Growing Familiar

Two weeks ago today I moved in to my apartment on the Bay and one week ago today I said goodbye to Kevin in the Dublin airport.  I am still very early in my time here, but I have been here long enough to notice what I imagine will be patterns of life here. 

For example, in addition to the smaller vessels docked just outside my apartment, large ships come, stay and go.  I am amazed by how they deftly maneuver into a space dwarfed by their girth.  On impulse I Googled the name of one of the ships and learned that I can access a variety of information about them such as the year they were built, their deadweight, their length and breadth, the fastest speed recorded and their current location.  I feel a little glee when I consider that their current location is outside my window. 

I have become accustomed to Irish friendliness and have enjoyed it a great deal.  I might appreciate it even more than I might have otherwise because during my last sabbatical I couldn’t have friendly conversations in passing because of the language barrier. 

Perhaps the most significant case of friendliness occurred on my second day in Ireland.  Kevin and I had just seen a potential apartment.  The broker told us there was a grocery store nearby and we thought we would check it out to help us get a lay of the land. We weren’t sure where the store was, so we walked into a home improvement store and asked a clerk at the Customer Service desk for directions.  A woman waiting by the desk said to us, “Oh, I’m on my way there.  Jump in with me and I’ll take you.”  Amazing. 

There are so many other examples of friendliness, but just today when I got in line at the grocery store, I smiled at the woman in front of me.  In the two minutes we were in line together, she showed me the shoes she just purchased for five euro and told me about the dress she is wearing at her son’s wedding in October and how she is concerned that the skirt doesn’t fit quite right so she is going to take it to a tailor. 

The location of my apartment offers a physical manifestation of the balance I hope to achieve.  On one side of me I can watch people fishing and ships come and go while I work.  On another side of me is the bay along which I walk every day.  Behind me is the bustling city center.

The Fugro Meridian

The Galway Fisher