Half Two

Since my last post on Monday, a lot has happened!  On Tuesday morning we had orientation in a lecture hall at Dublin City University, where we learned about some of the cultural differences between Ireland and America, such as the indirectness that many Irish people are known for versus America's more direct style of communication.  Then we received directions to our internship sites along with our course assignments.  I was happy to find out that my commute was fairly easy.  I have a 10 minute walk from my apartment to the Shanowen bus stop, about a 15-20 minute bus ride from Shanowen to the Big Tree Tavern, and a 10 minute walk from Dorset Street to the CESR at the Dublin Institute of Technology.  My commute is about 30-45 minutes, depending on when the buses arrive, whereas a lot of the other students in the program have to commute over an hour!  I lucked out.

After orientation on Tuesday, I ran some errands and purchased a phone.  If anyone wants to contact me, my number is 086 400 1490.  The Dublin code is +353, which goes before the number.  Then I met up with a few new friends and walked to the local pub, The Comet.  I really liked the atmosphere of the pub, and I could definitely see myself going back there, especially because it is located so close to my apartment building.

I came back from the pub around midnight, and then I tried to watch The Bachelorette on abc.com.  This is when I learned that viewers outside of the U.S. aren't able to watch the show online because of international rights agreements. OH NO!  I honestly freaked out, I've been watching The Bachelor religiously since season one.  I guess I'll just have to tell my parents to tape it and watch it the second I touch down in Chicago.  I tried listening to pandora after my heart broke from the bad news of The Bachelorette, and then: "due to licensing constraints" I found out that I don't have access to Pandora too since I'm outside the U.S.  I guess iTunes will do for now...

The next morning, I woke up early to prepare for my interview.  I was a little nervous, so I made sure to leave with plenty of time in case I got lost.  My interview was set for 2:00, and I left around 12.  I made it to my site at 12:45, a lot earlier than expected!  I decided that I would kill time at a restaurant, so I started walking around the area looking for somewhere to go.  I couldn't find ANYTHING except for a few grocery stores and a park, so I stopped at a pub and ordered a sparkling water and vegetable soup.  Those were probably some unusual choices for a pub, but I was starving and obviously couldn't order an alcoholic beverage before an interview.

I came back to the DIT at 1:45 and anxiously waited for my interview to start after signing in.  About ten minutes later, I was greeted by an American from New York (mom, you'll enjoy hearing this!  I didn't ask her what part of NY she's from though, but I will, just for you) who has lived in Dublin for three years now.  I immediately felt comfortable with her because of our connection to the States, and she told me she even went to school in Chicago.  My nerves quickly went away and I became really excited because right away I had a feeling that my workplace would be a friendly environment.

After several minutes, a few other people at the CSER came in to talk to me.  We were led to another room, where I met Noirin and Siobhan (pronounced Shivon! "bh" in Ireland is pronounced "v" in America), who work in the early childhood department of the center.  They were also very welcoming, and they started explaining some of the different responsibilities I would have, such as using SPSS to enter data, assisting at conferences, reading publications and providing summaries, etc.  Everything sounded really interesting, and I realized I definitely wouldn't be under-worked, which was one of my fears.  I also met Kevin, who gave me a few ideas of his own.

Even though the internships start on Monday, I'm going back to the DIT Friday to meet with Kevin and some other students working on the alternative/social care department.  Then Monday, my first day of work, I get to attend a conference at a hotel in the center of Dublin where I will learn more about it.  The interview lasted an hour and a half, but that was mostly because everybody in the building was so sociable that I couldn't seem to leave before then!

I almost forgot to mention the half two.  When Kevin told me to meet him on Friday, he said "meet at half two in room 302."  I felt kind of ignorant because I had no idea what that meant, so I asked, and he laughed and said, "Oh you say it differently in America don't you.  Half two means 2:30."  I'm really glad I found that out because otherwise I would have never known when to arrive!  A few other things I learned from my future co-workers: chips in Dublin are french fries in the U.S., the date is written differently (today is considered the 15th of the 6th, so the day is written before the month), and a quick refresher on how to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit (multiply the C by 2, then add 32).  Very important facts for my survival here so I can eat right, understand the date and time, and dress appropriately for the weather :).  That's all for now, but I'll post again soon because tomorrow is our Guinness Storehouse tour, one of Dublin's most distinctive attractions!  Can't wait.