Well, I successfully made it one full week in Dublin. I'm moved into my apartment (pics coming up soon), and I'm still truckin' along on the job search. It is very tough at the moment; a lot of no's. Yesterday I went to the Irish Times just to see if I could volunteer, but they said they had enough people and wouldn't need me. That was really disappointing because it would have been awesome to work a few works at the Irish Times, and it would have done wonders probably for my journalism career. But, I'm trying, and that is all that matters. At the moment, I am trying really hard to get a job at Starbucks. They told me to come back on Friday so I can talk to the district manager, so that has a glimmer of hope for me. Until then, I'll just keep handing out my résumés and hope for the best!
The weekend went pretty well. While I am still fighting the homesickness, I'm starting to get it under control. Saturday was such a long day because it was so cold and rainy outside, but Sunday I moved all my stuff into my apartment and spent my last night at the Ashfiled House hostel hanging out with the friends I made.
I met one kid from Germany, who was on a three week traveling expedition. He was not just traveling from hostel to hostel though, he spent 10 days walking around Ireland on walking trails and just camped by himself at night -- absolutely crazy. I met another kid from Canada, eh. He was awesome because we had so much in common. Other kids I met were from Australia, Boston and other various places around the US.
Monday was probably the toughest day for me while I have been in Ireland. Whether it was because I had to say goodbye to the group of friends I became so close with in such a short amount time at the hostel, or because of the anxiety of moving into my new place and having to meet a new group of strangers, it was just a stressful day overall. But after getting some friendly e-mails and talking with Mom and Dad, the horrible day quickly turned into a pleasant night. To try and fight some of the homesickness and to take my mind off the horrible job market, I took a bus tour around Dublin and got to see some pretty interesting and beautiful places.
The bus tours here are really cool. They are called "Hop on/Hop off" tours where you can get off at the Guinness Factory, St. Stephen' Green and other places like that. I just took the ride, though, and decided I will check out those places more in a better (and warmer) day.
So my apartment. It is definitely clean and quiet. But it is located in a shady neighborhood. My roommates are the exact opposite of mine from Madison, (which I have grown to miss quite dearly). Two girls are from India studying physics and pharmacy at Trinity College. Another girl is from Germany studying english at Trinity College. And, lastly, there is a married couple who are also trying to find jobs at the moment. I was hoping everyone would be very social here, but, instead, everyone just kind of locks themselves in their rooms at night. So hopefully when I get a job I meet some people that are a little bit more open and have things more in common with me.
But I think that about sums up everything for me right now. Keep sending those e-mails. They are really encouraging when I'm stuck walking around all day by myself trying to land that perfect job. Hope everyone is doing well!
Oh yeah, some of the pics I took on that tour are kind of bad because I was taking them as the bus was moving. So, just a little heads up for everyone...
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