In Dublin’s Fair City

After a 6am flight out of Reykjavik, I arrived in Dublin. Now, it’s fair to say that I have experience with passport control, and I’ve never had any problem entering countries (although sometimes I do get annoyed with their questions, especially when I’m returning to the U.S., but that’s another story). But this time, the (ultimately nice) agent was having none of my loose-y goose-y plans about studying music and working on my writing for three months. Although everything I have planned to do is within the bounds of a 90 day tourist visa, she wanted documentation: contracts from my school, proof of enrollment, bank statements, housing contracts, etc. I had none of these things. I’ve never needed these things to enter countries as a tourist before. Finally, she let me in (and she even wrote down my name for her own information because she said she wanted to read my writing. If you’re reading this, hi, thanks for letting me come in!), with the friendly warning that, “You can never count on anything.” Jeepers!

So, that was the first stress of arriving in Dublin. The second has been trying to find a place to stay. Unbeknownst to me when I decided to move here, Dublin is experiencing a huge housing bubble, with too few rooms for too many people. Prices are skyrocketing and most student and short term housing has 2-6 people in one room. I don’t want to share a room with other people for 400 euros a month, thanks. I decided to get creative and put a plea out to the facebook community and my Smith alumnae network, and everyone came through for me. I now have a place to stay, for half my time here, at least.

View from my hostel bed, through a dirty window

Dublin itself has been better than I remembered. It’s fun coming to a city that I’ve been to before, as I already have an understanding of the general layout and how things work. And although we’ve had some chilly weather, there’s been a lot of sun too, and, somehow, the weather is nicer than I remember it being when I was here last time, which was in July. Go figure.

I’ve revisited some of the tourists sites and made it to some museums that I skipped last time.

Now, when I was choosing a music school, I did it all from the U.S., using, of course, the internet. So, I essentially picked the school based on their course offerings and student reviews. It’s only since being here that I realize that I really picked a superb program. Not only are they very well-established and respected (despite being in a little hole-in-the-wall location), their music shop is the one featured in the movie ‘Once’! I had to go back and watch the movie this evening after visiting the store this afternoon, and everything looks the same! Too cool. If only 16 year old me standing around the piano with her friends learning the harmony to “Falling Slowly” had known this day would come, albeit completely accidentally.