Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Prayers for driving PLEASE!
Ami and I are embarking on a 5 day roadtrip around Southern Ireland. I will be driving on the left side of the road....AAAAGGGHHH! We picked up the car and safely got the car 3 blocks to my apartment and parked it last night. So, anyone reading this, please pray for safe travels as Ami and I are driving around. We return to Dublin and turn in the car on Monday July 2.
Friday, June 22, 2007
1st Visitor!
My first visitor, my friend Ami, arrives in less than 12 hours!!! I am excited to have someone to share some of my crazy experiences with. I went out and bought groceries which is always an adventure, but especially so this evening. I went after work and the sky was grey, but it's been 7 days of gloomy weather and no sun, so nothing out of the ordinary. I roamed the grocery store and I'm happy to admit that I am starting to recognize items here and know what to cook with :) YEAH! So, I interviewed a few Irish co-workers and asked what food items they would miss if they moved away and their votes included SuperQuinn sausages (grocery store with the most reputed sausages), Tato Crisps (potato chips) and Cadbury chocolate. One girl even said she has smuggled SuperQuinn sausages to other countries when she was studying abroad. I picked up a sampling of these items to share with Ami to eat true Irish food. After I picked up all this food, I had my hands full with 3 very full bags and I walked out the shopping center to find that it was pouring rain. I waited a few minutes and then decided to brave it. I walked across the town of Blackrock to catch the train into the City. By the time I arrived at the train stop, I was SOAKED! The train pulled away just as I arrived. I waited for the next one and got into Dublin. It has pouring so hard when I got off the train that I could barely see. I couldn't figure out why my shopping bags kept getting heavier. I finally figured out that my umbrella was pouring down into the bags. That tells you how hard it was raining. By the time I made it to my apartment I had soaked through a water-proof jacket, through my jeans all the way down to my undergarments. I think I could have rung the water out of my jeans. Now that I am warm and dry I can admit that it was quite funny. I truly hope that we get a bit of sunshine while Ami is enjoy sightseeing.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Working Lots
June 15 – Day 65
It’s hard to believe that I have passed the 2 month mark in Ireland! My first visitor is scheduled to arrive next Saturday and we are planning a road trip around Ireland and a weekend in London as well as meandering around Dublin. My friend is bringing a suitcase that my mom packed with lots of stuff from home that I can’t get in Ireland and I’m looking forward to receiving it. Right now I’m just working lots. The girl that I work most closely with on my work project is on Holiday for 3 weeks, so I have to take over her role on top of my own. I have now completed 2 weeks and 1 more to go. She and her husband are relaxing, hanging out on the beach in Florida and enjoying Disneyworld. She even packed 2 empty suitcases for shopping because compared to stuff here, even Banana Republic and Ann Taylor seem like discount stores. When they go on holiday here in Ireland, there is no contact numbers left, no checking in, no voicemail, they do it right and just escape totally and completely! However, I am very excited to have her back to share the work load. She returns June 25 and I’m counting down the days.
It’s hard to believe that I have passed the 2 month mark in Ireland! My first visitor is scheduled to arrive next Saturday and we are planning a road trip around Ireland and a weekend in London as well as meandering around Dublin. My friend is bringing a suitcase that my mom packed with lots of stuff from home that I can’t get in Ireland and I’m looking forward to receiving it. Right now I’m just working lots. The girl that I work most closely with on my work project is on Holiday for 3 weeks, so I have to take over her role on top of my own. I have now completed 2 weeks and 1 more to go. She and her husband are relaxing, hanging out on the beach in Florida and enjoying Disneyworld. She even packed 2 empty suitcases for shopping because compared to stuff here, even Banana Republic and Ann Taylor seem like discount stores. When they go on holiday here in Ireland, there is no contact numbers left, no checking in, no voicemail, they do it right and just escape totally and completely! However, I am very excited to have her back to share the work load. She returns June 25 and I’m counting down the days.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
American Credit Cards
June 10 – day 60
I have just had my American credit card declined for the 5th time in 2 months. I have two credit cards that I am using and I must say that I am fortunate because they take turns in not working. I have contacted the fraud departments of both cards numerous times and each time I finally get them working again, but it is rather embarrassing to be paying for groceries and have your card declined! I have now been told by one credit card company that I must phone them every 30 days because they can only put the international waiver on for 30 days. Absolutely crazy! The alternative is to get a European credit card, but they charge annual fees of about $75 and have no points or cash back or anything.
On the positive side, it is an absolutely beautiful weekend in Dublin! It is 20 degrees (68 degrees farenheit) as I am typing this. I know this does not sound too warm, but it is cosidered sun bathing weather for Ireland. I’m headed out shortly to return some library books and to go for a walk along the River Liffey. It is wonderful to walk for 5 minutes and see the water! Colorado is a wonderful place to live, but it does not have much water. I have to enjoy it while I am here!
I have just had my American credit card declined for the 5th time in 2 months. I have two credit cards that I am using and I must say that I am fortunate because they take turns in not working. I have contacted the fraud departments of both cards numerous times and each time I finally get them working again, but it is rather embarrassing to be paying for groceries and have your card declined! I have now been told by one credit card company that I must phone them every 30 days because they can only put the international waiver on for 30 days. Absolutely crazy! The alternative is to get a European credit card, but they charge annual fees of about $75 and have no points or cash back or anything.
On the positive side, it is an absolutely beautiful weekend in Dublin! It is 20 degrees (68 degrees farenheit) as I am typing this. I know this does not sound too warm, but it is cosidered sun bathing weather for Ireland. I’m headed out shortly to return some library books and to go for a walk along the River Liffey. It is wonderful to walk for 5 minutes and see the water! Colorado is a wonderful place to live, but it does not have much water. I have to enjoy it while I am here!
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Istanbul, Turkey
June 6 – Day 56
I had a wonderful time in Istanbul! We visited the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, the Grand Bazaar, and the Spice Bazaar. We took a cruise on the Bosphorus River, shopped til we dropped, visited a Turkish bath and ate wonderful food! Istanbul is so different from any city I have ever been to. It is the only city in the world located on two continents (Europe and Asia). Walking down the street you would see people dressed in clothing similar to any city in the US and then the next person you would see would be a woman with everything covered in black cloth except her eyes and nose. The prayer calls come over load speakers in the city at set times each day (I think it is 5 times a day). To enter the mosque you had to have everything covered but your face and you had to remove your shoes.
Heather, one of the girls I was travelling with, was ecstatic to see all of the glass lanterns. She has always wanted a chandelier of lanterns and she was able to build one herself with exactly what she wanted. 7 lanterns later, she had an amazing chandelier, but it was quite a challenge to get it back to Ireland! The grand bazaar has over 4,000 shops and is like a city in and of itself. The shops sell a lot of ceramics, scarves, leather goods, Turkish rugs and lots of jewellery. I of course did some shopping and I think my most exciting purchase was a beautiful tablecloth in red and cream/gold that I think will look really cool in my house in Denver.
We stayed in a hostel in Istanbul and I made a rookie mistake. I didn’t bring a towel. It never even crossed my mind. On our first morning there, I asked my friends where to get a towel and they looked at me funny and said they brought them. I thought they were joking and so I asked again, then I realized they were serious. Heather and James, the married couple, were incredible generous and shared a towel so that I could use one of theirs. Needless to say, the first thing I bought in Turkey was a towel. I guess you live and learn. Hostel travel is very different from hotels! The room that we had was probably 6 feet by 8 feet and included 2 sets of bunk beds. There was barely room for all 4 of us to stand up at the same time. We shared a bathroom (single toilet, sink and shower) with about 20 other people. The beds had a sheet on the bottom and that was it. No covering sheet. We also had quite a fright our first night when Heather and I opened the bathroom door. The bathroom was occupied by the largest roach I had ever seen. Apparently they grow them even bigger in Turkey than Mexico. We screamed and made James, the only guy travelling with us, make it disappear. It was wonderful to have a guy travelling with us! Not only did he deal with the bugs, but in Turkey the shop keepers are very aggressive and when there is a guy with you, they back off quite a bit, which is very helpful.
It was a wonderful trip and I would highly recommend adding Istanbul to the list of places you want to visit!
I had a wonderful time in Istanbul! We visited the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, the Grand Bazaar, and the Spice Bazaar. We took a cruise on the Bosphorus River, shopped til we dropped, visited a Turkish bath and ate wonderful food! Istanbul is so different from any city I have ever been to. It is the only city in the world located on two continents (Europe and Asia). Walking down the street you would see people dressed in clothing similar to any city in the US and then the next person you would see would be a woman with everything covered in black cloth except her eyes and nose. The prayer calls come over load speakers in the city at set times each day (I think it is 5 times a day). To enter the mosque you had to have everything covered but your face and you had to remove your shoes.
Heather, one of the girls I was travelling with, was ecstatic to see all of the glass lanterns. She has always wanted a chandelier of lanterns and she was able to build one herself with exactly what she wanted. 7 lanterns later, she had an amazing chandelier, but it was quite a challenge to get it back to Ireland! The grand bazaar has over 4,000 shops and is like a city in and of itself. The shops sell a lot of ceramics, scarves, leather goods, Turkish rugs and lots of jewellery. I of course did some shopping and I think my most exciting purchase was a beautiful tablecloth in red and cream/gold that I think will look really cool in my house in Denver.
We stayed in a hostel in Istanbul and I made a rookie mistake. I didn’t bring a towel. It never even crossed my mind. On our first morning there, I asked my friends where to get a towel and they looked at me funny and said they brought them. I thought they were joking and so I asked again, then I realized they were serious. Heather and James, the married couple, were incredible generous and shared a towel so that I could use one of theirs. Needless to say, the first thing I bought in Turkey was a towel. I guess you live and learn. Hostel travel is very different from hotels! The room that we had was probably 6 feet by 8 feet and included 2 sets of bunk beds. There was barely room for all 4 of us to stand up at the same time. We shared a bathroom (single toilet, sink and shower) with about 20 other people. The beds had a sheet on the bottom and that was it. No covering sheet. We also had quite a fright our first night when Heather and I opened the bathroom door. The bathroom was occupied by the largest roach I had ever seen. Apparently they grow them even bigger in Turkey than Mexico. We screamed and made James, the only guy travelling with us, make it disappear. It was wonderful to have a guy travelling with us! Not only did he deal with the bugs, but in Turkey the shop keepers are very aggressive and when there is a guy with you, they back off quite a bit, which is very helpful.
It was a wonderful trip and I would highly recommend adding Istanbul to the list of places you want to visit!
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