London....

This last week, Steven left for London to do primary research (thanks Mike, John, and Luke for letting him crash there with you). I'd like to tell you all the things he did, but it mostly sounds like archives and books. If studying at the library were a sport, there are times I swear he'd be the team captain. He doesn't deny it either.

I had the chance to meet up with him for the last few days that he was there . We had a great time! We came across a deal in the newspaper for staying in London and watching a West End show (aka Broadway in The States).  We stayed actually not too far from where we will most likely be living next year.  I flew in on Friday and we wandered around a bit. That night we went to see my favorite play, Les Mis, at the Queen's Theatre. You know it's good when you're trying to hide your tears at the sad parts and quickly look around you to make sure no one sees what a nerd you are only to realize everyone else is crying too.

Right across the street from the Queen's Theatre was London's China Town. I have been wanting great Chinese food for a while. We've been to the one here in Maynooth, and unfortunately it was just kind of bland food. So we wandered through China Town and ended up at a restaurant called London China Town Restaurant (go figure). It was amazing. I've only had duck one time before and it was just fine. But this duck was very tender, juicy and had a lot of flavour. It came with pancakes that were more like tiny tortilla style wraps that you would use before cooking it into a won ton. The sauce was a smoky BBQ honey sauce that you put on top of shredded cucumbers and shredded onions. In short, if you ever end up in the vicinity of London, go to Queens Theatre entrance, turn 180 degrees, walk into China town and the first alley on your left is the restaurant. Although if you go during the Christmas season and you have ever seen The Christmas Story, you may end up with flashbacks to the scene where they go to Chinese food and they sing Fa ra rah ra rah ra rah. YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTq20prt0K8

Saturday, we did some more touring around London. After riding the Underground, we now understand what people mean when they say Europe has great public transportation. It's 15x better than what Ireland has. It's relatively inexpensive too if you are staying in the central London area. You can check out all of our pictures by using this address:  http://gallery.me.com/shsifuentes#100464.  One of our favorite stops was St. Paul's Cathedral. It was pretty amazing. We couldn't take pictures inside because it is still used as a place of worship. So, I've borrowed some on here from their website.

St. Paul's Cathedral, London, England

The Nave of the Cathedral (when you walk in). If you look at the end of the hall you can see
where the the ceiling changes. This area is the picture below

The Quire

The floor above the Cathedral floor is pretty amazing. It is called the whispering gallery. It basically is a large circle around the base of the dome. What you can do in the whispering gallery is stand on opposite sides of the circle and face the wall. One person talks into the wall and your voice travels, or whispers, all the way around to the other person.

We made the hike to the top of the 3rd dome, the Golden Gallery. It only took 526 steps to get there! Needless to say, I felt like we worked off dinner and dessert from the night before. It was well worth it though.

The view from the Golden Gallery

If you walk 526 steps up, then you have to also walk 526 steps down...

After some of the travels, we were able to pick up a couple of last minute discounted tickets to Steven's favorite play, The Lion King. I hadn't seen it before and it was amazing. Another one of those events where I largely felt like we were the only ones showing up with without kids. The Lion King is most definitely for kids and those who are still kids at heart. They created the most amazing costumes and it was fun to see the giant elephants come down the aisle in the opening scene. One thing that I did notice was that some parts were different from the movie in that the lines were altered to sound more English as opposed to American English. I did have to laugh a couple of times where a joke didn't come out just right and it was oddly apparent that it didn't really fit into British humor. 

Here are some of the other pictures from around London.

Covent Gardens

Vandalism left over from the student protesters the night before in
Parliament Square

I tried so hard to get him to act like Clark Kent turning into Superman.
He wasn't very interested though. 

Westminster Abbey- we wanted to go in but it costs your first born child if it's not during Mass. 

Overall, it was a great experience and we are looking forward to living there next year!

Handel's Messiah @ St. Patrick's Cathedral

Life has been eventful around here lately. The snow has caused quite a disruption for almost everything. Classes are sometimes cancelled and one exam has been rescheduled so far. Our apartments have officially lost their gutters due to the heavy snow and ice. I think Monday, classes will be in session more or less. We've still been out and around town, but the buses are prone to shutting down due to the icy roads. Thankfully, the trains are still running (on Irish time of course). 

A few weeks ago, Steven and I purchased tickets for the Handel's Messiah at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin. Even though the snow was coming down pretty heavy, the show went on. We made our way into Dublin on the train with our friend Theresa and then met up with Stephen D. for dinner at the Porterhouse before hand. After, the three of us went to the Cathedral for the show. I wish I had better pictures of the Cathedral because it was absolutely beautiful. There was a large garden on the backside that was covered in snow. We will hopefully have the chance to go back and take better pictures. 

You can see in the picture of us after the show that we had backpacks. We were a little worried that if the snow kept falling then the trains would stop since they were already on a limited schedule. Thankfully Stephen D lives in Dublin and offered to let us stay there if the trains stopped. So we packed overnight bags just in case.

I really enjoyed the Messiah program. I knew that the composer was German and that it was originally performed in Europe, but the piece was written in Dublin and had it's first performance in Dublin in 1742.  This year, it was performed by the Culwick Choral Society in aid of One Family (http://onefamily.ie/). Overall, if you ever have the chance to see this performance sans kids, I would recommend it, but purchase the program if it has the words. 

St. Patrick's Cathedral

After the show

Irish Stew

I found a fantastic Irish stew that was really easy to make and tastes amazing. I thought I would share it with you:

The ingredients for Irish Stew are layered in a heavy pot and slow-cooked in the oven, allowing the lamb and potatoes to tenderize and the flavors to deepen and meld. The best part is that you can walk away from the simmering pot and return two hours later to a mouthwatering meal.

3 pounds small Yukon gold potatoes, peeled

2 medium onions, (about 1 pound), halved lengthwise and cut into thin half-moons

2 1/2 pounds lamb shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

Freshly ground pepper

2 teaspoons coarsely chopped fresh thyme

3 cups homemade lamb stock, or low -sodium store-bought chicken stock

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh curly- or flat-leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cut 1 pound of the potatoes into 1/4-inch-thick rounds; spread them out in a large (5- to 6-quart) heavy-bottom pot or Dutch oven. Layer half the onions on top of the potatoes.

Place lamb cubes on top of onions. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt; season with pepper. Add the thyme. Place remaining onions on top of lamb. Add the stock and 1 cup water.

Place whole potatoes on top of onions. Sprinkle with remaining teaspoon salt; season with pepper. Cover with a tight-fitting lid; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Transfer to oven; cook, without stirring, 2 hours. Sprinkle with parsley.

Serves about 4 - 6. 

Side note: I cut the recipe in half and it gave us both about 2 large bowls each. 


Also, if you have ever seen How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, I kept thinking of the scene where Matthew McConaughey make lamb for his date with Kate Hudson and she starts crying and singing Mary had a little lamb.... while I was making this. 

I blame global warming...

Converting to Fahrenheit for Thursday:

High of 32 degrees fahrenheit
Low of 6.8 degrees fahrenheit

Interestingly enough we have never experienced weather like this. Finals that start this week should be interesting. My morning class tomorrow is already cancelled. I'm thinking a snow ball fight is on the horizon. 

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

We woke up this morning and there was snow! On one hand, I was secretly hoping for no snow because snow = very cold. On the other hand, when it was here, it was really pretty. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade... or at least go outside for a walk and enjoy it. We took our camera and walked around Maynooth for a while. It did snow while we were in Dublin this evening, you can kind of tell there's more snow in the evening pictures. Also notice Steven's "snow wear" vs mine. He wore a windbreaker and gloves and was perfectly warm. I wore two jackets, gloves, boots, mittens, etc and still thought it was a little chilly. Just saying....

South Campus

Outside the front gates of our apartments

Local stream

Front parking lot of the apartments

We also headed into Dublin for our Thanksgiving dinner. Dinner was great, we had turkey, scalloped potatoes, mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, sweet potatoes, and yams. It was a fantastic selection. We brought the pumpkin pie and cheesecake for dessert. We had a great time, but unfortunately we didn't really take any pictures to share.

Visit from friends in the UK

I am not very good at this whole blogging thing, but here is an update of some of the different things that Heather and I have been up to the last month or so...

We had a visit from some of my Academy buddies that are studying over in the UK right now. They came in for the weekend to watch the Irish National Rugby Team take on the Samoans. For my first Rugby match, I probably spent more time trying to figure out the rules then I did actually watching the game, but I had a great time.

Mike, Heather, Steven, Luke @ St. Stephen's Green Park, Dublin

St. Stephen's Green Park, Dublin

The game took place in the brand new Aviva Stadium which, as you can tell, is a large stadium for Ireland. I dont think that they were even close to filling the stadium. Yet, despite the large number of vacant seats, you can tell how worried the stadium officials were about people jumping onto the field after the game ended. At about five minutes left in the match, lines upon lines of security guards wearing bright yellow reflective jackets, took position along the borders of the pitch. It was rather anti-climatic as nothing happened once the match was over. As we were leaving, an Irishman behind us told us that the game was boring despite our win. Unfortunately, Heather was unable to make it to the game with us because she was getting ready for the celebration of the Marine Corps' Birthday that was to take place later than evening.

John, Brian, Ruben, Mike, Steven & Luke (friends studying in UK)

Switching writers.... the 235th Marine Corps' Birthday Ball on the 13th was a lot of fun. It was held at the Round Room of The Mansion House in Dublin. The room was very beautifully decorated. The ceiling was probably my favorite part of the room. It was a dome style top with twinkle lights in it, so when the lights were turned down it looked like we were under the stars- minus the freezing temperatures outside. Two other Mitchell Scholars were able to come with us to celebrate, Joey & Yongjun. It was a fun night of good food and great friends! A common question we get is this: Are there any other Marines in Ireland? The answer is yes. A total of 14 were at the Ball including Steven. Several of them work at the US Embassy in Dublin as guard or other staff, some are retired Marines now living in Ireland, and a few others flew in for the occasion.

All the Marines at the Ball

I had the opportunity to also experience my first rugby game here in Ireland. We traveled down to Limerick/Munster for the Munster vs Australia game. One of Steven's friends from his History program at school, Eanna (Ay-na), invited us down to the game with him and his girlfriend Clair. Prior to the game, we met up also with Fagen, who is currently studying in Limerick. The game was so much fun! There was a pre-game show with fireworks, men on stilts and a "drum line" so to speak. Beings as I'm still learning about the game and didn't really have a great grasp at the game, I have to say my favorite thing about the game was the crowd. They LOVE (possibly an understatement) their Munster team and this was a big game for them. I have to say, the game looks pretty brutal, especially without any pads. I thought for sure someone would have dislocated or broken something- it seemed like the medics were on the field after every couple of plays. The weather was horrible that night- a lot of wind and a lot of rain! Thankfully we were in the nosebleed section of the stands which meant that we were shielded from the elements. We ended up winning and the field was rushed by a lot of the fans at the end.

In the nose bleed section - but still dry!

Pre-game show

One of the many fights that broke out- after they were broken up the crowd would always
sing the Munster fight song. 

Christmas time came up really fast! Since an artificial tree was out of the question, I was able to talk Steven into driving down to Slater Valley (south of us) and having us cut down a Christmas tree.  It turns out that if you go half way thru November, you get to be the first customer. It was in interesting and very fun experience. To start off with, there was sheep wandering around the trees. It was actually entertaining... one of those moments where you tilt your head to one side, smile, and look at it and go "huh, look at that." He eventually wandered off and the farm dog followed us until we found a perfect tree that was just our size (literally- it's pretty much as tall as we are). Steven cut it down, dragged it back, and stuck it in the back of the hatchback car we rented. We now have it up and all decorated in our family room.

Sheep wandering around the trees

Just our size Christmas tree

We've also been having a good time just going into Dublin. The lights have started to go up all over the city and we have gone down a couple of times just to walk around. Steven took me to dinner in Dublin at our favorite Thai restaurant for my birthday. It was fantastic! Below is a couple of the pictures from walking around after dinner.

Christmas lights in Dublin

Baile Atha Cliath = Dublin

This weekend we have the opportunity to get together with all of the scholars and to celebrate Thanksgiving. Today we went around Dublin. We had the chance to go for tea time at the Aras an Uachtarain (The White House of Dublin). It was beautiful and we had a great time. Interesting fact: the presidential position is not an executive position in Ireland. It is also the only office which holds a fixed term. Other than that, the people in government can hold positions not exceeding 5 years.

Back side of the Aras

Front side of the Aras

Stephen D. and Steven S.

Having some fun on the back lawn

Inside the Aras

Thanksgiving dinner is tomorrow! We will be sure to post more about it later on.

First Reflection as a Mitchell Scholar

I created this reflection for the Mitchell Scholarship Program and decided that it might as well be my first post for our family blog. Everyone will have to bear with me, as I am not good at this type of thing, but I will work on it. Heather has already talked about a lot of what I have talked about below, but I guess it is a different perspective. Enjoy!









What can I say that pictures cannot?  They describe family, friends, travel, and experiences that I can never hope to convey in words. Heather and I arrived in Ireland at the beginning of September and have loved every moment of being here. It has not been without its changes, but the meshing of the two different cultures is a welcomed experience.  Ireland is a beautiful country with wonderful people.

We started our journey flying out of Washington Dulles International on September 1st The red eye flight landed us in Dublin early in the morning of the 2nd. Originally from Washington State, walking outside to cloudy skies and the feeling that it might rain was, in a strange way, a comforting feeling of home. Yet we were still in another country and we some how had to get ourselves and the ridiculously large bags we brought with us onto the bus, then onto the train, then to our new apartment somewhere in Maynooth, County Kildare. The size and number of bags we brought with us was our first lesson of living in Ireland: we brought too much with us! We had four large suitcases, two carry-ons, plus a personal bag each. One would not believe the number of stares we received as we managed our way out of the airport to the bus terminal. The bus driver looked in disbelief as we hauled our luggage onto the bus, filling up the only space there was available for bags. We told him where we wanted to go and he said he would “give us a shout” when it was time for us to get off.

The train station was an even more humorous adventure as it was hardly distinguishable from the outside, not to mention the very narrow pedestrian bridge we had to cross in order to get to the correct platform. Once in Maynooth, getting the six bags across another bridge proved just as entertaining as the first, but we had made it to our new town and our new home.











It was surprisingly easy for both Heather and I to make our small apartment in Maynooth, home. With three different grocery stores and a number of small restaurants, Maynooth is a wonderfully small town that really provides everything we could possibly need. Plus, having decided to not get a car while in Ireland, we are able to walk everywhere we go. I have to admit, there is not quite as much to do socially in Maynooth, aside from four or five pubs, but that is what is so great about where Maynooth is situated in relation to Dublin. Whether by rail or bus, we can get to Dublin in about an hour or less. There is lots to see and do around Dublin’s center, on top of the fascinating history that is still visible just walking around. At the General Post Office, for example, bullet holes from the 1916 Easter Rising still remain in the pillars at the front of the building!

I have not been stationary since living here, and have made every effort to see the country as much as possible. Within the two weeks of being in country, we traveled twice out to Galway to visit Joey. Taking a few of the different local tours in Galway, we had the chance to see the Cliffs of Moher, The Burren, The Kylemore Abbey, Arran Islands, and so much more. The pictures tell it all, but these places contain a beauty and majesty that have seen only a few times in my life. Check out some of the slideshows below for pictures from all our trips.



Heather and I did not make all these trips on our own. Throughout the pictures there are many of the first friends we made in the Mitchell Program: the other scholars. It was great coming to another country with eight good friends. It has been a blast getting to know the other scholars! Heather and I are fortunate that we live close to a few, and not too far away from the others. During the Convocation in Cork, we gathered for the first time since our initial meeting in Washington D.C. I had a great time getting to know the other scholars, and I have enjoyed getting to know them better since. We go out to eat together, travel together, and have a great time. While in Cork, we spent some time at the Ballymaloe Cooking School watching a culinary master make a delicious meal. I had a great time there! We also traveled out to Cobh where we learned a great deal about it history from Mrs. Wilson. It was a charming small town on the water. Experiences like those two made it a wonderful weekend with the other scholars.

The scenery around Ireland is unbelievable, and with every place we went, there was a story that came along with it. The picture below is of a cottage on the Arran Islands that we passed. As we were passing the cottage, our driver told us about the "Daylight Tax" that existed for a time while the British were in Ireland. People would be taxed for based on the number of windows they had in their cottages. So it was either pay the tax, or brick up the windows and deal with less light.



Out in Connemara, we passed this beautiful stream that fed into a lake on the other side of the lake. I cannot remember the name of the lake, but if you look closely, there is a little house on the edge of the water. It was in this building that an government official would live in order to watch for and prevent people from fishing the lake.





During the famine in Ireland, walls like the one below were built around the Burren, and other places in Ireland, in order to provide work to the Irish. We saw these walls everywhere and the interesting thing is that they served no functional purpose besides providing jobs.





[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMO1BE29Zfk[/youtube]

The tours we took were awesome. It was great to hear about the different places we passed and the stories that described their history. Better than that, we we were learning from people whose ancestors were apart of that history.

Traveling is not all that I do. We have just been able to do quite a bit because we arrived in country three weeks before my program at the National University of Ireland even started. My program has been equally as enjoyable as living in Ireland, and it is exactly what I was looking for coming from the Naval Academy. Many of my instructors teach at both the university and  the Irish Command and Staff College. There is also a number of students in the program who are members of the Irish Defense Forces. The diversity of the students allows for really interesting discussions and perspectives different from what I might experience in a master’s program in the U.S. The material is interesting, as it covers a broad range of strategic theory and issues. We will receive approval for our thesis proposals soon.

One of the aspects of living in Ireland that has been particularly interesting has been getting to know the Irish people. They are a warm and welcoming group of people. I have already made a few Irish friends from my program, and actually had one over for dinner a couple weeks ago. Outside of school, I have made a number of other friends in Ireland, in particular with guys from the Dublin Fire Brigade.

A couple of weeks after arriving, we were encouraged to seek out an internship in an area or field that interested us. With my background being that of an infantry Marine, I looked for something similar to that of the Marine Corps. Through the U.S.-Ireland Alliance, I was able to secure an internship with the Dublin Fire Brigade, which has been one of the most interesting things I have done thus far in Ireland. Serving strictly as an observer, I have been able to integrate myself with the different members of the DFB. The organization and brotherhood is quite similar to that of the Marine Corps, and I have to admit to a certain feeling of home that I thought I would not have in Ireland. They are a great group of men, now friends, whom share a common interest in service and familial relationships that develop due to the nature of the service they provide.

[caption id="attachment_146" align="alignleft" width="480" caption="Irish Time"][/caption]









All in all, Ireland is wonderful and exciting place to live. I am fortunate to be apart of this program and have the opportunity to assimilate myself within the Irish culture and people. Already, time has flown by, but not without having experienced the beauty of Ireland’s landscape, the welcome of Ireland’s people, and the promise of many more amazing experiences.