Easing in...

I feel like I have spent these last twenty days or so winding my way into academic life and so I have. Today I met with my advisor and with Melanie Brown, who a native Dublinder and a very lovely and knowledgeable person. She is working on her PhD and doing a doctoral thesis that is capturing the music of the orthodox Jewish congregation in Dublin. I asked about the history and she told me that the earliest Jews came from Spain in the 16th century. At one time there were as many as 5,000 Jews in Ireland coming in at various times from Eastern Europe and Lithuania. There are presently 2,000 with half living in Dublin. There are apparently three congregations there now, two more orthodoxy and one progressive. I will visit two over the course of the semester as part of my field work. So I am off and running, reading about ritual study, Western Plain(Gregorian) Chant and completing my outline for my elective study of Jewish Ritual Chant.

On Thursday I move into my residence,(I have probably already told you that), and then orientation next week. So I have slowly eased in to student life and now it is picking up momentum. This evening I had to do an orientation or induction into living on campus. It felt a little strange doing this since I am a rather "mature" student, but it was well done; a combination of instructive video, written materials and multiple choice questions. I learned a lot of helpful information. Tomorrow I will head to the postgraduate studies office to pick up information on orientation and registration.

Do you remember what it was like to register for classes in the 60's, before the online registration era. I can recall standing in line for hours as a freshman, getting to the front of the line only to find out the class was full and closed out. I well remember my tears of frustration, but I am more mature now and promise I won't cry! I only have three courses and a field study this semester so I should be able to handle the registration process with complete poise!

So that's it for now. I am moving into the heart of the matter and I am very happy about it all.

Love from the University of Limerick AKA Glocca Morra.