Halloween in its Home, and a Water Shortage in Ireland?

Heather and I after a long day at work

Last week passed by in a blur. We had a conference in attendance at the Conrad all week, which meant breakfasts were very busy and downstairs at Alfie’s I was manning the buffet rather than waiting tables. I actually liked this better because the guests were more likely to engage with me and have a few words rather than look through me, place an order, and then expect me to get out of the way. By the end of the week there were a few guests I could actually recognize and look forward to seeing. But a huge problem occurred during the week, and that was that the water shut off in all of Dublin, and was expected to remain that way for six days. It took us by surprise, so all of us waiters were suddenly lining up in the lounge to make the 200 guests individual cups of coffee off the one machine that was still running, and in the meantime all the other orders were backing up. We had to improvise with portable hot water tanks for tea, which eventually got too cool, and in the meantime had only one water cooler for ourselves. All of this meant that we were running around even more than usual. And I suspect there were also quite a few hangovers going around. I couldn’t believe that on an island surrounded by ocean and constantly deluged by rain, that there could be a water shortage, but it turns out that the main issue is contamination. Supposedly only the cold water taps shouldn’t work between 8pm and 7 am, but that hasn’t been the case at all. In my house, the hot water taps haven’t been working, and it has been going on all day, everyday. Needless to say, I haven’t had a shower in about five days. I’m thinking about boiling water in a kettle and using a cloth…

There are people at work that I’m coming to like quite a bit, but there are others that I could just strangle. For example, one of the chefs on Saturday was yelling for us all to hear that we had slept in and were being lazy, neglecting the food orders that needed to be delivered. This made me furious, not least of all because I’d gotten up at 5am, but also because we were one person short, had no water, and were running around doing the best we could and holding up very well considering! I spoke with one of the other team members at one point, and they asked me how I was liking the job. I could tell by their expression that things were going roughly for them, so I was honest, and in return they told me that they didn’t think they would be lasting much longer. Too bad they’re one of the good ones. But I’ve seen them get told off constantly, and I feel very sorry for them and know that I couldn’t hold up long under that negativity either.

Paperbags don't hold up for long!

On Thursday, Halloween rolled around. I was determined to go out that night and celebrate Halloween in its place of origin, so after work Heather and took the bus home—which is costing me too much money, I might add—I had a quick nap, wolfed down some food, met Dale on the bus, and went to Fitzgeralds for a scavenger hunt! In the rush I didn't get to see any kids at our door, but they were all over the street outside. Unfortunately I forgot half my costume at home in my rush—ironically in a paper bag—but to my delight, people actually pointed at me and asked, “Paperbag Princess?” I had thrown together a crown by carefully ripping a MacDonald’s bag. I thought it was funny that all the Canadians and Americans knew the story, while none of the Irish at Niall and Leonie’s party had, just like I suspected.  At that party, one of their friends had even asked if I was a “Garbage Queen,” which really made me laugh. So at Fitzgeralds Lisa from USIT split us up into teams of four or five. To my disappointment, I was put on a team with no one I knew. My team was composed of a cheetah from Calgary, a bloody mummy from the States, a Spanish caveman, and myself.

When life gives you lemons...! (this is Heather's photo of us and Anne, the Lumber Jack!)

We took off running. My team was competitive, although the poor caveman did not enjoy all the sprinting. Using clues, we had to find landmarks around Dublin and get a photograph of at least one team member at each one. Both the team with the shortest time, and the team with the best picture would win a prize. Some of this involved doing shots in famous pubs, laying on gravestones, or composing letters with our bodies in front of a gate. Our mummy was a great help since he was not afraid to ask strangers for advice. One of my favourite parts of the night was getting a picture with a scary Irishman in costume in front of a theatre. The mummy shouted, “Garda!” which is the equivalent to shouting “Police!” Lucky for us, one of the policeman was happy to oblige. I really can’t wait to see that picture! Then we got a picture under the arch in Trinity College, which is daring because the superstition is that whoever passes under the arch will fail all of their classes. My team mooned the camera from beneath it. Which led us to name the team, “Moonshine.” We were the first to return to the pub, with a time of one hour and six minutes. To our dismay, the next team returned four minutes faster and won a bag of Irish calendars and key chains. We’re still waiting to hear about the movie tickets for the best photo though! Dale’s team was the last to return, and the rest of us were sufficiently happy by then. I’ve never had so much fun with complete strangers!

Becca's photo of the group at Fitzgeralds

On Saturday I only had to work until one o’clock because Alfie’s doesn’t open until the evening on weekends, which was a nice surprise. So I slept for a solid fourteen hours. Then on Sunday Dale and I went into town to buy some new clothes as well as groceries. All I ended up with were a pair of plain black flats. My current ones had split from the sole, my old runners give me arch pain—and look silly with skinny jeans— my other flats were growing mold, and my black shoes are just for work. I had been making due for a while, so I was hoping to get a warm pair of boots for regular walking around, but everything closed before I could find a good pair and I ended up disappointed. Then after grocery shopping, we were hurrying across the road when one of the paper bags split on me and spilled groceries on the street. Down the road a little farther, the next bag ripped right in front of people waiting for the bus. I was grinding my teeth by the time we got home. But at least Dale had been carrying the eggs. On a lighter note, starting on Friday I also began Nanowrimo-ing! So far so good, but we’ll see how I do after I get back to work. The radiator has become my best friend because I lean against it for warmth and to help my back. I got a really good crack out of it after carrying trays all day, so I plan on using it as a personal heat pack. Also, I bought our tickets to Barcelona for the end of this month!