Dublin: Day 1

Marisol and I arrived in Dublin, Ireland yesterday at about 8 AM. We flew on Aer Lingus and I must say, it was a very cozy and pleasant flight. From Chicago it was about a 7 hour flight and I was able to watch 'The Reader' (pretty good) and 'He's Not That Into You' while fully extending my legs since Marisol and I were able to sit together at the exit seats (we had to agree to help in case of an emergency). I wanted to watch 'The Wrestler' and 'Watchmen', but there was no room to squeeze in all those movies so I opted for a drama and comedy-drama for our evening flight to suit my tired and mellow mood. The lavatory was right in front of us which was great since I was able to fully consume as much beverages and not worry about bothering my neighbor(s) to make way for me when I get stuck sitting in the middle or window seat like I normally do.

We were served 2 meals and lots of tea. For dinner I chose the roast beef with potatoes and veggies. My entree came with salad with italian dressing, a slice of cheddar cheese, crackers, french bread with butter, cheesecake and chocolate mint (or as my niece would call it, pillow mint). For breakfast we were served a ham and cheese croissant sandwich with orange juice and tea.

The immigration line moved quickly and then we waited for Tom (from the DCU lab we will be working in for the next 8 weeks) to pick up two exhausted and jet lag girls (it was about 2:30 AM West Coast time) to get to our apartments and help us finally settle in with internet connection (modem!) being our top priority. I wish there was a TV though but they do have televisions available for rent. 

I'll be residing at Shanowen Square Apartments for the next 3 weeks and moving over to Shanowen Hall where the rent is much cheaper after that time. I've also planned on opening up an irish bank account to help alleviate ATM/credit card/exchange fees which can add up since I'll be here for 8 weeks and then traveling to London and Paris for another 1-2 weeks.

Entrance to Shanowen Square Apartments

Shanowen Square Apartment Courtyard  

View from my room. Unfortunately, no sight of a leprechaun yet :(

My bathroom. Not pictured is my lovely blue toilet water. The narrow shower is something I will have to get used to, but overall, it's good enough for what I need.  There is a timer inside the door of the utility press at the end of our flat's corridor. When the switch is set to 'timer' water will be heated during the night and will remain hot for most of the day. We are sharing the apartment with 2 other girls and my 1st shower was pretty damn hot! So hopefully there shouldn't be a problem, but ahh... the luxury we have at home of not worrying to set the timer for hot water. Added feature of our hot water timer: A 'boost' facility on the unit will allow the heater to work an extra 2 hours as required! Yipee!

A couple of things I bought at SPAR (convenience store next door) to add to my junk food provisions. Will be going to Tesco to buy groceries after our first day in lab later on.

Didn't take pics of my cozy bed or room just yet since I still have some unpacking to do and it was a mess when I decided to snap these few shots. 

Forecast for today: Cold and cloudy with a lot of wind. No surprise, right? I sure didn't come here for the sun! I'm glad I brought some wooly socks!

Ta ta for now. I'll be on way to start my 1st day in the lab. Woke up early for obvious jet lag reasons, but most importantly, to refresh my mind on the project proposal. It was a fairly long read, but you do what you have to do! Man... I'm going to want to burn out probably by mid-afternoon at this rate. 

A big thank you Dr. Gomez for working to get the funds through to make this possible for us.

xoxo from Dublin