Day Four of the Dublin Adventure

Today was a busy and adventurous day. We took our first venture out past Dublin on the DART rail system to our job interviews, in the coastal towns of Blackrock and Dun Laoghaire (pronounced "leerey," for those like us who can make no sense of the Gaelic phonetic scheme). Speaking of the Gelic phonetic scheme, we were forcibly "taught" Gaelic at a pub today by a non-Irish woman from MARYLAND, who EUSA arranged to bring some culture to our lives. None of us were terribly interested, as it was hard to understand, and it was just serving to delay the ordering of our free drinks.

Afterwards, an Irish man forcibly "taught" us a Gaelic drinking song, and we all just sang along (or mumbled incoherently) for the first few rounds of the song, but after about the 312th repetition, we were just bored and ready to go.

But, back to the job interviews. First off, Whitney did not really have an interview per-se, but more of a short sit-down meeting atop boxes. The woman she was supposed to meet with will be leaving for a preggers break, so she talked with another man who worked at the company. Whitney will start her 9-5 on Tuesday and is curious to see how it will go. At first, she was told that they would have to make room for her, but when she let them know that she was a designer, he seemed to be more enthusiastic about taking on another intern, as they are strapped in the design department right now.

Duncan's job is with a youth outreach group in Blackrock, and will have more erratic hours than Whitney's. Tuesday, for instance, he starts at 2 pm, and some days he doesn't even come in at all, because of the afternoon structure of the Urban Junction. That is all ok, though, as it gives him time to branch out with some local churches, and to take on some extracurricular sightseeing as well. Plus, he gets to wear jeans and t-shirts.

The coastline, though littered with trash and somewhat neglected, is nevertheless very beautiful, and we are both very fond of the towns we have been placed in. The commute for each of us is about an hour and a half, which, all told, is better than most Atlanta commutes, and we don't even have to drive. The buses, though utterly vague and confusing as to where exactly they are stopping, are still clean and plentiful. The rail line is also very efficient, and I would trade a rush-hour drive into Atlanta for this ANY day.

That's the update for now-- here are some pictures! Sorry we did not have cameras today to post many good pictures, but here are a few.

This is a picture of most of the Berry kids-- Beth, me, Jordan, Whitney, and Kelly out and about, causing havoc throughout Dublin. Be sure to note how mod I look in my new track jacket--VERY Euro, I might say :-)


Despite the fact that the name of this restaurant is my middle name, it is decidedly uncool-- 400 Euro for a meal? The REAL Duncan "Shanahan" Meadows would never charge that.

Whitney, bemused and slightly discomforted by our singing Irish friend.

Talk about style AND function. Check out Whitney in her new Euro-style kicks!

A Rainy Day in Dublin Town

We spent some time in St. Stephen's Green today, and upon entering was the biggest gathering of pigeons the world has ever known (a.k.a. my worst fear).



I had to prove that I was brave and actually walked through the pigeon masses. These pigeons weren't mangy like the ones in New Orleans, so not as bad... but these were a good bit bigger.



St. Stephen's Green







A waterfall at the Green



Gorgeous Iris (would look nice in a wedding bouquet...)



(Just a reference to see how big the flowers are)



There are a ton of calla lilies around here as well (these were at St. Stephen's Green).



This is one of the flower stands on Grafton Street with the gorgeous flowers!



This is the inside of a mall. We thought it very pretty, and very un-American for a mall.



These are some of the HUGE flowers (I took this for you mom). Aren't those roses big? And many people have them in their front gardens! Also popular are the HUGE calla lilies.



Unfortunately, the weather was not quite as wonderful today as it was yesterday. It was rainy (usually only drizzling, though) and windy... and rather chilly today. That didn't stop the masses from hitting the streets though. Downtown Dublin stays very well populated (it reminds me a bit of New York City).

We spent the first part of today trying to get some sort of grasp of the bus system (which we did fairly well on... no mistakes, but no huge risks either :)). We also found where we will need to get on the DART for our jobs. We both have our official interviews tomorrow (so wish us luck).

We also hit up some of the stores today. I bought some new walking shoes (because the ones we bought specifically for this trip were giving me blisters in about five different places), a scarf (because it is colder than I had anticipated here), a little hoodie of sorts and a cell phone (just can't get by without one anymore).

I am asking Duncan if he bought anything today, but he's playing with the radio on his phone (he's very excited). Now he's doing an Irish jig.

I had to force Duncan to buy a beer because I had to use the restroom in a pub. He didn't want to, but I assured that he must. I don't think he minded too much.

We also set off the smoke alarm in our apartment when we were cooking dinner. We're not exactly sure how, but yay for being the first to do so.

We've also learned that Dubliners walk extremely fast, and Americans do not. I think a man with a cane passed us today. Other than that, I think we are slowly getting into the swing of things.

Love you all!

To End the Day...

Duncan drank his first pint.

Things We Saw Today (a verbal review)

We started the day waiting outside our apartment with all of the other EUSA kids. We took our first Irish bus ride into the city (O'Connell Street) and walked what seemed like forever until we arrived to the EUSA offices. We spent the morning doing orientation stuff (really just talking about what to expect and what is expected of us). Then we (the Berry kids) set off to find Trinity College. We did a brief walk around the campus and we got some help with our student cards from a very Irish man.

Then we went to Grafton Street which was a lot like being at Disney World as Kelly commented. The roads are closed off so there are people everywhere and tons of shops and many flower stands with "beautiful, lush, and fragrant flowers for rock bottom prices," says Duncan. We lost a colleague along the way, but hopefully he'll make his way back soon.

Then we went to the big bus station to purchase our bus and rail passes for the next month (it's a small fortune). Then we chased down a bus to get home. We weren't sure where to get off, but we made it okay. None of the bus stops have street names on them, so it's really just your best guess as to where to get off. There were also a lot of little boys going home from school... spitting on the floor and cursing. Irish people are funny so far. We saw an old man mowing his lawn in a suit too. There are also many dogs frolicking about the sidewalks... most of them quite squatty and alone. They seem happy though.

The best sight of today... was our luggage! It made it today, so that was grand.

The sun does not set until about 11 or so here, so that is interesting. We were told it rises around 3:30 in the morning, but we were dead asleep at that point. The adjustment to Irish time has been pretty easy (partially due to our messed up flight schedule) but we're still pretty tired- though nothing that a good sleep wouldn't set straight.

So far our experience has been much like being in the States, except the traffic is worse and you get a view of the traffic from one flight up. Also, we saw a billboard for a CONVERTIBLE FOCUS. Now that's amazing. And if you think the advertising is risque in the States, wow... you need to come here.

Tomorrow we have plans to try to find where we will be working which will consist of traveling down Dublin's coast. Hopefully there will be many good pictures (and maybe even some with us in them.)

-Duncan and Whitney

P.S. Sorry the pictures are crooked, I was trying to take them as quickly as possible because I don't want to look like a tourist (even though I am.)

Things We Saw Today (a pictoral review)

St. Anne's Cathedral close up


This is a view of St. Anne's' Cathedral (a view from Grafton Street). We spotted it from a very urban part of town, so it is strange to see a lot of modern life around something so old.


This is at Trinity College. It is packed with tourists... and we decided to go back to go see the Book of Kells Friday (we think).


This is a view outside of Trinity College onto Grafton Street.


This is one view of the Liffey River.


This is another view of the Liffey River. It goes through the heart of Dublin.


This was a pretty building off of Grafton Street. A lot of the buildings have flowers around windows and/or doorways, and the flowers are amazing here!!

A few pictures from our experience thus far...

Us when we were happy to be at an airport...

View from the plane #1

View from the plane #2 (doesn't quite do it justice)

Notice the little black marks on my hand between my thumb and pointer finger... that's what happens when you try to plug a hair dryer in with just a plug converter without accounting for the voltage difference.

This is the one thing we have on our walls... a little strange, we thought. So, please send us pictures, or something.

This is the view from Whitney's window... very Irish, no?

This is the view from our common area.

It may be juvenile, but this was funny when we first saw it... they love cigarettes, silly!

Arrived

Well, Duncan and I finally made it here.

Long story short...
We left Philly at the time we were originally supposed to land in Dublin...
... and we have no luggage. That's right.
We each have one outfit... and we bought some underwear (and I bought a dress in case we have to interview, and some pjs, because, boy, did I need something comfortable!)

Overall, not a fun experience getting here, but for a few minutes when we could finally see it from the plane, it was astonishingly beautiful- worth everything to see something so gorgeous.

We're borrowing a power adapter until ours arrive (hopefully) with the rest of our luggage, so these updates will probably be brief for the next few days.

Berry e-mail is down too, but hopefully we'll be able to check that.

Thanks--
Whitney

We're leaving....

.... on a jet plane.....
:) see you all from the Emerald Isle....

My side of things

So, as Whitney said, I haven't really heard much specific on my placement, but the fact that I can work within an older and more traditional brand of Christianity than the American flavor is so appealing to me. Whatever I am doing there, it will be a welcome reinvigoration of my spiritual life-- my faith can be exciting to me again. I will be part of it, intently, every day, in an atmosphere of holiness removed from my somewhat jaded and disconnected relationship with the churches at home.

It's a chance that I have been praying about for a while now, and God has (as always) delivered in a way I would never have thought of, and completely so. My hope on this internship is that I can again feel close to Him in my every day walk of life, and that I gain a new perspective on my faith and this world.

Now, I wonder... if I pray for a giant bag of money to fall from the sky so that I can pay for this trip...

Only a few more days. Can't wait.

The Wait is Partially Over...

So, Duncan got a "maybe" placement, and I got a real placement :)
Duncan is perhaps working for the Church of Ireland. That would be a unique place for him to be, a very different style of church than either of us is used to. Maybe I can talk him into blogging a bit about his thought on the subject!

I will be working with Ireland Hospitality-- a magazine dedicated to the food and drink district in Ireland. It looks pretty amazing, and it is located on the "Irish Riviera." I'll be close to a port, and thus, obviously, on the water, and the pictures I have seen of the surrounding area looks just beautifully peaceful!

It is hard to believe that we are leaving on Sunday!

We're working hard to get everything together before we leave... figuring out how phones will work, what we need for computers to work, how to pack as light as possible (trust me, it's hard for this fashonista :))

Whitney

Leaving Next Sunday

Hello All!

Well, we are leaving for Dublin on Sunday. We are both very excited, and a little nervous. Neither of us have heard where we are working yet... which is a little nerve-wracking, but we're trusting the Lord to put us where we belong, can learn the most, and bring Him the most glory.

We officially bought our airline tickets to Naples, Italy, bought our eurail passes, and booked our stays in the hostels this weekend. We're "camping" out in a few places. It should be very interesting. If you know me (Whitney) you probably know I don't do camping very well, but I think things will change when I'm just excited to be in Europe.

The plan for the last portion of our trip is as follows:

We leave Dublin for Naples, Italy July 14.
July 15 we are visiting Pompeii (and possibly climbing Mt. Vesuvius in name of Jen :))
That evening we will be traveling to Rome.
July 16 will be spent in Rome, and that night we will be traveling to Florence.
We're spending two nights in Florence, because what an amazing city!! We didn't think we could see what we wanted to in just one day.
July 19 we are traveling to Arles, France. We're not staying the night there, just spending some time during the day and sleeping on the train.
July 20 we will arrive in Barcelona. We are spending the night there and then the evening of July 21 we will move on to Madrid. We will spend two nights there, and then July 23 we will board the flight home!

So, on that note, if you have recommendations of places to visit in the cities we will be in (keeping in mind that we only have short amount of times to be there...) please let us know!

Hopefully the next you hear from us, we'll know where we will be working!

Please keep us in your prayers!

Thanks-