You can stand under my umbrella...

I'd heard before that it rains in Ireland, but now I have felt it. I've felt the damp, wet rain nearly every day. It doesn't rain for an entire days, just on and off, but its enough rain to fully soak you while you're walking somewhere. I've learned to carry my umbrella with me at all times. This semester might turn out to be a contest between my umbrella and me to see which, if either of us, can survive the weather - neither of us is used to this much rain! The weather hasn't varied much, it has been around 60 degrees (F) every day. Actually it has felt pretty pleasant and besides the occasional strong winds, has been great for walking.

The three week "semester start up programme" has proven to be a lot of work. The lectures have been a bit of a mixed bag in my opinion. All of the professors seem very brilliant, but some of the talks have been so scattered and hard to follow, especially with such a limited prior knowledge of Irish history. I am learning a lot though, and trying to absorb as much as possible. We have been on two more field trips, one to the Gaelic Athletic Association museum and Croke Park (one of the largest stadiums in Europe) and the other to Kilmainham Gaol. I found the jail visit to be especially interesting.

The jail was built in 1796 and has some very intricate architecture, especially on the Victorian Wing. Think narrow winding spiral staircases and high cathedral ceilings. Some popular movies including In the Name of the Father and the original Italian Job were filmed in the jail. More than the architecture though I was intrigued with the stories of the prisoners. During much of the jail’s existence poverty was rampant throughout Ireland meaning that many of the crimes placing people in Kilmainham were commited out of sheer economic necessessity. This is particularly relevant during the time of Ireland’s Great Famine, as number of prisoners rose dramatically. Both adults and young people alike were sent to Kilmainham and treated the same.The youngest prisoner was a five-year-old boy who, along with his family, boarded a train without a ticket. Some of the most noteable prisoners executed in the jail were the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising. I am working on writing an essay for the course about the jail and the significance it has had in Ireland's history.

I think I already mentioned that my apartment is about a 20-30 minute walk to Trinity. The walk is usually a pretty interesting one, as it takes me right through the ever-busy Grafton Street. Grafton street is lined with nice clothing shops, restaurants, pubs and cafes. It is also typically buzzing with people. Some of the more interesting people on the street are the street performers and musicians. There is usually a violin player and a guitarist or two and sometimes drummers, or keyboard players and singers. Almost every day since I have been here there has been a man that draws small elaborate pictures of all of the Simpson's (which is a really popular show here too) characters and then writes a message next to his drawing about needing money to have a place to sleep and food. Other acts I've seen include limbo-ing under fire and a man posing as a statue, letting pigeons land on his head (spray painted from head to toe to look tin).

I am starting to get used to Dublin, slowly but surely. I am getting used to the size of the apartment, the long walks everywhere, the busy streets, the frequent rain, and cooking for one. The other day I was able to give a foreign tourist directions (okay so it was to a hostel that happens to be right by our apartments, but still!). If you know how directionally challenged I am you will understand that it felt like a big deal.

One thing that I have really enjoyed here is trying all the new varieties of sweets. They have, what seems at least, like a bigger variety of candy (or at least chocolate bars). My favorite new chocolate bar is Lion bars which I can best describe as a blend of Twix, Kit Kat and Hundred Grand Bars. In a word: delicious.

A few of the language/cultural differences to share:

*The Irish call planners or datebooks "diaries." This may not seem like a big difference, but in conversation it can be pretty funny sounding, at least to me. Such as when I was at church last week and the man making announcments said, "The event will be on Saturday so write that down in your diaries."

*To be more 'green' grocery stores here charge money for using plastic bags (usually around 30 cents). Most everyone uses reusable bags. You also have to bag all of your own groceries here.

*The grading scale here for universities is between 0-80 with distinctions of first class, upper second, second, third, and failing.

I'm off to do more readings for class and work on this essay (school work is no more glamorous on this side of the Atlantic in case you were wondering). Thanks for reading, and feel free to ask questions or comment!

Warm regards,
Emily

P.S. Here are a few pictures of the Giant's Causeway which I visited my first week in Ireland!