The land of sunshine and sundresses?

Hello everyone,

In case you live in Antarctica (or Ireland) and didn't know, it is summer. Welcome. Put on your tank tops, sundresses, flip flops, and winter jackets because we are hitting the beach. No really. What I have learned in my recent forays into Dublin night life (and day life!) is that the less you wear, the more Irish you are. I stick out like a sore thumb in my jeans, runners, and long sleeve shirts because girls here commonly go out in teeeeeeenie tiny cocktail dresses and giantess high heels. (Yes boys, I'll eventually remember to take my camera out and get a picture of this amazing phenomenon for you all to feast your hearts on.) And this, folks, is the major culture shock that I have subjected myself to as of late.

So, as I earlier mentioned, I'm heading to Galway in September, but, I would like the record to show that I am starting to have a wee crush on Dublin. On Friday I finally got to see my friend Sami (the one I went to Portugal with) who has been busy with studying for med school stuff. We went to dinner and I finally met his girlfriend. SHE is going to single handedly pull me out of my "no girl friends" funk. YES. Sami's girlfriend Hannah, is a 24 year old doctor. Yea, that's right. Because that is how they do it here. Graduate high school at 19 and go straight away to med school. How sweet is that?! Why didn't WE think of doing it that way? Anyhow, I went to a "New Doctors" party on Friday night, and well, it's definitely a different scene then I'm used to, but we had a great time. (Though I will say that these new doctors all seemed slightly self-absorbed...)

Saturday I wandered around Dublin and found the Saturday farmer's market.I was lured by the abundance of sunflowers. The market is right off Abbey Street and literally in the middle of a very populated shopping area. It was nice to see something so natural springing up in the midst of crazy commercialism. And the vegetables were cheap and wonderful! I went to the cinema and saw Batman (Go. Go right now if you haven't seen it. What is wrong with you?) I ended up with my *NEW* friend Katie at this bar that her flatmate works at called "Cafe en Seine." I had to whip out my fancy camera phone and take a picture for the blog because it was sooooo much more posh and gigantic than any place I have ever been to in NYC.
I wish this crappy photo did the place justice. What you can't tell is that that red thing is a fabulously elaborate candelabra...and that it LOOKS like we are outside, but we are actually INSIDE. Every bar/pub/restaurant/club in Ireland is just so BIG because there is actually SPACE. I like the feeling of not being crowded every second of the day. So after all of that fancy shmancy madness, Katie and I ended up at a house party with David in Donabate (little middle of no where town). I like that people can actually have house parties here, and that they are common. That is one of the things I always love about being home in CT and lamented in NY. House parties are a wonderful thing often overlooked for "going out" instead. However, we did end up at the local Malahide club last night, so I can now proudly say when any local asks that, "Yes. I have been to Tamangos." And you can be sure, it was very towny, and equally trashy. The night ended with us at some friend of a friends house with everyone playing guitar and singing real loud and completely rocking out. Did I mention I love house parties? However, the late night (6 am!!!) left me completely useless today.

Which brings me to this:
Meet my room. It is big. And it has a window. A DOUBLE window! That goes down to the floor like a door! Need I say more?!?! What you don't see is the shelf around the left corner, which I have already quite sufficiently broken, and the two giant holes in the plaster where the shelf used to be. Whoops!

And this.Meet Markus. Flatmate extraordinaire. He is a diver, so tonight, in my waste of space couch sitting extravaganza, we watched a documentary about shark sex. It's actually pretty cool. And Markus is actually pretty cool. Despite his outrageous German accent spiked with Irishisms and the fact that he looks like a complete idiot in this photo. And yes. He is sitting on a leather couch that reclines. Because that is indicative of the life I am currently leading. (I win!)

On that note, goodnight!
LEAVE ME COMMENTS :)

Much love,
Sarah

A little post script: On the job front...I sent out some applications today to, gasp, schools in England. Because, they seem to be hiring American teachers much more readily in the UK. Not sure if I would actually do it (if they even wanted me) but I figured, why not at least give it a whirl? Oh, and one in Portugal. THAT would be a shift!