19,000 Words Later

Well my first semester of grad school in Dublin is almost officially over and I realize that I have not been very good at keeping up with this blog! So this will serve as my semester in review post (I will try to keep it short)!

After spending all month and countless hours on the couch in front of the computer researching and writing four final papers, I am ready for a break! It seems odd that I should want to type anything after 19,000 words. But I actually enjoyed writing my papers. For my U.S. Foreign Policy since WWII class, I wrote about how the Bush administration wrongfully used humanitarian justifications for the invasions and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. For American and Globalization, I wrote about the ways in which globalization is represented in stock photography. I had to write a bibliographical essay in preparation for my masters thesis which will consider the influence of cultural or social knowledge on photojournalism. And, saving the best for last, for my Media and U.S. Foreign Policy paper I wrote about how zombie films represent the dehumanization of the enemy in foreign policy! I really enjoyed writing that one! I just have to turn in the papers tomorrow morning and I am officially done for the semester!

I made some great friends this semester. We had a movie night every Thursday which was always fun and had some great class excursions to the local pubs as well. We celebrated Halloween and a very interesting Thanksgiving together. We also began a wonderful tradition of meeting once a week for delicious home-cooked dinners (which was great for me since I can't cook)! We are planning a class trip to Northern Ireland in January where we will be staying in lighthouses on the coast; it will be beautiful!

Matt and I had a lot of great times in Dublin and really enjoyed our weekend trip to Galway in October where we bought our wedding rings! He left Ireland on October 29 and I will finally get to see him again when I return home in a few days!

Dublin recently survived an intense snow and ice storm; the city was completely unprepared. This storm was nothing compared to what Pittsburgh would normally get, but Ireland is not used to that kind of winter weather. People didn't know what to do! The snow and ice has all melted by this point but I will be returning to the Pittsburgh winter in a few days so there is no escape for me.

Along with all of my paper writing, I am in the midst of planning a wedding. No matter how small or simple one wants a wedding to be, it will never turn out that way! Although I think most of the planning is complete at this point. The wedding is January 6 and Matt and I are very much looking forward to it!

All in all, my first semester of grad school was a success! Well, at least it seems to be; we do not receive our grades until the beginning of next semester so maybe I should not speculate yet! Nonetheless, it was good craic :)

Ten Things

Now that my first semester of school in Dublin is winding down and I have less than a month before going home for Christmas, I want to revisit a list I made before coming to Ireland. Before coming here, I made a list of 10 things I would miss about Pittsburgh and 10 things I would not miss about Pittsburgh. Let's see if my lists are holding true...

Ten things I will miss about Pittsburgh (in no particular order):

1. the West End Overlook (oh how I miss the Pittsburgh skyline!)
2. the Pittsburgh Penguins (that's just a given)
3. my friends (of course!)
4. Oakland's restaurants (the prices and the selection)
5. Kennywood (sure missed Phantom Fright Nights)
6. Sheetz (oh those late night Sheetz runs...)
7. my family (of course!)
8. my pets (almost more than my friends and family haha!)
9. volunteering (I'm going to have to add 'working' here too)
10. Yuengling (Guinness is good, but it's no Yuengling)

Ten things I will not miss about Pittsburgh (again, in no particular order):

1. lack of public transportation (how true it is! and bless Dublin's bus system!)
2. Oakland housing (I don't miss the quality but I sure miss the monthly rent!)
3. soccer moms (they're here too)
4. SUVs (those are also here but there are not nearly as many, nor are they as gigantic)
5. winter (it did snow in Dublin last night but one inch is hardly a winter)
6. hipsters (they are few and far between here)
7. the Steelers (sorry, I'm just not a football fan)
8. fast food (it is different here, but it's still not very good)
9. rude people (in general, people seem to be more friendly here)
10. laundromats (I finally have my own washer/dryer!)

So, I think my lists have held up over these few months. Although, I will have to add 'cost of living' and 'business hours' to the list of things I miss about Pittsburgh. And, if my lists were in any order, those would probably be numbers 1 and 2!

Photos!

I finally uploaded my photos of Ireland to flickr! View them at http://www.flickr.com/photos/jessburger/

Back to School!

Sometimes I think I am the only person in the world who enjoys school this much! Maybe I just really enjoy learning about my interests and expanding my knowledge and school is an easy way to do just that.

I finished my second week of classes this past Thursday. Of course the first week was syllabus week so this past week was really the first presentation of material. I love that the program I am enrolled in is part of the Institute for American Studies; studying media and US foreign policy as an American in Ireland will be extremely enlightening and rewarding.

The program is small and there is a wonderful mix of students from all over the world and from many different backgrounds. I am beginning to get to know the students and professors inside and outside of the classroom. We had a great night out at The Porter House in Temple Bar Wednesday night after a three hour Post-Globalization symposium at the Institute.

I am looking forward to continuing my classes and getting involved with the Institute and everything it has to offer. I am also looking forward to spending over a year in a city that I am quickly falling in love with.
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A Grand Scam

August 31, 2010 was my first day in Dublin...and it was awful.

My "landlord" had arranged an airport pick up for me and Matt after our arrival. After waiting at the airport for 45 minutes with no one to pick us up, we took a taxi to Belmont Avenue where our new apartment awaited us. Our address was to be 45 Belmont Avenue, our landlord's was 20 Belmont, which didn't exist. How wonderful!

Our apartment, number 45, did exist but was already occupied and was not owned by our "landlord." I tried to contact "Michael Disney" and his "daughter, Dominique Eloi of 344 W. 81st St., Los Angeles, CA, 90003." I got no response of course.

With few options, I tried to book a room at the B&B on the corner which had no rooms available. But here is where the kindness and hospitality of the Irish come into play. The owner of the B&B took us up the street to number 26 where he thought we might be able to rent from someone he knew. It turned out that Mary had a one bedroom apartment available that day. And of course we took it since it was quite obvious that we had been royally screwed over by "Michael Disney."

The owner of the B&B, a complete stranger, took the time to help us when he didn't have to and our new landlady, Mary, also took the time to make us coffee, talk with us, take us to the bank and show us around the area. Now, I am not a religious or spiritual person but I do believe in the concept of karma. "Michael Disney and Dominique Eloi" will get what's coming to them, whether it's from Matt and I reporting the fraud or from one of the many other people they screw over. The B&B owner (who did tell me his name but I was worrying about far too much at that moment to remember it) and Mary will be rewarded for their acts of help and kindness.

And here is the moral of the story: all of those warnings about fraud on the internet are true- believe them! I thought I was taking all of the necessary precautions when arranging an apartment online but I was still deceived. I had a signed lease agreement, photos of the apartment, contact info, names, addresses, bank numbers. "Michael" even gave me detailed answers to my questions about the apartment and the neighborhood so he must know the area well. I have reported the fraud but I really don't know if I will get any of my money back. It is a heart sinking, terrible feeling to know you have been deceived and cheated and of course, to lose a fair amount of money.

It has been about two weeks since our arrival and we are all settled into our new apartment. But, with losing all that money and having to pay rent for our new place, we don't have much extra money to spend. Unfortunately, we have not been able to see all the things we wanted to see and do all the things to do in Dublin. It's been scary and stressful but we have a nice place to live, food, each other and...Guinness.

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Almost Forgot

Matt and I have been in Dublin for about two weeks now, and it has been about four weeks since my last post. So, where to begin?

The last two weeks in Pittsburgh were more than hectic, even with not working. I worked my butt off to finish editing a wedding I photographed in early August and get the images to the couple before leaving. The rest of my time was spent packing, organizing and getting everything in order to leave.

We also had three going away parties in that time, the last of which was the day before we left at North Park. I am so appreciative of all my friends and family who came to the party and gave Matt and I unending support. Having a support network like ours makes this adventure so much easier. I can't even begin to express my gratitude to my family, Matt's family and all our friends. Thank you so much!

After partying and saying our final goodbyes on the 29th, I attempted to sleep that night. That didn't quite work out. I think I managed to get about four hours of sleep.

Monday, August 30 was a crazy, stressful blur, as was the 31st.

As much as I love to travel, I absolutely despise the act of traveling. I hate airports, plane rides, lines, security, more lines, customs, immigration, taxis, all of it. Luckily our trip went smoothly and we arrived safe on the 31st. After our safe arrival is when things began to go downhill. This story is one for another entry though.
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Fifteen Days to Go!

I have been living in Evans City for two weeks now and in that time I have photographed a wedding, gone to a funeral (RIP Grandma Flinner), had my last day at one of my two jobs, worked 30 hours a week at my other job, and have unpacked and reorganized and repacked all of my possessions about ten times. I just do not know where the time goes. The move to Dublin is approaching with lightning speed and I feel like I'm moving at a snail's pace.

I knew I should have taken more time off of work before the move! It seems that the preparations are endless. Not only do I have to get everything ready for the move, I have to be sure that I have things in order for school and, of course, help plan and organize the going away party.

My last day at my cleaning job was this past Tuesday and I am so glad to be done with it! I got the job simply to help pay for the move. It bought me my plane ticket and deposit on my apartment and not much else. I have one more 40 hour week at Arby's and then one week off before we leave.

I remember in May when everyone was telling me and Matt how quickly the summer would go by and how soon we would be leaving. It seemed so far off in May, but looking back over the summer, I'm not sure where the time went.

Summer has always been my favorite season, not just for the weather but summer was always when I was able to spend the most time with my friends. I regret not being able to spend more time with them this summer. Working two jobs and preparing for the move took up the whole summer. I want to spend my last week with as many of my friends as I possibly can.

I get more excited and nervous every day. I have my tentative class schedule for school but I can't actually register for classes until I am there. It looks like my first semester of graduate school will consist of Research Skills and Methods, Media and US Foreign Policy, US Foreign Policy since World War II and (hopefully) International Politics in the Middle East. I am very interested to study US foreign policy as an American studying in Europe. It seems my first semester will be mostly theory and my second semester will consist of much more writing and photographing. I am just so happy at the thought of being back in school!

I am also getting very excited about learning about Irish culture and politics. Of course, I am reading as much as I can about it now. But with everything I sill have going on these last two weeks, the majority of my learning will be when I get there and am immersed in it!

I did watch an Irish film the other day called "Dead Bodies." It was recommended in one of my guide books and it's on netflix. I was actually really impressed with the film! It had a very different feel about it from American movies of the same sort. Throughout the beginning and middle I thought the film was quite odd and just could not see an acceptable ending for it. Yet, at the end, I was surprised and very pleased with the movie overall.

I love foreign films and am quite interested in seeing more Irish films. I am also interested in documentaries about Irish politics. If anyone has any recommendations, please let me know!

Fifteen days to go!

Slainte!

Moving Day (from Oakland to Evans City)

Right now Matt and I are in the middle of moving out of our less than comfortable Oakland apartment. We are moving into my mom's house in Evans City for a month before we leave. I have not lived at home since I was 18 so this should be an interesting experiment.

Yesterday was wonderfully stressful for us. My poor little Honda Civic quit on us when taking a load of boxes from our old apartment to my brothers new apartment, leaving us carless in the middle of moving. I just wanted the Civic to last until we left for Ireland :( Car troubles aside, we were able to move most of our boxes into my mom's place with the help of my parents.

Also yesterday, I had my last tutoring session with my Japanese student Yoko. I had been tutoring English as a Second Language for the last seven months in Oakland as a volunteer with the Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council. I am very much going to miss meeting with Yoko and being a tutor. It was such a rewarding experience and I was so glad to be able to help someone learn.

I also had to give my cat away yesterday. He just went to Matt's family, so I know he is in good hands and I will be able to see him often before we leave. BAMF was the best cat and I am going to miss him so much! I am glad to have him go to Matt's family though.

Matt's dad is coming to Oakand tonight to help us move the rest of our things and I will never have to live in Oakland again. It's an odd thought. I have lived in Oakland for four years but I am very ready to move on. And of course, it means we have just one month left before we board the plane to Dublin!!

A Million Thanks

I just want to say thank you to everyone who is following me and supporting me in my move. So many of you have given me great advice and support. It really means so much to me to know I have great friends who will continue to stick with me. Thank you everyone for your feedback about this blog, about the move and everything else!

New apartment

I have just put a deposit on an apartment in Dublin. It is within walking distance to UCD and right along a bus route into the city center. It's fairly difficult to chose a place to live when you can't look at the place in person beforehand! But, the apartment looks absolutely gorgeous from the photos and it's fully furnished. I am so excited to have something arranged! Matt and I have a hostel booked for our first night in Dublin but I can't wait to move in to my new home!

On the Rocky Road...

I suppose I have been "on the rocky road to Dublin" since I first learned of my acceptance to University College Dublin to earn a Master of Arts in Media and International Conflict. I leave Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (which has been my home for 24 years) on August 30, 2010. I will arrive in Dublin on August 31 with my boyfriend, Matt, some luggage and all my hopes and dreams for a continuing education.

I have done my fair share of traveling, but I have never called anywhere except Pittsburgh home. I am far beyond excited and more nervous than I thought I would be. In addition to simply being exited about the move, I am overjoyed to be enrolled in school again. I graduated from Point Park University in Pittsburgh in December 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts in Photojournalism. Call me a nerd, but I have dearly missed school since graduating.

I knew I wanted to continue my education outside of the United States so I applied to many schools in Europe. I chose University College Dublin because ... they accepted me. OK, so I was accepted to University of Helsinki as well but I was already making arrangements for Ireland. In reality, the MA in Media and International Conflict offered at UCD seemed like the perfect program for me. I couldn't be happier with my choice and I am looking forward to the course work.

So, I am beginning this blog to share my excitement, my experiences and my labors throughout this journey. Maybe I can inspire others to study overseas or help students who may encounter similar problems or have the same questions I did (and still do) about school or moving to another country.

I am open to any questions anyone may have about my experiences and I am very much open to advice, suggestions, stories, anything and everything about Dublin, Ireland, graduate school, etc.