Playboy of the Western World

Last night we had our group trip to see Playboy of the Western World at the Abbey Theater in downtown Dublin, so our classes were canceled. The Abbey is particularly famous, but exactly why I do not know. I know many famous actors and playwrights pass through its doors, but in all honesty it's quite an ugly building. In my opinion, the Abbey lacks the charm of the ornate Gate Theater.

The show was a modern version of the original Playboy by Synge. Despite it being a classic, I admit that this updated version was exponentially more enjoyable. A few of us watched an original version on video a couple of days before the live performance, and it was very tedious. This twist added a few different elements, with modern race, immigration policy, drug, and violence issues pertinent to today's Ireland. The costumes perfectly captured the street wear I've been seeing, track suits for the gangsters and all. Only in Ireland would gangsters love the track suit so much.

I'm still not sure why we went to see this play and why we missed class to do so, but it wasn't a bad outing overall, and I won't complain about missing class.

Tomorrow is the start of Ceili dancing lessons, which will give me a good hobby to pass the time. I'm settling in to a routine and find myself with more time on my hands. Tonight I made enchiladas for eight people, and I'm proud to say they came out fantastic!

Friday we leave for Northern Ireland. Although the conflicts are pretty controlled at this time, I'm still a little nervous, but more than anything I'm excited. More on that trip to come.

Package

Thank you so much Aunt Cindy, Ralph, Meeka, and Opal for the birthday package!! I just received it in the mail today. I am so excited about the peanut butter! Hopefully we can set up a time to skype later this week and I can thank you via webcam.

A Few Quick Notes

Yesterday I had my interview with the European Institute of Women's Health. I think it went really well. My future boss Peggie is very nice, but she travels a lot. This NGO has great connections with the World Health Organization, the EU, etc., and I'll get the chance to do some significant independent research. My work hours are actually shorter than the average (only 10am-4pm) and I might be working at home on occasion. She stays in touch with a lot of the BU students she's had in the past and some of them are even coming back to do more research or work full time!

The only downside is that I'll be doing all independent projects. Sometimes I will be the only one in the office. I hope it doesn't get too lonely! I'll have to find other ways of meeting people than work.

Not to change subjects completely, but I've been doing a lot of reflecting. The more I see and do here and the more people I meet, the more I realize how I am a product of an American upbringing. More specifically, I am really the product of a New England upbringing. I'm often frustrated by the lack of efficiency around here. I feel like I'm on a forced vacation at times. When on earth do people get things done around here?? Places are never open the hours they say they will be, and everything is shut down by 5pm (except the pubs of course). I can only check out a few library books at a time. The library isn't even open on Sundays. The mail room is perpetually closing at odd hours. Customer service here is terrible, and even the Irish grumble about it. While in America we go overboard and say the customer is always right, here the customer is nearly always wrong, and the worker will give you a piece of his or her mind! I've had more than my fair share of confrontations in that area, which I've tried my best to just put aside and not make a scene. It's weird...in these situations in the U.S. I would get the manager, but here that is just not the accepted practice.

While some people may think that the slower pace of life is so much better than how we do things in America, I feel like there has to be a happy medium. It will be great for me to try and step out of the competitive, fast-paced American mentality for a bit, but I've also gained a greater appreciation for the efficiency and conveniences of American life. There are definitely pros and cons for both lifestyles. I'm learning to love Ireland, but I'm also learning how much I really do love the U.S., specifically Boston.

Oscar Wilde and the Bog Men

We didn't have class on Friday, so Jackie, Amanda, and I took a walk into Dublin. The weather is chilly but beautiful this weekend! Finally a few days without rain!

Our first stop was Marrion Square to go to the Oscar Wilde House. For those of you who understand my love of Oscar Wilde, I'm sure you can imagine how excited I was. I was so incredibly pumped up for this. Imagine my horror when we got to his house (the place he was born and raised) only to find a sign that said "We're sorry, but we are no longer providing tours of the Oscar Wilde House. It is now privately owned by the American Irish University."Yes, Oscar Wilde's house has been taken over by a college for office space and we couldn't get inside. To make matters even more bitter, Boston University just so happens to be affiliated with the American Irish University through its masters program in Dublin. I really don't understand how one of Ireland's most famous writers doesn't even have his own house or museum tour. At least I got a picture with his famous statue on the Marrion Square corner of St. Stephen's Green.

We then made our way to the National Museum, specifically the Archaeology and History section. It's small by national museum standards, but I was still impressed by many of the artifacts on display. The most disturbing part of the exhibits, though, was the Bog Men. For those of you who aren't familiar with the Bog Men, they are the bodies found in peat bogs throughout Ireland. I think they date back somewhere around 1500-2000BC (I have to check on that), but they still have large portions of their skin and hair because of the way the peat environment preserves them. Their bones mostly decompose, but their skin becomes like leather. Their hair turns red because of the minerals in the ground, which again made this experience extremely humanizing and odd for me. I found most of the bodies fascinating but simultaneously disturbing, until we got to a specific one that I just found all around terrifying. This one is well known for having its hands perfectly in tact, fingernails and all. I came around the corner to find two human hands and a torso sitting in a glass case. Usually I'm not squeamish at all, but I got very sick to my stomach and extremely light headed. If you are planning a trip to Ireland and want to see the Bog Men, which in the end I am glad I saw, just prepare yourself mentally. It's nothing like looking at regular mummies.

While we were looking at the Tara Brooch we spotted a security guard and asked him for the whereabouts of the flag from the 1916 uprising. Apparently it's in a sepearate building. He recognized our accents instantly and proceeded to talk politics with us for nearly a half hour. Namely he expressed his fear about lack of gun control in the U.S. The police force in Ireland, the guarda, don't carry any kind of weapon. I've heard this comment from several Irish people now. He said he would never want to go to the U.S. for fear of getting shot by a cop, which we explained wasn't a typical day in the states. He was a nice old man, but it just goes to show that there truly is ignorance on all sides of the ocean. We have our stereotypes and oversimplifications of the Irish, and they have plenty of those for Americans as well. He kept talking until he looked down at his watch and suddenly said "You better run, they're closing the gates!"

So we ran through the National Museum until we were stopped by another old fellow who shouted "What are you still doing in here?!" We explained we were talking to a guard, at which he laughed, "Guard? Where do you think we are, England, Buckingham Palace?!" Apparently they don't use the term guard here. We ran to the gate where another little old man was about to lock us in! They really don't make any announcements or do any checks before they shut the place down.

That was my day. We went out again at night to Porterhouse, Church, and then Coppers. Porterhouse is fabulous, Church is terrible Eurotrash techno music (we left quickly), and Coppers (Copper-faced Jack's) has to be one of the best places in Dublin. I caught the cabbie driving us in circles on the way to Coppers, and I called him out on it when we stopped. He tried to put up a fight, but he clearly knew he was caught, so he lowered the price pretty quickly. I feel like I already have some idea of where I'm going in this city.

Today I'm doing homework, going to the library, and maybe going out for Tapas with Fenna and Rachel later in the evening.

Walking Tour

Today was our group walking tour around Dublin. It basically traced all the major historical sites of the 1916 Easter Rising. The tour guide was offbeat and humorous, but truth be told I found myself a little distracted. A few of my fingers went numb and turned whiter than white despite wearing gloves. For a moment there everyone thought I might loose a few fingers from frostbite. We also went by my likely future place of employment on Pearse St, namely the European Institute for Women's Health, so now I won't have to go do a test run before my interview on Monday :) I also caught two men trying to steal Ingrina's purse in the General Post Office, so I acted like a dumb tourist and bumped into her a bit so they failed and left. Italy has made me paranoid with my purse, which has proved helpful. We then went to a pub with Caroline called The Celt. Cool place, I think we might go back some time. Marie made friends with the locals, who gave her a Sinn Fein newspaper (the IRA affiliated political party). Funny thing is her internship is actually working for the opposition party, Fianna Fail, but of course she didn't tell them that!

The Curse of the Swans

Ok, so here is my final installment about Galway, then I'll be all caught up and can make a few quick comments about this week and plans for tomorrow/this weekend.

On Sunday we all strolled around the town to see the important sights, which included the hooker boats in the bay, the Spanish arch, and the main church. Galway is relatively small for a "major" city, so we did these activities in a short span of time. Jamie once again couldn't join us because she was so sick, which was sad, but at least I should see her soon in Dublin! She had told us that before we bought Claddagh rings (Galway is the Kingdom of Claddagh), we had to feed the swans, which are super nice unlike normal swans and supposedly are the dead ancestors of people in the village come back to life.

We were walking along the bay and all of a sudden we see these two swans being carried backwards by the currents in the waterway. We all started laughing, until they decided to swim right up next to us! Jackie apologized, explaining to them that we didn't have any food for them. One swan then turned its head and quacked at us! (Do swans quack or honk?) Then they swam away. So now we're pretty sure we've been cursed by the swans. We were so upset about this curse that when we bought our claddaghs we totally forgot to by them for each other (buying one for yourself can curse you). Now I'm Irish cursed twice over, so I asked Frank, my sociology teacher, how to get rid of curses. Apparently the only way is to go to Catholic mass and pray.

Looking back on this trip, the people you travel with makes a huge difference. I can honestly say that overall I had a great time with the people I went with, although all of them, with the exception of one person, managed to get on my nerves at one point or another. I would also say that while Galway is great for a visit, Dublin is a more suitable place for me to be living. I like the big city vibe better!

That concludes Galway. This week has been very low-key. I've been trying to not get sick. The weather here is so damp everyone is getting ill. Tomorrow the program is taking a trip in to Dublin in place of our usual history class so that Caroline and a historian friend of hers can give us a thorough tour of Dublin's sites.

Let's get off this cliff...just not in THAT direction!

On Saturday we woke up early to go on a walking and bus tour of the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher. I should probably clarify that the "we" I am referring to is Amanda, Jackie, Katie, Casey, and myself, all the people from the group who wanted to make a trip to Galway asap. Jamie was supposed to join us, but she was so sick she could barely speak on the phone. We made a new friend on the bus, so while we couldn't replace Jamie in spirit we did do so in number. Chris is from North Carolina and is attending BU law school next year (weird coincidence, right?). He's backpacking throughout Europe by himself and happened to be staying at our hostel, so we adopted him for the day.

This was my first real look at the countryside of Ireland, so I was beyond excited! Our first stop was the Burren, a strange, rocky landscape. It's difficult to describe and not quite like anything I've ever seen. You pass a sign that says "welcome to the Burren" and suddenly the mountain tops are covered in limestone rock. Some people say it looks like "a trippy lunar landscape," but I think they must be tripping on something, because it didn't remind me of the moon at all. Nonetheless, it was incredibly impressive.

Above is a fairy tree. You tie cloth to it, and when the cloth falls off the fairies grant your wish.

We hopped off the bus to do the walking section of the tour. Once again, a "gentle" or "light" walk meant hiking up a mountain. John, the tour guide, was the most antisocial Irishman I have yet to meet. Despite being well-groomed, he's like the wild man of Ireland. First he showed us his cows, and the smell reminded me of home. Then we hiked up what was essentially his backyard. I asked him if he's ever still in awe of living in such a beautiful place to which he responded, "I don't like it on days like today. I like it when it's sunny." Granted, the winds were blowing at about 70mph and the sky was gray. I think the weather actually added something to its beauty, but maybe that's just me.


By the end of the hike we were all exhausted and frozen. The winds were so strong we couldn't walk a straight line. John became suddenly sociable, offering us tea and apple tart that his mother had made that morning, saying we could sit around the fire and warm up while we ate. He must have mentioned this five times, so we were all excessively hungry and excited to get warm by the time we reached the bottom.

Then John led us into a room, got behind a counter, cut up the pie, and promptly charged us 4 euro for his hospitality. We then spent the next half hour making awkward small talk with him in his living room while we waited for the bus to pick us up for the next part of the tour. I think his odd character added to the whole experience. I can't remember the last time I had as much fun as that hike!

Above is our super friendly tour guide John.

The bus took us across a whole bunch of sites, generally just pulling to the side for pictures. The area is littered with ring forts (or fairy forts as they're sometimes called), famine cottages, and fairy trees. There's also a sprinkling of castles thrown in for good measure. The next big site was the Cliffs of Moher. For all you Princess Bride fans, this was where the "Cliffs of Insanity" portion of the movie was filmed. By this point in the day the winds were reaching hurricane levels. The bus had begun to shake, and the driver informed us that the euro fee to see the cliffs had so kindly been waived, so that we wouldn't be a liability if we got blown off the edge. I'm serious. We pushed through the wind, rain, hail, and a shower of loose rock (which hit me in the head) to get to the top, and it was breathtaking. For a moment I really did think I might die, but the benefit of seeing a place like this in such bad weather was that we would never get to see the waves look as frightening and simultaneously inspiring on an ordinary day. I'm glad I braved the elements and stayed away from the edge.

The wind started howling to such a pitch that people started shrieking and getting thrown into the rock barrier, so we decided to head back to the bus and the sun came out. About 300m from the edge, we realized it was raining again. It wasn't normal rain, though. Upon closer inspection, we realized it was raining seafoam. The sky raining seafoam has got to be the oddest thing I have ever seen in my life (even in comparison to Obama dance man).

Bracing ourselves against the wind.

We got back in to Galway around 5:30pm, soaked to the bone and starving. We made a meal at the hostel and then went to Taaffes, which was the best Irish pub I have yet to go to and by far the most traditional. It was full to bursting, and a bunch of old Irish men played traditional music in the back. An old man did some traditional dancing with Jackie. It was a mix of ages throughout the place, but no one had an accent that wasn't Irish. At one point people even began singing along to an IRA tune. Amanda's friend from Ireland, Fergal, then joined us as well. Fergal is insanely tall, something like 7 feet, so he was quite the character to have around for the evening. It was like having our own Big Friendly Giant, and it was easy to find the group if anyone got lost in a pub or bar. Our second stop of the night was a bar that was unremarkable, then The Living Room, which was a great way to end the night with dancing. I highly recommend it!

Fergal didn't have a place to stay, so Amanda tried to sneak him in to our hostel, which as expected was a complete failure because you can't exactly sneak a giant into anywhere. We said goodbye to Chris who should be in Spain by now. Thus ended one of the most surreal, strange, and awesome days imaginable.

The Obama Dance

Last night was the inauguration, which was very surreal to be watching from a living room in Dublin. I couldn't help but think I should be in Kenmore square or even closer to the action. I talked to someone yesterday who is of the opinion that the inauguration ceremony is of no real importance. The policy issues to come are what will be important. While I agree that the upcoming policies will be the meat of the matter and while I respect the fact that politics, especially political ceremony, is not for everyone, to shove it off as unimportant is in my opinion cynical, inane and even insulting. It was filled with symbolic importance that truly does have an impact, not only on how people perceive and feel, but also on how they act. There are plenty of emotional arguments to give for this case. As a female studying politics, this moment felt personal to me. There's visible progress over the racial divide, and perhaps the gender barrier is next. It's great to feel that American political leadership isn't only for the white male anymore. Look at the tears streaming down the faces of those who have fought all there lives in the name of civil rights, and tell me this moment had very little tangible significance.

But probably of greater interest to those at home is the fact that I can personally attest that inauguration day has had a profound impact, at least for the time being, on how Americans are viewed abroad. While Ireland is known to be a relative safe-haven for Americans, this is the first time in many years that it is acceptable in Ireland to truly embrace the American identity. Even a few years ago many of the BU Dublin program students bought Canadian flag patches to sew onto their bags in order to avoid the constant slagging, even harassment over being American. The election and inauguration have impacted the way I am treated over here in a very concrete manner. I will provide a humorous example as I recount my first night in Galway.

Last Friday night we arrived at Galway and went to Kinlay House, our hostel, which is one of the best hostels in Dublin, or so I was told. I recommend it to anyone going to Galway - it was clean and had a very nicely kept common kitchen. Still, I sort of felt like I was living in a hippie commune. The employee of the month sign depicted a man with dreads playing a guitar.

We then went to the King's Head Pub to meet up with Jamie, my friend from home. The poor thing is pretty sick, so she couldn't go out with us when we decided to leave. The King's Head is a nice pub and all, but super touristy. It was overrun with Americans and had a mediocre cover band playing a poor choice of American songs. Then we went to check out a club called CPs that our history teacher had recommended. I have to say, this was the one poor recommendation that Caroline has ever given us. CPs played an awful assortment of European techno and American 80s music, accompanied by weird lighting and a fog machine on full blast. We stayed most of the night there and had fun as a group, but otherwise it would have been kind of lame. After Amanda claimed to have broken her toe (she was ok though, she hiked the Burren the next day), we decided to call it a night.

The best part of the night was walking back to the hostel, when we decided to get kabobs from a kabob shop. Unless you specifically get the kind on a stick, it's served as a shaved meat sandwich. In the kabob shop we came face to face with the drunkest man I have ever seen. He was eating a kabob at one of the tables, and when he overheard us talking he shouted, "You're American!" We all nodded, when he decided to get up from his table (I don't really know how he managed to stand) and start a song and dance routine, which was something of an Irish jig combined with jazz hands. The song went "Barack...Barack...Barack Obama....He's gonna change the world!" Next came the refrain "Bush....BAADDDDDDDDD!!!!" And repeat.
It was definitely up there in the strangest, most hilarious experiences of my life. And it's a bit heartwarming to think of how we're appreciated for our votes this past election, even if that appreciation sometimes takes the form of a sloppy, intoxicated song-and-dance number.

More on Galway when I get back from class.

Glendalough...kind of magical, kind of creepy

I know it's Tuesday and I'm getting a little behind on this blog, but I have a whole bunch of adventures from this past weekend to write about. I'll be writing in sections for your benefit as well as mine, and because I need to go watch the Presidential inauguration in just a little bit!

I'll begin with this past Friday, which was our big group trip to Glendalough. Glendalough is an old monastic settlement. The name is Irish and essentially means "between two lakes" because, as you probably guessed, it's between two lakes (lough, or loch in Scottish, is lake). Built in a series of circles, it was supposedly founded by St.Kevin in the 6th century. Basically it consist of ruins of the church, a gate house, a few other small buildings, and a round tower that is in pretty good shape for being so old. The place is also a giant graveyard, with plots and headstones spanning from the 6th century up until the 1950s. One of the things Glendalough is most famous for is the Celtic crosses throughout the grounds.

Above are pictures of the round tower.
Me, Rachel, and Jackie on the Glendalough grounds
Above is St.Kevin's cross, an example of a Celtic cross (although the decorative designs have mostly eroded)

After we toured Glendalough, our sociology teacher Frank invited us all to take a walk with him. But in true Irish fashion, he had to insult us first, saying the weaklings could return to the parking lot and the rest could go on a light walk.

Through this experience and one I had later in the weekend, I've realized that when the Irish say "light walk," what they really mean is something close to climbing a mountain.

Frank brought most of us through some paths in the surrounding woods. The place was absolutely magical and simultaneously kind of creepy. Everything was covered in vibrant green moss and there were dozens of waterfalls. When you imagine a fairy tale version of Ireland, this is what you are most likely picturing. If I was going to see any magical creatures in Ireland, this would have been the place to do it. We saw a really pretty white horse, which we then dubbed a legitimate unicorn, because it seemed more appropriate for the setting. After an hour and a half of upward climbing, we came to the top and the view was breathtaking. As usual, pictures won't do it justice. Even in the winter, with a lot of the trees barren, Glendalough is picturesque, especially when you look down at the ruins from such a height.

Casie, Colleen, Jackie, and Me by the waterfall

After Glendalough we took the bus back to Dublin city center and caught Bus Eireann to Galway, a four hour ride. Galway is on the west coastline of Ireland, directly across from Dublin. Still, it shouldn't take four hours to get there. I can't help but chuckle at the highway system in Ireland. What they call a "major highway" is actually a two lane road. The Bus also makes a million stops, probably because if you say to the bus driver, "Hey, can you take a left here and stop at my house?" the likelihood is that he will oblige.

More on Galway to come shortly...

The Plan Is to Meet Gerard Butler

Today in Irish history we tackled the Great Famine, and had a debate on whether it was passive genocide or misguided policy. On one hand, I'm definitely inclined to say "passive genocide." That's what a lot of the historical events leading up to the tragedy point to, and that's what my gut reaction says. While she led the debate as neutrally as possible, there was one point where my history lecturer slipped in to her more personal side as opposed to that of historian. Someone made a remark supporting the idea that it was passive genocide. Her eyes sparked and she pounded her fist down on to the table, emphatically shouting "Yes, exactly!"

On the other hand, I'm curious as to what a British historian might say in response. Genocide is a very heavily weighted word. I feel acutely aware that we're being taught from a distinctly Irish perspective in our classes, despite the lecturers' best attempts to give each side a fair presentation. Still, she's Irish and openly loves her country with great passion, so there's really no way for her to avoid teaching from an Irish perspective.

The whole lecture was absolutely heartbreaking, even when put in to simple, cold hard facts. The memory of suffering during the Famine and its implications, even in modern Ireland, play a huge role in Irish culture. I'm glad I'm studying it more in depth. I think understanding what it means to be Irish or even to live in Ireland would be incomplete without a broader sense of the tragedy and why it still retains such power in the collective memory of the Irish people. I'm really interested in visiting some of the famine memorials. I hadn't really thought about doing so before I came here. There's a really haunting one in Dublin I have yet to see, and apparently one in Boston near Downtown Crossing.

To shift to a much more lighthearted note, I am very excited for our trip to Glendalough tomorrow. It's right near the spot in Wicklow where P.S. I Love You was filmed. So the plan is for all of us to meet our soul mates tomorrow. Specifically Gerard Butler (not that he's actually expected to be there, but one can hope). Any other Scots will do I suppose. If there's any truth to the movie, the way to attract a Scot posing as an Irishman is to look lost and to dress in bright colors. All joking aside, Glendalough is supposed to be an amazing old monastery. More on that later. Then five of us will be heading to Galway for the weekend! Our history teacher gave us an entire list of cool places to check out there, and her number because she might be in the area for the weekend and would show us around.

So for now I'm watching P.S. I Love You with a few other people in the apartment and eating junk food. Oh, and they have the same chocolate hippos we ate in Italy! I'll bring some back for you Brooke. Apparently Kinder, the German chocolate parent company, supplies most of Europe with these delectable hippos. These ones are in chocolate biscuit form :) Biscuits are second best to potatoes as far as Irish food products are concerned.

Woah Nelly!

My classes are going fabulously, for those who are interested in such things. I'm taking an Irish History course and Contemporary Irish Sociology. Judging from the syllabus, this is going to be my first truly easy semester! I'm so excited about having a break from formal academia. That's not to say that I'm not learning, it's just so much more hands-on! We have so many trips planned, it's going to be fantastic. I can't remember ever being this excited about the stuff I am learning in classes, probably because it has a direct, daily impact on my life and how I'm viewing the things around me.

The formality level here regarding teacher-student relationships is shockingly low, but this style also seems to have a lot of distinct benefits. The teachers make you call them by their first names, and I feel comfortable asking questions about life in Ireland. In fact, they encourage the random questions about "select" vs "matured" cheese, etc. They're definitely helping us to adjust. Our history teacher has even planned a guided tour for us throughout the country side, specifically the Ring of Kerry. She's made all the arrangements just because she thinks it will be fun for us, is bringing a bunch of the DCU music majors along to play traditional music for us, and said in total seriousness that she's taken into consideration that people may have hangovers by Sunday, so those days we'll be seeing less. Hilarious. Sometimes I don't know what to make of all this.

The food issue has been a big one for me here, but if I hear the term "culture shock" one more time, I'm gonna go crazy. When I take the bus to city center, there's food everywhere! Being a major international city now, I can eat whatever the hell I want in Dublin, but actually grocery shopping and cooking food has been a huge challenge for me. It would require some adjustments while at home in the U.S., but here it's so so much more challenging! First of all, they never showed us where the main grocery store was near campus. We weren't given any direction and had to go searching for it ourselves, and it's not that easy to find. Now I know this is part of developing independence, but really, isn't that a little extreme for the first week? Then actually buying food was another headache. I had no idea what prices were considered high or low and recognized very few brand names. I stared at the cheese section forever and felt like a complete fool. When I asked for cooking spray, the worker had no idea what I was talking about. When I finally did finish, I had a ton of trouble at the self-check out and had to ask for help a bunch of times. It felt good to hear that nearly everyone on the trip had had a similar experience, though.

Food aside, I had a fabulous day yesterday. I went into the city center after class with Amanda and we went to Penney's (think the Irish version of London's Primark). Super cheap dresses and shoes, even when you convert from the Euro. Then we went to Temple Bar area to grab some food. We ate awesome burgers at the Irish chain Gourmet Burger Kitchen (I highly recommend it) and the chips (french fries) were great. I have to say, it's not a stereotype; the best Irish food product I have yet to eat is the potato, hands down. We also accidentally found an open air market on Moore street. Big bags of potatoes for a euro, and tons of other fresh produce for cheap. From now on I'm going to avoid Tesco's (the major supermarket) at all costs.

Then we met up with a bunch of other people to see a play at the Gate theater in the city center. "The Old Curiosity Shop," a Dickens play, was showing for great student rates. The theater is old and gorgeous, so I'll post some pictures, although mine didn't come out as well as those of other people. The set was spectacular, the costumes ok, the acting pretty good, but we just didn't like the play itself. Nelly, the main female character, was dumb as a box of rocks. Still, we had a grand (one of the most popular slang terms in Ireland) time which led to many horrible, cheesy jokes.



Also of note this week was learning about our internships. I still haven't received an interview date yet, but I guess that's pretty standard. Apparently interviewing and working here is going to be WAY different than in the U.S. You're not supposed to over-sell yourself or be too confident, which is key in America! Don't sit down until you're specifically asked. You shouldn't ever work through tea break, show up too early or leave too late. You can't say no to anything, ever, even a cup of tea. If you really don't want one you say "I'm fine thank you," but they'll ask at least 3 times. Concerning going out with coworkers, if you don't reciprocate rounds of drinks, you are committing serious social suicide and will never be asked out again, so to get out of a round you have to insist on "going on your own" at the start of the evening. There are so many little cultural subtleties to remember, it's incredible! We're also seen as overly formal if we use the words/phrases "sir," "ma'am," "you're welcome," or "may I ask you a question?"

I'm not too worried about the slagging though. I'm so used to getting picked on and teased by everyone at home. Yes, my BU male friends, that means you. I think I'm well trained to withstand the slagging and give a little back.

That's all for the moment. I'll be going to Galway with a group this weekend. So weird but awesome that I'll be seeing Jamie already! We were going to see the Aran Islands while there, but apparently it's so cold there it might snow (that hasn't happened in Ireland in 13 years). Instead we might go the nearby Cliffs of Moher and explore the city of course. More on that later.

P.S. There really are palm trees in Ireland. The water from the Gulf stream circulates all the way to Ireland, giving it a moderate temperature all year. Palm trees don't need to be warm, they just can't have the temperature drop below a certain level. I'll post a picture as soon as I find a really good one!

The Guinness Factory and Chinese Food

Today I'm being pretty lazy and catching up on my blogging/journaling/skyping. I've been so busy here, and I'm totally exhausted.

Yesterday we went to the Guinness Factory. It was an excursion that took up most of the day, since it's on the outskirts of the city. Even if you aren't a huge Guinness fan, it's definitely worth seeing. Getting to it is pretty sketchy, so I'm glad our group was large.

The museum is super cool and surprisingly interesting, even though I'm not knowledgeable about the process of brewing beer. I really loved the collection of advertising items. They trace the history of Guinness advertising, and even play the old 1950s cartoons that claim "Guinness is good for you!"

The top floor alone is worth the visit. At the Gravity Bar you receive a free pint of Guinness direct from the storehouse, but the best part of all is the 360 degree view of Dublin. The city has next to no tall buildings, so you can see for miles. When we got up there it was dark (it's only light 8:30am-4:00pm this time of year), but the lights were absolutely incredible.


After splitting into smaller groups we headed out for dinner. A bunch of us wanted something cheap, bad for us, and filling, so we decided on Chinese, which is supposed to be excellent in Dublin. Some people went to a take away, but Amanda, Rachel, and I decided it would be better to search around for something of better quality. It was a wonderful decision! We found this all you can eat Chinese buffet that smelled incredible, so we went in there and got such a bargain! It's the first time of the entire trip that I've actually felt full and the Chinese food here is way better than it is in America! It's more fresh tasting or something, I can't quite pinpoint it.

I think the food issue is by far going to be one of the biggest cultural adjustment issues for me here.

Before we headed back to DCU the three of us stopped at a pub called Donnahuges. It was yet another super old and cool looking place, but very very calm. So calm it was kind of boring. It was all locals in the place, and they had American football on the TV. When we looked around everyone was drinking Budlight and Coors, because it's trendy to drink imported beer. Then we realized we had been sitting under a Budwiser sign for most of our stay. We decided we hadn't come all this way to spend an evening like that so we went back, where I promptly fell asleep for the next 12 hours.

I took yesterday off from doing anything productive or fun because my body simply wouldn't let me. We watched a movie as a group at night, and now today is going to be the start of classes after some more orientation session stuff.

You Look Like Spider Man's Girlfriend

Yesterday we took a bus into the city center for the first time. It really isn't a long trip, and the buses come frequently. The only thing that is obnoxious is that the cost is going to add up very quickly.

Totally worth it though. I am so excited to explore Dublin for the next four months. It's definitely a place I could fall in love with. It's dense like Boston and easily walkable, but it has so much to see and do! Our group went to the Dublin Writer's Museum to meet for a scavenger hunt. The whole concept was kind of lame and we didn't get to spend a whole lot of time anywhere, but it was an excellent way to get a feel for the layout of the city. It's pretty easy to navigate, especially with the river running through it's center and the spire as key landmarks. I was sad we didn't get to tour the Writer's Museum, but I'm sure we'll be going back at some point.

After the scavenger hunt, we went to buy our meteor cell phones and then we split off for lunch. I had lunch with three very nice girls. Everyone in the program is very pleasant and outgoing. It's going to take me awhile to remember all the names though.

Everyone will be happy to hear that I have in fact found someone in the program to go with me on the Oscar Wilde house tour!! Laura is obsessed with Irish lit. :)

Then a bunch of us went back to spend a little more time at Trinity College, just to hang out because it's absolutely beautiful, like an even prettier version of Harvard. I'll be going back to look at the Book of Kells at a later date. I kind of wish we were staying at Trinity since it's in the center of the city and so incredibly nice, not that DCU is bad or anything.

After refreshing ourselves at DCU and getting prepped to go out, we made our way into the city again to go to the Temple Bar area. We went to this really cool pub called Messrs Maguire (Messrs for short). A lot of the pubs here have amazing architecture and really interesting setups because the buildings are so old. Every place I've been to so far plays entirely American music, which is kind of strange and oddly comforting. We danced and had a great time there for a good portion of the night. A bunch of elderly people were really getting into the music on the third floor and breaking it down. It's really interesting, but everywhere you go there's a huge range of ages.

Next we went to a club called Coppers, which was also a ton of fun. I did the robot and other awkward dance moves with a Finnish guy. My group ended up meeting quite a few Finnish people there, and came to a general consensus that the Finnish (atleast the ones at this place) tend to be horribly awkward dancers (and they're aware of it) and poor conversationalists, but are friendly enough. The bad dancing doesn't just apply to the Finnish, though. The Irish tend to do this weird little shuffle thing when they dance and they don't move their arms very well. They're aware of their awkwardness on the dance floor as well. Many people complimented our group (guys and girls) on our ability to dance.

Upon leaving the club, several Irish guys struck up a conversation with us outside the entrance. They wanted to talk politics. Seriously, everywhere around here they want to talk politics, which is excellent for me, and they have their own stereotypes of Americans as Bush loving loudmouths that many of them aren't shy to express. Still, it's all flavored with a sense of humor. So we talked about America, and how they love New York City, they tried to show off their best New York accents and slang, and then they told us we were pronouncing "ATM" wrong when we wanted to find one.

We walked further, but couldn't find one for the life of us, so we stopped another group of Irish guys walking down the crowded streets of Temple Bar area so we could get some directions. They said they'd dance for money, which didn't exactly answer our question, so we explained that WE in fact needed the money more than they did, which was why we wanted to find an ATM. After much prompting this led to me and another girl doing an Irish jig and them giving us a euro. Lucky for us we had found a group of absolute gentlemen, who then walked us to the nearest ATM (don't worry mom, it was an extremely well-lit, crowded, non-sketchy area and they stayed a polite distance away while we took out our money), helped us find a pub that would let us use the restrooms, and even walked us to the nearest taxi stand! In the meantime they again wanted to talk politics and such, so we obliged. They then explained how they know we're Americans before we talk - white socks.

One of them asked me if I was "of Irish stock." He thinks after four months if I can get the accent down I might be able to pass as true Dubliner. I have to get working on my accent!

And to top off the night, I was told I look like Kirsten Dunst. Yes, I guess this is practically a universal consensus by now. I bitterly complained about the comparison, but then they corrected me and told me I was a "riot." Thanks, now I feel much better about the whole thing.

All in all though I couldn't have asked for a better night out in Dublin! Although it may be too early to make the assessment, I'm getting the feeling that Irish people aren't simply outgoing and friendly, it's much too simple. Rather, a better word might be sharp. Generally speaking (which may not apply to all of course), they seem to have an edge. But they're witty as all hell and up for a good time.

Arrival

I arrived safely in Dublin just a little over 12 hours ago. The plane ride was fine- only a bit of turbulence at the start and then perfectly smooth the rest of the way. It's freezing here, a lot colder than I thought it would be, but at least there's no wind and no rain so far.

After getting here they gave us our rooming assignments and gave us until 2pm to settle in, but we were advised to stay awake to avoid jetlag. So after unpacking and showering I ventured off to the local convenience store in search of something to eat. To my surprise, they don't have normal peanut butter. Oh well, I'll just have to make sure I actually take the time to cook meat.

The orientation meeting was long and I know I won't remember half the information. Some highlights include the fact that there are security cameras everywhere, even in our common rooms and kitchens, which is mildly creepy. We can't have any overnight guests, which is utter bs and a rule that many intend to break. The heat is "economical," meaning they don't bother to heat the classrooms or buildings, and the rooms are only allowed heat at certain hours of the day. I think Irish people are totally immune to the cold. I am going to invest in a good fleece blanket tomorrow when we go to Penney's in downtown Dublin.

The rooms are really nice and the bathroom situation is awesome (only sharing with my roommate). And while I'm on the subject of roommates, apparently mine has gone missing. She never sent in her flight information and they can't reach her parents. They don't even know if she's coming anymore. So we'll see how that pans out.

After the tour around campus I went with a few girls to the EuroSpar to pick up a few basic groceries. It's weird and kind of cool actually being on a campus. Now I'm going to make some food and hang out with people. Everyone seems pleasant, no complaints. We might go out later, but it's up in the air. Everyone is exhausted.

Even though I'm in Ireland, it still hasn't sunk in. Maybe it will tomorrow after I've slept. It was a good if slightly uneventful day. Tomorrow we'll be going downtown to do a scavenger hunt to get to know the area.