10. My First Day of School & Other News

I started classes! I’m in week 2 of my “modules.” It’s a lot of work, but for the first time in my life, I feel like I’m really learning – like I’m being trained to know how to do a job. It’s actually really exciting. The other thing is, there aren’t any exams! I don’t get it… It’s a whole different way of learning. I feel like I’m being tricked or something. The professors go through the syllabus and say that 50% of the grade is a group project, 20% is an individual project, and 30% is ongoing blog entries over the reading and I’m thinking, but wait, is there a test worth another 100% or something? Even while I read, I feel like I better make a study guide to remember all of this stuff. It’s so different from undergrad.

I bought a lovely red and white bike with flowers on it. It’s really nice, but terrifying at the same time. I’ve never been a bike commuter or anything so it was hard to jump in to it. I kind of like it now, kind of. It will save me hundreds, though. I like to go down hills, but I’m too much of a wuss, so I squeeze the brake all the way down, but I like that, too. I passed a girl for the first time that was slower than me and I liked that too.

 I found the local public library by my house. That makes me feel like I’ve finally really settled, here. I got a library card in about 10 minutes and they have a much better self-service kiosk than in the NYC public libraries, but I think everyone would steal the DVDs in New York if you could check them out yourself. Come to think of it – I also didn’t notice that you don’t have to get searched on the way in and out of the library, here, like you did at home. The other day, I rode my back over to the library and then stopped at a park on the way back to read a little. There were a bunch of families around. It made me miss the little kids in my family. I’m excited for my upcoming family visits in London and Paris. I’ll be going to London with Hayley and Stephen and then, meeting Jessica, Dev, Juliette, and Leo for one day in Paris the following weekend.

Speaking of weekend trips! I have an impromptu weekend trip coming up this Friday… to Dingle. It’s ok if you giggled. So do I. I’ll keep you all aBREAST of how that goes (complete with pictures next week, I’m sure).

In other news, I saw a fox the other day- right on the way to the City Centre! I also went to a party behind Aviva Stadium last Saturday where Lady Gaga was playing – not at the party, at the stadium. It was fun walking there because I was walking along this pretty little canal, but as I got closer to the venue, there were so many people on the street in costume with wigs and masks on. It was cute.

I joined a bunch of clubs today: film society, musical club, international student society, equestrian club, and literature and history club. It was great because they all have a bunch of events and they’re all only €2 to join.

Now, for a little educational material! As promised, this is…

What I learned from The Truth About Organic Foods:

-          To my understanding, the difference between organic and non-organic or conventional farming is that organic farming uses organic fertilizer, while conventional farming uses synthetic fertilization materials

-          There is no unbiased, consistent, significant scientific research to conclude that organic food is more nutritious than conventional food.

-          “Let me be clear about one thing. The organic label is a marketing tool. It is not a statement about food safety. Nor is ‘organic’ a value judgment about nutrition or quality. Organic is about how it is produced. Just because something is labeled as organic does not mean it is superior, safer, or more healthy than conventional food. All foods in this country must meet the same high standards of safety regardless of their classification. For nutritious information, look at the nutrition label. And, as for quality, that’s a matter of personal preference.” – US Department of Agriculture Secretary, Dan Glickman in 2000.

-          Published, scientific studies show that organic foods have a higher risk of foodborne pathogens and fungal toxins than conventional foods. – Organic farmers can’t use the most effective fungicides because they are all synthetic.

-          Organic foods are not pesticide-free, but neither synthetic nor organic pesticides pose any significant food safety risks.

-          More than 99% of meat, milk, and eggs is completely free of any detectable traces of supplemental hormones and antibiotics.

-          “Even if you could use all the organic material that you have – the animal manures, the human waste, the plant residues – and get them back in the soil, you couldn’t feed more than 4 billion people.” – Dr. Norman Borlaug, 1970 Nobel Peace Prize winner and “Father of the Green Revolution”

Interesting, huh? So, I won’t be going out of my way to buy any organic produce from now on. I’ll get back to you about what I’m learning about meat.

9. A Film Review and its Aftermath

Yesterday, I took myself to an early evening movie at the Irish Film Institute. I showed up to see Samsara around 6pm. I knew it was kind of an arty movie, which I go for if I’m in the right mood, and that it was filmed over 5 years in 25 different countries. As it turned out, I really liked the movie – definitely worth seeing on the big screen. I like seeing movies by myself, especially strange ones like this. Here’s a tip, though, if you feel depressed about seeing a movie by yourself: Just imagine that you’re with whoever is sitting next to you. Once the lights go down, you wouldn’t be talking to your movie-mate anyway, so just imagine you’re with them. I did that with the guy next to me, who was also by himself, but then I didn’t like that he kept laughing at times that seemed insensitive to laugh, so our movie partnership quickly came to an end and I was happy to be by myself, once again.

Anyway, the movie made me think about so many different things, but I think that’s what art is supposed to do; show you something interesting, make you think about what you’re seeing, and allow your mind to wander off to seemingly unrelated topics that may have otherwise stayed hidden in the shadows of your teeny tiny brain caves. I’ll admit a 2 hour movie with no narrative or dialogue was difficult to sit through, but in the end, my favorite parts were worth the time.

After seeing so many different places on screen in one sitting, I got to thinking about how differently people live their lives. The movie showed a lot of examples of various religious practices throughout the world. I found myself feeling like all of that might be such a waste of time. When I really thought about it though, I had to admit that the way I’ve been spending my time, especially as of late, hasn’t been so honorably important. I’ve been keeping myself busy trying to find Wi-Fi and just wondering around setting up my life in Dublin. So, maybe the worth of spending a day baptizing your baby isn’t to be judged by me. What do I know?

Another part that really got me was when they showed a few minutes of chickens and cows and pigs being “processed” in fast forward somewhere in Japan. I admit that I’ve always chosen to live in denial about the food industry. I haven’t seen any of the documentaries because I knew if I saw them, I would feel like I do, now. I feel obligated to become a vegan or a vegetarian, or at least buy farm-raised or wild chicken and only support farmers that are humane. That sounds so stupid because I don’t know what I’m talking about and I don’t know what I’m even supposed to look for when I go shopping. Here’s the problem, I’ve always thought that when I start buying my own groceries, I would buy all the organic, local, friendly-farm stuff and I would feel really good about it. The reality is, I’m buying my own food, but I’ve been going to the local Spar and getting whatever’s cheapest. I don’t even think they sell organic or friendly-farm and I wouldn’t even know where to begin to look for that, let alone how much more it would cost on my international student budget. I also thought about doing some research to get to the bottom of all this and to find out how to make smarter choices about the meat I eat. The problem with this is that the school library isn’t open, yet, and I’m not exactly sure how the Irish public libraries work and I don’t have internet at home, yet, and I just can’t bring myself to spend any more time at Starbucks. I’m so frustrated that it’s such a hard thing to figure out how not to participate in what I just saw, yesterday, in the movie. I’m sure this difficulty is purposely made difficult by some industry head, somewhere. What a horrible job description. I don’t think vegan cheese spread and tofurkey are the better option, but I wish there were an easier way to make ethical, healthy food decisions without literally going on a wild goose chase, just to have some quality goose-meat! I like being a carnivore, but I feel guilty enough about the way things are done to make time in my unbelievably un-busy schedule to find out how to use the public library in Dublin. I’m going to get some answers! Of course, I’ll share my findings as they come in to the newsroom…

After the movie I went to The Quays Bar in Temple Bar, had a couple beers, listened to a FANTASTIC banjo player, met a girl and her mom from Wales, 2 Irish guys, went to the next bar with all of them, saw said banjo player at the next bar, asked if he knew of a place I could get a banjo and/or if he ever gives lessons (he does, so let’s keep our fingers crossed in hopes that he’ll teach me a small sliver of what he knows), went to next bar, next bar, next bar… danced, pretended to take Jager shots (spilled them on the floor, which I kind of feel bad about because they were paid for – but hey, I would’ve been way too drunk and I didn’t ask for them in the first place), more dancing, girl from Wales lost her phone, helped her look for it, decided I was over it, snuck out, got a cab home. Overall, it was a great Tuesday evening!

8. Lower Beechwood Avenue, Ranelagh

I finally have a little studio to call my own! As I type this, I’m sitting in my new local coffee shop listening to old-timey jazz. I feel like my vacation has come to an end. I’m paying my own rent, I have a neighborhood, a big window with a view of red brick rooftops, a commute, furniture, things to buy, a grocery store, a big blue door with a handle in the middle, an address, keys, all of my clothes to hang up… it’s a little overwhelming. I have arrived! The move was unbelievably simple for a girl who’s been dealing with New York City landlords for the past 6 years. It took about an hour to get the keys. Upon moving in, I discovered a greeting card with a hand-written message from the landlord wishing me a pleasant stay. I was shocked! Yesterday, I met the landlord and his wife, who has an office in the building where she sells fabric. They’re both about 55 or 60 or so. She had an eyebrow ring and dark purple eyeliner. He commented that I look like a creative person because of my purple hair and nails, which were freshly painted seafoam green to match my red dress. After seeing his wife and her style, I knew he meant this as a compliment. They were both so lovely and helpful. What was so surprising about the whole renting agreement and procedure was that there were no background or credit checks, no references or bank statements. All he said was that he could tell I was a reliable person and he’s very picky about who he chooses to allow in the building. I couldn’t believe it! That was it – I paid the deposit and a week of rent and the place was mine.

The other night, I went out for the first time since I arrived in Dublin. I went to Temple Bar and had an amazing time! I haven’t been drinking enough since I got here. I forgot how fun nightlife is in Dublin. The first stop was a pub/restaurant where I had my first official full Irish breakfast as a resident. Then, another pub where I was thrilled to find an underground swing dance lesson and party! Swing is my absolute favorite dance style so I followed the taped up paper signs to the party. It was so much fun! Everyone there really knew what they were doing. I danced with a bunch of friendly guys who just wanted to show off their moves. Luckily, I could keep up with most of them, except one dancer. He was amazing! I don’t even know what style of swing he was doing. Instead of the regular triples, he kind of put his heels out first and stayed low to the ground with his knees bent. He whirled me around as I laughed and tried to catch my breath. He was crazy! He looked almost like he was doing that Russian dance move where you cross your arms and kick, except he was turning all around as he did it. Super cool. I stayed out late and made it home by 3.

Here are the pictures of my little place that I know everyone has been waiting for!

My Street

Home Sweet Home

I just took a picture of this street because is it just me or does this look like a film set?

A lovely view of St. Stephen's Green - It's a 20 min. walk from my place.