Homestay weekend got a little Gorey.....

Before you freak out that there was an injury this weekend, or chastise my spelling, let me clarify! This past weekend my friends (and new-found friends!) hopped on a bus and headed down to Gorey, a town in County Wexford. The town itself is normally only an hour or so drive from Dublin but we got caught in some wicked traffic and it ended up taking over three hours to get there! We were all pretty happy to get off the bus.

Going into the weekend we were all a little apprehensive considering we are all pretty happy and adjusted to apartment living. My homestay roommate Kelsey and I had met and hung out a few times before the weekend so I knew I'd at least be in good company. Mary and Jeff Masterson picked us up where the bus dropped us off and away we went! Mary is a child minder, or nanny, and Jeff retired from working at Eircom, which a communications company here in Ireland. Their house was beautiful! My favorite room was the kitchen, which was coincidentally where we spent the most time! For dinner the first night Mary whipped up some spaghetti bolognese. It was delicious! After the dinner, she brought out the most delicious apple pie, which she had made that day from the apples in the yard. It was so nice to get some home cooking! In traditional Irish fashion we all had a few cups of tea after dinner. Then me and Kelsey took the 10 minute walk back into the town to meet up with some of our friends at a pub called McGoverns to listen to some live music. I think we were all impressed with the music and spent most of the night singing along and have great craic! We all decided to leave after the singer played a rendition of Wagon Wheel. It made us all a little home sick and knew it wouldn't get any better than that.

While the weekend was a lovely time, I know it hit some of my friends a little harder than others. It was strange to be in a home that wasn't OUR home. Anyway, after returning home we found Jeff and Mary watching the Late Late Show in the living room next to a roaring fire. We decided to sit with them a while and unwind from our long day. Saturday morning we woke up around half nine (9:30) and Mary had prepared a huge feast for us! Sausages, rashers (bacon), eggs, toast, tomato, beans, and of course as much tea as we could drink! It was so filling. When we met up with our friends in town a little later we discovered that we were being spoiled and most of them barely had corn flakes for breakfast! The girls all did a little shopping in the various shops around town. I don't think anyone ended up buying anything, but it was nice to take in a fairly normal activity. We even got stopped by a group of locals who tried to recruit us for the women's rugby team! After hitting all the stores we wanted, we stopped into the Gorey tourism office. The gentleman running the desk was one of the nicest people I've met in Ireland. He recommended lots of things for us to do and even called us a cab so we wouldn't have to search for one in the rain (it only sprinkled on and off, still waiting on that notorious irish rain!). We decided to take the drive about ten minutes north to Courtown Harbor. Our first stop was the Seal Rescue! The poor little seals were so cute, but it was kinda sad knowing they were there because they were orphaned, injured, or starving.

After seeing all there was to see at the Seal Rescue we headed down to the beach. I finally got to  touch the Irish Sea! Most of us live on or near the coast in the states so we were ecstatic to feel the sand between our toes and be in our element! We ran around and played in the surf. Definitely one of my favorite moments of the trip so far. 

At the top of the beach, there was an arcade so some of us played a few games and grabbed ice cream before heading back to town to watch the All-Ireland Hurling final between Tipperary and Kilkenny. The original match was played three weeks ago but they tied, so it was replayed on Saturday. The Cantwell family has ties in both counties so I wasn't sure who to cheer for at first, but I decided on Kilkenny. I chose the right team! My host family was Tip fans though, so they were a little disappointed haha. We had another killer dinner of chicken burgers and chips. For dessert we had even more apple tart and ice cream and, you guessed it, irish tea. They really do love that stuff here. We were pretty stuffed so we took a little power nap before heading back out for drinks with our friends. Mary and Jeff were impressed that we were going out for a second night. If only they saw how we act in Dublin! Everyone met up at a pub called Paddy Blues for a night of dancing and having a great time! We woke up today a little tired and ready to head back to Dublin, but Mary of course wanted to give us another full Irish breakfast, this time with black and white pudding included. For those of you who don't know black puddings main ingredient is sheeps blood and white pudding is liver. I was very apprehensive but tried it. Let's just say I won't be having that again. After breakfast, Kelsey and I just relaxed and watched the All- Ireland Women's Gaelic Football match. Wexford was playing New York. Yes, the one in America. Wexford came away with the win. Overall it was a relaxing weekend, and a nice escape from the city, though we're all grateful to back at home in Dublin, which is actually starting to feel like home.

Until next time,

From Dublin, With Love.

Still on the grind

I feel like I've been starting every post like this, but I really am slacking on the blog posts! I keep meaning to sit down and write, but there just always seems to be something going on. Not a bad thing I suppose! Anyway, life is still brilliant over here in Dublin. All of us on the program have been putting in a lot of long hours at our placements. As I said before my TD is running a campaign, so I've been making a lot of phone calls to constituents about the upcoming election. They all are very confused to hear an American on the end of the line and often make me repeat myself because apparently I'm the one with the strange accent! HAH! I'm slowly catching on to the way the office works. The other girl that works in the office with me is grand and is very curious about the way things are in the states. We've talked about everything from cheesesteaks and neighborhoods in Philadelphia to who I think will win different Senate seats in the upcoming election! It's been an adventure already. After work, most of us are pretty tired. Working 9-6 is a long day! Sometimes we just head home to Rathmines by bus or walking, but occasionally we'll meet up at a bar called O'Donahue's for a few pints with the other business professionals of Dublin. It is always interesting to see the way people react when you're wearing your parliamentary credentials!

On a related note, the political party I work for, Fine Gael, is currently under fire by the people of Ireland. The Prime Minister has made a highly questionable appointment to the Senate and it is turning into a bit of a scandal! I'll try to keep you all posted on this throughout the upcoming week!

On an unrelated note, I've been making some major moves in the area of travel! After the trip to Paris in October a few of us will be travelling to Scotland for the weekend! In November I have two big weekends planned: Prague and Berlin! Finally, two weeks from now I'll be up in Belfast with Arcadia exploring where they film Game of Thrones and where the Titanic was built! I'm so excited to take my adventures across Europe!


From Dublin, With Love.

It was bound to happen eventually...

Yes. It's true. After galavanting around this beautiful country for the past few weeks, my adventures have finally caught up to me and I'm a bit under the weather this weekend. Looks as though I'll be laying off the alcohol for a few days and downing a few gallons of orange juice instead. I'm not overly concerned though considering almost everyone on my program has had the same symptoms as me since we got here. It was inevitable. Shout out to the pharmacist who hooked me up with a couple good cough and cold medicines. Usually I'm pretty self-sufficient but all the brands are different here, plus you have to ask the pharmacist anyway because the medicine is all kept behind the counter. I promise I'll be fine, just don't be expecting any crazy posts about this weekend, because I'll be rest of away. 

Struggle city. Population: me. 

From my bed, with love. 

First Days in the Office

So I got the campaign job guys! I have to say I was excited to get the position but also extremely nervous about what was ahead. I should warn you guys that because I am working for the Irish government I won't be able to tell you everything that goes on behind closed doors, but I promise to fill you in on what I can! The first day the Dail was back in session, the front of Leinster House was crowded with protesters, some peaceful and quiet, others being dragged away by the Garda, or Irish police! Needless to say it was an interesting way to arrive to the office. Once inside I was greeted by my T.D.'s equivalent to a chief of staff, Finola, and taken up to the office. It is fairly small by American standards. There are only three of us who work in there. My senator is named Cait (pronounced my like cot-ch) Keane, a member of the Fine Gael party. She is currently running a campaign to move into the Dail as a representative for Dublin South-West! She is the speaker for Fine Gael on all environment, housing and planning issues. My first two days have been full of work, from reading research documents on radon usage, summarizing the country's plan for a new water utility, and briefing the senator on bills going to the floor this term! It has been super fast-paced and challenging but nothing out of my range of ability. It is going to be a busy three weeks preparing for the election, which even if she losses isn't the end of the world because she can still hold her seat in the Senate.

I'm off to watch the vote for Scottish independence with some mates at the pub!

From Dublin, With Love

A Day at the Dail

Today was the day that most have been awaiting since we arrived in Ireland. We finally got to explore Leinster House, the Irish Parliament! Most of us haven't gotten our placements yet so we just got to see where everything is within the building. The captain of the guard showed us everything from the bars and restaurants to the actual Dail and Seanad! It was incredible to finally see where we will be working our 9-5 jobs while here! I even got a super official credential that gives me access to most of the same places that the Irish government officials can go.  I had the privilege to interview, along with two other selected interns, for a position working on a Senator's campaign! It would be a huge honor to be assigned this placement but I won't find out if I got it until a little later today, or tomorrow morning! Either way it was an honor even to be chosen to interview. I'll be sure to you all posted! Tomorrow holds another day of classes and more time at Parliament. I still can't believe this is my real life!

Love and miss you all

From Dublin, With Love.

Does this make me a Galway girl....?

This weekend my comrades and I decided it was time to get out of Dublin for a bit. Because the weather will only be clear for the next two weeks or so, we collectively thought it was now or never to head out west and experience a natural wonder of the world, The Cliffs of Moher! Paddywagon tours took care of our whole trip for a reasonable price and I would absolutely recommend using them to travel anywhere inside Ireland! Before I go any further, here's a map of our journey on Sunday:

Up before the sun, my friends and I departed for City Centre in order to catch the bus that would take us clear across Ireland! Besides the cliffs of Moher we stopped at about 8 other places along the way. The bus ride was long but it gave us a chance to see the beautiful rolling green hills, farm life, and other sites you would generally associate with Ireland as opposed to the city life we've been living so far! It's crazy how you can travel across this country from one end to other in about three hours and you can't even get across Pennsylvania that fast! It really puts into perspective how huge the United States are. Anyway, two of the more notable stops on the way to the cliffs were Kinvarra, a small village near Galway, as well as Corcomroe Abbey, an abandoned monastery that still is protected by the Irish government for it's historical significance. Here's some pictures:

panaromic of the coast in kinvarra

kinvarra 

kinvarra shops 

corcomroe abbey

real bones! ahhh!

walls of the Abbey

I don't even know what to say about the Cliffs themselves! They were absolutely breathtaking. Of course I had seen many pictures of them before but absolutely nothing compared to seeing them in person. We walked up and down the path that goes along the cliffs and took a plethora of pictures at the main cliffs and also the mini cliffs a few minutes down the road! Thankfully I didn't see the video of part of the cliffs collapsing in 2009!!!! I probably would have been a bit more apprehensive about them hahah Here are some of my favorite pictures from the trip!

got my official claddagh ring!

 

From Dublin, With Love.

Guiness Factory and other Dublin Adventures

Failte!

I have to apologize for my lack of consistency with this blog! I just keep running out of hours in the day; there is so much to do here in Ireland! Anyway, let's get yous guys filled in....

On Friday, my classmates and I were looking for a way to reward ourselves for surviving the first week of classes and we decided on the Guinness Factory! After finishing the day at the IPA at around 3:30 we hopped on Dublin bus and headed over to the storehouse on the river Liffey, the main river that divides Dublin down the middle. After fast-passing the line because we were students paying via card we began our journey through the factory. The actual building where the exhibits are is in the form of the world's largest pint glass! You start at the narrow base, where the original 9,000 year lease signed by Arthur Guinness is inlaid in the floor and work your way up to the widest point in the building, The Gravity Bar. At the start of the tour you learn about all the different ingredients that go into making most beers, not just Guinness: barley, hops, and water. The next level is full of story's about Arthur Guinness himself. The next two levels explained how Guinness was transported all over the world via ship and train, as well as the classic and iconic advertising images used by the company. At this point in the storehouse, there is the opportunity to have a small tasting of Guinness as well as a Pour Your Own Guinness room. From working at The Whistle, which I've come to really miss while I've been here by the way, I have poured many a Guinness before so I decided to skip this part until my grandparents come to visit in October because I am sure they will want to visit the factory as well! My friend James and I left some of the group here and headed up to the very top of the tour and grabbed our complimentary Guinness. Now the Gravity Bar is a totally unique experience. How many people from home can say they have had a Guinness straight from the source? With Guinness in hand, you have a 360 degree view of Dublin surrounded by glass walls. It was insane. Overall, it was a successful Friday afternoon. Once we got home we invited some fellow IPA students who are staying in homestays over to the flats in Rathmines and enjoyed a night out at the local pubs!


For those who arent connected with me on Facebook, here's some pictures! Also feel free to add me for slightly more frequent updates.

From Dublin, With Love,

Arthur's Lease

The actual factory

Not my first Guinness....but from the factory!

Another Day at the IPA

This week I finally started school at the Institute of Public Administration, or IPA for short! It's about a thirty minute walk from the flat in Rathmines, which seems like a long walk by American standards, but is a walk in the park here. Everyone here walks or takes public transportation. Having cars is a huge expense in Ireland due to the outrageous gas prices. Luckily the weather has been absolutely brilliant! I don't know who made up that rumor about Ireland being a cold and rainy country but they are liars! Haha in all seriousness though, the next two weeks are the best time to be in Ireland. It will generally stay around the mid-sixties and sunny. We plan to take advantage of this and travel out to the Cliff of Moher this weekend! Back to the IPA, I'll be taking three classes: Irish Literature, Irish History, and Irish Politics and Culture. So far the lecturers have been grand and fairly interesting. My only complaint is the heat in the classroom is still cranked up even in the beautiful weather so it is a struggle not to fall asleep! For the next two weeks we will be in class almost every day to front-load the curriculum before we start work in the Dail, or Irish Parliament. After that time we will be in class on Monday and Wednesdays in the morning and then our offices at varying times depending on our placement. We are all anxious to find out which TD we will be working with. This should take place next week when the Parliament returns from their summer recess, On our first day of classes we were treated to a three course lunch with unlimited alcohol. It was quite the treat! We were also all shocked to find out that the IPA will be sending us on a free trip to Paris for a week to celebrate finishing our mid-terms! How sick is that?! A few of the girls and I have plans to fly from Paris to Italy for a long weekend after that so once October rolls around I will be quite the world traveler! This whole experience still feels surreal to me. I'm on a roller-coaster that only goes up, to quote John Green's The Fault in Our Stars.

There's not too much else to report at the moment, but as the news rolls in I'll bring it to you!

From Dublin, With Love.

God Bless America

Hi all!

I really am trying to keep up with this blog as much as possible but things do get a bit hectic here sometimes, so you'll have to forgive me if you don't hear from me for a few days; it just means I'm out exploring! Haha but anyway, this post will be slightly more solemn than the usual. Today was a strange day. It was the first time I've experienced 9/11 in another country.

The first thing I thought when I woke up this morning was, "today was the day". Thirteen years ago the world changed forever. Those terrorist attacks on a clear September morning, not much different than the weather today, altered the course of human history and drastically affected the way the United States handled foreign affairs. In Ireland, people recognize the event as a horrible thing, but it does not hold nearly as much significance to them. My position here has been a fairly fortuitous one where I have gotten to speak to many high powered officials and figures already before even stepping foot in the Parliament (next week!). Through these conversations I have gleaned an interesting perspective on the way Americans are viewed. We are powerful. We are important. We are who the rest of the world turns too in times of struggle. We are the policemen of the modern global society. Now, of course, as Americans we are proud of our country and where we come from, and any one who knows me at all knows my intense level of patriotism but I feel like I never truly understood the level of respect the United States is given until coming here. Of course there are some negative stereotypes of Americans: loud, obnoxious, power hungry, but for the most part Americans are respected here. Our embassy here in Dublin is quite imposing. The giant gold seal of the United States hanging on the outside of the stone fortress-like building serves as a reminder of our super-power. Walking past it on the way to school I am always filled with joy seeing the colorful red, white, and blue flowered landscaping, as well as the massive American flag flying high.

Also through my conversations with native Irish, I've confirmed something I knew before travelling here: the rest of the world sees President Obama as weak. Very weak. Not many here in the EU respect him as a leader. They don't understand how he is letting Russia and other countries similar walk all over the mighty United States. In any event, it is a great feeling knowing that at the end of this trip, I'll be returning to the greatest country in the world, where even in the darkest of moments we continue to reach for the light.

God bless America.

From Dublin, With love.

Our First Day Trip!

Today was our first truly full day to do with what we wished so we decided to hop on the DART, the regional train, and head down to the coast to visit Dun Laoghaire. This area is home to the National Sailing Club and used to be an old fort. That is actually what Dun means in Gaelic: fort. We left our apartments and made the trek to the Pearse Street DART Station which took about half an hour. Once on the train it was only about a 10 minute ride until we arrived at our destination. I think everyone was floored by the beautiful views and spectacular blues of the water. Then there were hundreds of sailboats to look at. The seven of us walked all along the promenade and rocks out to the lighthouse, with lots of picture taking opportunities in between. After grabbing some ice cream at the light house we walked down to the People's Park to grab some food and souvenirs in the open air market that is held there every Sunday! I had a crepe with ham and cheese and tomato pesto. It was beyond phenomenal! Everything on the island is so fresh and mostly sourced from nearby farms and such. After a brief rest in the grass while playing with the plethora of puppies and babies running wild, we took a stroll through the center of town to admire some of the architecture. We ended up pretty much crashing the end of mass at St. Michael's Church....whoops. At this point we were all pretty tired and hopped back on the DART to make it home to watch the All- Ireland Hurling Final! The two teams ended up tieing so they will play again in three weeks!

In other news, my washing machine broke today and spewed a few inches of water all over the kitchen. Welcome to Dublin I suppose hahah. The landlord is fixing it tomorrow thankfully. I even got to watch the Eagles game today online! Everyone got a chance to watch their hometown team and it was a nice taste of regular life.

It's off to school tomorrow for the first time since May! I'm pretty excited :) Enjoy the pictures!

From Dublin, With Love.

P.S. Whoever said it rains in Ireland lied. It hasn't rained once yet.