Jails and Soccer Games

Hey everyone!

Today, we visited Kilmainham Gaol (Jail). Suzanne apparently is fascinated with jails because she thinks they say a lot about the society and history of an area. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and was literally spewing fact after fact after fact. It was difficult to take all the information in, especially in our still-jetlagged states. But it definitely gave us insight into the former tension between Ireland and Britain, especially since many rebels and important leaders who fought for Irish independence were held in the cells. The jail was initially founded on the idea that “silence, separation, and supervision” would change the prisoners, but the model failed time and time again because the jails became cramped and filthy after the Irish potato famine hit. People would intentionally commit petty crimes to land in jail, where they were fed three meals a day and had shelter (somewhat) from the cold. This is only a slice of their tumultuous history, but it definitely was a fascinating piece of their story. (If you want to hear more about it, message me, and I’d be more than happy to talk about everything I learned!)

Kilmainham Gaol

One of the original cells

Afterward, Bill and Suzanne dropped us off at the Irish Museum of Modern Art. Hilariously enough, the IMMA was actually closed for construction, so we attempted to navigate our way back to the hotel on the bus without Bill and Suzanne’s help. We were successful. (But the bus systems are EXTREMELY confusing here. I miss how clear New York’s public transportation was).

Irish Museum of Modern Art

Later, we went grocery shopping and cooked pasta and salad for dinner tonight. We figured that cooking occasionally would be cheaper than eating out EVERY night, so here’s to hoping that I learn how to cook decently and don’t give anyone food poisoning :) Afterward, we dressed up in all the green, white, and orange we owned went to a local pub (which you can get into if you're over 18) to watch the Eurocup game between Ireland and Croatia, just as our taxi driver had suggested.. I never thought of Ireland as a huge soccer country, but the once busy streets were practically empty during the game. Although Ireland, sadly, lost, but it was interesting to watch the locals get fired up over the game. Once again, I noticed that it was surprisingly easy to talk to the locals. Another thing that I noticed is that it gets dark really, really late (especially since we’re so far up North). It didn’t turn super dark until about 11 PM, so my mind was tricked into believing that it was much earlier than it actually was.

Tomorrow, we begin orientation. I know I haven’t had very many insightful posts yet, but hopefully once orientation starts or once I start working in my placement, I’ll have more interesting things to say. :]

Smiles,

Anna