Last Day in Dublin

The group at the Brazen Head Pub
(oldest pub in Ireland)

Grafton Street

Side street in Dublin

It's hard to believe today was my last day in Dublin. The time has gone fast.

We had a full day planned, as today I needed to show Rob the remaining six schools. We started early so we would be sure to get to all of them. We met at 8am and walked around the corner to catch Bus 49. It was another terribly windy, rainy day. We rode Bus 49 to Delany's, where we got off to walk the rest of the way to Scoil Carmel. We were early, arriving about a half hour before the students (school starts at 9:20). We saw Bethany in the teachers room slicing banana bread that she had baked for her Thanksgiving lesson. She had a real challenge in trying to cook when she had to convert the recipe to metric. Then we went and found Lizzy in her classroom. Her co-op still hadn't arrived at 9:10. Things are a bit more laid back in Ireland. I dropped off some chocolate for the principal who was so kind to give me a ride last week in the horrible wind and rain, and then we walked back to pick up Bus 49. This bus is notoriously late, but we were so lucky that it arrived minutes after we got to the remote stop in the suburbs. That was a huge break.

We headed back towards the city to see Kendra at Terenure College. Since they have early dismissal every Wednesday, we needed to get there early in the day. She was in the middle of teaching a lesson to the 13-14 year olds so we waited until class was over to connect with her. Our visits this week do not involve any formal observations, since I only have two days to show Rob all of the schools. So, we stop by each school, connect with the student teachers, and I introduce Rob to secretarys, prinicpals and cooperating teachers, if they are available.

Our next stop was St. Colmcilles. It meant a 10 minute wait in the rain for Bus 15 which would take us back near Scoil Carmel. Had the weather been better, we might have tried to walk between the two. The wind today made that task impossible. We got off the bus at SuperQuinn and walked behind the supermarket to find Luke. He was finishing a lesson as we arrived. He was on his 7th cup of tea for the day (it was 11am) as he was recovering from two days of not having a voice. It is very difficult to teach physical education when you are unable to speak. He seems to be getting better.

We walked from St. Colmcilles Junior to St. Colmcilles Secondary, a ten minute walk. Adam was teaching, but we found John in the teachers room. After a quick visit we continued on.

We waited about 15 minutes to pick up Bus 15 again to head into the city. Our next stop was Presentation girls school where we found Nichole. Her students were doing a timed math test, so we chatted in the hallway. If you are counting, that was school number five.

I'm not sure what bus we picked up next, but I think it was the 15 again. Any of the 15 lines would work. It was a short ride and about a 15 minute walk to St. Louis Community, a girls secondary school. The secretary called the teachers room and Tara came down to meet us. Another quick visit. We caught Bus 15A back into the city. 

Whew...six schools...all before 1pm. There was no time for tea today. We hustled around the city, got on various busses six different times, and made it back again. I think Rob has his bearings and should be ok when on his own next week. 

I showed them the Trinity College bookstore and then we split up to run some errands. I ended up stopping at the Larder for a late lunch and then went back to the flat. I had some serious packing to do. Before I could make a dent in the packing process, Lydia called. John needed to give me something and had forgotten last night. She asked if I could meet her at the pedestrian bridge near O'Connell. I had planned on going out again around 5, so this just moved that time earlier by an hour. I found Lydia, we said our good byes again, and I walked the long way to Grafton Street. It was starting to get dark and the city was very busy with rush hour traffic and lots of people. Sunday was light up night in the city and I hadn't made it out much after dark this week, so I wanted to take some pictures of Grafton Street, and a few other places on my list.

I ran into Lauren on Grafton. Her friend Jen arrived today so she was giving her a tour. It always surprises me when I run into the students in the city. After all, it's a BIG city. Lauren's host family texted me late this afternoon inviting me to dinner at 7. I kindly declined, as I had much to do on my last night in Dublin. Riding the bus back to the suburbs for an hour plus each way was not on my list. It was kind for the invite, but not on my last night.

I stood at the end of Grafton, in front of St. Stephens Green and just took it all in. It's my last night in Dublin, perhaps forever. I've enjoyed my time here very much. It is a great city and wonderful county. Having said that, I am ready to go home. A month is a long time to be away. I miss the comforts of home (i.e. lazyboy, TV, Tivo), my CRV, and Sheetz fountain Pepsi. It will be nice to go home.

Tomorrow will be a long day. Paddy will pick me up at 5:20am for my 9am flight. He has to come back and pick up some of the guests at 6:15 to take to John at Delany's. They begin a four day trip to western Ireland tomorrow. It is a wonderful trip and I know they will all enjoy it.

This may be my last blog posting. It's been great to be able to document the trip using this medium. I have no idea if anyone is actually reading these postings, but if you are, thanks. I hope you enjoyed following my travels.

Teachers on Strike

Today the teachers in Dublin went on strike. Just for the day. Truth be told, it was a wonderful day off. The kids were estastic to be able to sleep in and spend the day in the city. It gave me the day to show Rob and Jordan some of the highlights of Dublin.

We started our tour at 10am. My plan was to start at Trinity College where I would show them the bookstore where they could later go back to the see the Books of Kells and the amazing library, if they wished. But, as we got close we saw the doors and gates closed and the teachers on strike. I didn't think about the college striking.

We continued on to Nassau Street where we stopped by the Blarney Woollen store and the Kilkenny shop. I showed Rob where the 15 bus lines would drop him off on Dawson Street. We should come back on the 15 tomorrow so he can see it firsthand. It will drop us off right in front of Starbucks, which is good for him since he is a coffee drinker.

From Nassau we headed to Grafton Street. We spent some time at a shop where I got a few things last week, and we were all able to buy some gifts. While we were there one of the students called to see if I wanted to join them for lunch. They were on O'Connell Street and waiting for a few others. I said to let us know where and when and we would join them. As we got to the end of Grafton I pointed out St. Stephens Green Park and Mall, the Luas high speed line, and some of the eating places near by. As I was pointing out things a woman stopped and asked if I was from Slippery Rock. It turns out she is a teacher at Scoil Carmel and recognized me from my visits. She just wanted to make sure we were ok. I introduced her to Rob, told her we would be visiting tomorrow, and thanked her for her help. I assured her that I was just showing Rob around and that we were in good shape. It was kind of her to stop.

As we started to head to O'Connell Street we stopped at Carroll's for some gifts. I dropped quite a bit of money there last week and manage to spend a bit today as well. This was one of the larger Carroll's and they had lots of great stuff. As we were leaving Luke called again to tell us where they were. It was great timing as we were just crossing the liffey and heading their way. We met them outside of Penney's (a store the students LOVE for the cheap but fashionable clothes, no connection to JC Penneys back home) and headed to the Arlington Hotel. There were nine of us total, and it was nice to spend some time with them. I said my goodbyes to the ones I would not see tomorrow and told them I would see them at graduation. They are sad to see me go (or so they say!).

When we left we continued down O'Connell, past the historic Post Office, and onto the Bus Station. Rob picked up the bus schedules for the various lines he will be taking and then we headed back to Henry Street, another pedestrian only street of stores. We walked it a number of blocks before cutting across to the liffey.

After crossing the liffey we headed to the Temple Bar district and the Temple Bar Trading Post where I wanted to pick up a hoodie for my dad and also my sister. At that point it was around 2pm and Rob and Jordan decided to backtrack to Grafton to do some more shopping and I continued to the Tourist Center for just a few more gifts. I ran into three of our students, and a visiting father of one of them, shopping as well. They went to the Jamison Distillery today for a tour. The students we dined with at lunch went to the zoo, as did a few other students. They all kept busy on their day off.

I got back to the flat around 3:30 and decided I better clean a bit for Rob's arrival. He will move in when I leave. I had a few hours before meeting Lydia. She called this morning and we arranged to meet next door at Jury's Inn at 7:45, when she got off work. We had a late dinner and enjoyed some good conversation before John Nolan arrived around 9pm. They were so kind to have a gift for me as we said our goodbyes. Rob and Jordan, in the lobby to check their email, joined us as Rob had a few questions for John, and John was able to explain to Rob what the four day trip will entail this week. I've been trying to give Rob as much information as I can before I leave. He has asked some good questions and I have been telling him as much as I can remember. Tomorrow will be another busy day as we have six schools to visit and he has to learn another couple of bus routes. We will start at 8am, and may even arrive at Scoil Carmel before the students, but that is all dependent on how the busses are running. I'm hoping for good weather so we can walk from Carmel to St. Colmcilles and not have to connect busses. I've never walked between the two but I think it should be about a 25-30 minute walk. They are in better shape than I am, so we should be fine. Let's hope the daily rain is not falling at that particular time.

Four schools today - Six to go

Today was the first day that I was able to show Rob around Dublin. I'm saving the city centre tour for tomorrow, but today was the first day in the schools. I had hoped to hit five schools today, but we only got to four. We will have to hustle to get to the rest on Wednesday.

Tomorrow there is no school. The teachers are striking. Just for the day. So, no school tomorrow. Teachers on strike. So are the health care workers and Gardia (police). That puts the pressure on us to get to all of the schools in two days. Rob will really be tested next week when he has to remember how to get to each school after a very fast crash course this week. I did the best I could to prepare him before he arrived. I took notes of all of the bus routes and wrote down landmarks for each route (where the bus turns, where to ring the bell, where to get off). I emailed that information to him last week to print and bring with him. I also took pictures of each of the schools and significant landmarks as you approach the school. I put them all in a word document and saved as a PDF file. I highlighted things like the blue gate at St. Marys, the White Church at Scoil Mhuir, the shops near St. Patricks, and others. There are quite a few schools that are not easy to see from the road. By taking pictures of the route to the school, and landmarks along the way, hopefully he will be able to remember and figure it out when flying solo. He was able to get his bearings pretty well today with the map and directions I had sent.

We started by heading to the Tourist Center to pick up a bus ticket. From there we continued to Trinity College to pick up bus 15B. The tourist center did not open until 9am, so we missed rush hour. That was probably a good thing so it wasn't too overwhelming for Rob. We took the 15B to St. Patricks where we found Lauren in the hall (gym). We were just in time for the tea break, so we spent about ten minutes in the teachers room enjoying a cup of tea before heading to Ballyroan Boys School. These two schools are within walking distance so that is good. We caught up with Brooke and Jenna for a short time and then continued on to Scoil Mhuir. We waited again for bus 15B and took it to the end of the line. We talked with Krista and Megan, and both of their co-operating teachers, before heading out again to catch bus 15B. We rode it this time for just a few stops where we got off to connect for the 74A. This took awhile. I bet it was a good half hour until the bus arrived. Rob had a power bar and I had some trail mix as it was close to 1pm as we were waiting to connect.

We took the 74A to the Yellow House Pub and then walked to St. Marys. We found Meredith, Brooke and Brittnee and went to the teachers room to chat. Rob was the supervisor of all three of these students in the states, so this gave them a chance to catch up.

When we left St. Marys it was my intention to stop at Terenure College on the way back to city centre. We didn't have to wait long for bus 16A, but unfortunately that did not cut through Terenure, as many of the other busses do. So, since it was already after 2pm, and they end school fairly early, I just decided to call it a day. I pointed out the school to Rob on the way out of the city this morning, so he at least knows where it is. We should be able to hit that up on Wednesday. It will have to be in the morning, as every Wednesday this boys school has early dismissal due to rugby practices and games.

When we got off the bus we decided to grab a late lunch, and found a place that had free wi-fi, so we could check our email as we waited for our meal. Rob and his fiancee, still tired from their long day yesterday, decided to go back to the hotel to nap and I decided to head back to my flat to watch the Eagles game that I had taped last night. We will meet again at 7:15pm to head to the Brazen Head Pub, the oldest pub in all of Ireland (established in 1198). Since the students do not have school tomorrow, this is a good night to hit the Brazen Head. There is a tradition at this pub. You sign your name to a currency from your country (one dollar bill for us) and hang it on the wall. SRU student teachers have been doing this for years. In fact, last year I found the dollar bill from an advisee from years ago. It's always fun to find SRU bills on the wall/ceiling.

So, tonight will be the last chance I will have to see some of these kids before heading back to the states on Thursday. I will see the rest on Wednesday when we make the rounds to the last six schools. It's hard to believe it's winding down so quickly.

Sunday - Blarney Stone

Rock of Cashel

Blarney Castle

Me in position to kiss the Blarney Stone

I was just too tired last night to post anything, so I will recap now what happened yesterday.

I woke up to a phone call from John Nolen at 5:45am. He called to tell me that Rob's flight was ahead of schedule so we were still good for our original departure time of 7am at the flat. They may have arrived early, however due to a problem with the gate, they were stuck on the runway for awhile before they could deplane. Paddy finally arrived at the flat around 7:40 to pick me up and then it was on to Delany's to meet John and the students.

The trip to the Blarney Castle was a long one. We stopped about half way to visit Rock Cashel, which was donated by the King of Munster in 1101 to the church. It was an impressive structure with some great history. As we were walking up the hill for our 40 minute tour it started to rain again. It got pretty cold too, as the winds picked up a bit as well. Typical Ireland weather!

We continued on to the Blarney Castle, arriving at about 12:30. We had three hours to tour the castle, kiss the stone, grab some lunch and do some serious shopping. There was a nice collection of stores that were having great sales.

We have seen a number of castles on our trip thus far, and the Blarney Castle was probably the least impressive. Perhaps because there was no tour guide, no explanation or history about the castle, no real restoration like some of the other castles we have visited. It is definitely a tourist attraction, complete with a camera to take your picture kissing the rock, which they will then sell you for 10 euros at the shop at the bottom of the castle. The climb to the top was a bit challenging, with many spiral staircases and narrow pathways. There were two men at the top, one manning the camera and the other assisting the visitors. If you are unfamiliar with Blarney, you must lay on your back with your upper body over the ledge. You grab onto two metal bars as you arch your back to kiss the stone. The second man is there to hold you steady. Since there were very few tourists, we were able to take some time to shoot some pictures at the top of the castle. Each of the students who were still on top asked for a picture with me, which was nice. I know I've said it before, but I will say it again, we really do have a great group of students on this trip.

The ride back was a long one. We didn't arrive in Dublin until after 7. Earlier in the week two students had asked if they could come to my flat to watch the Steelers game on my laptop (via slingbox and tivo). When we got close to Dublin two other students asked, and before we hit city centre there were another pair asking if they too could come. So, there were six total who got off the bus at my flat, went around the corner for some fish and chips from Burdocks, and watched the Steelers game on my 12 inch laptop until 11pm. They left disappointed as the Steelers lost in overtime.
So, that is why I was too tired to blog last night. Since they stayed late, and since I was up early, I checked my email and headed to bed.

So, those are the highlights from yesterday's adventure. I can't believe my days of riding John Nolans bus are over! The kids have a long week ahead of them, as they leave on Thanksgiving for a four day trip to the western part of Ireland. They will visit St. John's Castle in Limerick, visit the picturesque village of Adare, have a Thanksgiving dinner and spend the first night in Tralee (in county Kerry). Friday will involve a tour of the Dingle Peninsula, a trip to the Louis Mulcahy Pottery Shop, photo opportunity of Slea Head and Basket Island, and a trip on the ferry across the River Shannon. They will spend Friday night at Lahinch, the surfing capital of the world, according to John. (The kids are discovering that they can't believe everything John tells them about the biggest and best in the world being in Ireland. We went over "the biggest suspense bridge in the world" last week. It was about 100 feet long!) Saturday the trip will continue to the Cliff of Moher and the Burren area. They will get to spend Saturday afternoon/night in Galway. They return back to Dublin on Sunday, after a visit to the Clonmacnoise Monastic site. It is a wonderful trip and the kids will enjoy it very much. We have a few people visiting this week (parents, grandparents, friends, etc.) so it is a good week for visitors to see Ireland and spend time with their loved one. I'm glad I got to experience the trip last year.

Boyne, New Grange and Trim Castle

Road Flooded

Another road flooded

New Grange - 5000 year old tomb

Trim Castle - Site of Braveheart

Where Mel Gibson was killed in Braveheart

Since today is Saturday, John had another fun filled day planned for us. As always, it started dark and early. He picked me up at 7:15 and then headed to Delany's for the students. Our first destination today was the Battle of the Boyne Visitors Centre. Getting there proved to be a challenge. Perhaps I haven't mentioned it much in my previous postings, but it's been raining here in Ireland. And this AM was no exception. In fact, it's been raining so much that the roads to Boyne were closed due to flooding. After a few detours we ended up going through a road covered with water and came out the other side, thankfully. We got to Boyne a bit late, but at least we got there. The amount of water overflowing the streams and rivers was unbelievable. I know, at times, I tend to embellish a tad, or perhaps even fabricate the truth from time to time. But you gotta believe me when I tell you it's been raining in Ireland. A lot. Every day. Today was no exception.

The Battle of the Boyne occurred in 1690 and was the largest battle in Ireland, and in all of  Europe for that matter. William III was fighting his father-in-law James II for power. William proved victorious (that is the CliffsNote version) and the visitors centre showed us that with a short video, a lighted map display, models of solders, old guns and swords. It was too miserable to walk the grounds, so after snapping a few photos of the cannons in the rain, we piled back into the bus and hoped the way out proved to be passable.

Next stop, New Grange Visitor Centre. First we saw a short video on New Grange, then took the shuttle bus to the big attraction, a 5000 year old passage tomb. It's a World Heritage Site. It truly was amazing. This was created 500 years before the pyramids and 1000 years before Stonehedge. As you are in the tomb the guide simulates the solstice, when a beam of light illuminates the entire tomb from a small window above the door. Every year they have a drawing from among 2,900 applications for the 20 spots in the tomb for December 21st, the solstice. It was incredibly impressive. There is no mortar holding the stones together, yet it has been held together for over 5000 years. How they figured out how to position the tomb and put the window at the exact location to have the sun illuminate the tomb exactly on the soltice is just amazing. This is before the invention of the wheel, before they had horses to haul rocks, and when the life expectancy was 35. Truly amazing.

The rain finally let up for our last stop of the day, Trim Castle. If you saw the movie Braveheart then you have seen Trim Castle. It was the most incredible castle. We got a great tour of the inside, right after a group of paranormal experts left (it said so on their matching jackets). Apparently they were investigating a ghost living in the castle, believed to be an old priest who was a spy for King Henry. Hm....... It was a HUGE castle, in height, width and depth. Tomorrow we have a long bus ride so we will watch Braveheart. There are a few kids who never saw it. It will be very cool to watch it again after visiting the site. I got a picture at the scene when they put Mel Gibson to death. Pretty cool. :)

As we left the castle the skies opened again and the ride back had some dreadful rain. John dropped me off at city centre right at 5pm. Four of the students decided to dine in the city so the five of us walked around the corner from the flat and had Indian food. It was a nice day, despite the weather.

Tomorrow my colleague arrives. He should be enroute as I type this. For those of you unfamiliar with the Ireland experience, it works like this: When you volunteer to do this trip it is a two year commitment. The first year you pretty much learn the ropes. You supervise half of the kids in the states, and you join the group in Ireland the weekend before Thanksgiving. That is what I did last year, and that is what Rob is doing this year. The second year you plan the trip. You select the students, plan the meetings, arrange travel plans with the travel agent, communicate with John Nolen regarding our Ireland trips, coordinate with our colleague who assigns the schools and host families in Ireland, and you take the students to Ireland. In the states you supervise half of the kids, but when you are here you have them all. I will turn them all over to Rob when I leave. The week before Thanksgiving is when the two faculty members overlap, so this is the week that I will show Rob around Dublin. I will show him how to get to each of the ten schools and introduce him to the principals and cooperating teachers. I will also show him how to get a bus ticket, where to pick up each of the buses, and where he can do some grocery shopping. I will show him Grafton Street, Henry Street and O'Connell Street. It will be a whirlwind tour for him, as we only have three days together, but I'm sure by the time I leave he will have acclimated to Dublin quite nicely. At least I hope so.

Tomorrow we kiss the Blarney stone. More to follow...

The SRU crew

Friday in Dublin

Today was a good day. I really worked hard to get all of my observations done in four days, so I could use today to troubleshoot any problems that might have come up. Thankfully, none did. I was able to do 14 observations, in 9 schools, in four days. St. Colmcilles Secondary had testing all week, so John and Adam did not teach, thus I did not observe them. I'll fit them in next week.

I REALLY wanted to sleep in today. I know one reason why I am getting sick is pure exhaustion. I haven't been sleeping well and I've been out and about so much it's wearing me down. I woke up at 8am with sun shining in my window. As horrible as the weather was yesterday, today was just lovely. Grand, brilliant, all those Irish terms.

So, I spent a few hours this morning doing some school work and then tackled Dublin. I needed to do some shopping for some gifts for a few folks back home. I won't elaborate just in case any of those people are reading this blog. One place I did go to was Carroll's. This is a chain in Dublin and they have everything you can imagine for gifts and souvenirs. They play all sorts of Irish music like The Fields of Atheny (which I love) and Molly Malone. They were having a promotion that if you spent 100 euros you received an Irish music CD valued at 40 euros. I won't tell you how much I spent but I can say that someone is getting a nice CD for Christmas!

I had a late lunch at the Hairy Lemon Pub again. I can't help it, I'm a sucker for free wifi. I headed home after lunch to unload my bags. I still needed to find an umbrella, so I decided to head over the liffey to Henry Street. I went into quite a few stores in search of an umbrella. Some were department stores, some just store fronts, but didn't have much luck. I couldn't believe it was so hard to find an umbrella. I mean, it's freaking Ireland. Shouldn't every store be selling umbrellas? And shouldn't they be right there at the check out? Seriously, you don't leave home without it, so it should be easy to replace. Right? I finally found a lovely blue and green plaid umbrella at a kiosk in a mall off of Henry Street. I'm sure none of you will ever see this umbrella, as the Irish winds will probably destroy this one too. They had a deal that you could buy a second one for half price. I probably should have gotten two.

I wandered down the farm market alley and picked up some mangerines. I think that's what they were. They look like tangerines or clementines, but they didn't call them that. I got 12 for a euro. Bargain! My friend Sherry called yesterday and told me that I need to increase my vitamin C so I can get healthy again. Hope it works.

As I made my way back to the flat I decided to stop at a place that I pass every day, but never visited, the Queen of Tarts. It's this tiny little storefront with a limited menu and fabulous desserts. So, I had a chocolate chip scone and a cup of tea. I had a window seat so I was able to watch the crowds go by on a Friday afternoon. It was nice.

Tonight the students are enjoying a Friday night of watching the new Twilight movie or going to this great place where they do Irish dancing. The ones who attended last week really enjoyed it. I'm spending the evening cleaning the flat, doing some laundry, and getting ready for a weekend of traveling again. Hopefully the weather cooperates, but it's not looking promising. We start bright and early, as John will be picking me up at 7:20. I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow. It's always nice to get out of the city, and it's nice to have all the kids together again. It's a good group and I enjoy spending time with them.

Country Braced for the Perfect Storm

That was the headline on the front page of this mornings free newspaper I picked up on the way to Bus 49.  And I quote, "Floods, torrential rain and winds will hit Ireland over the next 48 hours - with experts expecting the worst weather of the year to date." Let's just say, I'm going to need to get a new umbrella. Mine is mangled in ways I never thought possible. The wind was beyond description. While I was waiting for the bus a number of people on bikes rode by. Everyone rides a bike in Dublin, rain or shine. These individuals were laboring against the wind and they were going DOWN hill. They should have been coasting but they were barely able to move forward. It was fierce.

My 8th grade English teacher was a pretty great person (not as great as a couple of English teachers I had in HS, but that is another posting). One day she read us a book she had read to her young boys the night before. Alexander and the Horrible, Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. There was no Alexander, but it was that kind of day.

It took about 20 minutes for Bus 49 to arrive, and about 30 minutes to ride to Firhouse, where Scoil Carmel is located. It is definitely suburbia, with nothing near the bus stop. So, when I got off the bus the wind and rain nearly knocked me off my feet. It definitely turned my umbrella inside out, in ways I never thought possible. I had to walk to the corner, cross the street, then walk up hill to the school. With no umbrella to block the wind, and rain that was coming sideways, it was a very long ten minute walk to Scoil Carmel. I was soaked by the time I arrived.

I observed two great lessons this morning. Lizzy was with the secondary infants and did a great activity with the kids baby pictures (which, seriously was only a few years ago!). Then Bethany taught a 1st class how to create a table and bar graph using M&M's as her visual aid. She also used a Smartboard which was great. With my love of technology I certainly know about Smartboards, but never saw one incorporated into a lesson before. It was wonderful. The kids could come to the board and move things around on the screen, and Bethany was able to toggle between various screens and show them all sorts of different things. It was really cool. I might have to add that to my wish list for the tech class!

I was enjoying tea after the two lessons but I was dreading going back outside. The wind was literally making the walls shake. I knew I had a ten minute walk back down the hill, cross the street, and then walk another 300 yards or so to the bus stop, which was a pole, not a shelter. I also knew that busses come far and few between that far out in the 'burbs. You can imagine how thrilled I was when the principal offered to take me to my next school. She had to run to the bank and Presentation Girls School (the school she actually attended as a student) was not too far out of her way. I couldn't have been more grateful for such a kind offer. It was definitely a horrible, terrible, no good, very bad day - weather wise.

Since Nichole would not be teaching until 1pm, and it was only 11:30, I ducked into the first cafe I came to near Presentation and had a nice lunch while I killed some time. I drank some theraflu as I read one of my technology magazines that I had in my backpack. The theraflu went well with the chocolate chip cookie I had for dessert.

Nichole taught a lesson on America to 1st class (6-7 year olds). They had all sorts of questions, including, "Why does your president have different color skin?" One student thought Barack Obama was Michael Jackson, but she was quickly corrected. I think they believe the state of Montana was named after Hannah, but that's another lesson.

I had another ten minute walk to the bus, and a ten minute wait, but this time there was a shelter, as we were on the main drag heading into the city and there was much more traffic (foot and vehicle). I caught Bus 15A and took it right to the tourist center in city centre. I wasn't sure where I would end up, but it turned out well as I was only a few blocks from home.

It was only 3pm, but I decided to get some dinner to take home so I didn't have to go out again in this mess. I picked up some Chinese food, came home, changed into sweats, threw in a load of laundry and am enjoying a night at home. I'm catching up on some school work and watching some shows taped on my tivo (watching through my slingbox via my laptop). I'm very glad tomorrow is Friday. First order of business, buy me a new umbrella.

Bad Call - Irish Denied World Cup

It's late so I'll make this short and sweet. I observed at Terenure College (Geography), St. Colmcilles Junior (PE) and St. Louis Secondary (History). Great lessons. It rained. Enough said.

I called my niece, Erin. She is 6 today.

I watched the Irish lose to the French due to a horrible non-call handball by the refs that lead to the game winner in OT. I believe the words the announcers used were: cheaters, sinful, injustice and travesty. I feel very bad for the Irish tonight.

Night-time Thera flu is kicking in. Bed time...

St. Patricks and Ballyroan Boys School

Today the sun was shining, so it was already a better day than yesterday as I walked to catch bus 15B at 8am. I felt good about today because I now know the 15B route pretty well and was confident with when to ring the bell and when to get on/off. No worries today.

In the last two fall semesters I have been assigned 18 student teachers. The break down is as such: 6 Elementary Education (some with early childhood or special education as well), 2 English, 4 Social Studies/History and 6 Health/Physical Education. It's been great to be in the classroom observing lessons on Frankenstein, the G20 summit, how to count to 10, or learn my colors and shapes, and many other interesting topics, but I feel most comfortable in the gymnasium, which should come as no surprise. So, I was glad my day started at St. Patricks.

Lauren was teaching a 3rd class of girls some jumping and turning skills in the hall (gym). She had downloaded some Hannah Montana music onto her laptop so they were excited when she played music when they were performing the activity. The girls left after about 15 minutes and next were the primary infants. Imagine 22 four year olds all in their light blue sweat suits roaming a big open space. They were very cute, but have the attention span of a gnat. Lauren did a great job with them, keeping them busy and focused on the locomotor skills (hop, jump, skip, slide) that she was teaching them. They were Hannah Montana fans as well.

Next was Ballyroan Boy's School which is about a ten minute walk from St. Pat's. The sun was shining so I didn't mind it at all. It was pretty chilly, but at least it was not raining (yet). As I approached Ballyroan I saw Jenna's class was outside for PE class. As her teacher apologized for the boys kicking balls all over I assured her that I was fine, since my discipline was PE. After another 10 minutes of the boys working on their gaelic football skills we went inside for tea break. We sat and chatted with Ms. Rooney, a young teacher who I thought was great a year ago. She is just grand with the boys and has a great disposition as well. After tea I observed Jenna teach her 2nd class about camels. They were great, offering all sorts of information on the KWL worksheet. K= what they know, W=what they want to know, and L= what they learned after reading about camels in their books. They were a very lively and bright group.

Then Brooke came to get me for her lesson with the 1st class. This isn't her regular class, but she has been covering for this teacher from time to time. Today he had a meeting, so Brooke monitored the lesson. First, the boys had to finish their self portrait, then finish their math handout (front and back), then spelling handout, and finally draw a picture of their house. Brooke had them answer three questions about their house if they got everything done, and some of the boys did. She did a great job of montioring their work, disciplining when needed, and providing one on one instruction to those with questions. About halfway through class I started sneezing and my nose started running. Yesterday the principal sent Brooke home since she was sick. Every class I've been in has had kids absent and others sneezing and coughing. I've been trying to fight it off, but a few of the student teachers are sick as well, and I fear I may be next.

After about a 20 minute wait I caught the 15B back to city centre and had a wonderful late lunch at the Hairy Lemon Pub. It was the first time I got the wireless on my iTouch since I have been in Ireland so I was thrilled. I even posted that on Facebook!

On my way home I cut through St. Stephen's Green Shopping Mall and also Dunne's. I got home and was greated with some phone calls regarding some student teacher issues, but all is resolved. I decided sleep was what I needed, so after a dose of tylenol I proceeded to nap for a few hours. I woke up around 6 and made some soup for dinner. I do think I am coming down with something so I will be hitting the theraflu. This time I came to Ireland prepared. I figured getting sick was inevitable. I'm hoping not, but just in case...

Monday in Dublin

Today was....I'm having trouble coming up with the right word. Frustrating, long, tiring, over. I like the last one. Monday is over. The day started way too early when I was woken up with heavy rain on my window at 5am. As I laid there I debated whether I should take my new fold up umbrella or if it was really bad perhaps I should take the golf umbrella the landlord left in the flat. Then I decided I didn't need to make that decision at that time and rolled over to catch some more sleep.

I left the flat at 8am to catch the 15. I was heading into uncharted territory as I had never gone from Trinity College to St. Mary's to Scoil Mhuir. I had only gone to those two schools in reverse order. The student teachers said I could take the 15 to the Blue Haven Pub and then connect to the 75 and that will get me there. (In retrospect I think I should have taken the 16.) In theory that should have worked. Problem is, I only saw the Blue Haven for the first time on Friday,  and it's tough to see when it is on the far corner, set back from the road, when the bus windows are all fogged up. So, I missed the stop. I knew I was in trouble when I saw the Knocklyon service station and the Super Quinn. Two stops later and I was at the end of the route, right at St. Colmcilles Community School. Unfortuantley that wasn't my destination today. After talking with the driver I went across the street and waited for for the 15 to head back the way I came. It arrived in a few minutes and this time I could see the Blue Haven coming from Knocklyon and I got off to wait for the 75. It took a little while but finally the 75 arrived, so now I was off to look for the Yellow House. Once I found that I was only a stop away from St. Mary's. I walked into the school at 9:30. That morning commute took an hour and a half.

First I observed Meredith teach a science lesson to 1st class using balloons, straws and string. She was teaching about thrust and rockets. She did a nice job with a very lively group. Then I observed Shawna working with two Jr. and Sr. infant students in the English as an Alternative Language room. She did a great job teaching them about colours and shapes. Then it was tea break. So, I was able to catch up with all three student teachers in the teachers room over a cup of tea. After the tea break I observed Brittnee teach a lesson about alligators to a 3rd class. They all did very well. Keep in mind this is an all boys school. Enough said.

I INTERRUPT THIS BLOG FOR A VERY IMPORTANT MESSAGE: The garda (police) just knocked on my door. No one knocks on my door because I don't know anyone. I asked who it was then asked for ID (hey, I grew up watching the horrors of Philadelphia Action News). Turns out those sirens I heard after Ireland lost on Saturday were due to the fact that a man got beat up pretty bad with a hammer not too far away from here. They wanted to know if I was home and if I heard or saw anything. Then they took my name, address and birthday. I gave them my birthday as 1/11 and the other officer (who looked like he was 12) said November 1st was his birthday too. I quickly had to tell them it was January 11. I forgot they write the date in reverse of us. Then they went on to interview my neighbor. My heart stopped pounding as I relocked the three locks on the door.

So...where was I? I left St. Mary's at 11:45 and walked back down the hill to the Yellowhouse, rounded the corner, and waited at the bus stop right next to a very large church. There must have been a funeral because cars were literally parked on the sidewalk on each side of the street. As luck would have it, the rain started again. I put up my hood and then broke out the umbrella. And I waited for bus 74A. And waited some more. For some reason the traffic just stopped at one point. Seven cars made three point turns right in front of me and went back in the other direction. And still I waited. After about 30 minutes an elderly lady was walking by and asked when the next bus was coming through. I told her I had been there for a half hour and didn't know when to expect the next bus. We chatted for quite awhile. She wanted to hear all about what I was doing here. She was trained in teacher preparation and knew a few of the principals at some of the schools where our kids are teaching. She asked what I thought of the school systems here, and asked my thoughts on Obama. They like him here. We talked for about 15 minutes and she decided her legs/knees hurt less if she kept walking so she would walk to her destination instead of waiting for the bus, so off she went.

Finally bus 74A came by and picked me up. After about 10 minutes I got off and had to connect with bus 15B to Whitechurch.  I finally arrived at Scoil Mhuir around 12:45. I walked in the front door and saw my two student teachers in the lobby, in their coats, huddled around the radiator. They said they come there for the last 5-10 minutes of lunch to try and get warm. I joined them at the radiator. The schools are very cold, especially on Mondays. They don't seem to mind. It's not unusal to have a few windows open too. In fact, in one classroom this afternoon I counted three windows open. I had to put my coat on to stay warm during my observation.

I observed Megan teach a 4th class about the Eastern States of the US. She had some great activities for the students and they were engaged throughout the lesson. Then I went to Krista's room and watched her teach her 5th class about the American Flag. She had a great craft activity that they seemed to enjoy. I was then able to literally run and catch the 15B back into city centre.

I got off the bus around 3pm, and still had not eaten lunch. I headed to the Kilkenny Shop where I knew I could get a hot meal without having to wait. Today they had shepherds pie. I don't understand why when the main dish is layered with mashed potatoes why one of the side options is either roasted or mashed potatoes? I went for roasted, and the carrot/turnup puree (it was either that or beets). After I finished I went downstairs and bought some chocolate truffles for John the caretaker at Ballyroan. He was kind enough to give me a ride in the rain last week to Terenure College, so I wanted to give him something when I see him tomorrow. I hope he likes chocolate.

I was back at the flat by 4:15. It was already getting dark and starting to rain again. I was glad to be home. In total, I think I spent about 4 hours commuting today: waiting for buses, traveling on buses, or walking to/from the bus stop. I am really missing my CRV.

Wicklow, Glendalough and Powerscourt

John picked me up at 8:20 this AM and then we went to pick up the kids at Delany's. He had made a DVD of the match last night, so we watched it as we started traveling to the mountains of Wicklow. We were climbing narrow, curvy roads that made me cringe every time a car came around a bend. But John is a master with his bus. He pointed out the highlights along the way and stopped at one place (when there was enough room to pull off the road) for some photos. Once again, incredible views and vistas of incredible countryside.

Around 11am we arrived at the Glendalough Monastic Site. We watched a 20 minute video on the site and then went on a tour of the area. St. Kevin was the founder of the Monastic site, so the tour pointed out things he had done and showed the tower that was quite impressive, the house that is still standing (all stone, including roof), and the remains of the chapel. The tombstones told such history, they were so old.

When our tour was over John took us on a hike. It started on a well worn rock and then paved trail along the lake. It was well traveled with all sorts of people, young and old. Strollers, kids on bikes and older folks as well. It wasn't a strenuous hike along the lake. It was a great change of pace from the hours we've spent on the bus over the last couple of days. When we got to the option of hanging a right to the lake or a left up a steep trail, John took the left. I was hanging near the back and knew that most of the kids were in front of me but 6 or 7 were behind me. They had stopped to get some pictures near a water fall. This steep incline made me realize how out of shape I am. I made a firm commitment at that moment to hit the gym, hard, upon my return to campus. My heart rate was elevated and my right knee was reminding me that my ACL is partially torn (has been for years). The hillside was to the right and the water below on the left. It was a great view, but a tough walk. I was concerned about a couple of the kids, but they all made it. They were sweaty and tired, but they were troopers. No complaints.

As we waited near the top we were still missing two students. I went back to find them (in case they made a right to the lake instead of up the hill) and John lead the rest around the trail back to the visitors center. I enjoyed the hike down much better, and found the kids halfway down. We backtracked to the visitors center and met the rest of the group at the end of the trail. Conveniently at the end of the trail there were two trailers set up. One was "St. Kevin's Kitchen" and the other "Kevin's Kones".  A number of students enjoyed a nice ice cream cone from the second truck. I got a picture of both, as my brother's name is Kevin.

We got back on the bus and headed down the mountain to Powerscourt House and Gardens. I have seen pictures of Powerscourt, and the Today Show was in Ireland last year for St. Patricks day, and they filmed part of the show from there. (Al Roker, if I recall correctly, was at the Dublin Castle which is right around the corner. I pass it every time I leave the flat.) Powercourt is an amazing place with unbelievable landscaping. The only problem was the date. It's November. There's not a lot blooming right about now. You get the idea, but other than some hearty roses, most of the flora and fauna was pretty dormant. It was still nice to see the fountains, walk the trails, and see the well lanscaped and manicured grounds. The shops and cafe's were very busy. It had started to sprinkle, so I think most people spent limited time outside and enjoyed the indoor features instead.

Our bus ride to the city was relatively short, only a half hour or so. John had asked if I could take a bus into the city from Delany's since there was a rugby match at Croke Park (Austraila vs Ireland) that would end about the time we would be driving through. He lives about 30 minutes outside of Dublin and driving me back to city centre would add at least an hour to his already very long day/weekend. I ended up getting off in front of the Super Quinn where there were already people waiting, in hopes of a bus arriving soon. After about 10 minutes bus 15 stopped and I climbed up to the top level and sat in the front seat. Opposite me was a dad with two little girls. One was about 6 or 7 and had a lot to say about everything she saw. The 2 year old was quiet, but taking it all in. They were very cute.  I got off the bus at Dawson Street, cut over to Grafton Street and made my way to St. Georges Street where I ran into Dunne's for some more Pepsi, popcorn and Heintz Ketcup. I needed that for dinner. I had decided that tonight would be a good night to go to Burdicks for Fish and Chips. They are the oldest Fish and Chip place in Ireland (1913) and have the names of all the famous people who ate there before. There are a number of Burdicks, but the one right below my flat is the original. It's a tiny hole in the wall where only 3 or 4 people can enter at a time. You place your order, they wrap it in at least 6 layers of paper (a tad greasy) and you have yourself a feast. I needed the ketcup for my chips. They charge extra at Burdicks for ketcup (which they call something else but it escapes me at the moment) and it's not Heintz.

As I ate my dinner I logged onto my slingbox at home and watched the Steelers game. They just couldn't get in the endzone today. It's always a tough Sunday when the Steelers lose. I was checking the Rock men's soccer game online as well. They were playing in the Regional finals, and unfortunately they went down in defeat as well. I sure hope the Rock women's baskeball team play well in Tiffin, and the Eagles take down the Chargers. That would be a good end to the day.

Tomorrow will be a very busy day. I scheduled to go to Scoil Mhuir and St. Mary's. I always went in that order, but due to an assembly I will have to reverse the order which means different buses than normal. Hopefully I'll figure it out. I hope to observe five students each teaching a lesson to their respective classes. I'm being optimistic that I can see them all in a day. We shall see...

Belfast

Our day started bright and early with a 7:30 departure from Delany's. John came into city centre and picked me up ten minutes later. Our trip to Belfast was a two and a half hour bus ride north. We watched the movie, In the Name of the Father, which was an appropriate movie to watch when driving to Belfast.

There is such history with the city of Belfast, and certainly much of it negative in the history books. This is a new Belfast, with tourism on the rise as the city is very different than it was a few decades ago. It is still inhabited with those who proclaim to be Irish, and others British. Some are Protestant and some are Catholic. They use the pound in northern Ireland, and not the Euro, so there are definite differences.

When we arrived in the city we picked up our tour guide, Rosemary. She sat in the front seat of the bus and provided play by play of the entire city during our hour and a half bus tour. The only time she stopped talking into the mic was to direct John into what lane to be in or what direction to turn. She has lived in Belfast her whole life and currently has two daughters enrolled in Queens College in the center of the city (and hopes to have her son there next year). She was working at a bank in town when Bobby Sands died of his hunger strike, and they closed the bank that day for fear of what might happen. We saw the famous painting of Sands on the side of a building (see above), and the many other murals painted throughout the city (see below). She told us often that we could download pictures of them from the internet, since we were unable to get off the bus for most of the photo opportunities. She was a wonderful tour guide who wanted to share the new Belfast with us.

After our tour was over we had about an hour or so to walk around the city. After snapping some photos of the Opera House (who was showing High School Musical 4 at the moment), the Crown Pub (oldest pub in Belfast), and the famous Europa Hotel that was bombed 42 times (and hosted Bill Clinton in the past), I wandered to city hall (picture at the top) and the tourist center. I saw the Titantic monument. That famous ship was built in Belfast, at the largest shipyard in the world. It no longer makes ships but has moved on to other manufacturing. We saw the hospital where they first developed titanium rods. As is often the case, medical innovations take place in wartime and that is what happened here. It was totally ironic that a friend was scheduled to have two rods inserted into his legs today in Connecticut. He was definitely in my thoughts and prayers as we passed that hospital.

We arrived back in Dublin by 4pm. The city was crazy full of traffic and people. There was a sea of green as everyone was preparing for the big World Cup qualifier at Croke Park, against France. John was able to get six tickets for the game, so six of our student teachers were able to attend. I got to see Poland play Ireland last year in a "friendly" game in Croke Park. It was an amazing atmophere to watch a soccer (football) game. The importance of this game will make that stadium electric tonight.

John dropped me off at the flat and those attending the game also stayed in the city. Two other students wanted to do some shopping so they hopped off too. The nine of us decided to go for an early dinner of pizza. I suggested Milano's, a place in the Temple Bar district that the kids just loved last year. It took awhile to get our food, but it was worth it. The pizza was excellent. As we left Milano's I headed back to the flat, Lizzy and Brooke went shopping, and John, Luke, Lauren, Krista, Megan and Jenna started walking to Croke Park. They were very excited to see the game.

The game just ended on TV. The Irish came up short, 1-0. They play again in Paris this week. There is still hope, but it will be tough to outscore the French on their home turf. They announced that there were over 74 thousand in attendance, so it must be crazy in that part of town tonight. I hear a lot of sirens outside and I hope it's not the result of a lot of unhappy Irish men and women reacting to a tough loss.

Tomorrow we head to the Wickow Mountains and Powerscourt. Hopefully the sun will shine, as we will be outside a lot. No worries, I have a new umbrella in case it rains!

Pictures are posted on picasa. The link is available on yesterday's post. Let me know if you have trouble accessing them. I heard from one person that it is freezing up on them. Hm.....

Scoil Carmel and Presentation Girls School

I had two schools and three student teachers to visit today to finish my week. Bus 49a stops right around the corner from the flat, so I didn't have to walk to Trinity College today. It was a shorter walk, but a longer wait, as the 49a doesn't run quite as often as the 15 and 15b lines. I was confident in finding Scoil Carmel, but had never been to Presentation Girls School, so I kept a keen eye out for some landmarks that my student teacher had given me so I knew where to get off the bus on my return towards the city.

After a 30 minute bus ride and ten minute walk I got to Scoil Carmel around 9am. The students were just arriving as school had not started yet. I found Bethany upstairs and chatted with her as her 1st class (6-7 year old) students arrived. Then I went downstairs to find Lizzy. She was with the secondary infants class. They have primary infants (4 year olds) and then secondary infants which is like our kindergarten. Lizzy had 5th grade in the states so this is a big change. We chatted in the hallway for awhile and then I went on my way. I will be back on Thursday to observe them both teaching a lesson.

I walked back to the bus stop and waited for the bus. And waited some more. This stop is in the middle of no where so I was getting nervous that a bus might not come for awhile. I ate my trail mix and watched the cars go by being very thankful that it was not raining like yesterday. Finally a man come to the stop, and that is always a good sign. I like when there are people at the stop (despite the awkward silence). It gives me hope that a bus might be coming sooner rather than later. It is impossible to read the bus schedules. They give you the time the bus leaves the first stop and then the time it gets to periodic stops along the way. If you do not know where your stop is between those periodic stops then it is tough to figure it out. Since I usually have no idea what stop I am at, I certainly have no idea what big stop is before or after. So...I wait and figure a bus will come along soon. That theory has worked so far.

I was waiting for bus 49a. In the distance bus 74 was approaching. The man at the stop signaled the bus. You have to put your arm out if you want the bus to stop. If not, they will speed right past. As the bus was slowing down I asked the man if the bus was heading to city centre and he said yes. I figured I'd give it a shot. I wasn't going into the city, but I knew the Presentation school stop was on the way (assuming the 74 was heading in that direction) I'm starting to see how the buses overlap and what buses come and go in what direction. I'm starting to see the big picture. I needed to get off at Rathdown Motors to go to Presentation. Well, through my astute observations all week, I noticed that a number of buses end up going past Rathdown Motors. They start to come together as they get closer to the city (15, 15a, 15b, 49 and apparently 74). The directions that my student teacher had emailed me had me coming from the city so I didn't ring the bell until after I saw Rathdown Motors so it took me a stop too far. No biggie. I actually got off right across from St. Joseph's, a school we used last year. I walked back to the five way intersection at Rathdown Motors and was contempling with one of those five options I had to take. I was pretty sure I knew but as luck would have it, standing at the light waiting to cross with me was a woman holding the hand of a little girl dressed in a school uniform. Hm...I'm looking for a girls school. So, I asked if they were heading to Presentation, and YES they were. I had a nice chat with the woman as we made a couple of turns to get to the school. Her daughter was in 3rd class.

Once at the school I was directed to Nichole's room but it was empty. Apparently they were having a science fair and the girls were in the hall (gym). I wandered around the school a bit. It's not the states: they didn't ask for my clearances, I didn't have to go through any metal detectors, no search of my backpack. I just wandered. They returned shortly to their classroom only to grab their coats for yard (recess). I snapped a few pictures. Nichole and I had a chance to talk while the girls were outside. I also met her co-op and answered some of her questions. I left as the girls were starting to eat their lunches. There is no cafeteria, they just eat in the classrooms.

I headed back to the main drag to catch another bus back to the city. This time bus 65a was approaching. I asked a young man if the bus stopped at Dawson St. and he said it stopped at St. Georges and Dame St. That was even better. So I hopped aboard and was back in the city centre about 20 minutes later. I had lunch at Bewley's, walked up Grafton Street and saw some street musicians, and then stopped at Dunne's for a few things. We have to take a packed lunch for our trips this weekend, so I needed to get some things for our trip to Belfast tomorrow. I got home around 2 and promptly took a nap. Conquering Dublin is exhausting!

It is pouring down rain at the moment. It doesn't look good for our trip tomorrow, but it will still be fun to get out of the city. It will be good to see all the kids together again. I have connected with all of them this week in their respective schools, but it will be good to have them all together. I'm sure they will have lots to share with one another regarding their school experience. Tonight, according to a Facebook posting, they will be doing a pub crawl around Dublin. As long as they are at Delany's at 7:30am, then all is well.

If you are interested, here is a link to all of my pictures. I have some school photos and sites around Dublin. Plus pictures from last weeks four day trip to northern Ireland. Feel free to check them out if you would like: http://picasaweb.google.com/joanne.leight

Four Schools Today

Today was a big day. I needed to get to four schools, two of which I had never been to before. I decided to start at the two that were furthest from the city, St. Patricks and Ballyroan Boys School. I walked to Trinity and caught the 15B around 8:20. Since I was on the 15B on Monday, to the end of the line, I was able to scope out the schools to refresh my memory. Also, there was a young woman sitting in the very front on the top floor of the bus whom I remember from last year. On Monday she got off at the St. Patricks stop, and that is when I remembered that she teaches at that school. So, I decided to stalk her and make sure I was getting off at the right place. :) As I got off the bus I noticed it had started to rain, a lot. I also noticed that my umbrella was a piece of junk and that I needed to buy a new one. As it turned inside and out, and flapped on one side, I trekked up the hill to St. Patricks. Once inside I found Lauren in the hall (gym). She will be teaching all 17 classes in the building, a variety of activities, but mostly gymnastics. I met the principal and chatted with her for a few minutes. Since Lauren has an adapted minor she plans on having her assist with a new program for students with gross motor difficulities and other limitations. It should be a great experience for Lauren and hopefully she can help them with their program.

As I left St. Pat's it became very apparent that I needed a new umbrella. I was in suburbia and put up my hood as I walked down the hill, around the corner and finally arrived at Ballyroan Boys School. I found Jenna and Brooke and went to the teachers room where we chatted over a cup of tea. Both of their co-ops were individuals that we used last year, so it was nice to see some familiar faces. As I was leaving Ballyroan I saw bus 15B go by as I was going out the gate to walk 300 feet or so to the stop. I knew it would be awhile before another one would come by. As luck would have it, John, the school caretaker, was getting in his car and asked where I was heading. He offered to give me a ride and I graciously accepted. He was running some errands for the school and needed to go to the shopping center, which he passed by to deliver me to the gates of Terenure College. John was a kind older gentleman who asked what part of Spain I was from during our drive. I said I was from America and so we chatted a bit about the weather in the southeast. He has never been to the US. He was so kind to give me a ride. I must take him something next week when I return to Ballyroan.

Terenure College was an incredible secondary school for boys on 44 acres on the outskirts of the city. I had never been there before and was greatly impressed. It is rich in history as they are celebrating 150 years. The chapel is used for alumni weddings and funerals, and sons and grandsons attend the school. I met the assistant principal, Frank, who had called me on Monday with some questions. He is a very nice man who actually married a woman from Pittsburgh. There are 16 monks who live and work at the school, including the principal whom I also met. He is 42 and has been at the school for 20 years, the last nine as principal. I shared a cup of tea with Kendra, Frank and Father ? (I didn't catch the name - they talk so fast) and had a great conversation. They are men of great personality and humor. Kendra is enjoying Terenure, despite a bit of uncertainty with her teaching schedule. That should be resolved soon.

I walked out the gates of Terenure and found the bus stop. Most bus stops just have a yellow pole with the bus symbol at the top. There is no shelter, no bus schedule, no bus numbers. Just a pole. I waited in the rain about 10 minutes for bus 15B. I knew I had to get off the bus at the giant clock tower in Rathmines, but had never gotten off at that location before. Well, I jumped the gun a bit and rang the bell a bit too soon. Not to appear like a tourist and say to the busdriver, "Sorry, my bad." I just got off. That meant I had to walk a bit farther than was necessary, but it actually worked out ok. I was able to stop at a hardware store and pick up a new umbrella. Mine was in pieces at that point. If you are interested, it is currently in a rubbish bin outside of a dry cleaners on Rathmines Road, across from the McDonalds.  I continued on my search of St. Louis Community Girls School. Fortunately Tara had emailed me good directions and after a 20 minute walk, I found the school. I declined an offer of tea, but did spend some time chatting with Tara in the teachers room. She is a Social Studies / History major, as is Kendra, so this is a secondary school for girls.

I caught another bus back into city centre and decided to check out the Laus (pronounced Lewis), the high speed rain line that I had to take this evening. I found the stop at St. Stephens Green and figured out the ticket kiosh system, which came in handy when I had to return at 6 to ride the rail. I stopped for lunch and got back to the flat around 3pm.

I was beat, so I ended up taking a nap and then doing some school work before I left again at 5:30. I hiked to St. Stephens Green to pick up the Luas and rode it eight stops to Dundrums. It was crowded, but pretty slick. I got there in about 20 minutes. I found my way to the middle of town and then found the Dundrums shopping center. It was a huge mall, 5 stories high, with lots of stores I had never heard of before. I went into Harvey Nichols. I went to that store in London in March. And I wandered around until 7, when I met John Nolen, Lydia, and his sister Carmel, who I had met last year. We had a cup of tea/coffee at a Starbucks nearby and then we saw a wonderful play, "Many Young Men of Twenty" by the great Irish playwright John B Keane. It was very good. Nothing wrong with a little culture. John drove me back to the flat so I didn't have to take the Luas or walk back so late at night. It was a good night.

Tomorrow I have two more schools to visit. One is another new one, so hopefully I can get there without incident. I'm glad it's Friday!

St. Colmcilles

Today was the day to check on the boys. They are student teaching in the very nice Knocklyon section of Dublin, at St. Colmcilles Primary (Luke) and St. Colmcilles Seconday (John and Adam). Yesterday I took Bus 15B, today it was just 15 (about a 40 minute ride). The bus stop for the primary school is right across the street from the Super Quinn, and the school is right behind it. The Super Quinn is an extremely nice supermarket anchoring a strip mall of all the necessary stores: post office, florist, hardware, pharmacy, bank and bakery. Last week I received an email from one of the students from last years trip and she told me that when I am at St. Colmcilles that I needed to stop at the bakery. They have the best scones ever. So....I took Jessica's advice and had me a raspberry scone, warm with butter. It was pretty awesome. My mother, a fan of raspberries, would have loved it.

Notice the Palm treat to the left of the door. Who knew they had palm trees in Dublin!

After my scone and tea, I walked around Super Quinn to the primary school. Luke was teaching physical education to 1st class (6-7 year olds). He was doing parachute activities and they loved it. After snapping some pictures during his class and catching up with him a bit during his break, I headed to the Secondary school. Remember when I said before that I was a tad directionally challenged? Well, there were two options at the SuperQuinn to walk to the Secondary school. After about 20 minutes or so I knew I was in the wrong direction. I saw the distinct pink colored building ahead and knew it was Delany's. I did however, see a wonderful rainbow as the rain was letting up and the sun was peaking through. On our trip to northern Ireland last week we saw at least one or two every day. Pretty cool. So, I turned around and went back to the Super Quinn, hung a right and ten minutes later I saw the green flags of St. Colmcilles Secondary. I found John in the teachers room and another teacher, Shane (who teaches Physical Education, Religion and Irish - interesting mix), went to find Adam. As I was catching up with the guys a lovely woman, the school chaplan, came and introduced herself. We all chatted for awhile about all kinds of thing. She was very kind and gracious. But then again, she's a chaplain, so I guess that's a given. :)

After I left the guys I waited about ten minutes for the 15 back into city centre. While on the top level of the double decker bus I saw signs for Tenure College and St. Louis Secondary, two schools I have to visit tomorrow but have never been to before. I'm hoping I can find them again tomorrow. I went to the Kilkenny Shop for a late lunch and a hot meal. It was extremely busy at 1:30, and I got the last free table. After I finished my meal of chicken something, mashed potatos, cauliflower with cheese and pea puree, I sat and mapped out the next two weeks of school visits. If I can let the students know ahead of time what day I expect to be there then they can work with their co-op to have a lesson ready to teach when I arrive, since there is no way of pinpointing a definite time with the bus schedules and the connections I often have to make. The teachers have been flexible in the past and have changed up the days events to accommodate my visit. One thing for sure, the Irish schools are much more flexible than in the states.

I visited a few stores on the way back to my flat. I have a few gifts to buy and haven't a clue, so I didn't buy anything. I probably won't until crunch time. I did stop at Dunne's for some groceries. I had such a big lunch I didn't eat dinner until 8:30 and enjoyed some soup I had in the fridge. It was nice to not go back out to forage for dinner.

John called tonight. He was able to get six tickets for the France vs. Ireland football (soccer) game on Saturday night. It's a huge game. They play again in Paris next week. This determines who goes to the World Cup. I got to go to a game last year at Croke Park, Poland vs. Ireland. It was pretty awesome. I'll defer this year and let the kids go. They are excited.

Tomorrow I head to four schools. It will involve three connections, so hopefully it will work out ok. Always an adventure!