Time To Go Home

It's hard to believe it is soon time to start the journey home. It seems like a very long time that I have been here, yet the time has gone quickly. I have really enjoyed Dublin, even though there is so much more to the city that I never got to see. (Check Annie's blog for accounts of all she saw and did that I did not!) Working every day is a drag! The students left PA on October 25th (the same day I went to Phila for the World Series game!), so they have been here for a long time. I think they are ready to go home, ready to graduate, and ready to get on with their lives. They may never return to Ireland. I however, if all goes as planned, will be back. That is a bit comforting, as I have really enjoyed my time in Ireland.

We spent our last day packing and shopping, and packing some more. I have no idea how I fit everything in our suitcases. I must modestly admit that I have been blessed with great spacial and analytical skills (I kicked it on the GRE's, not so much with the math section), so I'm good at making things fit. Today was a real challenge, but we are all packed and ready to go. All that is left is a few hours of sleep and our early pick up. John Nolen will be here by 4:45am to pick us up, and then we will meet the students at Delaney's at 5:30. Our flight is at 9am and will be 7:43 minutes in duration, although due to the time difference (5 hours) we arrive at Newark at 11:30am. We connect at 1:30 for the final leg to Pittsburgh. Hopefully all will go well and by this time tomorrow I will have driven my CRV with heated seat, had a fountain Pepsi from Sheetz, checked email on my Blackberry, watches ESPN from my lazy boy, and fallen asleep to Dave Letterman in my own bed, with clean sheets. That will be nice...

Today Was a Good Day

Yesterday in Kilkenny was a pretty bad day, but today made up for it because it was a very good day! First, I got to sleep in. That is something I am very good at but haven't had the chance to do since arriving in Ireland. This AM I slept, and it was good! After a lazy morning we decided to head out and contribute to the Irish economy.

I'm not a big shopper. I don't particularly like shopping and am not very decisive in the buying process. When I realized that I would be leaving Ireland in two days, and I had made practically no purchases and Christmas is just a few weeks away, well I got into the shopping mood real fast. Time is ticking away. Last year I think I did all of my Christmas shopping online, and at the last minute. Bah humbug. This year would be different. So...Annie and I made our lists, checked them twice, grabbed our shopping bags and hit the pavement. Our goal was to cross off everyone on our list, and still manage to fit it all in our suitcases (still to be determined). We headed to Nassau Street, had lunch at Kilkenny's (the store not the town we went to yesterday), then to Trinity College bookstore, then back to Nassau, then to Grafton Street, then to George's Street then to a few other streets and finally ended with dinner at a great Japanese restaurant. After dinner we went across the street to Dunn's to buy some snacks for later in the evening and for our fight home on Tuesday. We spent way too many euros, and bought so much stuff I'm not sure how we are getting all of these things home, but I feel great with the gifts we found for friends and family and am very glad we had a day to just shop and walk leisurely around the city. It was a very good day, indeed.

NOTE: The picture to the right was taken on Grafton Steet. (If you click on it you can increase the size for better viewing.) It is a group of senior citizens singing Christmas carols to raise money for the elderly. When they put a very eldery nun with the collection container you just had to donate.

FYI: According to the pedometer, we ended up with a grand total of 12358 steps. We definitely pounded the pavement today.

Bad TV

So...it is 10:40pm and I am watching an episode of Desperate Housewives. It's the same episode I watched last week. Yes, they are showing the same episode two weeks in a row. When I first arrived I watched an episode that had aired in the states weeks before. Irish TV is really bad. Most nights I watch a couple of reruns of King of Queens and Two and a Half Men (both run 2 or 3 episodes back to back) and then go searching for something else. There are 20 some channels that come in, but there are not 20 different shows. There are about 6. They just run on 4 or 5 channels at the same time. One is the BBC news from England, and two are RTE TV (Ireland). The rest are a mix of American and English TV. They run way too many episodes of the Simpsons, Scrubs and Friends, to the point that it is influencing the children that our student teachers are teaching. They have commented on it a few times. They show the dark violent days of English and Irish history, like "The Devil's Whore" airing nightly (same episode!). I don't have much time to watch TV here in Ireland, but I do like to have it on in the evenings when I am in the flat. Those who know me well know that I am a bit of a TV junkie. I am missing my 47 inch HD LCD TV, and my TiVo. Currently I am following the Cowboys-Steelers game on my laptop, but reading text describing each play isn't the same as watching the picture on the big screen. I really miss Sunday afternoon football. I had to watch the Eagles beat the hated Giants via text on my laptop earlier this evening. At least they won!

Desperate Housewives is over...I wonder what wonderful show will come on next? Bulletproof Monk. I kid you not.

Saturday: Trip to Kilkenny

This weekend is our last in Ireland. Since there was no trip planned for the group, Annie and I decided to take a bus to Kilkenny. We got up early, the ride took longer than anticipated (2 1/2 hours each way), the weather was blustery cold, the castle was less than anticipated, the Black Abbey was having Mass, the Cathedral was closed, and the shopping was a nightmare. So...instead of elaborating further on the days events, I'll just let you know that we left on an earlier bus than we had originally planned and got back to Dublin by 7:30. As we walked back from the bus station we attempted to grab dinner. Problem is, Saturday in Dublin is a big night out, apparently. Without a reservation we could not get in to any of the 6-7 places we tried. We were both very tired (step count of 16288) and hungry so we just went home and raided the fridge. We had soup, and bread. (Our fridge is pretty bare.) It wasn't the best day spent in Ireland, but it was still an adventure and those are always good.

Pedometer and Step Counts

Perhaps lost in my complaints about the weather is the amount of walking I am doing on a daily basis. Having heard that I needed to bring good walking shoes, I also threw in a pedometer to document the walking to be done. That pedometer died the first day I wore it. So...I asked Annie to bring another when she arrived a week later, and I have been wearing it ever since. I wish I had a step count for the first week, because we hoofed it all over Dublin those first few days, and by midweek I was walking 45 minutes back from Croke Park after the Ireland vs Poland football game. I walked a lot that first week and a half. (For the record, it is recommended that a person walks 10000 steps daily.) In case you are interested, here are my step counts for the last 12 days:

November 25: 4814 (This was from 5pm on. I just got my pedometer this day.)
November 26: 8706 (Only had one school to observe on this day.)
November 27: 7693 (Four day Thanksgiving trip - on the bus most of the days)
November 28: 6974 (On bus most of the day)
November 29: 10026 (On bus plus Galway)
November 30: 9422 (On bus plus Dublin in PM)
December 1: 12630 (Observed two schools, walking between them.)
December 2: 12520 (Observed two schools.)
December 3: 5739 (Observed two schools and crashed for the rest of the day.)
December 4: 8997 (Observed two schools, walking between them.)
December 5: 13045 (Observed one school, did some sightseeing, walked to fareware dinner.)
December 6: 16288 (Took bus to Kilkenny and saw the sights. Long walk to bus station.)

As you can see, I'm pounding the pavement. Some days more than others. I know it's good for me, but I must admit I miss my CRV!

Last Observation!

It's hard to believe that today is the last day that our student teachers will be in the schools. There is no school on Monday and we head back to the states on Tuesday. I had one more school and two more student teachers to get to this week. For those counting, that makes nine schools and 19 student teachers for the week (and 13 buses). So my day started with catching bus 49 not far from the flat. I waited about ten minutes for the bus, rode it about 45 minutes and then another 10-15 minute walk to Scoil Carmel. I got there around 9am, with my observation scheduled for 9:20. Just enough time for tea!

I observed a language arts lesson with the senior infants (kindergarten, age 5-6). This was my third visit to this classroom so I was pretty comfortable on my little chair watching Chico, Tara and Sophia (the students nearest to me) work on their beginning words sounds with assistance from the student teacher. After this class went to PE, I went upstairs to observe a second class. I caught the tail end of their Irish lesson (yes, Irish is taught in all the primary schools) and then the student teacher taught a math lesson on symmetry. It was a good lesson and the students were all actively engaged in the activity. I have enjoyed supervising a variety of subjects this fall, instead of just health and physical education. It's been a great experience and one that I will repeat again next fall, as I will be leading a new group of students to Ireland.




After I returned from Scoil Carmel, Annie and I hit a local pub for a late lunch and then decided to visit Dublinia, which is right across the street at Christ Church Cathedral. I defer to her blog for all of the details. Check it out once she updates it. (No pressure there.) It was a great interactive visit through history with the Medieval time period and the earlier Vikings and their impact on Ireland. When we left we tried to walk to the old jail, but realized that our map is very disproportionate as we walked a good 20 minutes and then stopped and asked how much further (according to the map, we should have been there by then). When the answer was a good 30 minutes, we made the decision to head back to the flat. We have plans this evening and decided we didn't have the time (or energy) to go that far so late in the afternoon.



We will be leaving soon for a farewell dinner at the Arlington Hotel. It is located on the other side of the liffey (river) and about a 15 minute walk from here. John, our tour guide, arranges an evening of great food and music as our farewell to Ireland. We still have the weekend but everyone is on their own. Three students are going to London and a few others pondered Rome and another Scotland. I think funds are dwindling and most will be staying in Dublin for the last few days. Monday will be spent packing and Tuesday we head home, bright and early. We meet at Delaney's Pub at 5am for John to take us all to the airport for our 9am flight. It has gone fast.

Four More Observations

Today I visited Colmcilles Secondary and Primary Schools. I took the 15 bus to the secondary school first. I got there almost an hour early. I was thinking I could have slept in longer, but you can never tell with the buses, so it's best to be early. My student teacher was on the computer in the staff room when I arrived and so he logged me on so I could check email and do some online grading for a class that ended before I got here (better late than never). Then I went to watch him teach an English class to 12-13 year olds on advertising. After his class ended it was break time (tea) for the entire school, so I had ten minutes to catch up with my other secondary student teacher. After tea I observed her teach a lesson on Christianity in Ireland. She was a tad nervous teaching about St. Patrick to a bunch of 12-13 year old Irish students. When she told them that it was just legend (and not fact) that St. Patrick wore green, rid the country of snakes or used shamrocks I thought they were going to run her out of class (or the country). They would hear none of that drivel. She had to let them know that noted historians made those conclusions and they promptly told her that the historians must have been wrong. Everyone knows St. Patrick wore green, rid the country of snakes and used shamrocks.

I had an hour to make the ten minute walk to Colmcilles Primary School. Since it was noon, I decided to stop at the SuperQuin (grocery store) to see if I could grab something quick for lunch. I never actually get to eat lunch when I am out observing. There is either no time between schools, or no opportunity based on being way out in the 'burbs. Today I had time and opportunity, so I opted for the soup to warm me up. After I finished I wandered the store and wished we had a SuperQuin in Grove City. The salad bar had no less than 26 different salad options. And the pastries...

At the primary school I got to observe two PE classes. There is some comfort walking into a PE environment. The first lesson was a dance lesson to second graders. They did a great job and really enjoyed creating their own four person dance. I got a few on video. Very cute. The other student teacher was teaching a lesson using stations with a Christmas theme. It was very creative and the first graders really seemed to like the variety of activities. They were all active and busy and having a good time.

After leaving Colmcilles I walked about ten minutes to the nearest bus stop. My colleague had told me last week that you get on the bus on the other side of the street from which you got off. Makes sense. So...I waited by a yellow pole with a bus symbol at the top. No shelter, no bus schedule, just a random pole. Across the street there was a shelter and a schedule and even a bench. And about six people. As I stood alone I wondered if I was at the right spot. More people would be heading into the city, not further out in the burbs. Hm.... I pondered the situation. Ten minutes, fifteen, twenty...no buses in either direction. Finally a woman walked by on my side of the street. I asked her if I was at the right spot to head back into the city and she said, "Oh my no, love. This will take you into the mountains. You need to be across the street." I said something like, "Good to know. Thanks," and jaywalked across the street, maintaining absolutely no eye contact with the six individuals who were standing across the street from me this entire time. So...thirty minutes, forty minutes and still no bus. I was to meet Annie at Kilkenny's for tea at 3 and it is now 2:45. As the number of riders increased, and the school children walked past on their way home from school, one young man made a call and found out that the bus would be arriving in about 10 minutes. Apparently there was an accident and the bus had to take a huge detour. I waited about 50 minutes for the bus 15 this afternoon. In the bitter cold and wind. I was cursing the weather and all of Ireland at that time. The 45 minute ride back to city center seemed to take forever. So... I was almost an hour late for meeting Annie and had no way of contacting her. She was enjoying tea, and a scone, but starting to worry. Since she was exhausted from a full day of touring (check out her blog for updates!) and I was still chilled to the bone with frozen feet, we opted for a quick meal and then headed home for the evening. We just fired up the fake fireplace and the room is starting to warm up. Finally...warmth!

Have I Mentioned the Weather?!

I'm pretty tired of being cold. I just had to get that off my chest. The temperature today, according to the free newspaper I grabbed prior to getting on bus 15, was to be 6 degrees Celsius. I was told that to convert it to Fahrenheit you add ten and double it. So, you do the math. It know it's probably colder back in PA, and perhaps there is snow on the ground, but this is such a damp, chill to the bones, cold. Plus, with no central heating systems every place is damp and cold. The schools, hotels, restaurants, buses - most every place is cold. I'm pretty tired of it. I dress in layers, put on my fashionable Philadelphia Eagles earmuffs, wear two pairs of socks, wear my scarf like a noose (it's the fashion around here), and I am still cold. And this is just to go do my student teacher observations. There are times that I never remove my coat while in the schools. Today a Honda CRV passed me while I was waiting for a bus (a 50 minute wait, in the cold and wind, I might add). I looked at it longingly and wondering if he was using the heated seat function. I miss my CRV, and my heated seats. Now I know why everyone walks so freaking fast around here, they are trying to either stay warm or get to their destination faster so they can duck inside where it might be a tad warmer. One other thing, most stores keep their doors open, despite the cold weather. As I ride around the city on the top of the double decker buses I see a lot of windows in apartments/houses that are open. I don't get it. These Irish must be a hearty bunch. Come to think of it, the kids go outside for yard (recess) in this cold weather. There is no indoor yard, so the teachers bundle up and the kids run around, and both come inside with rosy cheeks. Personally, I'm not a fan of the cold. Have I mentioned that before?

Another Day...Another Four Buses

Scoil Mhuire is the easiest school to get to, but the longest ride at about an hour on a good day. The school is actually at the last stop on the route, so there is no seeking out landmarks and intersections to ring the bell. I could just relax and enjoy the scenery from my second level perch on bus 15B. The teachers in the front of the bus were all commenting on how late they would be today with the traffic, and had to put a call in to the school to give them a heads up. One of the teachers who gets on at one of the later stops finally won the concert tickets that she had been bidding on eBay for the last three days. Each day she would give an update to her friends, and since I have been riding the 15B all week, I also was kept unofficially updated. She paid 205 euros for a group I never did catch, or perhaps did not recognize. It conflicts with her Christmas party though...Wonder what choice she will make!

The student teachers at Scoil Mhuire team taught a lesson on measurement, using Olympic track theme activities (straw throw for javelin, paper plate for discus and cotton ball for shot put). First, the students needed to estimate their throw distance, and then actually measure the distance. Finally, they did some basic math to find the difference. It was a good activity, and the fourth class (grade) enjoyed it. There were only five students present as the rest of the class left for their weekly swimming lesson shortly after I arrived.

I waited for about 10-15 minutes for the 15B to arrive to take me to my connection. I scoped out the stop on the way so I would know where to ring the bell on the way back, and so I was good to go with my connection to bus 74A. Now the waiting began. This is a tough connection because there are not too many runs for 74A and you are never sure when it will arrive. Last week we waited over thirty minutes, in the rain, with the Dean, before it showed up. Today was about the same length of time, but I found a ray of sunlight that I stood in to try to get warm. (Have I mentioned that it is cold here?!) It didn't help much, but at least it was not raining today. When the 74A arrived I asked the driver if he could give me a shout out when we got to the Yellow House (pub) as I wasn't sure when to ring the bell. He did and after crossing the street and a short 10 minute walk, I was at St. Mary's. As luck would have it, just in time for tea!

I observed two lessons at the boys school, first was a third class with reading comprehension and then a first class with an art project (Christmas trees). Both lessons went very well as the boys were a bit more behaved than I have seen them in the past. As I said my goodbye's at St. Mary's I was off in search of bus 16 or 16A, for the trip back to city center.

Moving Day, Again!

Today we were able to move out of the hotel and into the flat. I'm really glad to be here (and not just because I get Internet access for free). When I arrived on November 15th I moved into the flat with my colleague, who had been here since October 26th. Annie arrived a week later so we moved into the hotel next door, since this flat is too small for more than two people. We were at the hotel for three nights and then set out for our Thanksgiving trip. That resulted in three more nights of a different hotel each night. When we got back on Sunday we checked back into Jury's Inn where we stayed for two more nights. Today my colleague left to head back to the states, so we are back in the flat. I was really getting tired of packing and unpacking, and living out of a suitcase. Now we are finally unpacked and settled in for our last week in Ireland. I can't believe we only have a week left. It has gone by very quickly.

This isn't a very exciting posting...

St. Pius X and St. Josephs

Day two of tackling the Dublin transit system. I caught the 15B again at 8:15 and headed out of town in search of St. Pius X Girls National School. My directions were to ring the bell after the boat sign and past the 2 intersections after Bushy Park. That should stop the bus right at the Morgue (remember from yesterday: pub not dead people). It's amazing I find my way anywhere! When I got off at the Morgue I got my bearings and remembered an alley that we cut through in my other visit to St. Pius. I went down the alley, through a cul de sac and back to the main drag a few blocks closer than if I had gone to the light and turned left. From there, I just had to follow the masses (and strollers) since school was just starting. (NOTE: see yesterdays posting on strollers.) St. Pius is tucked away behind a row of five or six stores in a strip mall, and consists of a number of small buildings interconnected, boys on one side and girls on the other. With a little assistance, I found my two student teachers in a 5th grade class. This was only their second day with this class and they were team teaching today's lesson. They had the girls work in groups of six, focusing on the book they are reading (Amelia) and the news reports they have written in the past. Their goal: two students act as reporters and the others provide the acting, based on a chapter determined by the teacher. The girls were all actively involved and seemed excited about the project. I left before the actual production took place. I think that might be later in the week.

It was about a 10 minute walk as I made my way back to the Morgue where I picked up the 15B again to head back towards the city, and St. Joseph's Boy's National School. I rang the bell at Vaughn's Pub and the bus stopped right across from the church/school. Out of the nine schools I visit, this is the only one right at the bus stop and thus very easy to find. First I observed a female student teacher in a class of 30 3rd grade boys, with a male cooperating teacher. She admitted that it was very daunting in the beginning (an abundance of testosterone in the room!). She did a nice job with the boys and their reading assignment, "Six blind men and the elephant." After she finished it was time for the boys to have yard (recess) and the teacher to have tea. They have a couple of breaks each day just for tea. It is a very cool custom! After tea I went to find the primary infants. My student teacher taught a lesson on patterns. Big, small, big...blue, red, yellow, blue, red.... You get the idea. At least I hope you do because the four year olds got it. After they colored the correct pattern on their worksheet they were permitted to create a pattern with manipulative's (pegs, blocks, etc.). They did very well. Imagine 30 four year old boys in a very small room creating various things with patterns. Oy vey! I would have to do heavy drugs if I taught this age level.

I took Bus 15 back to the city since it arrived before 15B. I was really hoping it was going to take me to the same drop off spot on Dawson, but figured if I got to city center I could find my way home (optimistic, I know). As luck would have it, I got off right near the Starbucks on Dawson and made the 20 minute walk home from there. I survived another day in the 'burbs.

Oldest Pub in Ireland

This evening was the annual trek to the Brazen Head, the oldest pub in Ireland (1198). It is only a few blocks from Christ Church so my colleague and I walked there while the students all took the bus from the 'burbs. A few came in early to grab dinner at the Temple Bar district. Visitors to the Brazen Head sign a piece of currency from their county and hang it on the wall. Our students each had a one dollar bill that they creatively identified as their own, and since there was no more wall space, stuck it to the ceiling near the front door. What was pretty cool was finding a bill from a former SRU PE student from 2006 and seeing a bill that my colleague had posted in 2005. I guess I will be looking for this year's bills when I return in 2009.

I returned from the pub around 9pm and realized that I had not had dinner, and my one coke from the pub hardly made a dent in my stomach. Since the kitchen at the hotel was closed for the night, I went around the corner to the world famous Burdicks Fish and Chips and ordered some very tasty, but very bad for me, fried cod and fries (hench, fish and chips!). We split one order and both were stuffed. Burdicks is a tiny hole in the wall, literally just a few people could stand inside of it at one time, and you just order at the counter and take it to go (take away, as they call it). There is a sign outside listing all of the famous people who have eaten there. It was quite the impressive list. There is often a line down the street and around the block. Not so much at 9:30 on a Monday evening. By the way, they stay open until midnight. The flat that SRU rents (that we will be moving to tomorrow) is right above Burdicks.

Tomorrow I will catch the 15B once again and visit St. Pius and St. Joseph's. More to come...

On My Own: St. Patricks and Ballyroan Boys School

Today was my first day navigating the Dublin mass transit system by myself. I checked the bus schedule and decided to get the 8:25 bus (15B) to St. Patricks school. I left the apartment at 7:55 and must have walked very fast because I arrived at the bus stop at Trinity College by 8:10. Everyone seems to walk with a purpose in Dublin. You walk very fast and you do not yield. I haven't figured out the walking pattern yet. It's almost like human chicken. You just keep walking until someone moves to avoid a collision. And then you may, or may not say excuse me. I thought that since they drive on the opposite side of the street perhaps they walk that way as well. Not so much. There is no rhyme or reason to the walking process. Also, I might add, there seems to be an abundance of strollers with the cutest babies strapped in tightly. I suppose they are strapped in so well due to the warp speed that mommy or daddy push them about town. It does not matter that it is below freezing, those babes are wrapped up and pushed all over Dublin. All of the strollers have a clear plastic tarp that fit over the entire stroller, kind of like the Pope-mobile, to keep the toddlers protected from the wind and rain. Did I mention that it's cold and wet in Ireland?

So, I got on the 15B at around 8:15 (caught the earlier bus). I took a seat on the upper level so I could check off all the landmarks en route to my stop. First there was the canal with the swans, then a church tower, then St. Josephs (a school I will go to tomorrow), left at the Hyundai dealer, past the Morgue (pub not dead people), left over a small bridge, past the Topaz gas station, Bushy Park, Rathfarnean Shopping Center and another church on the right. That is where I rang the bell for the bus to stop. When I got off the bus I had to remember from my one visit there last week, which direction to head for St. Patricks. Luckily, school was soon to start so I just followed the masses (and strollers) to the top of the hill and voila, there it was. I checked in at the hall (gym) to make sure my two PE majors were teaching at 9:30 (it was now 9am) and went on to find my special education student teacher. I found her in another small annex building and we decided that I could observe her working with a student one on one after the PE lesson. Once this was determined I went to the staff room to find me some tea. I resisted the urge to enjoy the Weight Watchers cookies on the table and focused on getting warm with my cup of tea. As the morning announcements came on the intercom I realized why I was not getting any warmer. Apparently this is energy conservation week and they will not be turning on the heat. Yeah. Have I mentioned how cold I am in Ireland? They told the girls what they were permitted to wear under their uniforms to stay warm. I did enjoy the little girls helping with the announcements. They were given in both Irish and English and they finished up with a song. I'm not sure of the exact title, but the words to each stanza began, "Moses you're the man...." I kid you not. So...I observed a PE lesson to junior infants with my scarf and jacket on and then observed my special education teacher work with Conner on his spelling while playing a fishing game. Then I left St. Patricks in search of Ballyroan Boy's School, and another cup of tea.

As luck would have it, Ballyroan was only a few turns away and about a 10 minute walk. I did find the teachers room, accepted the invitation for tea (resisted the jam tarts on the table) and thawed out before finding my two elementary student teachers. I observed one teaching a short lesson on reading and the other using M&M's to teach her 7-8 year olds about fractions. The lesson was very well received, especially when the boys were permitted to eat their M&M's at the conclusion of the lesson. As I left Ballyroan I had to cut through yard (recess) and I observed the boys skipping and sliding on the frost covered blacktop. Despite the noon hour and a sunny day, the frost was still very apparent on the school yard. I witnessed a few wipe outs. I imagine the nurse was busy today, as I saw two teachers carrying in an injuried student as I left the gate.

I passed a number of bus stops as I left Ballyroan. None were labeled so I thought it best to backtrack to where I initially got off the bus to take it back to city center. There was a woman waiting who confirmed that it was indeed the 15B stop and I would get back to city center. Feeling pretty good that I was in the right spot I waited for the bus. It finally arrived after a 25 minute wait and I reviewed those key landmarks on our trip back to city center. This time I had the front seat on the upper level and had a great view of the sights. It only took 25 minutes to return (45 minutes to get there in rush hour traffic) and it was exactly 1:11 when I stepped off the bus on Dawson Street. (Those who know me well know that I am obsessed with the number 1:11 - it is my birthday, FYI). From Dawson I cut across Anne St. to Grafton and made a right. I walked a few blocks and then turned left on Wicklow. I made another right and a left and finally made it to Dame Street. From there it is just a ten minute walk uphill to Christ Church and home. I don't know if the route I took was the most direct (I'm sure it was not) or the quickest (again, probably not), but it got me home without having to ask for directions and without getting lost. That is a major accomplishment for me. My sense of direction is so bad I turned the wrong way out of my hotel room to get to the elevator last night! So... I survived my first solo trip to the 'burbs and back. Tomorrow I get to do it all over again. St. Joseph and St. Pius, here I come!