On Friday we had FIE (Foundation for International Education) and DBS (Dublin Business School) orientation alllll day. We had our student ID pictures taken, learned about volunteer programs we can work with while here (which we were told is a great way to make friends, and I definitely want to do at least once), and a lot of other helpful hints from program coordinators who know what they're doing here, a lot more than we do. Friday night FIE sponsored a dinner for us at a delicious restaurant called "La Cave". It was a really quaint little French restaurant/wine bar tucked up on the second floor of a building. I enjoyed three amazing courses of mussels with wine sauce, confit (thigh) of duck with a pear sauce, and creme brulee. It was definitely the best meal I'll probably eat while I'm here (and expensive too, at €34 for all 3 courses... luckily we weren't paying) and we all had a great time. Afterwards our group split up, some people just stayed in Temple Bar to begin their evening, and the other half of us went back to our apartments to change before going out. We had a bunch of people over our apartment, and then we all went to the Glimmerman, which has quickly become a favorite hangout of the DBS study-abroaders. After that we walked over to Temple Bar, which was definitely fun. There were tons of people out, but we all had a good time. I finally even met some people from Dublin (which is sad, considering how many people I've met not from here)!
On Saturday we had a lazy-ish afternoon. We walked over to Jervis Shopping Center, a walk I feel like we practically do daily, and got some necessities like a straighter (mine broke), and Meaghan needed a blowdryer. We went to a store there called Argos, which is one of the strangest, but also pretty smart-ish, in a way, stores I've ever been in. Basically you walk in and everyone is silently perusing the 1000+ page catalogs that are along tables all around the store. There are no products/goods in the store at all (that you can see). You find what you want from the catalog (which isn't hard--- they have everything from blow dryers to garden hoses), input the product number into a keypad next to the catalog, see if your product is in stock, and if it is you can order it from an electronic kiosk or a cashier. Then, you go stand by this "delivery center" and 2 minutes later, they call your number and you pick up your item. Pretty cool, very cheap, and definitely not like anything I've ever seen in the States.
Saturday night was probably our most fun night here so far. Our friends from Marist, Ally and Kelsey, cooked a "family
dinner" for all of us, and their other friend Katie. We had a mountain (literally, mountain. as in, after we all ate until we were stuffed we had hardly made a dent) of pasta, vegetables, and Meaghan, Allie and I brought over garlic bread we made from pre-made baguettes. It was all so good, and exactly wh
at we needed. Kelsey and Ally also have 4 French roommates, and they have a lot of other French guy friends that all came over right after we finished dinner. The guys were all extremely nice, and really fun to talk to (especially because they are all still learning English, even though they are all pretty good at it already). Plus they kiss us on both cheeks (as is a traditional greeting for friends in France), and is really charming haha. Then, a lot more people from the Elon group showed up at Ally and Kelsey's, and their apartment went from just the few of us, to a full house really fast. We decided to take the party elsewhere, and we all went to a place down the street called "Sine" (pronounced SHIN-ay), which was really fun. We all mingled, had some funny conversations with the French guys (like teaching them American phrases such as "spill the beans", "chick flick", and "puke") and just had a really great time.
Sunday was a nice break from all the busy-ness we've had the last few days. I slept in pretty late (for the first time in many days), and then we just went to Tesco to get some school supplies. Then Anna, Allie, and I went to Glimmerman to watch the hurling match (a BIG deal here!) with some of the guys from downstairs. I had walked to Tesco alone earlier (Allie and Anna were already there), and then going to sit in the pub and watch the match in the middle of the afternoon (even withOUT a Guinness) made me feel like a local. I know I'm still a long way off, but it was a far cry from riding around on the huge double-decker tour bus we went sightseeing in just a few days ago. Hurling, for anyone who doesn't know (I didn't, and could only vaguely understand what was going on) is kindof a combination of lacrosse, field hockey, baseball, soccer, and football (see now why it's confusing?). We saw County Kilkenny win, and the last few minutes of the game had a lot of excitement. I definitely want to watch more sporting events while I'm here, and hopefully we'll get to go to a match with the DBS program.
Yesterday I also ventured outside the box by making an almost-real-person meal for myself for dinner. So far we've just been eating a lot of sandwiches and pre-made things in our apartment while we still adjust and buy essentials. But last night I made really good tortollini with creamy tomato sauce (okay, the sauce was from a jar), and corn. It was lightyears better than the PB&Js I have been eating lately, so I'll be happy once I'm settled enough to cook regularly.
Today we woke up bright and early for our first day of class. We had history from 10-12, and Econ/Politics from 1:30-3. Both our our teachers are really charismatic, and our Econ/Politics teacher likes to make fun of American government and political issues a lot, just to make comparisons between European politics and our practices in the states. I think our classes should be interesting, even though it's strange coming from Elon and never having a class bigger than 30, to now be in a class with all the Americans at DBS-- about 63 of us! We did have a nice break in between classes though, and we all took lunch (most of us packed a PB&J) to St. Stephen's Green. It was so nice to just sit on the grass in the sun(!) and relax chat between classes. Tomorrow we'll also have our Conflict and Peace class, which only the FIE students are in (basically those of us from Elon and just a few others).
We also hit up the Euro Store (equivalent of a dollar store... except €2 for everything... which is actually more like a $3 now that I think about it) for a few more apartment essentials: detergent, a new shower curtain, etc. Our apartment is FINALLY almost complete. You forget how many little things you need when you're used to living in a dorm! Here are some pictures of our verrrry humble abode :)
My bedroom. The window stares right at the other apartment building at Ally and Kelsey's bedroom windows. It's a little creepy but always funny to see them waving when I open my shade.
Our kitchen. Excuse the mess, it was dinner time!
Our little kitchen table and sitting area.
We have a wonderful view of the Guinness Factory from our apartment balcony.
In my time here I've also noticed many differences between America and Ireland. Some are really minor, but others definitely make a difference in the way things are done here. For example:
1- People here start drinking as soon as it's too late to have coffee with breakfast. It's really not uncommon to walk past pubs and cafes at noon and see almost everyone at the table with a pint or a glass of wine. In addition to this, although there are (supposedly) open container laws, we see people outside on the street with either a verrrry inconspicuous brown paper bag, or even just a can of beer. I know Americans drink a fair amount too, it's just that going to pubs here is all about socializing, so I wouldn't be surprised if many Dubs visit the pubs almost every day.
2- When I pay for things with credit card here they are very diligent about always checking that my signature matches the signature on the back of my card. I feel like people in stores never do this in America.
3- Dublin (or probably Ireland in general) is very eco-conscious of their bag usage. As we found out on day one, you have to pay about €0.22 for each plastic bag you need at the grocery store or convenience store. So we learned quickly to buy the reusable bags, or just bring bags we already had.
4- The weather really does change in 60 seconds here. It can go from beautifully sunny, to an open downpour before you even realize the clouds are blowing in. And then 15 minutes later it can be perfectly sunny again. I am definitely dressing for comfort and warmth here a lot more than I would be at Elon (where it's 80 degrees and I'd still be traipsing around in sundresses and sandals). Currently, the only use my sandals are getting is as a doorstop to keep our kitchen door open. Also, my feet are getting a workout like no other. We've done so much walking that even though I have comfortable shoes I've got blisters all over. It seriously looks like I attempted a marathon in my highest stilettos.
Well, that's all for now. We're about to have Ally and Kelsey over to plan some trips for our time here, both in Ireland and outside of Ireland!
Cheers!
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