Dublin Livin'

I've been here in Dublin for a full week now, and already I'm starting to get adjusted and feel at home. Some things this week were much more difficult than I expected while others have been pleasantly simple. Let me start at the beginning...

Last Thursday, bright and early in the morning at 7 am I arrived in Dublin with 3 suitcases, some big dreams, and an amazing friend and soul sister(Bridget) helping me with the beginning stages of my move. My cousin picked us up from the airport and took us to my other cousin's home with whom I'll be staying for awhile. Since everyone was at work, Bridget and I took a short nap and then headed off to the city center so I could pick up a few necessities. Feeling like I had just walked through a time warp because of the jet-lag, I stumbled off of the Luas(a light rail train connecting various spots to the city center) and onto Grafton St.--the shopping mecca of Dublin, which also happens to be one of the most busy of all the roads in the city.

The first order of business--find a cellphone. I'll definitely be needing it as I can tell all of you right now I will most certainly get lost more times that I care to admit to. My cousin had recommended a place to us that sold pay-as-you-go phones (which seemed to be just what I needed) so we headed towards the shop. Just next to the entrance was a display window featuring all of the available phones. Wanting to be economical, I picked a small Samsung slider phone. Was it a SmartPhone like I'm accustomed to? No. But this whole experience is about trying new things and branching out, right? We stepped inside the small internet cafe/coffee shop/cell phone vendor and were greeted by a very friendly and helpful man. He told me about all the promotions the different phone companies had going, and I picked the one I thought would best suit my needs. Within minutes I had a working cell phone!

You would think that getting a cell phone would be the thing to scare me the most about my move so far, but it wasn't. Like so many other things in my life it was a small, almost trivial task that sent me into a tailspin. After purchasing my cell phone Bridget and I found a pharmacy and headed in so I could pick up some real, non travel-sized shampoo, conditioner and toothpaste. I found half- off haircare products and tossed them into my basket. Then, I came to the toothpaste aisle. As I stood looking for my preferred brand and couldn't find it a sudden, gripping panic came over me. I'm pretty sure in that moment I realized just how real my decision to move was. A person just doesn't buy full sized toiletries when they're on vacation! I knew that I wasn't going to be going back to Raleigh in a couple weeks. I was making Dublin my home base. While all of these thoughts were spinning around in my head, I was staring at the shelves with a panic stricken look on my face and clearly not making a decision. "Well, I like Crest! Do you?" Bridget said, gently trying to nudge me out of my panic. Seriously, I don't know what a girl would do without her sister from another mister sometimes! That was all it took to snap me out of it. I quickly snatched up a tube of Colgate and put it in my basket with my other items.

Fast-forward to the next morning and I was well rested, over the jet-lag and ready to take on the day. Bridget and I went into town to do a little more shopping and to just walk around and re-familiarize ourselves with the city. Thinking doing a little bit of clothes shopping would be a fun activity, we strolled into a popular shop just off of Grafton St. Perusing the pretty fashions, we quickly realized that the sizes were completely different from the States. After going to about 8 stores, I finally figured out what my size in the States converted to in Ireland....thank goodness! If you now me at all, then you know that I LOVE shopping!

Since those first two days here, I have gotten to hang out with my cousin and his parents over family dinners and with he and his friends on a night or two out. I am SO very thankful that he has been so welcoming and has let me into his life even though I've just been here a short time. Family is wonderful like that! I have many more cousins who live in the area who I haven't gotten to spend much time with, but I certainly look forward to that in the future. Of all the things I have noticed in the past week since moving here, it is that the people in this country are truly friendly and welcoming. Everyone from the kind ladies at the pharmacy counter, to tour guides I have encountered, to a precious little girl who strolled up to me today and gave me a flower, have been nothing short of wonderful. Each person has made me feel welcome, greeting me with a smile and a kind word and for that I will forever be grateful.

My journey here is just beginning and there are so many exciting things to look forward to--classes, making new friends, traveling! The list could go on and on. Today I got to go to Northern Ireland and see the Giant's Causeway, cross the Carrick a Rede rope bridge and visit Belfast. The blessings in my life at this moment are abundant and I am so thankful for them. To have a dream and experience it being realized is one of the most exhilirating feelings. This season of my life is certainly shaping up to be a beautiful one. Cheers to life y'all!

Love,
Erin