Orientation - Day Two

It was a terrific second day of orientation, this one geared for post graduates. That's me! We all gathered in a concert hall this morning. I suspect there were 800 or more of us who listened to the usual introductions and speeches on key subjects like campus security and then we were divided into groups and assigned a student guide who provided a campus tour and accompanied us to the enrolment area where we went through the official enrolment process and received our IDs. The last group to be called were the post graduate students of the Irish World Academy, and that was the point when I met my classmates for Ritual Chant and Song, both of them. That's right, there are three of us who will take classes together and share what I suspect will be a year filled with rich moments and great learning. I suspect we will learn as much from one another as from our course work. We seem to be bonding very quickly, Eilish and Padraig, both natives of Ireland, with the same passion for chant, great humor and warmth. In all there will be 5 students, two PhD candidates(one from Arizona who has been here long enough that she speaks with a brogue, and one from Mexico), and our wonder program director, Dr. Helen Phelan. Classes will be intimate,more like seminars. Our curriculum will include vocal instruction, ritual song instruction, the study and singing of Western Plain chant(Gregorian)a body work class in the Alexander Technique and an elective of our choice. I will be very busy, because I need to create a context for much of the work. It is mostly all new to me.

We had lunch at the Academy and then sat through a wonderful welcome and introduction of Academy staff from the Academy director, Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin. We are the first group of students to be studying in a brand new building. It is beautiful, open and has many of the same elements of some of the newer buildings on the Ithaca College campus in that it that the architecture, which includes lots of glass, takes advantage of natural light, creates a sense of openness, and promotes a feeling of community. The Tower Theatre, where we gathered, is a circular room with perhaps a four story ceiling that culminates up into a turret with a sky light at the very top. A number of gorgeous glass chandeliers drop down into the space and give a sense of floating clouds. It is an inspired and inspiring space and my description doesn't begin to do it justice.

We will begin our studies next Tuesday and I am so excited and feel so honored and privileged to be here. I have so much to learn and have no doubt that I will learn more than I can possibly imagine right now.

So now it is official. I am a full time Masters student studying that which I am most passionate about. I am still moved to tears by this fact. I am extremely happy and feel truly blessed.

And as an update, I learned late this afternoon, that instead of welcoming a Nigerian student as my suite mate, I will be sharing the apartment with a woman from Australia. I will look forward to her arrival sometime later this week or early next week.

So that was my day, quite a full and gratifying one. Hoping you have also had a good day. Sending love from Limerick.