Stepping Stone

Well, this is a video I wanted to get earlier, but I am just getting around to it. I will let the video do most of the talking. I was in the room while all the roommates were out and decided to give a quick tour. While I am in a quad, most rooms are doubles. In the video, I forgot to mention that we are across the street from the Australian Embassy. I almost want to go over to see a Kangaroo, but I doubt they would have one there. I hope you enjoy it.

With peace and love,
Scott

Breaking the Habit

Last night I stepping in the weird world of dog racing. I was reassured of the fact that I have no idea what I am doing when it comes to betting and should stay out of betting all together. I got a video of the first race of the night. I put €2 down on a dog and never saw that money again. Stephen assured us before we left that the dogs are actually well taken care of. The dogs stay in homes and have a nice place to stay as opposed to the cages the dogs would stay in back in the U.S. It was a fun night despite my significantly less than stellar record on betting.


With peace and love,
Scott

"Arguments are to be avoided; they are always vulgar and often convincing" -Oscar Wilde

He Shall, From Time to Time

This is one of the few occasions where I will actually talk about politics. As I said in my first post, which was on election day, I will only talk about politics if it comes up in my experience here in Dublin. Well, here is one of those times. We had an Inauguration party here in Dublin. The academic building stayed open late to show the Inauguration live. Luckily, my last class ended at 4:30 and I went up to the top floor to the lounge and made it in time. It is great to be able to see such a historic event live from an ocean away. Isn't technology great? I got a video of most of the group hanging out watching in the lounge (see below). I was back home for the whole election cycle, but the people who work here weren't. I enjoyed listening in to what they thought of the election and President Obama.

With peace and love,
Scott

The Man with a Movie Camera

I finally got around to uploading some video from Howth. I wanted to upload the video from the academic building since the wireless in the residence hall is slow and sometimes cuts out randomly.

As for the video, it was shot on the trail that goes along the ocean. I hope you enjoy it!

With peace and love,
Scott

Free

Ah, the first week has ended and what a long week it was. It seems like a month ago that I was all excited about starting classes. I'm taking 5 classes this term and all seem good. My science class is Environmental Earth Science. It is taught by the Program Director Stephen Robinson. He understands that none of us will be scientist and therefore he does not expect us to become scientists. We will take some field trips this semester, which sound like a lot of fun. The English Literature class I am taking will focus on Anglo-Irish writers like Oscar Wilde. The reason I specify Anglo-Irish writers is due to the fact that here in Ireland if I were to talk about Irish writers, I would be talking about Gaelic writers. A slight but important difference. The Modern Irish Social History class gave us a cliff notes version of early Irish history just so we get some context on what we see (like the conflict between the Catholics and Protestants). Art (Irish Culture through the Fine Arts)will be fun. This is the class I had today (Friday). The great thing is that we went on a field trip to The National Museum, on the first day of class. I'm trying to think the last time I went on a field trip. We talked a bit about the general topics we would cover during the course, then walked over to a gallery where there were tons of artifacts. There were mainly things like viking and early Irish culture. I thought it was time well spent. The final class I am taking is Critical Thinking. Basically this is a Philosophy class. We are starting out with basic logic (seems like a logical place to start). All of the professors appear to know their stuff and are very accommodating.

As for other news, earlier today, I went with my roommate John down to Grafton Street to get cell phones. I finally picked one up. The big reason I waited until now to get a phone is the reason that there was a phone for €29, but those were out of stock. I waited. I waited. I waited. John and I decided that it was indeed time to get a phone. We ended up getting a Nokia phone, but ended up costing us €49. Ouch on the bank account. It's good to have a cell phone on me now. Now I just need to get phone numbers.

With Peace and Love,
Scott

"Nothing is impossible to the willing mind" -Books of Han Dynasty

Who'll Stop the Rain

The clouds have taken their usual spot here in Dublin, overhead. There has been raining or at least cloudy here in Dublin most days. One big thing is that when it cloudy, it doesn't always mean rain. Back in the states, there is major rain storms. Usually it is short in length, but heavy in intensity. Here, there is a little rain for a little while. It stops. Sometime later, it rains a little more for a little while. Seeing the trend? We don't get significant more amounts of rain, but it just looks like it's going to rain. It is mildly depressing, but being in a new city is out weights that. I know I mentioned I will post about classes, but that will be tomorrow. I have yet to have my Art class, I will have a full reaction to classes tomorrow. I will say now that classes will be busy with projects (I already have one due next week!). I promised I would post some pictures from Howth. Since I am in the academic building now where the internet is much better than the residence hall, here is a few pictures. The first one we see is actually from here in Dublin. It is in St. Stephens Green not far from the academic center.The second shot is the Howth cliffs (my roommate John is in the shot).

With Peace and Love,
Scott

Day Tripper

I going to try and keep this reasonably short. Basically, I'm going to try to do a highlight reel of the past few days. So, let's begin. When I get to my room, I realize that there isn't a bed for me. Tom, the head resident, said that they were supposed to have them in yesterday or earlier that day. He said he would get on it. Besides that, our room is nice. There is a decent amount of space in the bedrooms and the living room. The bathroom is alright, but the amount of hot water is limited, so I'm happy I take quick showers. The kitchen is decent. I'm sure it will do the job. I didn't really do too much that first day except head down to Grafton Street with some friends. For those who are familiar with Church Street in Burlington, VT, basically Grafton is Church street on steroids (like Barry Bonds...zing!). Thursday, orientation started. We got to check out the acdemic center, which seems nice. That night, we went out to dinner. It was a place called Porterhouse. I was able to get a pint. They didn't have any Guinness, but I got some other beer that was good. After, we went out to a bar where there was a decent traditional Irish band playing. I got some Guinness there and it was very good. As Tom said, when pouring it into a glass, it takes forever. I had to wait for a few minutes just for a pint. When I did get, it is so much better. I understand what they say about the Guinness in America being not so good. The next day, we took a tour of Dublin. We took a stop by the Trinity campus. For those who don't know much about Trinity, it is basically like Harvard or Yale. The tour guide mentioned that the harp that is the symbol of Ireland (the same harp on Guinness). Trinity gave the rights for Guinness to use the harp, but for a fee. In the dining hall, there is Guinness on draft for free for the students for as long as Guinness is still brewing (grad school at Trinity anyone?). We got to see some other sites around the city including the oldest parliment room. It is the old House of Lords. It was supposed to be destoryed, but then the British just forgot about it. Now the building is Bank of Ireland. Yesterday, we went to Howth. It is a fairly quick train ride north of Dublin. It has a very stunning "classic" Irish coast line. It has very high cliffs and plenty of wind. I will try to post a picture soon. For those on Facebook, feel free to take a look at the pictures I have posted. I will post a video of the coast line. I just have to download the video from my camera. Classes start tomorrow. I'm excited for them. I will have a post later this week on how those are going.

With peace and love,
Scott

"Love may not make the world go round, but I must admit that it makes the ride worthwhile."
-Sean Connery

Born to Run

(Note from Scott: This is part 2 of my adventure from the Boston area to the residence hall in Dublin. See previous post for part 1)

We pick up our hero in distress in London. Actually, I wasn't in too much distress yet. So, I don't think I need to pick up my bag in Heathrow. I'm not sure if I need to go through customs and all that. I would soon find out. After a few minutes of following some signs for connecting flight, I ask a very nice British fellow, who said that I would not need to pick up my checked bag and that I need to head over to Terminal 1. Heading over to Terminal 1 from Terminal 3 means going through customs AND security (despite going through security in Boston, whatever). Since Heathrow is SO big, there is a bus that goes over to Terminal 1. Once I get into the building, there is customs waiting. I sort of find where I need to go, but then asking another nice British fellow to help me get into the right line. (to go off topic, I really like the British accent, especially when there are many people around you speaking it. I kept thinking Michael Cane was around). I wait in the line for a good solid 10-15 minutes. Then I get to the customs guy. I hand him my passport and my packet of study abroad papers. After a few minutes, my passport is stamped and I go through no issues. I would later find out when I get to Dublin, that they could have stopped me there, taken me aside, and grilled me on why I was there. The reason being that I have paper to get into Dublin, not London. I head on to security. I have to take off my shoes, but luckily, I don't have to take my laptop and other electronics out. I just sent my backpack right through. After I breezed through security, I go check in at the Aer Lingus counter. I have no idea which gate I need to go to, so that would be good to find out. I check in. I find out I need to go to gate 84 or something in that region. I am not kiding when I say that the walk could have been a half mile (have I mentioned Heathrow is HUGE?). I was power walking like nobodys business down there. When I arrive, people are in line to board the flight. Go me! I get on and it is almost enitrely empty. I take my seat. On the flight, I hoped to get some sleep, but I am to pumped on coffee and power walking that I am too excited. There were some real Irish looking people on the flight, but thats to be expected. I was happy to find that it would take less than an hour to get to Dublin. During that less than hour, they passed the cart through with variouse things for sale a number of times. It was mildly unsetteling. After a nice comfortable flight with plenty of space, we land in Dublin. I get off and start following the baggage claim signes. I make it to the customs line again (didn't we just do this? yes, we did.). When I get there, there are two people in line in front of me. I only have to wait a few minutes. I get called over to an agent. His accent was a bit thick, but still understandable. I hand him my passport, mention that I am study abroad here, hand him my papers. He looks at the papers and asks me a few questions. The computer system seemed to be very backed up at this point. While waiting, I look back at the line and it almost enitrely fills the rope line they have. I mention it to the customs guy, in which his reply with his good Irish accent is "Yep, missed a nice big queue." (Queue is a what people say in this area for line.) I get through just fine. I walk to the baggage claim area, find where I need to go, and find a spot within the people. I am standing there for no more than a minute and I see my bag. I pick it up and walk out. I recived an e-mail a few days earlier saying that there would be somone waiting for me at the Vodaphone (a phone company here in Ireland). Sure enough, I see the program director Dr. Stephen Robinson. I end up taking cab back to the residence hall with my friend Kira, who arrived shortly before I did. The Irish drive on the other side of the road and the wheel is on the other side of the car (basically a mirror image of what we do in America.) I happen to sit in the front passengers, which is where I usually drive. It was messing with my head. The guy driving was a nice Irish guy. It was actually sunny when I got to Dublin and the driver said "You better get a picture of that bright thing in the sky. We don't see to much of it." We end up getting to the residence hall in reasonable time. We meet Tom there, who is the Head Resident here. Kira and I get the low down on the dorm and head to our rooms. I basically just do some basic unpacking, but not too much. The rest of the day, I just end up seeing people who are around and doing some basic exploring of the area. We are on the south side of the city, which is the richer part of the city. The good thing is that the academic building is near by. It isn't that bad of a walk. I will have mroe details on the dorm life and the academic building later.

With peace and love,
Scott

"I am an optimist. It does not seem too much use being anything else." -Winston Churchill

Celestial Navigation

(Note from Scott: Due the length of the story, this is part 1 of my trip over to Dublin. It will cover leaving home to touching down in London Heathrow Airport. Part 2 will cover going through London Heathrow Airport to the arrival at the residential hall in Dublin All times listed in both posts are local times.)

Well, for this trip, I was expecting to get held up in many places. Mainly delays in Boston, London, or even Dublin itself. When I was leaving home on Tuesday, it was a nice wonderful day and it was going to look that way all the way through when I took off. From what it sounds like, if I was leaving the next day, I would have issues with snow/crappy weather. My mom and I got organized and mostly packed Monday night. Then, on Tuesday itself, I woke up early (9 am) in hopes of being tired for when I get on the overnight flight to London. I finished up packing that day, after watching some TV and surfing the net. Once my mom got back, we both made sure I had everything and zipped up my bags. My dad arrived back from teaching school and then we all drove down to the airport. My mom warned me in advance that she would cry a bit when they would drop me off. We were a bit early to the airport after I checked in, so we found a few seats and I ate most of a not so great salad from Starbucks. When I checked in, the woman at the counter put the ticket on the bag. I asked her if I needed to pick it up in Heathrow and basically check in again. She told us that the bag would go right through, even though I was changing airlines. Good news for me. She also mentioned that I would not need to go through customs and all that. I got even more excited that my connection would be easy. Nothing like some good old fassion easy travel. I got through security just fine with no issues and waved bye to my parents. I was going to sit down and blog here on details to this point, but the wireless internet decided to be lame at Logan so I didn't. I went down to the gate where my flight was leaving out of, took a seat and listened to my Ipod for a bit. There was this very cute little baby who seemed very excited. The dad said that travel doesn't really seem to bother the baby at all. Which is a good thing I guess is a good thing. They were heading out on the flight leaving for L.A. in the gate next to mine. I got onto my flight shortly after and was sitting next to a guy who was from England but now lives in New Hampshire. We somehow got on the topic of soccer (oh, wait, it's called Football here in Ireland). It was aparent he knew more than me (not hard thing to do considering the topic) and so I was asking the questions mainly. The flight was fairly uneventful. There was a fair amount of turbulance early on in the flight with little bit later on. Nothing really interesting to say about the flight itself really. Since it was an overnight flight, I would arrive in London on what would be the next day (just before 7 AM), I wanted to basically get some sleep as to help with jet lag. Well, I was sitting right next to the window and my seat was not far behind the wing, so engine noise was loud, and sitting in coach, space was very limited. In a few attempts to get some sleep, usually didn't work as well as I had hoped. I may have gotten some level of sleep, but it was really hard to tell since there was noeasy to see clock. Once they started bringing breakfast around, I decided that any chance of sleep for a while was gone. I got bit of coffee (I am basically a tea drinker, but considering the situtation, I went with coffee). As the flight got in, I asked the guy sitting next to me, if I would need to go through custums and all that. He told me that if I needed to go to a different terminal, I would. We were landing in terminal 3 and I needed to get to terminal 1. So, there goes the super wicked easy way to travel, but luckily I had a good amount of time ahead of me. There were screens that were showing where we were. At around this time, we were over Ireland. It was still dark out, but I could see little pockets of light. They might have been towns or shopping areas, but I wasn't sure. Once we getting into London, there was some seriouse fog (anyone else hear of this London fog stuff?), but once we actually landed, the fog was cleared. As we got off, I said bye to the guy sitting next to me and started into the adventure that was London Heathrow Airport.

With peace and love,
Scott Miley

(Part 2 will be published later today. It will have from Heathrow to arrival in residence hall in Dublin.)