At the beginning of the semester we were given a list of study abroad day trips, and the one that stood out the most to me (and Stacy) was the trip to Causey Farm. A day of farm things. I am not sure why this out of all the trips was the most exciting. But it promised authentic Irish things like hurling, and baking, and playing with sheep, and the infamous bogs. And then, today, that day finally came. The anticipation was high, but let me tell you, Causey Farm did not let us down. Today may have been one of my ultimate favorite days in Ireland so far. I did things today that I would've never imagine doing and I'm sure people wouldn't imagine me doing either.
We started the day at 9:15 in the Quinn Parking lot where we were picked up. Dorothy was stuck in Barcelona due to the volcanic ash sweeping Europe so we had another woman taking us on our adventure today. Her name was Terri and she was a sweet woman, whose daughter is currently pursuing a PH.D at Northwestern. Only 20 or so people decided to hit the farm with us today, which was surprising because we were sure that this would be the most anticipated trip. It was about an hour and fifteen minutes to the farm which was west of Dublin, near the town of Trim and Athbay. We got off the bus with our backpacks with our change of clothes that Dorothy suggested we bring for this optional "bog jumping". No one was really sure what this would entail but Dorothy has yet to let us down. We were instantly greeted by a lovely woman named Debbie who would take us around the farm for the day. First stop, baking Irish brown bread. We were instructed to wash our hands, put on our aprons and head up stairs.
Debbie instructed us how to make this brown bread. A heap cup of flour, 3/4 cup of wheat flour, half teaspoon of salt, heap teaspoon of baking soda, an egg, half a cup of buttermilk, and there you go. Of course all the measurements were made using a coffee cup and big barrels of ingredients. Debbie tossed eggs around the room for us and one did not make it. Oops. She didn't seem to care much. Ardi decided to get his hands in the dough, and thus ended up with half of it stuck on his fingers since it was so sticky. It took both Debbie and Terri and some flour to get it off his hands. Everyone was having a good time, laughing and baking. We put our names on toothpicks and brought our bread downstairs to be baked while we went out and explored the farm.
Next up, Irish dancing. But while we waited for the barn to clear, we got to see the baby lambs. So adorable. The one little baby was standing on his mother "baa"ing at us. We were all so excited about the animals, I'm pretty sure Debbie thought us Americans were all crazy.
She took us into the barn with the cows and a baby calf and asked if any of us wanted to milk the cow, appropriately named Betsy. I definitely had my adventure pants on so I stepped up to milk the cow after one of the guys had gone. I've milked a cow before, some time in grade school, so it was no big deal.
Mary, the milkmaid, than asked if I wanted to try some of the milk. I said sure. (I had my adventure pants on remember) so she then told me to squirt some into my mouth. Given the angle and location of the udder, that would basically mean that I'd have to get my face underneath the cow. I was expecting more of a cup kind of deal. I laughed and told her "I think that's a little more than I can handle". She then told me she could squirt it into my mouth for me. Good idea? Seemed like it at the time. Why not, right. So I backed up, took position, and she launched a stream of cow's milk into my mouth (and sort of on my face). It was kind of like trying to get water from a hose stream. The pictures don't do it justice, at just how ridiculous this moment was. I'd like to note that I was the only one brave enough to drink the milk straight up from the udder. Warm milk. Talk about organically grown. Reminded me of Fox and the Hound when she squirts the milk at Tod.
Then we got to play with the Calf. Basically this calf just sucked on our fingers. Ridiculous. We were getting up close and personal with the animals.
The dancing barn still wasn't free so she took us to see the PUPPIES. Little Collie Pups. I got to hold one for a little bit, then I passed it on to Stevie, who passed it onto Dan, who then got pooped on by the little pup. These little puppies were straight up just born, they reminded me of 101 Dalmatians (lots of Disney animal references today).
Natasha started making fun of Dan, and karma struck and her puppy pooped on her too. Too much excitement for the puppies. Moving on. Next, we saw a Billy Goat. With a beard and everything. Fantastic. Then chickens. We got to go in the chicken pen and some people picked up roosters. Not an animal I needed to hold. There were also bunnies, and the Collies were running around. Block and Cinderella.
Time to dance. We were taught an authentic Irish jig. Reminded me of an Irish line dance. I think the best part of the dancing experience was the fact that Block, the 9 year old Collie, literally scaled the door so he could come in. He then sat in the middle of the floor and wouldn't move. I don't think he wanted us to dance. The dance wasn't too complicated but the spinning got a little confusing. We had a good time though, and it was a little cardio for our day.
We then went out in the field to get some first hand experience with the dogs herding the sheep. The dogs listen on command to the master's directions and herd the sheep in whatever way they're instructed. Pretty impressive.
Block was an old pro and he had the sheep come to us. He did manage to chase them outside of the gate. A little lamb got stuck in the fence and all the girls "Ahhh"ed. But the lamb got himself out and kept running. Totally precious.
Then we got our own chance to wrangle some animals. Including a mother goose who probably would have chopped your finger off with her beak.
And a BIG pig. I like to call him Wilbur. Some of the guys tried to ride the pig. (The farmers pretty much let us do whatever we wanted). Brendan managed to ride the pig for a few feet. I only wish I would've been quick enough to capture this moment. After wrangling the pigs, it was time to play a little drum.
The Bodhran is a traditional Irish drum used in jigs and reels. The skin of the drum is made from goat's skin, and you are supposed to put your hand on the back of the skin so that the drum sound is a little muted. The drum sticks have to ball like ends and you are supposed to hold the stick like a pen with your wrists facing inward. We all got a drum and learned some basic rhythms and then played along with music. My rhythm skills aren't that great, but it was still fun to play along.
After all the dancing, drumming, and animal wrangling it was time for lunch. We congregated in the dining area. For lunch, our homemade brown bread and homemade vegetable soup. There was also cheese slices so I ate some of those with my bread. It was definitely a hearty meal and I felt pretty legit eating it, especially because I had made the bread myself. I didn't finish my whole loaf but they gave us baggies to bring it home in. Then after lunch was tea, coffee, and scones. Give me another place and time that you'll find 20 American students sharing tea and scones. Full of soup and bread, it was time to hurl.
Yep, outside on the field for hurling. We got hurlers and balls and took to the field to try out our skills at the Gaelic sport. No surprise that my skills were a little bit lacking. You have to scoop up the ball with the flat stick, balance it on the stick with you run (like an egg on a spoon), and hit it like a baseball. We got to practice all these skills with our coach Darrin.
We raced each other trying to keep the ball on our sticks and did some what of a "home run derby" hitting contest. Then we got to practice our skills shooting at the goal posts. Hurling is an amateur sport (much like Gaelic football) meaning that the players don't get paid. I think American athletes should come to Ireland to see how hard people work just for "the love of the game". Makes me question how much Michael Jordan really loved it, or if he really loved those million dollar endorsements.
After hurling, it was time for the moment we had all been waiting for. BOG time. All that we new about bogs was that supposedly the Bernstein Bears once had played in them. I changed into my shorts, not expecting anything other than it would be easier that having to roll my jeans like Debbie said we could. As we waited for the tractor to come get us, we went into the barn and the farmer and I made rope out of hay. Then Claire and I used it as a jump rope for Stevie. Until another girl tried to double dutch in and the straw rope broke. The tractor had arrived so we hopped in. Hay rides, another one of my favorite things.
The tractor ride was about 10 minutes and then we stopped and got off. We were in the middle of a forest/bog type deal. It's nothing like you've ever seen. The bogs are the marshy lands that were created by the glaciers melting, forming lakes, then decomposing plants filling these lakes. The bog is marshy lands that have a preserving quality about them. They stay at about 3 to 4 degrees (Celsius) so the bogs were once used to keep butter cold before refrigerators. The bogs are so good at preserving things that Debbie said they've found old butter in the bogs (from like 100 -200 years ago) and you could almost still eat it. No thank you. The bogs (not this particular one) have also been known to contain preserved bodies. The moisture and the temperature kept the skin and hair preserved while the bones deteriorated. We saw these "bog bodies" in the National Museum of Ireland in one of the first weeks in Dublin. The dried peat from the bogs is then burned. We continued to walk through the bog path, coming upon a "hen party" playing in the bog. Hen Party is the Irish form of a Bachelorette party. I found it a little sexist that the woman came to bake bread and learn to dance for their hen parties. These particular hens were in the mad search for their "wellies" which they had stupidly worn in the bog. Now you might think it'd be a good idea to wear rain boots in the muddy bog. Except the bog has this suction quality to it, almost like quick sand.
We made our way to the area with a rope walk and monkey bars and the bog for jumping. We were all still unsure about jumping in this bog. It isn't wet like mud, and it looks solid like normal ground. But it's not. It is kind of like jello. Jello with a suction. Suction demonstrated when Bridget fell off the monkey bars and got stuck in the bog. Dan had to go help her out.
We asked Debbie how deep it was and she didn't know. She said the only way to find out was to jump in, and so Pete jumped in.
And then another guy jumped in. I had my adventure pants on, and so I jumped next. Straight in.
And then I was stuck. There is no way to capture or explain what it's like to be stuck in a bog. It's like you slide in, and then you are stuck. The bog closes up around your legs and you can't move them. Moving around is like sticking your hand in those kids' "farting putty". There is air pockets and it is so dense that ever move you make it difficult. I literally got stuck, and so Claire jumped in too and helped dig me out.
The trick, don't jump straight in. jump with your legs out so you land like you are sitting in a chair. Stacy realized we were having all the fun so she jumped in too.
We spent a while playing in the bog. Jumping in, getting stuck and having to dig ourselves out. We convinced Lauren and Bridget to come in, so they jumped in too.
Then the four of us when to the top and jumped in from the top. I got stuck again, and had to kick my feet to loose them. Even though you have no wiggle room because the bog literally tightens up around you. I was covered in bog peat, and pretty much ruined my tank top. I should've grabbed my tshirt that I brought for the bog hopping. Claire and I jumped in holding hands (special right?) and then she proceeded to dig herself out while spraying me with the peat. So I chucked some at her. It could've turned into an all out war but I don't think either of us wanted bog in our hair. Plus Debbie had warned us that changing facilities were minimal.
I finally wiggled myself out, and crawled out of the bog, like a full out bog creature.
I am not sure how many people can say they have jumped into a bog. But let me tell you, it was quite an experience. The mud created a force, and it was very cold. We wonder if its like a mud path....
Bogging Buddies
The Boggers
Full of dirt and bog materials, we headed back to the tractor. The bog began to dry on our skin, and unfortunately for the guys, in their leg hair. We were all rather disgusting and we had to crowd together on the hay ride home to accommodate for the accompanying hen party. We got to the farm grounds, and one of the woman workers was astonished to see us all covered. We all thought this was the normal thing to do. The "washing" facilities we had were literally aluminium pales and a tap on the side of the barn. Luckily, she found us dish rags and soap so we could at least scrub the peat off of us with the ice cold water. Needless to say, it was a long process of getting clean. When we were finally clean enough to put on some new clothes (but not really THAT clean) we changed in one of the little houses. They brought us bags to put our bog clothes in.
We collected our bread, said goodbye to our farm friends and animals, including the sheep that I went and pet. We were all exhausted from the adventures and we all pretty much fell asleep on the bus ride home. Then straight home and into the shower to get the rest of the bog off me. What a day.
That's exactly how I felt.
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