Square One

I called Dale during his break at work on Monday.

“We’re going to Oktoberfest!”

“Oh, are we?”

“Yes, I bought tickets last night! 65 euros each, both ways, and including tax!”

“For when?”

“October sixth to October ninth, so if you have Sunday and Monday off, you’d only need to ask for Tuesday and Wednesday.”

“Oh, right on.”

So much for a reaction! That guy is too calm for his own good. He was pleased about it though, and managed to get the days off work without any trouble.

I spent most of my time this week either reading or applying for jobs. I now have a sizeable amount of emails clogging my inbox so I don’t forget who or what job I applied for in case someone calls. I have already had an interview for a nannying position. Dale and I took the bus out to Sandymount, which involved a meltdown because the woman still hadn’t sent me her address and I waited long enough in an attempt to make sure we had the right bus that I was going to be sufficiently late. However, when I eventually received the family’s return call, they didn’t seem bothered at all. Perhaps it’s because they have three triplets under nine months as well as a four year-old boy and two nannies living in their busy household, while the mum has just returned back to work. The interview was on Thursday, which was also Arthur’s Day, though Dale and I didn’t mind not celebrating Mr. Guinness’ day because our money is only dwindling and we had already visited the brewery.

When we arrived in Sandymount, which is by the coast, I had to stop a passing man to ask for directions to Sandymount village. The man was perfectly willing to help and cheerfully led us all the way to the village. He told us he was a retired pilot and often travelled from Vancouver to Seattle and the surrounding areas. As usual, he told us the Irish go to Canada for work, and not the other way around! After some more chatting, we said goodbye to the former pilot, and the family’s dad arrived in his car to take me the rest of the way. I introduced him to Dale, who would hang around and find something to do in the village while he waited for me. The interview itself went on for over an hour. It felt like a visit rather than an interview, so there was plenty of time for me to be awkward, and I hope they won’t hold it against me. I learned that one of their nannies is going home to Brazil for family reasons, and while her friend is staying, they need someone to pick up their oldest son from school and watch him while the other nanny takes care of the triplets. Money was a bit of an issue, since they wanted someone for four days a week and only from one o’clock to seven. But it sounded like they have had trouble finding someone to fill this requirement, so they are willing to offer two full days and two shorter days. Money would still be tight, but I really like the idea that I could volunteer at Niall’s school on my Fridays off and have a better chance of getting into the Teacher Education Program when I return home. And on the off chance I actually had money, it would be easier to go on a vacation. In the meantime, Dale managed to find the house on his own because he was bored. It was a pretty miserable night for him, waiting around that entire time as it got cold out so close to the ocean. Hopefully it will have been worth it. The family said they would get back to me this week, and as I have tons of experience with kids I like to think I have a decent shot.

I have had a rollercoaster of ideas this week (incidentally I found that family through rollercoaster.ie, which Leonie recommends as a good website for childcare). Having finished my second novel, I got hyped up about creating my own website from scratch to promote my novels, which is something I have never done before. I started researching how to do it and learning more about HTML. I then felt a little disappointed as I realized I shouldn’t even spend the ten-odd dollars on it at the moment. I had just gotten excited about the newly-occurring idea of self-publishing because it would mean a more immediate result than sending my books to publishers. However, my plan was always to send them to publishers, so I have returned to that idea for now and will return to self-publishing only if they are not picked up. It’s too bad that without an agent it’s likely my books won’t get looked at for six months, and they aren’t edited yet on top of that. Having said that, a friend of mine is on the case! And in the meantime I have had an idea about collecting short stories out here and publishing them as an e-book for practice and experience, with myself as editor. I ran the plan past a few friends, and they seemed enthusiastic. Plus I have experience as an editor and webmaster for UFV’s Louden Singletree, so I am up for the challenge if only I can get some writers fired up too! November is also on it’s way, so I ought to start thinking about my next idea for Nanowrimo. Nanowrimo is too amazing of a challenge to pass up, even if I am idealess at the moment. Not to mention the more novels I write, the more likely it is that my name will stick out one day.

Another idea that has bubbled and fizzled was going to Barcelona at the end of November to visit Danielle and Tank while they are on their vacation. I can’t see it happening on the current budget, and am very disappointed. I will keep my eye on the price of flights, but Dale is especially stressed about money now, and we do have Germany ahead of us. I even asked my dad for a loan, and he quickly obliged. Hopefully I won’t have to touch it, but after withdrawing this month’s rent and waiting for our other bills to arrive, we thought we were cutting it a little too close for comfort. My fingers are certainly crossed for work! The other thing about that nannying job is that it might start in mid-October, which means I wouldn’t be pulling in any money until two weeks after that. That is, apart from a gig this Saturday that Roisin offered me at what sounds like a conference for teachers. Maybe I can learn something! I now feel that I have way too many options to consider for next year, what with debt, the faint possibility of staying longer, and the need to figure out where to go to school (I’d always planned on attending UFV, but other choices have now been suggested that I might have to either settle for or strive towards) and I don’t want to miss travel opportunities while I’m out here, despite the cost. I am very aware that travelling from home would be more expensive, but Dale has never had debt and doesn’t quite understand why I value travel over savings.

Speaking of travelling, we went to a good old Canadian potlack on Saturday at Heather, Anne, and Sydney’s new place, where Viv gave us some advice about Munich. He had just come back from his own visit to the Oktoberfest grounds, and recommended a few must-sees. It certainly sparked my interest, which makes it difficult to regret buying the tickets. And amid the banging clangs of the air hockey table that the girls had unbelievably found in their shed, the music blasting from their laptop in the corner, and the laughter coming from the kitchen, the backyard, and the living room, it was hard at that moment to worry too much about the future. I left the party armed with an email address to send a job application the next day, thanks to Heather and Anne. So overall I found that a little socializing was not too bad for me!

The Millennium Spire from Henry Street

On the following day, Dale and I took the bus into town to try out some advice from our hosts of the previous night. We headed to the market just off Henry Street to see the prices of fruit and visit the Aldi and Euro Star for our grocery shopping. It became an all-day affair, and while there were some decent savings, we realized that with the bus fare and needing to eat out, we probably spent as much as we would have done if we shopped just around the corner. It was worth the shot, however, and we were able to stop at the bank on the way home to withdraw our rent money. The rest of the day was devoted to laundry, Harry Potter, and budgeting. I’m also pretty happy it is October tomorrow because that means it’s time for our landlord to turn on the radiators!

Sacked

After the miserable Monday at work it was almost a relief that Richard called me before my next shift to say, “You were very polite with the customers, and a pleasure to work with, but we’re looking for someone with more experience.” Despite feeling sure that he was actually blaming me for issues that were beyond my control, I left it at that—on good terms. I find it funny that I ignored all the signs that were telling me to look for work elsewhere, including the fact that they cancelled my first interview on me when I was already there waiting around for them, not to mention my fears of never getting time off to travel, and then my foot getting angry with me for all the overuse. I spent the rest of that day working out, cleaning the apartment, and finally finishing my second novel before going out with my Dublin friends! More and more, I’m becoming convinced that unemployment is better for you than work.

Dale and I met everyone at O’Neill’s (which is steadily becoming a favourite) for Cedric’s goodbye party. It was time for him to head back to Montreal, and he kindly offered to host us if we were ever there for a visit. Dale had to work in the morning, but considering that wouldn’t be a problem for me, I let Heather convince me to come to the next pub on the goodbye tour. We ended up at the Czech Inn, but not before a few of our number shouted at some guys trying to get the "Americans" into their pub that, “WE’RE CANADIAN!” and then laughed all the way down the middle of the road. I had a delicious raspberry cider in the Czech Inn, and finally realized that the group hadn’t been saying we were going to, “The Chicken.” I laughed nearly to tears when German Tessa grabbed a coaster and effortlessly pounded her pinky finger through it before crying, “Welcome to Germany!” The moment was made even greater by Heather, who then snatched up a coaster, damaged it with her middle finger, failing miserably, then followed it up with, “Welcome to Canada!”

We said goodbye to poor Cedric and wished him a safe trip home. Then I was able to share a cab with Heather and Anne, who had just moved in about a 15 minutes’ walk from us. The next day my eyes did not like the light, and I can honestly say that I have never had a hangover until coming to Dublin. I looked for jobs for the rest of the day—okay, and read Harry Potter—then Dale and I went to Heather, Anne, and Sydney’s new place for dinner. We had a really nice evening socializing among all the comforts of home for once. Tessa eventually joined us for dessert, as well as Mel, via Skype, from Germany.

On Friday I picked up a portable heater from Leonie’s parents. Apparently they are quite expensive to run, but Dale and I have noticed that it’s colder in our house than it is outside! I can’t wait until October, when the landlord puts the heat on.  Dale even brought home a dehumidifier one day, thinking the dampness is what was making it so cold. I’m not sure if it’s working yet. I later went in to Dale’s work and met a few of his coworkers, and his boss, Tom. Tom said he was sorry to hear about my job, and seemed like a really pleasant man. Then Dale and I went to MacDonald’s for dinner and spent most of the rest of the evening grocery shopping. We also bought some one-euro canvases for painting! One of these days we are going to decorate our place, and, if we’re lucky, maybe find a new talent.

On Saturday I read the rest of  “The Goblet of Fire” and then went out for a girls’ night at Joyanne’s place. It was surprisingly the first time I actually took a bus on my own. In the meantime, Dale went out with Niall, Leonie, and Fionnuala to see "Elyseum," so it worked out very well. At Joyanne’s we made sugar cookies and smothered them in frosting, Joyanne and Becca broke out a guitar and ukulele at one point, and we kept laughing at one of our poor American friends who almost completely lost her voice! I was one of the last to leave, enjoying Joyanne and KT’s company until my cab arrived and I had to make my expensive trip home on my own. I don’t remember the last time I laughed until I cried this many times in one week.

A poor Blackberry photo from the other side of the pier, looking towards Dalkey

Dale loves wine

Sunday was a beautiful day. Dale and I decided to make the most of it and took two buses to Dun Laoghaire. We walked along the long pier and bought 99s to slurp along the way. We crossed to the rocky side of the pier to sit, watch the waves and families playing along the rocks, and enjoy the view towards Dalkey. I think my skin sucked up the sun like a dry sponge soaking up water, but I don’t see a burn at all today. It was nice to listen to a busker playing the Irish pipes as we wandered. Eventually we went to Mao Restaurant for some Asian cuisine. We ate outside with a bottle of wine, and followed it up with dessert. We had a talkative young Polish waitress who was interested in going to work in Canada, so we told her all about SWAP. It was an expensive meal in the end, but a very enjoyable day overall. We ended the day with a night walk along the pier and enjoyed the music of the last remaining busker, who was playing some kind of giant clarinet that sounded something like a saxophone.

The pier at night: the light above my logo is how far it extends after the bend!

That night I was messaging on Skype while Dale was in bed and Danielle started prodding me about missing out on Oktoberfest when we’re practically next door to Germany. I looked up flights just to take a look at the pricing and found one that was only 65 euros each, both ways, and including tax. After an expensive week without a job, I felt pretty uncertain about it. Even hostels would be expensive during Oktoberfest. But in the end Danielle was sounding just like me on an optimistic day, so I must have been fairly easy to convince. I booked the flights. Now we shall see what Dale has to say about it… Good thing Germany’s on his “to visit” list. I just don’t think he expected to cross it off two weeks from now. Needless to say, I applied for a ton of jobs today and even got myself on a nanny-temp list thanks to all my experience with children. While most families want someone for a few years, the lady I spoke to said occasional nine month positions do come up. That sounds like my kind of temp work!

Vikings and Celts

Monday night, as usual, was spent at Fitz. There were some new Americans there, and I thought it was funny when the Canadians were complaining about nobody smiling at you on the street here and one of the American girls said, “Really? I thought people are so friendly here!” I’m stereotyping, true, but it was amusing nonetheless. We were invited out on Friday or Saturday as well, but after going out with Julie and Stu and also working, we decided to give ourselves and our wallets a break. On Tuesday Julie and Stu came back late from Cork, so we stayed in and spent a relaxing, though late night in a comfortable sleepover-type atmosphere, just telling stories and laughing.

Grrrrrrr!!

Although Dale had to go to work on Wednesday, I had the day off and so I took Julie and Stu into town. We wandered around Dublin, where I gave a tour similar to the one Niall gave me when I first arrived. This time it wasn’t boiling hot though. The cobblestones and pavements slabs were wet as we wandered through crowds of people doing their shopping, but the skies cooperated even as we made our way to a café by O’Connell Bridge. Before long it was time for our Viking Splash Tour! We were the first to hop onboard the big yellow vehicle and immediately donned our Viking helmets with horns. The bus driver was hilarious. As Vikings, he instructed us that one of our targets would be “Lost Celts,” who could usually be seen standing on corners looking for street signs, or reading maps. We eagerly anticipated roaring at people before being whisked away, and had the perfect opportunity when a white-haired gentleman and his lady friend were pouring over their map soon after we got rolling. The shocked looks on their faces were amazing. The best part was that we found them again later on, and the bus driver hooted, “They’re probably looking for Christ Church Cathedral!” which they were standing right in front of. On the count of three we roared again and the couple’s heads snapped up in amazement, before turning to each other and bursting out laughing. Eventually we got

The Viking Splash Tour

life-jacketed up and drove into the canal, where the bus driver let some of the kids onboard drive the boat. But there were more adults than kids on the bus/boat, and a good chunk of them were even Dubliners! Once out of the water we continued with the fun facts and interesting history. At one such point on the voyage, when we were minding our own business, we were surprised by a truck driver going in the opposite direction who was suddenly roaring at us! When we looked up to see him, it was to find that he was wearing a Viking helmet and brandishing his fist out the window with a huge grin on his face. Julie’s favourite part was when we passed a large class of plaid-skirted school girls walking down the road, and when we growled several of them jumped with shock before returning the growl right back! And seconds later we caught up to their classmates, who hadn’t heard a thing, and repeated the experience!

Ready for floating

Just as the tour ended, the rain started to pour, so we had break out the umbrellas. But we were lucky and it didn’t last long. After examining the statue of Daniel O’Connell and the post office for bullet holes left during the Rebellion, we did a little shopping, then met Dale in the Temple Bar area. We went to the Porterhouse for dinner, which we had heard good things about. The food was surprisingly good for a pub, and Julie and I tried samplers of the different beers available, but we were stuck eating under some dusty stairs. Afterwards we went to St. John O’Gogarty’s, where Niall and Leonie took us to “hear some fiddly music and see some Irish dancing.” Julie enjoyed hearing the deep Irish tenor, and the band of three played homage to the Canadians in the room with a song about Nova Scotia. The dancing wasn’t starting until later, so we decided to head over to O’Neill’s. Again, a different band was playing from the one Dale and I first saw. They were very enjoyable, however, singing the classic favourites. We eventually managed to get a seat right in front of them, and when the Irish dancing guy came out for a short performance, I knew what was coming. He grabbed Julie’s hands and pulled her on stage, twirling her around and stomping their feet together, all with Julie in her new purple Wellington boots! I don’t think there could have been a more perfect last day in Ireland.

The following day was an early one. Julie and Stu had to get to the ferry by eight (or something equally as ridiculous), I had to get to work by 8:30, and Dale had to head to work shortly after me. Julie and Stu had noticed our hand-made coasters (cardboard) and had sneakily bought us Irish replacements, wine, and two wine glasses, which they gave to us before saying goodbye!

The White Pepper Café

The rest of the week was quite uneventful. I became a Celt rather than a Viking and worked five days in a row. I was happy to have my lunch break at exactly the same time as Dale stopped by for lunch one day, though. There was another new girl, also from Korea, named Alice. And later, Kevin, for the kitchen. All I really know about Kevin is that he’s Muslim and he thinks there are a lot of Muslims in Canada, which I suppose is true. On his very first day he had a customer compliment him on the Broccoli soup, which he had never made before. I also found out from Hazel that the two of our former coworkers who were let go actually weren’t fired/sacked. We had been on trial, which is common in Ireland, and we were just lucky that these particular owners like to pay their on-trial employees. So I guess I passed a test I didn’t know I was involved in. But today I was very unhappy with work. The instep of my left foot has been feeling increasingly more painful when I put pressure on it, and when I walked out of the house for the last of my five days, I almost turned around and went right back in. I should have listened to my foot, because the day only got worse from there. I stayed on my feet for nine hours. Nine crazy busy, understaffed, only 15-minute-break-ed hours. I worked virtually alone since the only other person working was cooking, and when Amy finally arrived we were having to catch up on everything from coffee to taking orders to cleaning tables. I was happy when Anna and Richard showed up and Anna got to work doing the mounds of dishes in the kitchen. I think they needed to see the chaos. I felt like quitting. And if it keeps up I doubt I will be staying, especially if my foot doesn't get better (which adds more scary questions). Then, with only a few hours left, it suddenly went dead, and the minutes crawled by. Needless to say, this counted as an unusual week, and Dale and I didn’t go to Fitzgerald’s.  I put my feet up and haven’t moved since.

Working away on a quieter day (and yes, that shirt is ginormous on me!)

Guests and Guinness!

When I got home from work on Monday I was so happy to be off my feet that I completely forgot about the Monday social at Fitzgeralds and we didn’t end up going. It wasn’t until the next day that I remembered and kicked myself. But by Thursday I had finally finished my seven days in a row and so it may have been a good thing that I didn’t overdo it with outings. We had a visit from our friendly landlord, who talked to us for a good fifteen minutes before taking our rent money and was very pleased to hear we had both found work so nearby. I read the third Harry Potter book on the Tablet and got more and more annoyed by the fact that it is the American version—why translate something that's already in the english  language? Why? (also I pretty much have the books memorized so it's fairly jarring to me)— and also because it has spelling and grammar errors for some reason. At long last we got our bank account with AIB set up, receiving our Visa debit cards in the mail. The bank wouldn’t accept our BC driver’s licences because they had only ever seen licences from Ontario before, so the process was delayed by a week and we ended up confirming our identities with our passports. And not with my British passport either, because, and I quote, “It doesn’t photocopy well." But, when it comes down to it, I’m relieved not to have to pay with my Canadian Visa anymore and incur the 2.5% conversion rate charge. My first pay check went in on Friday. I was emergency taxed 40% because I need to send in my Form 12A to Revenue Ireland. Regularly I should be taxed about 20%, and it will be nice to get reimbursed some of that 40%. I only make 9 euros an hour, after all.

Dale started work on Thursday at 10 euros an hour. He stopped at the café afterwards to tell me that it had gone well, but that it seemed boring. He likes the people he is working with, and they and the customers are fairly easy to talk to, but his impression of the work being boring just grew over the next few days. He is used to working constantly when he is on the job, and the hardware store often leaves him with nothing to do, though the owner prefers it if everyone stays busy. Hopefully it will just take some getting used to the relaxed atmosphere. He said it was pretty funny when everyone laughed at him one day for asking for the price of a Zap Strap, which evidently is not what they are called here.

On Friday I finally got my freaking day off, and I cleaned the house in preparation for Julie and Stu’s arrival on Saturday! Then, despite learning a new system of ordering and making sandwiches, and meeting the new girl, a pretty Korean girl named Amy, at work on Saturday, I was allowed to leave early. Did I mention we're losing another employee? She finds kitchen work too rough on her back, so her last day was Sunday! It's too bad she was so nice. We also just had a radio put in, and Giovanni has been making her laugh by always singing along and dancing every now and then. Anyway, I quickly bought some extra dishes and utensils since we barely had enough for Dale and I, let alone for guests. It was a chilly day, and I almost wished for gloves and a scarf on my walk, so it was too bad for Julie and Stu that they arrived on the first day that genuinely felt like fall. Julie even had to borrow one of my jackets because of the difference in weather between here and the Mediterranean. Before I heard my name being called playfully outside the front window by Julie as she and Stu hauled their luggage up the path, Niall and Leonie stopped by our place to drop off an air mattress and comforter and invite us out for the evening.

Julie's first double decker bus ride

Julie and Stu's first night in Ireland

We took them up on the offer, getting Julie and Stu settled first, then taking them on a double decker bus to Hogan’s. It started to rain, but not too heavily. Julie laughed, like I usually do, when the bus carelessly hit tree branches along the way and it looked like we were going to run people over from that height. Dale and I had never been to Hogan’s, but after a little standing in the large, dark oak pub, we were able to grab a table. When Niall and Leonie showed up, they were impressed and told us that that never happens! Niall had a friend out from America for one night, so they visited with us on and off as most of us indulged in some Bulmers cider. Julie and Stu told us about their Mediterranean cruise and their stay in London with Julie’s parents. We took a cab home and went to bed around two am, finding out the next day that Niall and Leonie had stayed out until four!

Gates at the Guinness Storehouse

Pouring the perfect pint

Julie had to do some homework on Sunday, so we didn’t leave the house, which she insists is much bigger than the video tour I posted on Facebook, until two o’clock. I was happy that Dale and I both had Sunday off. The weather was decent, and only got better as the day continued. We took the bus into town and then walked over to the Guinness Storehouse! Dale and I had yet to go there, so after grabbing some sandwiches at a Centra, we went in with our reference number from ordering our tickets online. As students, it only cost Julie and I 13 euros, while Dale and Stu paid 14.85. Inside the brewery was fancier than I expected. There was a green-lighted waterfall, and tall TV screens that made it look like portraits were talking to us. We spent at least an hour checking out the displays about brewing Guinness or watching videos about the old and incredibly difficult process of making oaken casks. At last we arrived at the Guinness Academy, where we learned to pour the perfect pint of Guinness and received our certifications!

Perhaps not a bartender? Just kidding, this is a cute pose!

My goodness, my Guinness!

Then we took our pints upstairs to the Gravity room, where we had a 360 degree view of Dublin in the midst of a party atmosphere. Looking across the little red brick buildings and grey cathedrals and churches, I couldn’t help but say to Dale, “Can you believe we actually live here?”

The Gravity room at the top of the Guinness Storehouse

Dale enjoying his pint with a view

Dublin from above

 A horse-drawn carriage ride

Clip-clop, clip-clop

When we had finished our strong, yet much-better-than-at-home Guinness, we waited in the sun for a horse drawn carriage to take us to the Temple Bar area. It may have been a very touristy thing to do, but I’d always wanted to ride in a horse drawn carriage, and it only cost us 5 euros each. We then walked along the cobbles of Temple Bar, where Julie and Stu enjoyed the atmosphere of excitement as the pubs hosted what we guessed were excited soccer fans from another country. 

We ended up in the Quays Irish Restaurant because we wanted some real Irish food.

Mmm, slow-cooked stew

The restaurant was kind of touristy as well, but the food was just what we hoped. I had a boxty cake for a starter, which turned out to be onion, bacon, and potato blended deliciously together and pan fried. For a main meal we all chose stew, even Stu. Dale’s was lamb, while the other three of us enjoyed a slow-cooked beef and Guinness stew. For dessert we shared a slice of rich Bailey’s cheesecake, and we left with lighter pockets and heavier stomachs. On the dark walk back to the bus, we visited Molly Malone, where Julie got a little friendly. Then, tired from all their travelling, Julie and Stu suggested we head home for drinks and some games before they left early in the morning for Cork. I have basically fallen down twice on the bus now, once going up the stairs a few weeks ago and particularly crushing my pinky finger, and last night falling down them, again crushing the same finger. Good thing I warned Julie and Stu to hang on in the first place. I should have said, "with both hands," and then followed my own advice. Those bus drivers can be crazy. The two of them have an even more beautiful day today to enjoy in Cork—ladden down with my hat, scarf, and jacket—then they will be returning back to us Tuesday for just a couple more fun-filled nights. Luckily for me, I have Wednesday off!

I'll let you imagine what Julie grabbed

At the Café!

This week I went from feeling very low about working all the time as a cashier, to feeling…well, better about it. The first week was quite stressful, and the only day I had off was Thursday. Then I worked all weekend and will continue until I’ve done seven days in a row. Then I might get one day off. And I hear the tax on working so much makes it not worth it. I still dragged myself out on Monday to the Fitzgeralds night, using our Leap Cards for the bus, which make it cheaper. We ended up separated into small groups because it was so packed. I talked Harry Potter with Cedric, having just finished the first book, and exclaimed over two of our members’ never having watched either the movies or the books! We swapped stories about having the bejezus scared out of us and decided there are some scary movie nights in order. Despite that plan, we ended up going to Heather M’s new place on Thursday to watch Disney movies. It took us an hour walk and a minor meltdown because we couldn’t figure out which way we were going for the billionth time. But other than that, the night was exactly right. 14 people crammed into one tiny room to sit on pillows and the backs of couches just to enjoy Mulan and Alice in Wonderland on two little laptops we synced up. I have to say, I was happy to discover that a large number of us knew the words to “We Are Men,” and consider it just the best song ever. One of the girls apparently belts it out in the middle of the night, according to her half-annoyed, half-amused roommate. I had to laugh, thinking of myself and my sisters.

To my great surprise, two of my fellow employees were fired. I mean “sacked.” One for having another engagement during opening week, and the other for simply not getting along well with one of the owners. I’m glad I’m still standing…hopefully my constant asking of Anna to repeat herself doesn’t get too annoying. Every now and then, with her and with customers, I’m not sure if I don’t know a word, if I can’t hear it because of noise, or if I can’t understand the accent. However, I am getting better with making coffee as well as knowing our foods! I really enjoy having interesting soups and salads for free at lunch. Too bad lunch is only half an hour after all, and I never know when I’ll get it. It will be nice when everything settles down. I have had a few customers who were quite friendly, and I noticed Anna take a picture of me and one who I happened to be laughing with. Another looked at me funny for a moment and said, "You don't have an Irish accent." She was from the States, and we talked a bit about VISAs and working in Ireland. When I told her I had been here almost two months she said, "Oh, you're new!" The man she came in with left a little tip for us, which we are going to share out at the end of each week. But to add discomfort to the mix, on Sunday I had these intense deja-vus that I have once in a blue moon that make me sick to my stomach in the most horrible way imaginable. It happened twice, and the first time I actually went to sit outside. I couldn’t get my mind off them for the rest of the day because I still don’t know why they happen.

I have had three sets of visitors at the café. The first was Dale on opening day to tell me he had finished his interview at Lenehan’s Hardware, and that he got the job! He also reported that we made the best coffee in Ireland. So there you have it: within the first two months of our stay in Ireland, both of us found employment. Dale’s may be a three-six month job, but it could also carry on for the rest of the year. He starts this coming Thursday. My second set of visitors were Rosaleen and Fionnuala! They happened to show up while I was on my lunch break, so I got to sit with them and chat about how everything was going with the new job and the new place. Fionnuala suggested we go to Newgrange together one of these days and offered to do the driving, which would be awesome since we never did figure out what shuttle to take. My third visitor was Leonie’s mum, Della. Unfortunately I was tired and a little out of it from having just seen a bunch of customers in a row, so I didn’t recognize her right away. But it was very nice to see yet another friendly face!

An old photo, but relevant!

In my spare time I finished reading the second Harry Potter book, and I think it has helped to keep me sane because I looked forward to coming home and reading more. Dale and I are still enjoying Doctor Who as well.  He has had practice re-stringing guitars this week, as well as tuning them by ear. But I am not enjoying having no days off to do laundry since I only have three appropriate black shirts and still no uniform in sight. Thankfully, Dale was on the case today and I at least have fresh clothes for work tomorrow!