Week five - frustration sets in

So, I know I am spoiled by the efficiency of the US systems but does it really need to take a month to open a bank account? I filled out paperwork for a bank account during the first week of October, gave them a copy of my ID from Trinity and they told me I would have an account within 7-8 business days. A week and a half later, they texted me to ask for a copy of my passport. So I go to the bank and find out that they want a lot more documentation. By the time I left, they had a copy of my passport, a copy of my acceptance letter to Trinity, an original form from Trinity stating my address and another copy of my Trinity ID. Five days later, after me showing up in the bank every day to ask about the account information they promised me, they finally call me with my account number - great! I am finally able to give them a check with all my money from my scholarship which they tell me is going to take 5-7 business days to be available in my account. This is a check in euros from another Dublin bank - why does this take so long?! Whatever, I have some cash to tide me over so all I really, really need is a statement from them that says I have money in the account so I finally can go to the immigration office to get the ID I need that allows me to stay in Ireland more than 30 days. I finally get the statement from the bank through the mail on Wednesday - except they have spelled my name and my address wrong! The immigration office will not accept this. Now, I am being told that it will take another 5 business days to get this fixed and a new statement sent to me - at which point, I will have overstayed the date stamped in my passport. They also needed another copy of my Trinity ID (seriously, don't they keep any records?). Don't get me started on the fact that I still do not have a debit card so I cannot access my money yet and I am running out of cash. If I have to, I will use my US debit card to pull money from my account in the US which means I will lose money transferring dollars to euros.
This is just one example of little frustrations I have been dealing with that, this week, I am losing patience with. I have not had internet access at my house for a week and a half so I have been using Trinity's computers. This means I cannot post pictures I have taken, I cannot download Skype or another tool like that to call any of you to catch up and I am trying to keep up with emails in between classes and reading assignments. But I am sure this is not what you want to be reading in this blog, which is one of the reasons I did not write earlier in the week. The other reason is I am just tired. I had forgotten how much energy it takes to get settled in a new place - to find the grocery stores, the good but inexpensive restaurants, the post office, bank, bus routes, etc. - and the energy it takes to make a new group of friends. (Green Cheerio Gang and others, I really miss you!)
In better news, I found a great Asian grocery store today in what will be my neighborhood in 3 weeks. Let me clarify: currently, I am living in a house in Ballinteer, south Dublin, which is a 30 minute bus ride to Trinity. Even though I like the area, the buses are not reliable so I waste a lot of time waiting at bus stops. As you can probably imagine, this is not a great situation. So, I found a great apartment on the north side of the Liffey River through a friend of a friend of a former colleague. (Thanks Gail!) This place is a 30 minute walk west of Trinity and will be available November 15th. I am not looking forward to changing locations again but I am definitely looking forward to a better commute and really nice place to myself. I also really like the north side - it is grittier, culturally more diverse and has a personality to it that I feel more at home in.
This weekend, I am heading out of town with a couple people. Hopefully, I will be in a better frame of mind after getting out of the city for a couple days. I keep trying to tell myself that, a month from now, all of these frustrations will be sorted out. Sometimes that even helps. : )
Hope you have a great weekend!

Week four – What happened to the time?

So, I finished my first week of class and I must say that we definitely did not ease into the transition. In fact, I feel like I have gone from 0 to 60 in about 2 seconds. The amount of reading that is expected in incredible and it takes over an hour every day just to track down the reading, which is chapters from different books, on order to photocopy it. In addition to just trying to get and read everything, I am feeling in over my head with the substance of the reading and class discussion. There is a ton I do not know about the construct of “race”, global human rights, linguistics and culture. So, my days have been going something like this: I get up around 7:30 every morning, try to get some reading done before class, jump on the bus to campus to attend class, grab a bite to eat with classmates, head to the library to photocopies more reading and head home to read again. It is an intense schedule and has left no room for anything else – even keeping in touch with anyone.

Sunday, I took a day off from studying and, after sleeping in a bit, read in a tour book about a footpath called Wicklow Way. It is an 80 miles path that runs from Dublin south through the Wicklow Mountains. The best part is - the footpath begins in a park that is right around the corner from my house. A friend from school, Dona, and I spent all afternoon walking and exploring this cool path. After looping through Marley Park, a huge, beautiful park fulling of families enjoying a sunny Sunday afternoon, it follows a narrow, uphill road, shaded by trees on both sides. At the top of a long slope, the trees open up to show a gorgeous view north to Dublin and the harbor.

Recent reflections while riding the bus: I never knew all the variety of stockings that were available in the world until I got to Dublin; small stripes, big stripes, bright colors, infinite patterns of lace, hearts, circles, and, occasionally, subtle, solid tones. I thought about starting to take pictures of all the variety I see every day, especially on Friday and Saturday nights, but I fear women might get slightly offended. Oh well, you will just have to come here to see for yourself.

I wish I had more to write but I must admit that I am really tired at the moment and am feeling the pressure to head to campus to start my day. Hope your life is going well!

Week Three - beach day, snapshots and classes

What beautiful weather we have been enjoying! Yesterday, I headed to Killiney Beach with some new friends who are all studying at Trinity. It was so nice to lay on the beach, soaking in the sunshine. We are all feeling like we really need to savor every moment of sun because, as we are told numerous times in a day, this is very unusual weather and it won't last. We took the Dart (train) from Dublin to Killiney then walked along the beach. Eventually, we ended up in the town of Dalkey where we found a whole foods shop that could have been picked up and moved to a town like Cambridge without changing a thing (except maybe the spelling of some of the words). It was a great day and a great weekend overall. (In the picture - Agnes from Hungary, Dona from San Fran, and Bridge from DC.)

I love when I am living life slowly enough to appreciate the unexpected things that happen each day. On Saturday evening, I was heading to my Rotary host's house for dinner with all of his family so I got the advice of other Trinity students on what I should bring as a thank you. On the advice of some second year graduate students, I ended up buying a chocolate truffle cake from a fancy, French bakery. The woman behind the counter apologized to me that she did not have any bags to put the cake in and she insisted that I must carry this cake with a hand underneath, like a waiter in a restaurant carries a large tray. Have you ever tried to get through busy city streets on a sunny, Saturday afternoon in fall carrying a cake balanced on one hand? I really kept expecting someone to knock into me and send this cake flying. And I had 3 hours to go before I headed to the dinner! Add to that image the fact that I had to pick up some school supplies. So, there I was, weaving around a small, cramped stationary store, with a heavy bag on my shoulder and a cake in one hand trying to pick up the things I needed. In the middle of this, one of the people working there and I started joking about opening the box and digging into the cake right there (being Irish, she offered to brew a cup of tea to go along with it). Well, you know me, one thing led to another, we got deeper into conversation and, before I left the shop, she had offered to store the cake for me until I headed to my train. I very happily accepted and headed back into the streets without needing to worry about a cake disaster. I did not even get the chance to really thank her because, when I went back to collect my cake, she had already headed home for the evening.
This morning, as I rode the bus to campus, I got to smile about something else unexpected that, if I had not just been watching the world go by, I would have missed. At one street, there was an older woman, dressed smartly in her long coat and red scarf, trying to cross the street to the grocery store. The bus slowed down and stopped for her, even though she was not at the intersection. To my enjoyment, as this woman make her way slowly across in front of us, she blew the bus driver a kiss. It touched me as a perfectly extravagant and wonderful way to say thanks. I think I don't blow kisses to strangers nearly often enough (don't worry, I'll be careful not to do this in any pubs : ).
Classes start tomorrow so I was in to library all day today read up on international human rights, the definition of and foundations for human rights and arguments regarding the definition of citizenship. This is just for my two classes tomorrow. I only have 12 hours of class a week but, if today's reading assignment was any indication, I am going to be quite busy doing homework in the hours I am not in class. I am a little anxious about being back in school but I am also looking forward to it. I will let you know how it goes!

Conversation overhead in the bathroom:
A: Are you alright?
B: I think so but I will ask the bartender if he has plaster. I usually have some in my purse but I forgot today.

So, remember, always carry plasters. You never know when you might need some!

Rotary District Conference, Cork, Ireland

(Written on Saturday, 29 Sept. 2007)

Ahh, a few moments of quiet, sitting in the cloudy sunshine, not shaking hands, asking or answering questions or meeting anyone new, are precious moments in the midst of a busy conference. Don’t get me wrong because it has been a great conference and I have enjoyed talking with people from the Rotary District 1160 over the last few days. I also enjoyed riding from Dublin to Cork with the president of my host Rotary club, Tony Stafford from Dublin Fingal Club, and his wife. I meet two other members of the Fingal club yesterday morning. (picture to the left)

The theme for the conference is “Ireland – The Way Forward” and I have been impressed by the candor and thoroughness with which the various speakers have spoken about the past and about current challenges facing Ireland – both north and south. The keynote speakers have been truly amazing. The most notable for me were two speakers who talked about Northern Ireland. Fergal Keane, a BBC reporter and recipient of numerous awards recognizing his work, spoke through a DVD presentation because he was unexpectedly sent to Burma at the end of last week and could not be with us in person. The power of his personality and insights commanded the attention of the room without him even being there in person. He spoke about his experiences as a reporter in Northern Ireland, the growth that has happened there and some of what still needs to be done. I was impressed by his readiness to admit how wrong he had been a few years ago when he concluded that nothing would change to bring peace. He said that he failed to give attention to the local communities and individuals who were making courageous efforts in their own ways to bring about peace and to cross lines of conflict. He also said that there is a great deal of healing that still needs to be done and that a shared narrative needs to be developed, across lines, to education the children about the truth, without it being corrupted by dogma. It makes me wonder how this might apply to neighborhoods and ongoing conflicts in the US.

Another speaker who was quite impressive was Sir Hugh Orde who has been the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) for five years. He spoke eloquently and powerfully, while a small group of people protested his presence outside the conference center, about the transformation in Northern Ireland and the efforts of everyone, not just the police force, in bring about that transformation. I was impressed by his courage to lead, to bring change and to point to others when praised for the changes that have occurred.

Courage was a theme repeated again and again throughout the conference and I was reminded that, for people here, conflict within their neighborhoods is not that far in their past. My people commented on the courage it takes to end conflict and to allow their own views and opinions to change and be changed to end violence. It has been a good lesson to me and I wonder if I would have the courage necessary if faced with similar challenges.

The funnest part of this conference has been getting to know the other ambassadorial scholars (picture to the right). There are 10 of us in Ireland, Republic of and Northern Ireland; nine who came to Ireland to study and one who just was notified of her acceptance into the scholarship program who will be heading to Africa in a year and a half. We all just met each other but I feel like the whole group has really, really clicked. From staying in the same B&B to commuting to and from the conference together to the dinner and dancing last night, we are having a great time hanging out and getting to know each other. The group of us are scattered all around Ireland but I have a feeling we are going to be visiting each other often.

Picture I promised

Here is a picture of Margaret's garden room that I was enjoying during my first day in Ireland.

Week two

Thanks for all the comments and well wishes (and the architectural information :)! It really helps me to feel connected to all of you despite the distance. I am hoping to post something new once a week but I am not sure what my schedule is going to be like once I start classes next Monday. I spent the last 4 days at the Rotary District conference and, once I can find a plug adapter that will work with my three-pronged computer cord (hopefully today), I will post my thoughts on that experience (I typed them on my computer while I was in Cork).

There is a clock tower not far from the house where I am currently staying that tolls every 15 minutes. It is probably something you would get used to after a while and not even notice. But, because of its unique toll, it catches my attention more often than not. It is not the tune that makes it unique because it is a tune I recognize, although I cannot think of the name. What makes it unique is it really sounds like a drunken Irishman is doing the ringing. It starts out okay, for about the first two notes, then the bells kind of stumble through the rest of the song, not staying in rhythm at all. It is quite funny actually. I asked someone if they were church bells and he seemed very confused by the question and could not answer. I think it might be coming from the tower at the "town hall" which is not actually a town hall at all. Go figure.
It is nice to be in a country where I can speak the same language (mostly) as the people around me. But I am not sure if it makes the change in culture any easier, although I would think it would. But is almost like hearing a song that is slightly out of tune - you know what it is supposed to sound like but it does not quite fit. Or it is like when you hear a song and think you know it but then it changes into something completely different and unfamiliar. There is a feeling of things being not quite what you know or expecting that leaves me slightly off kilter most of the time. Moving to and living in Asia was like hearing and trying to learn a song that was completely new. I knew everything was going to be very different and I expected that. Here, things look like I should know them, but I don't. It is a different type of adjusting that I am still trying to figure out.
I do think I am finally getting used to cars coming at me from the opposite side of the road than I am used to. I often find myself going back to childhood but instead of repeating "left-right-left", I need to remember the opposite and repeat to myself, before you cross the street, remember to look right-left-right. I guess it is working since I have not been hit yet.

Well, I guess I should get going with my day - pack up my stuff so I can move into my more permanent digs tonight, walk up to Trinity and meet up with another scholar named Silvia,
go shopping for things we both need to get set up, and who knows what else.

Ladies, a note in case you even visit Ireland, if someone offers you a ride, be careful of your answer. Over here, if someone is offering to drive you somewhere, they will offer you a lift. A "ride" is something completely different.