Sunday, October 11, 2009
Since an attempt to go to the market failed on Saturday there was another attempt on Sunday. However, the market was about half its Saturday size and many of the stalls were lacking in produce. Disappointed, we returned to create a sandwich I had been crafting in my head for a few days now. I had all the necessary ingredients waiting we just had to construct it. There was whole mill bap bread sliced and toasted, melted butter, pesto and sun dried tomato (from the market the previous week), light cream cheese, brie cheese and ham. Altogether, it was very tasty. Go easy on the pesto though because it can overpower other ingredients easily. We stopped by Griffin’s to pick up a strawberry dessert to share. Both of us thought it would be more like cheesecake, but it was mousse instead. Being sweet, I still enjoyed it! We took our goodies with us out to the park by the beach, which was actually very chilly. Once we had finished up and strolled around Galway city centre it was time to think about dinner. We acquired some rare ingredients to Mexican food at the Lidle (like an Aldi), which we used to make chicken fajitas. They were delicious and a much missed category (Mexican) to my diet. The best discovery was a bag of tortilla chips already covered in a chili powder (I can’t find plain ones here), but when dipped in salsa – delicious. There is no way that they are remotely good for you, but they taste wonderful.
After dinner Zach, Ryan and I were headed to Roisin Dubh to see a band called Kev Fox play who we had heard on the streets. Their sound was wonderful. It was smooth, full of emotion, and rhythmic. However, the cover charge was 10 Euro. I was willing to fork over 5, but not exactly 10. Zach made a purchase of their CD, which he later said was nothing like what we had heard them playing. It makes me wonder now if maybe we should have stayed to listen. Regardless, we ended up at Crane Bar again where were joined by Monica, Marta and Demelsa. The Crane Bar is known for live traditional music, so it is a place we usually end up, but it also gets really crowded. So we all said goodbye before midnight and headed for our nice cozy beds.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Kids these days...
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Even thought Ryan was in town, I had to work the full Saturday in order to have Sunday off, which is a less busy day anyway. When Zach and I took our break I ordered a chicken pesto sandwich. When Mei, the one in charge when John is gone, heard this she leaned over to me and said, “Pesto is too strong. It looks like someone chewed it up and spit it out. You sure you want that stuff”? I laughed, but stuck with my order. As it turned out their pesto wasn’t a very good one, but I loved the strawberry milkshake. It was delicious. All their milkshakes are good, but sadly not very thick.
Back on the streets, Zach and I saw a little boy playing guitar with his father. The kid was better than the dad, but their sound together was beautiful. There was another guy playing “Ain’t no sunshine when you’re gone” on the jazz saxophone – an instrument I learned was a woodwind. Never knew that.
There were some kids in park setting off firecrackers – thought it was the aerosol cans again till a boy said, “If one lands between your legs …run”. While we were talking to him, a fight started between two 12 year-old girls. The whole square of teenagers (about 100 kids) ran to form a circle. I saw one of the girls when they had dispersed thanks to another firecracker going off, and she was all bloodied up. However, she was still walking around with her friends.
I was awed. The kid asked if we’d ever been here for an Irish Halloween. That’s when they really get out the firecrackers and set cars on fire…the only time I’ve known people to set cars on fire is after a National Championship. I’m kind of curious, kind of scared of the 31st now. It’s a combination of the teenagers, the pub crowd and the club crowd. Should make for a crazy night.
Since I’d eaten my meal of the day Eddie Rockets style I fixed some pesto sun-dried tomato and rigatoni for Ryan and thawed the bread Monica and I made. It turned out to be so tasty that I had to join in with a few bites.
Even thought Ryan was in town, I had to work the full Saturday in order to have Sunday off, which is a less busy day anyway. When Zach and I took our break I ordered a chicken pesto sandwich. When Mei, the one in charge when John is gone, heard this she leaned over to me and said, “Pesto is too strong. It looks like someone chewed it up and spit it out. You sure you want that stuff”? I laughed, but stuck with my order. As it turned out their pesto wasn’t a very good one, but I loved the strawberry milkshake. It was delicious. All their milkshakes are good, but sadly not very thick.
Back on the streets, Zach and I saw a little boy playing guitar with his father. The kid was better than the dad, but their sound together was beautiful. There was another guy playing “Ain’t no sunshine when you’re gone” on the jazz saxophone – an instrument I learned was a woodwind. Never knew that.
There were some kids in park setting off firecrackers – thought it was the aerosol cans again till a boy said, “If one lands between your legs …run”. While we were talking to him, a fight started between two 12 year-old girls. The whole square of teenagers (about 100 kids) ran to form a circle. I saw one of the girls when they had dispersed thanks to another firecracker going off, and she was all bloodied up. However, she was still walking around with her friends.
I was awed. The kid asked if we’d ever been here for an Irish Halloween. That’s when they really get out the firecrackers and set cars on fire…the only time I’ve known people to set cars on fire is after a National Championship. I’m kind of curious, kind of scared of the 31st now. It’s a combination of the teenagers, the pub crowd and the club crowd. Should make for a crazy night.
Since I’d eaten my meal of the day Eddie Rockets style I fixed some pesto sun-dried tomato and rigatoni for Ryan and thawed the bread Monica and I made. It turned out to be so tasty that I had to join in with a few bites.
Ryan Arrives!
Friday, October 9, 2009
I was going to go running, but it was raining and I stayed in bed till I had to go to work. I was not sure how I was going to work it since we did such a good job that John wanted us to work longer and Ryan was going to show in the middle of my shift, but I turned out that he took an earlier bus and showed up right at the beginning of my shift, so I quickly showed him to the apartment and left him with the key to take a nap (whew, what a run-on!).
While I was working in front of TKMaxx, I had this flashback to when I was a Girl Scout trying to sell cookies at the mall when a lady told me “maybe I’ll get one on the way out”.
When Zach and I got back at 4 I came home to an apartment decorated for Halloween!!! My room even had orange and purple lights, and there was candy in the kitchen! It was awesome. I couldn’t have been happier to have Ryan there and some Halloween spirit.
I woke him up to take a walk around Galway. If I let him sleep he’d never set his internal clock right! We walked down the Salthill promenade by the beach. The weather had improved, but the rain was still coming and going every 5 minutes. On the way back we stopped at Zatsuma and shared a melted marshmallow delight crepe. The mixture was heaven to my taste buds. It was supposed to be marshmallow, chocolate sauce, ice cream and M&M, but they were out of the latter, so I switched it up with strawberries instead (which I think was better).
Since it was Zach’s birthday, Monica, Roberto, Demelsa, Ryan and I went to McDonagh’s seafood (native ‘Captain D’s’-style place) with fresh fish and chips for dinner. I actually ordered the cod. It was tasty, but then again I used to like Captain D’s back in the day ☺
It was 8 when we finished dinner, and a bit early for a night on the town so we crashed Monica’s apartment for a little bit before a string of places like Massimo’s, The Crane Bar (for a bluegrass band) and Hole in the Wall. I have to saw I was not as impressed with Hole in the Wall as I was expecting. People kept telling me to go there, but it was not the classic Irish place I imagined. The look may have been, but not the feel. I might need to give it another try sometime.
We actually finished the night up with Eddie Rockets and a slice of pie as Zach’s birthday cake.
The bread I made at Monica's!
I was going to go running, but it was raining and I stayed in bed till I had to go to work. I was not sure how I was going to work it since we did such a good job that John wanted us to work longer and Ryan was going to show in the middle of my shift, but I turned out that he took an earlier bus and showed up right at the beginning of my shift, so I quickly showed him to the apartment and left him with the key to take a nap (whew, what a run-on!).
While I was working in front of TKMaxx, I had this flashback to when I was a Girl Scout trying to sell cookies at the mall when a lady told me “maybe I’ll get one on the way out”.
When Zach and I got back at 4 I came home to an apartment decorated for Halloween!!! My room even had orange and purple lights, and there was candy in the kitchen! It was awesome. I couldn’t have been happier to have Ryan there and some Halloween spirit.
I woke him up to take a walk around Galway. If I let him sleep he’d never set his internal clock right! We walked down the Salthill promenade by the beach. The weather had improved, but the rain was still coming and going every 5 minutes. On the way back we stopped at Zatsuma and shared a melted marshmallow delight crepe. The mixture was heaven to my taste buds. It was supposed to be marshmallow, chocolate sauce, ice cream and M&M, but they were out of the latter, so I switched it up with strawberries instead (which I think was better).
Since it was Zach’s birthday, Monica, Roberto, Demelsa, Ryan and I went to McDonagh’s seafood (native ‘Captain D’s’-style place) with fresh fish and chips for dinner. I actually ordered the cod. It was tasty, but then again I used to like Captain D’s back in the day ☺
It was 8 when we finished dinner, and a bit early for a night on the town so we crashed Monica’s apartment for a little bit before a string of places like Massimo’s, The Crane Bar (for a bluegrass band) and Hole in the Wall. I have to saw I was not as impressed with Hole in the Wall as I was expecting. People kept telling me to go there, but it was not the classic Irish place I imagined. The look may have been, but not the feel. I might need to give it another try sometime.
We actually finished the night up with Eddie Rockets and a slice of pie as Zach’s birthday cake.
The bread I made at Monica's!
TKMaxx
Thursday, October 8, 2009
I got a text from Eddie Rockets around 2 asking if Zach and I could work since TKMaxx actually opened Thursday not Friday. I negotiated extra hour, and secured our hours for Friday still.
During the shift we would switch back and forth from front to back entrance and I’d take the opportunity to look at the goods by taking my hat off and going through the store instead of around it.
Turned out we did so well wanted us back for Friday with even longer hours. Good for the wallet, bad for my sanity and Ryan will be arriving tomorrow. I’l have to work something out.
After work I had a meeting with Tara from the Gaf. She showed me the ropes and told me I’d be primarily helping to plan and implement the Halloween party. She will be leaving for ‘Oz’ (Australia) for three weeks to see her sister, so I will only see her one more time before she leaves. It’s a shame because she’s really nice and I’d like to spend more time around her.
After my meeting with Tara I went to Monica’s and we watched Adventureland, while sipping some soup she had thrown together. She likes creative cooking as much as I do, but I think she might be braver with her creations…at least she does it more often. After the movie we watched YouTube videos of Disney songs in Norwegian, so I could hear how it sounds. Even thought I can’t translate a single thing, the melody is still the same and the language is actually really pretty. It’s not harsh sounding. We started watching Alice in Wonderland, but I left to meet up with the others before it was over. I still have never seen that movie all the way through. Monica didn’t feel like going out, but I had to go out to get home anyway, so I left for Crane Bar. Since many of our friends were leaving for Cork they were celebrating Zach’s birthday as well as Ilsa’s whose actual birthday was that night. Zach was given a leprechaun hat/beard mask for his present. It got passed around for everyone to try and have their picture made. I hope that photo never surfaces! Roberto pulled out the 20 Euro that he, Zach, Chin and I had come across the night before and bought each of those people a drink. Chin was actually there too, but with some other friends. Roberto mentioned that he goes swimming sometimes at the recreational community pool, and I might try to go with him sometime if it isn’t too expensive. That would be awesome actually. I even brought a bathing suit just in case. These guys are so much fun to be around, always energetic and happy- all of them.
I got a text from Eddie Rockets around 2 asking if Zach and I could work since TKMaxx actually opened Thursday not Friday. I negotiated extra hour, and secured our hours for Friday still.
During the shift we would switch back and forth from front to back entrance and I’d take the opportunity to look at the goods by taking my hat off and going through the store instead of around it.
Turned out we did so well wanted us back for Friday with even longer hours. Good for the wallet, bad for my sanity and Ryan will be arriving tomorrow. I’l have to work something out.
After work I had a meeting with Tara from the Gaf. She showed me the ropes and told me I’d be primarily helping to plan and implement the Halloween party. She will be leaving for ‘Oz’ (Australia) for three weeks to see her sister, so I will only see her one more time before she leaves. It’s a shame because she’s really nice and I’d like to spend more time around her.
After my meeting with Tara I went to Monica’s and we watched Adventureland, while sipping some soup she had thrown together. She likes creative cooking as much as I do, but I think she might be braver with her creations…at least she does it more often. After the movie we watched YouTube videos of Disney songs in Norwegian, so I could hear how it sounds. Even thought I can’t translate a single thing, the melody is still the same and the language is actually really pretty. It’s not harsh sounding. We started watching Alice in Wonderland, but I left to meet up with the others before it was over. I still have never seen that movie all the way through. Monica didn’t feel like going out, but I had to go out to get home anyway, so I left for Crane Bar. Since many of our friends were leaving for Cork they were celebrating Zach’s birthday as well as Ilsa’s whose actual birthday was that night. Zach was given a leprechaun hat/beard mask for his present. It got passed around for everyone to try and have their picture made. I hope that photo never surfaces! Roberto pulled out the 20 Euro that he, Zach, Chin and I had come across the night before and bought each of those people a drink. Chin was actually there too, but with some other friends. Roberto mentioned that he goes swimming sometimes at the recreational community pool, and I might try to go with him sometime if it isn’t too expensive. That would be awesome actually. I even brought a bathing suit just in case. These guys are so much fun to be around, always energetic and happy- all of them.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
The Storyteller
Tuesday, October 7, 2009
Today was a beautiful day in more than just the weather. It has become very chilly like a mid to late November day, especially at night. A jacket is always a must.
I woke up to meet Paula in the square to go for coffee/tea. Roberto was with her when we met up. On the way to where we were taking our drinks, we ran into Demelsa. She decided to join us as well. That is what I love about Galway. It is a bigger city, but small enough that I am always running into people I know or have at least see before. I feel I would always have to be in constant communication with people if I lived in Dublin (which also has pros and cons). Like how I ran into Zach at the grocery store today. We had both gone to buy bread, without the other knowing. Thankfully, we ended up on the same isle and the same time, so I left to go pick up our bus tickets at the Citylink office.
We had our drinks in an old pub called Neachtain. It was a classic Irish style place with dim lighting and a cozy feeling. We sat in a corner booth primarily closed off to the rest of the place and talked about different things like understanding music. It is hard for someone to understand a song when English is not their first language. I admitted that often I do not understand a song until I look up the lyrics and read it like a story. Usually, the song itself is too drawn out and slow paced for me to grasp the meaning before I lose interest. I see the voice as another instrument of sound before I see it as a channel for expression.
After leaving the pub I walked with Demelsa to the Atlantic language school where they take English lessons. I had not been there before and I was curious. She took me upstairs to where they had a bulletin board for free classes from poetry readings to dance lessons. She signed up for a Bachata class and I told her she would need to teach me after she learned. While we were looking at the board Marta and Jordi showed up and said hello. Marta immediately took me to see the outdoor terrace overlooking the harbor she had only discovered the day before. It was pretty, but also a smoking haven. Supposedly, Atlantic was rated as one of the top places to learn English in Europe. They all told me I should try to find a way to teach there. Since I’m not certified, I doubted that I could, but I checked with the director anyway. Before I left, I went with them to the move room to check out three films: Just Married, PS I Love You and The Quiet Man. We are having a movie party at their apartment at half past 9 tomorrow evening for PS I Love You. I never saw that movie, but Monica hates it, so she said she would knit while we watched it.
I left the school for my 1pm library appointment to use the internet. I also checked out some French vocabulary and sentence structure books. I put my name on the waiting list for the French language CDs (a popular item) and ran off to meet Zach at the Galway City Museum at 2pm. I’ve been here a month and still haven’t visited the museum other than the time I introduced myself to Ellie (the museum café lady) who never called me back for a job.
The place was three stories tall and filled with information about the current cultural festivities as well as the claddaugh and enormous fishing industry that made Galway so prosperous long ago. I saw photographs of the parade floats/creatures that are made out of the same material Marta and Demi made their lanterns with.
Before starting on dinner, I went to the Gaf (youth café where I get internet) to ask about volunteering. I explained that Amnesty was no longer an option and asked if I could be of any help to them. Galway not only has a shortage of paying jobs, it has a shortage of nonpaying (volunteer) jobs as well. However, they were able to use me! I think part of it had to do with them already being familiar with who I was since I go in often for the internet. The coordinator lady was going to have me help with the café part, but when she found out I had journalistic experience, she passed me on to Tara. She is in charge of the different clubs within the organization. The Gaf is part of Foroige. It is an Irish organization dedicated to the development of youth. It was a bit odd since it hasn’t been that long since I considered myself to be a youth.
Tara specifically needed me to help with the film club. My role would be to attend a screening with youth about twice a month and then facilitate a discussion about the film with another volunteer leader after the movie. I would also help set up the snacks for the movie. I got really excited about discussions! They have always been my favorite part about classes, and I even had a class in Communication Studies that did the exact same thing. I was pumped, but sad it would only happen twice. She said if we got enough interest we could do as many as we liked. She was also searching for ideas. I mentioned the indie movies at the Town Hall Theater as a possible option. If the budget didn’t allow then maybe we could get the same film they are showing and have show it at the café. She seemed to really like that idea. We set a possible date for the week before Halloween and I mentioned the film should be a horror movie or some classic revolving around Halloween. We both got excited about that. Then she realized the date might conflict with the Halloween party, so we moved it back a day. I asked if I could help out with the Halloween party and she set up an appointment Thursday for me to meet the coordinator of that to offer ideas and planning expertise. I get events planning experience after all!
I walked back to the apartment and went downstairs to get Teresa to sign as a reference for some paperwork since I will be working with youth. The Guarda will also be doing a background check on me that takes 8 weeks! It is nothing serious, and I will actually be finished with my work at The Gaf before it is even complete. Teresa was happy to sign the paper and sad to hear that Amnesty had closed. She also informed me that it was bad off for everyone though and this is the worst her store has done in the whole 23 years she has been in business; she wouldn’t be able to afford to pay anyone as hired staff even if she wanted to, and thankfully she managed between her and her son. I was feeling in a giving spirit and told her if she ever needed me to help out at no cost that I would be glad to mind the shop if she nor her son could assuming I was available. She thanked me and we continued to talk for another 20 minutes. I also stopped to talk to a customer who came in for a bit. His name was Dan and he seemed like a nice fellow. He was telling me about France and his adventures to the Southwest of the US. He asked me for my number if I ever wanted grab a drink or have a tour of Galway. I found paper and was quick to get him to write his number and avoid giving him mine. After he left, Teresa asked if I had seen the wink. I had not, but she told me that when he came in he said hello to her, but winked at me. She said she thought to herself, “ah, he fancies this young lady”. I told her that’s why I was all too careful to get his number and not he mine. She said I had a smart head. It was getting late and the girls were coming over for dinner, so I told her goodbye and ran upstairs, but I felt like we really bonded today!
Kathleen and Erynn came over for dinner bringing mashed potatoes and dessert while Zach and I supplied the main course. I cooked burgers and topped them with brie cheese. I sautéed onions with garlic (seasoning, lemon juice and balsamic). We also had roasted vegetable couscous. Zach toasted some buns in the oven, but we both forgot about them until they were hard as bricks but not burnt. We didn’t have any more buns, so I told them loaf bread was another option. We all ate the hard buns though. The taste was good if you could chomp through the brick-like texture. I had my wine bottle and candle burning, but the thing refuses to drip! For dessert they had butterscotch pudding and dipping wafers. It was simple, but yummy. We sat around talking for awhile before they left. I enjoyed the conversation and was glad to see them since it had been so long.
I had gotten a call from Roberto, Victor and Monica during dinner, so I called them all back when Kathleen and Erynn left. Roberto, Marta, Demi, Paula, Jodi and Monica were going to a storytelling. It was 9:30 and it started at 10. I jumped in the shower really quick, got dressed, dried my hair and was across the river by 10!
The place was down an alley near where we took a political sign from the other day. I think it was someone’s home, but the place was packed with people. They had a man sing a song on guitar to start off the night. Then offered up the floor to anyone wanting to tell a story. The first man started with a story about a version of creation and how things came to be. The second man was actually my friend from the internet place next door. He had already said hello, but I was surprised to see him speak. His story was one of dragons, chickens, wizards and wisdom. It was probably my favorite, but I definitely laughed the most as the last story. The last performance was actually a puppet show. The man used mostly grunt and noised to tell his story with puppets who were actually his fingers. I was lost in the imagery because it was harder for me to picture the puppets as fingers than as characters. Jordi and Roberto were looking for a drink after the show, so we went to the Spanish Arch Hotel Bar, which is nicer than it sounds. We were positioned by the fireplace in a cozy little bar with Irish music played by a live group, but it wasn’t loud. There were no speakers, just the instruments. I put another log on the fire then found myself caught up in the desire to tell a story, so I made one up as I went. I was something like this:
Long ago there was a man with three legs. Instead of a face like mine or yours, he had a mirror where a head might be. He lived in a place neither you nor I have ever seen. It was a world unlike ours. There was no atmosphere and upon this planet were chutes that could send someone to another planet.
One day he was walking along and came across an animal he had never seen before. This animal could talk and he asked the man if he knew what chute would send him home. The man replied he did not, but suggested to slide down the closest chute and see where he landed. The animal asked the man if he would accompany him on his journey. The man thought a moment and finally decided why not, he would go with the animal.
They climbed into the chute and off they went. They landed on a planet called Taberon. This planet was all desert. There was everywhere. The man knew this planet and told the animal of the stories his great-grandmother who was from Taberon. He knew enough to know there was only one village, so they began walking and walking and walking. Just when they thought they could go no further, they spotted the village just ahead. A woman came out to meet them. She looked just like the three-legged man with a mirror for a face. She took them to her mother and father where the whole party was invited to sit down at the table.
The animal explained why they were there and asked if anyone knew the way to his planet, Earth. The mother and father looked at each other and asked why anyone would want to go to such a planet with so many bad things. The animal replied that Earth was his home and that there were as many good things as there were bad things. You see, Taberon was between Earth and the planet of the three-legged man. The mother and father had seen things on Earth they could not understand from a distance, so they thought only the worst of the planet. The mother and father felt better about Earth after talking to the animal, but told him that no one had ever left their planet except for one woman long ago, but no one ever knew how she left.
The woman, the man and the animal left the home of the mother and father searching for a way to get to Earth. They walked for days. Finally, in the middle of the sand was a bush, and on the bush was a single rose. The woman picked the rose and held it up to the man. The reflection between the two in their mirrored faces created a portal of dust that shot a beam straight across to Earth. The animal looked up overjoyed. That was until they realized the portal could only carry one of them. If the man or woman tried to leave the portal would close.
They returned the flower and went back to the mother and father. They asked them for their help and the mother and father agreed to assist them in the journey. When they reached the flower again the mother and father held it this time. The reflection of the flower in the mirrors once again crated a portal connecting Earth with Taberon.
The animal went first then the man and after saying goodbye, the woman followed. When they all reached Earth the animal found he was unable to speak. No words came from his mouth, only sounds. He turned around and found the man and woman were frozen and unable to move. Their legs had become hard and their faces long. They had become what humans know as full length mirrors.
The bar was closing, so I had to end it more abruptly than I might have liked, but Roberto asked me if I invent it now. I told him that yes, I made it up as I told it. He called me a genius and Marta said I needed to teach lessons on story telling. I don’t think my story was that good, but I was happy with how it turned out even though I was a bit nervous at points. It is all about the energy you use to tell a story and how you draw images with your body language that make even an average story great. At least I think so.
Today was a beautiful day in more than just the weather. It has become very chilly like a mid to late November day, especially at night. A jacket is always a must.
I woke up to meet Paula in the square to go for coffee/tea. Roberto was with her when we met up. On the way to where we were taking our drinks, we ran into Demelsa. She decided to join us as well. That is what I love about Galway. It is a bigger city, but small enough that I am always running into people I know or have at least see before. I feel I would always have to be in constant communication with people if I lived in Dublin (which also has pros and cons). Like how I ran into Zach at the grocery store today. We had both gone to buy bread, without the other knowing. Thankfully, we ended up on the same isle and the same time, so I left to go pick up our bus tickets at the Citylink office.
We had our drinks in an old pub called Neachtain. It was a classic Irish style place with dim lighting and a cozy feeling. We sat in a corner booth primarily closed off to the rest of the place and talked about different things like understanding music. It is hard for someone to understand a song when English is not their first language. I admitted that often I do not understand a song until I look up the lyrics and read it like a story. Usually, the song itself is too drawn out and slow paced for me to grasp the meaning before I lose interest. I see the voice as another instrument of sound before I see it as a channel for expression.
After leaving the pub I walked with Demelsa to the Atlantic language school where they take English lessons. I had not been there before and I was curious. She took me upstairs to where they had a bulletin board for free classes from poetry readings to dance lessons. She signed up for a Bachata class and I told her she would need to teach me after she learned. While we were looking at the board Marta and Jordi showed up and said hello. Marta immediately took me to see the outdoor terrace overlooking the harbor she had only discovered the day before. It was pretty, but also a smoking haven. Supposedly, Atlantic was rated as one of the top places to learn English in Europe. They all told me I should try to find a way to teach there. Since I’m not certified, I doubted that I could, but I checked with the director anyway. Before I left, I went with them to the move room to check out three films: Just Married, PS I Love You and The Quiet Man. We are having a movie party at their apartment at half past 9 tomorrow evening for PS I Love You. I never saw that movie, but Monica hates it, so she said she would knit while we watched it.
I left the school for my 1pm library appointment to use the internet. I also checked out some French vocabulary and sentence structure books. I put my name on the waiting list for the French language CDs (a popular item) and ran off to meet Zach at the Galway City Museum at 2pm. I’ve been here a month and still haven’t visited the museum other than the time I introduced myself to Ellie (the museum café lady) who never called me back for a job.
The place was three stories tall and filled with information about the current cultural festivities as well as the claddaugh and enormous fishing industry that made Galway so prosperous long ago. I saw photographs of the parade floats/creatures that are made out of the same material Marta and Demi made their lanterns with.
Before starting on dinner, I went to the Gaf (youth café where I get internet) to ask about volunteering. I explained that Amnesty was no longer an option and asked if I could be of any help to them. Galway not only has a shortage of paying jobs, it has a shortage of nonpaying (volunteer) jobs as well. However, they were able to use me! I think part of it had to do with them already being familiar with who I was since I go in often for the internet. The coordinator lady was going to have me help with the café part, but when she found out I had journalistic experience, she passed me on to Tara. She is in charge of the different clubs within the organization. The Gaf is part of Foroige. It is an Irish organization dedicated to the development of youth. It was a bit odd since it hasn’t been that long since I considered myself to be a youth.
Tara specifically needed me to help with the film club. My role would be to attend a screening with youth about twice a month and then facilitate a discussion about the film with another volunteer leader after the movie. I would also help set up the snacks for the movie. I got really excited about discussions! They have always been my favorite part about classes, and I even had a class in Communication Studies that did the exact same thing. I was pumped, but sad it would only happen twice. She said if we got enough interest we could do as many as we liked. She was also searching for ideas. I mentioned the indie movies at the Town Hall Theater as a possible option. If the budget didn’t allow then maybe we could get the same film they are showing and have show it at the café. She seemed to really like that idea. We set a possible date for the week before Halloween and I mentioned the film should be a horror movie or some classic revolving around Halloween. We both got excited about that. Then she realized the date might conflict with the Halloween party, so we moved it back a day. I asked if I could help out with the Halloween party and she set up an appointment Thursday for me to meet the coordinator of that to offer ideas and planning expertise. I get events planning experience after all!
I walked back to the apartment and went downstairs to get Teresa to sign as a reference for some paperwork since I will be working with youth. The Guarda will also be doing a background check on me that takes 8 weeks! It is nothing serious, and I will actually be finished with my work at The Gaf before it is even complete. Teresa was happy to sign the paper and sad to hear that Amnesty had closed. She also informed me that it was bad off for everyone though and this is the worst her store has done in the whole 23 years she has been in business; she wouldn’t be able to afford to pay anyone as hired staff even if she wanted to, and thankfully she managed between her and her son. I was feeling in a giving spirit and told her if she ever needed me to help out at no cost that I would be glad to mind the shop if she nor her son could assuming I was available. She thanked me and we continued to talk for another 20 minutes. I also stopped to talk to a customer who came in for a bit. His name was Dan and he seemed like a nice fellow. He was telling me about France and his adventures to the Southwest of the US. He asked me for my number if I ever wanted grab a drink or have a tour of Galway. I found paper and was quick to get him to write his number and avoid giving him mine. After he left, Teresa asked if I had seen the wink. I had not, but she told me that when he came in he said hello to her, but winked at me. She said she thought to herself, “ah, he fancies this young lady”. I told her that’s why I was all too careful to get his number and not he mine. She said I had a smart head. It was getting late and the girls were coming over for dinner, so I told her goodbye and ran upstairs, but I felt like we really bonded today!
Kathleen and Erynn came over for dinner bringing mashed potatoes and dessert while Zach and I supplied the main course. I cooked burgers and topped them with brie cheese. I sautéed onions with garlic (seasoning, lemon juice and balsamic). We also had roasted vegetable couscous. Zach toasted some buns in the oven, but we both forgot about them until they were hard as bricks but not burnt. We didn’t have any more buns, so I told them loaf bread was another option. We all ate the hard buns though. The taste was good if you could chomp through the brick-like texture. I had my wine bottle and candle burning, but the thing refuses to drip! For dessert they had butterscotch pudding and dipping wafers. It was simple, but yummy. We sat around talking for awhile before they left. I enjoyed the conversation and was glad to see them since it had been so long.
I had gotten a call from Roberto, Victor and Monica during dinner, so I called them all back when Kathleen and Erynn left. Roberto, Marta, Demi, Paula, Jodi and Monica were going to a storytelling. It was 9:30 and it started at 10. I jumped in the shower really quick, got dressed, dried my hair and was across the river by 10!
The place was down an alley near where we took a political sign from the other day. I think it was someone’s home, but the place was packed with people. They had a man sing a song on guitar to start off the night. Then offered up the floor to anyone wanting to tell a story. The first man started with a story about a version of creation and how things came to be. The second man was actually my friend from the internet place next door. He had already said hello, but I was surprised to see him speak. His story was one of dragons, chickens, wizards and wisdom. It was probably my favorite, but I definitely laughed the most as the last story. The last performance was actually a puppet show. The man used mostly grunt and noised to tell his story with puppets who were actually his fingers. I was lost in the imagery because it was harder for me to picture the puppets as fingers than as characters. Jordi and Roberto were looking for a drink after the show, so we went to the Spanish Arch Hotel Bar, which is nicer than it sounds. We were positioned by the fireplace in a cozy little bar with Irish music played by a live group, but it wasn’t loud. There were no speakers, just the instruments. I put another log on the fire then found myself caught up in the desire to tell a story, so I made one up as I went. I was something like this:
Long ago there was a man with three legs. Instead of a face like mine or yours, he had a mirror where a head might be. He lived in a place neither you nor I have ever seen. It was a world unlike ours. There was no atmosphere and upon this planet were chutes that could send someone to another planet.
One day he was walking along and came across an animal he had never seen before. This animal could talk and he asked the man if he knew what chute would send him home. The man replied he did not, but suggested to slide down the closest chute and see where he landed. The animal asked the man if he would accompany him on his journey. The man thought a moment and finally decided why not, he would go with the animal.
They climbed into the chute and off they went. They landed on a planet called Taberon. This planet was all desert. There was everywhere. The man knew this planet and told the animal of the stories his great-grandmother who was from Taberon. He knew enough to know there was only one village, so they began walking and walking and walking. Just when they thought they could go no further, they spotted the village just ahead. A woman came out to meet them. She looked just like the three-legged man with a mirror for a face. She took them to her mother and father where the whole party was invited to sit down at the table.
The animal explained why they were there and asked if anyone knew the way to his planet, Earth. The mother and father looked at each other and asked why anyone would want to go to such a planet with so many bad things. The animal replied that Earth was his home and that there were as many good things as there were bad things. You see, Taberon was between Earth and the planet of the three-legged man. The mother and father had seen things on Earth they could not understand from a distance, so they thought only the worst of the planet. The mother and father felt better about Earth after talking to the animal, but told him that no one had ever left their planet except for one woman long ago, but no one ever knew how she left.
The woman, the man and the animal left the home of the mother and father searching for a way to get to Earth. They walked for days. Finally, in the middle of the sand was a bush, and on the bush was a single rose. The woman picked the rose and held it up to the man. The reflection between the two in their mirrored faces created a portal of dust that shot a beam straight across to Earth. The animal looked up overjoyed. That was until they realized the portal could only carry one of them. If the man or woman tried to leave the portal would close.
They returned the flower and went back to the mother and father. They asked them for their help and the mother and father agreed to assist them in the journey. When they reached the flower again the mother and father held it this time. The reflection of the flower in the mirrors once again crated a portal connecting Earth with Taberon.
The animal went first then the man and after saying goodbye, the woman followed. When they all reached Earth the animal found he was unable to speak. No words came from his mouth, only sounds. He turned around and found the man and woman were frozen and unable to move. Their legs had become hard and their faces long. They had become what humans know as full length mirrors.
The bar was closing, so I had to end it more abruptly than I might have liked, but Roberto asked me if I invent it now. I told him that yes, I made it up as I told it. He called me a genius and Marta said I needed to teach lessons on story telling. I don’t think my story was that good, but I was happy with how it turned out even though I was a bit nervous at points. It is all about the energy you use to tell a story and how you draw images with your body language that make even an average story great. At least I think so.
Character Development
Monday, October 5, 2009
I returned my movies today; thankfully, avoiding a late fee. I stopped by Ann-Marie’s bakery to see if I could observe and if she had anyone who might need a babysitter. Sadly, she is out for the rest of the week then I am gone for two weeks, so maybe it is for the best that I ask her when I get back at the end of the month.
I traveled across the river to a thrift store to find some plates for 60 cents. I purchased two to make a grand total of five in our cabinet. Since Erika is coming I thought we might need some more. I also spent over an hour on the internet at the Gaf trying to figure out how to get the October special of 1 Euro bus tickets on Citylink to a variety of destinations. I got very frustrated and finally went to the main office across town. They were unable to help me since the purchase had to be done online, but I was able to learn that once there was only a small selection of 1 Euro seats and once they ran out that was it. On the way back I found some Halloween lights in the 2 Euro store, but it turned out they wouldn’t reach from the single outlet in my room to the window where they could hang, so I exchanged them for an 8 pk. of tapered candles which I stuck in two wine bottles for what eventually should be drippy candles.
Zach made another version of Indian food. It was tasty and a little spicy, but just right for me. Chicken, peppers, rice, onion
Fruit flies have multiplied in the trash. It’s ridiculous. I’ve gotten pretty good at grabbing them out of thin air. It reminds me of Sarah’s house senior year of high school when we had to take our AP Biology project home for the holidays. I feel like we might have to get some fly killer.
Monica Zach and I planned on going to the 7pm showing of The Invention of Lying. The previews looked kind of funny, and I thought I’d give it a shot. Monica showed up at our apartment with Marta and Demelsa who she’d run into on the street. They were out selling felt broaches they had handcrafted with amazing perfection and detail. I am definitely going to support their craftsmanship.
Through out the night, I discovered they are both fine arts majors. Both girls can draw very very well (well I guess I should say women because Marta will be 29 in two weeks, but she doesn’t look a day over 25) Spanish women seem to always look younger than they really are. It’s crazy! Demelsa showed us pictures of her paintings later when we were back at their apartment. She is an amazing artist and has a very distinct style of her own in the paintings.
The movie was average. I wasn’t as impressed with it as I thought I might be. I felt bad for Demelsa especially, because it was hard for her to understand a lot of what was going on. Being British comedy, much was missed through lack of understanding in the dialogue.
After the movie the five of us went for tea and coffee at a little French bistro just around the corner from my apartment. I pass by it everyday, but I’d never taken the opportunity to go in....to be continued
Went to Jorge not Mannuel, oops, cant believe we thought that was his name the whole time.
Soup
Willow, silkpaper and glue
Citylink tickets
Demelsa said she might leave
I returned my movies today; thankfully, avoiding a late fee. I stopped by Ann-Marie’s bakery to see if I could observe and if she had anyone who might need a babysitter. Sadly, she is out for the rest of the week then I am gone for two weeks, so maybe it is for the best that I ask her when I get back at the end of the month.
I traveled across the river to a thrift store to find some plates for 60 cents. I purchased two to make a grand total of five in our cabinet. Since Erika is coming I thought we might need some more. I also spent over an hour on the internet at the Gaf trying to figure out how to get the October special of 1 Euro bus tickets on Citylink to a variety of destinations. I got very frustrated and finally went to the main office across town. They were unable to help me since the purchase had to be done online, but I was able to learn that once there was only a small selection of 1 Euro seats and once they ran out that was it. On the way back I found some Halloween lights in the 2 Euro store, but it turned out they wouldn’t reach from the single outlet in my room to the window where they could hang, so I exchanged them for an 8 pk. of tapered candles which I stuck in two wine bottles for what eventually should be drippy candles.
Zach made another version of Indian food. It was tasty and a little spicy, but just right for me. Chicken, peppers, rice, onion
Fruit flies have multiplied in the trash. It’s ridiculous. I’ve gotten pretty good at grabbing them out of thin air. It reminds me of Sarah’s house senior year of high school when we had to take our AP Biology project home for the holidays. I feel like we might have to get some fly killer.
Monica Zach and I planned on going to the 7pm showing of The Invention of Lying. The previews looked kind of funny, and I thought I’d give it a shot. Monica showed up at our apartment with Marta and Demelsa who she’d run into on the street. They were out selling felt broaches they had handcrafted with amazing perfection and detail. I am definitely going to support their craftsmanship.
Through out the night, I discovered they are both fine arts majors. Both girls can draw very very well (well I guess I should say women because Marta will be 29 in two weeks, but she doesn’t look a day over 25) Spanish women seem to always look younger than they really are. It’s crazy! Demelsa showed us pictures of her paintings later when we were back at their apartment. She is an amazing artist and has a very distinct style of her own in the paintings.
The movie was average. I wasn’t as impressed with it as I thought I might be. I felt bad for Demelsa especially, because it was hard for her to understand a lot of what was going on. Being British comedy, much was missed through lack of understanding in the dialogue.
After the movie the five of us went for tea and coffee at a little French bistro just around the corner from my apartment. I pass by it everyday, but I’d never taken the opportunity to go in....to be continued
Went to Jorge not Mannuel, oops, cant believe we thought that was his name the whole time.
Soup
Willow, silkpaper and glue
Citylink tickets
Demelsa said she might leave
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Another New Development
Sunday, October 04, 2009
I’ve been feeling a little tickle in my throat, so I chugged a glass of airborne last night during the movie. If it is mixed with orange juice, it’s not that bad. I’ve sucked down a few lozenges, and I decided to not set my alarm clock. I figured I’d have to wake up by 1pm. I was up a little before noon and decided that a run was not in my best interests today even if I’d had the time.
I read instead. Mrs. Loomis discussed the ease of American commercialism as opposed to the European variety where things are very difficult to secure. I couldn’t agree with her more. Though I love the more classic feel of things here, I would still like the superstore where I know I can find what I’m looking for without spending much (yes I’m talking about Wal-mart as much as I don’t want to admit it). I need a tall candle for the wine bottle. I’d rather not have to buy from the candle store where a single candle might cost me 3 Euro, but I’m not sure where else would have them.
Work was about the usual. John and I had a text conversation (which I hate, but seems to be the only way he does business). I told him we would take our break later and hopefully catch the crowd getting out of the pubs when the Arsenal match was over. He agreed and asked if we could not wear our jackets over the ER shirts (as long as we weren’t too cold or it was raining). I said I understood, but would it be possible to get ER windbreakers? He said that was a great idea and he would pick some up while he was in China over the next 3 weeks. John employs a lot of Chinese and he is also married to a lady who is Chinese. It was kind of odd till I found out his wife was Chinese then it made more sense why so many people who worked for him were Chinese. I was surprised he was so willing to provide windbreakers, but happy nonetheless.
While roaming the streets, the balloon man offered up balloons for free to people walking by. He was headed home and ready to get rid of what he had left. He handed me a monkey, but I asked for the spider instead. What self respecting girl would ask for a spider? One who wanted a Halloween decoration…I told you I was going through withdrawals. I held my prized possession as I walked down the street and made a quick detour to the apartment praying nothing would pop it till I got it back to my room. It is safely hung in the corner as my first Halloween decoration!
When we took out break John was still in the restaurant and asked us to work next Friday at the grand opening for TKMaxx. He asked Zach and me if we had those, so we said it was the same just called TJMaxx at home. He said “Oh, like a copy!” We kind of looked at each other and shook our heads thinking all the while about the irony since Eddie Rockets was itself a copy of an American brand. I had the club again, it’s just too good to stay away from and a half order of mash (mashed potatoes). They were greatly in need of some help, so I added salt, pepper, butter and some garlic sauce from the club to make a decent meal out of them.
Business today was very slow overall. People just didn’t want milkshakes or burgers. It’s good rejection therapy. I’m not only better at approaching complete strangers, I’m better at taking rejection - as long as they are cordial about it. When you get the jerks, I still have something to say about them.
I also thought today (triggered by what I saw) that even though I’ve jumped out of a plane and done some things others might consider dangerous, I would not be up for a motorcycle. While the idea of it appeals to me, the risk of injury does not. I feel getting on a motorbike might be more dangerous than most things. I do have my limits, and it would take a lot for me to feel comfortable with even riding on a motorcycle. If the conditions were right (being with a pro, going slow, nothing crazy, etc) I’d consider it. It is something I see as en enticing image, but just not worth the risk.
After work Zach and I grabbed serrated kitchen knives and concealed them up our sleeves for some sign removal (worth the risk!). The Lisbon treaty vote is over (don’t know the result) and many signs are already gone, but some are still left. So we were doing the city a service by helping to remove them. I needed some décor for my bedroom walls and this was just the thing. We staked out the ones we wanted and cut them down. We were discouraged at first because we couldn’t find any low enough to reach, but persistence proved otherwise and we soon had our booty of 3 signs. Although there was very little illegal about this act if anything we were still wary of getting caught. That might have made it a little more exciting. Does that make me a kleptomaniac?
I went over to Monica’s for a little bit. She had been baking again! We sat around and talked and watched the last half of Along Came A Spider while munching on chocolate chip cookies. She showed me her bounty from Amnesty’s clean out. That should keep her stocked for awhile. I checked my e-mail before I left to see if Erika had responded. She did. I have a roommate! I have mixed feelings about it. I’m very happy that rent will go down and excited about meeting a new person, especially from a country I know little about. She seemed to have a good command of English from the e-mail, but even so I don’t mind overcoming language barriers. I will be sad to lose the privacy of my own room and the shelf space, but it will also only be about a month that we share the room. We are also likely to have opposite working schedules. She should ar
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