Nilbud

I'm beginning to think that literally everything in this country is backwards. They drive on the opposite side of the road, the toilet handle is on the opposite side of the toilet, all the streets that end in "upper" are actually down and the streets that end in "lower" are actually up (for example Merrion Street Upper will be south of Merrion Street Lower and Baggot Street Upper is below Baggot Street Lower and so forth), when they say "walking up the street," they actually mean walking down and when they say "at the top of" the actually mean at the southern most end. For awhile I thought the maps were all just drawn upside down but now I'm onto the theory that the cartographers had a bit of Guinness in them when it came time to plan Dublin.

On the subject of Guinness, they all party on the weekdays and study on the weekends (possibly the hardest opposite to adjust to). Ireland is the environment's best friend and yet nearly everyone smokes. The people are inordinately helpful and will delightedly direct you anywhere, but customer service is essentially non-existent. Anti-American sentiment is not hard to come by and yet, walking through campus, you would think ugg boots and Abercrombie was the school uniform. Also, "Saturday week" means not this Saturday, but next.

But a backward life is not so hard to lead, once you get your bearings anyway. The one thing I can't do so well is adjust to no standard at all. Like, for example, walking down the street. It sounds like a simple enough thing and, in America, it usually is. You walk somewhere on the right hand side of the pathway and you will generally encounter few obstacles and arrive safely at your destination. In Ireland, however, no one ever designated a side of the road for walking on and the result is that people walking both directions span the entire width of the sidewalk and zigzag in and out of oncoming traffic to avoid colliding with each other. I'm pretty sure it must take everyone twice as long to get places because no one has ever walked directly there. Punctuality doesn't seem high on anyone's priority list, though, so I suppose that's why no one ever fixed this.

Despite the never-ending supply of differences, though, I am actually settling in quite well. I absolutely love the city and weekends like this one are probably mostly to blame. The sun was uncharacteristically sociable these past few days and I'm tempted to say it hasn't rained since... Thursday? And this Friday was Culture Night in the city, where most of the big touristy things open up for free admittance. So several of us from the U.S. spent the night in town watching performances of traditional Irish music, seeing old films in the IFI (Irish Film Institute) and meeting plenty of Irish people in Temple Bar who ecstatically educated us on the ways of the country. And after Saturday at the farmer's market and Sunday following a walking tour, I feel like I might (mighttt) be able to offer someone directions if they asked. I also watched Once twice (haha) in one weekend - first outside in Temple Bar and second in a friend's apartment - so I don't know if that counts as exploring the city, but I feel like I'm getting a grasp (however loose) on life in Dublin.

I've also been embracing the stay-up-late and sleep-in-as-long-as-possible bit of culture as well as ever. I have to say, though -- I've always considered myself a night owl, but I've been put to shame by night owls here. And on that note, I'm out for the night. Best wishes overseas.

Also, below is the Garden of Remembrance, the River Liffey and the West Front Building of Trinity College at night.