apartments, houses, and day trips

I really should update more often than every two weeks. So much has happened, I hardly know where to begin! I suppose it makes sense to start with the big news - we found an apartment! The relocation service provided by Jason's work was incredibly helpful. On Monday of last week, the relocation specialist took us on an "orientation" trip. We basically drove around a bunch of neighborhoods in the Dublin area to give us an idea of what they're like. This was even more helpful than it might sound: County Dublin, including the suburban areas, is basically a collection of lots of small towns and villages, and each one of them has a distinct "feel." Jason and I had been to several different places on previous trips - Dalkey, Killiney, Shankill, Dun Laoghaire, Bray, Saggart, Clontarf, Howth, Balgriffin, the Docklands... - but there are just so many! On this orientation trip, we added to that list: Castleknock, Sandymount, Booterstown, Monkstown, Carrickmines, Sandyford, Dundrum, Milltown, and Ranelagh. All in one day, too!

On Wednesday of last week, we looked at apartments. Our options were somewhat limited by having a pet, and several apartments put on our itinerary on Tuesday were already let by Wednesday (I told you the market moved quickly!!), but we did view four pretty nice places. The first one was in Castleknock (on the far side of Phoenix Park), and was really quite nice. We then viewed apartments in Clontarf and Dun Laoghaire - neither were bad, but they were both a bit dated and on the upper end of our price range. The final place we viewed was a one bedroom apartment on Fitzwilliam Square right in the city centre - and we're signing the lease tomorrow! The apartment is very close to Jason's work, and being in the city centre, it's convenient for me to get to campus by bus. It's also convenient to basically everything else! :) The apartment is the top floor of an office building, so we shouldn't have any noise problems. Also, this is the first time the rooms have been let as an apartment - they had previously been offices, as well, so it's just been renovated and all the kitchen appliances are brand new. It's a quirky place, but so I think it will suit us nicely. :) The end of this building (the first column of windows on the right side of the building in this picture, stretching all the way back) is the office building, and the top row of tiny windows all across the top is our apartment:

We don't have any pictures of the inside yet, but we'll fix that in the next few days!! We can't wait to move in!

Also, Jason and I have been cooking lots of great things. As you might guess, we've had a lot of potatoes. :) We've also figured out how to make good baked potato chips (crisps? lol, still sounds weird): we slice the potatoes as thin as we can, sprinkle with a bit of salt, and bake at 180C on a wire rack for 25 minutes. So easy, and you don't even need to use any oil! We also got great lamb burgers from a butcher on the north side of town. It's bizarre: chicken is sometimes hard to find and expensive when you do, but lamb is everywhere. No complaints here!

Speaking of which, we've also had lots of great food with Jason's parents, who are visiting this week! First, we took them to some of the places we've found: Gallagher's Boxty House (a place in Temple Bar that serves lots of different potato dishes; Jason and I first went on our school trip with Dr. Madden!), Paulie's Pizza, Neon (Asian street food), and of course, the Queen of Tarts. :) I also got this mug:

The new places we've been: Jo'Burger, which is a quirky burger place out in Rathmines, and Viva, a great tapas place. We're planning on trying a sushi place tonight... it's dangerous, finding all these great restaurants within walking distance! Jason and I clearly like food a little too much. :P

We have done lots of other things besides eating, I swear. One of the reasons Jason's parents came to visit was to go looking at houses with us. On Saturday, we all went up to Portmarnock for an open house viewing.  This was the house we looked at:

The house was lovely and well laid out, but we weren't in love with it, and I'm not sure that Portmarnock is the area for us - it's quite, quite small, but unlike some other areas, the houses are still cramped together. (This is something we're probably going to have to get used to, though - detached houses are rare enough, and truly private yards (called gardens here) are almost non-existent.) While in Portmarnock, we ate at the Oasis Bar and Grill, enjoying the quiet and the beautiful views out over the ocean:

Next, we took the bus to Balgriffin to look again at a house we checked out when we came in May. It's a beautiful place, but a bit expensive:

We're still in love with it, to be honest, but we're obviously not going to rush into anything for many reasons, not the least of which being we have a 1-year lease on our apartment. It's overwhelming, though, even trying to imagine making a huge decision like buying a house. :/ I didn't expect to feel this way, but I'm kind of glad we don't have to do that right away.

On Sunday, we spent the day walking around Merrion Square and St. Stephens Green. The weather was unbelievable, and "early" in the morning (probably around 9am?), the parks were practically empty. Here are some shots from Merrion Square park:

And of course we visited my good friend Oscar Wilde:

Monday, while poor Jason was at work, Tom and Daisy and I went on a day trip to the Cliffs of Moher! The last time I went, on the school trip where Jason and I met, it was pouring rain when we went to the cliffs, so I was especially excited that the forecast showed only a small chance of rain - and we were not disappointed. The weather for the entire day was fantastic: warm and sunny. We left Dublin early in the morning - 7am. The first place we stopped was Bunratty Castle. We were only there for about 20 minutes (it was essentially a rest stop on our way west), but it seems like a great place for a future day trip: the 15th century castle is fitted with 15th and 16th century furniture and decorations; they do dinner and shows in the castle in the evenings; and there is also a walled garden and a folk park, which is "a living reconstruction of the homes and environment of 19th century Ireland." Sounds fun, right? Here's the castle:

And here's some pretty place in the countryside on our drive west (around Moneygall, I think?):

Next we went to the Cliffs of Moher, and to say it was windy would be a gross understatement. I would not have been too surprised if the wind lifted a couple people and blew them over the cliffs (thankfully, there were lots of stone walls to prevent this from happening, though I saw one or two foolhardy individuals running along the tiny ledge outside the walls...?). It was stunning, though, and we had an hour and a half to walk around and enjoy these views:

Next we ate lunch at a place called Fitzpatrick's Bar in Doolin, which had really good seafood chowder. We went to the Burren, and stopped by Corcomroe Abbey for a few pictures. Here are some shots of the Burren:

I look closer to the edge than I really am. Seriously. I was terrified. :P

Tom climbed up, but I was already too tired by that point to follow, so I took pictures from down by the bus, lol.

And here's Corcomroe Abbey:

 Finally, some pretty shots from the bus on our drive back to Dublin:

This one is Dunguaire Castle, which also does dinner and Medieval shows. It might be corny, but I'm sure it beats Medieval Times and I'm not ashamed to admit that I really enjoyed that, lol.

So, what else has been going on... oh, Jason and I finally joined the modern world and got smart phones! All of these pictures come to you via my new HTC One. Also, I started my Research Methods course at UCD. Basically, I have to take two classes (called modules) while I'm at UCD, but they're essentially professional development type things. This one is basic research skills (today was how to use Special Collections, and, as I expected, it's the same process as in the States, except UCD has FANTASTIC Joyce and Yeats collections, among other Irish authors!), and the other one I'll probably end up taking next year is "Tutorial Training," which looks like a less intensive version of the teaching training I got at UK. So those requirements are a bit... tedious? But at least they shouldn't be difficult. The difficult part was in scheduling this stupid class and figuring out where and when it meets. I'm fairly certain (but still not 100%, somehow) that I missed the first class - the administration in the English department never answers my emails, and doesn't have much information when I go talk to them in person, either. The organizer of the class wasn't there today - a librarian gave the presentation on Special Collections - so I'll try to figure out who the organizer actually is (part of the information shortage), and email said person. I would have done that sooner, but the admin said she would do that for me, but of course all is silent on the email front. O.o In any case, if I did miss the first class, then I have now missed the first class meeting for each of my three degrees: for my undergrad at USC, the class location was changed at the last minute, and I didn't have my computer on campus to find the new location in time to get to class; for my master's at UK, I asked for special permission to join a class that was already full, but I didn't KNOW I had actually received said special permission until the class had already met once (once again, email delay - I could have used a smart phone a LONG time ago); and now, this. So I keep telling myself that I'm well used to this sort of thing, and it's always turned out fine. 

I THINK that gets you up to date. I took hundreds more pictures than the ones I posted here, but our internet usage is limited in this temporary housing, so I can't upload too many. Once we get the internet hooked up in our new apartment, I can upload pictures to Facebook and you can see more pictures of the Irish countryside than you probably ever wanted to look at - it sounds ridiculous even as I type it, but I really did go a bit overboard.

back to work

Things are starting to feel a lot more normal and a lot less like vacation now that I’ve actually gone back to “work.” Research has once again become my sole purpose for living. I can tell that I’m going to have to make a conscious effort to put down the books every once in a while or I might not even notice that I’ve relocated!

Speaking of which, last Saturday, Jason and I went out to Dún Laoghaire for a walking tour with Declan Hughes, one of the many Irish crime writers I’ve read over the past few years. We walked to several locations along the coast where key scenes in his first book (from which he read) were set - and also, because it’s Ireland, we were treated to a bit of Ulysses as well. :) It was a small group on the walk, and Declan Hughes was personable and funny and a wonderful performer. Saturday was also a reality check in terms of Irish weather: it was rainy and in the low 50s the entire day, but felt much colder because of the wind. At the end of the walk, my hands were so cold I felt like I couldn’t move my fingers; I’ve never been so happy to overpay for a coffee in my entire life. :P Since then, the weather has been consistently cool and cloudy with occasional rain. You might think I’m crazy, but it’s perfect! With my aversion to heat, I honestly don’t know how I survived so many summers in the South. In any case, here are a few pictures:

The week was a bit exhausting, too: Tuesday, I had a lunch for new graduate students in the College of Arts and Celtic Studies - only it wasn’t very organized, and I didn’t actually meet anyone else in the English department. At least it was free lunch, even if it was just bland chicken on a bun. :P Wednesday began the Memory and Trauma conference: there was a workshop for graduate students with Kali Tal, who does work in trauma theory. I’ve planned on including a chapter on traumatic memory in my thesis so this was a good way to jump-start my thinking on the topic. Thursday and Friday were conference presentations. It was wonderful to hear so many papers engaged with memory theory and contemporary Irish literature! People always say that conferences are great for getting new perspectives on your research, meeting good contacts, etc., but I hadn’t yet been to one that was relevant to my own work, so this was a great experience for the beginning of my studies in Ireland. Like I said, though, being around so many people this week was exhausting for someone with social anxiety, so I’m looking forward to more solitary scholarship next week. :)

Also on the books for next week - apartment hunting with the relocation expert courtesy of Jason’s work! We’re going on a kind of “tour” of some different neighborhoods around Dublin on Monday to get an idea of which areas we like best, and then viewing apartments on Wednesday. I'm so ready to find a more permanent place!

getting oriented

I think every update for the foreseeable future is going to begin this way, but: quite a lot has happened in the past week! Last Saturday, we moved out of the hotel and into the apartment, where we’ll spend about 1 month total. Now begins the fun part of finding our own housing! Looking for houses = fun; looking for apartments = stressful and usually depressing. Stressful because the listings change so quickly (when a good place comes onto the market, it’s gone in hours), and depressing because prices are [understandably] so much higher than they were in Kentucky. I mean, obviously they are, and we knew that way before we got here, but the pictures are just so sad and cramped, haha. I’m sure we’ll find something we like, though - the apartment we have now isn’t spectacular, but it’s totally acceptable. I’m pretty easy to please. 

Sunday, Jason and I had a nice lazy day before he started work on Monday. We walked around in Iveagh Gardens, a gorgeous park just a block or so from our apartment, and much less crowded than good old St. Stephens Green. Here are some pictures:

While Jason went to work on Monday, I spent the day running errands: grocery shopping, going to the wine store (I’ve already found *my place* - Jason and I waste no time building a routine), buying a bus pass for getting to campus, walking around St. Stephens Green listening to a recorded lecture on Irish memory studies (in all honesty, that was the moment I felt like I’d really made it, like something I’d imagined doing when I daydreamed about “living in Ireland” - like I said, easily pleased :P), and of course, reading. Jason said his work day went well - lots of introductions and new information to take in, and loads of paperwork, but the work environment seems great.

The next day was considerably less exciting: mostly, it involved doing laundry. We have a combination washer/dryer - all in one machine! It blew my mind! Well, the dryer function is subpar, to put it nicely, so I also spent a good chunk of time trying to find places to hang damp clothing (we have a shortage of both wardrobe space and clothes hangers). I also reviewed my research notes and was pleasantly surprised to recall that I do actually have a few good ideas. :P Jason came home early and we walked over to the place he has to go to get a PPS number (basically, social security number; he needs one in order to get paid), and the line was ridiculous. After we got the application, we left (he went back the next morning and was out in only about an hour). We also properly cooked a meal for the first time since our arrival - potatoes, cured ham, and eggs. I can’t tell you how good it felt to cook something, not just repurpose leftovers!

Wednesday was my first day on campus at UCD! I didn’t have any kind of orientation event until later in the evening, so I spent the morning at the giant used bookstore in the city centre (dangerous, I know. Shelves upon shelves of fabulous Irish fiction at discount prices…), and then went to campus earlier than I really needed to in order to pick up my student ID and student travel card, and to find all the buildings I’d need in the upcoming days. I’m really glad Jason and I used the buses so often during our last trip to Dublin - now I know what I’m doing and don’t even have to think (aka worry) about it. I had so much time to kill on campus (and no library access yet - it takes 24 hours once you pick up your student ID, boo) that I basically just walked the entire time in between picking up those cards (around… 2pm?) and the international welcome reception at 7:30. (I can’t tell you how many miles I’ve walked since we got here! Having no car and being too cheap to use public transport for anything under a 30 minute walk… it’s a great way to get exercise without really thinking about it, but I’m spending so much more money on food! haha). I didn’t take too many pictures of campus because it was just so crowded - first years and international students in orientation this week (nothing makes me feel as old as being around large groups of college freshman, oh my goodness) - but I did get a couple shots: one of the woodland walkways on the edge of campus, and one of the lake in the centre of campus.

The welcome reception for international students was nice; it was mostly personal, social, and cultural advice - ask for help if you need it; don’t forget to explore the country while you’re here - which, while it was nothing new, was good to hear. They also gave out UCD scarves and backpacks, and they even had wine at the reception (for probably a thousand people). Classy!

Today was the big one: meeting my advisor. She’s been unbelievably nice and helpful via email, so I didn't have anything to worry about other than me being awkward, but I needn't have worried about that, either. She gave me so much helpful info and advice about the English department, the UCD library (and how, as an Irish postgraduate student, I can get access to other Irish university libraries, including Trinity… sweet!), a research methodology class I’m being signed up for this semester, and even the possibility of teaching next year! That was a wonderful surprise. Obviously I don’t have any details yet, but it would be amazing if that worked out! In terms of my doctoral thesis, I’m going to spend the next two months or so reading and expanding my bibliography, then enhancing and revising my thesis proposal, and then we’ll discuss where to start writing (btw, having been used to the American academic system, I’m still in awe that I’m actually writing my dissertation / thesis already!). 

So now, I imagine, things will start feeling even more like normal, as I begin frantically researching. At least it's mostly just reading for the moment, and I can do that anywhere... I'll have to take advantage of the gorgeous weather while it lasts (sunny and right around 70F)!