Accordion Morning

When we awoke Friday morning to the sound of an Irishman playing his accordion outside our window, we knew something was about to happen. This was the day we were going to hear back from our interviews and we were way too anxious to do much of anything. To ease our anticipation, we got lunch at our beloved Bagel Haven and tried to waste time chatting while we stared at our phones. (Keep in mind that Al already scored one job as a waitress at the Greyhound race track just east of town, where she works with fun coworkers in a uniquely cool setting.)



Al’s call from the Body Shop came first, and she got the job! She starts next Tuesday in the shop just north of the River Liffey. Now with two solid part-time jobs, both in an upbeat environment with cool young people, Al was set.



Then Mer’s call came. The results were much less exciting; Mer did not get the job. Enter Mer’s inner-monologue: “Really? My Northwestern education can’t even score me a job selling lotions and eye shadow? This is so pathetic. I’ve applied to 50 jobs, in the streets and online. I’ve called back. I’ve spoken with managers. Isn’t this country supposed to have the most booming economy in the world? Why can’t I just get a job? I promise I’d be good. Blast.”



Torn between a feeling of victory for Al and gloominess for Mer, we set out on our zillionth job hunt. The rainclouds were spilling over and it was looking to be a terrible horrible no good very bad day. But then, there, in the middle of Temple Bar, there was a sign in a window that read “Experienced Waitstaff Required.” Mer grabbed a CV and gathered her gusto for this one last shot in the dark. Five minutes and a hurried interview later, she walked back out with a job! The day suddenly turned from dismal to delightful and we danced in the street, realizing our summer was about to begin. We had really done what we set out to do!



We spent the afternoon shopping for uniforms and celebrating our new careers. Al will likely work 3-4 day shifts at the Body Shop and 3-4 night shifts at Dobbins at the Park, while Mer is working every night for the next week, and then 5 nights a week after that. Great success.
Not working together was not part of the original plan and it has lead to one awkward result: nights spent alone. Both Al and Mer have had to entertain themselves – gasp! – without the other and the separation anxiety is resulting in dangerous amounts of harmonica-playing, juggling and Sudoku.

Dublin continues to amaze us with its brilliant sights. We spent some time in the National Gallery, an enormous art museum near Trinity College. There were Monets, Picassos, Van Goghs and Pissaros and best of all, it was free! We also did some exploration of Phoenix Park, Dublin’s version of Central Park and the biggest public park in Europe. The whole thing will take weeks to explore, but we traveled some paths, frolicked in some lovely flower beds and circumnavigated the enormous Wellington Monument. Phoenix Park’s close proximity to our home promises to provide us with a summer of great running paths and several trips to the Dublin Zoo, which lies within.



Now before you start to fret that it’s all work and no play for these women, rest assured we’re still enjoying the night life. Whether it’s watching a football game at The Auld Dubliner, drinking our first Guinness at Fitzsimon’s or dancing the night away at the disco-tech below The Turk’s Head Pub, we always end our evening with the same sentiment: We love this city. Our United Colors of Benetton crew of friends continues to grow, with a recent addition from Germany and Italy. Maybe we should work on meeting some Irish people.

We leave you with a small anecdote: Americans are the only people in the world who can pronounce the oh-so-advanced word “Meredith.” After introductions, Mer gets everything from “Amanda?” to “Martha?” so she’s resorted to introducing herself as “Mer.” But even that has its downfalls. For instance, last night a Spaniard named Eduardo tried to meet Mer and she said, “My name is Mer…you know, like Mary…like the Virgin,” to which Eduardo responded, “Marry? No I will not marry you!?” and stormed away. I guess you can’t win ‘em all!
That’s all for now. Hopefully future blogs will be laden with tales of more friends, successful jobs and more adventures. Until then, Slainte!