Monday, 18th of April

Yesterday it all started: The goodbyes. Let me tell you, it's not my thing. With a brave smile, but a lump in my throat, I told my crying sister that it would work out all right. It took me a long time to realize that I was really about to leave the Netherlands and head to Dublin for 10 weeks. After the passport check at the airport I took a last glance back at my parents and my lovely boyfriend, Dirk, and I headed off to the security check.

In the plane it finally dawned to me, I was heading off to Ireland and I wouldn't see the wonderful Dutch cows, chickens, mills and tulips for 10 weeks. But more importantly, I wouldn't see my friends and family for this long period of time.

The flight was very pleasant. No vomiting passengers, massive turbulence or any other disturbing thing. I had a seat at the emergency exit, which made me feel oddly safe. I wasn't allowed to put my luggage at my feet because of the exit, as the stewardess kindly reminded me. I could see the landscape change outside the window and I realized that I was definitely not in the Netherlands anymore...

The arrival in Dublin went smooth. With Margot, one of my classmates, we grabbed our luggage and searched for the Airlink bus which would take us to the centre of Dublin. Margot stays at a hostel in the Temple Bar district, and our ways parted there. I took a walk to the Four Courts Hostel, rang the bell and entered the wonderful entrance of the hostel.

At the reception desk I met Ray, who will be my colleague for the next couple of weeks. He greeted me with a big smile and a warm welcome to Dublin. With his long hair and somewhat shabby clothes he looks like he would dwell way better in the 60s as a hippie. He looks like the perfect colleague with whom you can laugh and chill and never grow bored off.

Ray called Cathal, the manager, that I arrived and they gave me my room-pass and a key to lock the safe under my bed. I stay at the third flour in room 302 on bed number 4. It turns out that the room looks pretty neat. I sleep in a 12 bed dorm with 6 double beds. I sleep in the corner on the lower bed.

When I get down again Cathal gives me a wonderful tour around the hostel and shows me all the different rooms that they offer. It all looks clean and nice. The view is also very pleasant, you can see the beautiful building the Four Courts just outside my window.

I'm free for the rest of the day. Tomorrow I'm going to start at the reception desk at 11 AM and I will get my first instructions there. On Wednesday I will get a tour around the city on a hop-on-hop-off-bus, Cathal tells me.

At 16.30 I contact Margot to grab a bite at a pub or another cheap place. We end up at a diner which looks like the setting of Grease. After a big hamburger, french fries and a coke I felt totally refreshed and Margot and I went to search a supermarket to fetch stuff for tomorrow. Unfortunately most of the supermarkets are closed at 7 PM but after a while we found one. The owners only spoke Polish or something like that, but we got the basics to live another day:)

After that I went back to the hostel and tried to set up my internet connection. This took some time because my Firewall kept blocking the WiFi of the hostel, but with some help from Cathal IT WORKS!! I'm so happy:) Finally connected to the rest of the world.

Right now I'm sitting in the TV room on a great couch and I just called my parents via Skype. One of the greatest inventions ever. I'm going to head off to bed, got a big day tomorrow!