Sunshine and Winding Down Ireland

I worked seven days in a row again this past week, but as I fell asleep hanging off armrests at awkward angles nearly everyday, I actually survived with a mild level of awareness. The armrest thing became an even bigger habit when the air mattress popped in the night and Dale and I both woke up with sleeping arms and legs. I took the couch from that point on while Dale curled up on the armchair. We found the hole, but two patches later still doesn’t seem to cut it. Eight more nights! In the meantime Dale has been visiting work (and helping them to unload trucks each time) and getting artsy with melted crayon paintings to keep himself entertained.

Work improved drastically since that last miserable day, and this Tuesday was my last shift with the supervisor who always panics over nothing. We said goodbye with a hug, and me with a grin as I finally got to walk away. However, not before she surprised me by telling me my last day of work is this Sunday. At first I was disappointed that I would be making less money. But let’s face it, I want to be done there. And we just found out Dale is receiving some decent money from his tax return, so now I’m quite content to be finished sooner than I expected!

In the beer garden of The Church

Almost the entire week has been lovely with sunshine and little rain, so I spent one afternoon with Heather and Anne in the backyard sewing up my ripping purse and jacket pocket and earning myself a severe sunburn on my shoulders. And I wasn’t even the only one. After work one day I went for a pint at The Church with Katie, which really used to be a church. When we were finished we decided to take the bus back to the house and make homemade sangria with Heather. But not before we stopped at Penneys and I found myself a cheap lacy pink bandeau and a bright blue bathing suit, sunscreen, and shampoo all for under 15 euros. With a glass each of very sugary wine and bourbon from a stove pot, we soaked up the sun on lawn chairs in the backyard with Dale, Caillan, and Anne. Katie, the Floridian and yet only one without a blanket on, entertained us with her wild stories; I could listen to that crazy girl for hours.

Summer's around the corner!

Happy Easter!

We went to Fitz on Monday, where we met one of the girls’ parents who were visiting. Sammy sadly asked Dale and I if we wanted to go out for dinner with him sometime before we go. It was all becoming very real that we are leaving in no time! We left Fitz early since, as usual these days, I was struggling not to fall asleep on my barstool. However, it was so mild outside—and amazingly still a little bit light—that after bussing home Dale and I decided to go for a walk around Mount Argus park before bed. There was a bat darting between the willow trees and curving bridge, and we stopped to view a statue of Jesus the church had left in a cave-type structure and lit with candles for Easter. Easter itself we had celebrated with candy. Lots of candy. Plus, I received double pay for working that day, even though it appears I’m not getting a bonus for Christmas after all.

The extinct Irish Elk

Greetings, friend!

On Tuesday after work Eduard invited me to join him for the National Museum of Ireland, which displays hundreds of real stuffed animals and is free. I suspended my disgust at the dead lion cubs for interest in the size of the creatures and the bizarre animals I’d never heard of before. There were hundreds of  tiny inspects on display, as well as giant whales suspended from the ceiling, and hippos, rhinos, and tigers in glass cases. Walking to the bus afterwards, Eduard spotted an art gallery called The Oriel so we went up stairs after stairs checking out the paintings of Ireland before parting.

A happy accident

The cats

Yesterday I had my next doctor’s appointment. I was intensely relieved when the Canadian doctor didn’t wrench on my jaw like Doctor Stassen had last time. She said when I came in for my last visit my jaw open 20mm on its own and the doctor managed to force it to 28. Now it opens 30mm without any forcing while the average is 35-40. She suggested an appointment in 3-4 months, but said if I feel like it’s back to normal by then I can just cancel it. Obviously I didn’t bother to book one since we won’t be here, I was glad to hear I’m really on the road to full recovery. She even said the small segment of my cheek that is still painful to touch just needs a little time.

A sunny day with Sammy

Great people watching on O'Connell Street

Dale and I picked up Starbucks Frappuccinos when we mosied into town and then sprawled out in the grass at St. Stephen’s Green. As we were wandering around town later, I got a message from Sammy asking if I knew about clinics because he was having trouble breathing. I advised him to get a cab and ask the driver for the nearest clinic, which unfortunately turned out to be closed until 6pm. Dale and I had grabbed burgers at a Supermac’s with coupons we had acquired in Cork, so at this point we met up with Sammy at the Spire so he wouldn’t be alone. He figured the problem was that he was cleaning mould in his apartment the day before. We whiled away the time by wandering around town, along the Liffey, or sitting on statues. We got to have our dinner together that day as there was a new sushi place called Fujiyama on O’Connell Street. The portion was a little small for the price, but still quite delectable. We picked up gelato at another new place afterwards. Mine was peanut butter flavoured, and heavenly. So very little is peanut butter flavoured in this country! Then we passed care of Sammy on to Oli, who agreed to host him that night so he wouldn’t have to go back to the possible mould in the air at his own place. We had an enjoyable and beautiful day with Sammy, even if it could have been better for him!

I was also terrified one morning before work when I thought I was trapped in the little square room at the front door with a giant spider. The morning before I had been washing my face only to stand up and see a big fat spider right beside the sink. This particular morning I was already a little paranoid, so when something flashed back and forth on the floor I froze. When the shadow whipped across the room and back again, I squealed and turned the light on, disregarding that everyone else in the house was still sleeping. Turns out it was a cute little mouse! When I turned off the alarm and opened the front door hoping it would go outside, I realized it had impossibly disappeared again!

Tiny next to this shoe, but it would have been giant for a spider!

Blarney

Blarney Castle

The view from a window

Dale climbing the spiral staircase

After the lovely lie-in, Dale and I decided to have some lunch and then catch a bus to Blarney Castle. We went to a cute sushi place first (Sakura), where I practically drooled over my crab roll that the hostel got us for 10% off. The bus cost us almost 7 euros each for a less than 20 minute trip, but we decided to go ahead, and I’m glad that we did. Blarney Castle was by far my favourite part of Cork, and it technically isn’t even part of Cork. I couldn’t figure out if I had been there before as a kid, but there was certainly something familiar about the castle. We walked the gardens with hot chocolate and coffee, and enjoyed the path of white blossoms that lead to the tall fortress, making it picturesque with the green fields stretching out around it. The castle itself cost 12 euros to get into, but there was room after room to explore, which really sparks the imagination. The building was not altered for safety, so it is as close to an original castle as it could get, and you bet I bumped my head. We climbed the spiral staircase up five stories, meeting a woman who was dizzy from the height along the way. At the top it was time to bend over the edge, below the battlements, to kiss the Blarney Stone and receive “The Gift of the Gab.” It looked scarier than it was, but I was also surprised by how far the assistant made me crawl over the edge upside down (almost past my butt!).

Dale kissing the Blarney Stone

Me kissing the Blarney Stone

Brave little kids in line to kiss the stone

The lady and her husband made it up by this point and congratulated us on our bravery. The husband had once kissed the Blarney Stone as a young man, and he said he couldn’t believe he’d ever managed it. Altogether there were few people there. One family with kids was fun when we reached the Wishing Steps—a tunnelled staircase in the garden that you walk down backwards with your eyes shut, then up again while focusing on your wish. If you manage it, the wish will come true within the year. One of the little boys and I read the instructions together while everyone was at the top, then proceeded to take turns following them. As the boy reached the top, his dad and siblings started throwing pebbles at his back to make us all laugh. Dale and I also entered the dungeon beneath the castle, which included creeping through very low, dripping tunnels with a couple we kept running into all day. We also enjoyed reading the graffiti on the castle, which included carefully engraved names and dates from the 1700s.

"Sniffing" in the Poison Garden

Goofing around

The castle from on top of the Rock Close

Having a look into the Witch's Kitchen

Back inside the castle there was also a “Murder Hole,” where, if enemies entered the castle, boiling water or oil could be dropped on them. Outside there was a  “Druid’s Cave,” a “Witch’s Kitchen,” an ancient circle and sacrificial altar, an old monolithic tomb. It just went to show how ancient the area really was. The day was perfectly mild for wandering outside. We even wandered the Poison Garden, where we found references to Harry Potter by the Mandrakes and Wolfsbane plants. Dale and I also made ourselves sick on a fantastic tire-swing and quickly felt the pangs of getting old at only 24 and 25.

Ughhh...

When we got back we collected pizza at the same place as the night before (Four Star Pizza). Overall we did very well on food because of the hostel’s discounts. We decided to have a night in and just enjoy “Game of Thrones” and “Community.” The next day we had been planning on catching a bus to the Ring of Kerry, but I wasn’t done with sleeping yet. The whole weekend really felt like a recovery period. So we postponed our bus home for the next day and then wandered around town after having a long chat over lunch and mochas in the Shelbourne. Cork was surprisingly small. We bought some candy at an Irish sweets shop, and I bought a bright blue purse from Penneys because it had a side-strap unlike the annoying one I’ve been carrying around all year, for only 9 euros. However, I soon got bored with the shopping. We liked the sushi place so much that we went back there for dinner, then tried to find the nightlife, which seemed nonexistent even though we’d heard it was supposed to be good. We settled on a fairly quiet pub called Gallaghers, where a guy was playing folk rock on a large harp.

Cork

The next day we realized we had gotten the Ring of Kerry bus times wrong and wouldn’t be able to make it. So we slept in, which I can’t complain about. We wandered into a different section of town after eating a full Irish breakfast in a little tea shop, but were still unimpressed with how little there was to do, so we got on our original bus without any problems in the afternoon and headed home to Dublin.

Not so dainty with a cup of tea

I also found out that I’m waitlisted for the Teacher Education Program in July. I have to admit, I never even considered being waitlisted, and I feel a little ripped off. I was hoping to receive the “accepted” letter and feel relief, or at least the “rejected” letter so I could start making alternate plans, albeit disappointedly. Now I’m still stuck in the “who knows” phase, and feel a little bit like the decision-makers don’t think I’m good enough to be a “yes.” But that’s life, I suppose. I will wait and see, but Dale has suggested that if I don’t get in I focus on my writing, which sounds like a great opportunity to me. As one of my co-workers phrased it, “What better time than now to invest in yourself.” For Dale's part, he says he's never been more excited about the future, and is really looking forward to France...and Canada.

We both worked the weekend. One day as Heather and I were walking home we ran into Irena on her way out, which showed us just close together we live now! But one of my days was terribly busy and pretty miserable with a customer complaining, even having the gall to ask where I was from and then say, “My brother lives in Canada, and we’ve been there several times. You would not get this kind of service in Canada.” Did I really let down my country by not getting you your eggs within ten minutes? Sometimes people should really think before they open their mouths. I think I handled the situation with a good deal of grace, apart from raising my voice behind the scenes when one of the supervisors stalled me pointlessly and without a calm head while I was rushing to improve the situation. When I talked to them afterwards I could feel my adrenaline pumping and I remembered how it felt to break my cheekbone. I calmed down almost immediately, thinking to myself, “I’ve faced worse than you.” Then I was able to handle that situation with much more dignity and humility than they were able to muster. I have to say that, after the fact, I was quite proud of myself.

Balancing 12 wine glasses—never thought I'd see the day!

USIT has started doing movie nights on Fitz Monday, so Dale and I didn’t go this week because we’d already watched "Michael Collins." I was eager to edit my first book with the prospect of spending so much time writing in the future, so I spent my two days off doing that. I have a full week ahead of me, and then only one more before I’m finished at the hotel and we head off to France! In other news, Aunt Jemima's Syrup, Reese's Pieces cereal, and a 2 litre of Clamato juice each cost 7.99 euros here.

Arran Islands

Wednesday we finally went to Galway! We got up early and caught the bus into the city centre, hurried to an internet shop where we could print off our bus tickets, then made it to the Liffey where the bus would pick us up with just enough time for Dale to do a quick Starbucks run. There was internet access on the bus so Dale and I had a little fun with helpx and personality tests until I started to feel sick. It was with relief that we finally arrived and wandered around Eyre Square until we found our hostel a little further away and without much trouble but a little misting of rain. We shared an 8 bed-dorm in Sleepzone, where there were no lockers in the room and we had to spend 9 euros for the three days on lockers by reception. The majority of the day we spent wandering the town and visiting gift and jewellery shops, both of which contained a plethora of claddagh rings. We learned in the little claddagh ring museum that the more common the claddagh ring is the more successful because the King of England had demanded one, so the jeweller, in defiance, then sold hundreds of the same ring throughout Galway.

A street in Galway

Galway Autism Partnership

We walked “the old long walk” from the famous song “Galway Girl,” and even visited a quiet gallery where the young artist told us personally about her bone carvings, which she turns into necklaces. Bone carving is one of the oldest forms of jewellery. She even had a giant wale jaw her uncle had found on the beach for her, but most of her work comes from a very cheap source—beef bones from the local butcher. After a while we decided to find a pub, settling on The King’s Head. We ate dinner in front of the 400 year-old fireplace and between the two of us got through a few Bulmers, a pitcher of Sex-on-the-Beach, and a Bailey’s and hot chocolate. Our conversation turned existential as the stars came out, so we wandered by the River Corrib, where there was a crowd around a sailboat with its sails projected with purple light for autism . Then we passed the grand university before deciding to turn in, too exhausted to visit any clubs.

Inishmore of the Arran Islands

My cute bicycle (yes, I had a helmet)

We woke early the next day, ready to head to the Arran Islands. It took a bus and a ferry to get to the largest island, Inishmore, where life is supposed to have continued “the old way,” including the continued use of the Irish language. The ferry itself was very small; we sat on the upper deck, where it was cold but at least overcast. As soon as we arrived on Inishmore we found a toilet, then rented bicycles for 10 euros each. My slight anxiety about cycling was distracted by delight at finding an old-fashioned, pale blue bike with a basket. The weather turned sunny as we made our way past the few buildings that made up the village and carried on uphill, passing rolling green fields with stone walls separating them into many portions. Eventually we found an old graveyard with the pale blue ocean on the left, and the fields with the stone walls zigzagging across them on the right. The geography of the island was so varied that there was always something to look at. We enjoyed a stop on the white, sandy beach, the stony burren-like hill-top, and ate a tiny, thatch-roofed café.

A beautiful graveyard

The fort Dun Aonghasa

The cliffs

Lunch at the cafe

Inside the café I was very confused when a man came up to the counter and started saying gibberish to the lady who worked there, before I realized he was speaking Irish. It really is the strangest language I’ve ever heard. We took our sandwiches to go, and they ended up not even having ham on them. We locked our bikes up, and started to walk up the 3 euro trail to Dun Aonghasa, a prehistoric stone fort built on top of a 100 metre cliff. The fort is dated around 1100BC, and the cliffs reminded me of a smaller, but still beautiful version of the Cliffs of Moher. I found myself caught by a strange feeling: that the old inhabitants were so ancient, and yet so relatable since their relatives are likely still living on the island, that I couldn’t grasp how distant they really were. Before going up to the fort we stopped to visit an older lady who was selling the famous Arran Island sweaters that sell for such terribly high prices. She explained to us that some people call her hats, “Toques,” and others, “Beanies,” which made Dale and I laugh as we explained that we were, “Toques.”

Feeling tall at the churches. Dale also has a great shot of me falling down right after this.

Dale wanted to cycle the entire length of the island—14km—so we carried on, stopping only to visit the ruins of the seven churches, which are all practically on top of each other, pat a horse, and breathe; we were uphill and downhill until we had to start walking the bikes on the ups, only passing a car or tractor here and there. It was a truly gorgeous day. Unfortunately, our return trip was not as pleasant. We decided to head for the Worm-Hole, a natural square hole in the ocean which creates a square waterfall. The route took us far off the paved roads and into large-stoned gravel. We started running out of time before the last ferry of the day, and still ended up missing the Worm-Hole. The road got so bad that my bike rattled like it was going to fall apart. I ended up strapping my belongings into the basket using the band from my jacket. Before the end, I was so exhausted and terrified from the rocky downhill segments that I ended up not repeating, “Feck!” as the Irish do, but the less-polite version. I nearly lost control of my bike as the tire was burried in rocks so many times with the road never ending, that I eventually let a tear fall. This was not the first time back on a bicycle after breaking my cheekbone that I had envisioned. We finally made it back to the coast as the owner of the bicycle shop was closing up, then raced to the ferry with only five minutes to spare. Collapsing into the last seats available, Dale turned to me and said, “Was that the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do? ’Cause it was for me.” I fell into near-hysterical giggles of relief.

We bought pizza from Dominoe’s almost the second we got back, eating them in the square as rain started to fall. Then we went into the nearest pub for a pint before calling it a very tiring day. We had no choice but to shower, a roommate lightening his load by offering me his ipod speakers for free while Dale took his turn. I slept like a rock until 6am, when an alarm suddenly started blaring over my head. There was confusion in the room as someone suggested that it was the fire-alarm, but when we opened the door to our room we found that there was nothing sounding in the hallway. Someone ran down to reception while we opened a window; the room was stifling. The hostel-worked came in and yanked the alarm straight out of the ceiling and said, “It’s just the humidity in here.” “Well, nice to meet you all,” I said to the room. “Round two.” We all chuckled and climbed back into bed. Then the alarm sounded in the next room. The girl nearest to the door went over and explained to them to open the window and pull out the alarm.

A view of "The Long Walk"

We spent a good chunk of the day watching animals

We had to check out by 9:30 the next day, so we didn’t feel too rested. The two of us spent the entire day wandering the streets, the Salthill Promenade, the bridge out to Mutton Island, which really led no where, and eating candy and 99 icecreams by the ocean and the old Spanish Arch. We did manage to wander into the museum, but couldn’t bring ourselves to care much with the sun outside. Then we took the bus home, watching “How I Met Your Mother” until the laptop died.

A hilarious ad at a bus stop

On Saturday after work Anne and Heather had been enjoying a few drinks in the decent weather, so they pulled Dale and I in, pouring us shots of an unknown drink from Amsterdam that burned on the way down. The two of them were great entertainment. I laughed until my eyes watered as they beat each other with a rolled-up mat from Eurostar until Anne crashed and the rest of us followed suit. Work the next day was almost completely unnecessary, which Heather and I did not want to hear as we arrived very tired, only to be sent home after three hours. I spent the rest of the day reading, on helpx, and playing guitar out in the sun. Then KT and Becca arrived from their Europe trip for their last two nights in Dublin before going back to Canada. They brought their friend Ashley along as well, so the house was extremely crowded. Heather slept on the couch by us while the other three shared her room. We talked and laughed that night, but I still had to work the next day.

After work I killed an hour with Katie and a pint at the Porterhouse, then met up with the girls at the DART while Dale continued to work. We went to Howth so Becca could say goodbye to her host family, and showed Ashley the start of the Howth hike. We could see rain falling heavily across the ocean, so we hurried back down the hill and took shelter in a café before going back to Dublin for Fitz. The rain and sun took turns all afternoon, so we holed up in Fitz by the fireplace. I eventually needed a coffee just to stay awake and realized I would not be able to last the night like I wanted to. I had to work the next day regardless, but it was the girls’ last night so I stayed as long as I could manage. I gave KT and Becca a quick hug each and insisted they come to stay with us when they visit BC sometime soon, which I would love! They left about an hour after I did the next morning.

After work on Tuesday all I wanted to do was sleep. Dale had the keys since he had to work and someone was going to be home, but no one answered the door. I was locked out for almost two hours while Heather was crashed upstairs so solidly that she couldn’t hear me ringing the doorbell or calling her. It was half funny and half horrible because I was so very tired. Eventually Anne came home and I started booking our trip to Cork for that very night instead of the next one. I thought I could at least nap on the bus, and we splurged on a private room so I figured this could be my chance to really sleep. I couldn’t wait any longer for it. The second Dale got home we took off, barely managing to print off our tickets at the same internet café as before Galway, and catching the bus.

We even solidified a helpx host on the drive! If all goes well we will be helping to renovate, garden, and watch the kids for a family in southern France next month. Their home has ruins nearby, as well as prehistoric cave paintings. Then I promptly fell asleep for at least an hour and a half and woke up as we arrived in Cork. I had the impression of at least three-story dark buildings on all sides, some leading up steep hills, which is unusual in Ireland. We found our hostel, Sheila’s, which offers deals at a few restaurants in town, including a pizza place from which we ordered in. We have a tiny bunk-bedded room with a private bathroom, which is perfect. In conclusion, I felt amazing today after a solid eleven or so hours of uninterrupted sleep, the likes of which I can’t even remember.

Moving Day

On Wednesday Dale and I got up and walked to St. James’ Hospital for my follow-up appointment. It only ended up taking just over half an hour, and we didn’t have to endure too much waiting paired with games on the tablet. The Canadian doctor saw me again, and she said everything looked great on the outside, but that she’d like to get an x-ray, particularly in light of the fact that I can’t open my jaw very much still. I believe she said, “22 millimetres,” when measuring it.

The x-ray took no time, but waiting to see the doctor again did. She told me the x-ray looked great, but that Professor Stassen wanted to see me. Professor Stassen is the doctor who runs the clinic and gave it its name. He is a tall, grey-haired man who told me I have scar tissue that’s preventing me from opening my mouth. It could be along my skull where they made the incision, or it could be along my jaw. He told me to lay down on the crinkling, paper-covered bed, then tried to use his fingers like a car jack to force my jaw open. To put it simply, my jaw did not want to cooperate and I ended up with hands clenched and legs curling up of their own accord. The pain seemed to be in the muscles at the hinge of my jaw rather than in my skull. Professor Stassen decided I would need to return on the 23rd of April—good thing we will still be here at that point—that I need to chew gum for five minutes every day, and that I should continue trying to force my jaw as far as it will go. As unexpected as the accident was, so was this experience, and apart from the IV at the hospital, I’d say this was the worst part.

We stopped for a poor-quality meal at an Abra-Kebabra in town before making our way to USIT in order to do some scanning and faxing to the insurance company. The Finance Department at the hospital told me that since I’m as good as an Irish citizen, there would at least be no fee for that day! But as I was catching up with Lisa and telling her about the doctor’s appointment, I accidentally burst into tears. Poor Lisa! I’m not looking forward to going back to the hospital at the end of April.

A free meal at the Conrad

We had made a reservation at the Conrad with Heather for dinner that evening. February was Food and Beverage Appreciation Month, so the Conrad gave us a free meal. Since I’m a Hilton Club Member now, Dale’s meal was also 50 percent off. We weren’t able to fax anything at USIT, so I decided to try at the Conrad after dinner. In the meantime, Dale and I waited for our reservation in recently blooming St. Stephen’s Green; at a picnic bench in front of Robert Emmet’s statue. It was nice to get indoors though since it wasn’t quite warm out. Rael led us to one of the couches in the cocktail bar, where there are very low tables that proved as difficult to eat off of as they are to serve. I ordered the Smoked Salmon Sandwich and later had a mocha. Heather had the Club, but unfortunately I didn’t think my jaw would work with the size of that chicken burger. I loved the salmon. Stephen served us free desserts, which we thought weren’t included and was an added bonus; I had the Eaton Mess, and Heather had the Brownie. The Eaton Mess was a mound of cream with meringue and strawberries. It wasn’t as good as it looked. I tried some of Heather’s brownie, but thought the walnuts she enjoyed so much kind of watered it down. In the end Dale’s meal, mocha, dessert, and my mocha cost us about 14 euros, plus the tip.

It was much more relaxed to be eating at work and not rushing around. It was also nice to say hello to coworkers I never see outside of work, and I even ran into the Food and Beverage Manager, who I haven’t seen since before my accident. She had offered to help me if I needed anything via text after my hospital stay, so was happy to let me do my faxing at work. She even got one of the lovely ladies at reception to help me send it all off.

On Thursday I brought my suitcase full of clothes over to Heather and Anne’s. Friday I ran into Eduard when I was waiting for Heather outside of a Eurostar so we could continue our walks home. He had been out sick almost as soon as I went back to work because he needed his appendix removed. We were so close to being hospital-buddies! I invited him to the party Dale and I were hosting that night, but unfortunately he wasn’t feeling up to it yet. The party was for mine and Dale’s three-year anniversary. We decided we were too poor to buy each other gifts, and that a party would make a good alternative! Our guests showed up around 10 at night, mostly from work. Heather and Anne joined us later. Katie and Allison sprawled out on the floor since we used up all our seats and Katie likes to make herself comfortable. It ended up being a decent night, and since everyone headed on to the next place around 1:00 am, I was still able to get five hours of sleep before work.

Moving day!

Monday was moving day! No one was home when we arrived, and Sydney was surprised when we let ourselves in on our second trip. Regardless, she graciously offered us her empty luggage to roll our next batch of stuff over. Dale and I took four trips in total, and were quite tired by the end of it. Irena actually saw us pass her window on the last time around—we had a box balanced on the bicycle seat, which I’m sure looked hilarious. As our landlord ran her inspection, she was as awkward as usual right from the get-go. She knocked on our door and then walked away down the hallway when Dale opened it. But she was perfectly happy to give us our 700 euro deposit back, after inspecting the windows which Dale had just cleaned the mould off of, and accidentally collapsing the dresser into pieces (which I tried not to laugh at).

Bye-bye, House!

At last we were ready to settle into our new home. Sydney cleared one of her own shelves in the kitchen for us, Anne and Heather had put an end table into the pantry to act as a shelf, and the rest of our things found their own spots in the corners of the living room. Heather and Anne had already rearranged the furniture so that we could put the air mattress down on the floor with a chair blocking it, or lean it up against the wall to have full use of the living room. If it starts to feel too crowded in the house, there’s still the tent outside. When we were decently settled, Dale and I took the bus with Sydney to Fitz. I was tired enough at this point that we just ate and talked about funny words people use here or don’t understand from home with the new, and surprisingly young, USITers before going home again. It might have been short, but it was still a nice night.

Our new home on a cute street with a grassy park

A little crowded with laundry, but otherwise looks workable!

That evening I fell asleep like a log, and found the air mattress more comfortable and roomy than our old bed, which is saying something. I was woken a few times as everyone’s staggered schedules meant they were rising randomly, but it wasn’t too bad with my ear plugs. Here’s hoping it will continue to be manageable. When I finally got up I struggled a little bit with getting organized in the dark—so much for the light mornings with the clocks going back an hour—and had a hard time getting out the front door and locking it behind me as well. I rushed to work and arrived sweaty, but just early enough to get changed and get on the floor on time. There was a lady doing an inspection at work, with the power to give or take the Conrad’s five stars and caused a little too much tension behind the scenes. But I did enjoy a conversation with some American customers who said, “It sounds like you’re accent comes from somewhere in the States!” To which I replied, “Close. I’m Canadian,” and we all started laughing.

After work I popped into USIT again to print off the tickets to Galway that Dale and I booked this weekend! We’re finally going to go and enjoy the nightlife tomorrow, followed by a day on the Arran Islands. Dale wants to rent bicycles on the island as well, which in theory sounds lovely. I had another chat with Lisa before catching the number nine "home," this time tear-less. Heather, Anne, and I sat in the freshly mown backyard so we could enjoy some sun while Dale took the bike to town to use his Christmas gift-card on books. Before long it got a little too cold to stay outside and I continued sending out emails to helpx hosts. So far there have been some very cool situations we’ve looked at, such as one working with horses, or one at a castle, but the response so far is that no help is needed for the month of May. But we will keep trying! And I’ve kind of failed at the 100 Days of Happiness project. As Dale put it, you need a smart phone with unlimited internet access in order to pull it off. It’s too bad I really liked the idea of it. At least I have my blog!