Hello form across the pond! Today marks exactly one week since I have arrived in Dublin, and boy is that crazy. I think if I could describe my time here so far in one word, I would have to go with: Rollercoaster. With everything from moving in to my new apartment, being surrounded by all new people, and trying to adjust to life in a completely new city, I’ve been feeling both very excited, and very overwhelmed.
Dublin at Dusk!
On the first day I arrived, Diana and I split up at the airport as we are here through different programs. I met up with my group and took a shuttle back to our apartments in Dublin. Our group’s luggage almost didn’t fit all the way in the bus so we were all squished into our seats with our luggage bleeding out into the isles and the trunk. (I’m glad I’m not the only one who overpacked). We did a lot of orientation things the very first day, and didn’t have any time to nap. So basically I slept two hours in the matter of 48 hours - while taking in all this new information - talk about overwhelming!
We had another full day of orientation on Thursday, and our program took us to a huge group dinner at a great tapas place. The restaurant was super unique, and we got to try loads of different foods. My favorite happened to be this fried oyster mushroom… I’ve never had anything like it before in my life! We all got drinks as well, and I discovered my new obsession here: Orchard Thieves Cider. I think my new friends here are already tired of me talking about it, haha. It’s literally apple juice for adults! We hopped around the city a little bit that night, popping in and out of different pubs with literally NO idea what we were doing, but that made it fun!
On Friday, we had our internship orientation where I found out my placement. I’m working at this very small multicultural newspaper that focuses on immigration issues throughout Ireland. And when I say small, I mean SMALL. The office is about the size of a normal bedroom, and is just piled high with random newspapers and old notes scattered everywhere. The most surprising part for me was that there are no coworkers… It’s just my supervisor and I that sit in the office all day. They do have some other employees, like the accountants that work in another bedroom sized room upstairs. They also have some more contributors and designers that just recently moved, so they work off site. My first day there was definitely a long one - my supervisor spent most of the day on the phone so I kept to myself and worked on my assignments. I’ve already written two articles for the paper after just one day, so it will be a really great opportunity to gain more pieces for my portfolio. I’m just going to have to get used to spending the day in that small little room with not many people to talk to. My supervisor did take me for coffee when I first arrived which was really kind, Dubliners love to do that I’ve found.
These yellow flowers were scattered all throughout our cliff walk. Yellow is my favorite color so I really loved these!
Saturday was probably one of my favorite days so far. My group took the train about 30 minutes out of Dublin to a small seaside village called Howth. It was beautiful. We took a long cliff walk/hike along the coast that was absolutely breathtaking. I felt like I was in a movie. It was beautiful and sunny on the walk up, but it did start to rain on the way down (and I found out the hard way that my big coat was not quite water proof enough). But I didn’t even care because there was a beautiful rainbow over our heads all day. Everywhere we walked we could see the rainbow in the distance over the tiny little village - again, I felt like I was in a movie. At the end of the Hike we stopped to walk around in a local market in the village, and then to a little hole-in-the-wall place for some of the most delicious fish and chips I’ve ever had. It tasted even better after having walked those four miles in the rain. I really loved Howth. It honestly reminded me a little bit of home, like a small oceanside village in New England because of the rocky coastline, green grass, and quaint shops. I definitely felt in my element.
The calm before the storm.
The calm before the storm pt. 2
The next day I was finally able to see Diana again as we both have been so busy with our different orientations! It’s been nice to make our own friends, and then once we are settled in we will be able to spend much more time together and hopefully share our new groups of people with each other! The next few days were full of adjusting, finding new pubs, and trying to find my new routine. I’ve definitely already met a lot of really great people that have made me even more excited to see where this semester takes me. I’m not going to lie, though, there have been some moments where I’ve felt extremely overwhelmed with all the newness. I know that will definitely go away with time, and how else would I grow if I wasn’t a little bit uncomfortable?
One thing that never fails to make me smile here however is the Irish slang people use. My favorite line everybody says is “you’re grand!” For example, if I accidentally bump into somebody and I say, ‘oh I’m so sorry about that excuse me!’ the Irish immediately respond with, “Oh you’re grand! You’re grand!” I think it’s charming, and it makes me smile. They also refer to everyone as a lad, and instead of saying thank you they say “thanks a million!” I’ve honestly never encountered a more friendly and welcoming people! I’m really excited to see where the next few days take me as I continue to settle in. I think it’s going to take another couple of weeks before I fully feel immersed into my new home. But until then, you all are grand for reading this & cheers!
Thanks for reading!
Until next time :)