Natasha's Travel Journal: Dublin: September 2008

I'm loving Dublin. This past week I've become quite close to the group of Americans who are all in my study abroad program. I am feeling like a student now, and not a tourist. Classes begin next week, and I am excited to meet other students (especially Irish students!). I also will be going to visit the place I will be interning at in Dublin. I don't know much about my internship yet, so I'm nervous and excited to go and meet with the company.

We have done a lot of walking these past two weeks. Its all I do here! If I were in Seattle I might complain about the amount of walking...but because I'm in Europe I don't mind at all!

All of the food tastes so different here. And there is no decent Mexican or Italian food anywhere! That is something I definitely took for granted in the States. I'm also surprised at the amount of interest the Irish have in American politics! With elections just around the corner, U.S. politics are at the forefront of the media here, as well as the financial crisis going on in the U.S. .

My 21st birthday is in just a few days...but its not such a big deal here, because the drinking age in Europe is 21!!! Still exciting though.

Below are some pictures of places I have been this past week. My favorite was the Kilmainham Gaol Jail. This jail was build in 1787 and is filled with Irish history and culture.

Planning my trip to Dublin for over one plus year could not have prepared me for the experience I have had the past week; Europe is more amazing than I had ever imagined.

My flight to Dublin was crazy. I went from Seattle, to Denver, to Chicago, to London and finally to Dublin. However, the 12 hour layover I had in London was well worth it. I took that time to go visit Windsor Castle; and let me tell you this is my first castle and because of this I just might be disappointed in every other castle I ever see. It was amazing, and I learned quite a bit of England's history with the help of my electronic tour guide. The people in Windsor and around the area were all so kind and helpful, without them I could not of figured out how to ride the city bus to Windsor Castle from the Airport!

Then, finally, I arrived in Dublin. It was dark when I arrived and didn't get settled into my hostel until midnight, or as they would say here, 24:00. When I asked someone about the weather in Dublin for the week, and they told me 14 degrees, I was shocked. That was below freezing temperature! They kept insisting that 14 degrees was fair weather, and I thought they were crazy. Then, about twenty minutes later, I realized that they actually meant 14 degrees Celsius...which is a big difference. With the combination of jet lag, never having traveled outside the U.S. and being thrown into a new and exciting world, many occurrences like this one have happened.

Its weird because there are many things which are familiar here, like the smells or the laughs of people. Yet its so different from anything I have ever experienced. The hostel i stayed at housed mostly younger people from all over the world. I've had conversations with people from France, Israel, Spain, England, Ireland, Canada, the United States, Australia and Afghanistan. I am in awe with the beauty in diversity that exists in Europe. My favorites though would have to be the Irish.

After doing much tourist activities, like seeing the Dublin Castle, the Christ Church Cathedral, the Book of Kells and Trinity College, and street fairs in Dublin, I decided to try and go meet some locals. So me, two girls from Boston and an English girl all went to a "local" pub. This was the most fun I had since I'd been here! The Irish are so animated, and excited in the way they speak. I do admit its a bit hard to understand them at times though. I will be moving into my apartment on the campus of Dublin City University today, and I'm quite excited to be out of traveling limbo.

Above: Standard city building in Dublin.