Week 2

The older kids at our school (Bawnmore National) had a Gaelic football match during school yesterday, and that was fun to watch. Pretty much the whole school got to take a break for an hour to watch! I wish we could do that in the States. Gaelic football is a lot like soccer, except you can pick up the ball and run with it, and you can throw it. There are two goals, like in soccer, but there are also posts sticking up on either side of the goals, kinda like in American football. Getting the ball in the net is called a goal and is worth 3 points. Punting the ball between the two posts is worth 1 point. I also had the chance to learn a bit of Hurling while I was here. Hurling is kinda like hockey, but played on the grass with wooden paddles and a small ball, about the size of a tennis ball. I learned how to 'solo' the other day, which is when you balance the ball on the end of your paddle, or 'hurl', and run with it! Hurling, Gaelic football, and rugby are some of the biggest sports here. Soccer is also pretty popular.

Today in school, the kids were doing Irish dancing as part of their PE. So fun to watch! These kids have so many extracurricular activities: dancing, sports, music, and they're all learning Irish too! I'm making a note to learn some Irish dancing before I leave.

At home, I've been getting along really well with the family. Ruairi, the oldest, is learning guitar and he's been letting me play on his whenever I want :) Also, Saoirse has a keyboard! I'm not wanting for a musical outlet here. I've been trying to run most days after school. The weather's been pretty good for it: a bit cold and windy, but not too bad. There's a pitch a ways down the road that I can go to and run around. Guitar, running, Judo... what more could I want?