So I'm a nerd...

I mean the title of this in the best way possible. I take the nerd label and wear it proudly. I realized half way through a lecture on the reformation, or failure thereof, in Ireland that "normal" people would not be as thrilled about it as I was. I mean seriously, how many people actually get excited talking about the why's and wherefore's of the English reformation? <awkwardly raises hand> I was absurdly happy listing to lists of laws surrounding the Henrician Reformation. I have questioned whether I want to be a teacher and whether History should be my only major but I have never really questioned the major I picked. Today was just another example of why I'm happy being a History Buff, pun fully intended. (If you don't get it go look up the mascot for CU)

Weekend Recap

Around noon on Friday, I decided to go the theatre here in Dublin. I saw She stoops to Conquer and it was so funny. It was written around 1774 and was still relevant in its way. I feel like some of the jokes went over my head because I'm not Irish though. It was quite an adventure getting to the theatre, I walked around for 15-20 minutes trying to find the entrance to the theater. I the future I won't put nearly as much trust in google maps. Once I was settled in my seat in the back of the theater the director came on stage, which is not all that unusual when seeing shows in Denver. However he announced some bad news: one of the actresses, a main-ish character, had had a family emergency that day. As they have no understudy system there had been a bit of question about what to do. They had called in another actress that day and she performed the whole thing with the book in her hand. Except for the book itself, her performance was fabulous. She was able to turn what could've been disastrous to a fun story. After the play I had to walk quite a ways to find the bus stop and caught the second to last bus home of the night.

 Today I went with a couple of my roommates to the flea market and the Dublin Food Co-op. It was a lot of fun and I got a 1903 copy of macbeth, which I'm very excited about. The Food Co-op was very hipster and very Boulder, which I found amusing. We grabbed a late lunch, Falafel. I was delicious and very filling. It was really nice to eat something I hadn't cooked, especially good greek food. We meandered our way back to the center of town slowly after we ate. We  went in the general direction we needed to go whilst also going down whatever street took our fancy. I saw a lot of Dublin today and had a great time doing it. For more pictures check out the photo archive.

It's the same but it's all different

So I'm almost done with my first week of classes. I have to say that I'm going to have to work hard this semester. I'm taking three Irish history classes and, while in and of themselves they're going to be a challenge, my lack of knowledge means I have catching up to do. The professors are working with the assumption that everyone has a decent grasp of Irish history, as they should, however for me this is a struggle. Off hand comments about the nine years war or other things send me scribbling on an ever growing list of things to google. This is going to be a challenge and I'm looking forward to it.

I find that culture shock is a very sneaky thing here. Many things are similar to home, the language most obviously. But every once in a while there is an idiom or pronunciation that throughs me for a loop. I nearly started laughing  when one of my professors called the US Congress a parliament. Parliament is far too posh and old world a word for anything in American politics but that is not something I really wish to discuss, moving on to something lacking controversy.

There are so many little things that are different I probably could write a book. I will stick to a trip to the grocery store though. The Mexican food section was, unsurprisingly, tiny and there was salsa in a squeeze tube. There was also, to my horror, a "Guacamole style topping" that was a frankly alarming shade of green. I also found American style pancakes in the dessert section. They were tiny and very thick. Here what they call pancakes are essentially crepes and are usually eaten for dessert and not breakfast. They also had an giant section of tea, it was nearly one side of an aisle. What I found most interesting was that nearly all the tea was the same kind, what we would call Irish Breakfast Tea, but in different brands. There were a handful of green teas and that was it. Apparently the ridiculous variety that can be found in the US is not a thing here.

First Class

So I went to my first class this morning. I had a mental freak out about how this was going to work. Some part of the back of my mind knew that it was going to be pretty much the same as any class back home but that rational part was not in control of my brain. The topic of the lecture was actually perfect considering the head space I was in. It was sociology class and the professor was talking about what made the Irish, well, Irish. There was this whole section where he talked about how when people leave their home culture they feel like a fish out water. I nearly started laughing. It was so perfect and a bit ironic considering my concerns about screwing up. It was quite fun and an entertaining class. I feel like taking a class on why Irish people are the way they are is a great way to understand the culture I'm in.

This is home

I've spent the last few days getting oriented around campus and the city center. Today, I went into the city center and wandered by myself. It was a lot of fun. I basically walked wherever looked interesting and kept going until I was tired. I've got the bus system down a bit better than I did before and the route to the city center is becoming familiar. I am both tourist and resident of one of the most amazing cities I have seen. It captured my heart ten years ago and I love being back. It is cold and windy, but so very alive. All cities have their own aliveness, Dublin's is a humming that verges on dance. It has a spirit that seems to shout that it will not be crushed and it will damn well have good time.

I'm done being altruistic now and I have a confession to make. I went to Starbucks today. How typically american of me. In my defense, and it's not much of one, I am living here. Even if it is only temporarily. Also I've tried a bunch of local, or at least Irish, coffee shops this week and wanted something familiar.

Anywho...today was the day when it sank in: I'm here. I'm not here for a week or two, I'm here for months. This is home now, for as long as it lasts. And it's going to last as long as any of my other homes of the past year: 2 different dorm rooms and the camp I worked at over the summer. The walk to my apartment here on campus has become something that my feet do automatically. The kitchen has food in it that isn't take-out and I own dishes here, well one glass but I'm working on it.

I also talked to my parents for a while today, the first time we've had an in depth conversation since I've been here. It was good and they enjoyed me faking an Irish accent. (I'm honestly not that good) If you have any suggestions or questions please feel free to comment or use the contact form to contact me directly.

All the roommates are here

Yesterday I awoke to the sound of my last roommate moving in. She is from Philly and we ended up spending quite a bit of the day together. It was fun getting to know her a little. We wandered all around campus getting stuff figured out. In the process we got our buss passes, found the campus movie theater, found the library and did a little grocery shopping so I know have food and tea. It was a good way to start getting to know the campus.

The afternoon brought the first orientation event. There was the typical welcoming introductions and we were also taught a couple phrases in Irish, which is on of the official languages here. We were also given free bags and scarves. It was nothing to exciting but nice nonetheless. Afterwards there was a reception in the Global Lounge. There was free food and a drink for each person. They were serving beer and wine, along with soft drinks and water. Guess which choice all the Americans, especially the ones under 21, were making? Yes, I also had alcohol, white wine more specifically. (What? I'm legal here). Afterwards, my female roommates and I chatted for awhile longer getting to know each other. At around midnight here, I skyped my roommate back home. We're over 4,000 miles apart and managed to wear the same shirt, which I find endlessly funny.

The first full day

Yesterday was my first full day. It was more difficult than it should have been to get up considering I'd slept for nearly 10 hours. Once I got myself up and moving, I headed over to the Global Lounge, which I will probably spend a lot of time in. I was quite proud of finding it without getting lost. I now know how to get to 2 places on campus. I'm sure  I'll get the hang of it eventually. 

They had run out of tickets for the Ikea trip, so I couldn't go. They were running also shopping tours out of the lounge so I went on one. I happened to go with on of the girls I met on the long walk from the bus stop to the check in. She's from Australia and we ended up hanging out for the tour. The tour ended up just being us led to the popular city center shopping area but I did get some stuff I needed, like hangers and a laundry hamper. We had fun wandering around and finding our way back too campus.

I spent the afternoon and evening just hanging out. I have come to the conclusion that I need to find an actual grocery store because you can only eat so much Nutella toast before you need real sustenance.

On the Emerald Isle

I made it!! A long flight, next to no sleep, and a very long walk with a fifty pound duffel later, I'm here. I just want to get this out of the way: it's so frickin green here. It's January and yet it looks like a green spring. It's beautiful! The campus is nice, though I'll admit that I didn't do much exploring today. By the time I'd gotten in and unpacked it was already sunset. So, I grabbed some groceries and dinner at the small grocery store on campus. I think I'll explore tomorrow when I am less tired.

I met one of my roommates. She's very nice and also from the states. We're planning a trip to Ikea tomorrow to get some dishes, towels, etc. It should be fun. So tomorrow is just going to be familiarizing myself with the territory. Actual events don't start till Wenesday.

Here are some difference's I've already noticed. They don't refrigerate their eggs. Water is heated on as as needed basis and at peak times, so if you want to take a shower at, say, 4 PM you have to figure out how to run the hot water heater. Also "heaters" are not nearly as warming as they would be in the U. S. I am currently hiding under my duvet because even with the heat on my room is still chilly. The kitchen here in my apartment is almost nicer than the one at home. There are no slam drawers, a stove, a fridge, a freezer  and very nice sink. It is far nicer then you'd find in an US dorm.

If any of this is incoherent, I blame jet lag. It is 6:30 PM Dublin time and I am struggling to stay awake until it's a decent hour to go to bed.

Part 1 of the Journey done

              So my morning started at about 6:30 Colorado time. Which felt really early due to pre travel jitters that kept me awake. My dad was so kind as to bring me Starbucks and a doughnut for breakfast. I checked my bag with plenty of time to spare. My parents took a great many pictures, even stopping passers by to take a picture of all three of us. It was a bit ridiculous. (Really guys?!) Anyway, I was in one of the last rows on my flight to...San Francisco. Yes, that's right folks I went to California to go Ireland, but hey when do airlines ever make sense. The flight was packed and the overhead bins were full so I ended up checking my carryon through to Dublin. I ended up being one of the last on the flight because, shocker, they had to go print a special checking slip for my bag.

               After a fairly uneventful flight I landed in San Fran and grabbed some lunch at a diner that I wandered through the airport to. Because, well, what else are you going to do during an airport layover by yourself. Luckily there's free wifi at pretty much every airport, this one included so you get an update. I'm really tired, so hopefully I'll sleep on the flight to Dublin.

Twas the night before...

Well, I'm all packed. My bags are sitting by the door, my clothes are set out for tomorrow, and my alarm is set. I managed to get everything I need, I hope, into one checked bag and one carry on. Both of them are under the weight limits, too. I'm about 7/8 excited and 1/8 nervous. So here we go.

Hello!

Hi, my name is Julia and if you have found this blog you probably know me. I'm going to be spending a semester in Dublin at the University College Dublin. This blog is going to be me sharing my experience as it happens, hopefully. My journey begins on January 11th, so hold on this may be a bumpy ride!