First Weekend

After finishing up my first week of placement at 5pm on Friday I headed back to the house. I think after having such a busy week with so many new experiences, so much new information to try and process it all, I was very drained. I came home, make some supper and then realized I wasn't sure what to do with myself on my first Friday night. I ended up eating supper and watching some TV. TV here has been kinda exciting as when I do watch it, I have been trying to watch a lot of Irish TV. But even that was not even to keep me from almost falling asleep on the couch. I also had my first experience of feeling really a bit lonely and missing home a bit. But just as I was about to let myself fall asleep I heard someone come in the house. Tara (Carmel's daughter) invited me to come hangout at her place with her friends and have some bottles (Nope, not of milk.. that is the term for having a few beer which I'm sure most of you got, but I still get a kick out of). I was more than happy to join as I was not about to allow my first Friday in Dublin to be remembered with me falling asleep on the couch.

Tara and her friends were great and were super welcoming to me. It was a nice evening with good conversation, music, and a lot of laughs. I tended to be a bit more on the quiet side partly because I was a bit tired but more so because I was at times struggling to keep up with the conversation due to my inability to always understand the accents coupled with the new cultural slang. But over time I started to be able to pick up on things a bit better as the night went on. I got more into the conversation and got to learn more about Tara and her friends as well got a bit more insight into the community. All of the girls there had children and the conversation moved into talking about being young mothers. Three out of the 5 women there were now single mothers and shared some of the struggles they had. It was super interesting to get to talk with these women and have them ask me questions about my work and my experience in the field. Around 2 am I headed home as I wanted to go out and explore Dublin a bit the next day.

Saturday I got up and tried to get myself psyched about exploring Dublin alone.. but I felt a bit nervous. Which I thought was kinda weird since 4 years earlier I had travelled to Scotland alone and had done great at going out and exploring on my own. I think the differences of being a tourist and living in a place gives you the ability to tell yourself that its no big rush, that there will be lots of opportunities, and that can create the space for excuses, where as when you are on a time crunch as a tourist and want to make the most out of it, I just went for it. Which in the end helped motivate me to start making my way to downtown Dublin. The trip for me to get to Dublin city centre really is super easy. I get on one bus (Finglas 40) and stay on it all the way down until O'Connell street, then I'm there (about 20min). But even figuring this out was a daunting task. In the end I made my way down spending my 2.15 Euro.

Once downtown, in an area I had travelling in twice before, it was all about trying to get my bearings back which did not come as easily as I would have liked. I made my way along some streets that I thought were in the right direction basing a great deal on the fact I was going the opposite way of the crowd. This weekend in Dublin there just happened to be a ton of American tourists as there was an American football game taking place. I follwed in the direction I thought was towards Trinity College and finially came to an entrence that I thought was right but was unsure. So I crossed the street to a tourist office and picked up a free map to find that indeed I had been standing right in front of it. I am so smart sometimes. I make my way back and entered into Trinity College. It is a really beautiful old campus. The buildings are amazing and I found it even more interesting because school had started up the week before so there were students all around just hanging out talking in groups. I thought this was cool because it reinforces the fact that there is so much history and still more to come as it is being made daily as the buildings are still in use. I got a guided tour as they are always fun because you get to learn about all the history and funny little stories you would not know otherwise. The tour guide was very disappointed when he learned I was a Canadian who did not play hockey or really enjoy skiing, I felt like I let down my country a bit. 

While at the College I also went to see the book of Kells and the old library. It was a wonderful exhibit and the art work was amazing. It make me think of my mom and how much she would enjoy the tour and then when I stepped into the Library all I could think of was how much Tara (a friend from back home and fellow CYC) would love this place. Here is a bit more information on them:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The  Book of Kells  (Irish:  Leabhar Cheanannais) (Dublin, Trinity College Library, MS A. I. (58), sometimes known as the  book of Columba) is an  illuminated manuscript  Gospel book  in  Latin, containing the  four Gospels  of theNew Testament  together with various prefatory texts and tables. It was created by  Celtic monks  ca. 800 or slightly earlier. The text of the Gospels is largely drawn from the  Vulgate, although it also includes several passages drawn from the earlier versions of the Bible known as the  Vetus Latina. It is a masterwork of  Western calligraphy  and represents the pinnacle of  Insular illumination. It is also widely regarded as Ireland's finest national treasure.

The illustrations and ornamentation of the Book of Kells surpass that of other Insular Gospel books in extravagance and complexity. The decoration combines traditional Christian iconography with the ornate swirling motifs typical of Insular art. Figures of humans, animals and mythical beasts, together with  Celtic knots  and interlacing patterns in vibrant colours, enliven the manuscript's pages. Many of these minor decorative elements are imbued with Christian symbolism and so further emphasis the themes of the major illustrations.

I then made my way to Christ Church, again got a bit lost, which if you know where it is in relation to Trinity College, is kinda funny cause it's almost a straight line but that little curve threw me off. I sat down and had lunch before going in and tried to enjoy some of the wonderful weather.

Some of the other students and myself had come to Christ Church last time I was in Dublin but had not gone in so this time I wanted to make sure I got a chance. The church was beautiful and again full of history. I sometimes suck at self-tours because the information doesn't always stick with me or make as much sense but as I went into the crypt in the basement of the church I found a video that was very wonderful on helping put all the pieces and history of the church together for me.

After I was done going through the church I decided to make my way home as I had plans to go out with Carmel in the evening and meet some of her friends. I was able to find the bus back and got home in decent time.

For those of you who know me well, know I'm not a dress girl often, but when in Ireland you learn that a night out normally involves going all out so I came prepared this time with a cute but causal dress and leggings. I got ready and headed out with Carmel. We met up with a couple of her friends at Grave Diggers, aka diggers, a little pub that is know for their amazing Guinness. Which was wonderful as it was my first pint since I had arrived, it was worth the wait. 
The night was great with wonderful people, great Guinness, and good conversation. I ended up seeing the ghost bus tour that Lindsey (a friend I had met up with in Dublin the first time I had gone) and myself had gone on together. I then realized I was in the same area I had been in over four years ago (slowly piecing together Dublin). I talked a great deal of the night to an older Irish gentleman who talked about the challenges of living in Ireland and about issues in Canada. We then made our way to the porterhouse for a few drinks as well. I met another nice young man so told me about how he wanted to be a teacher but already had two degrees, one in business and another one I can't remember what it was right now. He explain that even with that education he could not find a job and how much he would love to live in Canada. Ha.. we then headed home.. alone. No exporting to Canada for me.

Sunday I just really hung around the house and enjoyed being in a home. Most the times when I have travelled before I stayed in hostels, but it is nice to come home to a room which has all your belongings that can be left out without worrying about locking them up. Carmel and her family invited me to take part in their Sunday dinner; it was wonderful with great food. That night I just relaxed and got ready for Monday and being back at placement.