Hey All,
I'm home in Peekskill now after my weekend in DC. Seeing my friends this weekend was probably the best decision I could have made about coming home. It reminded me in no uncertain terms that I love Washington too, and next semester will be full of new adventures even though my Ireland adventure is over.
I am much more at peace now than I was when I last posted. I was very sad to be leaving Dublin, but when the moment came to to actually walk out the door I was happier than I've felt in a while- at least since Sarah left Dublin. I realised it at the airport- even though I had issues checking my bags (my giant suitcase was ten kilos overweight and I had to throw out a lot and repack a little, and I had to wait on line for over an hour behind a family who were moving to DC and checking 18 suitcases) I was still content and even excited. It occurred to me that if I were not happy to be going home I would be miserable.
The plane ride home was grand- somehow I lucked out again with an empty seat next to me, so I was quite comfortable. There was an undue number of unhappy babies, but even they didn't really bother me- further evidence that I must have been happy about going home. I read Portnoy's Complaint, a hilarious stream-of-consciousness book about a guy who hates his family and thinks that his upbringing ruined him for life.
Getting my suitcases back from the baggage claim was an hour-long adventure, mostly because I could barely life the two big ones. Immigration and customs were surprisingly easy, and I must admit that it was kind of funny to watch the family with the 18 suitcases try to get their things together.
I took a cab from Dulles to AU to see Abby. She was at TTM (the Catholic Women's Group that we're both a part of) so I headed straight for Kay. When I walked in the door all the girls screamed and hugged me. It was the best welcome I could have asked for, and it made me feel like it really is okay to be home. Abby and I had a chance to catch up, then I headed over to Matt's. He, Adam, Paul, and Mark live in the apartment that I will be moving into next semester after Mark graduates and returns to California.
I spent Saturday night regaling Abby with tales of Ireland, and she told me what I'd missed at AU. I was meant to hook up with Kelly at some point. She was in Virginia visiting one of her friends. But alas, we ended up missing each other.
Sunday was a quieter day. Adam, Maggie, Mark, and I went to a bar to watch the Cowboys game. I went to night mass on campus and saw some other friends, though most everyone has gone home by that point.
I almost missed my bus on Monday, but I made it with about 30 seconds to spare thanks to a very nice cab driver. Henry met me in Penn Station, and Mom picked up both of us there.
Next semester I am taking a full load of anthro classes- Intro to Archaeology, Language and Culture, Early America: The Buried Past, a course on the Masala, and one on Middle-East culture. I'm also taking a ballet class, which should be a blast.
I will take a lot of things from my experience in Ireland. Mostly a newfound sense of adulthood and self-sufficiency. Also, many new and wonderful friends that I hope will remain a part of my life for years to come. Most importantly, a new place where I feel at home and know that I can return to any time. I've even got a great souvenir that I will carry with me everywhere for the rest of my life.
Though I've tried my best, I feel as though there's a lot about this experience that I haven't been able to share adequately here. I'm really looking forward to catching up with each of you in person and hearing your news from the past few months. Thank you for sharing this experience with me- you will never know how much your reading this and leaving comments has meant. The comments in particular- they made my days over there. It's a great feeling to know that I have people at home who care and are cheering for me. I hope you've enjoyed reading these posts at least almost as much as I've enjoyed sharing them with you. :-)
18 December 2007
14 December 2007
The End.
This is it.
I fly to Washington in a matter of hours, and I can't say as I'm happy about it. This city and I get on well together. I am sad that I will no longer be intimately acquainted with it.
It is difficult to put into words the way I feel right now; unable to sleep knowing that my departure is imminent, and wishing it were not so. It is an odd sort of limbo. I know that today will be one of the longest and busiest days of my life, but at this moment there is literally nothing to do. I am packed. My apartment is clean, at least the bits I am responsible for. Everything is in order.
I've loved this city and the people in it, and I've loved living here. I need to go home for a few reasons, but I would move back here in a heartbeat after a week or two at home. I've had more fun here in the past few months than I can ever remember having before in my life. Part of it is the great experiences that I've encountered, but mostly it is that I am completely responsible for myself. If I make a bad decision, the consequences fall squarely on my shoulders and there is no one else to help support the weight. It is a frightening though, but also incredibly invigorating. For the first time in my life, I am an adult.
I am scared that this mindset will dissipate after I am home for a few weeks. I've been very strong and very smart here, because I have had to be. Will I continue to be that way when the stakes are not so high?
Another component to this feeling is the knowledge that Sarah will be here without me next term. We shared everything these past few months, and had a great time doing it. She will make new friends that will take my place in that scenario. But what about me? I don't have any friends like her at home, and there is no reason that I should all of a sudden find one upon returning to a place I have already lived.
This is compounded by the fact that she may no be returning to the states for any kind of permanency at any time in the foreseeable future. She is applying to art school in Dublin, and if she gets in she will remain here for the next few years at least.
It's not as though there are not good things about going home. There are people that I do miss, and exciting things on the agenda for next semester. But I have the treasured and simultaneously saddening knowledge that this has been the definition of a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The particular breed of happiness and invigoration that I have known for the past few months I will not know again.
Why is it, exactly, that all good things must end? Why is it not possible to take the best and most exciting parts of my life and incorporate them into this experience so that I might stay in this ridiculous bubble forever?
I fly to Washington in a matter of hours, and I can't say as I'm happy about it. This city and I get on well together. I am sad that I will no longer be intimately acquainted with it.
It is difficult to put into words the way I feel right now; unable to sleep knowing that my departure is imminent, and wishing it were not so. It is an odd sort of limbo. I know that today will be one of the longest and busiest days of my life, but at this moment there is literally nothing to do. I am packed. My apartment is clean, at least the bits I am responsible for. Everything is in order.
I've loved this city and the people in it, and I've loved living here. I need to go home for a few reasons, but I would move back here in a heartbeat after a week or two at home. I've had more fun here in the past few months than I can ever remember having before in my life. Part of it is the great experiences that I've encountered, but mostly it is that I am completely responsible for myself. If I make a bad decision, the consequences fall squarely on my shoulders and there is no one else to help support the weight. It is a frightening though, but also incredibly invigorating. For the first time in my life, I am an adult.
I am scared that this mindset will dissipate after I am home for a few weeks. I've been very strong and very smart here, because I have had to be. Will I continue to be that way when the stakes are not so high?
Another component to this feeling is the knowledge that Sarah will be here without me next term. We shared everything these past few months, and had a great time doing it. She will make new friends that will take my place in that scenario. But what about me? I don't have any friends like her at home, and there is no reason that I should all of a sudden find one upon returning to a place I have already lived.
This is compounded by the fact that she may no be returning to the states for any kind of permanency at any time in the foreseeable future. She is applying to art school in Dublin, and if she gets in she will remain here for the next few years at least.
It's not as though there are not good things about going home. There are people that I do miss, and exciting things on the agenda for next semester. But I have the treasured and simultaneously saddening knowledge that this has been the definition of a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The particular breed of happiness and invigoration that I have known for the past few months I will not know again.
Why is it, exactly, that all good things must end? Why is it not possible to take the best and most exciting parts of my life and incorporate them into this experience so that I might stay in this ridiculous bubble forever?
09 December 2007
Best Photo Ever Taken
So, totally not Ireland or me related at all, but I felt the need to share:
Camels on 53rd Street. Amazing.
Camels on 53rd Street. Amazing.
01 December 2007
Bollocks Stephy- We're Fecked!
Stephy returned to London on her way back to D.C., and I went along for the ride.
Saturday night I took Stephy out dancing in Temple Bar. At 2:30 I asked if she wanted to go home so we could get some sleep before our 8 o'clock flight. We made the astoundingly fabulous life choice to stay out and not sleep. This would have worked if the flight from Dublin to London were longer than 45 minutes- we could have slept then. So not the case.
We were waiting for the bus to the airport at about 6:30 and it was freezing. We were late getting to the bus stop in the first place, then the bus was late getting to the bus stop. It's about an hour ride from the bus stop nearest my apartment to the airport, so by 6:30 we were getting a little anxious about missing our plane. Stephy'd been quizzing me on Irish-ism so she'd have some cool new words to take home with her, and in our over-tired-we-haven't-slept-since-Friday-and-now-it's-Sunday stupor we started yelling "Bollocks! We're fecked!" at each other at the bus stop. Then we decided to act like grown ups and just take a cab.
We made it to the plane in time and slept the whole way there. I think I was asleep before the plane even took off, and I didn't wake up until people were already getting off. We ran to get the bus that goes from Stansted airport to central London. We slept the whole hour and twenty minute bus ride as well. We took the "tube" from Baker Street on the Jubilee line to Green Park, then the Picadilly line to South Kensington. Two of our friends are studying abroad there and they have an apartment in South Kensington. When we got to their apartment I took a nap. Later Stephy and I made dinner and then went out on the town. We were still exhausted, so we didn't see much. We did take a ride on the London Eye though. It was dark when we got up there and the city looked so beautiful all lit up.
I was a little overwhelmed by London at first. My exhaustion, combined with the fact that I'm so used to Dublin at this point made London seem huge. I can walk from one end of the important part of Dublin to the other in less than 40 minutes. London is about 50 million times bigger than that. But, Monday was much better. Stephy left early to catch her plane back to DC, and I headed out on my own to see as much of London as I could before my plane left at 9:45pm.
I walked from Tony and Tor's apartment up Exhibition Street. I passes the Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum. I walked through Hyde Park, past Kensington Palace and the Diana Memorial Playground. I followed Bayswater Road along the north side of the park. I walked down Park Lane to Wellington Arch, then followed Constitution Hill along the Palace Gardens and came out in front of Buckingham Palace.
The palace is not nearly as spectacular as you'd expect. I thought the cool looking guards were outside the palace, but apparently they are at the Tower of London. The Victoria Memorial across the street from the Palace is actually a lot more interesting than the palace itself. I followed Birdcage Walk to Westminster Abbey. The architecture of the Abbey is gorgeous, but the inside is very crowded, not with tourist, but with dead royals and rich people. There are tombs and sarcophagi all over the place. Stephy had tried to go there a few days earlier, but she couldn't get in because the Queen was in there celebrating her 60th wedding anniversary. She did manage to see her and snap a photo though.
After the Abbey, I walked down to the Parliament building and saw Big Ben. By that point is was pretty much time for me to get back to Tony and Tor's apartment to pick up my things and head to the airport.
Follow the red arrows on the map so see where I walked:
Check out the Photos:
36 Hours in London- Part I
36 Hours in London- Part II
36 Hours in London- Part III
Saturday night I took Stephy out dancing in Temple Bar. At 2:30 I asked if she wanted to go home so we could get some sleep before our 8 o'clock flight. We made the astoundingly fabulous life choice to stay out and not sleep. This would have worked if the flight from Dublin to London were longer than 45 minutes- we could have slept then. So not the case.
We were waiting for the bus to the airport at about 6:30 and it was freezing. We were late getting to the bus stop in the first place, then the bus was late getting to the bus stop. It's about an hour ride from the bus stop nearest my apartment to the airport, so by 6:30 we were getting a little anxious about missing our plane. Stephy'd been quizzing me on Irish-ism so she'd have some cool new words to take home with her, and in our over-tired-we-haven't-slept-since-Friday-and-now-it's-Sunday stupor we started yelling "Bollocks! We're fecked!" at each other at the bus stop. Then we decided to act like grown ups and just take a cab.
We made it to the plane in time and slept the whole way there. I think I was asleep before the plane even took off, and I didn't wake up until people were already getting off. We ran to get the bus that goes from Stansted airport to central London. We slept the whole hour and twenty minute bus ride as well. We took the "tube" from Baker Street on the Jubilee line to Green Park, then the Picadilly line to South Kensington. Two of our friends are studying abroad there and they have an apartment in South Kensington. When we got to their apartment I took a nap. Later Stephy and I made dinner and then went out on the town. We were still exhausted, so we didn't see much. We did take a ride on the London Eye though. It was dark when we got up there and the city looked so beautiful all lit up.
I was a little overwhelmed by London at first. My exhaustion, combined with the fact that I'm so used to Dublin at this point made London seem huge. I can walk from one end of the important part of Dublin to the other in less than 40 minutes. London is about 50 million times bigger than that. But, Monday was much better. Stephy left early to catch her plane back to DC, and I headed out on my own to see as much of London as I could before my plane left at 9:45pm.
I walked from Tony and Tor's apartment up Exhibition Street. I passes the Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum. I walked through Hyde Park, past Kensington Palace and the Diana Memorial Playground. I followed Bayswater Road along the north side of the park. I walked down Park Lane to Wellington Arch, then followed Constitution Hill along the Palace Gardens and came out in front of Buckingham Palace.
The palace is not nearly as spectacular as you'd expect. I thought the cool looking guards were outside the palace, but apparently they are at the Tower of London. The Victoria Memorial across the street from the Palace is actually a lot more interesting than the palace itself. I followed Birdcage Walk to Westminster Abbey. The architecture of the Abbey is gorgeous, but the inside is very crowded, not with tourist, but with dead royals and rich people. There are tombs and sarcophagi all over the place. Stephy had tried to go there a few days earlier, but she couldn't get in because the Queen was in there celebrating her 60th wedding anniversary. She did manage to see her and snap a photo though.
After the Abbey, I walked down to the Parliament building and saw Big Ben. By that point is was pretty much time for me to get back to Tony and Tor's apartment to pick up my things and head to the airport.
Follow the red arrows on the map so see where I walked:
Check out the Photos:
36 Hours in London- Part I
36 Hours in London- Part II
36 Hours in London- Part III
Thanksgiving the Ex-Pat Way
Stephy (my roommate from AU) invaded Dublin for Thanksgiving last week.
Sarah, Stephy, and I made an amazing Thanksgiving dinner, considering it was the first time any of us had done anything besides say "Hey mom- that's smells great!" I had to special order a turkey from the butcher down the street. Apparently Irish people never eat turkey, except on Christmas. Stephy and I went to pick it up Thursday morning and had a lovely chat with the butcher and his wife. It all started when Stephy decided she needed a photo of the turkey, (who we decided to name Bob, because Stephy thought he needed a traditional American name) so the butcher pulled it out of it's bag and posed with it for her to photograph. His wife tod me the story of the Christmas their daughter spent in Australia when she cooked for all her friends. They wished us a happy Thanksgiving and we carried a giant turkey back down Pearse Street to my apartment amid many confused looks.
That was possibly the oddest thing about having Thanksgiving here. Everyone but us went about their regular routine. As we were walking back to my apartment we passed lots of people in suits headed for work and it struck me that everything in the states really does shut down for Thanksgiving, and it was odd the be the only people celebrating it while everyone else went on about their days.
We prepped the turkey and got it in the oven, then made a Tesco run to get the rest of what we needed to cook dinner. Stephy and I made the turkey and the stuffing. Sarah made apple pies, mashed potatoes and garlic corn. We invited Lauren, Maureen, and Steven for dinner as well. We charged them each a bottle of red wine for admission :-P
The six of us had an amazing time cooking and eating, and we all got a chance to talk to our parents- even Stephy. I think I spoke to my mom more than anyone else- including a frantic call to find out how to know what four quarts of cubed bread is supposed to look like when you don't have a measuring cup.
I missed being home for sure though. Stephy and I spent about an hour online trying to find a live webcast of the Macy's Parade, but to no avail. It was the first time I've ever not watched it. This was the first Thanksgiving we've had since my sister moved out. It was also the first time I can remember my mom not having Thanksgiving at our house. That was a bit saddening as well. These firsts make it all the more obvious that I really am growing up and my nuclear family is not nearly as nuclear as it once was.
However, it was definitely an experience to have Thanksgiving here. We did well for a group of cooking newbies I think!
Check out the photos below:
Thanksgiving the Ex-Pat Way
Sarah, Stephy, and I made an amazing Thanksgiving dinner, considering it was the first time any of us had done anything besides say "Hey mom- that's smells great!" I had to special order a turkey from the butcher down the street. Apparently Irish people never eat turkey, except on Christmas. Stephy and I went to pick it up Thursday morning and had a lovely chat with the butcher and his wife. It all started when Stephy decided she needed a photo of the turkey, (who we decided to name Bob, because Stephy thought he needed a traditional American name) so the butcher pulled it out of it's bag and posed with it for her to photograph. His wife tod me the story of the Christmas their daughter spent in Australia when she cooked for all her friends. They wished us a happy Thanksgiving and we carried a giant turkey back down Pearse Street to my apartment amid many confused looks.
That was possibly the oddest thing about having Thanksgiving here. Everyone but us went about their regular routine. As we were walking back to my apartment we passed lots of people in suits headed for work and it struck me that everything in the states really does shut down for Thanksgiving, and it was odd the be the only people celebrating it while everyone else went on about their days.
We prepped the turkey and got it in the oven, then made a Tesco run to get the rest of what we needed to cook dinner. Stephy and I made the turkey and the stuffing. Sarah made apple pies, mashed potatoes and garlic corn. We invited Lauren, Maureen, and Steven for dinner as well. We charged them each a bottle of red wine for admission :-P
The six of us had an amazing time cooking and eating, and we all got a chance to talk to our parents- even Stephy. I think I spoke to my mom more than anyone else- including a frantic call to find out how to know what four quarts of cubed bread is supposed to look like when you don't have a measuring cup.
I missed being home for sure though. Stephy and I spent about an hour online trying to find a live webcast of the Macy's Parade, but to no avail. It was the first time I've ever not watched it. This was the first Thanksgiving we've had since my sister moved out. It was also the first time I can remember my mom not having Thanksgiving at our house. That was a bit saddening as well. These firsts make it all the more obvious that I really am growing up and my nuclear family is not nearly as nuclear as it once was.
However, it was definitely an experience to have Thanksgiving here. We did well for a group of cooking newbies I think!
Check out the photos below:
Thanksgiving the Ex-Pat Way
14 November 2007
It's A Rainy Day In Dublin
I'm quite comfortable living here, I've decided.
It's been doing Irish-style raining all day, and I didn't even bother with the umbrella. I've learned that there is no point. My hair will get wet no matter what. But it doesn't bother me anymore. It's fantastic. And I've begun to notice that I'm speaking like an Irish person more and more. It's no longer weird to me to hear myself say "half three" or "I'm grand, thanks". I apologise in advance for being really annoying with it when I get home, because odds are it will stick for a bit. In truth, I really kinda like it :-P
I've been experiencing a lot of this city lately. Last week both of my classes were on reading week, so I had no actual lectures or seminars, though we're expected to catch up on the reading for the course. I'll let you think that that's what I spent the majority of my time doing. (In all fairness, I was pretty much caught up before the week began) Sarah and I saw four different shows on four different night totaling about 20 bands. If I recall correctly, 3 were good. But hey, the other's were fun to watch!
I spent this past Monday preparing my presentations for this week. I had both of my seminar presentations- one Tuesday and one earlier today. The one yesterday was for history- I discussed John Speed, the 16th / 17th century English cartographer who wast the first to chart Ireland. His maps are gorgeous, albeit pretty inaccurate. A lot of them are now framed as art in houses in England.
My presentation today was on gender complementarity in the Andes mountains. I was in a group with four others, and unlike group presentations in the states everyone in this group actually did a fair amount of work. My bit was on the Aymara tribe in Pocobaya and how Spanish colonialism combined with their traditional gender system to create a hybrid of the worst characteristics of each culture.
Monday night Sarah and I went to see a hardcore show at the Voodoo Lounge. There were five bands- the first three were horrible, but the last two were really good. The best part was the "dancing" though. Basically, all the boys stand in a circle and run into each other while flailing their arms and legs- it's pretty funny to watch.
Last night we went to see a play that Sarah had to see for her theatre class. It was Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov. Apparently his signature is he writes plays in which all the characters are bored by the monotony of their lives and desperate for change. But in the end, after much upheaval and just when you think things are going to change, everything goes back to exactly the way it was. I guess he's a believer in the "familiar pain over change" school of humanity. The acting was superb though.
Tonight were going to Beta Bar to see a few more bands.
I've also made pretty good friends with the girls from my presentation group in sociology. We went out for lunch after we rehearsed the presentation on Monday and again for coffee after the presentation today. I like that I have lots of Irish friends now, but I'm getting a bit sad that I have to leave in a few weeks- and I don't know when or if I'll ever see them again.
I like that I've been going out and getting to know this city. It's something that I never did enough of in Washington. It feels good to explore and learn new things about the place I'm living.
It's been doing Irish-style raining all day, and I didn't even bother with the umbrella. I've learned that there is no point. My hair will get wet no matter what. But it doesn't bother me anymore. It's fantastic. And I've begun to notice that I'm speaking like an Irish person more and more. It's no longer weird to me to hear myself say "half three" or "I'm grand, thanks". I apologise in advance for being really annoying with it when I get home, because odds are it will stick for a bit. In truth, I really kinda like it :-P
I've been experiencing a lot of this city lately. Last week both of my classes were on reading week, so I had no actual lectures or seminars, though we're expected to catch up on the reading for the course. I'll let you think that that's what I spent the majority of my time doing. (In all fairness, I was pretty much caught up before the week began) Sarah and I saw four different shows on four different night totaling about 20 bands. If I recall correctly, 3 were good. But hey, the other's were fun to watch!
I spent this past Monday preparing my presentations for this week. I had both of my seminar presentations- one Tuesday and one earlier today. The one yesterday was for history- I discussed John Speed, the 16th / 17th century English cartographer who wast the first to chart Ireland. His maps are gorgeous, albeit pretty inaccurate. A lot of them are now framed as art in houses in England.
My presentation today was on gender complementarity in the Andes mountains. I was in a group with four others, and unlike group presentations in the states everyone in this group actually did a fair amount of work. My bit was on the Aymara tribe in Pocobaya and how Spanish colonialism combined with their traditional gender system to create a hybrid of the worst characteristics of each culture.
Monday night Sarah and I went to see a hardcore show at the Voodoo Lounge. There were five bands- the first three were horrible, but the last two were really good. The best part was the "dancing" though. Basically, all the boys stand in a circle and run into each other while flailing their arms and legs- it's pretty funny to watch.
Last night we went to see a play that Sarah had to see for her theatre class. It was Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov. Apparently his signature is he writes plays in which all the characters are bored by the monotony of their lives and desperate for change. But in the end, after much upheaval and just when you think things are going to change, everything goes back to exactly the way it was. I guess he's a believer in the "familiar pain over change" school of humanity. The acting was superb though.
Tonight were going to Beta Bar to see a few more bands.
I've also made pretty good friends with the girls from my presentation group in sociology. We went out for lunch after we rehearsed the presentation on Monday and again for coffee after the presentation today. I like that I have lots of Irish friends now, but I'm getting a bit sad that I have to leave in a few weeks- and I don't know when or if I'll ever see them again.
I like that I've been going out and getting to know this city. It's something that I never did enough of in Washington. It feels good to explore and learn new things about the place I'm living.
02 November 2007
Halloween, Dublin Style
Surprisingly enough, Halloween was not as big of a deal here as I thought it would be. Halloween started in Ireland, and Irish immigrants brought it to the States in the mid-19th century. Apparently though Halloween was much more of a child and family oriented holiday here until ten or so years ago.
There are special "Halloween Games" that were played in Ireland for which children would get prizes and candy. Trick-or-Treating never caught on here from what I can tell, but now the holiday is basically about people my age getting dressed up in "fancy dress outfits" and going out. Which is exactly what I did!
I dressed up as a flapper with a black cocktail dress, hold-ups, red nails and lips and a cigarette holder. Sarah dressed up as Evan Rachel Wood from Marilyn Manson's Heart-Shaped Glasses music video, with a blond wig and red heart-shaped sunglasses. We went out to Doran's for a bit early in the night. We met up with Chris and Brian and headed up Hartcourt Street to the Village.
Brian's band was supposed to play in a Misfits tribute at the Village, but their lead singer got chicken pox and they had to pull out. We went to see the show anyway and it was pretty good. I don't know any Misfits songs so I was a little lost, but it was a good time nonetheless.
I think there might have been more Halloween festivities over the weekend while I was in Croatia, but it was a fun night anyway!
There are special "Halloween Games" that were played in Ireland for which children would get prizes and candy. Trick-or-Treating never caught on here from what I can tell, but now the holiday is basically about people my age getting dressed up in "fancy dress outfits" and going out. Which is exactly what I did!
I dressed up as a flapper with a black cocktail dress, hold-ups, red nails and lips and a cigarette holder. Sarah dressed up as Evan Rachel Wood from Marilyn Manson's Heart-Shaped Glasses music video, with a blond wig and red heart-shaped sunglasses. We went out to Doran's for a bit early in the night. We met up with Chris and Brian and headed up Hartcourt Street to the Village.
Brian's band was supposed to play in a Misfits tribute at the Village, but their lead singer got chicken pox and they had to pull out. We went to see the show anyway and it was pretty good. I don't know any Misfits songs so I was a little lost, but it was a good time nonetheless.
I think there might have been more Halloween festivities over the weekend while I was in Croatia, but it was a fun night anyway!
29 October 2007
Croatia and Bosnia!
So I went to Croatia on Thursday and spent Saturday in Bosnia. Here's the story:
Last semester at AU I became good friends with Damir, the priest who filled in at our church on campus after our priest was reassigned. He moved to Croatia over the summer and I went to visit him. Another friend from AU, Tage, is studying in Denmark this semester and we met in Croatia to hang out for a few days.
I flew from Dublin to Pula, Croatia on Thursday morning. I got to Pula at about 2pm- Damir and Tage met me there around 5:30. (They had to drive in from Zagreb, the capital- about a four-hour drive.) Pula is a gorgeous Roman city on the Adriatic Sea. There is really beautiful amphitheatre in downtown Pula and I met up with them there after wandering the city for a few hours. I spent those hours getting to know the city on my own. I had an interesting time trying to buy face wash- mine was confiscated at security leaving Dublin airport. I went into a store with a sign that said "farmicia", but all the labels were in Croatian and the woman working in the store spoke only Croatian. It took about 20 minutes, but I found one that had it's label in French as well as Croatian so I could understand what it was.
The three of us had dinner at a very cute restaurant in Pula. Croatians always begin a meal with an aperatif- this one was a plum liquor. We shared a meat platter with pork, beef, chicken, and some other things that were so yummy I don't even care what they were. We drank red wine with the meal, and ended it with an herbal liquor that supposedly aids digestion.
The drive back to Zagreb was beautiful- we rode through the mountains and they were covered in snow. Tage and I exchanged a few friendly snowballs at a rest stop before going inside. I had the best hot chocolate ever at that rest stop- it was the hot chocolate version of Turkish coffee- very thick and very yummy.
When we got back to Zagreb Damir dropped Tage and I off at the apartment we were staying at. Damir is the chaplain for the University of Zagreb and as such is entitled to an apartment in the residences. However, he lives with his Salesian community instead so Tage and I stayed in his apartment. After Damir dropped us off, Tage and I went around the corner to an "Irish" pub called the Movie Pub. We tested out some local Croatian beer- Ojzusko- which was pretty good, and took in a round of Croatian karaoke that was absolutely hysterical.
On Friday Damir took us on a walking tour of downtown Zagreb. We saw the cathedral where Damir was ordained, the Croatian government buildings, a few other churches, the oldest 7-day / week market in Europe, and pretty much all of old Zagreb. It's very pretty, and most of the architecture is Austrian inspired. It rained for most of the day, but we got some cooked wine mid-afternoon to warm us up. Apparently that's a Croatian specialty- cooked wine and roasted chestnuts.
We had dinner in an Italian restaurant near the university residences. The food was really good and the atmosphere was even better. Croatians are really just genuinely nice people. We had a Croatian dessert called Policenka (there should be an accent on the c, but I don't know how to make it happen. It's pronounced po-li-chen-ka) that is basically crepes with different fillings and toppings. Mine had a jam filling and a chocolate sauce topping.
After dinner we went to the parish that Damir lived at while he was a seminarian. They were having a chestnut roast. We met some super cool Croatian priests and learned a lot about Catholic life in Croatia. Oh, and we had some homemade wine that was incredible. After the chestnut roast we visited some high school seminarians. (In Croatia they have a few programs for young boys who are considering the priesthood- they go to regular high school but they live in a priestly community and get chance to see if it is really for them.) The priest who runs the program welcomed us into his office and got to know us a bit over some amazing cranberry liquor. Tage and I were asked to talk to them about what it's like to be Catholic in America. We each spoke for a few minutes, then we had a Q & A session. They boys were curious about all sorts of aspects of American life and about our semesters abroad. After the talk they invited us to stay for some refreshments- more wine and more great conversation.
After the high school seminary we went to Damir's parish to drop in on a dance class that he was asked to make an appearance at. We met some of his super-cool Croatian parishoners and we went out to a pub for a drink with them after the class was over. We got to know them and made new friends :-)
Saturday we decided to go to Bosnia for the day. On the way we stopped to see a prison camp where 600 Croatian Catholic priests were kept during the war in the early 90s. It was a very eerie experience. The area around the camp is pretty desolate, except for a floor tile factory. Damir stopped and asked a man for directions. The man took us to the building where the priests were actually kept in cells and gave us a guided tour of the camp. Check out the links to the photos at the end of this blog. He was very nice to us- he even invited us to his house for lunch. We couldn't go though, because we were expected by another priest across the border in Bosnia.
We crossed the border that divides Croatia and Bosnia into a town called Grotiska. (Again, there should be an accent on the s, and it's pronounced Grot-ish-ka) The priest that was expecting us is the pastor for 3 churches that have about 100 parishoners between them. His predecessor was assassinated by the Serbians in 2004, so he doesn't leave the church much. He took us on a little tour of Grotiska, and we saw the Serbian Orthodox Church there. The Serbian Orthodox stand during their service, and the priest goes behind a wall at the front of the room and the parishoners just listen to him do the liturgy. He is the only person considered "holy enough" to be in the presence of the sacrament.
We continued on to Banja Luka, another Serbian town in Bosnia. The road there form Grotiska is lined with mosques, churches, homes with chickens and sheep in the front yards, mine fields, and brothels. Not to mention the fist fight that we witnessed on the side of the road between two men who had been in a car accident. The town itself is what Damir calls "a monument to Socialism." In the main square there is an unfinished building that was started by the communists and was never finished because of the war. We stopped for coffee at a Serbian cafe. There is a Roman fortified castle in the center of town that we took a walk through. The entire experience was very eerie- Bosnia basically has no government, and the only reason it isn't in total chaos is because the UN has peace-keeping forces stationed there. The wounds of the civil war are so real and raw there- I've never seen anything like it. I though that Belfast was scary, but this was just a whole other dimension.
We made it back to Zagreb just in time to have dinner at the house of one of Damir's families. They made us a sort of quiche filled with ham and cheese and topped with roasted chestnuts, veal cutlets, gnocchi, and the best chocolate cake I've ever tasted. The company was even more special- two girls from the the family who are both economics students- very intelligent and very sweet, and another guy from Damir's parish who is also an economics student.
After dinner we went out with them to a pub for a few drinks, then us young'uns went out dancing. We went to a club in downtown Zagreb that played amazingly cheesy 70s dance music- we actually did the YMCA! It was the best time I think I've had in a while- the company was beyond belief.
This morning Tage and I slept in and met up with Damir around 11:30. We went to Croatian mass at his parish at noon. I've never seen so many people in one place. This parish has seven masses on Sunday and they are all packed. There were so many people standing in the aisles that we practically had to climb over them to take communion. There were easily several hundred people- possibly 1,000.
After mass we went for lunch at a very cool Italian restaurant. Tage and I split a "hunter's pizza" that had all sorts of things on it, including a friend egg. But it was very yummy. After lunch it was, unfortunately, time for me to go. I caught a flight to Budapest at 3:40 and a flight from there to Dublin at 7:15.
If you ever get the chance, go to Croatia. It's so beautiful, the people are amazing, and the history is more alive than you could ever imagine. Maybe I'm just an anthro dork, but it was possibly the most fascinating experience I've ever had :-)
Photos: Hrvatska!
Hrvatska! Part II
Last semester at AU I became good friends with Damir, the priest who filled in at our church on campus after our priest was reassigned. He moved to Croatia over the summer and I went to visit him. Another friend from AU, Tage, is studying in Denmark this semester and we met in Croatia to hang out for a few days.
I flew from Dublin to Pula, Croatia on Thursday morning. I got to Pula at about 2pm- Damir and Tage met me there around 5:30. (They had to drive in from Zagreb, the capital- about a four-hour drive.) Pula is a gorgeous Roman city on the Adriatic Sea. There is really beautiful amphitheatre in downtown Pula and I met up with them there after wandering the city for a few hours. I spent those hours getting to know the city on my own. I had an interesting time trying to buy face wash- mine was confiscated at security leaving Dublin airport. I went into a store with a sign that said "farmicia", but all the labels were in Croatian and the woman working in the store spoke only Croatian. It took about 20 minutes, but I found one that had it's label in French as well as Croatian so I could understand what it was.
The three of us had dinner at a very cute restaurant in Pula. Croatians always begin a meal with an aperatif- this one was a plum liquor. We shared a meat platter with pork, beef, chicken, and some other things that were so yummy I don't even care what they were. We drank red wine with the meal, and ended it with an herbal liquor that supposedly aids digestion.
The drive back to Zagreb was beautiful- we rode through the mountains and they were covered in snow. Tage and I exchanged a few friendly snowballs at a rest stop before going inside. I had the best hot chocolate ever at that rest stop- it was the hot chocolate version of Turkish coffee- very thick and very yummy.
When we got back to Zagreb Damir dropped Tage and I off at the apartment we were staying at. Damir is the chaplain for the University of Zagreb and as such is entitled to an apartment in the residences. However, he lives with his Salesian community instead so Tage and I stayed in his apartment. After Damir dropped us off, Tage and I went around the corner to an "Irish" pub called the Movie Pub. We tested out some local Croatian beer- Ojzusko- which was pretty good, and took in a round of Croatian karaoke that was absolutely hysterical.
On Friday Damir took us on a walking tour of downtown Zagreb. We saw the cathedral where Damir was ordained, the Croatian government buildings, a few other churches, the oldest 7-day / week market in Europe, and pretty much all of old Zagreb. It's very pretty, and most of the architecture is Austrian inspired. It rained for most of the day, but we got some cooked wine mid-afternoon to warm us up. Apparently that's a Croatian specialty- cooked wine and roasted chestnuts.
We had dinner in an Italian restaurant near the university residences. The food was really good and the atmosphere was even better. Croatians are really just genuinely nice people. We had a Croatian dessert called Policenka (there should be an accent on the c, but I don't know how to make it happen. It's pronounced po-li-chen-ka) that is basically crepes with different fillings and toppings. Mine had a jam filling and a chocolate sauce topping.
After dinner we went to the parish that Damir lived at while he was a seminarian. They were having a chestnut roast. We met some super cool Croatian priests and learned a lot about Catholic life in Croatia. Oh, and we had some homemade wine that was incredible. After the chestnut roast we visited some high school seminarians. (In Croatia they have a few programs for young boys who are considering the priesthood- they go to regular high school but they live in a priestly community and get chance to see if it is really for them.) The priest who runs the program welcomed us into his office and got to know us a bit over some amazing cranberry liquor. Tage and I were asked to talk to them about what it's like to be Catholic in America. We each spoke for a few minutes, then we had a Q & A session. They boys were curious about all sorts of aspects of American life and about our semesters abroad. After the talk they invited us to stay for some refreshments- more wine and more great conversation.
After the high school seminary we went to Damir's parish to drop in on a dance class that he was asked to make an appearance at. We met some of his super-cool Croatian parishoners and we went out to a pub for a drink with them after the class was over. We got to know them and made new friends :-)
Saturday we decided to go to Bosnia for the day. On the way we stopped to see a prison camp where 600 Croatian Catholic priests were kept during the war in the early 90s. It was a very eerie experience. The area around the camp is pretty desolate, except for a floor tile factory. Damir stopped and asked a man for directions. The man took us to the building where the priests were actually kept in cells and gave us a guided tour of the camp. Check out the links to the photos at the end of this blog. He was very nice to us- he even invited us to his house for lunch. We couldn't go though, because we were expected by another priest across the border in Bosnia.
We crossed the border that divides Croatia and Bosnia into a town called Grotiska. (Again, there should be an accent on the s, and it's pronounced Grot-ish-ka) The priest that was expecting us is the pastor for 3 churches that have about 100 parishoners between them. His predecessor was assassinated by the Serbians in 2004, so he doesn't leave the church much. He took us on a little tour of Grotiska, and we saw the Serbian Orthodox Church there. The Serbian Orthodox stand during their service, and the priest goes behind a wall at the front of the room and the parishoners just listen to him do the liturgy. He is the only person considered "holy enough" to be in the presence of the sacrament.
We continued on to Banja Luka, another Serbian town in Bosnia. The road there form Grotiska is lined with mosques, churches, homes with chickens and sheep in the front yards, mine fields, and brothels. Not to mention the fist fight that we witnessed on the side of the road between two men who had been in a car accident. The town itself is what Damir calls "a monument to Socialism." In the main square there is an unfinished building that was started by the communists and was never finished because of the war. We stopped for coffee at a Serbian cafe. There is a Roman fortified castle in the center of town that we took a walk through. The entire experience was very eerie- Bosnia basically has no government, and the only reason it isn't in total chaos is because the UN has peace-keeping forces stationed there. The wounds of the civil war are so real and raw there- I've never seen anything like it. I though that Belfast was scary, but this was just a whole other dimension.
We made it back to Zagreb just in time to have dinner at the house of one of Damir's families. They made us a sort of quiche filled with ham and cheese and topped with roasted chestnuts, veal cutlets, gnocchi, and the best chocolate cake I've ever tasted. The company was even more special- two girls from the the family who are both economics students- very intelligent and very sweet, and another guy from Damir's parish who is also an economics student.
After dinner we went out with them to a pub for a few drinks, then us young'uns went out dancing. We went to a club in downtown Zagreb that played amazingly cheesy 70s dance music- we actually did the YMCA! It was the best time I think I've had in a while- the company was beyond belief.
This morning Tage and I slept in and met up with Damir around 11:30. We went to Croatian mass at his parish at noon. I've never seen so many people in one place. This parish has seven masses on Sunday and they are all packed. There were so many people standing in the aisles that we practically had to climb over them to take communion. There were easily several hundred people- possibly 1,000.
After mass we went for lunch at a very cool Italian restaurant. Tage and I split a "hunter's pizza" that had all sorts of things on it, including a friend egg. But it was very yummy. After lunch it was, unfortunately, time for me to go. I caught a flight to Budapest at 3:40 and a flight from there to Dublin at 7:15.
If you ever get the chance, go to Croatia. It's so beautiful, the people are amazing, and the history is more alive than you could ever imagine. Maybe I'm just an anthro dork, but it was possibly the most fascinating experience I've ever had :-)
Photos: Hrvatska!
Hrvatska! Part II
15 October 2007
Ali & the DTs
If you haven't heard anything by this band I suggest you get on that quick. I was taken to see them at Pogo- a club on Harcourt Street. Not only is their music spectacular but they have an amazing stage presence- a rare find for a band that was formed less than a year ago.
You can listen to some of their songs on their MySpace page. I'd start with Low Down Daddy. Click on it on the player on the right-hand side of the page.
They are an 8-man blues band from Dublin. The lead guitarist, keyboardist, and harmonica player are all exceptional, but the lead singer is the true star of the show. He is a tiny little man, but his voice is giant and amazing. Plus, he's a really nice guy. Yes- I met him. I spent about two hours getting to know him and the rest of the band backstage after the show. The friend who took me to the show is a good friend of his.
In other news, my classes are great. I'm waiting to hear back from my adviser at American to see if she thinks I should pick up another sociology class. Technically that puts me into overload by Trinity's standards, but there are ways to get around it.
Oh, and I've also decided that I never want to leave here. I'm going to kidnap my mom and about five friends and make them come live here with me because this weekend was just that fantastic!
You can listen to some of their songs on their MySpace page. I'd start with Low Down Daddy. Click on it on the player on the right-hand side of the page.
They are an 8-man blues band from Dublin. The lead guitarist, keyboardist, and harmonica player are all exceptional, but the lead singer is the true star of the show. He is a tiny little man, but his voice is giant and amazing. Plus, he's a really nice guy. Yes- I met him. I spent about two hours getting to know him and the rest of the band backstage after the show. The friend who took me to the show is a good friend of his.
In other news, my classes are great. I'm waiting to hear back from my adviser at American to see if she thinks I should pick up another sociology class. Technically that puts me into overload by Trinity's standards, but there are ways to get around it.
Oh, and I've also decided that I never want to leave here. I'm going to kidnap my mom and about five friends and make them come live here with me because this weekend was just that fantastic!
11 October 2007
First Week of Classes
I'm signed up for two classes: History of Ireland 1500-1800; Ireland and the Wider World, and Sociological Imagination; Anthropology of Gender.
Ireland and the Wider World looks at Ireland's place in the cultural and political context of "the world". (But in Trinity terms, "the world" means western Europe.) There are three different lecturers for the first part of the course. The only one I know of is Ciaran Brady, who I had as a lecturer during the Semester Start-Up Programme. He's an amazing lecturer, which basically means he's a great story teller. He knows just about everything there is to know about Britain and Ireland from about 1300 through 1800. He gave a lecture this afternoon on the Tudor conquest of Ireland in the 16th century. I heard him lecture on the same thing during SSP, but it was equally as entertaining the second time, and I think I retained a lot more of it :-)
My sociology class is similar to a class I took last semester at AU. It covers gendered roles in society and how basically everything we do is classified by gender. I don't really know a whole lot more about it yet because I haven't actually been to a lecture yet- just the course introduction.
The history class is going to be a lot of work though. There are 15 books on the "general introduction to course topics" bibliography, in addition to another 5-12 for each class. I know they don't expect us to read every word of every book listed, but it's a daunting assignment nonetheless. The only assessments are two papers though, for which I've already chosen my topics- Ireland as a frontier country in the early 16th century, and the counter-reformation in Ireland. The first is due in about three weeks, so I've decided to focus mostly on the introductory reading and the reading for the two lectures that cover that particular subject.
Trampoline club is just about the greatest thing ever. I can do a double seat drop and a forward drop now. The other people in the club are really great to hang out with- they're all hysterical. And a lot of them are really good. Apparently they go to nationwide competitions in Cork, Belfast, and Kerry. I think the competitions are all in the spring though, so I won't be able to make it to any of them.
Ireland and the Wider World looks at Ireland's place in the cultural and political context of "the world". (But in Trinity terms, "the world" means western Europe.) There are three different lecturers for the first part of the course. The only one I know of is Ciaran Brady, who I had as a lecturer during the Semester Start-Up Programme. He's an amazing lecturer, which basically means he's a great story teller. He knows just about everything there is to know about Britain and Ireland from about 1300 through 1800. He gave a lecture this afternoon on the Tudor conquest of Ireland in the 16th century. I heard him lecture on the same thing during SSP, but it was equally as entertaining the second time, and I think I retained a lot more of it :-)
My sociology class is similar to a class I took last semester at AU. It covers gendered roles in society and how basically everything we do is classified by gender. I don't really know a whole lot more about it yet because I haven't actually been to a lecture yet- just the course introduction.
The history class is going to be a lot of work though. There are 15 books on the "general introduction to course topics" bibliography, in addition to another 5-12 for each class. I know they don't expect us to read every word of every book listed, but it's a daunting assignment nonetheless. The only assessments are two papers though, for which I've already chosen my topics- Ireland as a frontier country in the early 16th century, and the counter-reformation in Ireland. The first is due in about three weeks, so I've decided to focus mostly on the introductory reading and the reading for the two lectures that cover that particular subject.
Trampoline club is just about the greatest thing ever. I can do a double seat drop and a forward drop now. The other people in the club are really great to hang out with- they're all hysterical. And a lot of them are really good. Apparently they go to nationwide competitions in Cork, Belfast, and Kerry. I think the competitions are all in the spring though, so I won't be able to make it to any of them.
07 October 2007
Fresher's Week Craic (That's Irish for Fun!)
It's Sunday, and the official end to Fresher's Week. So here's the story on all the craziness:
Monday- After a month of us and the dental school students being the only ones on campus, Trinity was suddenly crawling with people. It was simultaneously exciting and disappointing. The prospect of making new friends is exciting, but at the same time it marks the end of our reign over the empty campus. It also reminds me that a third of my time here is already gone. The Societies' Fair began on Monday as well. All the clubs and Societies at College set up tables in Front Square and try to attract members. I joined the Archaeology Society, the Dance Society, and the Trampoline Club. Yup, that's right, Trampoline Club. Sarah and I actually joined together. It's a blast- we go to "training sessions" three nights per week and we get to jump around like five year-olds and learn some pretty cool tricks. The Archaeology Society is having it's first meeting at Doyle's Pub on Tuesday night. Dance Society conflicts with Trampoline Club, which I didn't realise when I joined both of them, so I may have t forgo dancing.
Tuesday- I was supposed to attend two meetings for international students- one from 10-12 and one from 2-4. The one from 10-12 was basically an introduction to campus so I decided to skip it since I've become pretty well acquainted with campus in the past four weeks. I did go to the second, however. It was a seminar on cross cultural adjustment. Five minutes into it realised that I was already pretty well adjusted to life in Dublin, seeing as the subjects that were up for discussion were overcoming jet lag and where to find the grocery store.
Wednesday- I spent pretty much all of Wednesday getting ready for the formal. Sarah, Maureen, Lauren, and I went to the Loft Cafe for brunch, then I came home to start getting ready. John picked me up at 5:45. First on the agenda for the evening was a cocktail reception at his school where I met a ton of his friends. Then we were taken by coach to Dunboyne Castle in Meath. It's a medieval castle that has been renovated into a luxury hotel restaurant. We had another cocktail hour there, and then dinner which was absolutely amazing. After dinner we danced basically for the rest of the night. At about 1am we moved from the dining room to the night club in another part of the hotel where the dancing continued. At about 5am they served us breakfast, then we were brought back to the school by coach and John brought me home. All in all a very fun night!
Thursday- I spent most of Thursday sleeping since I didn't get home from the formal until about 7am. But it was Lauren's birthday so Sarah, Maureen, and I took her to a pub called The Living Room then to Bocciano's fr dinner.
Friday- Friday- I registered for classes. The recommended course load per semester is 25 ECTS (credits) I got 10 ECTS for completing the Semester Start-Up Programme, so I only need 15 more. I'm taking a history class called Ireland and the Wider World that is worth 10 ECTS and a sociology class worth 5 ECTS. Yes, that's correct- I'm taking two classes this semester. In fact, even if I wanted to I wouldn't be allowed to take any more than that. Ireland and the Wider World looks at how Irish culture affects and is affected by the rest of the world- very anthropological. the Sociology class is titled "Sociological Imagination" and is basically about re-thinking patriarchal anthropological perspectives.
Classes technically start tomorrow, but I don't have any classes on Monday. Ireland and the Wider World meets on Tuesday, so here's to the first week of classes!! :)
Monday- After a month of us and the dental school students being the only ones on campus, Trinity was suddenly crawling with people. It was simultaneously exciting and disappointing. The prospect of making new friends is exciting, but at the same time it marks the end of our reign over the empty campus. It also reminds me that a third of my time here is already gone. The Societies' Fair began on Monday as well. All the clubs and Societies at College set up tables in Front Square and try to attract members. I joined the Archaeology Society, the Dance Society, and the Trampoline Club. Yup, that's right, Trampoline Club. Sarah and I actually joined together. It's a blast- we go to "training sessions" three nights per week and we get to jump around like five year-olds and learn some pretty cool tricks. The Archaeology Society is having it's first meeting at Doyle's Pub on Tuesday night. Dance Society conflicts with Trampoline Club, which I didn't realise when I joined both of them, so I may have t forgo dancing.
Tuesday- I was supposed to attend two meetings for international students- one from 10-12 and one from 2-4. The one from 10-12 was basically an introduction to campus so I decided to skip it since I've become pretty well acquainted with campus in the past four weeks. I did go to the second, however. It was a seminar on cross cultural adjustment. Five minutes into it realised that I was already pretty well adjusted to life in Dublin, seeing as the subjects that were up for discussion were overcoming jet lag and where to find the grocery store.
Wednesday- I spent pretty much all of Wednesday getting ready for the formal. Sarah, Maureen, Lauren, and I went to the Loft Cafe for brunch, then I came home to start getting ready. John picked me up at 5:45. First on the agenda for the evening was a cocktail reception at his school where I met a ton of his friends. Then we were taken by coach to Dunboyne Castle in Meath. It's a medieval castle that has been renovated into a luxury hotel restaurant. We had another cocktail hour there, and then dinner which was absolutely amazing. After dinner we danced basically for the rest of the night. At about 1am we moved from the dining room to the night club in another part of the hotel where the dancing continued. At about 5am they served us breakfast, then we were brought back to the school by coach and John brought me home. All in all a very fun night!
Thursday- I spent most of Thursday sleeping since I didn't get home from the formal until about 7am. But it was Lauren's birthday so Sarah, Maureen, and I took her to a pub called The Living Room then to Bocciano's fr dinner.
Friday- Friday- I registered for classes. The recommended course load per semester is 25 ECTS (credits) I got 10 ECTS for completing the Semester Start-Up Programme, so I only need 15 more. I'm taking a history class called Ireland and the Wider World that is worth 10 ECTS and a sociology class worth 5 ECTS. Yes, that's correct- I'm taking two classes this semester. In fact, even if I wanted to I wouldn't be allowed to take any more than that. Ireland and the Wider World looks at how Irish culture affects and is affected by the rest of the world- very anthropological. the Sociology class is titled "Sociological Imagination" and is basically about re-thinking patriarchal anthropological perspectives.
Classes technically start tomorrow, but I don't have any classes on Monday. Ireland and the Wider World meets on Tuesday, so here's to the first week of classes!! :)
30 September 2007
A Lull in the Action
It's been a fairly quiet weekend here, which was definitely needed after the past month. The Semester Start-Up Programme is officially over (except for the final paper due Friday). But classes are done. Actual term classes don't start for another week, so there is actually no work to be done this weekend.
Sarah, Alex, Jake, and I went to Eamonn Daron's Friday night. I was truly impressed with the club despite it's Temple Bar location. Temple Bar is the main touristy going-out neighbourhood and tends to be over-priced and not worth the money. But Eamonn Daron's played great music- there was even some Nine Inch Nails! The bar was not inexpensive, but it beat the rest of Temple Bar by about 3 euros per drink. (I once paid 7 euros for a glass- not even a pint of Guinness in Temple Bar. Anywhere else in the city you can get a pint for 4.)
The weather here has definitely turned and is not going back. It's also gotten a lot rainier. It rains at least once a day now- the first two weeks we were here it didn't rain once. But now it's colder- about 50 degrees and it feels a lot worse because some part of my clothing is usually rain-soaked.
Sarah and I had an interesting adventure at immigration on Thursday. I now have a new sympathy for illegal immigrants in the US. When I went through immigration at the airport I was given thirty days to register with The Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) in Dublin. I'm not staying long enough to need a full visa, but they want to know that I'm here and when I'm leaving in case I cause any trouble in the meantime.
When we arrived at 11:00 we were given numbers 335 and 336 in the queue. They had just called number 156. That was okay- we had come prepared with laptops, books, and journal entries to write. It couldn't take more than a few hours, right?
Wrong. After writing three journal entries and taking a nap propped up against a pillar we left to find lunch. We spent over an hour at an amazing Malaysian- Chinese food place on O'Connell Street. We walked the five blocks back very slowly. We wrote more journal entries. I read 200 pages of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Then, six and a half hours after we arrived, I was called to the desk. I handed over my passport, the letter from Trinity stating that I am, in fact, a registered student living in the dorms and that all my fees are paid, and my bank statement saying that I have enough money to support myself while I'm here. Luckily the Garda officer did not make me get a registration card- saving me another 100 euros. She stamped my passport and I'm allowed to "remain in the state for purposes of study until 14 December 2007".
Nearly eight hours after arriving at the GNIB, I made it home. Longest day and longest line ever.
One last interesting fact: The exchange rate gods have once again smiled on the Irish. It now costs $1.46 to buy 1 Euro. My pre-class cup of tea now costs me $3.29. For a small tea. :-)
I'm excited for Fresher's week. That's what we call the week before classes, which basically means meetings during the day and parties at night. All the clubs and societies are vying for members, and it's a general consensus that whichever group throws the best party gets the most members. I'm also going to a formal on Wednesday night. It's a a grand hotel in County West Meath. My date is an Irish rugby player. I will post pictures on Thursday for sure.
Sarah, Alex, Jake, and I went to Eamonn Daron's Friday night. I was truly impressed with the club despite it's Temple Bar location. Temple Bar is the main touristy going-out neighbourhood and tends to be over-priced and not worth the money. But Eamonn Daron's played great music- there was even some Nine Inch Nails! The bar was not inexpensive, but it beat the rest of Temple Bar by about 3 euros per drink. (I once paid 7 euros for a glass- not even a pint of Guinness in Temple Bar. Anywhere else in the city you can get a pint for 4.)
The weather here has definitely turned and is not going back. It's also gotten a lot rainier. It rains at least once a day now- the first two weeks we were here it didn't rain once. But now it's colder- about 50 degrees and it feels a lot worse because some part of my clothing is usually rain-soaked.
Sarah and I had an interesting adventure at immigration on Thursday. I now have a new sympathy for illegal immigrants in the US. When I went through immigration at the airport I was given thirty days to register with The Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) in Dublin. I'm not staying long enough to need a full visa, but they want to know that I'm here and when I'm leaving in case I cause any trouble in the meantime.
When we arrived at 11:00 we were given numbers 335 and 336 in the queue. They had just called number 156. That was okay- we had come prepared with laptops, books, and journal entries to write. It couldn't take more than a few hours, right?
Wrong. After writing three journal entries and taking a nap propped up against a pillar we left to find lunch. We spent over an hour at an amazing Malaysian- Chinese food place on O'Connell Street. We walked the five blocks back very slowly. We wrote more journal entries. I read 200 pages of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Then, six and a half hours after we arrived, I was called to the desk. I handed over my passport, the letter from Trinity stating that I am, in fact, a registered student living in the dorms and that all my fees are paid, and my bank statement saying that I have enough money to support myself while I'm here. Luckily the Garda officer did not make me get a registration card- saving me another 100 euros. She stamped my passport and I'm allowed to "remain in the state for purposes of study until 14 December 2007".
Nearly eight hours after arriving at the GNIB, I made it home. Longest day and longest line ever.
One last interesting fact: The exchange rate gods have once again smiled on the Irish. It now costs $1.46 to buy 1 Euro. My pre-class cup of tea now costs me $3.29. For a small tea. :-)
I'm excited for Fresher's week. That's what we call the week before classes, which basically means meetings during the day and parties at night. All the clubs and societies are vying for members, and it's a general consensus that whichever group throws the best party gets the most members. I'm also going to a formal on Wednesday night. It's a a grand hotel in County West Meath. My date is an Irish rugby player. I will post pictures on Thursday for sure.
26 September 2007
'My Hairdryer Sets Off The Fire Alarm' and other tales of cultural adjustment
So yes, it is true: every time I use my hairdryer the security guard knocks on my door to tell me that the (heat, not smoke sensing) fire alarm is going off for my room. At least the alarm doesn't evacuate the building like the ones at AU.
Some other cultural differences no one ever mentions:
- Cherry coke doesn't exist here. Don't ask why.
- If you are a woman and there are men around, don't light your cigarette. Just hold it for a minute and someone will light it for you. (I did not discover this one on my own- thanks Sarah :P )
- When taking a cab, do not give two street names. "Pearse Street and Westland Row, please" is completely inappropriate, and the cabbie will never fail to ask for clarification. Just say "Pearse Street" and when he gets to Pearse Street he will ask for further direction.
- Don't try to accomplish anything between 12 noon and 2pm. It's futile because the only places of business that are open are restaurants. Go eat lunch and then resume your business.
- Don't assume that pharmacies sell anything other than medicine. Shampoo is even a stretch. Where do you go to procure some shampoo? Who knows- sometimes they have it in the grocery store, but not always...
-Vocab lesson:
- Like to watch rugby? You're a rugger-bugger
- Need to wash your clothes? Head for the laundreteria
- Meeting someone when the little hand points the the three and the big hand points to the six? Yep, that's half three, not three-thirty you silly American!
- Where to put that gum wrapper? In the rubbish bin, of course!
The anthropology dork in me is having a field day with this. The cultural differences are subtle, but they are definitely there and some of them are hysterical.
My presentation went well. I discovered the common link between WB Yeats' occultism and JB's love of the circus- Their father, John Butler Yeats was a metaphysician. A what? He studied the nature of existence. Are the things you experience real? Plato would say that experience is the only reality- how can you know it exists if you haven't seen it? Kant, on the other hand, would say that experience cannot be reality because it is filtered through the warped lens that is your mind. Metaphysicians spend their careers debating these two points of view.
Jack Yeats was on Plato's side. He was fascinated with clowns because they are real- you can see them and touch them. But they're not really real, are they? WB was more like Kant in his thinking. He thought that experiences were fluid- some are genuine, others are distortions of the truth.
Currently I am using this blog to "take a break from" (a.k.a. procrastinate about) my journals. The tours that we've taken were all supposed to be documented in 500-word essays.
3 tours/ week x 3 weeks = nine journal entries, total written = four. They are due tomorrow. This is my way of saying I really ought to get back to work :)
Some other cultural differences no one ever mentions:
- Cherry coke doesn't exist here. Don't ask why.
- If you are a woman and there are men around, don't light your cigarette. Just hold it for a minute and someone will light it for you. (I did not discover this one on my own- thanks Sarah :P )
- When taking a cab, do not give two street names. "Pearse Street and Westland Row, please" is completely inappropriate, and the cabbie will never fail to ask for clarification. Just say "Pearse Street" and when he gets to Pearse Street he will ask for further direction.
- Don't try to accomplish anything between 12 noon and 2pm. It's futile because the only places of business that are open are restaurants. Go eat lunch and then resume your business.
- Don't assume that pharmacies sell anything other than medicine. Shampoo is even a stretch. Where do you go to procure some shampoo? Who knows- sometimes they have it in the grocery store, but not always...
-Vocab lesson:
- Like to watch rugby? You're a rugger-bugger
- Need to wash your clothes? Head for the laundreteria
- Meeting someone when the little hand points the the three and the big hand points to the six? Yep, that's half three, not three-thirty you silly American!
- Where to put that gum wrapper? In the rubbish bin, of course!
The anthropology dork in me is having a field day with this. The cultural differences are subtle, but they are definitely there and some of them are hysterical.
My presentation went well. I discovered the common link between WB Yeats' occultism and JB's love of the circus- Their father, John Butler Yeats was a metaphysician. A what? He studied the nature of existence. Are the things you experience real? Plato would say that experience is the only reality- how can you know it exists if you haven't seen it? Kant, on the other hand, would say that experience cannot be reality because it is filtered through the warped lens that is your mind. Metaphysicians spend their careers debating these two points of view.
Jack Yeats was on Plato's side. He was fascinated with clowns because they are real- you can see them and touch them. But they're not really real, are they? WB was more like Kant in his thinking. He thought that experiences were fluid- some are genuine, others are distortions of the truth.
Currently I am using this blog to "take a break from" (a.k.a. procrastinate about) my journals. The tours that we've taken were all supposed to be documented in 500-word essays.
3 tours/ week x 3 weeks = nine journal entries, total written = four. They are due tomorrow. This is my way of saying I really ought to get back to work :)
22 September 2007
Belfast and Kilkenny
A little delayed, but better than never. Last week's Friday tour was to Belfast in Northern Ireland. It took us about four hours to get there on the bus. The scenery is gorgeous, but the coolest thing about driving through Ireland is that there are livestock grazing on the side of the highway. I swear there are more sheep than people in this country. And cows- lots and lots of cows.
We spent the morning at the Ulster Folk Museum. It's a recreation of an eighteenth century Irish Town. Complete with working shops and a farm. You can walk through the "countryside" bit and see some more livestock- this time only chickens though. And you can walk into all the stores and check out the machinery in places like the blacksmith and printing press. We had lunch at one of the shops and it was absolutely terrible. I never believed what people said about British food being horribly bland and tasteless, but it really is.
We spent the early afternoon on a driving tour of downtown Belfast. We drove up the main road in the Unionist/Loyalist neighborhood, and then back down the main road in the Republican area. There are murals and flags and all kinds of other propaganda featuring the emblems and colors of each side. It was a little unsettling to see how not far from conflict the city really is. The walls between the two neighborhoods are still up and in use- they only close them on days when the risk of an outbreak of violence is high, such as Saint Patrick's Day. Our professor who was giving the tour pointed out the house he was living in when he was bombed about fifteen years ago.
This week's Friday tour was to Kilkenny, a small city about two hours south of Dublin. We toured the Cathedral and Kilkenny Castle. The Cathedral is Anglican which is still a little weird to me because they charge admission and they keep to tombs of some dignitaries in the actual sanctuary. The tombs are slightly unsettling. The stained glass at this one was particularly beautiful, though.
Kilkenny Castle was built in 1596 for the Earl of Ormand, whose family lived there until the 1930s. They abandoned the castle in 1937, I believe- then they sold it to the Kilkenny Historical Society in the 60s. It's beautifully restored now- most of the architecture is original and the furnishings are either original or contemporary.
This weekend and most of next week will be spent putting together my art history presentation. I had to choose one the the topics we covered in class to give a 10 minute presentation on. I chose Jack Yeats. The entire Yeats family were artists- John Yeats was a painter, and his son William Butler was an amateur painter as well as one of Ireland's most celebrated poets and playwrights. Jack was William Butler's brother and also a painter. Specifically, I am exploring the possible links between Jack's fascination with the circus (he painted about 700 scenes of it) and William's fascination with the occult.
We spent the morning at the Ulster Folk Museum. It's a recreation of an eighteenth century Irish Town. Complete with working shops and a farm. You can walk through the "countryside" bit and see some more livestock- this time only chickens though. And you can walk into all the stores and check out the machinery in places like the blacksmith and printing press. We had lunch at one of the shops and it was absolutely terrible. I never believed what people said about British food being horribly bland and tasteless, but it really is.
We spent the early afternoon on a driving tour of downtown Belfast. We drove up the main road in the Unionist/Loyalist neighborhood, and then back down the main road in the Republican area. There are murals and flags and all kinds of other propaganda featuring the emblems and colors of each side. It was a little unsettling to see how not far from conflict the city really is. The walls between the two neighborhoods are still up and in use- they only close them on days when the risk of an outbreak of violence is high, such as Saint Patrick's Day. Our professor who was giving the tour pointed out the house he was living in when he was bombed about fifteen years ago.
This week's Friday tour was to Kilkenny, a small city about two hours south of Dublin. We toured the Cathedral and Kilkenny Castle. The Cathedral is Anglican which is still a little weird to me because they charge admission and they keep to tombs of some dignitaries in the actual sanctuary. The tombs are slightly unsettling. The stained glass at this one was particularly beautiful, though.
Kilkenny Castle was built in 1596 for the Earl of Ormand, whose family lived there until the 1930s. They abandoned the castle in 1937, I believe- then they sold it to the Kilkenny Historical Society in the 60s. It's beautifully restored now- most of the architecture is original and the furnishings are either original or contemporary.
This weekend and most of next week will be spent putting together my art history presentation. I had to choose one the the topics we covered in class to give a 10 minute presentation on. I chose Jack Yeats. The entire Yeats family were artists- John Yeats was a painter, and his son William Butler was an amateur painter as well as one of Ireland's most celebrated poets and playwrights. Jack was William Butler's brother and also a painter. Specifically, I am exploring the possible links between Jack's fascination with the circus (he painted about 700 scenes of it) and William's fascination with the occult.
13 September 2007
Photos
In the interest of saving time, I've posted all of my photos on Facebook, (partly because I can't figure out how to put them on here) but you can still see them through the links below. Let me know if they don't work:
First Days in Dublin
Christ Church Cathedral
First Field Trip
First Field Trip Continued
First Days in Dublin
Christ Church Cathedral
First Field Trip
First Field Trip Continued
08 September 2007
I'm Learning Too, I Swear!
The semester Start-Up Programme consists of three classes. Irish history is taught by a group of professors who all have different time period specialties. Dr. Kieron Brady was the lecturer this week, as he is an expert on the Viking invasion and the rise of the Anglo-Normans. He is a very animated lecturer and I think he's hysterical. The only thing is that he dates events by who was king of England at the time, so I never know what time period he's talking about because I know as much about English history as I do about nuclear physics. (Which is absolutely nothing.)
Art history is taught by Jill Connaughton. She's a post-graduate student at Trinity and she's from Michigan. Unfortunately art history is not all that interesting to me, so I find it a little difficult to pay attention to her.
I thought that Irish literature was going to be as difficult to focus on as art history because I can never seem to read things that are assigned to me. I love to read and I do it all the time, but as soon as someone puts a deadline on my finishing a book I lose interest in it for some reason. However, the professor for this class is pretty much my new favorite person. Her name is Dr. Helen Kelly and she is the sweetest and most brilliant woman I have ever met in my life. She has a way of explaining cultural nuances and how they translate into literature that makes me want to read everything James Joyce ever wrote.
This week was pretty much about discovering what it means to be Irish. We studied the roots of the Protestant- Catholic conflict in the Norman invasion and the literature that goes along with it- Jonathan Swift, James Joyce, and Maria Edgeworth. It's amazing how much I can absorb in one week when the material is fascinating!
They scheduled the programme so that we have three hours of lecture Monday through Wednesday, which is all forty of us in a hall scribbling furiously. In the afternoons on Monday and Wednesday we have walking tours of different sites in Dublin. Thursday we have seminar classes, which are small discussion groups based on the lecture material for the week. Fridays are field work days. We travel by coach to some very important landmark on the island and learn all about it.
Yesterday's field work outing was to the Hill of Tara, Trim Castle, Loughcrew Cairns, and the Kells High Crosses.
The Hill of Tara is a pre-historic mystical site that the druid king would use as his home. In Celtic Ireland there were several lower kings, and then there was the king of Tara, who would be the High King of Ireland. The hill is now home to the burial chambers that contained the cremated remains of the High Kings of Ireland, among other things. When Saint Patrick brought Catholicism to Ireland in the fifth century he supposedly preached the gospel from the summit of Tara. There is now a church there that is dedicated to him.
Trim Castle is about 800 years old, and it's been abandoned for 600 years. It's most interesting feature is that it is heavily secure because it was built by the Normans when they were under seige by the Celts. The walls are twelve feet thick and 100 feet high.
Loughcrew Cairns is another burial site. There is a passage tomb in one of the hills. There are three hills total, and they known collectively as the Hag's Stepping Stones. Apparently there is a hag that bounces between them looking for people to kill, and every time she lands on one of the hills she drops a pile of stones. In her spare time she sits on a large rock on the middle hill and smokes her pipe.
Kells is a town about two hours west of Dublin. The old monastery there is where the Book of Kells was created. The cemetery outside the monastery has some of the oldest surviving high crosses on the island. They date from the ninth century.
I will post pictures of this fabulous field work adventure as soon as I can figure out how :)
Art history is taught by Jill Connaughton. She's a post-graduate student at Trinity and she's from Michigan. Unfortunately art history is not all that interesting to me, so I find it a little difficult to pay attention to her.
I thought that Irish literature was going to be as difficult to focus on as art history because I can never seem to read things that are assigned to me. I love to read and I do it all the time, but as soon as someone puts a deadline on my finishing a book I lose interest in it for some reason. However, the professor for this class is pretty much my new favorite person. Her name is Dr. Helen Kelly and she is the sweetest and most brilliant woman I have ever met in my life. She has a way of explaining cultural nuances and how they translate into literature that makes me want to read everything James Joyce ever wrote.
This week was pretty much about discovering what it means to be Irish. We studied the roots of the Protestant- Catholic conflict in the Norman invasion and the literature that goes along with it- Jonathan Swift, James Joyce, and Maria Edgeworth. It's amazing how much I can absorb in one week when the material is fascinating!
They scheduled the programme so that we have three hours of lecture Monday through Wednesday, which is all forty of us in a hall scribbling furiously. In the afternoons on Monday and Wednesday we have walking tours of different sites in Dublin. Thursday we have seminar classes, which are small discussion groups based on the lecture material for the week. Fridays are field work days. We travel by coach to some very important landmark on the island and learn all about it.
Yesterday's field work outing was to the Hill of Tara, Trim Castle, Loughcrew Cairns, and the Kells High Crosses.
The Hill of Tara is a pre-historic mystical site that the druid king would use as his home. In Celtic Ireland there were several lower kings, and then there was the king of Tara, who would be the High King of Ireland. The hill is now home to the burial chambers that contained the cremated remains of the High Kings of Ireland, among other things. When Saint Patrick brought Catholicism to Ireland in the fifth century he supposedly preached the gospel from the summit of Tara. There is now a church there that is dedicated to him.
Trim Castle is about 800 years old, and it's been abandoned for 600 years. It's most interesting feature is that it is heavily secure because it was built by the Normans when they were under seige by the Celts. The walls are twelve feet thick and 100 feet high.
Loughcrew Cairns is another burial site. There is a passage tomb in one of the hills. There are three hills total, and they known collectively as the Hag's Stepping Stones. Apparently there is a hag that bounces between them looking for people to kill, and every time she lands on one of the hills she drops a pile of stones. In her spare time she sits on a large rock on the middle hill and smokes her pipe.
Kells is a town about two hours west of Dublin. The old monastery there is where the Book of Kells was created. The cemetery outside the monastery has some of the oldest surviving high crosses on the island. They date from the ninth century.
I will post pictures of this fabulous field work adventure as soon as I can figure out how :)
Friends and Colleagues
There are forty people in the Semester Start-Up Programme. The Programme is Trinity's way of acclimating international students to Irish life. For the month before classes actually start, we study Irish history, art, and literature. We also take tours around Dublin and the countryside. Ten of the forty are from Holy Cross College, the other thirty are all from different universities.
My one permanent flatmate is Maureen. She's from Indiana and goes to Bryn Mawr College. We're both anthro majors. Sarah is probably my best friend here so far. She spent the past few years living in Westchester, so we bonded over St. Marks Place and New York Dolls. She goes to Drew University. Her parents just moved to Cairo, though, so she'll be moving there after Trinity.
The other SSP kids are all pretty cool. I'm getting to know most of them and they are all really smart. Matt K and I had a fascinating debate the other day about female Catholic priests, and I was actually able to convince him that they will never exist.
There are many great places to go in Dublin. Sarah and I went to a club called Carnival the other night which has a great atmosphere. Temple Bar is the main nightlife area of Dublin, but it's very touristy. Carnival was great because it's all Irish kids. There's also a great classic pub around the corner from our building. Most nights there is life traditional Irish music and really great pub grub.
My one permanent flatmate is Maureen. She's from Indiana and goes to Bryn Mawr College. We're both anthro majors. Sarah is probably my best friend here so far. She spent the past few years living in Westchester, so we bonded over St. Marks Place and New York Dolls. She goes to Drew University. Her parents just moved to Cairo, though, so she'll be moving there after Trinity.
The other SSP kids are all pretty cool. I'm getting to know most of them and they are all really smart. Matt K and I had a fascinating debate the other day about female Catholic priests, and I was actually able to convince him that they will never exist.
There are many great places to go in Dublin. Sarah and I went to a club called Carnival the other night which has a great atmosphere. Temple Bar is the main nightlife area of Dublin, but it's very touristy. Carnival was great because it's all Irish kids. There's also a great classic pub around the corner from our building. Most nights there is life traditional Irish music and really great pub grub.
Finally Settling In
Well, I made it to Dublin fairly easily. Getting set up, however, was a different story. It took 8 days to get my internet access working in my apartment, which is why I have not been able to post although I've been here for eleven days.
The plane ride was good, I had an empty seat next to me so I was very comfy. Upon arrival, however, I discovered that my luggage had decided it wanted to go to Shannon Airport instead. Continental told me that it would most likely be making it's way to Dublin the next day, and that they would deliver it to my hostel. I got a taxi outside the airport and went to the hostel, and by the time I woke up from my nap, my luggage had appeared in the lobby. It was the best of all possible outcomes actually, because I didn't have to carry the two giant suitcases through the city, they just showed up at my door.
I spent the first few days exploring the city. Dublin's really a fairly easy city to navigate. It's small enough that you can locate pretty much anything by it's proximity to the river, Grafton Street, or O'Connell Street. The only thing I did have trouble finding, surprisingly, was a Catholic church. I went to about seven churches that were all Anglican before finally finding Saint Mary's Pro Cathedral. Mass was very interesting, as the only part of the mass that was in English was the Liturgy of the Word. All the prayers and the Liturgy of the Eucharist were in Latin. I was a little lost, but it was also pretty cool to see.
So, I'm fairly well aquainted with my new home. My apartment is cute. I have a single room and the potential for four roommates. Right now I have three, but only one is permanent. The term at Trinity doesn't begin until October 8, so Trinity rents out it's spare dorm rooms to tourists and students who just need a place to stay for a few days until they find an apartment. I have two bathrooms and a kitchen /living room area. The building is divided into eleven houses, each with a separate entrance. Each house has four apartments. There is a nice courtyard outside, in the middle of all the houses.
My dorm is at the east end of the campus, about three blocks south of the river Liffey. It's about a ten minute walk from Grafton Street, the major pedestrian shopping area. It's really a great place to be, and I think now that I'm settled I will be very comfortable here.
The plane ride was good, I had an empty seat next to me so I was very comfy. Upon arrival, however, I discovered that my luggage had decided it wanted to go to Shannon Airport instead. Continental told me that it would most likely be making it's way to Dublin the next day, and that they would deliver it to my hostel. I got a taxi outside the airport and went to the hostel, and by the time I woke up from my nap, my luggage had appeared in the lobby. It was the best of all possible outcomes actually, because I didn't have to carry the two giant suitcases through the city, they just showed up at my door.
I spent the first few days exploring the city. Dublin's really a fairly easy city to navigate. It's small enough that you can locate pretty much anything by it's proximity to the river, Grafton Street, or O'Connell Street. The only thing I did have trouble finding, surprisingly, was a Catholic church. I went to about seven churches that were all Anglican before finally finding Saint Mary's Pro Cathedral. Mass was very interesting, as the only part of the mass that was in English was the Liturgy of the Word. All the prayers and the Liturgy of the Eucharist were in Latin. I was a little lost, but it was also pretty cool to see.
So, I'm fairly well aquainted with my new home. My apartment is cute. I have a single room and the potential for four roommates. Right now I have three, but only one is permanent. The term at Trinity doesn't begin until October 8, so Trinity rents out it's spare dorm rooms to tourists and students who just need a place to stay for a few days until they find an apartment. I have two bathrooms and a kitchen /living room area. The building is divided into eleven houses, each with a separate entrance. Each house has four apartments. There is a nice courtyard outside, in the middle of all the houses.
My dorm is at the east end of the campus, about three blocks south of the river Liffey. It's about a ten minute walk from Grafton Street, the major pedestrian shopping area. It's really a great place to be, and I think now that I'm settled I will be very comfortable here.
17 August 2007
Departure Plans
Welcome to my travel blog! I've never "blogged" before, but I figured it might be a useful medium for sharing my experiences with people I might not be able to contact with regularity otherwise. I plan to use this as a journal of my (hopefully) exciting and crazy adventures complete with photos and links so that you can really see where I am and what I'm doing.
So here's the story so far:
I enrolled in American University in the fall of 2005 to study International Relations. I began taking Arabic. I wanted to solve all the problems in the Middle East. (Ambitious, right?) I met a lot of really smart and interesting people. But, I decided this past February that I don't have the mind, or more importantly, the heart for such a political career. I changed my major to Anthropology, (same multi-cultural idea, less politics). I had intended all along to study abroad in the Middle East and Europe.
I contemplated many options of places to visit this year, including Germany, Lebanon, France, Italy, Dubai, UAE, Australia, South Africa, Morocco, Scotland, and Spain. I settled on Dublin, Ireland for the fall semester, and Cairo, Egypt for the spring. I chose Dublin because a majority of my heritage is Irish and living in Dublin seems like a good way to get in touch with that. I'll be attending Trinity College. It has amazing Humanities and Sociolinguistics departments. Also, Dublin is fast becoming one of the most diverse cities in Europe.
So here I am, getting ready to move to Dublin for four months. My summer job as a lifeguard ended yesterday, so now I actually might have time to accomplish some things. I leave New York for Dublin Monday, August 27 at 10:05pm. I'll arrive in Dublin the next morning at 9:35am. I'm staying in the Four Courts Hostel on Merchant's Quay, (about 2.5 miles from Trinity) for the first four days because Trinity's dorms don't open until Saturday. I will be sharing a room and a bathroom with five other nomads. I'm not nervous about the hostel at all really. Everyone I've talked to says that I should be, but once you've lived on Leo 2 for two years you've seen just about every crazy weird thing that can happen among a bunch of 18-22 year olds. :P
I'll spend my first few days in Dublin getting to know my way around the city and accumulating various items that I refuse to waste perfectly good suitcase space on. Oh, and I have to get an Irish cell phone. I have tickets to the Regina Spektor concert at Tripod for Friday night. That's about all I know at the moment. I'm sure it will be a lot more complicated once I get there, but for now I'm enjoying thinking that this is going to be as easy as I make it sound.
So here's the story so far:
I enrolled in American University in the fall of 2005 to study International Relations. I began taking Arabic. I wanted to solve all the problems in the Middle East. (Ambitious, right?) I met a lot of really smart and interesting people. But, I decided this past February that I don't have the mind, or more importantly, the heart for such a political career. I changed my major to Anthropology, (same multi-cultural idea, less politics). I had intended all along to study abroad in the Middle East and Europe.
I contemplated many options of places to visit this year, including Germany, Lebanon, France, Italy, Dubai, UAE, Australia, South Africa, Morocco, Scotland, and Spain. I settled on Dublin, Ireland for the fall semester, and Cairo, Egypt for the spring. I chose Dublin because a majority of my heritage is Irish and living in Dublin seems like a good way to get in touch with that. I'll be attending Trinity College. It has amazing Humanities and Sociolinguistics departments. Also, Dublin is fast becoming one of the most diverse cities in Europe.
So here I am, getting ready to move to Dublin for four months. My summer job as a lifeguard ended yesterday, so now I actually might have time to accomplish some things. I leave New York for Dublin Monday, August 27 at 10:05pm. I'll arrive in Dublin the next morning at 9:35am. I'm staying in the Four Courts Hostel on Merchant's Quay, (about 2.5 miles from Trinity) for the first four days because Trinity's dorms don't open until Saturday. I will be sharing a room and a bathroom with five other nomads. I'm not nervous about the hostel at all really. Everyone I've talked to says that I should be, but once you've lived on Leo 2 for two years you've seen just about every crazy weird thing that can happen among a bunch of 18-22 year olds. :P
I'll spend my first few days in Dublin getting to know my way around the city and accumulating various items that I refuse to waste perfectly good suitcase space on. Oh, and I have to get an Irish cell phone. I have tickets to the Regina Spektor concert at Tripod for Friday night. That's about all I know at the moment. I'm sure it will be a lot more complicated once I get there, but for now I'm enjoying thinking that this is going to be as easy as I make it sound.
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