Adventures in Dublin
Why don't I miss home
yet? Because I have this view from my window...
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...and this from my front door. |
On days when the weather is good, I'll cut through St. Stephen's Green--technically making my commute longer, but I enjoy it--to appreciate the trees and flowers. |
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My university is another reason I don't miss home.
Not only is Trinity College Dublin a beautiful place to study, the library
is phenomenal. They've a copyright guarantee that gives them a copy of every
book published in Great Britain and Ireland--they're up to 4.5 million volumes,
and about a mile of new shelf space a year. I'm impressed with the
amount they have on Viking archaeology, but I suppose that's why I came here.
My department is also a wonderful place to work, and my adviser, Terry
Barry, is a pleasure to work with.
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The rest of the city itself is lovely, inspiring...it's got a different character from American cities. Where in America the dirt and corrosion and decay seem like they're eating away at the fabric of the land, here it's more like a patina over elegant age. |
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The water, also, is never far away. I've never been much of a water person, but there's something about the spray of the ocean or the smell of the river that gives you a charge. Some would say it's the fumes from the pollution, but I'm more inclined to a romantic explanation. |
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Obviously, I do miss home, but I miss the people there more than I miss the scenery or the feel of the land. Being here has given me cause to rethink my appraisals of America--what I think about the terrain's natural beauty, what I feel from it's people, the energy that makes it a priori different from Europe. It's been a changing experience. I feel more whole, more complete...I guess that's why I don't miss home. |
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