Exploratoring

I spent most of yesterday afternoon wandering around; I did explore O'Connell St. pretty thoroughly, and also managed to wander through Temple Bar, Grafton St., and Trinity College. I got a map and just wandered, which was really fun. I got lost in the sense that I didn't know or really care where I was, and it worked out fine--with the help of my trusty map (which, strangely, calls itself a 'rough guide map') I was able to find my way back.

There are some beautiful old buildings here, most of them really well maintained. I love that so many of them are now housing modern businesses; they are an active, functional part of the city, not set aside just to be admired. It is a very multicultural city, as I guess most large cities are these days. There seem to be a lot of Eastern Europeans who have come here looking for work, which is plentiful because of the economic boom that Ireland is experiencing. Apparently the language barrier is creating some difficulty, though--most job postings require English speaking ability and not much else. I don't think I'll have trouble finding a job here, if that's what I decide to do.

A word on hostels, or at least, my hostel: utilitarian. There is just enough space for the essentials in each room, and only the essentials are available. It's fine for a few nights, but pretty awkward when you've packed for a more homey environment...there's so little space that I can only open my suitcases one at a time, so I have to try to remember where I packed everything whenever I want anything. And if you've ever seen my packing...well, you know how prone I am to suitcase explosions, something that I really can't indulge right now!

I met up with Erica and her friend Miyoshi last night for dinner. For those of you who don't know, Erica and I met just a couple of weeks ago on our Birthright trip to Israel. We hit it off, and then discovered that we'd both be in Dublin at the same time! She and Miyoshi are here until Saturday, so I'm hoping to see them again tomorrow. It was so nice to see a friendly face among all these strangers. We had a very nice dinner at a Japanese restaurant, and then ended up going to see the new X-men movie. Not exactly the most cultural experience, I know, but they've already been here for a while, and have had enough of pubs and such, plus it really helped me stay awake to reset my internal clock. By the time I got back to my hostel and found everything I needed in various suitcases and got ready for bed, it was midnight, and a new month.