Expectations

As I am laying on my bed, trying to fall asleep yet again I keep thinking to myself what sort of blog I want this to be. I will obviously be putting up a million pictures (er, as soon as I take some). But the entry I wrote last night is depressing, it shows a side of me that I wouldn’t necessarily always share if I were home. I’m not what I call a crier, but I have cried more in the past few days than probably in the entire last few months of my life. I thought about not posting this entry, about trying to keep my blog as just a “travel” blog. Documenting what I do and see. But then I figured that wouldn’t really be honest. If you guys wanted to read that sort of a thing about Ireland you could buy a travel book, watch the travel channel, stick with the romanticized view everyone seems to have. This blog is about me, and my experiences, good or bad. Thus far it has been a lot of confusion, stress, sickness and asking “I'm sorry…er..what did you say?” although I am crossing my fingers I will soon be looking back at this and wondering what I was so worried about in the first place. I’d like for you to get a taste of what it would be like to head to a foreign country completely alone, and I’d like to be able to look back and remember. So there you are, now you know what to expect if you decide to keep reading. Pictures, observations, stories and rants, both positive and negative.

Sheets and Towels

Seeing as bringing sheets and towels would have taken up quite a bit of space and weight I didn’t have in my suitcase, I had to buy new ones when I got here. I somehow stumbled into this shop that had a “bargain basement” and got everything along with some silverware for about €45. So it wasn’t too bad. Anyways, I found this duvet cover that they only had one of left and it is actually cute. The rest were like beige and ugly but this is a pretty crimson with flowers. It is perfect because the curtains in my room are yellow, tan and cream and Jordyn bought me a tapestry for Christmas that has all of these colors in it. J Thanks again, girl! Anyways, I bought towels and whatnot in these colors and my room is now really cute and match-y. 

Let’s have a tour, shall we?

(Post from the night of my second day)

It’s just about midnight here and I finally got my room all situated. My clothes are put away, and since I have very few here with me I think that they might actually stay in the closet. This would be a first, folks, we will see how it pans out. I have my tapestry up which really warms the room in my opinion. Absolutely nothing is hung up straight but it was too difficult to judge by myself. My thumbs might never be the same again as I think these are the hardest walls of all time. OF ALL TIME. Anyways, my room is quite adorable and cozy and actually really large. Can I transport it and my private bathroom back to my future apartment in Seattle, please? Currently enjoying the comforts of a cup of noodles and Zoolander. J Hoping the Nyquil will kick in soon and I can fall asleep. xoxoE

My fridge! This soda tastes just like bubbly orange juice, the package says "some bits are crucial" because it has pulp... Now I just need to add some rum or something..

Speaking of alcohol, I totally bought a fifth in the liquor store. BECAUSE I COULD.

I found this on my floor. I dont know where it came from but it is now on my bulletin board. There is a couple petting a lion in the background. CASUAL.

My well organize closet!

My bed!

Check out my awesome tapestry

Desk, with very little on it

my very own bathroom... beautiful

Day Two

(Post is from the evening of Day two)

Today was hard. It wasn’t the smoothest or most productive of days either. As exhausted as I was last night, sleeping the night through proved to be very difficult. I slept from between the hours of 8p and midnight or so, (which was ) 0:03 on my phone when I woke up. haha. Anyways couldn’t sleep, looked at old pictures and wrote blog posts until about 5am (I'm just realizing how long of a time that was) and then went to sleep from 5-8, at which point I woke up for breakfast. I then proceeded to pass out until 3:30pm. Upon awakening I realized I would be doing very little today as the sun starts to set at “half four” and I am not yet comfortable enough with the buses, downtown or knowing where I am to be out when its dark. I began to unpack but got about as far as sorting dresses from shirts before I decided to go get my student card printed. I got that done fine, asked them about the wifi, it is obviously a problem with my laptop so I am going to go and see if I can talk to the IT services tomorrow. Spent an hour and a half or so on the computers in the “coffee and tea” room in the residential office then left for dinner. Solved the mystery of why I missed it last night. The residential people neglected to inform me that the hours were shortened because term hasn’t started yet. And while my “second seating” for dinner generally begins at 6:15, this week the hours are only 5-6. Lucky for me they had literally one portion of dinner left and I had some chow mein type noodles and pork, which was delicious. But dessert, dessert brightened my spirits. A giant bowl of delicious crepes, smothered with vanilla ice cream and maple syrup. Mmmmm it was so good. I think he gave me double portion because it was the leftovers. So with a full stomache I now sit in my dorm room, it is 7pm and I am going to put on sweats, blast some music and change this from a generic dorm room into my semi-permanent home. Tomorrow there are shopping and campus tours which I plan to attend, I know when my meals are and I will be situated. Either things are looking up or maple syrup is good for the soul. xoxoEEH

Beans, Beans the... breakfast food?

(Post is from the morning of day two)

Breakfast today was interesting… and also completely boring and lonely. I set my alarm for 7am because breakfast only goes (to my knowledge) from 7-9. First of all let me say, that is way too freaking early. 7 is a solid time for breakfast to start, but if they don’t even serve lunch, you would think they could keep it going until 10 or 11. Whatever, I guess I’ll get used to getting up early. So anyways I set my alarm for 7 because I am not about to miss another meal, but seeing as I went to bed around 5am I slept through the alarm, luckily I sorta kinda woke at 8 and checked the time, rolled out of bed and into some pants and headed downstairs. Luckily, there was food. I don’t know how the system works though. Do I serve myself? Can I have whatever I want? Is it by item? And the person working there is this asian girl who has no idea what I am asking her. Eventually I figure out (I think) that I can have either cereal, or a hot meal or toast? I actually don’t know if it is an either/or situation still. So I choose hot meal, which is primarily baked beans. Now, I would never in my life choose to eat baked beans. Beans have a kind of strange texture and they just aren’t my favorite, it’s not that I don’t like them and I will eat them happily enough but anyways. So I have this huge plate of beans, a tiny fried egg, one of those triangular hashbrowns and some ham/bacon type situation. Quite Irish and appropriate for my first breakfast I suppose. I find some juice which after an excruciating back and forth with the girl I determine I am allowed to have. The glasses were quite small though and I didn’t dare try to figure out if we are allowed seconds. Luckily in my confusion I still managed to ask her about coffee and was able to walk out with a hot cup which I will re-heat and enjoy when I wake back up again. That’s right, it’s bed time for me again. Time zones be damned. 

Well, I could sure use a drink right now, do you think that would help somehow?

(This blog is from my first night in Ireland)

It is 2am here as I write this. I haven't really been able to sleep, although I am completely exhausted. I don't want to complain a ton, but I am currently miserable. I can barely swallow and my throat hurts incessantly. I missed dinner somehow last night after not having eaten all day, luckily there is a student store but that is just more money I had to spend that I don't have. The internet won't work. I want to scream or punch a wall. I feel completely disconnected from everything I know and am constantly fending off tears. I met a few other international students yesterday, but they all came here with one another and as I did not yet have a phone, no way to contact anyone. I have yet to unpack as after my shopping yesterday I barely had the energy to even put sheets on my bed. The only person I met yesterday was this man on the bus who was rather helpful at first but then completely over-extended his welcome, and was really difficult to ditch. As I didn't know where I was or where I was going, I couldn't very well just hop off the bus before him and hope for the best. His over insistence that he "just walk me to the mobile shop and then we can go about getting your other things", and him making jokes about Americans the entire time made me really uncomfortable but what was I supposed to do? Everything here is more expensive, and even if it seems cheaper (2 Euro!) I have realize I am actually spending close to 4 with the exchange rate. Most of the students are still on break, and I can't tell if there is anyone else on my hall or not. I have a phone, and I was hoping to call home, but I don't know the country code and without internet I can't look it up. I have no idea what I am supposed to do with myself for the next few days, or how I will ever make any friends. If you were to fly a helicopter down to my dorm room and tell me I could go home right now, I'd be saying Hello, Seattle before you know it. I'm sure things will look up soon but right now I just don't know what to do. And it is so much worse because I thought I was going to be so fine and brave and now I am just a hot mess. I have been trying to sleep now for a few hours and it is all I want to do but my mind is racing, and every time it calms down enough that I think I'm close to sleep, my coughing begins again and I am wide awake once more. :(

This is the chaos that was my room for the first day and a half

I would say that this is a pretty good representation of how I felt when writing this blog

Internetz, Y U no work for me?

I can’t promise that these entries will be either eloquent or entertaining. I am exhausted in every way. I somehow missed my dinner time, although I was told 6:15, it was closed when I went down there. After a minor hunger-induced panic attack (I haven’t eaten all day) I remembered there was a student store(centra) and found myself some “Irish Beef Lasagna” it’s interesting. My internet won’t work and I am feeling more disconnected than ever. I am about ready to punch a wall. It’s nearly 8pm and I need to pass out and go to bed. I started falling asleep on the bus ride back, and was lucky enough to wake up (ish) just in time for the UCD stop. It’s hard to navigate a strange area in the dark. WORK, INTERNETZZZZ, WORK. I Just want the wifis.