We're getting timber
Door: Ik
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Nadiem
15 Februari 2015 | Ierland, Dublin
The third week has just passed and I can’t believe how fast time is going here. Since we have been here for quite a while now, all the downsides of this place have become apparent. It is freezing not only outside, but also inside the buildings. We have spoken to our abroad coordinator about it and apparently the radiator is only turned on for 5 hours a day and 8 hours per night under the flimsy pretext that we should be in class for the remaining hours. This makes no sense whatsoever because we only have like 10 contact hours a week rather than 10 a day. Either way, we have learned to live with it and we have all bought warm clothing (extra woollen socks, a lot of blankets and flip-flops) to keep warm. And since everyone was complaining about the horrible beds where we could feel the springs in the matrasses poking in our backs every single night, we also paid a visit to IKEA and bought some extra matrasses for comfort.
We haven’t been going out as much this week since the classes have become a little more demanding. But we have bought some board games : monopoly, timberrr, which is just a cheap version of jenga, and Loopin’ Louie (Stef Stuntpiloot) We have been enjoying ourselves with those games for a good couple of hours and we will surely continue to do so.
We have also gone to Dún Laighoire Pier, which was just a 20-minute train ride away from the nearest train station to campus. It is a pier which stretches into the Irish sea for 2.6 kilometres with a shitty little lighthouse at the end of it. It was actually one of the best days I’ve had so far though, the company was great and we could see some random islands and a bunch of ships in the distance.
We have also been playing hurling some more. We’re still not good at it at all but it’s so much harder than it looks. I felt like we looked like a bunch of retards to passers-by but I would love to see them try to get their aim on when they use a hockey stick as a baseball bat. It is actually pretty cool that we just have two big soccer fields literally next door. We can play soccer, hurling or Gaelic football there whenever we feel like it.
Also, dear old MacGuinness has really become a member of the family. I even went out with three of the guys here to buy him new clothes. His police hat doesn’t come off unfortunately but that doesn’t really matter. He now owns two very casual t-shirts for when he’s off duty. I mean, he can’t be a police officer 24/7, that would be inhuman.
There is a girl from Japan here that has been trying to teach me Japanese. I now feel quite confident that I could get by in Japan without that much struggle. Don’t believe me? I can say stuff like: Nihonjin no otoko no hito tabacco o motte imasuka. But that’s not all: boku wa baka, soreto boku wa cawaii. I know, it’s amazing. And maybe all you non-experts didn’t quite hear it, but my pronunciation was flawless as well.
So I guess that’s it for another week. You will all just have to wait patiently for my next entry again. I know it’s hard, but it’s not like I’m particularly enthusiastic to work on my blog every week either.
We haven’t been going out as much this week since the classes have become a little more demanding. But we have bought some board games : monopoly, timberrr, which is just a cheap version of jenga, and Loopin’ Louie (Stef Stuntpiloot) We have been enjoying ourselves with those games for a good couple of hours and we will surely continue to do so.
We have also gone to Dún Laighoire Pier, which was just a 20-minute train ride away from the nearest train station to campus. It is a pier which stretches into the Irish sea for 2.6 kilometres with a shitty little lighthouse at the end of it. It was actually one of the best days I’ve had so far though, the company was great and we could see some random islands and a bunch of ships in the distance.
We have also been playing hurling some more. We’re still not good at it at all but it’s so much harder than it looks. I felt like we looked like a bunch of retards to passers-by but I would love to see them try to get their aim on when they use a hockey stick as a baseball bat. It is actually pretty cool that we just have two big soccer fields literally next door. We can play soccer, hurling or Gaelic football there whenever we feel like it.
Also, dear old MacGuinness has really become a member of the family. I even went out with three of the guys here to buy him new clothes. His police hat doesn’t come off unfortunately but that doesn’t really matter. He now owns two very casual t-shirts for when he’s off duty. I mean, he can’t be a police officer 24/7, that would be inhuman.
There is a girl from Japan here that has been trying to teach me Japanese. I now feel quite confident that I could get by in Japan without that much struggle. Don’t believe me? I can say stuff like: Nihonjin no otoko no hito tabacco o motte imasuka. But that’s not all: boku wa baka, soreto boku wa cawaii. I know, it’s amazing. And maybe all you non-experts didn’t quite hear it, but my pronunciation was flawless as well.
So I guess that’s it for another week. You will all just have to wait patiently for my next entry again. I know it’s hard, but it’s not like I’m particularly enthusiastic to work on my blog every week either.
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04 Maart 2015 - 10:31
Jan :
Hi Nadiem,
Indeed, it's going to be hard: waiting for your next entry. I can see you all playing hurling or Gaelic football and the people passing by thinking you're not right in the head...-:)! I hope that spring will come to Dublin soon so that you won't be cold sitting in your common room and you can go on trips exploring Dublin and its great surroundings. You chose a very wide variety of subjects: you will come back to Nijmegen as a real Ireland expert: language - and culture-wise! but most surprising of all: In the near future you will be addressing your teachers and pupils in Japanese..... They will certainly think you're a 'special' one....... enjoy and keep us posted, greetz, Jan -
13 Maart 2015 - 14:17
Jan Linders:
Hi Nadiem, no news forthcoming from this lovely city on the Liffey.....? Undoubtedly there are a few adventures you'd like to share with your dear readers in this little country by the sea..... take care and keep us posted, greetz, Jan -
26 Maart 2015 - 12:14
Jan Linders:
Hi Nadiem,
I'm afraid blogging does not seem to be one of your strongest points: Big chance you won't become a professional writer....! Or are you secretly writing a book about your Dublin adventures in which you share your clever little day-to-day observations about Irish education and culture with your readers? Anyway, you should have a written diary of your Dublin days to read to your grandchildren in 40 years' time......... They would be delighted......don't disappoint them -;)! Hope you're well. Greetz,Jan -
02 April 2015 - 14:39
Jan Linders:
Greetings from Nijmegen, Jan -
28 April 2015 - 13:07
Jan Linders:
Hi Nadiem, hope you're well. greetz, Jan
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