The first few days

Well I've been in Ireland for 9 days and they have been a whirlwind of activity, people, experiences and emotions. I hope I can capture everything in these posts.

I arrived on Friday August 5th after a long flight with no sleep in an uncomfortable seat. One day I will fly first class and have a reclining chair with a foot rest. I can't seem to sleep if my feet aren't elevated - weird but true.

The next few days I spent with my friend's friends. They took me to look at the UCD campus where I will be attending class; we drove through neighborhoods around the school and then went to Howth, a city by the sea. We walked along the beach, watched sea lions and ate tapas.

They were kind enough to let share their home and their food with me. To repay them I agreed to watch their cats while they are away for a week. But to give them some peace and quiet before their trip I went to the Aran Islands for 3 days.

And that is when I remembered my love of Ireland! Despite being on a cramped, smelly bus for 4 hours I marveled at the green countryside, the rolling hills and the stone walls. To say it is beautiful is an understatement.

From there it only got better. After a short stay in Galway I hopped a bus to Rossaveal, the port where ferry boats scoot you to the islands. It was during this bumpy hour-long ride to the ferry that I remembered the golden rule of travel: don't drink a lot of water before getting on a bus!

After that problem was resolved I landed on Inish Moir, the largest of the 3 Aran Islands.

Again to say the Aran Islands are beautiful isn't doing them justice. They are quiet, peaceful, low-key and comforting. The rocky terrain dots the landscape along with goats and horses.

There are small churches, forts and majestic cliffs. It is a spectacular place.

I was fortunate enough to stay with my friend who runs a hostel on the island. We went on numerous hikes (even though all I brought were my walking boots), had some dinner at the pub, met some locals and generally had some laughs.

Staying at the hostel I met people from all around Europe and one from the US. It was good fun! (As soon as I have pictures I'll share them).

After 3 days I took the same route back - ferry to Rossaveal, bus to Galway and another bus to Dublin. It took roughly 6.5 hours total which means I was exhausted when I got back to the city. But I felt thoroughly refreshed so it was worth it!

That night I met up with my friend's friend. He moved from Boulder to Dublin about a year ago; it was terrific to chat with someone from home!

Eventually I made my way back to Rathgar (where I'm staying) and got down to the business of finding a long-term living situation. Here it is called "letting" instead of renting. And so began my exhausting process of setting up viewings, getting directions, getting lost, refinding myself (often getting lost a second time) and then finally finding the place.

Fortunately I only had to view about 6 places before I found The One. It's in Goatstown, a southern part of Dublin city and is very close to my campus (20 min walk).

It's also a 20 min walk to the biggest shopping centre in Dublin. Now I'm not big on malls (or as they call them here shopping centres) but the ones here are smaller than most US malls. Plus they typically have a butcher shop, a fishmonger, a fruit/veggie grocer and supermarkets in these centres. So I am within walking distance of all of these shops, a few pubs and school. It is ideally located.

The drawback is that it is a college-type house which means it isn't especially nice and it's not well-decorated. But I am hoping to make it a bit nicer and put my own touches on it. :)

Plus there is a garden in the back - an actual garden! Here they call all yards "gardens" so even if it's a concrete slab it's still called a garden.

And my room is good-sized with a double bed, a wardrobe and a desk.

Now I must tend to the details of the deposit, rent, moving in and getting ready for school. Plus getting a phone, a bank account and any necessary household items I need.

So things are underway and moving along despite almost a full week was a near daily struggle to keep myself together, find my way around and not feel completely adrift.

There have only been a few mishaps: I've locked myself out of my friends' house, was bitten by some unknown ugly bug, sliced the top of my finger on a razor in my suitcase and now have a swollen, blocked tear duct in my left eye. I may have to go to the doctor for that one and I haven't a clue on how to do so.

But I have asked my friend for help and am learning to reach out. It's a necessary part of life and it helps me to not feel so isolated. It's coming together and I am finding my legs in the city.