Patience is a virtue.

If you ever want an opportunity to work on patience skills, register with the Irish Immigration Bureau (Garda). Basically, registering is the equivalent of getting a Visa; it allows you to stay in the country for more than there months. At the airport, your passport is given a stamp that tells you a date that you need to register by, and that involves bringing forms (acceptance letters, proof of financial stability, passport, etc.) to an office and answering some questions. Mostly though, it involves waiting.

I was aware that registering with the Garda would probably be a slow process, so I went on a day that I didn't have any set things to do in the afternoon or evening. After my last class I headed over to the Immigration Bureau, arriving around 1:30 in the afternoon. There was a long queue (line) that I got into and then waited for a little over two hours to receive a ticket. I was the lucky recipient of ticket number 347. The man who gave me my ticket said that I could come back around 5:00 and would get to go sometime around then. I made the thirty minute walk back to my apartment, got a quick bit to eat, checked my email and walked back in order to get there a little before 5:00. Then I waited. Four hours later my number was called, I was interviewed, given permission to stay in the country until the end of December, had my photo taken for an identification card, and got my passport stamped. Then I waited a little longer, until my photo ID card was made and passport returned. Finally, I headed for home and made it to my apartment at 10: oo. The whole nine and a half hour experience was a little frustrating, and took a lot of patience, but I guess it was another cultural experience to add to my list. The Immigration Bureau was actually an interesting place. There were people from all over the world waiting alongside me, and although the atmosphere was rather gloomy and tense, it was still interesting people watching (at least for about the first half hour). It feels good to have it done though, plus I got a 'difficult' level Sudoku puzzle done. I hear that registering for classes at Trinity can also be a pretty lengthy process so maybe I'll get a chance to practice my patience (and Sudoku) skills again soon.

I've continued to adjust to life in Dublin. Since my last post the weather has actually been really, really nice- lots of sunshine, and almost no rain! It gives the whole place a better atmosphere when people are happy, and I've enjoyed sitting in St.Stephen's Green (a huge park area) a few afternoons. Last weekend I went up to Northern Ireland to a place called Annalough with Phil for a retreat weekend through his church. I met a lot of his friends, and some more of his cousins, second cousins, etc. It was nice to get out of the city and the location was beautiful, it was right on the sea and there were mountains really nearby. On one of the nights we went to Newcastle (a nearby town) for ice cream. Newcastle was such a cute place, with a great atmosphere (probably mostly because of the gorgeous weather). There were people sailing, para-sailing, swimming, and lots of people out strolling around. My appreciation for the sweets here deepened when I tried my first ice cream cone since I've been over. It was honestly the best ice cream I have ever had. It was honeycomb which is a bit hard to describe, but it had pieces of crispy, airy, honey-ish sugar stuff and swirls of honey-carmel stuff... mmm delicious!

Since returning this weekend I've pretty much just been doing school stuff (lectures, tutorials, and trips). We went on a tour of Irish Parliament, and also visited the National Gallery of Art. The final essay for the start up program is due in a week, so I've been brainstorming for that. Fresher's Week is next week and there won't be class, just meetings and time to register for classes, sign up for clubs, and get other general details taken care of. After Fresher's Week the regular term will start which I'm looking forward to; it'll be good to get into a more regular routine.

A few more fun/interesting differences I've observed:
* The Irish don't seem to rinse their dishes after washing. It's more of a two-in-one process, where dishes are just swished in soapy water (scrubbed if needed) and then set out to dry. It seemed really weird at first, but now it makes sense.
*Cookies/cookie bars/shortbread/cupcakes/other little desserts are all called buns (there is no distinguishing) and are often served with tea.
*The keyboards are slightly different. All of the letter keys are in the same position but the @ symbol and the " " marks are switched.

I hope that wherever you are it's sunny, you're able to enjoy great icecream, and you are not stuck in any long lines!

Cheers,
Em