than I partied for four years (listed on my resume as "excellent time management" and "can prioritize tasks efficiently and effectively").  This is especially mind-boggling when you consider the fact that students in other countries pay about 1/10th of that for university - and yet they're coming out better prepared for the real world, according to journalists and research mumbo-jumbo.  And I know it's not entirely your fault, I really do.  It's because of other people, like Tom Corbett (excuse me, Scholar-Hating Satan).  But there is one line that you have boldly crossed, Nordy.  And Kate no likey.

Tell me, oh Nordinator: why the cover sheets?  Why?  Seriously.  I leave for ONE semester and you take away the cover sheets.  To clarify, I am currently mourning the loss of those brightly-colored pages that come out on top of my print jobs, the ones with my username, document title, and the watermarked seal (for tracing in class, of course).  You know, just the only thing that identifies MY specific print job out of all the other 17,999 students' print jobs.  But these were not just cover sheets.  They were tangible, pastel-colored proof of the fruits of your labor as Chancellor.  Single page symbols of all the things that make our University so wonderful (also, the polio vaccine but I digress).

You see, poor college kids tend to find uses for anything they get free (after graduation, it's called hoarding so beware).  Those cover sheets saved me a bundle on notebooks – they were even already color coded for me.  But they were not just for copying down Power Point slides.  Those cover sheets have seen doodle masterpieces, snide remarks scribbled to our neighbors during speeches, outlines of many a term paper, hundreds of lists, recitation attendance records, the hopes and dreams of your students.  I've even wrapped presents with those babies. 

Cover sheets have helped Pitt students avoid awkward interactions with their classmates by providing pertinent information on the object of their lecture-long daydreams without actually having to approach the hottie.  Don't know the name of the cute guy sitting next to you in psych?  Look for the username on his cover sheet, Find People search it, and boom!  You're Facebook stalking by dinnertime (stop judging, you've all either already done it or you're kicking yourself for not figuring that out earlier).  As you can see, cover sheets may well be responsible for thousands of romances that have flowered between Pitt Panthers. 

I just don't understand, Mark, I really don't.  I imagine the conversation went like this:

"Alright, so we'll raise tuition 9%"

                                    “SHIT that's high, can we do any better?"

"Well if we get rid of those cover sheets on their print jobs, we can cut it down half a percent?"

                                    "Yeah, 8.5% is better.  I bet they won't even miss those cover sheets." 

"They'll be too drunk to notice during syllabus week and by midterm, they'll forget they ever had 'em."

Well you.  Thought.  Wrong, mister.  I do miss them.  I'm 5,000 miles away and I miss them.  Your students miss them.  I implore you not to be swayed by environmentalists who will have you believe that you are “going green” by eliminating cover sheets.  Trust me, those pastel-colored trees WANT to be pulp-erized into our cover sheets.  Little seedlings across the Monongahela Valley dream of the day when they will have their chance to serve as a paper mascot of our academia.  They need us as much as we need them. 

I'm not worried about myself; I've managed to save a small ream of cover sheets (in all 5 colors) that should hopefully last me three more semesters.  But I worry about the freshmen who will never know the satisfaction of stumbling upon a blue sheet day.  And I worry about what this could lead to.  Will you start locking the classrooms in Posvar on weekends?  Closing Club Hillman at 9pm during finals week?  Where will this all end?

You have until January 5, 2012 to reinstate the cover sheets – in all five pastel colors.  I'm willing to negotiate the addition of a yellow sheet as compensation for damages.  My lawyer and I are eagerly awaiting your response.

Regards,

Kate McGarry ‘13

P.S.  Hail to Pitt!
P.P.S.  High octane!!!  Kidding, I know that wasn't your idea.
P.P.P.S.  I don't really have a lawyer.  But I'm still serious.

(psst HEY EVERYONE)

After you've oooooohed and aaaaahed over my new title image, applaud a little bit for Miss Sarah DeVito who kindly allowed me to use her gorgeous photo on my blog. When she's not taking amazing shots of Ireland, she likes to make funny faces at me while I talk in a British accent and wear matching Jansport backpacks with me (I think). YOU DA BEST, GIRLFRAND.

(again, not my picture)

Here comes the story of the Hurricane (Katia)

[WARNING: SUPER LONG AND DRAMATIC. Kind of like every story I tell.]
So this weekend, we all decided to adventure to the Aran Islands and adventure we did. Below is a timeline of events:

FRIDAY (the day before): Someone finds a "hostel package" deal for the Aran Islands, which includes roundtrip bus and ferry transport, overnight hostel accommodation, and breakfast in the morning. ALL ABOUT IT. Ten of us get ticket reservations over the phone. When Erin calls for us, the woman promises to call back. (Side note: it is now Monday and she has yet to return our call)

SATURDAY 8:20am: Erin and I wake up to meet the group at 8:45...who of course had decided to meet at 8:15. WOMP #1

9:00am: The group (minus Erin, Kelsey, and Danielle) gets to the ticket office to pick up our tickets. The lady is a huge bitch (sorry, she was) and the whole operation in general is a big mess. For example, you don't get individual tickets, just a stapled mass of slips that serve as a bus ticket, ferry ticket, hostel reservation, ferry ticket, and bus ticket. And she gives you ONE "package" for 4 of you. Craziness.

9:25am: The other three arrive...and Kelsey (who prepaid) doesn't have a ticket?? The woman apparently already gave her ticket away despite the fact that girlfriend paid over the phone. WOMP #2 But not to worry, the bus (which is scheduled to leave at 9:30) won't leave until she says so.

9:29am: The bus leaves. Without Erin, Dan, Kelsey, Megan D, or me. WOMP #3

9:30am - 11:45pm: We find a cafe for breakfast, Kelsey gets her ticket without double-paying, and we get sandwiches/lunch so we don't have to pay an arm and a leg for food on Inis Mor aka Inishmore aka the biggest Aran Island. I also find the Victoria Hotel where my parents and nana are staying when they visit (it's beautiful and quiet, p.s.). The concierge says "oh yeah, we're getting some of the aftermath from the hurricane that hit the states"...what??? Irene was weeks ago. These crazy Irish...

12:00pm: We get on the noon bus with no issues.

12:01pm: The bus starts playing opera music/concertos. For the next hour. But we drive through Connemara and the Gaeltacht region which is of course GORGEOUS and Irish-y.

1:00pm: The ferry ride from HELL. Somehow in my old age, I've begun getting motion sickness for the first time. And this ferry is BUMPIN. The wind is waking this little boat so hard and I almost ralph. Don't believe me?? WATCH:

 I finally fall asleep for the last 20 minutes and we arrive on Inis Mor!! Tyler, Katie, Megan H, and Molly are seemingly waiting for us when we arrive and it's nice to finally reconvene with everyone else.

(This is where time goes out the window.)
- We rent bikes to ride around Inis Mor for 15 euro (mine is leprechaun-sized and it takes me 3 hours and approximately 10 miles until Dan and Tyler fix my seat so it doesn't swivel/fall down). Regardless, I totally recommend renting a bike to tour around. It's cheap and the island's small so you can motor around it in a day. But beware, the roads are narrow and the drivers are FAST. But I'll get to that.

- We check in to our hostel and Meg, Erin, Kelsey, and I are in a private 4-bunk room that's REALLY small but nice and safe. Then we bike around and take pictures and marvel at the beautiful, barely touched landscape of the Aran Islands. But we notice the wind is starting to pick up and clouds are looming...what???

- The four of us venture off around the rest of the island and embark on a combination of a self-guided Aran Islands tour and a hardcore spinning class. Seriously. It was ROUGH.

- A red minivan practically RUNS ME OVER and I fall into a thorny bush. Literally had to jump off my bike to avoid tire marks on my forehead. WOMP #4. When Erin stops laughing, she takes a picture for me.

- We take a break and explore this teeny tiny ruin of a stone house and imagine what it was like to live there/in the time it was built. I have a philosophical moment where I realize that we think this house is old but it's only seen, like, 1/1000th of the island's history. Deep.

- We keep going. And the wind/rain pick up even more so we just keep motoring around. Whatever, we can come back tomorrow WOMP #5

- We FINALLY arrive back at the Kilronan Hostel where I realize I have bike grease ALL over my jeans. WOMP #6.

At least I packed my cropped yoga pants! We all pass out and wake up in time to run over to the grocery store (SPAR!) and get frozen pizzas/snacks/beer. Just some Americans stockin' up for a storm.

- ...and it's not just any storm. It's HURRICANE KATIA. And they're canceling the 5pm ferry tomorrow (y'know, the one we ALL HAVE TICKETS FOR.). We call Finn who advises us to catch the 8:30am ferry the next morning or else we're stuck in Inis Mor until Tuesday. We immediately all set our alarms for 6:45am.

- Instead of eating our pizzas, the 4 of us eat dinner with the rest of our group at the only restaurant on Inis Mor. AND IT'S NUTSO EXPENSIVE. But I have Sangria and apple crisp so you KNOW I'm in heaven. Somewhere along the line, I realize I look like a track star in my black NorthFace, black crop pants, and BRIGHT WHITE SNEAKERS. WOMP #7. I continue to whine about this the rest of the night.

- We go to The American Bar, feel uncomfortable, and leave. HELLO. If you don't want Americans, call it The "Ew GTFO Americans" Bar. Then we walk up to the Lucky Star Bar (closed) where LUCKILY I remember I left my wallet, hostel key, and cell phone in the "toilets" at The unAmerican Bar (sprint back like a track star, grab them without any issues, sprint back OH YEAH).

- Finally end up at an unknown bar that says "Ceol Anocht!" (MUSIC TONIGHT!) I'm stoked that I could use my Gaeilge...until I realize it's in English underneath. Of course the music starts at 10pm...and we get there at 8:30pm? WOMP #8. The majority of us proclaim that they're "not THAT drunk!" while getting that drunk (for the most part, they were and WHO CARES, WE'RE IN IRELAND). I don't order anything because I'm cheap and also because I'm CLEARLY training for a triathlon. But mostly just because I'm cheap and anticipating the ferry-sickness the next day.

- Little by little, we all trickle out of the pub where we feel more welcome than before but not entirely. I leave with Michaela and Cayla (yes, it gets a little confusing) and we go home and make the pizzas for everyone. We eat pizza, Oreos, digestives, and probably other food before finally falling asleep before midnight.

SUNDAY 7:00am: We wake up and scramble down to the kitchen for breakfast. We check the weather online (just a little bit windy....jk, 80 MPH WINDS ALL DAY) and decide to go return our bikes and camp out in line next to the ferry.

8:00am: Somehow we all manage to get on a ferry a full nine hours before the one we are ticketed/scheduled for. I take a Dramamine and pass out before we leave the port.

9:10am: I wake up as we're pulling into Connemara. I am barely awake long enough to stumble off the ferry and onto the bus (for which I have NO ticket for).

9:15am: I fall back asleep.

10:30am: We arrive safe and sound in Galway!!! Words cannot express how overjoyed I was to see Eyre Square again. We all walk back to our apartments in Gort na Coiribe while recounting our adventure and counting our blessings that we're not still on the island.

All in all, the Aran Islands are definitely a must see and I definitely intend to go back when the weather brightens up. The landscape is seriously beautiful and reminiscent of the Ireland I think we all imagined Galway would be. However, OUR trip to Inis Mor was almost the plot to a straight-to-DVD horror film.

"15 American students take a weekend trip to a remote island off the coast of Ireland. They were looking for adventure but they found more than they bargained for: hostile locals, feral livestock, haunted bicycles, and a hurricane looming in the distance. They have each other...for now. But when the power goes out, it's every man for himself. You never know what's waiting for you on THE SHORES OF INIS MOR. Washing up on DVD and Blu Ray on September 12th. You'll never forget to check the weather again." 

Seriously, I kept my ID on me in case I got swept out to sea and my body washed up on the shores of Connemara (just kidding Mom, I was totally safe!!!!!!!!!!). Either way, I'm happy to be home in Galway. And it's finally starting to feel like home here. Except I think biking ~18 miles in a hurricane gave me a cold. So I'm one hefty dose of DayQuil away from trekking across the bridge to the library. Hopefully I won't blow away (again, KIDDING MOM).

But seriously.

#youknowyoureinirelandif

- your wallet suddenly weighs a pound (sorry, .45 kilos) because you have €20 worth of coins in it
- it's 6am on a Tuesday and you can still hear your neighbors raging from the night before
- your hair dryer starts breathing fire because you forgot to plug it into a converter
- you get homesick for American TV...and find that you can't watch it anywhere online anyway.
- you hand a disgusting energy gel to a runner finishing up an Ironman triathlon and he says "cheers!"
- you get excited over figuring out T9 on your old skool phone
- you Skype your friends twice as much as you did freshman year
- you haven't been full since you left the States
- you start calling home "the States"
- it's actually MONSOONING outside and your housemates are curling their hair to go to a club
- you don't have cash on you but the barista gives you your coffee anyway because he knows you'll come back tomorrow and pay (and you actually do)

One week down...

Today officially begins my 2nd week in Galway! As expected, I neglected this blog before it even began. In my defense, the last 7.5 days have been an absolute whirlwind!

In the interest of keeping your attention and finishing this post sometime before 2012, I won't go into much more detail (sorry, it hasn't been terribly exciting yet). But I arrived last Tuesday after a semi-interesting but mostly uneventful red eye flight from JFK. Last week was filled mainly with orientation, settling into my apartment, getting to know the other 14 students in my API group, finding my way around town, learning how to count change in Euros, and taking all the touristy photos I could before the NUIG students arrived. On Saturday, a few of the girls and I decided to take a stroll down the old Long Walk to the Salthill Prom (on a fine soft day-i-ay.....already getting sick of that song) but most of us accidentally turned around before we actually arrived at Salthill (oops). I also spent Sunday handing out energy gels and directing foot traffic at the Ironman triathlon down near Galway Bay and I got a sweet yellow shirt out of it.....GEL-OUS?? (I know how much you all miss my puns...)

This week saw the start of classes (blech). I kind of forgot I had to go to school too but so far, I think I'll enjoy the majority of my lectures. The next two weeks are kind of a try-out where you go to the first lecture or two to see if you like it and then registration is due on the 17th. I'm currently (planning on) taking:
- The Two Irelands in the 20th Century (about the separation of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland)
- The English Language in Ireland
- Contemporary Social Thought (aka Social Theory)
- U.S. Politics (heh heh heh....)
- and a Gaeilge course

I feel like I'm a little bit in over my head, especially when the professors make references to Irish history or other things that really aren't in my general knowledge database (clearly, I'm an American robot...???). It should be an interesting term to say the least!

I also met my housemates, Lori from Limerick and Lorna from County Mayo. They're both super DUPER sweet and really made me/us feel welcome. Lori lived with 3 girls from TCNJ last year so they're used to Americans. I feel 100% better about being here now that I have real live Irish friends!

Anyway, I'll definitely try to be more diligent about updating this. I can already tell you that for the most part, I won't be documenting my daily schedule here. More likely, I'll write about what I'm learning, culture shock, and other tidbits that take less time to type out. But for now, I'm going to take a nap.

Oh, and here's my contact info for anyone who's interested!!!

EMAIL: kate.mcgarry3@gmail.com
SKYPE: kat.mcg
MAILING ADDRESS:
Kate McGarry
76 Gort na Coiribe
Headford Rd
Galway, Ireland