It has been interesting thus far. On the flight over I did not get to sleep as much as I would have liked. The person sitting next to me was named Sean. He was from Ireland and working in Brooklyn. I guess sort of the same thing as me, just wanting to get away for a while. But he needed to come back for a bit to get some things taken care of. Then he would be going back. He was nice enough, but sleeping was difficult as I seemed to keep bumping him.
When I arrived at the airport I was super concerned that my luggage would not have made it for whatever reason. I started the flight with American Airlines and then switched to Aer Lingus. They said they were going to check it all the way through, but since I have never lost luggage before, I was paranoid that this would be the time. So paranoid in fact, that I left the secure area before even claiming my luggage. Way to cause undue stress on myself.
But I arrived in one piece!
I got on a transit system that takes you into the city centre. At first I didn't think that they drove on the opposite side of the road but I was wrong! Then it hit me just how far away from home I was. When I got off the bus I discovered that my pack was wayyy heavier than I thought. I was practically sitting on the sidewalk trying to get it on my back. I felt that the people watching from the bus stop might clap once I actually got the damn thing on my back. Then I walked toward my hostel. And walked. And walked. I was not confident that I was heading the right way, so I broke rule #1 and opened a map (rules based on what not to do when travelling alone). Then I asked someone if they could help me, cause I was just useless. Eventually I found my hostel.
When I had made my reservations, I specified that I would be arriving in the early morning and wanted to be able to check in then. I was told it wasn't a problem. Guess what happened? It was a problem. Of course. So I was able to lock up my pack and then I just kind of kicked it around the hostel for a minute. Or thirty. Then I decided I might as well go out for coffee and walking. So I went and got lost. Walked around. Window shopped. Felt like I had been walking for hours. Nope, only until 10am. God, jet lag is a bitch. I ate a bagel at a shop and wrote for a little while. The texture of the cream cheese was so odd. Around then I decided that I needed to get back.
Things I noticed that morning:
-Bike lanes everywhere! And everyone using them!
-There is this system for borrowing bikes and then returning them to another location when you are done with them. The prices are really cheap and definitely something I will look into when I have a place to work and live.
-Nissan, Toyota, Ford and Honda are here. But there are even more car brands I don't recognize.
I got back to the hostel and fell asleep in the lounge for an hour or so. Eventually I was able to check in and get a proper shower and a nap. When I woke from the nap, I met a girl from Germany who I was sharing my room with. Then I met a guy from Spain who was leaving the next day. In addition to these people, I am in a room with two other German boys and a guy from Bulgaria. The guy from Bulgaria is rather particular, but I think he's got a good heart.
I was starving so I went out for my first meal – Irish Stew! It was appropriate, I thought. And also delicious!
The next day I took a free tour of Dublin that was advertised at my hostel. It is a three hour walking tour. And it was fantastic. The guide's name was Chris and you could not have found someone who looked more Irish for the job. Red hair, freckles, talked fast and passionate about the whole history he was recounting. He was absolutely fantastic. The company is called Sandeman's New Europe and they are pretty new (http://www.neweuropetours.eu/). I guess they do tours all over Europe, so I will definitely be looking into those when I head elsewhere. On the tour I met two girls from Australia and a girl from Oregon. Super nice. I also learned that Courtney Love went to Trinity College. How random is that?!
After the tour I planned to go see some of the museums in the area (most of them are free) but I ended up getting hopelessly lost. Like, wayyyy worse than the day before. But I found some neat things and saw a little more of the city, so I wasn't too worried. I was getting hungry and tired, though. And I did ask a few people for directions, but they either were drunk old men or they didn't speak English. Which happens alot here, by the way. Dublin is insanely multicultural so I rarely hear people speaking English. And I have yet to be mistaken for an American, even though I expect it when I speak. I guess the way I talk is a little softer so most people guess I am from Canada instead of the US. I'm not complaining.
Another thing of note that I discovered on this little lost trip? A Tim Horton's! I had read that Tim Horton's plans to expand internationally within the next year and that they already had 150ish little kiosks in Ireland and the UK. I made it a mission to find as many as possible. Well, I got number one! I expected only the donuts, but they have coffee dispensers as well. I was talking to the woman who worked there and she said that everyone says that Canadians love their Tim Horton's, but she doesn't think it is real coffee. I was amused by this exchange.
Then that night I overheard two girls talking in the hostel about being from Canada. One was from Nova Scotia and the other was from PEI. They were drinking and I had a beer with them (that hit me pretty hard cause, well, I haven't been eating that much). There were some other people around the table including a girl from Italy (who was just so damn adorable!), a guy from Mexico, a guy from Hungary (who works here as well) and a girl from Poland. It was nice to meet people here, but I ducked out early. I am not really feeling the party atmosphere too much. There are these pub crawls that I have been meaning to go on, but in the end I am usually too tired to go. And besides, I really just want to go to meet new people. Not really to get wasted. Does this mean I am getting old?
The third day I went for orientation for SWAP. There were four girls in total and we were all from Canada. Two girls from Quebec and one from Manitoba. The session was informative but overwhelming. Especially when I realized that I can't really start looking for jobs till Monday or Tuesday. I also went to look at a house to rent after that. Found it no problem and even the hike to get there isn't too bad. The house is pretty run down but it was in a cute typically Irish neighbourhood (and by typical, it is what I would have imagined one to look like). What makes me nervous is what it is like to walk there at night. So I probably won't take it, but I am still going to look around. After that I walked back home and went to McDonald's. I felt so dirty. I also purchased a mobile phone so now I have a phone number that I will never in a million years remember. Then I planned to go on a pub crawl that night, but was just too tired. Still old.
The following day was my very first rainy day in Dublin. It had sprinkled a little so far, but no rain to really speak of. But it rained. My plan was to sleep in until late, but I ended up waking up pretty early. I didn't know what to do with myself so I decided to check out some neighbourhoods that I hadn't yet explored. In one of these I went to eat. The waiter was this nice guy who was Irish and Egyptian and grew up in Istanbul. I asked him what I should do on a rainy day and he suggested the National Gallery of Ireland (http://www.nationalgallery.ie/). Museums sounded like a good idea to me anyway, so I went to check it out. I couldn't get through it all! I did see a Picasso and a Monet though, so I suppose that was pretty impressive. I have a feeling they won't be the last ones I see, but still kind of amazing. Then I planned to see more, but I got sidetracked. Checked out Trinity College again, but I guess you have to pay to see the book of Kells (http://www.bookofkells.ie/) and really, I am not sure if I want to pay for it. I have time to decide if I want to pay to go see these things before I leave. All I truly wanted to see at Trinity was the long room which is a library with floor to ceiling books (where the library scenes in Harry Potter were filmed, according to the tour) and somehow paying for a library alone seems weird to me.
It stopped raining and I walked around a little more (getting lost, naturally). The thing I have noticed about Dublin is that there are many of the same stores around, so it is often difficult to navigate your way around. I got back to the hostel and had a few beers. Sat with some of the people I met before then this guy came by who knew one of the Germans. As it turns out he is also a SWAP participant from Quebec. We had a grand ol chat. Then I just went to bed.
Then there was a flea market on Sunday. I guess it is a market that will take place the last Sunday of every month, and this week was the first one. It was definitely the biggest gathering of artists and hipsters I have encountered here so far. And so many vintage clothes! I completely regret packing all the things I have packed so far. I just want to buy clothes! I also located my second Tim Horton's on the way.
So that is what the first few days were like. Nothing too outstanding or unusual. I like it.
I am going to try and update this roughly once a week. I promise that the entries won't be as long in the future, though.
-Denise
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