Day 17

 I was thinking today about how much a positive attitude changes things. The sky is grey today, will be grey tomorrow probably. Surely, it's not the most uplifting weather I've seen. And I was listening to S&G, feeling kind of angsty and depressed. Then I realized, WHY am I wasting any time being sad! I am in Dublin! I am having the time of my life! And then I quietly rocked out to some Jason Derulo and felt better.

That being said, work is fantastic. Food is good. I'm going for a run.. update more later :)

Day 16

I hate to say it, but yes, another day at work. Today was very good though! Sarah is working on the website from home, so I worked at my desk without major interruption almost the entire day. Right now I'm starting on the Facebook plan, which includes writing contact templates to begin conversations with different members of our Facebook groups thanking them and encouraging them to get involved. With over 60,000 fans, I have my work cut out for me.

I also began branding and formating Tumblr and Twitter for visual continuity with the rest of the CMRF look. I really love web design and the work I was doing with Shadow Rock's website and newsletter has really come in handy as I have a basis for knowledge. Tomorrow should be more of the same, just getting stuff set for the integration and education portion coming in a few weeks.

So the girls at work are great. Hannah, Pam, Michelle and Rachel really go out of their way to include me the best that they can. The Irish slagging can be hard for me to pick up on, it's kind of dark and harsh, but these girls are sensitive to my confusion and keep things simple and nice. Sadly, Pam just found out about a family tragedy and the whole bunch of girls is pretty upset. Her mother has surgery tomorrow and their family will be in everyones thoughts as the day progresses. I'm so very sorry for her and her family.

So I think I decided not to go on my 5 mile Dublin run and go to Oxegen instead! It's a huge and I mean MASSIVE international music festival going on the same weekend. I can't afford to go for more than one day, but I think it's going to be amazing! Lots of music, lots of people, lots of FUN! Now, I just need to save a bit this weekend so I can go.

I want a foot amputation please. No more of these pesky toes. It's making enjoying Dublin kind of difficult cause I limp around the city. Thankfully Compeeds are the best blister plasters (bandaids) of all time, so my blisters are finally healing and becoming callouses so I can wear shoes again soon!

Not a whole lot else going on. I'm really enjoying the time I've spent getting to know some of the Americans here, and I wasn't expecting that. Sometimes I feel really fed up with the US, the politics, the attitudes, the bad health, the disregard for the environment, the food.. but because we're all experiencing something so new and scary, our little group has gotten pretty close. I've had the chance to get to know each one on a different level and see how individual we all are yet so the same. Running with Carolyn, talking about music with Mckenna, talking with Kelsey, Helene and Kate, late night chats with Kaytlyn, laughing with Andrea.. I'm really fortunate to be surrounded with a great support group here. They're incredible.

I think yesterday was a big sad day, but I'm feeling good again. Going to bed early after I do some sleepy girl yoga. Good night!

Day 15

Another day at work!

I got on the wrong bus (note to self: learn numbers) so I was a bit late. Still doing the same stuff; tracking, analysing and practicing setting up sites. I even did a little bit of coding today. That computer science class totally came in handy.

On the way home I was feeling a little sad, just kind of alone in this big world and that feeling has stuck with me until now. I just ate some pizza and watched some Wedding Crashers, so I should get back to normal soon. I think I get a little addicted to the feeling of comfort and control, always being certain that things will work the way I'm used to. Washing machines that properly clean your clothes, shoes that fit right, beds that don't give you allergies. Most of the world doesn't have it as good as we do, as I do. Some level of discomfort is fine and normal.

Tomorrow I'm starting to train for a run in Dublin so I should be spent by the time I write.

I need to remember to write more about the people at work and the people I'm hanging out with here too. They're all really excellent and I want to remember them.

Day 14

First, thanks for all the nice comments :) It's nice to read your reactions to my adventures!

There's some stuff about yesterday that I didn't get a chance to write about, mostly because it hadn't happened yet! 

After I wrote, some of these lovely ladies to your left (the picture is, left to right: Kate, Kelsey and Helen) and yours truly headed to get some food at Gourmet Burger Kitchen down near Grafton. I went there a few days ago and loved it, so I shared my happy discovery. I think the place is aussie and their menu is very fresh. I got another super good veggie burger.. happiness was found. We met up with some other girls who had gone on a little tour of the Guinness factory earlier in the day at the restaurant, then we split again, Kate, Kelsey, Helen and I heading to go check out some pretty parks we see on the buses. 

We walked down Dame Street and along the way were confronted with the end of the Pride Parade. One person was even dressed like my favorite Lady, Miss Gaga. It was a total riot to see such a vivacious population of people enjoying themselves! 

We took a bunch of pictures of each other standing next to the colorful doors of Dublin on our way to Christchurch Cathedral. 

Once there, we headed to another church, St. Patricks. We decided we didn't really need to go inside because the weather was so incredibly beautiful. After lounging on the greens for a bit, we headed to some different pubs (yes, Mother, they are called pubs, not bars) to watch the most heart breaking game ever! I'm still pretty upset about the way that one turned out. Poor United States. Poor us. 

Slagging is what the Irish call being teased and sure did we get slagged for losing. I was still really bitter so we went out and had a good time in the Temple Bar and Graton area of town. There are some super fun places over there and Kelsey and I really do well at having a great time down town.

It seems that from any point in Dublin you are either in the sight of a church or a pub, so I guess my day was spent in a very Dublin way, spending time at both. 

Today I just got my life back in order while the other girls went on a bus tour of Wicklow. I did laundry and cleaned and will go to bed early here in a bit. I don't sleep very well here because it never gets very dark and there's lots of noise. Hopefully I can catch up before work tomorrow!

Well love you all!

Day 11-13

Yeah I've been missing postings. Too much is going on.

I don't have a lot of time to write right now because, of course, I'm tired and there's more fun stuff to do!

I have been working furiously at my job to finish an assessment of their online communications, then to make a plan and work on implementing it. I've looked the Facebook, Twitter and blogging habits of people who care about Crumlin and I wrote a single spaced, 7 page memo about what I found. Since then, it's been read and edited by Sarah, who then called me brilliant. :) She was so pleased that she gave it to the CFO, Adele, who said it was excellent and food for thought. I'm really proud of what I did and the initiative that I took. Next week I'll begin my plan and track my results. I'm so happy!

Thursday I went out for some after work drinks with the girls, then met up with Patrick for a mini-downtown pub crawl that only lasted one pub because Bulmers is too big for me to drink! Then we went to dinner at the Gourmet Burger Kitchen. I know what you're thinking and NO, I didn't eat a burger. I ate a mushroom burger and it was fantastic!

Work on Friday was a little different than usual because they are transitioning a new CEO in and the old one out. There was a little party at lunch time and then the "girls" and I went to a local pub for lunch. Hannah, Pamela, Michelle and (I'm blanking her name.. dangit) all are around my age and work in accounts. It's nice to be included in their breaks and working habits. We talk a lot about differences between our cultures and we ask each other a lot of questions. On Friday Nathaniel went to lunch with us. He works in a different part of our large office and is from Hungary. He's very nice too and lunch went well.

After work I went down to Grafton, my favorite part of the city to walk in, for some quiet time. I just put on some Ryan Adams and walked around for a bit, then came back and got ready to celebrate Kayt's birthday! We all hung out here for a while, listening to music and talking, then we went out to Copper Jacks!

It was a fun night, took some pictures and such. Right now I'm just sitting around. I'm probably going to work on stuff for school and do some emailing and picture stuff.

Love you all. GO UNITED STATES!

Day 10

Meh I may be a day off. I don't much care. I can barely keep my eyes open.

Full day at work. Analyzed our Facebook pages against the pages of others. Full memo due tomorrow.

AND HECK YESSSS the US moved on!! I was at my desk and pretty much had a hissy fit.

Just got back from Green Day at Marlay Park. Pretty much the best day of my life. It was gorgeous.

And I officially miss the United States today. I wanted to tell someone so badly about our win, but everyone was Irish and didn't care. Then, as I sprinted down St. Dame to meet Kayt at the bus for Green Day, I got heckled by some guys wearing an American flag. I stopped, turned back and said "Are you really Americans?" they replied "yeah..." and I said "f*** yes!" high fived and took off again. They understood and cheered me on.

We're loud, blunt, annoying, and obsessed with ourselves. And I love us. I love the United States. I love Landon Donovan, Green Day and America. I love high fives and real Mexican food. I love diversity and having a tan. I just really love my country and it took being lonely on a bus in Ireland to realize it.

America, you are my love.

Day 9

This will have to be a quick one because I'm exhausted!

Today at work Sarah gave me the assignment to assess social networking sites for their possible impact and effect on their organization then to make a plan and implement it. It's super cool because I have a lot of freedom to make this as epic or as low key as I want. So yeah, I tweeted, tweet decked, facebooked, tumblred and youtubed all day, setting up new sites and trying to see what would work for them. I have a report due to her on Thursday, and if it works, it's going to the CEO! Shoot!

After work I went to dinner with the girls for Kayt's bday! So fun!

That's pretty much it for today. My feet are in agony and my legs are tired. It's bed time for sure.

Day 8

Well I've officially been in Dublin for a week and today was my first day at my internship!

I got there just in time, leaving a little after 8 this morning. I'm still confused by the buses because they're so poorly marked and cryptic. And street signs are non existent about 90% of the time. So if you don't have a pretty excellent idea of where you're going and the entire cities streets, you'll probably end up frustrated and lost. If you're me and also cannot remember which directions cars come from, you're really in a mess. I probably need to continue giving myself at least 1.5 hours for commuting and at least that amount of time to get home. 

I have also acquired quite a nice limp due to being forced to wear shoes and walk everywhere. I never understood the value of comfortable closed toe shoes until now. I am going to have the toughest and more gnarled feet when I get home. I just want flip flops!

At work I got to meet all 20 some people who work there before I got to my very own desk with computer! I have a cube! I was psyched for like an hour before I realized the implications of that. I'm an adult for 7 weeks. This stinks. :)

At work Sarah, my supervisor, asked me to surf the web and facebook! Yeah.. I'm serious. I pretty much played on facebook, youtube, blogs, twitter and google today, trying to find what people in the community were saying about the Crumlin hospital. I told Sarah that I was familiar with all of the applications and she told me to get back with her tomorrow about using them for the hospital! So I wrote a "report" about using those applications and what kind of impact they would make for CMRF. 

Between "work," I ate lunch at the hospital canteen with all the hospital employees. The hospital itself is pretty old and the canteen is very small. It's been interesting to see the children's hospital and compare it to Phoenix Children's. Honestly, the differences are striking. While PCH is rather new, bright and sleek, OLSCH was built in the 1950's and looks it. The building itself is divided into separate wings exposing the healthcare philosophy of the time, something about keeping children isolated. Anyway, ate some rice and broc for lunch with almond crumb and custard. Custard is NOT pudding. Pudding is horse blood. I'm serious. I wanted to throw up when I found that one out.

So yeah came home, went for a run at the park next to the apartments, now going to drink epic amounts of water and eat some veggies before yoga DVD time and washing some clothes.

Goodnight! Love you all!

 

Day 7

Day 7! Already! It's flying by!

Today I went to watching hurling at Croke Park! It was so so so cool! I was invited by a guy named Patrick to go to the games today and sit in the Adidas box with him and some of his friends. He picked me up at about 1 in the afternoon and we walked down to the park. The closer we got the louder and louder the stadium got. When I first heard the crowd cheering I thought it was a low flying airplane instead!

Hurling is a Gaelic sport only played in a few countries and every county (there are 22) in Ireland has a team. The players, while great at their sport, are unpaid and can only play for the team in the county they were born. Therefore, everyone in Ireland has a team they are born to cheer for, and it certainly seems like they cheer a lot!

The sport is kind of like lacrosse, but with elements of basketball, tennis, soccer and rugby. The field has 15 players and a goalie and everyone wears a helmet and carries a bat like thing called a hurley. The end of the bat is flat and in length is about 2 feet long (I think!). The players can carry the ball, but only for a few steps before they have to pass it with a toss, or they can kick it, hit it on the ground with their hurley or hit the ball like a tennis player. There are two ways to score, either hitting it between two poles, almost like the end zone in a football field (but the poles are closer together), to score 1 point or by making a goal by getting the ball (called a sliotar) by the goal keeper. Players wear no protective gear besides their helmets and were only mandated to do so within the past year.

The players are constantly hacking each other with their sticks and there is lots of physical contact. Fouls are called and cards are used to punish flagrant and dangerous fouls. The ball travels very quickly and the players get hit often. It's pretty high scoring, very quick and super exciting. Needless to say, I loved it!

I watched two games (about 70 minutes each), one between Dublin and Kilkenny and the other between Galway and Offaly. The Kilkenny and Dublin game was a blow out, the Kilkenny team being the best in the country. But the Galway and Offaly game was very, very good! The stadium, the third largest in Europe holding over 82,000 seats, wasn't very full but still loud and colorful. The game ended in a tie meaning they will have to play again next weekend! The stadium is also a significant site for Irish history, being that it is the site of Bloody Sunday in 1920 when British soldiers fired on a rugby match, killing 18 people.

Patrick and his friends play hurling and talked me through watching the game. They all play club hurling and have played for many years. I felt like it was a proper introduction to hurling and a wonderful way to spend my Sunday.

Afterwards I went to a restaurant close to Dublin City University for dinner and now I'm back at home!

Tomorrow is the first day of my internship and I need to review and prepare! Have a nice evening!

Day 6

I forgot to post yesterday! So here's what I did on Saturday:

Got up feeling pretty tired and did some odds and ends, like went running, took a shower, made lunch, and cleaned my room. It was a pretty slow day to be honest.

Then I met up with Kayt, Andrea, Mckenna and Carolyn at Temple Bar. We were all pretty tired and decided to head back.

Then Kelsey and I decided that in fact we did want to go out. So we went down Grafton and had some drinks. After the bars closed we went and got a kebab. Yum!

Day 5

I so cannot type again! But I'm going to attempt in the fear of losing the memory of some amazing times.

I got up late to a phone call from my internship. I totally start on Monday at half nine! I'm so excited!

Then we went to the Temple Bar area to watch the US World Cup game and found an American to cheers us when we finally tied! After a late lunch at Quays we walked down through Grafton to find this bar we keep hearing about called Copper Jacks. Kelsey, Helen and I went to the Bleeding Horse instead to watch the
England match and had a blast.

On our way to find Cooper Jacks again we met some Irish guys who told us to follow them and we went to a dance club instead. It was fantastic! Glad to not be out all night though.

More later. Loving Dublin!!
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I really didn't do much on Friday, mostly because I hurt my foot. I got a blister a few days ago and it's gotten worse and worse because I haven't been taking care of it. My whole foot swelled up so bad that I couldn't wear my shoes :( It's looking much better now, and I'm happy I wont have to chop off my foot ;)

My flip flopped self, Kayt, Kelsey, Andrea, Carolyn, Kate, Mckenna and Helen all went down to OConnell Street to watch the US vs Slovenia game, but didn't make it out there until about half time. I was completely devastated! We found a bar that catered to Americans where we could eat and drink a bit while we watched the second half. Obviously the game ended up all right, besides the offsides call.

We decided to head up Grafton Street to find a bar we keep hearing about called Copper Jacks and wound up at St. Stephens Green, a beautiful, large park along Grafton. We walked around for a bit and laid in the grass watching people and loving the beauty of the park. We finally got up and then split into two groups: Helen, Kelsey and me in one that were looking for a bar to watch the England-Algeria game and Kayt, Andrea, Carolyn, Mckenna and Kate to head over to Grafton.

Helen, Kels and I walked around and went into some shops, then wound up further down Grafton at a bar called the Bleeding Horse. The bars outside of Temple Bar are much cheaper, with a better selection of drinks and a different group of people. We finally found Irish people!

We watched the game from a balcony/loft area that overlooked the bar (and a great view of the TV). It was obvious that the Irish people at Bleeding Horse did not think highly of Rooney, or any of the other English side. They had all sorts of chants for when Rooney got upset and got into hysterics when Algeria had shots on the English goal.

After the game we met up with another American who was studying in Ireland for the summer and talked with him for a bit while we waited for the other girls to come meet up with us. Our group split again, Kayt, Andrea and Mckenna going to a house party in Maryland, Carolyn going home, and the rest of us staying out.

We went and got Helen, my fellow vegetarian, some food at an American restaurant called Eddie Rockets. On the trip to the restaurant we talked to more Dubliners about Copper Jacks and they told us better bars to go to instead. After our yummy dinner (I ate sweet potato fries and drank a Coors.. just like home) and a great table conversation about football, we went to some different clubs, finally meeting some Dublin boys who were going to a place called the Odeon.

It was a very nice bar, lots of pillars and dark wood. We drank and danced there with our new Dublin friends and headed out about 2. I still have no idea what time bars actually close here because some stay open until 3 while others close at 11:30. Some day we might actually get to Copper Jacks, though it does cost 10E and is probably not worth the money.

Day 4

I also need to come back to this post. I'm super tired (it's 5 am) and I really want to sleep. Just got back from night two out in temple bar and i think it's safe to say we're not going back out there. Well, not until after tomorrow's world cup game. Go USA!!!

Today I interviewed at CMRF and was truly inspired by them. They didn't hire me right off though, so I'm supposed to get a ring today (Friday) to find out if they wanted to take me on. Once again, a little stressful! If they do take me on I'll be using social media to reach out and make emotional connections with their potential donors and fans of their cause, which is totally up my alley. I really hope they hire me because the work they do for children and scientific research is incredible and I would be so thrilled to work in their ranks.

Like I said, I'm super tired. I will come back to these posts on Sunday to edit them and make sure I include what I did. I want to remember these days forever.
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On Thursday I had my interview at 4 in a district of Dublin called Crumlin, so most of the day was devoted to getting ready for the interview.

I got up with a little headache but went for a run with Carolyn at the park next to Dublin City University, DCU. The park is pretty large and full of paths perfect for runners. While we were running, I mostly walking because I didn't feel so hot, we saw lots of dogs off their leashes. There were cute little westies, hearding dogs, corgis, welsh terriers, everything! And they were all so well behaved. They pretty much ignored us completely.

After that lovely run, I got showered and ready for my interview. I wore a light blue button down with my gray suit and let my hair dry naturally (it's impossible to get my hair straight here with the moisture and voltage difference). I felt pretty confident, though very tired, and headed out for the interview.

I left the DCU and Santry area at around 2:30 and hopped on a bus that went down to St. Dame Street, right next to Trinity and the Old Bank. From there I had to walk down to find the correct bus to take me to Crumlin Children's Hospital, which was kind of difficult. Though I spent time trying to figure out the bus system on Wednesday, the only way I was going to learn about their public transit was to just go out and get on a bus. I finally found the right stop and the right bus and asked the driver to "call" me at Crumlin, since I had no way of knowing what the building or stop looked like.

While I was on the bus I changed my shoes to my heels and put on knee highs to cover the large bruises and cuts from my Georgia tubing adventure. I asked the people sitting behind me if they would help me identify my stop, which they were very helpful about. After getting off the bus and wandering around to find the building, which is totally unmarked and hidden by a large wall of hedge, I found the right place.

It's a rather new brick building that's a few floors high, but I had to circle the building a few times to find the door. It probably looked hilarious to the receptionist watching the closed circuit television, some random, dressed up girl, hobbling around in heels, trying to get in. I did get in though, and sat in a conference room until my interview started, arriving only 20 minutes before my interview. That's at least an hour of commuting in just one direction!

My interview went really well. I met Adele and Sarah, who will be my "boss" at CMRF. They told me all about the company and their current needs. What I'll be doing for them is connecting with the people who have become fans of their facebook page, listening and establishing relationships with them. CMRF has a unique perspective of their donors, looking more to establish real relationships with communities of people who care about the hospital, developing small and large fundraising events to fit the needs and interests of these communities. So while they'd like some of their facebook fans to donate and support the hospital monetarily, mostly they're looking to interact and empathize with them. I feel like I'm a fantastic fit, and I'm so excited to get started getting to know 60,000 fans of an amazing hospital.

My homework for the weekend is to become a fan and witness what they're up to on facebook. Also, I'll need to start learning about the healthcare system here in Ireland and the prevailing political atmosphere. If I want to listen to people, they need to know that I understand them and the issues they're facing. I'm an outsider, a foreigner, and I need to gain their trust.

I start at 930 on Monday and I'm so excited! My office is with Sarah, and they office place has a lot of people. I think my internship will be amazing and I'm looking forward to Monday.

After my interview I went down to St. Dame Street to waste some time before our special EUSA arranged dinner. I was feeling lost in the hustle of central Dublin, so I ducked into the nearest Starbucks. I was immediately comforted by the familiar smell and taste of a pipping hot soy latte. I ran into some friends from Arizona who were on their honeymoon (Hi Jeremi and Erin!!) and talk to them for a bit.

The coffee was just what I needed. I set out for the Brazen Head, walking along the Liffey and feeling on cloud nine, some thanks to the coffee and other to the excitement about my internship. At the Brazen Head we had a three course meal and listened to a storyteller speak about Irish history, Irish superstitions and a few traditional Irish folk tales.

The food was great, but listening to this man speak was the highlight of the evening. A major difference between Ireland and the US is the sense of living a history. In Dublin people interact with history daily: living in older buildings, walking in ancient Dublin, driving on old cobblestone streets, worshiping in old churches and communicating using old words for ancient villages. For instance, everyone knows where we live in Dublin when you say Santry or Crumlin. They're part of Dublin, but are the names of old villages that have been incorporated. The streets are straight, they change names and they have no grid, which frustrated me at first. But I've come to appreciate it because its a way to live the history of Dublin while I'm here.

I feel like my "people" in the US have a different sense of an emotional connection to history since it's much shorter and we don't live amongst our history in the same way. We, at least in Phoenix, like to build new things and plan perfect, predictable communities further and further away from the old. The potato famine, the 1916 rebellions and the 1918 Gaelic shootings are as big of the identity of an Irish person as 9/11 is to Americans. It's the struggle, the chaos, the fear, that gives a people a reason to come together and appreciate each other.

I'll have to write more about the cultural differences between the US and Ireland due to the affinity for oral versus written tradition another time.. I'm getting hungry for some lunch.

A few of us went out after the Brazen Head, this time sticking mostly to the Quay Bar in Temple Bar. Again, it's a tourist trap but we had a wonderful time!

I'm really loving it here in Ireland, but I miss you all in the US a bunch too!

Day 3

I'll have to do more of this in the morning when I wake up because it's about 3am here and there is no way I can type for a long period. We just got back from a night clubbing in Temple Bar and I'm exhausted. It was a wonderful day and an especially wonderful night! We had so much fun! Go elbow crew!

we did find a terrific taxi driver who we tipped well and gave us some tips about the bars. no more creepy creeps.

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I'm coming back to this post today to give more information about my day!

I took it pretty easy on day three, Wednesday. I woke up on my own without an alarm to make sure I was closer to getting over the jet lag. After I got dressed and cleaned my room a bit, I made a list of things I needed and headed over to the Omni Plex, the large shopping center about 10 walking minutes away.

I did a little bit of clothes shopping, mostly looking for shoes and a safer, smaller purse, then got food and a few odds and ends at Tesco. I found some good looking produce, but I'm definitely on the look out for fresher markets to get my food. Also picked up some supplies to make myself lunches for work so I won't have to rely on the availability of veg and picky eater friendly foods.

I got home and cleaned the apartment for a few hours, wiping down and disinfecting surfaces and filling out our apartment inventory. Then I got out my travel steamer and located the iron and got my suit and work clothes ready for my interview.

When Kayt got back from her interview, which went really well despite being very far away, we figured out what we wanted to do for the evening. We settled on going out to the Temple Bar area (which actually has a bar called Temple Bar, it's kind of confusing). We invited our friends Andrea, Caroline and Kelsey to come out with us too and headed out on the buses to Temple Bar.

Temple Bar is a street/few streets of your typical tourist "Irish Pub," filled with Irish folk music played by small bands. The prices are high and the people are mostly all foreign. I think we met more Greeks, Spaniards and British people there than Irish.

Regardless, we had some Irish beers, Carlsberg, Smithwicks, Bullingtons Cider (so good!) and of course, the Guinness, and had a great time navigating the crowds and having a good time. We ended up going to a different club, called Fitzsimmons, to go dancing. It was wonderful to hear music we knew and dance to some  Lady Gaga!

All in all, it was fantastic. I'm getting more confident in the city and dealing with situations that are a bit different. The people I've met from the other schools in our program are great too, I think we really have a wonderful little group of girls who are both fun and sensible.

Day 2

Now, on to Day 2.

The day began with me missing the alarm and us hustling to make it to the orientation. Thankfully everyone runs on Irish time (about 20 minutes late.. seriously) so we were just fine.

My large blue packet gave me some great information, namely, that my internship placement is at Children's Medical and Research Foundation! I have an interview later this week to secure the position, probably tomorrow or Thursday. My commute will be about an hour on bus. Thanks ASU for the month bus pass! I start my position, assuming it's a good fit, on Monday and will work M-F. I'll find more out about my hours and specific job expectations at the interview.

From what I understand from the website, CMRF is a fundraising body for the Crumlin Children's Hospital, the largest of its kind in Europe. I think it's pretty similar to St. Jude in the US. They did an amazing job fitting me with this company, having raised money for St. Jude, working with children for so many years, and doing event planning with Shadow Rock and Tri Delta. I'm told I should dress "sharp," which I'm thrilled with also!

The location of my job is also fabulous! I'll really be in the center of the city, on the South of the Liffey and close to the area of Dublin I already know from last year. Big yay!

We sat through orientation for about three hours, covering all kinds of information, like cell phones (mine comes tomorrow), safety, housing, work place environment and interview tips. I'll be practicing and preparing for a while tomorrow and stalking them all over the internet. I want this internship and I will nail this interview!

(I promise to write more about the cultural differences they told us about and what to watch out for, it was so interesting!)

After that we took a little walking tour around Dublin City University, finding the bus stops, health center, gym, parks and other helpful landmarks. I'm so glad to know where the gym is! I'm ready for a run!

Kayt and I invited some friends we'd met to come with us to the City Center to find the shop to fix Kayt's computer. Caroline, Jessica and Andrea are all from different Universities with different majors and totally different internships, so we had a lot to talk about as we navigated the streets of Dublin. Kayt and I left the others at Trinity College while we went to find the shop. I remembered a lot from last year, like St. George St. and oriented myself well.

The guys in the shop, who were all very helpful, told Kayt the problem was the software in her computer. We decided to buy a router instead of fixing the software though, and I just fixed us up with wireless in our apartment (named after Herta's book, The Land of the Green Plums)! Go us!

We then met up with the girls again and went to the Temple Bar neighborhood on the South of the Liffey. There are lots of steriotypical Irish pubs down there with traditional Irish music and food. We choose one as our minds and feet began to rebel, The Auld Dubliner. I got a yum salad and a glass of Guinness, my first taste of heaven since I've been on the Island. It was so perfect. 

We had a very nice and inexpensive dinner, then headed back to Shanowen Square. The buses are pretty confusing and we kept getting on the wrong ones. Finally, at about 9PM, we got back to the apartment complex.

It's almost midnight, though the sun only went down an hour ago, and I'm so exhausted! It was a beautiful sunny day and tomorrow promises to be the same. I'll probably head over to the gym in the AM, my body really wants some yoga and meditation time. Then over to Tesco again, this time for a light bulb, sponge and other odds and ends. 

Good night, United States! I don't miss you as much tonight :)

Day 1 Continued

I can't believe this was only one day because it was so jam packed with greatness! I finally have a non-jet-lagged minute to write about stuff that happened yesterday too. So.. Day 1 continued first, then a Day 2 post

So Sunday in the US was spent first on the lake doing more tubing. I think I finally got the hang of it and was able to go back and forth across the wake with out the tube annihilating me. I did manage to scrape all the skin off my knees in the process, which is rather unsightly. Regardless, very fun!

I then packed and got ready for the flight. I repacked a lot of my clothing and reconsidered a few items (do I really need 3 black dresses? 3 high heeled shoes? 15 tank tops.. the answer you can guess). I repacked my bags down to two checked and only carried my backpack on. Then began the longest 12 hours I can imagine.

The flight from Atlanta was delayed some, which of course delayed my arrival into NYC and sent me into a little panic about my connection. But my flight from New York was delayed too.. I lost track of how long we taxied and sat in the airport.. probably somewhere around an hour and a half to two hours. Then the flight across the Atlantic. I need to remember how COLD those flight get! I can barely sleep with all the shivers. Food was great (I selected a vegan food option before the flight) and the movies were hilarious. I watched Leap Year and Dear John. Then played some trivia and took some little naps.

I was convinced that I would miss my coach to Shanowen Square because the flight was so late, but I managed to de-plane, go through immigration, get my luggage and customs all within 30 minutes and met up with the coach and EUSA people in plenty of time. And I found Kayt!

Kayt and I met in a class at ASU in the fall semester and were so glad to find out through facebook that we were both going to Dublin! It was so great to see a familiar face after all that insanity.

It was about 2 in the afternoon before we got our keys for our apartment and started to get settled. I was able to connect to the internet rather easily through a LAN modem and Ethernet cord, but Kayt's computer was not as lucky. After multiple failing attempts we looked for an Apple store and took it in today (Tuesday).

We also went to Tesco, a grocery store, down the road a ways. It's in the closest shopping center called Omni. We only got a few things because we were so overwhelmed with the trip. I never realized how comforting familiarity could be until that moment. I was finally coming to terms with the reality of living in Ireland. There is no Target, no Morning Star Fake Chicken Patties, no Tom's of Maine. Even the things I recognized were in weird small bottles. I just wanted giant Dove Shampoo for Damaged Hair in the dark blue bottle. But no. Only little bottles with weird words. Retail therapy became a nervous breakdown pretty quickly.

I did manage to find some food I can eat. Apparently the water is safe from meat contamination... Thanks Ireland!

After a dinner of pizza, water and diet coke, Kayt and I were still without our other two apartment mates and decided to get some rest. After a nice shower with my new small white bottles of Dove hair care products I finally got to sleep. As I laid in bed listening to Jason Mraz's song "Life is Wonderful," it hit me. This is amazing. Even the crap travel delays were amazing. I am doing something I always thought was out of my reach. But I'm here, buying vegetarian water and loving it.

I'm just so very, very happy to be here, living this new thing.

Dublin Apartment Tour

Day 1

I'm here!

More about my traveling adventures later.. now I need coffee, advil and sleep.

Okay I'm back. Just a little blerb cause I'm super duper tired!

Kayt and I made a video blog to show everyone our pretty apartment!
We went to Tesco and a mall. It was pretty scary and food is pretty weird.
Kayt and I are making a list of wonderful things we want to do while we're in Dublin, then posting it.
Lots of photos. Most are on Facebook and Picasa already.

I will tell you all the wonderful tale of how I almost had a mental breakdown in the Dublin airport this morning because I had on no contacts and was very sleep deprived. And my flight was almost an hour late.

Tomorrow: orientation. Now: unpacking and sleeps.

Picture is Kayt and I first thing in Dublin!

-2 days

My time in Georgia is almost over because I'm leaving tomorrow for Dublin! I have never been more eastern in the United States than Ohio and never more southeastern than San Antonio. I definitely had some preconceived notions about "The South." Like everyone parked their cars in their lawns, were missing 14 teeth and didn't know what vegetables were. 

But the grocery store carried quinoa and Amy's Vegan pizza. And there are garages and dental offices. The people here are pretty much like the people everywhere. The vegetation and industry is different, but the people were pretty much the same but with better accents. I have a feeling I'll be seeing some similar things in Ireland.

Maggie the dog got bitten at doggie day care and got an infection and we had to cancel our trip to the aquarium to take her to the vet. She seems like she's on the road to recovery now, back to the usual play biting and nose whistling. I pretty much just spent the day watching the World Cup and eating lunch at a great restaurant in Gainesville called Two Dog where we met some silly politician. I was too busy playing on my blackberry to shake his hand but still managed to be awed by his spray tan. 

My phone will be turning off for good tomorrow at about 10PM. If you need to contact me and it's an emergency, call my cell and you'll get the number to reach me. Otherwise, just shoot me an email or catch me on facebook. 

-3 days

In three days I'll be sitting, or maybe sleeping, in Dublin. As in not in the United States. As in across the ocean. I am so excited.

Today we didn't go to the aquarium because we didn't want Maggie the dog to have to go to daycare again today. So we're going tomorrow instead.

Today we went to Dahlonega and up to Amicolola Falls, about 8 miles from where the Appalachian Trail starts. I guess there is some speculation about where the Appalachian Mountains start and end, but regardless of exact geography or topography, these mountains aren't much like the ones I'm used to! I miss the cactus! However, I still managed to get really tired hiking up to the top and I'm going to bed early.

Tomorrow, aquarium. Sunday, plane! Monday, Dublin!

-4 days

I think I'm getting the swing of this blog thing. I hope I can keep up the routine while I'm in Dublin!

Today we spent the day on Lake Lanier (click on the link for a map of this HUGE lake!) which is in northeastern Georgia. We drove all the way to the Buford Dam, about an hour from the lake house. The lake was created in 1956 by the Army Corps of Engineers using the Buford Dam to stop up the Chattahoochee River.

The lake is so beautiful and is host to all kinds of boaters, like fishermen, sailboaters and recreational boaters, like us. We cruised around for a while and eventually found a proper cove to tube in. I didn't tube for long, maybe three good runs. For my second time tubing I think I did pretty well. I only got rocked and ate it hard one time. I'm so proud!

After my mom tubed, we headed back to the house and the weather turned from sunny and gorgeous to an absolute downpour. I napped and lounged the rest of the day, nursing an excellent sunburn and the feeling of waves in my mind. Now I'm going to watch the season finale of Glee! since I missed it on Tuesday! I'm so happy!

Tomorrow we're going to the Atlanta Aquarium pretty early. Needless to say, I'm going to explode with excitement. I love love love aquariums! I've been to a ton, but this one is touted as being the worlds largest (seriously!) with all sorts of unique exhibits like whale sharks, albino alligators, a Friday jazz concerts (also, seriously!), sea turtles, and, my FAVORITE, sea otters!

Pictures from today's adventures are on my Picasa album, facebook and also, a little slide show on the side bar of this site.

Georgia

I need a good closing! Hmmm
-Libby

-5 days

Yeah. That's a five. Holy kudzu!

Speaking of kudzu, it's everywhere. I thought it was a search engine but I came to found out that in Georgia it's a bit more sinister. Kudzu is a vine that originated in Asia but has taken over the Southeastern USA and evidence of its invasion is on nearly every corner of Gainesville. My mom lives on the shores of where Lake Lanier meets the Chattahoochee River and about .5 miles away from the '96 Olympic rowing venue. The water is beautiful, the house is beautiful, the weather is beautiful and the dog is hilarious.

My mom and Larry have an English Springer Spaniel named Maggie and she's around six months old. This dog has some sass and spunk. She's really a blast to have around, always running around or doing something ridiculous. I just posted a video of Maggie on Facebook and I'll try to link one in here too.

Well about 5 days till Ireland and no internship email! Health insurance is squared away and so is my seat on the plane. Whether I have an internship or not, I'll be in Ireland with a place to live, health insurance and a plane ticket back to the US in August. Not such a bad deal.

The way this whole deal with the internship works is kind of complicated. I am earning 6-12 hours of class credit for my time in Ireland, counting toward my English degree and graduation (hurray!) and listed as English 484 at ASU. I have specific requirements to earn this credit, like making a portfolio and keeping a log of tasks and a reflexion essay at the end.

When I applied for the EUSA Dublin Internship program (you can read more about the EUSA Dublin here.. I've found it to be a well organized and excellent company and I highly recommend it!), I filled out a detailed Curriculum Vitae, the European version of a resume. I sent it to EUSA, who called me and conducted a phone interview with me about my job site preferences and personal interests. I told them I would like to work in Non Party Politics (pretty much the non-profit sector), Journalism or Business. They have made it very clear that though I may prefer these fields, I could get an internship in almost any field and can be notified any time between the middle of April to my arrival in Dublin about my placement.

When we arrive next week we'll have an interview with the company we are placed with to ensure we're both good fits for each other and to secure the placement. Then, for the following 7 weeks, we'll intern without pay for the company.

I think my anxiety got the best of me a few days ago, and I sent the Dublin office an email about my placement. Nothing yet, but it even felt better to get the concern off my chest.

Tomorrow we're going to spend the day on the lake and then Friday we're going to the Atlanta Aquarium! I'm so excited! They have whale sharks!

Here are some pictures from Georgia, mostly of Maggie:

-7 continued

Yep. Reality hit. My three suitcases won't close. I'm freaking out.

-7 days

At this time next week I will be moved in to my dorm/apartment thing in Dublin. I don't know exactly when it will hit me. Right now it feels like someone is going to tell me it was a joke or maybe I bought the wrong plane ticket or something. But reality is coming.

I've been packing for the past couple of days. I'm happy to say that I'm almost done, lost somewhere in the toiletries and hair products shelves of the bathroom, and did not procrastinate until midnight tonight. Maybe I forgot to mention this, but I'm leaving tomorrow for Georgia to visit my Mom. On Sunday (June 13th) of next week I'll get on a plane from Atlanta and fly to New York City, then straight over to Dublin, arriving at about 10AM on the 14th.

Packing for a double trip is kind of difficult because of the different weather conditions existing in both cities. I think my solid cotton T's, jeans and flip-flops can do double duty though, serving as workout/lounge clothes in Ireland and general wear in Georgia. Hopefully I'll be on the lake almost the entire week, water-skiing, hiking, kayaking and biking around Lake Lanier and the Chattahoochee River, also giving me a chance to turn my skin a darker shade of tan and thereby sticking out in Dublin even more.

I've gotten my second taste of cultural diversity over the past few days as I've received and read more information about my program. There are a lot of slang terms I didn't know and will be sure to use with caution. My favorite is "craic" meaning fun and "slagging" meaning to tease. There are some other words and American expressions that I need to be careful not to use, like instead of saying "do you like my pants" or "I need to put on pants," I should say "trousers" because pants means undies. And instead of saying "can i have a ride," I need to take extra, extra care to say "can I have a lift" because "having a ride" means having sexual relations. Here is a link to other Irish slang our program introduced to us.

There are some other pieces of Irish culture I'm encountering through my exchanges with the Dublin office. I read that Irish culture places more importance on verbal communication than through written, like in the US. For this reason some information that would have been very helpful for me has only just been included. I think everything will be fine and I suppose some of this has to do with my addiction to structure and organization. I just have to breathe out my frustration and American expectations and appreciate that I'm a visitor and things will not go the way I'm used to. I need to let it go and smile. Diversity is a beautiful thing!

-9 days

How is it possible that there are less than 10 days left...  yay!

I think I was in the middle of talking about my trip to LA in my last post, but I realize now it was probably pretty uninteresting for anyone besides Molly and me. For everyone else, here's a short list of the highlights:

-found a super sad dog on the side of the LA freeway.. got out and called to it.. got a pretty good idea of how injured it was then was struck by how stupid getting out of a car on a freeway and calling to a mangy dog was.. got back in car.
-ate the best pizza of my entire life
-drank best coffee of entire life
-discovered soy frappachinos at Starbucks
-shopped. a lot.
-considering that i may have a sensativity to gluten and/or wheat.. now attempting to highly limit gluten intake (what can I actually eat now? strictly fruits and veggies? cheese? ug.)
-spent a wonderful time talking to my very best friend/sibling

Last night I went on a little bar crawl with some friends and met up with others along the way. It was a very good evening with a yummy Four Peaks garden burger and some drinks too. Nick, Melissa, Feltz, Tommy, Nick II, Megan, Alex, Alex P., Katie and Andrew.. it was great to see you all and I look forward to having more fun and more Phoenix adventures when I get back! Overall it was the ideal way to say bye to a large amount of AZ friends. Pictures are on my Picasa album and Facebook. I'm still playing with how to embed them here.



The rest of the weekend is going to be spent packing for Georgia and Ireland. Being my silly Libby self I'll be organizing and obsessively cleaning as I go, so I expect it to take the rest of the next three days, with some time for a hike and yoga. I may try to go to the outlets after I go play dress up in my closet.. I think I could probably find a cute scarf and some warm colored pants or skirt that would benefit my wardrobe. And I need boot socks. And beige heels. None of the last few statements are true.. I just shop to control the anxiety.

Lastly, I'm looking at doing a few weekend trips to the British Isles while I'm in Ireland, namely to Wales and Scotland, especially to the Hebrides. National Geographic printed a beautiful set of pictures about these Northern Scottish Islands and I think I will heavily pursue getting a group of people together to go visit them.

Happy Saturday!

-11 days

I think my countdown is probably off, but yeah I'm in Pasadena!

I got here two days ago, driving west across the desert, listening to Vampire Weekend and playing with the cruise control. It really isnt that long of a drive, only 6ish hours. However, the last 2 hours are the suburbs of LA and the windmill tunnel outside of Indio. Molly's 98 Saturn was not so happy with the wind, but I got here fine. I think I white-knuckled the steering wheel for the last 100 miles or so and have been very happy not to drive for a few days.

The weather has been absolute perfection.. a little misty in the AM and burning off by about noon. I've been staying on an air mattress in Molly's new temporary living situation.. with her boyfriend John.. in a beautiful old neighborhood in South Pasadena. The streets are lined with tall, old trees that are currently all blooming a pretty purple color. I can understand why so many people live in LA, its simply perfect.

The day I arrived, Tuesday, we had a nice adventure. After unpacking slightly, we got lunch at a yummy vegan resturaunt close by and I had some coconut water.. heavens it's good.. then dropped Mollys stuff at storage and returned Molly and John's van, all while fighting with LA traffic. Molly and John drove her stuff in their rented van from San Francisco down the Pacific Coast Highway and we had to get the van back really quickly to avoid extra charges. So on the way back from the rental company we got off and drove through downtown LA.. which was totally new for me. I've seen the skyline before, but this was the first time I'd been in the middle!

Okay.. more later.. it's time for delish smoothie love :)

ps. i love the food here. i don't have to suffer through crappy vegetarian options :) :) :)

-13 days

I'll be away for the next few days, probably only posting little bits from my phone. I'm driving to LA early tomorrow morning to bring my best friend Molly her car. Then we'll hang out for a day or so and I fly back on Thursday. I'm glad I get to spend more time with her since the last time I saw her was pretty rushed and busy. The weather looks perfect; 75 degrees is a welcome respite from the upper 90s of Phoenix.

Crud. I just typed a whole bunch and my lovely Dell laptop selected and deleted the whole bit. Computer.. you frustrate me.

Regardless, I need to get some sleep before I leave. In less than two weeks I will be in Ireland! And I leave Arizona in a week! Where did all that lazy time go..