Distracted by beetles and other entertainment

Suddenly another week went by and it's Sunday again. I've mostly been touristing and walking around the city. I've learnt some Korean, enjoyed the first Erasmus party and been to some lovely cafés. And hallelujah, I found some great fleamarkets this weekend.

Photo by Anja. Thanks!

And yes I'm on an exchange to study, but to be honest it's quite hard with a city full of live music and lots of new things to experience and see. I like hanging on the campus although Trinity College looks nicer from the outside than it actually is on the inside. The lecture rooms are a bit like concrete bunkers with no windows, which means the acoustics is not the very best and I have to sit in the front row to understand the lecturers. It's also a bit distracting when it sounds like there are beetles filling up the bunker. Actually it's the students using their computers for writing down notes. I'm so oldschool that I have notebooks for that, one for each module. I also enjoy reading the graffiti on the desks (since there is no graffiti back home in Soc&kom) and look at the different styles students have. I have also been listening on the lectures. Quite interesting with welfarestates, crime and social networks as overlapping themes. There are also tutorials or seminars to every module I participate in, which means loads of reading. Next week I have to start studying for real. I found the warmest place in Dublin to read in. There are some hidden treasures where you least expect it.

Today's menu

Things I like:

kind people helping you out and saying sorry even if you were the one to push them by mistake
walking everywhere
pubs and live music available every night
cosy streets
outgoing exchange students
Trinity College
Museums for free
Irish waiters
Guinness

Things I have to get used to:

the rain
walking everywhere
handdryers everywhere instead of papertowels
two taps for cold and warm water
flush system in bathroom
wearing slippers inside
one and two cent coints
left-side traffic

.

Beautiful day

Oh yes. Week one is behind and it feels like I've been here for ages! I really like it here and I do so many different things a day, so that's why it feels like I've been here for much longer. At least that's my theory. I must calm down and realize that I can't see and experience everything that I would like to. The city is grand (as they would say here)!

Anyway, the weekend was all about getting to know Dublin, since we've spent most of the days before at the college campus.
Walking tour for almost four hours with an excellent guide...

 

Nelson's Pillar was destroyed by students in 1966 and replaced by the Spire of Dublin in 2003. There are definitelly more beautiful sights here, but I think the "Stiffy by the Liffey" was a bit extra ordinary.

... and pub crawl with stouts and music.

On Sunday I moved into an apartment with 3 other girls who were living here from before. A great place with three rooms, kitchen, two bathrooms on a short walking distance to school in a nice area. It's a bit cold yes, but I have the thickest blanket I've ever seen and wear Grandma's woolen socks. Therefore I sleep almost too good.


I have to learn to not have my mouth open all the time when I see something new, interesting and exciting. I must look quite stupid walking on the street. On the other hand, does it matter? Maybe not.

A stout a day, keeps the doctor away

It's more common that I go asleep at 5 pm than wake up, but off I went to the airport on Wednesday morgning (or night?). It was wierd sitting in a quite big aircraft with only 20 fellow passangers. My ecological heart was aking, but let's just hope the plane was full when it went to its next destination.

Arrived in Copenhagen and enjoyed looking at the beautiful people there! And bikes litterally everywhere.

I had a couple of hours so I was strolling around the city and also visited Christiania. Do you know the feeling when you're kind of embarrest to be a tourist? Well, Christiania was definitelly one of those places. It seemed a bit threatening in the misty morning and the area was full of men of some reason. I'm sure it's a nice place during summer, though. This area is a freetown with only three rules:
1. Have fun, 2. Don't run, 3. No photos.

In Dublin an Irish student came to meet me and an American girl. In the evening I had my first Guinness on Ireland. It was thick and nice. I slept like a child after such a long day (or because of the beer?).

Next day and the day after was full of information and I learnt to always carry an umbrella with me. As the tutor said there is four seasons during one day. The campus of Trinity College is beautiful, huge and quite like a labyrint, but everything you need is in one area. It's awsome.

Yesterday we went to the Temple bar area and enjoied some live music and Irish dance. And Irish people are crazy wearing only shorts and t'shirt. Hello, it's January! But on the otherhand the lawns are green and there are flowers in the park.

And the really best thing yesterday was that I found a room to rent. Happy is only the "preword".

Mr Higgin's land

I just came from the sauna. Hope there are some great ones in Dublin as well.

Lunch in Copenhagen and Guinness tomorrow evening. Tomorrow's going to be a great day.

Cheers!

Green is nice.

Grönt är skönt, as you would say in Swedish. Ireland, the green island. Dublin. I confess that I don't know too much about this land and its capital that will be my residence for the forthcoming five months (or maybe even more?). But I'm exicted!  I can't even sleep in the evening, because I have to write down things I shouldn't forget about. And yes, I'm a "list-person" who loves to make lists of everything that has to be somehow under control. I don't do it as much as before though, since I realised that one simply can't control life. But the best thing is still when you can tick things off. I have made several lists for Wednesday when I leave by flight from Vaasa. I think I should start packning now, but what do you bring with you for a stay of half a year?

Here you can see a quite dull picture of the weather in Dublin, but this is the best pic to describe my day today: surfing on "Dublin weather" and what kind of and how much clothes to pack. And should I bring my violin or not?

I chose to write my blog in English, so that I could practise some writing [and feel free to correct me with spelling mistakes] and that hopefully everybody who wants to follow my blog can read it. Hope you enjoy it!