My First Weekend in Dublin

Hello! I can't believe my first weekend has passed and I start with YAP tomorrow!  This weekend I was very busy!  My mom's friend took me out Friday and Saturday.  We went to Howth, ate fish and chips, walked around Dublin, and saw an Irish play at the Gaeity Theatre on Friday.  On Saturday I went to eat breakfast with her at her hotel, which happened to be where the English rugby team was staying (there was a HUGE rugby match between Ireland and England today).  I chatted with a few of them, and they were very nice!  I felt conflicted about wanting them to win, because I love England and they were so nice, and wanting Ireland to win, because this is my home base for the next two months.  We ended up running into the Irish rugby team on a walk later in the day, when we went to walk around the Shelbourne Hotel.  This is a famous hotel, where the Beatles and Stones have stayed, and also where treaties were signed.  There was a mini-Shelbourne museum in the lobby which had a draft of the Irish constitution and guestbooks from a long time ago (early 1900s I think).  We walked through the Horseshoe Bar where politicians tend to go during the weekdays.  Today I met up with a different family friend, who also showed me around Dublin.  Two of my roommates and I all watched the rugby match, and later three of my roommates and I went out for dinner.

To be honest, the first two days here I felt very lonely and missed home terribly, especially my Casey Boo Boo Bear, because I can talk with everyone else I miss, but I (obviously) can't communicate with my dog.  Today I felt more settled, though, I think because I walked around and got lost, which helped me better learn the layout of the city.

Here's my Casey Bear, in case you've never had the pleasure of meeting her.

I know, she's adorable.

I discovered a couple of things over this weekend I thought I'd share.  First, it's much cheaper to sublet a room than to stay in a hostel.  It's actually about half the cost or even less than half the cost.  I really do like the hostel I'm staying in; it's easily the nicest hostel I've ever stayed in.  It's also extremely close to the city centre, a really great location.  However, a more residential location that is nearly half the cost of staying here, with my own bedroom and en suite bathroom, kitchen, and I don't need to lock my things in a locker/live out of a suitcase, is pretty hard to argue against.  I'm slightly torn about staying in the hostel, though, because it is such a great location and a great way to meet people, but I think in the long run having a more (for lack of a better word) stable home for the next two months will be better for me financially and psychologically.  I think, also, that with a sublet I can be more confident leaving my things at home for a long weekend, instead of having to pack ALL my things every time I travel outside of Dublin/need to change living arrangements.  This week I'm going to look at some rooms, so hopefully I find one fast and can save some money on living costs ASAP!

Another thing I discovered is that Dublin and Ireland really does have social issues!  It's kind of silly that it took actually coming here for me to accept this, but even knowing for months I'd be coming here to intern as a social worker, it was hard for me to imagine that a place as beautiful as Ireland could actually have social issues.  The one I have most been confronted with is homelessness.  I was kind of shocked to see homeless people on the streets of Dublin.  I know about the financial crisis that is going on, but I think it was always a distant reality for me until I saw it with my own eyes.  I've also learned which areas are safer than others, which I'm happy to have found out so early in my time here.  There was even a protest here this weekend!  I thought protests were things that "the people" supported, but I learned from a few conversations that a lot of people actually don't support them, at least not this one.  Protests here are not typically violent, but they do shut down city streets, which means it's hard or impossible to get through areas of the city, taxi drivers lose money, and more money is spent on Garda for patrolling the protest.  It was interesting for me, though, because I've never been near an actual protest before. 

That was basically my first weekend here!  I'm looking forward to getting into my schedule, and I have a feeling that time is going to move too fast once I start interning and writing papers for class.  I'm hoping to be able to explore a place other than Dublin every other weekend. Wish my luck in actually getting school work done so I can accomplish this :)

Have a great week!