Shalom!
I’ve spent some of this last week trying to organize my thoughts on the 10 days I spent in Israel, but I was distracted by other current events in my life, which I’ll get into in my next post because they’ll be relevant and story-worthy by then:) That’s a little teaser for you…
Going to Israel was one of those vacations you need a vacation to recover from, but those are the kind I like to take. It’s an intense place, with lots of energy, particularly in Jerusalem, where I spent the majority of my time. I saw a lot and did a lot, which took a lot out of me, especially when I started and ended my trip with 36-hour periods without sleep.
My cousin Erik has lived in Israel for the past three years, and since he is my only family this side of the Atlantic, I went to hang out with him over my Christmas holidays, and to take advantage of the opportunity to see such a fascinating country with a Hebrew-speaking tour guide who had a couch for me to sleep on! Erik was in Prague the week before I arrived, so we cleverly timed our flights to arrive in the Tel Aviv airport within an hour of each other. I arrived first, at 4am, to discover his flight had been delayed and wouldn’t arrive till 8:30. I dozed, off and on, for the next three hours, and then was told that the flight had been further delayed till 11. I had been up since 5:30 the previous morning to catch my flight to London, so I was beyond exhausted at this point. If the floor had been carpeted, I would have laid down on it and slept quite blissfully.
Anyway, Erik and I stayed up for the rest of the day, traveling from the airport to his place in Hadera, a town about 40 Km north of Tel Aviv, and doing some food shopping, but little else. The following day we went a little further north to Haifa, a port city on the Mediterranean, and did a lot of walking…we got lost, then found, and visited the gorgeous Baha’i gardens there.
The next day was Christmas day, but I had sort of forgotten about it, even though we had watched White Christmas the night before. That morning, I caught a bus to Tel Aviv to get a shared taxi, a sherut, to Jerusalem, where I was going to spend some time at Erik’s aunt and uncle’s place while he was at work. The stand for Jerusalem was mobbed, and each time a sherut pulled up, it was swarmed with people clamouring to get on it. I was puzzled by this, as Erik had made it sound as if there would be one waiting to fill up, and when I overhead a couple speaking English to each other, I asked them if something was up.
“I think it’s because of the holiday,” the woman said. What holiday is she talking about?? I wondered to myself, racking my brain for a Jewish holiday that fell at this time of the year… When I finally got on a sherut, there was much screaming and yelling between the passengers and driver, all in Hebrew, which I sat listening to in bewilderment. Finally, after the furor had died down, I said to the group in general, “What’s going on?” A man turned to me and said, “The problem is that it’s Christmas day and everyone wants to go to Jerusalem, so they are charging 30 shekels instead of 20, and people are upset.” And then the light went on, and I realized what holiday the woman had been talking about!
Needless to say, it was a very non-Christmassy day I had. I went to the Old City in Jerusalem and wandered around its maze of narrow streets, jammed with shops and vendors and restaurants. I went to the Western Wall, and stood staring in awe. I had lunch in an open-air cafe of hummus, pita, and a myriad of wonderful salads – cabbage, eggplant, pickles, tahini, mmmmmmm. That night, Erik’s aunt and uncle, Audrey and Tzvi, took me along to their folk dancing class, which was a ton of fun. I followed along as best I could, with Audrey muttering occasional instructions to me, and did not too badly, considering the instruction was all in Hebrew. And that was my Christmas day!
I spent three days in Jerusalem, wandering around the Old City. It’s a curious, ancient place, divided into four quarters: Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and Armenian. I think there’s something about all these different faiths living cheek-by-jowl in an uneasy sort of truce that creates the feeling of tension in the Old City. I don’t feel qualified to describe the three holy sites within the walls of the Old City, because of their incredibly layered and complex histories, so I will just list them…
The Western Wall (sometimes called the Wailing Wall): the holiest site in Judaism, a place of worship and prayer.
Temple Mount: known to Muslims as the Noble Sactuary, it is considered the third holiest site in the Muslim faith. It has two major Muslim religious shrines: the Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa Mosque. This site is also sacred to the Jewish faith, but Jews are forbidden to enter it, and the Western Wall is the holiest accessible site for prayer. Temple Mount is one of the most contested religious sites in the world.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre: This is the site where Jesus was crucified and buried, though this has been contested. There is a street in the Old City called Via Dolorosa, which is believed (and also contested) to be the route Christ walked on the cross.
On Friday, Erik and I went to Bethlehem. Bethlehem is in the West Bank, which is under Palestinian control, so it was an interesting experience getting in and out. Erik was concerned because he’s technically an Israeli citizen, and they’re not allowed in to Bethlehem. So he used his Canadian passport, and they basically just waved us through. It was only three days after Christmas, so they must have seen a parade of tourists all week long.
There’s not much to see in Bethlehem, apart from the gorgeous Church of Nativity, which is built over the cave that traditionally marks the birthplace of Christ. We also went to the Milky Grotto and stumbled on a cemetery with the most elaborate and ornate gravestones we’d ever seen. Manger Square is in the centre of town, and there’s a mosque on one side of it; when we arrived, there were prayers being played over the loudspeaker and the square was full of Muslims, just sitting and listening and praying, like an open-air, public service. Felt like we were walking through a church. We had some lunch, and then headed back to the wall, a literal and physical wall that separates the two sides. We were both a bit relieved to get back to the other side.
Friday night is the beginning of Shabbat, the weekly Sabbath or day of rest in Judaism. It starts at sundown on Fridays and lasts till sundown on Saturday. Because work is forbidden on the Shabbat, everything shuts down. Shops are closed, restaurants are closed, buses don’t run – nothing is open. Friday night dinner is an important part of the day, and Erik and I were invited to Audrey and Tsvi’s table. We started the meal with a braided loaf of bread, a challah, and a glass of wine, and ended it with a rousing game of Boggle!
Erik and I prepared for Shabbat by renting a car on Friday morning, and spent Saturday driving to the Dead Sea. Areas where there are more tourists generally have some things open so you can have a meal or get money. We drove through the West Bank to get to the Dead Sea, and then down the coast, and back into Israeli territory, again through mostly perfunctory checkpoints. We stopped off at a rocky beach and climbed in the water and floated around. It really is the most peculiar feeling, to be so buoyant. You feel sort of like you’re bouncing in the water, like you’re sitting on a big ball that’s pushing you up.
We drove back to Hadera on Saturday night and returned the car in the morning before Erik went to work. I went to Tel Aviv and spent the day wandering through the Carmel market, and putting my toes in the Mediterranean. This trip was the first time I had seen the Med, but it was too cool to swim in. I also went down to the port city of Jaffa, pronounced Yafo if you’re in the know, which was like a more relaxed and slower paced version of the Old City in Jerusalem.
New year’s eve Erik and I hung out with his friend Tal, and had a quiet evening, which is pretty much my ideal new year’s eve scene. My flight home left super early the morning of the 1st, so I left Hadera around 1am to get the train to the airport, and arrived in Dublin about 8pm that day.
I had a great time on this trip. It was great to see Erik and have some one-on-one time with him, and I had a great time staying at Audrey and Tsvi's lively home. I loved the food...I was in hummus heaven...wish I could've filled up my suitcase with all the yummy things I ate there. And it was just an amazing experience to be in a place with so much religious and historical importance to so many people around the world.
I created two sets of pictures on my Flickr site -- one for Jerusalem and one for the other cities I visited. Thanks for reading...I know it was a long one.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Thursday, December 20, 2007
A lesson in Irish…and I don’t mean Gaelic!
Most people know that words fascinate me, and I’m a careful observer of linguistic quirks…so it only seems natural that I’m constantly noticing the differences in expression of Irish English versus Canadian English. Some of the turns of phrase the Irish use make me laugh, and others make more sense to me than our counterpart. So here’s a primer on common Irish expressions.
Grand: Everything is “grand” here, and this is generally the equivalent of our “fine” and also “great.” When someone asks how you are, you say grand. When someone tells you they’re going for coffee and will be back in 15, you say grand. It’s a handy catch-all word.
What’s the crack? This means, what’s new/what’s up/what’s going on? Crack is also the equivalent of “stuff.” If you ask someone if they liked a film/song/book/etc. they might say, “yeah, it was great crack.” This always makes me giggle.
Your (yer) man: This is one of my fave Irish linguistic quirks. I'm planning to bring it back to Canada with me and incorporate it into our English. Yer man refers either to someone very general, or someone very specific. Eg. if your cable isn't working, you might say, "I'll ring yer man and have him come round." Or, if your boyfriend/brother/father/male friend is coming by the house, your friend might say, "When's yer man coming by?" Obviously this is entirely contextual, but people always know exactly who you mean, so it works:) The female equivalent is your one, and very occasionally, your woman.
Are you alright/okay? This one I find hard to get used to, as it’s the equivalent of our “can I help you?” Store clerks will look at you and ask that, and I always find it awkward to respond to. Sometimes you’ll get a term of endearment added to it, which is nice – it’s usually older Irish women who might call you love or dear, or as the woman in the pharmacy said to me the other day – “are you alright, pet?”
Any joy? Like us saying “any luck?”
You’re alright: This is often said in response to an apology – if you bump into someone and say, I’m sorry, the person will often say “you’re alright,” or sometimes “you’re grand.”
Knock the spots off you: Like us saying, it’ll put hair on your chest.
Fair balls/Fair play: This generally means “good for you.” Many people have said this to me when I tell them why I’ve come to Ireland…
Grand: Everything is “grand” here, and this is generally the equivalent of our “fine” and also “great.” When someone asks how you are, you say grand. When someone tells you they’re going for coffee and will be back in 15, you say grand. It’s a handy catch-all word.
What’s the crack? This means, what’s new/what’s up/what’s going on? Crack is also the equivalent of “stuff.” If you ask someone if they liked a film/song/book/etc. they might say, “yeah, it was great crack.” This always makes me giggle.
Your (yer) man: This is one of my fave Irish linguistic quirks. I'm planning to bring it back to Canada with me and incorporate it into our English. Yer man refers either to someone very general, or someone very specific. Eg. if your cable isn't working, you might say, "I'll ring yer man and have him come round." Or, if your boyfriend/brother/father/male friend is coming by the house, your friend might say, "When's yer man coming by?" Obviously this is entirely contextual, but people always know exactly who you mean, so it works:) The female equivalent is your one, and very occasionally, your woman.
Are you alright/okay? This one I find hard to get used to, as it’s the equivalent of our “can I help you?” Store clerks will look at you and ask that, and I always find it awkward to respond to. Sometimes you’ll get a term of endearment added to it, which is nice – it’s usually older Irish women who might call you love or dear, or as the woman in the pharmacy said to me the other day – “are you alright, pet?”
Any joy? Like us saying “any luck?”
You’re alright: This is often said in response to an apology – if you bump into someone and say, I’m sorry, the person will often say “you’re alright,” or sometimes “you’re grand.”
Knock the spots off you: Like us saying, it’ll put hair on your chest.
Fair balls/Fair play: This generally means “good for you.” Many people have said this to me when I tell them why I’ve come to Ireland…
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
The makings of a weekend in Dublin
Lately I've felt really happy about being in Dublin. Not that I wasn't "happy" before, but almost daily I feel a little thrill about being here, about being able to experience living in another country, and also about not being in Vancouver. As much as I love Vancouver, and think of it as home, it really was time for a change. I miss my friends and family, and I have had low days here when I felt lost and alone, but I haven't been homesick at all, and I've never wanted to go home during those down times. That's just my ruminations on my current state of mind:)
Last weekend I went to a social put on by the organization that supports people like me (on working/holiday visas). There's something called a Literary Pub Crawl in the city centre, and I've wanted to go on it for a while (for obvious reasons) so I thought I'd join in the social so I could go with a gang of people. I met an American girl, Emily, and even though the crawl started off with great gusto, we were separated from the crawl at the next pub, so didn't get to see any more performances or get sung any more songs by our tour guides.
But Emily and I persevered, being that we were a stone's throw from about 50 pubs in the city centre, and went on our own crawl. Well, really, we just went to one other pub, but it's now my official "favourite pub." A friend at work, Frank, told me about it; it’s called The Long Hall -- mainly because it's a long hall, he explained... He called it an "old man's pub" -- because old men go there. Frank is good at shedding light on subjects... But it's also called that because people go to drink and talk -- there's no loud music, and there's no "scene" going on there. It's just people drinking and talking. So we did that too, and talked and drank with some Irish lads, who weren't old -- well, they were my age -- Emily at 23 might have considered them old! Anyway, it was a great night -- felt like an authentic pub night in Dublin.
Emily and I have become friends, although she is headed back to the states shortly, so we're taking advantage of the fact that we like to do a lot of the same things. This past weekend we went to a rugby match and cheered on Leinster (one of the four Irish provinces) while they kicked Edinburgh’s butt all over the field. I brought a thermos of hot chocolate and a flask of Bailey's and we were the envy of our seatmates:)
On Sunday we visited the famous Guinness factory. It's a pretty cool place, with 7 floors of exhibits, and on the 7th floor is the Gravity Bar, a round, glass-walled bar with an great view of the entire city, but more importantly, where you get a complimentary glass of Guinness. I didn't drink the glass of Guinness I'm holding in this picture, but I was thinking of all of you who would have drunk it for me...and you know who you are:)
Last weekend I went to a social put on by the organization that supports people like me (on working/holiday visas). There's something called a Literary Pub Crawl in the city centre, and I've wanted to go on it for a while (for obvious reasons) so I thought I'd join in the social so I could go with a gang of people. I met an American girl, Emily, and even though the crawl started off with great gusto, we were separated from the crawl at the next pub, so didn't get to see any more performances or get sung any more songs by our tour guides.
But Emily and I persevered, being that we were a stone's throw from about 50 pubs in the city centre, and went on our own crawl. Well, really, we just went to one other pub, but it's now my official "favourite pub." A friend at work, Frank, told me about it; it’s called The Long Hall -- mainly because it's a long hall, he explained... He called it an "old man's pub" -- because old men go there. Frank is good at shedding light on subjects... But it's also called that because people go to drink and talk -- there's no loud music, and there's no "scene" going on there. It's just people drinking and talking. So we did that too, and talked and drank with some Irish lads, who weren't old -- well, they were my age -- Emily at 23 might have considered them old! Anyway, it was a great night -- felt like an authentic pub night in Dublin.
Emily and I have become friends, although she is headed back to the states shortly, so we're taking advantage of the fact that we like to do a lot of the same things. This past weekend we went to a rugby match and cheered on Leinster (one of the four Irish provinces) while they kicked Edinburgh’s butt all over the field. I brought a thermos of hot chocolate and a flask of Bailey's and we were the envy of our seatmates:)
On Sunday we visited the famous Guinness factory. It's a pretty cool place, with 7 floors of exhibits, and on the 7th floor is the Gravity Bar, a round, glass-walled bar with an great view of the entire city, but more importantly, where you get a complimentary glass of Guinness. I didn't drink the glass of Guinness I'm holding in this picture, but I was thinking of all of you who would have drunk it for me...and you know who you are:)
Monday, November 19, 2007
Alice Sebold and Sinéad O'Connor
Two inspiring women.
Alice Sebold wrote a little book called "The Lovely Bones" that took the literary world by storm -- one of those books that was a word-of-mouth smashing success. What makes the book so unique is its perspective, because it's told from the point of view of a girl who is murdered in the opening chapter...she narrates from heaven as she watches her family deal with the aftermath of her unsolved disappearance and death. While the subject matter is devastating, the writing is wonderful -- fluid and spare.
I went to see Alice Sebold read from her new book last week at a bookstore in Dublin's city centre. The new book is about a woman who kills her mother -- also in the opening chapter. So she doesn't really write cheerful novels... But it was an inspiring evening for me, as I listened to her talk about her writing process. It was fascinating to hear her say that she didn't find the voice of the narrator in Lovely Bones for a couple of years after she'd started writing the book...so I asked her what she did write about, given the importance of that element of the novel. She said she has these obsessions that she writes about and out of the obsession comes the voice and then the rest of the story falls into place. So unusual -- just like her books I guess. Her obsession that created Lovely Bones was about voiceless dead girls, who disappear with their untold stories. And Almost Moon was almost in reaction to the "Hallmark" style portrayal of mother-daughter relationships.
I have no segue to move to Sinéad...:)
I have listened to Sinéad O'Connor since I was 14...I played her album "I do not want what I haven't got" about a million times and found her sad soul-searching songs comforting in those lonely teenage years. "Black Boys on Mopeds" was the first song I ever learned to play on the guitar. I have always loved her voice -- it's so powerful, honest, and emotionally raw.
To see her in her hometown was too good of a chance to pass up, so I headed out last night in the wind and rain and ventured to the city centre to the Olympia theatre. I didn't recognize her when she walked on stage. Dressed in a baggy man's suit with a white collared shirt and clunky shoes, I thought she was a man...one of the band. Watching her made me realize I've only ever really seen her face -- that famous face with huge eyes, perfect skin, and shaved head is all you see on her album covers and videos. I thought her body would match her face and be delicate, feminine -- the reality is that she's surprisingly gawky, awkward, and boyish. She's a bit knock-kneed and kind of duck-footed. For all her years on stage, she's shy to the point of not being able to look directly at the crowd, and dances in a shuffling, self-conscious way.
But that voice, that amazing voice, was all that mattered. And because of the size of her body of work I didn't bother hoping she would play anything from that album I listened to so many years ago, so I was thrilled when she opened with two songs from it, then did three more during the show, and sang a solo acoustic version of "Black Boys on Mopeds" in the encore. Wonderful.
Alice Sebold wrote a little book called "The Lovely Bones" that took the literary world by storm -- one of those books that was a word-of-mouth smashing success. What makes the book so unique is its perspective, because it's told from the point of view of a girl who is murdered in the opening chapter...she narrates from heaven as she watches her family deal with the aftermath of her unsolved disappearance and death. While the subject matter is devastating, the writing is wonderful -- fluid and spare.
I went to see Alice Sebold read from her new book last week at a bookstore in Dublin's city centre. The new book is about a woman who kills her mother -- also in the opening chapter. So she doesn't really write cheerful novels... But it was an inspiring evening for me, as I listened to her talk about her writing process. It was fascinating to hear her say that she didn't find the voice of the narrator in Lovely Bones for a couple of years after she'd started writing the book...so I asked her what she did write about, given the importance of that element of the novel. She said she has these obsessions that she writes about and out of the obsession comes the voice and then the rest of the story falls into place. So unusual -- just like her books I guess. Her obsession that created Lovely Bones was about voiceless dead girls, who disappear with their untold stories. And Almost Moon was almost in reaction to the "Hallmark" style portrayal of mother-daughter relationships.
I have no segue to move to Sinéad...:)
I have listened to Sinéad O'Connor since I was 14...I played her album "I do not want what I haven't got" about a million times and found her sad soul-searching songs comforting in those lonely teenage years. "Black Boys on Mopeds" was the first song I ever learned to play on the guitar. I have always loved her voice -- it's so powerful, honest, and emotionally raw.
To see her in her hometown was too good of a chance to pass up, so I headed out last night in the wind and rain and ventured to the city centre to the Olympia theatre. I didn't recognize her when she walked on stage. Dressed in a baggy man's suit with a white collared shirt and clunky shoes, I thought she was a man...one of the band. Watching her made me realize I've only ever really seen her face -- that famous face with huge eyes, perfect skin, and shaved head is all you see on her album covers and videos. I thought her body would match her face and be delicate, feminine -- the reality is that she's surprisingly gawky, awkward, and boyish. She's a bit knock-kneed and kind of duck-footed. For all her years on stage, she's shy to the point of not being able to look directly at the crowd, and dances in a shuffling, self-conscious way.
But that voice, that amazing voice, was all that mattered. And because of the size of her body of work I didn't bother hoping she would play anything from that album I listened to so many years ago, so I was thrilled when she opened with two songs from it, then did three more during the show, and sang a solo acoustic version of "Black Boys on Mopeds" in the encore. Wonderful.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Job, home, and travel news
The past couple of weeks have been pretty up and down for me, which is why I've not been communicating much, but now things feel settled and I feel ready to talk about it! No, it's not really that dramatic, but its just been the most turbulent part of my time here, which is not bad considering the scope of the change in my life.
Anywyay, I was offered a position with a company called Europlex, and I accepted it. This is not the job in the city centre -- I didn't end up having the second interview for that position because the person I needed to have it with was out of town for so long I didn't feel I could defer the offer from the other job for much longer without jeopardizing it. So, rather than risk having no job, I accepted the Europlex offer.
This means I had to move and I was lucky enough to find a place immediately, and it's great. It's a 20 minute walk to work, 5 minutes from a mall that has two supermarkets and everything else you could need, and 10 minutes from a cinema complex. There's also a bus stop practically in front of the house to get to the city centre, and several large parks nearby. I went for a long walk this afternoon to explore them all. Now I just need to find a soccer team to join:)
I live with two others: Sean, who owns the house, and Jenny, who's a renter like me. They're both lovely people, and we get along really well, in that communal living kind of way. I would like to get a bike so I can more easily explore the neighborhoods around me, and just to give myself mobility outside the buses.
So my new address is:
22 Glin Road
Coolock, Dublin 17
Ireland
The job is pretty good so far. Europlex designs complex alarm systems, and since I have no electronics knowledge, it's a pretty steep learning curve, which is fine... My boss is based in the UK, and the first week was hard because I felt pretty alone, but I had a long talk with another guy in the office, who's also sort of my boss, and he said he would step in and give me some direct support, because I really need it at this point in the job. Everyone is very friendly there...there aren't very many women there, but they all get together and have lunch together everyday, so I get some female company then! I'm the only female in the R&D department, but the guys I work with are great -- helpful, friendly, kind. It's a real treat.
Anyway, those are the high-level things. I can't believe what a difference having my job and accommodation settled have made to my state of mind. I feel really happy for the first time since I arrived here. Not that I was unhappy per se, but it's quite stressful to have things up in the air for as long as they've been for me.
My other big news is that I've booked my Christmas holidays!! Europlex has four days of forced holidays over Christmas, which means we have 10 days of holiday time, so, I'm going to visit my cousin Erik, who's my only family this side of the Atlantic, in Israel!!! I'm SO EXCITED. I can't believe I get to go to Israel. Such a fascinating country in so many ways -- historically, geographically, religiously. It will be great to be there with Erik, who's so knowledgeable, and who's fluent in Hebrew.
Anyway, I'll be in touch a little more now that the big things in my life are taken care of. I'm going to London this coming weekend to collect the remainder of my luggage -- and my fiddle! Have to start looking for an instructor:)
Ciao for now, my lovely friends and family.
PS I went to Kilkenny a couple weeks ago and put a few pics up on my Flickr site.
Anywyay, I was offered a position with a company called Europlex, and I accepted it. This is not the job in the city centre -- I didn't end up having the second interview for that position because the person I needed to have it with was out of town for so long I didn't feel I could defer the offer from the other job for much longer without jeopardizing it. So, rather than risk having no job, I accepted the Europlex offer.
This means I had to move and I was lucky enough to find a place immediately, and it's great. It's a 20 minute walk to work, 5 minutes from a mall that has two supermarkets and everything else you could need, and 10 minutes from a cinema complex. There's also a bus stop practically in front of the house to get to the city centre, and several large parks nearby. I went for a long walk this afternoon to explore them all. Now I just need to find a soccer team to join:)
I live with two others: Sean, who owns the house, and Jenny, who's a renter like me. They're both lovely people, and we get along really well, in that communal living kind of way. I would like to get a bike so I can more easily explore the neighborhoods around me, and just to give myself mobility outside the buses.
So my new address is:
22 Glin Road
Coolock, Dublin 17
Ireland
The job is pretty good so far. Europlex designs complex alarm systems, and since I have no electronics knowledge, it's a pretty steep learning curve, which is fine... My boss is based in the UK, and the first week was hard because I felt pretty alone, but I had a long talk with another guy in the office, who's also sort of my boss, and he said he would step in and give me some direct support, because I really need it at this point in the job. Everyone is very friendly there...there aren't very many women there, but they all get together and have lunch together everyday, so I get some female company then! I'm the only female in the R&D department, but the guys I work with are great -- helpful, friendly, kind. It's a real treat.
Anyway, those are the high-level things. I can't believe what a difference having my job and accommodation settled have made to my state of mind. I feel really happy for the first time since I arrived here. Not that I was unhappy per se, but it's quite stressful to have things up in the air for as long as they've been for me.
My other big news is that I've booked my Christmas holidays!! Europlex has four days of forced holidays over Christmas, which means we have 10 days of holiday time, so, I'm going to visit my cousin Erik, who's my only family this side of the Atlantic, in Israel!!! I'm SO EXCITED. I can't believe I get to go to Israel. Such a fascinating country in so many ways -- historically, geographically, religiously. It will be great to be there with Erik, who's so knowledgeable, and who's fluent in Hebrew.
Anyway, I'll be in touch a little more now that the big things in my life are taken care of. I'm going to London this coming weekend to collect the remainder of my luggage -- and my fiddle! Have to start looking for an instructor:)
Ciao for now, my lovely friends and family.
PS I went to Kilkenny a couple weeks ago and put a few pics up on my Flickr site.
Monday, October 22, 2007
House news and contact info…
So, I’ve found a place to live…and it’s amazing! I started looking last week and it was kind of discouraging, given how competitive housing is right now, but I came to look at this house in Dun Laoghaire (pronounced, believe it or not, Dun Leary), which is a suburb south of Dublin, and decided to take the room.
Dun Laoghaire is relatively far from the city centre, but the DART (like the skytrain) is just a short busride away and then I can take that into the city. And the house just seems worth it… It’s a huge, detached house with so many rooms I’m still discovering some. Its been leased by this great woman named Pamela, who’s a single mother. Her daughter is here with her – a typical 15-year-old who’s horse crazy. There are three other renters, a girl from Germany, a guy from Ireland, and a guy from Poland. So it’s a pretty international house… I have the smallest room, but it’s really nice, and I have a lovely view of the park across the street. There’s tons of common space and the backyard is so amazing – beautifully landscaped with lights, pathways, a small bridge…too bad summer is over...
The address is:
The Hills, 126 Rochestown Ave.
Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin
The only catch to this place is that if I get offered a job in north Dublin, I'll have to move because the commute is unreasonable, but hopefully I'll get offered the other job I'm interviewing for, which is in the city centre and *is* a reasonable commute.
I also have a phone because you can’t really exist here without one. Unfortunately the only network I can send text messages to in Canada is Rogers, and I don’t think I know a single person on Rogers, so we’ll have to stick to email…or to talking to each other:)
My number is: 85 814 8987
To dial from Canada, it’s 1-353-85-814-8987.
Oh, and Ireland is 8 hours ahead of Vancouver, so do the math, wherever you are, but it would be lovely to hear from any of you.
The Internet connection (they refer to it as broadband here) is in the works, so I’m offline at home again, but hopefully not for too long.
Dun Laoghaire is relatively far from the city centre, but the DART (like the skytrain) is just a short busride away and then I can take that into the city. And the house just seems worth it… It’s a huge, detached house with so many rooms I’m still discovering some. Its been leased by this great woman named Pamela, who’s a single mother. Her daughter is here with her – a typical 15-year-old who’s horse crazy. There are three other renters, a girl from Germany, a guy from Ireland, and a guy from Poland. So it’s a pretty international house… I have the smallest room, but it’s really nice, and I have a lovely view of the park across the street. There’s tons of common space and the backyard is so amazing – beautifully landscaped with lights, pathways, a small bridge…too bad summer is over...
The address is:
The Hills, 126 Rochestown Ave.
Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin
The only catch to this place is that if I get offered a job in north Dublin, I'll have to move because the commute is unreasonable, but hopefully I'll get offered the other job I'm interviewing for, which is in the city centre and *is* a reasonable commute.
I also have a phone because you can’t really exist here without one. Unfortunately the only network I can send text messages to in Canada is Rogers, and I don’t think I know a single person on Rogers, so we’ll have to stick to email…or to talking to each other:)
My number is: 85 814 8987
To dial from Canada, it’s 1-353-85-814-8987.
Oh, and Ireland is 8 hours ahead of Vancouver, so do the math, wherever you are, but it would be lovely to hear from any of you.
The Internet connection (they refer to it as broadband here) is in the works, so I’m offline at home again, but hopefully not for too long.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
The rumours are true...Ireland really is GREEN
Spent a lovely weekend in Galway recently...despite the hostel experience that just made me feel *really old*
Galway city is charming and located right on the picturesque Galway Bay. But the real highlight for me was getting into the surrounding countryside -- actually into County Clare, which is just south of County Galway. I did a bus tour on Sunday into a place called The Burren, which means Rocky Country. It's very rocky, but also very green and lush. We did a hill walk on a farm that has been in the same family for over 250 years. Our guide told us all about the history of the area and pointed out the various flora and fauna. We hiked up the mountain behind the farm and could see all the way out to the bay. The day was gorgeous and sunny, mild and warm. We continued to the famous Cliffs of Moher, which were beautiful...but the real highlight for me was the walk.
In general the countryside was just totally gorgeous...mile after mile of green fields and low stone walls. I just loved it...could've stared at it all day.
Pictures are up on Flickr!
I've decided I'm going to stay in Dublin -- at least base myself out of here, because this is where the lion's share of the work is. I have some irons in the fire for some permanent positions, and am looking into some temp work in the meantime. Will keep you posted.
Galway city is charming and located right on the picturesque Galway Bay. But the real highlight for me was getting into the surrounding countryside -- actually into County Clare, which is just south of County Galway. I did a bus tour on Sunday into a place called The Burren, which means Rocky Country. It's very rocky, but also very green and lush. We did a hill walk on a farm that has been in the same family for over 250 years. Our guide told us all about the history of the area and pointed out the various flora and fauna. We hiked up the mountain behind the farm and could see all the way out to the bay. The day was gorgeous and sunny, mild and warm. We continued to the famous Cliffs of Moher, which were beautiful...but the real highlight for me was the walk.
In general the countryside was just totally gorgeous...mile after mile of green fields and low stone walls. I just loved it...could've stared at it all day.
Pictures are up on Flickr!
I've decided I'm going to stay in Dublin -- at least base myself out of here, because this is where the lion's share of the work is. I have some irons in the fire for some permanent positions, and am looking into some temp work in the meantime. Will keep you posted.
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