This week... and last week... have just been... OMG.
We're approaching the mid-term mark here at UCD, and you know what that means!! Mid-term papers.
Luckily, I only have three papers to write, each around 1000-1500 words (which, really, isn't much at all). Still, those three papers have been causing me a lot of STRESS. I just finished up a book, 'Jane Eyre,' which I am using to write one essay, and let me just say, that was a tedious read. I think had I had more time to read it at my own pace and absorb it more, I might have enjoyed it. But I was reading analytically, and I had a deadline to meet. I finally finished today, and I would consider it a good book, just tedious. My Drama essay is on analyzing a play I saw last weekend (which was fine), so that paper shouldn't take me long. I think the most difficult of the three will be the one for my Islam and Christianity class. I have to do a document analysis on a portion of the Qur'an. I've never done a document analysis on anything in my life, especially not a religious text. I'm hoping to God that some secondary reading will help me out with this task...
I have a week from Monday to get everything done, and in the meantime I'm supposed to be reading two more books: 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' and 'A Star Called Henry.' Both of these books I actually do want to read, but I think Alice is gonna have to wait a bit, seeing as I have to answer a discussion question on Henry in class on Wednesday.
All of this rambling (which you probably don't care much about) aside, I'm saying all of this to explain that I just haven't had time for any awesome Ireland adventures to share with you all. I've been hanging out at Starbucks cafes all week, and I probably will be all of next week too. BUT as soon as something interesting happens, I promise I'll let you know.
Stay tuned!
Showing posts with label adjustment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label adjustment. Show all posts
Friday, October 11, 2013
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Just Another Day
This week has been very chill in Dublin. I've always had something to do, but it's all been pretty ordinary. Which, in my opinion, is not at all a bad thing.
Earlier in the week, my friend Holly and I found a pub we really like called the Porter House. It was one of the places we went on the pub crawl at the beginning of the semester, but it was very crowded that night and we hadn't spent much time there. But when we went the other day, it was a lovely time. I had the best Amaretto Sour I've ever tasted, and there was a live musician playing some really great music.
Holly and I went around Blackrock and downtown a bit today, just to get out. I haven't been having the best of weeks, since I didn't get into the musical I auditioned for, so I was ready for just a regular day. I started my day having breakfast at 1pm at this adorable restaurant called The Mellow Fig. They have the BEST scones EVER. I got berry tea, an egg, sourdough toast, and bacon, but I didn't like the bacon because it wasn't crispy enough, and a strawberry scone with raspberry jam. Absolutely delicious, and wonderful to just sit and look around, with nowhere to be and no deadlines to meet.
Just another day in Dublin. But I like the ordinary days; it allows me to have some time to gather myself and think about things.
I got a care package from my parents a couple days ago (which made me cry), and it was filled with pictures of home and family, along with snacks that my family knows I love and my favorite TV show, Grey's Anatomy, on DVD, since I don't get any of my shows on Netflix here. I miss home, but I'm loving my time here too, and it was nice to get a little piece of home to enjoy every now and then.
The homesickness I'm feeling is a strange mix. I don't want to go home... I want to bring home here. I want my family to be experiencing all of this with me. I want my friends to be able to visit me whenever they can. I want to be able to go back and forth between here and Cleveland as often as I need to. It's silly, but it's my reality. I wonder if it will change over time...
Earlier in the week, my friend Holly and I found a pub we really like called the Porter House. It was one of the places we went on the pub crawl at the beginning of the semester, but it was very crowded that night and we hadn't spent much time there. But when we went the other day, it was a lovely time. I had the best Amaretto Sour I've ever tasted, and there was a live musician playing some really great music.
Holly and I went around Blackrock and downtown a bit today, just to get out. I haven't been having the best of weeks, since I didn't get into the musical I auditioned for, so I was ready for just a regular day. I started my day having breakfast at 1pm at this adorable restaurant called The Mellow Fig. They have the BEST scones EVER. I got berry tea, an egg, sourdough toast, and bacon, but I didn't like the bacon because it wasn't crispy enough, and a strawberry scone with raspberry jam. Absolutely delicious, and wonderful to just sit and look around, with nowhere to be and no deadlines to meet.
After my meal, I met up with Holly and we perused the Blackrock Market. We were expecting a farmers market, but it was actually more of a flea market; there were several stands with antiques, handmade jewelry and clothing, phone cases, cutting boards, spices, furniture, old coins, on and on. We didn't stay long, but it was interesting to see what it was. I even found a hat I liked ;D
Don't worry, I didn't buy it.
We went downtown and shopped around for a little bit. I fell in love with several things I saw, but Holly was on a mission and I had no money, so I didn't buy anything. We all know it's better this way. But we did see some really good street performers today, including a first for me in Dublin, human statues! They were really good, too!
I got a care package from my parents a couple days ago (which made me cry), and it was filled with pictures of home and family, along with snacks that my family knows I love and my favorite TV show, Grey's Anatomy, on DVD, since I don't get any of my shows on Netflix here. I miss home, but I'm loving my time here too, and it was nice to get a little piece of home to enjoy every now and then.
The homesickness I'm feeling is a strange mix. I don't want to go home... I want to bring home here. I want my family to be experiencing all of this with me. I want my friends to be able to visit me whenever they can. I want to be able to go back and forth between here and Cleveland as often as I need to. It's silly, but it's my reality. I wonder if it will change over time...
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Many Reasons to Love
I'd like to start out tonight by apologizing for my sour mood in my previous post. It, indeed, has been a rough week, and I'm coming off my "high" since I arrived here, and was in a stage where I just hate everything about this country. Apparently, it's all part of culture shock, according to my Study Abroad advisor back home.
But as I spent the next day meandering around the city, searching high and low for good wifi to Skype my parents, I thought of many reasons to love Dublin, and indeed Ireland. So I want to counter my hateful grudges against my life here by sharing some things that I really love about living here.
First of all, I absolutely LOVE going into the City Centre. There is so much to do, and it is so easy to get to from anywhere, it's just impossible not to love. Allow me to paint you a mental picture. Let's begin on Grafton Street, which is one of several pedestrian-only roads, lined with shops, street performers, and restaurants. From there, you go straight, crossing over Nassau Street, which has a delightful book shop and a sweater shop with an abundance of cozy, authentic-Irish-wool sweaters and scarves. As you continue on Grafton Street, you will eventually come to the entrance to Trinity College, which is a huge, beautiful, strong-standing historic building. If you were to turn right here, you would be headed down a street with more shops and restaurants, on your way to Temple Bar, which I'll talk about later. However, if you continue straight, and cross the River Liffey, you would end up on a huge, wide, long street, O'Connell Street, which is undoubtedly the heart and soul of Downtown Dublin. It begins with the O'Connell Monument, built in 1882, continues with bus stops every ten meters, more shops and restaurants and casinos and arcades than anyone can count, and more street performers and pedestrians everywhere. In the center intersection of this road, there is a giant pole called the Spire, built in 2003. If you stand on the sidewalk below, and look up at the top of the Spire, it is so tall that it appears to be arching over you. It looks like an obnoxiously tall flagpole with no flag. But it's a wonderful land mark and it does draw attention to Dublin's center. Near to the Spire is the main Post Office, a huge historic building of stone with dark wood interior work, set up like you might see a post office set up in the 1910s, complete with a Post Museum. O'Connell Street then ends with the Parnell Monument, 1911.
I absolutely love walking through this part of the city. Not only is there every store imaginable to walk into, or any kind of food you could want to eat (including grocery stores), but it has a sort of enchanting vibe to it. It definitely has a big city feel with it's multiple story buildings and crowded streets, but nothing is more than three or four floors high. There are no skyscrapers or big apartment buildings, and many buildings have kept their older architectural design. Nothing really looks commercialized, and many businesses, even though I know they are major chains, look independently owned. There are employees standing outside many establishments, inviting you to come inside. No one tries to sell you anything you don't ask for (a refreshing change from the States), and workers tend to be very helpful and patient. I love going downtown and just wandering, not even having a goal, and not wishing for one.
Earlier I mentioned Temple Bar. I have only been through the Temple Bar area once on the Pub Crawl (see previous posts), but I really like this area. The Temple Bar district is a series of streets, many of them foot-traffic-only, paved with bricks, lined up and down with, you guessed it, bars and pubs. Sure, there's a cafe or restaurant here and there, and of course there's a McDonald's on the corner, but mostly you come here to go to the pub. It's fun and cozy in a back-alley, hold-on-to-your-purse sort of way, but I don't feel unsafe. There are lots of people around, and the pubs aren't sketchy or shady. It's just an older part of town, and since there are no cars driving by, the streets are narrower, so it feels more "enclosed" in a way. Not to mention it is a very short walk from the Ha'Penny Bridge, a cute old pedestrian bridge that crosses the River Liffey. Apparently, couples come and lock a padlock onto the Ha'Penny Bridge and then throw the key into the river, as a sign of their everlasting love. I think it's a very romantic notion.
This whole time, I've talked about the City Centre, but that's not the only part of Ireland that I love. I love the landscape, the country, the way people model their towns. I love the anti-commercialization of things, and the way people drive. I love the accent, and the way people speak, and the quirks to their language. I love where I live, far enough away from campus that I get my quiet time, but close enough to campus that it is easy to get to, with grocery stores and coffee shops ten-minute walk away.
There are many, many reasons to love Dublin and Ireland, and I have only begun to explore a small portion of them. But I am sure, as my time here rolls on, I will continue to fall in love with the country, the way I have already fallen in love with the city.
But as I spent the next day meandering around the city, searching high and low for good wifi to Skype my parents, I thought of many reasons to love Dublin, and indeed Ireland. So I want to counter my hateful grudges against my life here by sharing some things that I really love about living here.
First of all, I absolutely LOVE going into the City Centre. There is so much to do, and it is so easy to get to from anywhere, it's just impossible not to love. Allow me to paint you a mental picture. Let's begin on Grafton Street, which is one of several pedestrian-only roads, lined with shops, street performers, and restaurants. From there, you go straight, crossing over Nassau Street, which has a delightful book shop and a sweater shop with an abundance of cozy, authentic-Irish-wool sweaters and scarves. As you continue on Grafton Street, you will eventually come to the entrance to Trinity College, which is a huge, beautiful, strong-standing historic building. If you were to turn right here, you would be headed down a street with more shops and restaurants, on your way to Temple Bar, which I'll talk about later. However, if you continue straight, and cross the River Liffey, you would end up on a huge, wide, long street, O'Connell Street, which is undoubtedly the heart and soul of Downtown Dublin. It begins with the O'Connell Monument, built in 1882, continues with bus stops every ten meters, more shops and restaurants and casinos and arcades than anyone can count, and more street performers and pedestrians everywhere. In the center intersection of this road, there is a giant pole called the Spire, built in 2003. If you stand on the sidewalk below, and look up at the top of the Spire, it is so tall that it appears to be arching over you. It looks like an obnoxiously tall flagpole with no flag. But it's a wonderful land mark and it does draw attention to Dublin's center. Near to the Spire is the main Post Office, a huge historic building of stone with dark wood interior work, set up like you might see a post office set up in the 1910s, complete with a Post Museum. O'Connell Street then ends with the Parnell Monument, 1911.
I absolutely love walking through this part of the city. Not only is there every store imaginable to walk into, or any kind of food you could want to eat (including grocery stores), but it has a sort of enchanting vibe to it. It definitely has a big city feel with it's multiple story buildings and crowded streets, but nothing is more than three or four floors high. There are no skyscrapers or big apartment buildings, and many buildings have kept their older architectural design. Nothing really looks commercialized, and many businesses, even though I know they are major chains, look independently owned. There are employees standing outside many establishments, inviting you to come inside. No one tries to sell you anything you don't ask for (a refreshing change from the States), and workers tend to be very helpful and patient. I love going downtown and just wandering, not even having a goal, and not wishing for one.
Earlier I mentioned Temple Bar. I have only been through the Temple Bar area once on the Pub Crawl (see previous posts), but I really like this area. The Temple Bar district is a series of streets, many of them foot-traffic-only, paved with bricks, lined up and down with, you guessed it, bars and pubs. Sure, there's a cafe or restaurant here and there, and of course there's a McDonald's on the corner, but mostly you come here to go to the pub. It's fun and cozy in a back-alley, hold-on-to-your-purse sort of way, but I don't feel unsafe. There are lots of people around, and the pubs aren't sketchy or shady. It's just an older part of town, and since there are no cars driving by, the streets are narrower, so it feels more "enclosed" in a way. Not to mention it is a very short walk from the Ha'Penny Bridge, a cute old pedestrian bridge that crosses the River Liffey. Apparently, couples come and lock a padlock onto the Ha'Penny Bridge and then throw the key into the river, as a sign of their everlasting love. I think it's a very romantic notion.
This whole time, I've talked about the City Centre, but that's not the only part of Ireland that I love. I love the landscape, the country, the way people model their towns. I love the anti-commercialization of things, and the way people drive. I love the accent, and the way people speak, and the quirks to their language. I love where I live, far enough away from campus that I get my quiet time, but close enough to campus that it is easy to get to, with grocery stores and coffee shops ten-minute walk away.
There are many, many reasons to love Dublin and Ireland, and I have only begun to explore a small portion of them. But I am sure, as my time here rolls on, I will continue to fall in love with the country, the way I have already fallen in love with the city.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
The Little Things
Well, classes started this week. And I am having a hard time.
Today has been a rough day for me, and I would just like to talk about some details that have been bugging me since I got here.
First of all, the money. I'm finally getting used to how the money works, with all their different coins. And I kind of like it. The bills come in 50, 20, 10, and 5, and get larger as the denomination gets larger. The coins come in 2, 1, .50, .20, .10, .05, .02, and .01. the 2 and 1 Euro coins have a gold outer ring with a silver center, and the 2 is larger than the 1. the .50, .20, and .10 are all gold, and the .05, .02, and .01 are all copper. All of the coins are different sizes, mostly based on denomination, and all of them have a different pattern on the outer rim. Using the money is not the problem, however. It's how often I have to use the money.
Now, you're probably thinking, well everything in the states costs money. Yes, that is very true. But not at my school. At my school, you could go to events for free. You could join clubs for free. The food was much less expensive. Here, I have to pay for all of those things. Food is expensive, even on campus, at an average of 7-9 Euro for a small meal. At a cafe. I'm sorry, but a sandwich and a cup of soup should be 4 Euro, all the time, anywhere.
Another thing that bothers me, the class set up. Let me start with some background. I am used to small classes, about 35 people max most of the time, closer to an average of 15 for my acting classes. BW has 3500 undergraduate students, 4500 total. The campus (only one campus), even though mixed with a suburb, is not large, and doesn't have too many academic buildings. In class, we don't do lectures; we do discussions. We ask questions, the teacher answers with another questions, and lively debates spark.
UCD is basically the opposite. I have lecture classes with at least 100 students while the professor stands up front under 3 huge screens, talking at us while we scribble furiously in notebooks. There are 3 different campuses, and living on the graduate campus, I have to take the bus every day to and from school, making it nearly impossible to stay anywhere past 11pm unless I want to pay for a cab back home (again with the money thing...). Then, once I get to campus, I can expect about a 15 minute walk to get to one of the nearest buildings to the bus stop. There are always people everywhere, and there is never any quiet time anywhere. The few restaurants on campus are always crowded and loud, and they don't serve much of a variety of food like BW always does.
My biggest peeve is my phone situation. I can't use the Internet unless I have WiFi, since when I got here, I decided not to pay for a data plan. But WiFi here isn't quite as common as it is in the states. Yes, the school has it, but it's not very strong and you can only get it in academic buildings. It's not in the bookstore, it's not outside at all, and it's very touch-and-go in the residence halls (at least mine). But if I'm downtown, and I need to check the bus schedule, too bad. I have to just go to the bus stop and wait until the next one comes around. I guess I don't really realize how much I rely on my 3G to get me through the day. But right now my first world problems have quite a hold on me.
Not to mention that on my first day at school, I took the time to go get an Irish phone to be able to stay in contact with my friends while I'm here. But as of right now, I'm the only one who actually has one. None of my other friends have gotten phones yet, making it very difficult to communicate with one another. Sure, we have Facebook but again, we can only access each other when we have internet.
There are a few other peeves I'm having about being here. Like the fact that nothing is open past 7pm. Or that the only bus that goes from my residence to main campus doesn't run on Sundays and has a very limited schedule on Saturdays and evenings. Or that bathrooms aren't every few feet as you walk through a mall. Or that I have to share my kitchen and my stovetop doesn't work very well and we all have freezer space of about 2 square feet to share.
But I suppose these are just things I will have to get used to as part of living here. Everything I encounter is part of my experience, and will shape my life in one way or another. Everyone has their likes and dislikes, and who knows. Maybe by the end of the semester, my dislikes will become my likes. These are all little things. Nothing is a crisis. Only an experience.
Today has been a rough day for me, and I would just like to talk about some details that have been bugging me since I got here.
First of all, the money. I'm finally getting used to how the money works, with all their different coins. And I kind of like it. The bills come in 50, 20, 10, and 5, and get larger as the denomination gets larger. The coins come in 2, 1, .50, .20, .10, .05, .02, and .01. the 2 and 1 Euro coins have a gold outer ring with a silver center, and the 2 is larger than the 1. the .50, .20, and .10 are all gold, and the .05, .02, and .01 are all copper. All of the coins are different sizes, mostly based on denomination, and all of them have a different pattern on the outer rim. Using the money is not the problem, however. It's how often I have to use the money.
Now, you're probably thinking, well everything in the states costs money. Yes, that is very true. But not at my school. At my school, you could go to events for free. You could join clubs for free. The food was much less expensive. Here, I have to pay for all of those things. Food is expensive, even on campus, at an average of 7-9 Euro for a small meal. At a cafe. I'm sorry, but a sandwich and a cup of soup should be 4 Euro, all the time, anywhere.
Another thing that bothers me, the class set up. Let me start with some background. I am used to small classes, about 35 people max most of the time, closer to an average of 15 for my acting classes. BW has 3500 undergraduate students, 4500 total. The campus (only one campus), even though mixed with a suburb, is not large, and doesn't have too many academic buildings. In class, we don't do lectures; we do discussions. We ask questions, the teacher answers with another questions, and lively debates spark.
UCD is basically the opposite. I have lecture classes with at least 100 students while the professor stands up front under 3 huge screens, talking at us while we scribble furiously in notebooks. There are 3 different campuses, and living on the graduate campus, I have to take the bus every day to and from school, making it nearly impossible to stay anywhere past 11pm unless I want to pay for a cab back home (again with the money thing...). Then, once I get to campus, I can expect about a 15 minute walk to get to one of the nearest buildings to the bus stop. There are always people everywhere, and there is never any quiet time anywhere. The few restaurants on campus are always crowded and loud, and they don't serve much of a variety of food like BW always does.
My biggest peeve is my phone situation. I can't use the Internet unless I have WiFi, since when I got here, I decided not to pay for a data plan. But WiFi here isn't quite as common as it is in the states. Yes, the school has it, but it's not very strong and you can only get it in academic buildings. It's not in the bookstore, it's not outside at all, and it's very touch-and-go in the residence halls (at least mine). But if I'm downtown, and I need to check the bus schedule, too bad. I have to just go to the bus stop and wait until the next one comes around. I guess I don't really realize how much I rely on my 3G to get me through the day. But right now my first world problems have quite a hold on me.
Not to mention that on my first day at school, I took the time to go get an Irish phone to be able to stay in contact with my friends while I'm here. But as of right now, I'm the only one who actually has one. None of my other friends have gotten phones yet, making it very difficult to communicate with one another. Sure, we have Facebook but again, we can only access each other when we have internet.
There are a few other peeves I'm having about being here. Like the fact that nothing is open past 7pm. Or that the only bus that goes from my residence to main campus doesn't run on Sundays and has a very limited schedule on Saturdays and evenings. Or that bathrooms aren't every few feet as you walk through a mall. Or that I have to share my kitchen and my stovetop doesn't work very well and we all have freezer space of about 2 square feet to share.
But I suppose these are just things I will have to get used to as part of living here. Everything I encounter is part of my experience, and will shape my life in one way or another. Everyone has their likes and dislikes, and who knows. Maybe by the end of the semester, my dislikes will become my likes. These are all little things. Nothing is a crisis. Only an experience.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Better Day...
I met people today! Yes, that's right. I made an ass of myself on the bus this morning by blurting out, "Are you American?" to two lovely ladies who seemed to not have an accent. I was 50% right. One of them was, indeed, American. But the other was Irish, and she kind of looked at me funny. But I was able to bond with the American girl, Holly, for a while over living in Blackrock campus and having to take the bus to the main Belfield campus every day.
When we got to main campus, she met up with a couple of her friends she had met in the days prior, and I tagged along with them for most of the rest of the day. We all were Study Abroad students, so we went to a couple of orientation sessions together, which were very helpful. Beginning with this orientation session, everything started to fit together and make sense, little by little. I'm learning more about how to use the bus system and get a bus pass. I know where to go to buy a cell phone that will work here. I found an adorable coffee shop that I think I will begin frequenting because there's a cute guy that works there who makes me yummy tea. Things are settling a bit, and I know that will continue to happen as I begin my classes next week. And though I'm still finalizing my schedule, it looks like I'm going to have Mondays off, which will be AWESOME for traveling :).
Later on in the day, we all met back up to watch ONCE. They were showing it in the Global Lounge (yup, a lounge just for international students. Whatup!), so we all decided to reconnect for it. It was my first time seeing it, and I was sort of impressed. I didn't much care for the filming style, and the ending upset me a bit, but the music was just incredible. I would totally buy that soundtrack.
I also made my first trip to the grocery store today. It's adorable! Everything seems so fresh and local. The only problem is I can't tell what's a bad price for anything. I ended up spending around 75 Euros, but I did get quite a bit, including several packages of meat and a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc (since I'm legal and all). I also had to pay for bags... which sucked. I guess I'll just have to find some reusable bags to invest in so I'm not wasting my precious 75 cents.
Wow, that was a jammed blog post. BUT! It's not over yet! As I promised, here are some pictures from my first couple of days around.
More to come on the weekend, folks. Until then!
When we got to main campus, she met up with a couple of her friends she had met in the days prior, and I tagged along with them for most of the rest of the day. We all were Study Abroad students, so we went to a couple of orientation sessions together, which were very helpful. Beginning with this orientation session, everything started to fit together and make sense, little by little. I'm learning more about how to use the bus system and get a bus pass. I know where to go to buy a cell phone that will work here. I found an adorable coffee shop that I think I will begin frequenting because there's a cute guy that works there who makes me yummy tea. Things are settling a bit, and I know that will continue to happen as I begin my classes next week. And though I'm still finalizing my schedule, it looks like I'm going to have Mondays off, which will be AWESOME for traveling :).
Later on in the day, we all met back up to watch ONCE. They were showing it in the Global Lounge (yup, a lounge just for international students. Whatup!), so we all decided to reconnect for it. It was my first time seeing it, and I was sort of impressed. I didn't much care for the filming style, and the ending upset me a bit, but the music was just incredible. I would totally buy that soundtrack.
I also made my first trip to the grocery store today. It's adorable! Everything seems so fresh and local. The only problem is I can't tell what's a bad price for anything. I ended up spending around 75 Euros, but I did get quite a bit, including several packages of meat and a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc (since I'm legal and all). I also had to pay for bags... which sucked. I guess I'll just have to find some reusable bags to invest in so I'm not wasting my precious 75 cents.
Wow, that was a jammed blog post. BUT! It's not over yet! As I promised, here are some pictures from my first couple of days around.
This was all hanging from the ceiling in the Chicago O'Hare airport in the wing where all of the international flights come and go from. I thought it was pretty neat, so I let big-time-tourist-Olivia come out for a few minutes to take some pictures.
Leaving the Dublin Airport...
The above are pictures of the Blackrock campus, where I live. I'll post some pictures of my dorm room at a later date.
For my dad ;D
Anglican church just up the road. I'll probably never go there, but it's very pretty!
These Cul de Sac signs are everywhere. I just thought it was kind of funny that they post it like that.
I think this is a monument to something important... but I don't know what.
These are all just random pictures from walking up and down the suburban streets of Dublin.
My first Irish meal! A ham and cheese panini with salad, cole slaw, and nachos, and an orangeade to drink. All from a cute little department store cafe!
All the buildings above are part of the Blackrock village. They're the bigger shopping centers, almost like two smaller malls.
These are from the UCD main campus. Not where I live, but where I do pretty much everything else.
These are the busses I take every day. Pretty comfy, and the upper level is cool :)
Because it's my last name, that's why.
More pretty sights at my end of town.
The birds here are really pretty. I don't know if we have birds like this in the states, but they're big, and they kind of look like black and white ravens. Much less harsh and much more majestic, though.
More to come on the weekend, folks. Until then!
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Bad. Day.
Well, I'm here. My flights actually happened this time, and I'm here. Do I want to be here? Well...
It's hard to believe that everything I'm going to talk about right now happened in one day. It was one long-ass day.
We landed in Dublin around 8am (Ireland time) and went right to customs after getting off the plane. It had been a fairly rough ride, so I hadn't gotten much sleep at all. But I got myself through customs, grabbed my two large suitcases from the luggage belt, and headed out to find an ATM and a bagel. Well, unfortunately I found neither of those things before I found the University College Dublin booth, ready to get me to school and answer my questions.
So I find an ATM, withdraw some quick cash, and head for the bus stop. I pay my 8 Euro and get on. I was amazed at how the driver knew where he was going. The roads around the airport seemed so confusing! No intersections, just yields and roundabouts and near-death experiences. Not to mention the fact that they drive on the other side of the road, which continues to boggle my mind and throw me off even after being surrounded by it all day. But, regardless, he dropped me off in Blackrock village.
This was where my day turned to shit. There I am, nineteen-year-old American, wandering around the main part of Blackrock with two huge suitcases, a duffel, and a backpack, just trying to find myself a cab to take me to the University. See, since I'm not staying on main campus, they made my life harder.
I end up wandering for about 15 minutes before a London tourist asks me if I need help. I'm wary to accept help from strangers, but at this point my arms are about to fall off. I let him wheel one of my bags for me, but don't think I didn't keep one eye on him the whole time. I think he was trying to flirt with me.
He suggests we try the post office for advice for getting a cab, and I find that to be a pretty decent idea. They told me to just go to the street and wave one down. I mean, I didn't see any when I was out there, but I'm not a Dubliner (Dubliner?) so I decided to take her word for it. I left the London man at the airport and headed back out to the street. I didn't wait five minutes before I saw a cab. I threw my luggage in his trunk, and ask him to take me to Blackrock West Hall at UCD.
He doesn't know where that is.
.
I explain that I'm an American and this is my first day in the country, so I don't know either. I thought I saw the entrance to Blackrock College at some point on my bus ride, so I point him in that direction and decide to start there. Well that was totally wrong, but at least the guys who were there pointed us in the right direction.
We finally find the UCD Blackrock campus, but it's pretty poorly signed, so I can't find where I'm supposed to go to check in. So he ends up dropping me off, and he didn't even discount my ride for his incompetence.
Idiot.
I pay him my ten Euro and set off, again, roaming with my huge bags, feeling like a total fool. Finally, when I'm close to tears, someone offers to let me leave my bags in an office and points me in the right direction of where I'm supposed to go.
I eventually make my way to the reception office, where I find out that I have another email account with vital pre-arrival information that I didn't know about. I thought I had everything done, but nope. The universe hates me.
But, eventually, after crying to my mother and sister, I got everything settled, got into my room (where I have no roommates :D), and just sort of took a moment to regroup.
The rest of the day did turn up from there. By this point, it was around 1 or 2pm, so I took a shower, unpacked enough to find something to wear, and then I ventured into the city. I walked back to the Blackrock village center to find something to eat, and I had a delicious ham and cheese panini for lunch (pictures to come). I then took a bus up to the main UCD campus, just to try to familiarize myself with it a bit before tomorrow. It's a pretty cool campus, reminding me a lot of the couple of state schools I visited when I was choosing a college. A lot of it is under construction, but with the help of a very kind Australian lady, I found what I was looking for.
As the day went on, I was slowly realizing how tired I was, so I came back to my room and CRASHED. I slept a few hours, but I wanted to make sure I updated my readers on my crazy day. I did end up missing a reslife meet-and-greet for my dorm, but hey. Jet lag and all that. I'm still too tired to post all the AWESOME pictures I took, but no worries, I'll have them up for you tomorrow.
I won't lie, at this moment in time, I really miss BW and I want to go home. But it's only the first day, and I have to remember that the reason I want to go home is the exact reason I came here. To get thrown out of my comfort zone into a completely new situation to learn about the world and how I fit into it. I know things will look up, and I'm sure a good night's rest will help.
It's hard to believe that everything I'm going to talk about right now happened in one day. It was one long-ass day.
We landed in Dublin around 8am (Ireland time) and went right to customs after getting off the plane. It had been a fairly rough ride, so I hadn't gotten much sleep at all. But I got myself through customs, grabbed my two large suitcases from the luggage belt, and headed out to find an ATM and a bagel. Well, unfortunately I found neither of those things before I found the University College Dublin booth, ready to get me to school and answer my questions.
So I find an ATM, withdraw some quick cash, and head for the bus stop. I pay my 8 Euro and get on. I was amazed at how the driver knew where he was going. The roads around the airport seemed so confusing! No intersections, just yields and roundabouts and near-death experiences. Not to mention the fact that they drive on the other side of the road, which continues to boggle my mind and throw me off even after being surrounded by it all day. But, regardless, he dropped me off in Blackrock village.
This was where my day turned to shit. There I am, nineteen-year-old American, wandering around the main part of Blackrock with two huge suitcases, a duffel, and a backpack, just trying to find myself a cab to take me to the University. See, since I'm not staying on main campus, they made my life harder.
I end up wandering for about 15 minutes before a London tourist asks me if I need help. I'm wary to accept help from strangers, but at this point my arms are about to fall off. I let him wheel one of my bags for me, but don't think I didn't keep one eye on him the whole time. I think he was trying to flirt with me.
He suggests we try the post office for advice for getting a cab, and I find that to be a pretty decent idea. They told me to just go to the street and wave one down. I mean, I didn't see any when I was out there, but I'm not a Dubliner (Dubliner?) so I decided to take her word for it. I left the London man at the airport and headed back out to the street. I didn't wait five minutes before I saw a cab. I threw my luggage in his trunk, and ask him to take me to Blackrock West Hall at UCD.
He doesn't know where that is.
.
I explain that I'm an American and this is my first day in the country, so I don't know either. I thought I saw the entrance to Blackrock College at some point on my bus ride, so I point him in that direction and decide to start there. Well that was totally wrong, but at least the guys who were there pointed us in the right direction.
We finally find the UCD Blackrock campus, but it's pretty poorly signed, so I can't find where I'm supposed to go to check in. So he ends up dropping me off, and he didn't even discount my ride for his incompetence.
Idiot.
I pay him my ten Euro and set off, again, roaming with my huge bags, feeling like a total fool. Finally, when I'm close to tears, someone offers to let me leave my bags in an office and points me in the right direction of where I'm supposed to go.
I eventually make my way to the reception office, where I find out that I have another email account with vital pre-arrival information that I didn't know about. I thought I had everything done, but nope. The universe hates me.
But, eventually, after crying to my mother and sister, I got everything settled, got into my room (where I have no roommates :D), and just sort of took a moment to regroup.
The rest of the day did turn up from there. By this point, it was around 1 or 2pm, so I took a shower, unpacked enough to find something to wear, and then I ventured into the city. I walked back to the Blackrock village center to find something to eat, and I had a delicious ham and cheese panini for lunch (pictures to come). I then took a bus up to the main UCD campus, just to try to familiarize myself with it a bit before tomorrow. It's a pretty cool campus, reminding me a lot of the couple of state schools I visited when I was choosing a college. A lot of it is under construction, but with the help of a very kind Australian lady, I found what I was looking for.
As the day went on, I was slowly realizing how tired I was, so I came back to my room and CRASHED. I slept a few hours, but I wanted to make sure I updated my readers on my crazy day. I did end up missing a reslife meet-and-greet for my dorm, but hey. Jet lag and all that. I'm still too tired to post all the AWESOME pictures I took, but no worries, I'll have them up for you tomorrow.
I won't lie, at this moment in time, I really miss BW and I want to go home. But it's only the first day, and I have to remember that the reason I want to go home is the exact reason I came here. To get thrown out of my comfort zone into a completely new situation to learn about the world and how I fit into it. I know things will look up, and I'm sure a good night's rest will help.
Monday, September 2, 2013
Today's the Day? Guess Not.
So, my dear blog readers, today was the day. I would finally get to embark on my life changing journey to Dublin, Ireland, to experience the schooling, the culture, the lifestyle, and so much more, to find myself and discover things about myself that not even I knew, to venture down the roads-less-traveled to find what many tourists do not, and to be touched emotionally and spiritually.
After a particularly confusing night of speaking with many Indian people about some incorrect flight information, I woke up this morning, got my two big suitcases, duffel, and backpack all together, packed the car, and headed to the airport, knowing that after sorting through last night's fiasco, with my fresh new flight information, everything would go smoothly, right?
"HAHAHAHAHA!" said the universe. "Everything go smoothly? Now why would I do that!? I've already given you this much trouble, let's see how much more you can handle!"
I got through security and everything just fine, no problems. When it was time to board my flight, I noticed that everything was delayed. Not long, about twenty minutes.
But that was just the beginning.
Next thing I knew, we were on the tiny plane, sitting and waiting obediently with our seat belts buckled, our seats in the full upright position, and our tray tables folded up and locked in place, but not going anywhere. Just waiting. We finally started moving after about a half hour of just sitting there, but the captain said something about not being able to take off right away. So we just stayed parked somewhere in the middle of everything, but away from the gate, so we had to stay on the plane. Well, we stayed there for about two hours, not moving, not knowing when we would take off, before they FINALLY decided to take us back to the terminal and let us get off the plane. They said we would re-board in about fifteen minutes.
So I went to grab a snack and made sure I was back in ten. However, not long after my return, someone came on the speaker and said, "We'll have an update for anyone on the flight to JFK in about forty-five minutes."
What.
Okay, I said to myself, I have a really long layover in New York. I'll still have time.
Not ten minutes later, they came over the speaker again and said, "Flight to JFK has been canceled. We will do our best to get everyone re-booked, but there are no other flights going out to JFK today. Thank you for choosing American Airlines!" The nerve of them.
Now up to this point, I had done a pretty good job of keeping my cool. But now, I started to panic. I had no idea what to do! Per my mother's advice, I waited in line to talk to the flight attendants to try to get another flight. After all, I don't HAVE to be in Ireland until Thursday, so I had some time.
After waiting in line for another half hour at least, I got up to the desk and told the attendant I need to be in Dublin by Wednesday. I ended up having to stand there for another half hour while she tried to find me a new flight. I ended up getting one for tomorrow around 10:30, connecting in Chicago and getting to Dublin around 7am on Wednesday. I decided I was okay with this, even though I'll end up with a seven-ish hour layover in Chicago. If only I could leave the airport and go tour the city for a bit... Oh well. Hopefully I'll find something to do.
So there it is, that was my disappointing, frustrating, stagnant day. Maybe tomorrow my plane will actually leave the ground.
Until then...
After a particularly confusing night of speaking with many Indian people about some incorrect flight information, I woke up this morning, got my two big suitcases, duffel, and backpack all together, packed the car, and headed to the airport, knowing that after sorting through last night's fiasco, with my fresh new flight information, everything would go smoothly, right?
"HAHAHAHAHA!" said the universe. "Everything go smoothly? Now why would I do that!? I've already given you this much trouble, let's see how much more you can handle!"
I got through security and everything just fine, no problems. When it was time to board my flight, I noticed that everything was delayed. Not long, about twenty minutes.
But that was just the beginning.
Next thing I knew, we were on the tiny plane, sitting and waiting obediently with our seat belts buckled, our seats in the full upright position, and our tray tables folded up and locked in place, but not going anywhere. Just waiting. We finally started moving after about a half hour of just sitting there, but the captain said something about not being able to take off right away. So we just stayed parked somewhere in the middle of everything, but away from the gate, so we had to stay on the plane. Well, we stayed there for about two hours, not moving, not knowing when we would take off, before they FINALLY decided to take us back to the terminal and let us get off the plane. They said we would re-board in about fifteen minutes.
So I went to grab a snack and made sure I was back in ten. However, not long after my return, someone came on the speaker and said, "We'll have an update for anyone on the flight to JFK in about forty-five minutes."
What.
Okay, I said to myself, I have a really long layover in New York. I'll still have time.
Not ten minutes later, they came over the speaker again and said, "Flight to JFK has been canceled. We will do our best to get everyone re-booked, but there are no other flights going out to JFK today. Thank you for choosing American Airlines!" The nerve of them.
Now up to this point, I had done a pretty good job of keeping my cool. But now, I started to panic. I had no idea what to do! Per my mother's advice, I waited in line to talk to the flight attendants to try to get another flight. After all, I don't HAVE to be in Ireland until Thursday, so I had some time.
After waiting in line for another half hour at least, I got up to the desk and told the attendant I need to be in Dublin by Wednesday. I ended up having to stand there for another half hour while she tried to find me a new flight. I ended up getting one for tomorrow around 10:30, connecting in Chicago and getting to Dublin around 7am on Wednesday. I decided I was okay with this, even though I'll end up with a seven-ish hour layover in Chicago. If only I could leave the airport and go tour the city for a bit... Oh well. Hopefully I'll find something to do.
So there it is, that was my disappointing, frustrating, stagnant day. Maybe tomorrow my plane will actually leave the ground.
Until then...
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