day 18

Happy Chinese New Year!

In festive spirits, I opened up my stash of bakwa yesterday. It was beautiful to behold, but even better to taste. I had two bakwa sandwiches. Yep, bakwa sandwiches. Who needs Breadtalk for sweet Chinese bacon in bread.

I brought some to the meeting to let the locals have a taste. Overall it seemed pretty well received, though not by everyone. But who needs other people to love what you like. More for me! Yum.

The rest of Dublin seems to be getting into the cny mood. It's quite interesting to see how it's interpreted here. The supermarket round the corner have a Chinese food special: duck spring rolls and other stuff. Didn't notice what they were... I was only interested in the duck.

What was funniest was how Tescos and some convenience stores are suddenly selling soya sauce. So nondescriptly fronted at the side display too! That's Irish Chinese New Year for you.

Also, yesterday at ucd was Refreshers' Day – like the official day to join clubs, networks and societies. I joined two international student networks, to tap onto their traveling offers. Tim's recommendation. Other than that I signed up with the Russian Society... but those guys seem a little shady.

I think Student Unions shouldn't put their posters in pairs

As with all things ucd I had to pay to join the clubs. Two euros each. Ka-chang That was the main thing stopping me from considering other options. I suppose the "registration fee" helps you decide on a narrower range of groups to commit to, if committed at all.

Yes, that reminds me. I had to go down to the immigration office on Tuesday to register my presence in this country. That cost another 300 euros, and five hours of my life. The only saving grace was shopping at Penny's while waiting.

The weather today was nice. It's been raining everyday since last week... the cold is so much more miserable when its wet. It's even more miserable when your boots have the leaks. My eccos started to crack at the sole (as did my soul), so water was seeping in. Wet feet not nice. Did some googling on repair options only to find that crumbling soles are the bane of eccos. Comfortable as they are, they're not built to last. Don't buy eccos.

Even a gloomy day is a nice day if it's dry

So anyway, I went to the cobblers to see if he could do anything about my cloggers. He recommended against replacing the rubbers and told me I'm better off getting new shoes. That are not eccos, he added.

That led me to more googling, which led me to discover the outlet shopping village in Ireland, Kildare. Guess what's the plan for tomorrow afternoon?

Anyway, I thought it was romantic that my shoes should die in Europe, where I had bought it. Circle of life. Literally. They've been walked around in in Europe, South East Asia, and now back home to its place of purchase (Well, kind of. I bought them across the sea in Liverpool. At an outlet shopping village... See the pattern?).

Dear shoes, I'll miss you. Ecco you suck.

day 15

Chocolate cake and math homework. I'm really living the life.

School today was pretty good! I've broken my friendless streak. I sat opposite another exchange student during my first break, who turned out to my classmate for a class we had later.

A rainbow at ucd to prove how good a day it was

 

I'm slowly beginning to recognise my other classmates too, so the next step would be to start talking I guess. Meeting new people is always so painful, especially when you don't already know anyone.

I realised also that there are a number of 'mature learners' reading the same modules as I am. I think the government here gives in incentives for people who've lost their jobs to further studies. Singapore supposedly has some schemes like that in place too, but I don't see many older people taking classes in nus. It'll be interesting to talk to some of them to find out more of how these things work.

After lessons today I thought I'd try out the pool at ucd. Just thinking about it felt like a hassle though: to have to bring my swimming stuff and towel, change in and out of many-layered clothes... But guess what. Apparently students are supposed to register with the sports club and go for an induction before they can decide to pay four euros to use the gym/ pool. Talk about disappointment!

I don't quite understand what should induce the need to be inducted, but I hope to find out why when I am done with so.

day 14

News flash: the heater's up and running. I was wrong in the last post. I hadn't fixed it. Eventually I figured out I needed to reset the boiler because I didn't switch it off properly. Took me long enough to find the reset button too. But, I did it. Yes. I am master of the heating system now.

My place is nice and toasty. Thankfully so too. It's been raining a fair bit since yesterday. You can feel the temperature drop when it showers. Tonight's pretty windy out. I can actually feel the cold seeping through my door...

First week of school is over! I still don't know anyone of my classmates yet. I spoke to only one girl in topology to borrow her notes, because I was late for class. Ho hum. I think I've been enjoying the quiet of my apartment a little too much. As well as watching Friends.

I had a really good weekend though. Celebrated Jamie's birthday on Saturday. We ate burgers at gbk... Gourmet Burger Kitchen. Good stuff. We headed over to Anthony and Rachel's place afterwards for a 90's quiz. More than half of the questions I didn't know the answer to. But it was really nice just spending time with the church fellows here. Silly me didn't remember to take photos though.

From there I went back to the O'Brien's where I spent the night. Had a nice morning today, going out for a walk with Tom, Sean and Bobby. We walked through a hotel nearby which had a nice park-like drive in. For some reason they had two llamas and an ostrich just wandering in their fields. Strange.

The meeting went as usual (already 'as usual' huh). We had a new lady come in who had found a pamphlet she was given a year ago. She said she'll be back next week.

Anyway, new week of school starting tomorrow. I really should catch up on my readings.

day 11

Here I was last night thinking I was getting used to the cold. I was starting to venture through the brave outdoors without my gloves, then losing the beanie, and eventually the scarf. I still use them every now and then, but the chill isn't so biting anymore.

Then I thought, "Why not let's try to save some energy? I don't need heating on at home the whole day."

So I switch off the heating. And, I haven't been able to get running ever since.

First problem: I don't know how that thing works. I fiddled with the switches and dials for a while, thinking I had something going. Maybe it needs a while to warm up, I thought. Yeah right.

I went to bed. Woke up. Cold.

I tried googling instruction manuals this morning, found one for the same brand but different model. Played with the switches some more. This time I thought I had it all worked out, just in time for school too. But of course, I came back home to a fridge box.

Okay. Chill. (Ha ha.) I just restarted the system and there was some liquid swishing. The sound of life! Now all I have to do is wait for things to warm up...

Honestly I'm quite tempted to go out shopping now because it'll be nice and toasty in the malls. And if it isn't then at least I'll have more warm clothes. Heh. But yeah just going to the city will cost me another four euros I'm not willing to pay right now.

Maybe I'll settle for a cup of tea. At least the kettle is working.

Lesson learnt: never play with the heating system. Stupid idea.

Also, as an afterthought, I really miss being barefoot. As much as I like socks, it simply doesn't feel right to have them on at all times.

day 9

First day at school yesterday. It really felt like being a freshman all over again: the rush to school not wanting to be late; the desperate search for the right lecture theatre; getting lost; easing into a classroom in which everyone seems to have friends – that is, everyone except you.

But other than the little bits of anxiety, first day went okay. I had geometry, sociolinguisitics, and world englishes. I figured I have a lot of work to do for geometry. So much of its bases sounds unfamiliar to me.


The lake in ucd

Linguistics was okay. I was surprised by the gender imbalance in class though. The girls outnumber boy by at least nine to one. And here I was thinking nus was pretty bad already.

It's just my gut feel here but I think this has a lot to do with a very strong gendered division of labour here. Even stronger than in Singapore. I noticed the same with how guys have nothing to do with the kitchen. And that they usually don't wear head-warming gear.

Classes here are all one hour long. I suppose that's good? I like the idea of one hour meetings because it keeps things focus, and people just can't pay attention for much longer. It seems most productive that way. I must admit this arrangement did catch me by surprise though.

The down side to my schedule is that I've got waaay to long a break in between classes on Mondays. One hour class, two hour break. I'll have to make the most of it. I spent my second break in the library yesterday. Quite liked that.

The lack of view from my corner in the library

I've also become more grateful of nus's smoking ban. Back in ucd the entrance to the building has been turned it into a smoke lagoon; there's really no choice but to pass through them.

After school I explored the campus a bit. Found the sporty corner of the school: gym, pool, rugby field. I also discovered where all the supermarkets in the area are. Bought some groceries last night, but I might head out to get a bit more later.

For now, I should be getting ready for school.

*

I'm back! I was very amused by my math class today. Everyone were like characters from a movie. Most of my classmates were scruffy and bearded and wore baggy jackets. 

My prof was the best: a slanting middle-aged man, balding and bed-haired. His eyes never seemed to meet anyones', yet he spoke at us with the confidence of a textbook. That magical language of mathematics. It always sounds the same, written or spoken. As such there was like double the charm when he wrote what he spoke on the blackboard. The whole scene just felt so archaic.

English classes are very different. For one, they are much larger, and as I mentioned before, female dominated. Even my profs are female.

And, I didn't quite believe it when Tim first told me, but the class really was a sea of copper, brass and gold. It feels strange to belong to a minority that is both male and Asian.

But besides feelings of oddness the classes have been fine. I don't feel ready to move back into the swing of school, but I'll have to move along with it anyway. At least most of the content for my linguistics modules seem largely familiar. Shouldn't have too much trouble with those. It's the math modules that I really have to pull things together for.

After school I spent some time wandering around the neighbouring neighborhoods. I found my way to Merrion, pish posh area. Everyone practically lives in castles there.


The random picture I took on my walk

Eventually I landed myself in Ballsbridge. Pretty okay place. It had some cafes I'd like to check out. I walked along a river/ stream there too. That was really beautiful.

But the catch of the day had to be Herbert Park, not too far from where I'm staying now. It doesn't have much to boast of other than a little pond, and large patches of green. Even so, it felt I had walked into an oasis from the rush and rough of the city streets. I'd definitely go back there, perhaps when I finally get my jogging gear on.

Later in the evening I tried to be sociable and went for an event thing at ucd. Met a few random exchange students and ate a decent share of free food. Not great, but at least I know a few people now.

I rewarded myself by cooking a steak and salad, finished with chocolate mousse. Credits to lidl for cheap groceries.

Going to head out now to get dishwashing liquid and clean up the mess I made.

Goodnight.

day 6

Gruff and grit, I think I quite like Dublin for all its rough edges. It doesn't seem like too much of a pretentious city. People don't dress dressy... they dress for warmth. They walk fast. I like how quiet they are on the bus.

The buildings remind me of Scotland. Walls of old posters, moss and stone. Little alleyways, pubs and people. Scratchy branches of barren trees. I hope to explore much more of the city, but in due time.

I've experienced a bit of the legendary Irish hospitality: I asked a few people to use their mobile phones to make a few calls. Most of them were pretty willing to lend it... although a few people did (pretend?) not to have their phones. Well.

Yesterday I found a place to rent out in Donnybrook. It's a really nice area – mostly residential and slightly upper crust. The studio I'm renting is a converted garage of sorts, nice and cozy, complete with bathroom and kitchenette. The landlady seems nice too, though she's a busy woman. Five sons she had to tend to. I'll be moving in this Sunday, hopefully I'll get some pictures in by then.

Then I went to ucd for the first time. Walked over from my studio-to-be. The campus felt so spacious. It probably would feel less so on Monday when everyone comes in for lessons. Ucd is really grey too. Something about the cold winter air gives the place a sleek icy feel.

Ucd even has a lake in the middle of campus. It's like the silvery soul of the uni. I can foresee having many cold chicken wrap lunches by this lake.

Speaking of uni, I'm really looking forward to classes. Fortunately almost all them are in the same building. I'm still figuring out where some lecture halls/ classrooms are though. I'll find my way.

Other than that, things are, as they say here, grand.

day 4

Hello Dublin! Besides the rather cold welcome, Ireland has been really nice.

I'm staying with a couple of friends from church at the moment, the O'Brien's. They've been very kind to keep me warm and well-fed.

I think I've caught up on half a year's sleep since coming. I can't tell if it's the winter chill or simply a deep seated exhaustion, but I've slept a good twelve to thirteen hours through for the past three nights. So shiok.

Explored a bit of the town yesterday. I live in an area called Finnstown. Don't know who Finn is, but I might go look it up later. I also took a bus to the city to walk around a bit. Didn't get very far though, since it was starting to get dark (read: cold), so I left early.

Yes and very importantly I had a look around the local supermarkets. I love the supermarkets, not only because I love food, but it tells you so much about how people live. Compared to the standard fare in Singapore, there was a lot of meat here. Lots of hams and pre-seasoned cuts and fillets. Fresh bread. The milk here is really yummy too.

The 'foreign foods' section is very telling too. There was mainly Asian and Italian staples: rice, pasta, and the associated condiments. Didn't expect to find pasta outside of the local staple. Looks like people here are serious about their potatoes.

Also, my host had eggs delivered to her door today. Probably from a local farm. But even that's new for me. Actually speaking of which I don't remember the egg section at SuperQuinns. Should check it out again.

Thankfully I got back in time for dinner, good ol' spaghetti bolognaise, before having the mid-week meeting. I met most of the saints here for the first time. The meeting went well, with lots of jokes and laughter. I quite like it here.

I was supposed to head out again today, but decided to stay home to settle some banking issues and stuff. Oh and I managed to contact a landlady offering a promising place to rent. I'm checking it out tomorrow. Hopefully all works out well.

Since I'll be heading all the way to the other end of Dublin I'll probably drop by ucd and check the place out. I should pick up my student card and stuff too. Excited!

I think that pretty much covers my trip since my arrival... Going to catch up with a friend over dinner tonight. Good evening all.