1. How to not get so distracted by cute accents that you don't hear what's actually being said (this one is especially important now that classes have started).
2. How to live in a crazy-expensive city with no income to speak of. Okay, maybe I haven't quite figured this one out yet, but I do know that it involves drinking considerably fewer pints of Guinness than I might wish.
3. How to figure out the cost of things in advance so you don't reveal your ineptitude with euros. Along with this, how to respect the change in your pocket because your coins actually possess substantial monetary value.
4. How to properly pronounce Dundrum (this is good, as I live there). The emphasis is on the second syllable. I sound ridiculous when I try to say it that way, though.
5. And finally, the big one: How to cross a street without getting killed. You look to the right first. Or in city centre, where every intersection is a zoo, just go when everyone else goes.
I've also experienced a few surprises here:
1. Palm trees. Nothing big and nothing lining the streets or anything, but it's not uncommon to see a small palm tree or two in someone's backyard garden.
2. It's green. I'm not talking vegetation, although that's green as well, but Dublin seems to have really taken the 'Save the Earth' movement to heart. Tesco, the grocery store I go to in Dundrum Town Centre, charges for plastic bags, and it's very rare to see people use them. Energy conservation is huge as well; nobody leaves their heat on all the time (this is more feasible here, of course, than in Minnesota).
3. A smoking ban in public buildings. This includes bars and pubs. Perhaps it isn't the traditional pub experience, but I appreciate it.
4. This is a little embarrassing, but a small personal revelation: when drinking or when uttering the little courtesies of daily life (excuse me, sorry, no thanks, etc.) I've found myself (quite unintentionally) speaking in a pseudo-Irish, mock-British accent. Maybe it's a self-preservation thing, to make me feel less like an AMERICAN. Also, when you're speaking one-on-one with someone in a pub, it's hard not to copy his or her inflections. Hey, if I come back with a brogue, I'm not going to complain.
5. And finally, the weather. I'm not just talking rain or wind here. I'm saying that it's always a surprise, pleasant or unpleasant, despite the forecast, despite what it was doing five minutes ago; it's just always changing. This is schizophrenic weather to the extreme.
Today was our first day of classes. I sat in on the art history class that I hope to audit (which meets in a house in city centre in which James Joyce is reputed to have studied); we went to the National Museum, and apparently we'll be going not only to museums, but all over on walking tours of the different neighborhoods. I also had my Northern Ireland class; we got a whirlwind history of the conflict and discussed the political situation today. I didn't realize how recent some of this stuff is; of course I knew there was still fighting going on in the 90s, but had no idea that the current government has been in place for less than a year. Shows how well I've been keeping up with current events.
Yesterday I explored the city a bit, went to the Dublin Writers Museum, and tried to take a few pictures as discreetly as possible.
Trinity College:
The Liffey:
O'Connell Street, complete with the Spire of Dublin, the world's tallest sculpture (you can guess how popular it is by its nicknames, which include, but are by no means limited to, "the stiletto in the ghetto," "the erection by the intersection," and "the stiffy by the Liffey"--hey, I don't make this stuff up!):
The Garden of Remembrance, a memorial to those who died for the cause of Irish freedom:
And finally, I just like these ones; they look so ominous:
Not bad for my first extremely self-conscious photo shoot, eh?
2 comments:
I'm glad you're doing well. I love reading you. Last night I dreamt that you had a nervous breakdown. It was rather nightmarish.....probably shouldn't have eaten so much ice cream before bedtime.
Kayla- I love the puns on the titles and how they reference songs. Also, when I read the line about cute accents, I thought about that part in Love Actually, where the guy wants to go to America and thinks he'll get chicks because of his British accent. God, how embarrassingly true is that?! I also hate looking like a tourist. However, when we were in Boston, I still felt completely out of sorts. Apparently, people on the east coast don't have time for Minnesota nice. And there was a couple times Mike got yelled at for ordering MGD instead of Sam Adams at the bar. I think sometimes we travel just so we can be taught a lesson in humility. I really enjoyed the pictures too. Much love to you!
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