Classes

Three classes done for the first week and two more this afternoon. Here's the recap so far if you're interested:

Financial Institutions Management- This seems to be primary about financial regulation. It is taught by an Irish professor (who has ten children) and I would say about one third of the class is American. This week we talked a lot about what happened in Ireland when their economy started going downhill.

The EU and the Business Environment- This class may be a lot of work but learning about the EU can only be beneficial. We're learning about the EU and what it can and can't do, plus the pros and cons of having a supranational organization.Currently, the EU consists of 27 states, with Croatia and Turkey petitioning to become a part.

Cross-Cultural Management- I just had it this morning and, although it is at 9 am, it seems like a fun class. I am one of only 3 Americans and the class has 16 people counting me. I don't, however, think there are any Irish students in it. Actually, they are enrolled in it they just didn't show up. We have many French students, plus Australian, Spanish, Austrian, and one kid from the Netherlands. Today we talked a little about cultural differences and it should be a good class for discussions.

Right now I'm on my way to get a brouchure about taking Irish here. It's only a 6 week class and it could be fun, and I'll know how to use words like "craic" without sounding like a tourist.

On that same idea, I am trying to look more and more like a local as I settle in. There is one problem- everytime I open my mouth it is plain as day that I am from America. So I can either be an articulate American or a mute Irish. I'm working on a fake Irish dialect currently, but my best line is "they're after me lucky charms."