Irish Times with Zenon

Just a quick post to update you about my life here in Dublin. I, unfortunately, don't have any pictures in this post because I haven't had the chance to upload them onto a computer yet. Zen got to Dublin on Thursday morning, and it's been so splendid having him here! We've hardly spent any time in Dublin so far, so we still have a lot of sightseeing to do around this area. We went out with some of my friends on Thursday night - I think Zen was quite jet lagged but he was a trooper and danced with us anyways! On Friday we took the train up to Belfast and were there for a couple of days. I'll explain more of what we did later; in a nutshell, we did a day long tour of the Northern Coast (highlight being the Giant's Causeway) and on Sunday we did a Black Taxi Tour, which taught us all about the history of Belfast's "troubles" over the past 40 years. Our tour guide was a taxi driver who lived through the troubles (he told us he's has a gun held to his head on five separate occasions). The city itself wasn't very pleasant (although Zen liked it) but the history is rich and they still have a lot of work to do until the city can be peaceful again.

Today Zen and I went to the Merrion for some tea and scones, which I think he liked! My favourite part about that was being able to use the guest washrooms, which I had never seen the inside of before! They were so fancy!!! I guess that's to be expected, but when you use the drab staff bathrooms, it's quite the contrast.

On that note, hope you have a wonderful evening. We're off to Fitzgerald's Pub to meet with the usual USIT Monday night crowd.

Love,

Jenna and Zen :)

New apartment

Hola! I have successfully moved into my new apartment, and I love living downtown! My roommate's gone for the next few weeks, so I have the room to myself with is A-okay with me. My space is pretty small, but I don't really mind that much - it just means that I have to be more organized! The best part is the living room/dining room because it's really bright and open and we have really nice couches. Here are some photos (taken on my phone - sorry for the low quality but I was too lazy to charge my camera) to give you some idea of what it's like:

My bed and things - small but good enough for me!

The rest of my room. This is Maria's bed and our shared closet and chest of drawers.

Dining room area

Living room area with big balcony

Kitchen 

Living room/dining room/kitchen

I met with Ana (the girl who I'm replacing) yesterday and she helped me move everything in. I was unpacked within an hour - a record for me (I normally take at least 3 weeks to unpack suitcases after a vacation). I felt a little strange unpacking while she was there, because if I was her I would feel weird about someone moving into the room that was mine for the past 3 years.  She was really helpful and nice though, and showed me around, how to work the washer/dryer, how the bills work, etc. We got along really well, so it's a shame that she was the one moving! I haven't seen too much of my flatmates otherwise. As I said, Maria is backpacking for 3 weeks so I won't meet her for a while; Priscilla works 2 jobs and attends classes so she's apparently never around; and Evelyn goes to school as well so she's gone for most of the day. 

Today I went for a run because I wasn't afraid I would get stabbed if I left my apartment (like I was on Cork Street haha). No one's dangerous here - there's only harmless tourists who are constantly taking pictures with the statue outside of the gates. I love living here so far! Come visit, and you will see how awesome it is!

Much love xoxox

Moving!

I MOVE TOMORROW WOOHOO!!! I am almost all packed (aka I still have a lot to do) but I think I'll work best when there's pressure applied (meaning an hour before I have to leave).  I have two suitcases full so far, and I expect all three of my suitcases to be unbearably heavy...at least my new apartment has an elevator! I'm moving at 1PM tomorrow, and I'll definitely be posting pictures of my new place once I get there. My roommate is backpacking for the next 3 weeks (or so I've heard) so it'll be a few weeks before I actually meet her. At least I'll be able to get settled in without disturbing her.  

Other than that, I still have my exam on Friday to study for. And Zen gets here in just over 2 weeks!! What a great month :') 

Busy Week Ahead

August has been a great month for me so far...and it's only just started! I've been working non-stop, but it has made the days go by quicker.  I have a lot of things on my mind for the upcoming couple of weeks: 

1. I am moving in 4 days! I'm really excited to move to my new apartment, which is in a better location and I hope will have roommates I can relate to more. It'll be strange sharing a room with someone again (like first year university) but I know it's only temporary and I think (hope desperately) that she and I will get along fine.

2. I am writing an exam for my online course next Friday...and I have A LOT of studying to do! The problem is when will I have time to do it?

3. Zen is coming to visit at the end of the month! I'm most excited about this news!!! He gets here August 23rd (in 19 days!!) and I'm already planning how we're going to spend our time. I think we will tour around Ireland a bit, but spend a majority of our time in Dublin. I have a lot of people I want him to meet and a lot of things I want him to see :)

A lot on my plate, it seems (as well as working 7 days in a row...)! Once this week is over I'll be relieved and I hope I get the chance to relax...something tells me that that might not be the way it goes, though!