Fáilte go hÉirinn

Dublin Street Fair Petting Zoo.
you can take the girl out of North Branford....

Top of Sugarloaf Mountain.
 Just outside Dublin.
Great day and challenging hike -
careful going back down! 

After being in Dublin a week now, I'm reminded of the joys and challenges of beginning somewhere new. In this short time, I've indulged at new restaurants, hiked new mountains, run new routes, made new work colleagues and friends, tasted new beers, attended new theaters, street festivals, and plays...and I'm slowly beginning to orient myself in a city that feels both familiar and brand new. While doing this, I'm also attempting to be patient with myself: like a child, and really people of all ages, I'm learning from my mistakes and taking a long time to do some of the most ordinary tasks because things are just slightly different. It took me an hour to walk to the local library, usually a ten minute jaunt, because I took a wrong turn and ended up in the dodgy part of town, but I came out of it unscathed, heading back home with a library card and two books in tow. Grocery shopping at a new store, Tesco, was overwhelming yet exciting: while I was disappointed Ciobani isn't available, it gave me a chance to sample Muller. I also found pleasure in comparing and contrasting prices of produce (bell peppers and smoked salmon are cheaper, yet granola bars are pricey!).

I'm lucky to have Cathal and his family here, as they've been incredibly gracious and welcoming toward me. Cathal and I are beginning to search for a new apartments and unashamedly are enjoying the rush of the real estate market yet again (I'm beginning to think I may have gone into the wrong field). Cathal and I completed the immigration process as well - not too difficult, just a lot of long lines, finger printing, and waiting around, but after three hours, I was given my (blueish)-Green card, my GNIB, which permits me to stay in Ireland for a year. I've also set up a bank account and completed other mundane, tedious bureaucratic tasks; and after months of that in the States, I'm ready to move on with actually living life and not just filling out paperwork.

My new set-up at Trinity

The completion of these tasks is happening simultaneously with starting the PhD at Trinity College. While I'm still not sure what exactly I'm doing, I do have a key, desk, and computer in my new office area, and I'm fortunate to be surrounded by a very welcoming group of people, who greeted me with coffee, tea, and homemade baked goods on my first day. I'm still experiencing a sense of awe as I walk around the home of the Book of Kells and disbelief that this historical institution of great beauty is my new everyday.

So, while I look forward to the point in which I know the city a bit better and can actually show some visitors around and feel like I know what I'm doing in my workplace, I'm trying to enjoy the process of learning and be grateful for the slowing down of life that it forces upon me.

View from Howth, just outside Dublin.

The tea room in the Phoenix Park.
Love running through the park;
always want to stop for a cup!