I’ve Been Told

Hello again,

In the last couple weeks especially, I’ve been asked (or told depending on how you look at it) that the United States has, by far, the best universities in the world. Immediately after that, I am asked, “so why are you studying in Ireland?” I have been asked by several people, people I work with, random people in pubs, and even my dad has conveyed this message to me from some of his co-workers. But something that never changes when I am asked this question is that the questioner has a smirk on their face, as if they’re thinking, “okay, now how is she going to answer this one?” From what I can tell, they are thinking, oh, she’s just on holiday for four months. She’s one of “those” Americans who can afford to give up a semester of real schooling to go travel the world and that shouldn’t we all be so lucky.

But every time that I here this—or something similar because it comes in different forms—I think, wow, I wish you could have experienced what I have to fully comprehend the independence and greater understanding that I have gained from being almost 2,000 miles away from where I’ve always lived. Part of me gets defensive because how can I not when someone is smirking at me like that?

But I try to tell them, I try to make them understand what it means to come to another country, even one that still speaks English and not only feel out-of-place with the Irish but with the other Americans who are mostly from the Boston and New York crowd. The ones who went to private high schools that cost more than all the state colleges in Michigan, the ones who didn’t even know that my state had two peninsulas, the Ivy league girl who giggles at everything, and the ones who go out to a club at night and easily drop over 100 euro on drinks and cover charges.

The culture shock is almost just as great with these Americans than with the Irish because at least, I expect it from the Irish. And don’t get me wrong, I’ve made some great friends with these people, and not all of them fit into the above categories, even though a lot of them do. So I’ve learned to adapt. I’ve learned to limit myself while still being able to go out and have a great time with the people to whom money is no object.

Then, of course, there are the Irish, who have a much different way of thinking than I do, ranging from careers, to love, to how to have a good time. But despite this, I was able to fit in like one of them. I teach them about myself, and they do the same for them.

There is the academic side, where I was given a full, in-depth look at the Irish history and not only learned about it from books or from my wacky professor but went to the north, the place that is still experiencing history and is even unsafe to walk around in certain areas.

The internship, although I’ve described it in-depth already, is similar to learning about the Irish. The Irish workplace, at least the one I was at, is far from any American workplace I have come across of heard of. At some points, it was difficult to even fathom how my superiors functioned in the completely haphazard environment, but again, I was able to adapt and become well-liked by my employees and a productive member of the team.

And there is one large part that I haven’t mentioned at all because it’s so inbred in what I’m doing almost everyday—the traveling, from first leaving Detroit to flying into Dublin, to arranging a complete 8-day, 4-country vacation for Jenni and myself, to just learning to get around in Ireland and other countries where they don’t speak much English at all. It pulls you so far out of your comfort zone that it becomes normal to feel uncomfortable. There’s something new to see or some new problem to solve on every new street, but you get through it, and you learn that you have to relax. There’s no other way.

I’m not saying I have a perfect answer to this smirky comment by any means, and it would be hard for one person to fully answer it as no one can really experience everything. But I know is that there is no way that I could have learned this much sitting in a classroom. And I know that it was worth it, to spend the money, despite my constant cringing and to let myself be introduced to different possibilities, the ones that are many times forgotten or pushed aside in the place that I come from.

Cheers,

c

Alone time

Hi Everyone,

It’s been a while since my last post, but that’s not to say that a lot hasn’t happened. It has. This past week was my last week at the internship, which was bittersweet to say the least. I’ve really adapted well in, quite frankly, a much different environment that I’m used to, and not only have I adapted, I’ve learned to love it. Granted, I didn’t love everything, ie. the bitter cold that caused my toes to be slightly numb by the end of the day, the extreme lack of organization, the days that I would have nothing to do for hours on end, and semi-incompetency of some of the employees (not all by any means). But I did love (and learn) a great deal from the job, ie. my fellow interns, most of my co-workers and their complete friendliness and frankness, the legitimate work that I did get—an eventually four published stories, the inclusion that I got from the workplace including several lunches and a few nights out including the office Christmas party, which lasted until 5am, and the respect that I received from everyone.
And that last one is probably the most important. I feel like I’ve told a lot of people this at different times, but I really did feel like a regular employee there. They really didn’t refer to any of us as “interns,” and instead, we were treated like part of the team. Our ideas were taken into account (the last two stories I wrote were ones that I pitched), and we were vital to the monthly publication of two of the magazines as writers of some of the regular articles as well as all of the smaller aspects of the magazines—the part that our name doesn’t go by.
Today, I took time for myself. Even though all of my roommates and I have individual schedules during the week, we all hang out together in the evenings and most weekends and we have class together, so I went on an excursion of my own.

I took the Dart (train) to Bray, which is about a 50 minute ride south of the city. It’s still located on the coast, but it’s in Co. Wicklow, which is where the Wicklow Mountains are located. I wasn’t necessarily in a mountain range, but there were cliffs and a hike by the water and up what I would classify as an individual mountain. By the time I was done, I had mud basically up to my knees, and currently, my pants are still hanging out on my bathroom floor.

View from halfway up.

It was a great day to get out of the city though. I was in my peacoat, but it was probably nice enough to just wear a sweatshirt and a scarf, especially for those Michiganians who are currently battling the snow.
I started out walking the beach, and as I looked up to the sky, I realized that the sun was already quite low—at 1:30 in the afternoon… That’s the bad thing about being so north, sunlight can be limited, and I’ve been told that we’re at the same latitude line as Moscow.

View of mountain from the beach.

Seeing the sun, I started to worry about my potential lack of daylight, so I stopped taking my time (and pictures) to move on to the actual hiking part.
For some reason (a misguided sign actually) I thought I was going to Bray’s Head, which is the big hiking attraction in Bray, but as I was down on the beach instead of the street, I didn’t notice the new sign, pointing out that Bray’s Head was around the bend. Instead, I thought Bray’s Head was this giant mountain in front of me… silly me.

Either way though, it turned out to be a good decision because after attempting to climb the mountain in a paved trail that turned into mud and tree roots, I decided that my worn New Balance were probably not the best thing to be climbing in. I was fairly certain that had I continued, I would have ended up on my butt, and with all the mud, I wasn’t really into that. Instead, I went back down to the main trail, which also turned into mud, be it flat mud, that walked the circumference of the mountain. I was glad I did this though… mountains and ocean on the same path is pretty lucky I would say. I probably walked for a few miles, at least 3 all day, but of course, I’m not very good at measuring distances. All I knew was that the sun was behind the mountain, and it was getting a little dark, so I decided to turn around.

View of the path

Yes, that is a train going through the mountain.

It’s interesting to watch all the people walking this path though because as many of them are with friends or family, they take it upon themselves to wish me a good day. Almost every Irish group did that. But the cool thing to do is bring your dog. You’ll see everything from retrievers and labs to cocker spaniels and shi tzus to boxers and rottweilers. One older gentleman sporting a knee-length trench coat with a plaid scarf, I believe he had some sort of spaniel with him, said to me, “Perfect weather today, isn’t it?” I smiled. “Yes, it’s a good day to be outside,” I said in my obvious American accent.

Cheers,

c

Giving thanks and all that jazz

Hey everyone,

I think this is the time when I’m supposed to say woe is me for A) not being home during Thanksgiving, B) missing my family and friends, and C) not having a proper meal during the one Thursday a year that we, as Americans, are supposed to. Well, sorry to disappoint, but I’m not going to say any of those things.

Don’t take that the wrong way though as it would be nice to sit around a table full of grandparents, siblings, and aunts and uncles while we eat more turkey than should be humanly possible, but you have to make the most of things, and I have to say, I think all of my friends and I lived it up this Thanksgiving.

I said during my last post that I went to the butcher last week to order a turkey that would feed about 9-10 people, and like I said, this was an interesting task. I think we in the States actually miss out on having these “down on the homefront” conversations because during my 2 trips and 1 phone call to Mittons butcher shop, I learned about one of the butchers’ daughters goes to school in Boston, he learned that I would be at home for Christmas (and that my mom was extremely excited over that) and that I would be cooking my first bird, among other pleasantries. These trips and talks are something that I am thankful for.

Our bird It's almost done.

Okay, now I know that I told a few people this, but for those of you who may make fun of me, don’t- It’s not good for you. On Thursday, not only did my 11-person suite want to celebrate through food, we wanted (or I recommended) that we celebrate through dress, as well. This means that half of us dressed up like pilgrims (myself included) and the other half dressed up like Native Americans. Okay, okay. You can stop laughing now, and I know this sounds weird, but it was so much fun. I even taught people how to make pilgrim bonnets using only paper. And even though some people had to work on Thursday (remember, it’s not a holiday in Ireland), those who didn’t work or got off early dressed up to get the party rolling. These fabulous guys and girls in my suite who I can be my complete goofy self with are people that I am thankful for.

Michelle, Alicia, and me, sporting our Thanksgiving-wear.

Bare-claw aka Warren and Brittany.

My suite in all their glory.

I know that I said I was cooking a turkey for 9 people (the other two were vegetarian), but everyone else in our suite made some other kind of dish – mashed potatoes, salad, casserole, apple crisp. But then, when everyone was finished making their dish, we all came together with the other people in the program to have a gigantic Thanksgiving of more than 25 people. This feast, literally, was held in the apartment next door, and two other apartment tables were dragged in along with mini tables to put the food on. All together, we had 3 packed big tables and a “kids” table. We had 3.5 turkeys, probably 15-20 lbs of mashed potatoes, gravy, 5 desserts, two giant bowls of salad, one giant bowl of Sangria, several casseroles, about 5 loaves of bread, lots of stuffing, and bowls of cranberry sauce floating around. It was a crazy amount of food, but it was so good (I was proud of my turkey-making skills), and it was especially good to see everyone work together to make this big production actually work. And even though everyone comes from different backgrounds and religions, when we were all seated, we went around, and each person said a few things that they were thankful for. The pounds of food and loads of help and togetherness is something else that I am thankful for.

Part of the connected 3 tables.

More of the table.

Last of the three tables.

This is the kids table. I had to tell them that I have cousins who are in their mid-20s at home who are still at the kids table. Kids table=fun You just have to embrace it!

So even though I wasn’t home for Thanksgiving or with family or eating a meal my mom and aunts made, it really was a good day because this really does feel like my home, and I’ve made friends that have turned into family, and we did have amazing food that everyone pitched in to make. So even though it feels cliche to write about “the things I’m thankful for,” it makes sense, especially this year. I’m lucky, extremely lucky to have a supportive family that even allowed me to come over to Ireland in the first place, and I’ve been lucky, as well, to find a supportive group of friends over here, and even if that’s all we get (although I did get much more), that’s definitely something to be thankful for.

Cheers,

c

Me and the turkey!

The new girl

Hello again,

I only have a few more weeks left, so I decided that I have to keep up with this since I’m running out of time. Actually, I think I’m going to create another blog, eventually, when I get home, but one thing at a time. Now, on topic…

The new girl. I believe this is a pinnacle moment in any workplace as you have finally got the hang of things, you learn to get along with people, and now, out from the shadows is a new person that has no idea how long you have been working at the company. For all they know, you could have been there for years. It’s a sense of power… not that I abuse it, but nonetheless, it’s a good feeling. Yes, we have a new employee in the office, which means that I am no longer the most confused. 

Anyway, her name is Sumi, and she seems very nice even if she still has problems with English. She’s from Korea and is studying over here for the semester. But even though she thinks her English is bad, I actually think she’s doing really well, especially since I don’t know where I’d be if I were attempting to work at a “writing” job in Korea.

Her first day was Monday, and she got there just before I got into the office. Normally, I’m the first intern there, and I have to say, it was weird seeing someone next to my seat. I sat down, introduced myself, and turned on my computer. I started working on an article I was writing last week, and I realized that she didn’t have anything to do. I looked up at John- the sales manager who works across the room- and asked where Emma, the editor, was. (Last week, she was on holiday in Morocco, but she was supposed to be back already.) He told me that her plane was delayed and that she was due in anytime. I looked over at Su and told her to go on the website to look around. Quite honestly, I felt bad for her.

It’s her first day in the office, she barely speaks the language, her boss is not in yet (and won’t be until mid-afternoon), she doesn’t know anyone, and she feels useless because she came in on time and has absolutely nothing to do. Katie, the other intern, told her not to worry about being busy and that she was allowed to go on her email and such to pass the time. But her being uncomfortable made me uncomfortable. In the beginning of my internship, I did that a lot– sitting around waiting for someone to give me a task. I eventually figured out that I could other things while waiting, but I felt bad for her. It was like starting all over.

Around 1, people started leaving for lunch, and Sumi asked if she could talk to me and ask a couple questions. She kept saying sorry, and I kept saying to her, “don’t be sorry, it’s no problem, really.” She asked things like what I did, what she would do, when we came and left, when to go to lunch and for how long. I also told her that she can bring a lunch and eat it somewhere so that it’s cheaper. Feeling that she was used to being strictly supervised, I also told her that she could come and go for lunch without asking anyone. She seemed extremely surprised. Soon after, I put my coat on and she followed me out of the office, as well. She had never been on Camden St., so I showed her some different places to go, and after realizing that she thought I was meeting someone for lunch (I told her I did that sometimes), I offered to take her where I normally went-my coffee shop.

Her whole face lit up, and she said that she’d come with me. We each got a coffee, and she got a muffin, and I ate my sandwich. Then, she pulled out two spoons and gave me one. I looked at her weirdly. “What?” I said. “Go on, eat,” she said. “Oh, no, that’s okay,” I said. But she gave me the spoon, indicating that she bought the muffin for both of us. One muffin and two coffees later and a 20 minute broken conversation later, I think we became friends or at least, got to know each other a little better.

After seeing her that first day and through the week, I can’t imagine coming in blindly like that to a a brand new country that doesn’t speak my language, but it can work, even if it is work.

Cheers,

c

 

P.S. Jackie, this is your shout out. Happy?

Old school meets new school

Hi again,

Dublin is an interesting town. Just as you see a pack of teenagers running sporting multi-colored mullets, you see two older women pulling their plaid carts, off to the bakery or some such place. A club could be across the street from a church, or a prayer store could be next door to one of the trendiest places to get your hair done. It’s all over, these contradictions, and at times, it can be absolutely hilarious because they actually go together… it works.

The other day, I was on the bus. I was on my way back from town, and it was packed, normal for a weekday during rush hour. We all cram in, and everyone’s bags or bodies brush each other as they made there way to the front of the bus. It has become normal for people to touch the small of my back as I do the same- it seems to be the courteous thing to do when trying to get through or move someone out of the way.

Anyway, I was one of the last people on the bus, so I was standing in the handicap area. Coming up behind me was an elderly woman, probably in her mid-80s. She pushes through the French tourists and the college kids coming home going back to campus, and makes her way to the first seat. There is a girl a few years older than me, and she immediately gets up and smiles. This happens three of fours more times with other old ladies on the bus. It is a normalcy here. And it’s not like I’m saying that doesn’t happen at home because sometimes it does, but it ALWAYS happens here. Something that also ALWAYS happens here, teenagers on the bus- smoking, drinking, playing loud music, making jokes at those who fall. It’s weird to think that both of these normalcys happen in the same square-footage. 

About halfway home on the same bus trip, I realized I’ve been pushed so that I’m almost standing on this seventy some year old woman’s lap. All of a sudden I see her give the sign of the cross. Obviously, I’m Catholic, so I look around for something. Oh, I thought, as I see the neon, purple sign that said Adult’s Only. Yes, that’s another thing about Dublin, there are a lot of porno shops out in the open on main thoroughfares. Later on I see her make another sign of the cross, this time for a passing ambulance.

I know these are small things are just that, small, but over the weekend, it was all around me. For instance, on Friday I went to the butcher. Yes, I went to the butcher- my first, to order a turkey for Thanksgiving. They don’t sell much turkey at all in grocery stores, and to get any large meat, you have to go to a butcher. When I came in and told them what I needed, I literally had 5 butchers circling me, telling me how many pounds I would need, how much approximately it would cost, and when I could expect to pick it up. They all seemed very excited to be catering for THE AMERICAN THANKSGIVING. I find this ironic because next door is one of the largest grocery stores in Dublin, but I have to go elsewhere to order my holiday feast. It’s still so hometown. Even when I told them I would call back, instead of getting a business card, he ripped off a corner of packing packer and wrote the number in red crayon.

Oh, and this morning, I saw a horse-drawn hearse, waiting at the traffic light in front of a Mercedes. But really, this is how things are. The old and the new are so inter-mixed, you don’t know what’s old and what’s new. It’s just the way it is.

Cheers,

c

It’s 16:48…

on Thursday afternoon, which means that I’ll be getting out of the office in about 10 minutes. Realistically, I could have already left, especially since my editor isn’t even here and none of the other interns came in today – they just worked from home today. But looking at the now 16:49 on my screen reminds me that I only have 2 weeks left at a job that I’ve grown to really like, and at the same time, it says that I’ve officially gotten used to military time, which is a norm over here. Meeting at 21:00? Okay. Afternoon break at 14:30? Sounds good.

It’s funny how quickly we adjust, really adjust. Things become normal. Almost everyday since starting my internship, I get dressed, make my coffee and sandwich, put on makeup, and toast a bagel. On the 6 minute walk to the bus, I listen to my headphones as I go against the walking traffic that goes towards the college. I’m the weird one that’s out of place. Everyone else is going to school while I’m going to work, but what makes things even funnier is that I leave my apartment at 9:25.. if I’m lucky. But if I’m late, it really doesn’t matter- I get in before most people anyway. It’s 9:35, and I’m sitting on the bus, on the top level (the buses are double deckers) in the front row. I like sitting up here because I can see all around, and I’m less likely to get bus-sick… I start sipping my coffee before pulling out my bagel with cream cheese that’s now smooshed in my pocket, but it’s wrapped in a paper towel, so all is well.

It’s 10:10, and I’m pulling up to Camden St., the street that I work on. Even though I work down here, to me, this is one of the most realistic streets in Dublin… it’s real. There are very few tourists, despite it being in town, and there are little cheap shops all over. For instance, right before I get off the bus, I pass Age Action, which is, I guess, some kind of clothing store… not to be confused with the two separate Camden Caskets, which are basically a junk store full of new things… I got part of my Halloween costume there.

It’s 10:16, and I’m buzzing in to my building – Camden House it’s called, the one with the blue door. All the offices here are non-discreet, so you don’t know what’s a shop, what’s an apartment, or what’s an office. I had a hell of a time finding it when I went for my interview a few months back. I’m buzzed in, and I walk up to the 2nd floor (actually the 1st floor, but the numbering system is different here), and I say hi to John- the sales manager. Sometimes Emma is there, sometimes she’s not. Today she’s not because she’s on holiday. Most days, it’s just John and I for a little while, which is why it doesn’t matter if I’m even 30 minutes late. 

I work, or attempt to get tasks, until about 13:01 or so. Then, I go out to lunch. Today, I met a couple of girls from my program, and we went to this great sandwich place around the corner. My chicken mozzarella pesto was huge, so I packaged up half. I’m usually always looking for a way to save a few euros, even though the sandwich was only 5, and I didn’t have anything to drink.

But usually, I go to one of two little coffee shops. I like going to West Coast Coffee because it has an upstairs where I can read for my hour break. To avoid spending much, I buy the cheapest coffee they have then quietly eat my sandwich that I’ve brought from home, hoping no one realized that I didn’t buy it. I would just stick around the office, but there isn’t any place to eat besides my desk, and I like using a bathroom with toilet paper at least once a day (yeah, many times, you don’t get it at work, which boggles my mind).

After lunch, I go back to the office to do whatever I was doing early, and usually leave sometime in the 4-5 o’clock range.

But today, when I was at the Pig and Heifer Deli and Sarah said, ‘Hey, we’ll have to go to Listons’ next week,’ it came to my attention that we only have two weeks left of working. I miss people at home, but I’ve really grown to like it here. That’s the thing about college though, just when you get semi-comfortable with some small aspect of your life, everything changes and you have to start all over… again.

But anyway, it’s now 17:09, and I’ve got my re-usable Tesco Grocery Bags ready to go in my backpack. I’ve got some major shopping to do… 2 full bags worth.

Cheers,

c

The internship

Hi everyone,

I feel like I’ve been avoiding this subject for far too long, and I’m not exactly sure why except that I have to write a portfolio on it, so every week, I have to write 2 pages, talking about what I’m doing, how I’m adjusting, and all that bull. I know it’s not really bull, but really, I feel like I reflect enough on my days without having to be graded on it. I’m up-to-date in my portfolio though as I do it when my editor is finding me something else to keep me occupied. Basically, I write a brief paragraph about my assignments then ramble on about different subjects. Past subjects have included: my company potentially folding, the wide-open lives of my employees, looking into the real life of public figures, and the publisher… who seems to be an ass… but I don’t know, maybe in order to be a publisher, you have to be like that.

So, like I said before, I’m working at HKM Publishing, which puts out 3 monthly magazines- Totally Cork, Totally Dublin, and Temple Bar Mag. We also have a quarterly called Self Made. Besides trying to find my own tasks to accomplish, which happens more than I would like, I am assigned things to do by my boss, Emma, who is the editor for Temple Bar and the asst to the publisher. Luckily, I’ve gotten some experience putting articles and listings on the website, which I haven’t had much experience doing (even if Totally Dublin is an easy format). I’ve also written a handful of movie reviews, which I have enjoyed using a little sarcasm with. Soon, I’ll be doing book reviews… hopefully, anyway. Also, I’ve gotten to write 2 short articles! One was about an art show, and one was about a comedian.

It’s been a lot of fun, and overall, I really like everyone that I work with. I’ve been out to lunch with people twice this week, which is cool to get to really talk to co-workers. Like I said though, the downfall is that I sometimes have very little to do. I work fast (even though I’m trying to steady my pace), and during the slow times, my editor has to search for random jobs for me to do or I just sit there until she comes up with something. The latter situation isn’t good for either of us, so I’m trying to slow down and not pester her. I wouldn’t want someone coming up to my desk every hour on the hour, so I’m trying not to.

So as bad as it sounds, I make sure that I take my facebook breaks or whathaveyou. Lately, I’ve been trying to figure out what I’ll be doing 6 months from now, so I’ve been looking around for jobs, fellowships, and other programs, as well as updating my resume. So the good thing is that I’ve felt productive even after my very unproductive days.

Another upside though is that I’m really able to see how the 3 monthly magazines operate. I’m definitely surrounded by many of the important conversations, and I generally know what’s going on. My editor even asks us interns (there are 3 full time interns- like me- and 2 part time) for suggestions or pitch ideas. I get a front row seat for the editorial section, sales, and a lot of the design stuff. I think this has been really helpful, and they really do treat us like real employees.

Cheers,

c

The aftermath and just the math, in general

Hey everyone,

Just to let everyone know, the embassy party went over smashingly well. I only stayed until about 1 am, but apparently, it went on for quite a bit longer. There were free drinks and snacks all night in the Guinness Storehouse. They had televisions with CNN on all over the place, masks of both McCain and Obama, a fake polling booth, and hotdogs. Yes, hotdogs. Apparently, they are a novelty over here because you really can’t buy them, and they are truly American. However, these hotdogs were a lot different. Sure, you had the dog and the bun, but the condiment table was amusing. They offered ketchup and mustard and lettuce and shredded cheese and sliced onions and jalapeno peppers. I was laughing all the way back to my table.

 

Catherine and me. We are at the Embassy Party. We got a front row table to the ambassador's speech

 

Anyway, back to how it all turned out… over here anyway. Like I said, I was in bed before 2 am, which would be about 9 pm on the east coast, so although there would have been more info then, I hadn’t really watched any news since I left. I woke up the next morning, and my roommate told me the news. Barack Obama had won. Although it was probably a letdown compared to what the reaction was in the States, there seemed to be a sigh of relief by the Irish people and from what I gather, around the world.

Now, even if you are conservative or a moderate who voted Republican or even a Nadar fan, I think it is a good thing that a large portion of the country is supporting our soon-to-be president. They say that Obama got 52 percent of the popular vote, an enormous number (yes, I really don’t think 52 percent is a huge amount either). This is the largest popular vote since Johnston (I believe), and Obama won the electoral college with flying colors. I know that the people who read this blog have varied opinions on the outcome of the election, but I can honestly say that I’m excited that this many people are behind the same person… maybe it’ll be better this time around.

And with that, it’s good to be able to witness the first black president of the United States. I was reading stories from the Detroit Free Press, and it is amazing how much hope people are placing in Obama. Some people, especially the older generation, can’t believe what they’re seeing. One person, in particular, he looked to be my age, had long dreadlocks and a baseball cap on, was crying on his sister’s shoulder because he was so happy. When he was younger, his dad had told him not to keep his hopes up about a black president. I can’t imagine how these people are feeling right now. This is live history, and even on a more current wave of opinion, maybe more people will try to help themselves because they believe things can change. In any case, it’s good to see some positivity from a lot of negative areas.

Lets just hope and pray that these next four years will be an improvement on the last… let’s see how he carries through with his plans.

Cheers,

c

The election from overseas

Hey everyone,

I had very good intentions of writing about my internship, but the last couple weeks have seemed like a whirlwind. My parents are now here, which is exciting… they got in last Thursday and are here until Friday. We were in Cork last weekend, and I’ve been spending most of my free time with them or helping them navigate through the city while they call me 4 times in 15 minutes for directions. Either way, it’s good to see them though. Last night they took my roommate, Clare, and me out to dinner, and later this week, they will be having drinks with a big group of my friends.

The internship is well. I’m working at HKM Publishing, which puts out 3 monthly mags- Totally Dublin, Totally Cork, and Temple Bar- and a quarterly mag- Self Made. I’ve been here just over 2 weeks now, and it is interesting, and eventually, I’ll have to go into more depth, but let’s just say that Metro Parent ran like the CIA compared to this place. Everything is pretty laxed, which is expected, but this group is even freer than most companies over here. I’m getting the experience though, and I enjoy my co-workers, which is the good thing .

Okay, so back to the topic at hand. Today is the American election, and the early risers on the east coast are probably just getting out of bed due to the time difference. I’m excited though– even if I am in Ireland because the whole election is just huge. Besides this being the first presidential election that I am able to vote in, it’s assumed that this is the biggest election in American history between all the firsts that are going around, the numbers of people at the polls, and the overall state of the nation. And even from over here, I have butterflies in my stomach knowing that whoever wins will hopefully do a better job than the current head of state. Speaking of which, by the time most of you read this, the new president may already be known.

Anyway, not much has changed in the hype over here… it’s remained fairly constant, but my dad especially can’t believe how many Irish people are asking his political views and starting up debates. For those of you who don’t know, my dad is a staunch conservative, and most of the people over here have been acting like Obama has already won. Interesting to observe these conversations but a little nerve-wrecking at the same time.

I consider myself to be an independent– I like to look at the individual as opposed to the party, and it seems slightly arming to box yourself in, but I have voted- a few weeks ago actually, and now, I’m just watching everything go by.

I do have some exciting news though. My friend Catherine who is doing her masters at Trinity is part of the Irish-American Alliance (this is where she received her fellowship). Because of this, she gets special privileges like meeting different people and just having lots of contacts through the program. Anyway, a few weeks ago, she received an invitation to the Presidential Election Party from the U.S. Ambassador.

This is cool in itself (I have such important friends), but she is bringing me a her date! I couldn’t believe it. The party is tonight, and I still don’t even know what to think. All of the important Americans in Ireland and probably the important Irish as well are invited to this gathering, which is at the Guinness Storehouse (a big museum).

The party is tonight at 9:30, so I’ll be giving an update later on about how everything went.

So between the election itself and this big shindig, I’m bursting. Hopefully, everyone at home is getting excited for all the happenings as well.

So have a fantastic day, and remember to vote if you haven’t already!

Cheers,

c

Christie and Jenni’s Amazing Adventure 2008: Dublin but Not Really

Last time I swear,

So the first Dublin day that Jenni and I had was spent in the city, shopping more specifically, but in the city nonetheless, and one of the big things that Jenni wanted to see was the Irish countryside and “a castle, if possible” according to her. So when we got back, we took another one of our famous naps, then set out for Howth, which is on the very north side of Dublin. It is a cute little fishing town that has trails and docks and different little things to do… very non-city, which is what we were looking for, and I was excited as well because I had never been to Howth, friends had only told me about it.

A look at Howth.

But I was so glad that we chose to come up. Not only did they have piers to walk down, real fishing boats, and little shops, they had an old church and a castle, which Jenni was excited to see. I’ve been over here for awhile, and I feel like I see castles on a semi-regular basis now, but it’s always cool to see another, especially with someone who hasn’t seen one.

Howth Castle

After taking some pictures, we headed back over to the water where the boats were. And although we didn’t eat any fish here, it looks like it’d be one of the freshest places to eat it because these restaurants are literally 10 meters away from the fishermen untangling their nets.

Fishing boats.

And right beside the boats, we saw seals! It was so cool. There were four of them, and they were giant. They looked like leopard seals because they were spotted, but we weren’t sure. I couldn’t believe that they were so close, but I guess it makes sense because people were feeding them fish… not a good thing, but either way, it was cool.

One of the four seals.

Later on, we got a coffee and had one of the few pictures of Jenni AND me taken in front of the ocean. It was a good end to a good trip.

Jenni and me in front of Ireland's Eye.

It was this weird feeling the next day when I dropped her off at the bus stop though. Obviously, I occasionally get homesick, but I got really homesick just then, and if I would have let myself, I could have started crying, something that I don’t think I have done since I’ve been here. A few hours later I was fine, but it just shows how some of your friends came start to become family. You don’t even know when it starts, but it happens, and it seems so unnatural to let it go.

It really was a gorgeous day, and not just for Ireland.

Cheers,

c

P.S. Last week, I also started my internship, so more to come about that. And more photos, when I get them up.