Thieves, drunkards, and politicians

The last few days have been crazy.

Saturday, I got a charge on my checking account for $682 from Amazon UK, right after my mom had put $700 in my account. My first thought was that my card was stolen, but it was still in my wallet. I talked to one of the other girls here about it, and she said the same thing happened to her when she was still in the States, and her bank thought it was related to the Target fiasco. Either way, my bank had to cancel my card in order to process the fraud claim. They’re refunding the stolen money, but it might take up to a week because the charge has to come out of pending status before they can issue a refund. Meanwhile, my new debit card is being sent to my parents in Magnolia, who will then have to send it out to Ireland. 

Before I left, my parents had gotten me a few American Express traveler’s checks for emergencies. I thought this qualified as an emergency. Finding a place to cash those puppies was another trick and took a bunch of phone calls and one very long walk to O’Connell Street. But more on that in a second.

After spending an hour on the phone with Wells Fargo Saturday night, I went out with some of the other people in the program to a pub in our neighborhood. And you guys, Irish pubs are fantastic. They’re basically everything good in the world. Firstly, I can get into them without a cover. Secondly, I can buy alcohol in them. They play the music just loud enough that it’s fun but not so loud that you can’t talk to other people. It’s not so crowded you can’t breathe. You can sit down. You can dance. They play music popular in America, but not just current Top 40 hits or auto-tuned club music. Saturday night they played Queen. They played Journey. They played the Spice Girls. They even played Hal Ketchum. (I almost fell out when I heard Austin country music in a Dublin pub. I don’t even think I’ve ever heard “Past the Point of Rescue” at Midnight Rodeo.)

But it gets better. No random guys try to grind on you at pubs. There’s no line at the bathroom. They play NFL games on the TVs. The liquor is stronger. The Guinness is cheaper. Last call is at 3 AM. 

Yesterday passed uneventfully and was spent almost entirely trying to figure out my financial situation. Today, we had a meeting with the director of the Institute of Public Administration to talk about our internships and classes. We finally found out just what exactly the IPA is. Essentially, it’s the public affairs school of University College Dublin, but it’s also part of the Irish treasury department. So they have students trying to earn Bachelor’s degrees, but they also provide certification and training programs for civil servants, as well as conduct research for the treasury. We’ll be taking three classes (one over Irish literature, another over the history of Ireland, and a third over Irish society and politics), mainly with other American students studying abroad in Dublin. We’ll have class one and a half days a week and spend another two and a half or three at our internship. We’ll be matched with either a TD (a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower legislative house, analogous to the House of Representatives) or a Senator. Ireland is a small country, so we’ll likely be the only “staffer” in our representative’s office, and will probably be dealing with more local issues than would someone in the office of a US Senator or House member.

After the meeting at the IPA, I went off on a quest to cash my traveler’s checks. I ended up walking a little over two miles up to O’Connell Street. I finally got my checks cashed, and then decided to have a look around Temple Bar. I ended up touring Dublin Castle, which was beautiful. The tour was incredibly informative, as well, and I feel a little more in touch with the city after learning about its origins. I took a lot of pictures, which I’ll upload soon, along with some pictures of my apartment.

Despite all the drama with my debit card, I’m having a fantastic time in Dublin. My favorite part so far is how absolutely nice everyone is. Anyone and everyone will start a conversation with you, and they’re always genuinely interested in what you have to say. I think I have a bit of added novelty being from Texas. Everyone Irish that I’ve met has had a bunch of questions about what Texas is like.

Tomorow, we start our first day of classes at IPA. Next week, we start our internships. I couldn’t be more excited about all the opportunities the next three months will bring.