Life in Dublin

It's been almost a month since I arrived to Dublin. Pretty crazy, huh? And, I would've written another blog post sooner, but I was genuinely taking the time to revel in every old street corner and every warm, smiling face that passed me by on the city streets of this lovely place.

Before I took the trip to Dublin, I had fallen into an sea of preconceptions about what Ireland would be like, which, wasn't a bad thing! It was just the sort of thing where you only know the stereotypes of a place, and all I knew before arriving was that. Ireland was little leprachauns, patches of shamrocks, and the ever-present need to wear green. All that, paired with the playlist of touristy travel videos I compiled on YouTube... That was Dublin. I didn't know what to expect.

But I'm so glad I do now.

In brief, I'm loving it here. But, it would be a sin if I didn't tell you all the reasons why I feel like this new city is my newest home. I've done a lot of exploring and have fallen in love with all there is around me. I love walking in the cool, gentle breeze to class every morning. I love visiting a new pub with friends and taking in every laugh we can get. I love getting into a taxi and always hearing the pride in the taxi driver's voice. My taxi conversations so far have consisted of the charming sentiments of the driver having lived in Dublin "all thur' life... nothin' to it" and singing for one taxi driver, who ended up giving me a cheaper faire because of it. He said for me to "consider it my first job". That was definitely a sweet moment I will never forget.

I've already pin pointed my favorite old buildings and sights throughout my days here, walking to the IES Abroad Center for class. I always seem to imagine the mysterious histories these beautiful places been through before I arrived to see them. Dublin is just teeming with history and stories to be told. There's this one building called The Grand Canal House nearby the IES Abroad Center. A beautifully delapidated fortress, it stands tall and elegant, donning ancient, baby blue paint that chips off the outside like snowflakes. It always reminds me of a Wes Anderson movie; something right out of The Grand Budapest Hotel. And, how could I forget to mention the Grand Canal, itself? It is home to a family of swans who nestle by the muddy banks and willow trees that guard the waves with their delicate branches.

The sights and sounds of the city have caught my eye so many times, but the food has definitely made my stomach very happy. My favorite place to eat so far is The Bernard Shaw in Rathmines, which serves the best panini's I have ever tasted. This Italian/Russian lady named Lola always serves up a hearty "Ciao!" when my friends and I enter the building, and then serves up the most comforting bowl of soup; the type of soup made for cold, wet days. I've probably been here 6 times already. I just can't resist! My favorite bakery has been The Orange Tree Bakery, just a block or two from The Bernard Shaw. A delightful man named John runs the place and serves up dainty, delicious confectionaries that always make your mouth water.  

Life in my acting program has been absolutely wonderful so far. Though we aren't in the actual Gaiety School yet, we have been attending classes at the IES Abroad Dublin center for Acting (with Donal Courtney) and even an Irish Theatre History course with a woman by the name of Sara. Both classes have been fantastic. Sara's class taught us so much about Irish Theatre, through Dublin Fringe show trips and lectures. I love how connected theatre is in Ireland. The government even funds The Abbey Theatre's productions, something America should really follow suit in, in my opinion.

More personally, Donal's class has already given me the acting opportunities to grow and discover myself in my work; something I've really never had fully before, since I have been playing pretty much solely eccentric roles for so long. I'm glad I finally have a change of pace, and a week of classes really made me confident that I was capable of so much more than I've been doing.

On my free time, I've gone with my friends to a variety of amazing events and places. My friend Reilly and I always end up making impromptu trips to Henry Street. We never really know why we end up there, but it could be because of the fashion and makeup stores that line the streets up and down for about a mile. I don't know. Maybe that's it (that's definitely why). I also went to a movie with my friend Evan at The Lighthouse Cinema. We saw the movie It. It was my first time seeing a horror film in theatres, and it was so much fun. The quality and design of the theatre was really chic and slick (almost Stanley Kubrick-esque in color scheme) and we ended up falling into fits of hysterics because of the odd commericals before the film. They were more about medicines, banks, and financial matters, rather than trailers for others movies.

There's something about Dublin that connects me back to my Irish roots. There's something here that makes me feel at home; something in the air that makes me feel like I've been here before, to be quite honest. Ireland runs through my veins anyway, but being here makes me proud to be here and to have a bit of that heritage within me. I'm so glad I can learn about what I love in a place I love.