Week 5

So this week was my first full week of being a worker here in Ireland. Monday was pretty low key, as there were no lectures. Did alot of cleaning up and organizing both that day and Tuesday. I didn't sign on for manual labour! But it's all good. My butt will look great by the time I am done there.

On Monday night I went to a screening of “The Alternative Miss Ireland 2010” in Temple bar. It is a drag pageant that apparently happens here and it was pretty entertaining. I couldn't stay for the rest of it though, because it ran late and I needed to get up in the morning. I sort of came to the conclusion I am not huge on pageants, no matter how serious they are. I intended to do some other things with pride this week, but at the end of the day I was just too tired.

I looked around this week for information about renting bikes. I was contemplating about doing a week of biking around Ireland during my vacation for a challenge and just a different way to get around. Many people have advised against me doing this. And besides, it has been proving difficult to even find a bike to rent. So I will probably abort this plan. Maybe I'll just rent something when I am at the cities instead of biking from Dublin to those cities. I still have some time to think about it.

I met up with a girl from the program who I met during orientation. We kind of always make half plans that never work out, so I was surprised that we actually got to meet up. It was nice. We went for coffee and then some girls she knows came to the cafe and we went for a walk. Made tentative plans to go to the Electric Picnic, which is supposed to be this really amazing festival with loads of musical acts. I sort of balked at going because of the price of a ticket (240 Euros!) but at the same time, I kind of feel as though I should. We will see.

On Saturday it was the Pride parade. It passed right in front of my house, so I had the opportunity for a pretty great view. I decided instead to sit down and watch from the street. This lovely couple sat down next to me. They had a baby who had a shirt on that said “I ♥ My Mommies”. Of course I started to chat with them. The baby's name was Ben and he was five months old. I asked the women how long they had been together and it had been twelve years! Ben was their first child, but they said “the first of many”. They were such an amazing couple. I actually joined them in the parade and we met with another couple that they were friends with, who were also expecting their first child (another boy, as they had discovered just the day before). We went to a park where everyone was gathered. People celebrating Pride in every way imaginable. And live entertainment! Drag Queens singing Journey's “Don't Stop Believing” and protest signs that said “Don't base government policy on medieval superstition”. After meeting Ben and his two mommies, it makes me so much sadder that they don't have equal rights here in Ireland.




After a while I left and I went to this pub in Temple Bar (very close to my apartment) where I was told by a co-worker that they sold Canadian beers... Specifically Moosehead. Since it was my one month anniversary in Dublin, I decided to partake in a cold one. I never drank Moosehead at home, but damn, does it taste good when you're away! Its all in the little things.

Sunday I went for a little exploration along the river to parts I had not yet seen. I discovered two more of those wall murals I have been finding here, and had a very nice long walk. The weather in Dublin has been consistently sunny, so I'm trying my best to enjoy it all that I can!