First Free day in London (7-4)

Today was a free day. We still don't know what the situation is with the lodging issues. I haven't even seen the professor today. This morning I got up, got my hair wet with the sink in my room and then brushed and scrunched it, because I'm still kind of afraid of taking a shower here. Then I went down to breakfast. It was alright, pretty much the same options as the hotel in Dublin, only not quite as high quality. I tried to see if the reception desk was open because I'm still missing a key, but it wasn't, because it's Saturday. The computer room with supposed free internet access was inaccessible as well. That is, you could get into the room but it looked like all the computers required a password of some sort. Then I went around trying to figure out what everyone was doing today. I wasn't sure what I should do, but I thought I might go down to Picadilly Circus and do some shopping. However, I changed my mind at the last minute and decided to go with Alli and the guys to the park. So we went to Regent's Park, which is walking distance from the place we're staying. They stopped for food because I'd been the only one of the five of us to get up early enough for breakfast. I just got some candy and figured I'd get something real to eat on the way back. We kind of split up on the way there and Dan and I sat talking for a while waiting for Sean, Paul and Alli to get there. The weather was looking iffy. It had been bright and sunny when we headed out, but it was looking like rain with some misty sprinkles and the weather kept changing like that for a bit. I almost wanted to come back immediately and get a sweater because I hadn't brought one. Finally, however, when everybody was together and we had been walking through the park for a while it became sunny for the rest of the afternoon. Today is the 4th of July. Of course we shouldn't expect the British to celebrate. They were the losers. However, interesting events today... We were walking through the park when the guys got invited to play softball with a group of people. It turns out that the group was a mixture of British and American people having a 4th of July celebration. The guys had been so set on celebrating the 4th and not using any British slang, going and playing SOCCER NOT FOOTBALL etc. They probably couldn't have asked for anything better. Alli had gone and walked off into some gardens (which we all walked through together after the picnic) and I was sitting on a bench watching the game. When the game they'd been playing ended everyone came in to eat and I came over to talk to the guys. We were all invited to eat. I hadn't said a word to any of our new friends but I was handed a plate. Alli came back and joined us and we became part of the group. I declined the first time I was asked if I wanted to play softball but joined in the second, even though I'm really terrible. I forgot to put sunscreen on this morning as I usually do because it had been so dark and gloomy. I made it through Dublin a lot better than the rest of my classmates, who were all like crispy bacon by the time we'd left, but I'll probably live to regret running around in the park without sunscreen tomorrow. Anyway, the internet situation is still iffy, so I might not be able to post these until I get back, but I'll still be writing them daily and saving them under files labled with the date. It's definitely a bummer, but I'll deal.

After I wrote the first part of this some more exciting things happened. There was a happy reunion in the kitchen on our floor after a whole day without seeing Justine. She hadn't been feeling well but had been working hard on the accommodation situation. She had keys for anyone who wanted to move into a new room! Yay! Now instead of being in the P corridor, where the bathroom smells like a port-a-potty and is shared with the guys, I'm in the R corridor with a better bathroom I'm not afraid to use and away from some of the fumes from the renovations they're doing directly under P. Anyway, we all ended up going out to a fancy French restaurant for dinner. It was really late for dinner. but then the exciting reunion had come right as we had been making plans to go out. I had the traditional onion soup and "pommes allumettes." (It was really the only thing on the menu I thought I'd eat). The soup was good, but it had so much cheese and bread in it that I kept feeling like gagging. We started home so late (just after midnight) that we had to take the night bus instead of the tube. We got home and I moved my stuff into my new room. I had an okay night of sleep, all 6 hours or so as I had to get up early for our tour of the Globe. After the Globe tour we went to the Tower and had lunch there. Then a bunch of people headed off to go on the Eye. I decided that it was a once in a lifetime experience (I would suggest everyone do it once, and it is kind of expensive) but I've had my once, and I wanted to make sure everybody knows I didn't die on the flight from Dublin now that I have a chance to use the web... Then as I was writing this I was thinking about how cool that area around the Eye is and how I should have gone with them and wandered around on my own while they stood in line for an hour. Oh well, plenty of time for wandering on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (all free days). I may go out to eat or something. It's only 6, but lunch was so recent, and we do have a kitchen here. Maybe I'll just get a frozen pizza from the Tesco down the street. Meal times seem so weird when the sun doesn't set until 9:30.

And Hello to Dear Dirty London... (7-3)

We got up at the crack of dawn today and headed to the Dublin airport for a flight around 9 am to Heathrow. A ride up the Picadilly and then the Northern line brought us to Camden Town where our accommodations are located. Now when I first stepped into the tube station at the airport I felt like I was "home." I love the London I remember from our family visit a few years ago, but this is a different area than we were in before. It's pretty far North. When we got here, none of us were very happy, but our professor had said she'd "seen worse" and that we would probably be fine. Heck, maybe I'm just a wimp. I've never lived in a dorm. We met up with our local guide and explored the Camden Town area a bit. Then we went and got something to eat. I ended up getting a chicken caesar salad, which ended up not tasting like chicken at all, but like fish. I've never had a caesar salad that tastes like fish so I asked them if I could please have something else because it was overpowering and unappetizing. They were very nice and replaced it sans anchovy paste... but also sans chicken. I didn't complain about that since they were so nice about it, and when the bill came they didn't charge us for it.I still felt grateful and pitched in 10 pounds (the salad would have been 6 something) towards what bread and frites of other people's I'd eaten and the tip. Then we came back to the dorms. Mom says I'm just spoiled, but I'm certainly not the only one complaining, and some of us are even complaining for health reasons. Apparently our trip was so low budget even though we were getting single rooms in London because we were booked at a bed and breakfast for university students that's really cruddy. I wasn't even given all of the necessary keys to get into my hallway. Luckily, (depending on how you look at it) the door to hallway P doesn't close properly unless forced, so I've been able to get in and out to do my laundry. That's the only thing I'm glad we're here for. I finally get to do laundry! I had planned on doing it tomorrow during our free day since everyone is doing it tonight, but apparently my professor is on the phone right now trying to get us out early tomorrow. She's trying to arrange for us to stay somewhere else and I'm really hoping it's possible. I don't know when I'll be able to post this because the free web "computer room" closed at 5 or 6 or something, while we were eating, and I'd have to pay for web from my room, if I could even figure out how to set it up... I took an hour nap or so relatively comfortably in my room after dinner, but I was exhausted. Now I'm starting to feel itchy and yucky like other people are saying they are, and even with the window open I'm feeling stuffy here in my room. Maybe we are spoiled, and we're not one of those people out on the street or in the tube station begging for money because they have no place to stay, nothing to eat, but but... I miss Dublin... I miss Daniel... I want to go home...

Goodbye to Dear Dirty Dublin

According to somebody quoted in the history of Dublin that we had to read "Your first day in Dublin is your worst." Well, I would have to say that my last day in Dublin has been my worst I slept heavily last night... once I was able to breath long enough to fall asleep without getting up to blow my nose. Apparently last night it was raining hard, even thundering, according to my roommate. I had my hearing aid out to sleep of course. Today, our very last day, it rained like the internet weather had been saying it was going to... on the day of our coastal tour. I was afraid of messing up my camera by getting it all wet. I couldn't really understand much of what the bus driver/tour guide was saying. It was one of those loud but mumbly microphone things. You know what I'm talking about. It's hard to take pictures from a bus with rainy windows. We did get out at this pretty garden place. It's a shame we had limited time there, not much time to eat lunch or enjoy the gardens, which looked beautiful from what I did see. I don't even remember what they were called. I've still been feeling kind of yucky today. My stomache hurt a little, so right when the bus got back to O'Connell I hopped into McDonald's. I went directly into the McDonald's and down the stairs to the bathroom. My feet were so wet and the stairs so slippery that I slipped on both flights of stairs. My back and butt both hurt now. I wouldn't be surprised if I had a huge bruise on my rear end. I was really feeling horrible by this time, so I went back to the hotel and took a nap for about an hour. I went back out again to go shopping for a bit. Then I came back to the hotel. I'm finishing my packing and going to sleep. We have to be ready to go by 6 am.

Last Free Day in Dublin

I spent the day roaming around on my own. I'm realizing that roaming around on my own is a lot nicer than going places with the group. For one, there's no set time to be anywhere and meet up with the group, so I can go at my own pace and if I get lost, so what? I'll get there eventually. For another thing, I don't have to constantly worry about being split up from the group. Also, I don't have to worry about "fitting in" or "being part of the conversation" or anything like that. Sure I might have to ask a few strangers with accents where to go, but (see pro number one of wandering alone). I will get there eventually. This time I was a bit more adventurous than the last time I roamed around on my own. Instead of sticking to O'Connell, I wandered the whole city. Well, of course I couldn't do the entire city in a day, but I went all the way from Parnell Square (where our hotel is located in the northern part of the city) to St. Stephen's Green (which is in the southern part of the city). Embarrassingly enough, I got lost on my way to the post office. It's right there on O'Connell and we've passed it and stopped at it a million times, but somehow I made a wrong turn close to the hotel and wandered around for a bit before finding my way back to O'Connell to drop off some post cards. I never asked anyone to write directions down for me. I just repeated "left here and then a right?" or whatever and they were at the point of nodding and saying "yeah, go on, get outa here" (not really, they were very friendly, especially the Americans). I figured if I made a wrong turn I could take out my map and try to figure out where I went wrong (I did that a lot on the way home) or just ask somebody else. So I went and dropped off my post cards at the post office. Then I went to the famine memorial, which is a couple bridges over from the O'Connell monument. It was eerie, which I guess is the point. It really is sort of offensive that they would sell spaces on it to have your name set there. Then I made my way back towards the O'Connell bridge and then down the Grafton Street area towards Trinity to find that Irish music store I'd passed so many times but never gotten to check out, Celtic Note. I got Grandpa McCallum an Irish folk collection. Then I went and found the Molly Malone statue. That area is so busy that the first couple times I'd passed it I didn't get a chance to take a picture. Then I made my way down to St. Stephen's Green, ate a croissant, a piece of cheese, an apple and a banana I'd saved from breakfast and went shopping at Stephen's Green Shopping Center. It's essentially a 3 story mall. A few of the stores were more high-end. I bought a dress at a store called "noname." The third floor was essentially a hobby shop, an art gallery and framing store, a bizarre, Hot-Topic-like store called... hmm... Asha? I can't remember, and bathrooms, but there were more than just bathrooms. There were baby feeding rooms, changing rooms, etc. After I went shopping I went across the street to St. Stephen's Green, the actual park, and walked around there for a bit. Then I wanted to find this "Secret Garden" place Elise had been talking about. The real name is Iveagh Gardens. It really was "all that." It was so beautiful (see pictures on facebook), though some of the rose bushes were wilted in one spot. Otherwise it seemed like it was very well kept. It really does seem to be "one of Ireland's best kept secrets." There was hardly anyone there compared to St. Stephen's. I made my way back to the Green and went around in circles for a bit trying to find my way back out towards the shopping center. Finally I stopped some American-looking people and we walked out together. One lady was from Florida and her mother was from New York. I told them I was from California and about the class. The lady from Florida said something like "Really? Would the teacher notice if I snuck into that class? That sounds great." She helped me plan my route back to the river and I went on my way back to the hotel. I must have made a couple small mistakes as I kept having to look at my map and figure out which street I was on. It's so hard when the street names aren't posted on signs and the ones that are painted on the sides of buildings are white on light blue so they're hard to read from across the street. On my way home I stopped at Subway and there was a big protest, something about Israel and Palestine, going on along O'Connell. Somebody handed me a little flier. There have also been signs up about a rally against abortion on the 4th of July. Anyway, I came home, ate my sandwich, and here I am now, tired and snuffly. Maybe I'm getting sick. Maybeit's just allergies. As my facebook status says so artistically, I feel like I've been "deliriously roaming the streets of Dublin all day."

Better

Today I got up, ate breakfast, went to get some cash and then tagged along with some classmates to Phoenix Park. It's such a large park (one of the largest in Europe supposedly) and all very beautiful. This is the kind of nature experience I needed. It was a nice break from the city landscape. We took a bus over there and then started wandering the park. It just seemed the perfect place to sit and read, write post cards, a song, a poem, anything. It was really nice. It was bright and sunny out and the grass was plentiful. There are a few really nice spots I've come across. St. Stephen's Green, which I haven't gotten a chance to go back to (maybe tomorrow), the Garden of Remembrance and Phoenix Park are all beautiful. If you ever go to Dublin, make sure you hit up these places. My roommate was also raving about this "Secret Garden" place tucked up beside St. Stephen's Green. I might like to go, if I have time. Anyway, at Phoenix Park I just sat enjoying the day, writing a couple post cards while one of my classmates was singing and playing his guitar as we sat on the grass beside the Wellington Monument. Then we moved on to a foresty area and another classmate was climbing trees. Then we went to this really old looking building which turned out to be the Magazine Fort, according to our map, but it didn't have any plaques or anything, just plants and graffiti. We even saw some deer. Then we went back to the hotel and later in the evening we went to the Abbey Theatre and saw "The Last Days of a Reluctant Tyrant." It was alright. I couldn't hear very well. Then I went back to the hotel and uploaded pictures from Phoenix Park on facebook. Now it's about 1 am, and I am going to sleep.

Being myself

Today I made up a bit for not doing much of anything yesterday. I went to the Writers' Museum with a few people early before most people had even woken up, because our official class meeting time wasn't until 12:30. I got up around 8:30, ate breakfast, and discovered that some people were going to the Writers' Museum, so I tagged along. It's pretty close to the hotel, and it was only 6.3 euro for students and included a little audio guide. It made me want to read a lot more, and it also made me realize that more Irish writers than I realized are being tought in "British lit" classes with no distinction. I think they should have "Irish lit" classes. Chapman claims to be preparing students to be "global citizens," but the university keeps narrowing its literary curriculum. At 12:30 we met in the lobby and walked down to the river. We had class discussion there and then went on a Liffey River cruise. Then we went to lunch, but I wasn't that hungry. I had eaten a big breakfast and ate an apple on the cruise. It was already pretty late when we got lunch at the Queen of Tarts and I wanted to save room for dinner, so I just had a muffin to tide me over. We had dinner at the Brazen Head, the oldest pub in Ireland, for "food, folklore and faeries." Good thing I'd saved room. It was a full 3 course meal. I had a delicious salad with chicken, grilled vegetables with rice, and chocolate cake, along with tea and water. We just got back to the hotel around 11.

As for "being myself," I mean that I get very emotional and feel frustrated that I can't "enjoy" things as easily or as simply as others. The "folklore" guy spoke with an accent and at times rather quickly, and I never really cought all of what other people were laughing at. This wasn't a singular occurence, however. It happens all the time, and it's been bugging me throughout the trip. I feel left out. I feel like I got a bum deal in life. It sucks. Maybe it was because my hearing aid battery went out at one point. I had spares, but it was still frustrating. I always feel like I'm such a burden if I ask for special treatment or anything, though I'm probably more of a burden when I get emotional and sit around and mope until I get some sympathy. Honestly, I feel sorry for myself and I feel like most people would rather just let me pout in a corner than deal with me. I would feel that way if I were someone else.

Relaxing Day

I didn't do much of anything today. Some people were going to a Catholic mass really early, but that's obviously not my kind of thing. Then we had class in the Garden of Remembrance again. I love that place. It's so pretty! Then we all went to lunch. I think the name of the place was "In Cahoots Cafe." I had a panini, which was kind of a weird combination. It had chicken, barbeque sauce, mozarella and grilled peppers. I think the odd part was the barbeque sauce. After lunch, which was kind of late, I headed back to the hotel and took a nap. Then I woke up and realized it was already around 7:00. Tomorrow we're going on the Liffey River cruise and later to "food, folklore and faeries" at the Brazen Head. A lot has been happening over the past couple days... to the guys. A few days ago one of them was playing his guitar in St. Stephen's Green and some businessmen on an office break heard him and had him play at a party that night. Then yesterday the guys' laptops were stolen from the hotel room, which was scary. The professor talked to us about it today saying that this is the city. These things do happen. We gave each other some tips on keeping our stuff safe and the professor said that if we felt unsafe to talk to her. We all had to get our keys changed today. In addition, one of those guys is really sick and hasn't been out of bed all day. People have been bugging me about whether I'm eating enough or getting enough protein because I've been living primarily off of croissants, little pieces of cheese and fruit from breakfast with the occasional sandwich, and because we're doing so much walking. Also, some people are getting sick and they want to make sure I keep my strength up I suppose. I'm fine, really. I'm just being cheap. A lot of the money I have was already spent before I left the States, and my job situation once I return is a little iffy, so even though I'm traveling and it should be time to splurge I'm being a bit conservative with my money. Then again, I'm typically conservative with my money.