I'm feeling electric tonight

Today was a good day. Very productive and satisfying. I spent all day walking around Dublin 2 and handing out resumes. I gave a good 10 copies, and some places weren't hiring, which means I covered quite a bit of ground. It helps me feel less hopeless when I'm actively trying to solve what worries me. I did find some nice stores, like the Disney store and Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Hermes. It was my first time seen big name stores like that. I even found a nice little pagan store. All and all, I'm glad I went exploring. It went a lot better than last time, even though I had no idea where I was the entire time. After hours of walking (and a delicious chicken and mango salad), it was back to USIT, where I found two apartments with reasonable price tags. I will be visiting these tomorrow. I also have another one to check out Wednesday, which is a bit more pricey, and an option for August. Ah, how it feels good when things are coming together. I just hope all those resumes bring something. I suppose that if I show persistence, someone will end up hiring me.

Tonight was all fun and no work, which makes up for the rest of the day. I find out last week that Lana Del Rey was coming to Dublin and I managed to get last minute tickets. I'm glad I did, it was a good show, and apparently she doesn't come to North America, so I'm proud I didn't let that chance slip by. I walked home with a true fan of hers. He arrived at the show at 11 this morning to be in the first row, he did the same for yesterday's show and he went to the airport to see her when she arrived. He was so stoked about having taken picture with her, it was cute. I got a few pictures and a t-shirt, and that was it. Still, I don't mind. I was  there more to hear her sing live and I didn't expect much more than that.

PS: if you've noticed that the title of this post is lyrics from a Lana Del Rey song, you get brownie points!

All I could think about during the show was: how does she make her hair so smooth?

Beautiful church on the way back. The picture doesn't do it justice.

Act cool, act cool!

I got lost Friday. Mhm, that's right. On purpose, too. Well, I wasn't exactly lost, I just went around randomly  while knowing that all I had to do to find my way back was to find the river. Or so I thought. Turns out finding the river isn't enough, you have to go in the right direction, too (who knew?). But I eventually found my way back, after a long walk and a stop at a little cafe to eat some soup. I did see very nice architecture, very European.

I spent yesterday in Galway, with a new friend of mine who comes from Australia. It's a beautiful city, with multicolored houses and seafood to die for (I didn't even need to chew my salmon, it just melted in my mouth). It also has a cute little market with all kinds of goodies like lavender, and a tourist area that is full of cute little shops. Many of them sold Claddagh rings, which I want to get before I leave. It took us two hours and a half to get there and I must be honest, I slept through most of it. When I was awake, I saw a lot of cows and sheep, and even some horses, in small fields. I think I even saw a fox. They don't use fences often here, instead the fields are divided using trees and bushes. It makes a beautiful patchwork pattern when you fly over the country. Even if it was beautiful, I don't think I could live there. It's a lot more residential, so it's a nice city for families and those who have a car. Which puts an end to my Dublin-Galway dilemma. I'm relieved I reached a decision so quickly, as it's one less thing to worry about.

After all the craziness of yesterday, today will be a relaxation and organisation day. Tomorrow we are back to business.

One of the sights I saw while being lost

Handy little reminders

One of the many bridges in Dublin

The beautiful houses in Galway

Boarding pass please

Today is the day I make up for all the weeks where I had nothing to say. But first things first: welcome to Ireland! I left home 16 hours ago and arrived in Dublin 9 hours ago. I loved the flight. Sadly I wasn't on one of the refurbished planes, but the leg room and the large seats were still there. Naturally, I was the youngest in my section. The food is what really made it all worth it. We had little warm wet towels before supper to wash our hands, finger food, an entrée (that lime pie was delicious... actually, everything was), and then the main meal. Following was coffee, tea, and alcohol. So fancy. I'm not one to take pictures of my food, but this time I could not resist. The rest of the night wasn't as pleasant though. I barely got any sleep, since I do not have the ability to sleep while sitting straight. I think I got about one to three hours of sleep.

Then enter Dublin. Going through customs took a little while longer because of the paperwork my visa required, but everything went well. Finding my suitcase required some walking around, and from there I had no idea where to go. Cue the safe haven called Ireland Tourism Information. Hop on a bus, zigzag through the streets of Dublin (they drive on the left side of the road and the right side of the car, and I still have no idea how they know which lane goes in which direction, since they don't have a yellow line), get dropped off, get a workout from dragging the suitcase all the way to the hostel, get some help from local guys when you reach the stairs, and finally, learn you can only check in at 2, aka four hours later. Thankfully they have a luggage room where I could store my suitcase. I barely remember the next four hours as they are a blur of sleeping half sitting up on a couch in the lounge and attempting to play Solitaire. I did manage to get some breakfast though. Whole milk, if you please. They don't have anything else for milk.

Now, hours later, I am sitting comfortably in my shared room, fresh out of a shower (finally) and with my important documents locked safely away in a really neat locker system they have here. Tomorrow is my orientation session, after which I will be able to clean up my resume and begin serious job hunting. I simply have no strength for any of that today.

Things I have learned in my one day of travel:
-Keep breathing
-Carry that toothbrush with you
-Be nice to people and they will be nice back
-A shower makes everything better
-Sleep is important
-Don't forget to eat
-People don't care
-Once you get tired and hungry enough, you won't care either

More news soon!

That's my plane!

My sister tried to keep me calm

Entrée

Main course

Goodbye Canada

I have waited for months for this moment, and here I finally am. Well, almost. I'll be arriving in Dublin Thursday morning, fresh off a six hour flight. I've worked my last shift, I've said my goodbyes. Even my suitcase is ready, which means tomorrow is just a question of getting ready and spending time with the family. My sister arrived from Montreal a few nights ago, which is nice since our family gets to be together one last time before I take off.

Everyone keeps asking me if I'm excited, and the truth is no. At least, not yet. I don't really think about it. I suppose it will hit me once I get off the plane, or even in the plane. I'm sure being surrounded by Irish accents will make me realize that I'm not in Canada anymore. However, I will say that I'm glad it's finally happening. After all those months of waiting, it's nice when your project finally brings results.

This will probably be my last post in Canada. Next time, I will be writing from the land of the green.

Number of days to go: 1