The Leaning Curve

If the time before we left Indy was measured in hours, then the time since our arrival in Dublin early Tuesday morning has been measured in what I will call "learning moments".

In no way is the following list meant to be a complaint - - to quote the grandmother of a dear friend, "you can bitch all you want just don't complain". . .

So, here are some of the things that we have learned:

• the customs agents in Dublin have a good sense of humor when your wife hands you HER embarkation paperwork instead of your own (jetlagged Mark was so confused!)
• airport taxis are MUCH cheaper in Dublin than in NYC
• pay as you go phones are very reasonably priced - - using them is not
• it will take a LOT of convincing to get your landlord to believe that the heat does not work in the living  area of the apartment (landlord - "Oh, that is a cold, cold apartment" us - "well, if it is 50 degrees outside it should be at least that warm inside" . . . and on it went -- good news was, by the third day, the electrician had arrived and replaced the broken thermostat - nice and toasty now
• Irish TV has a lot of US programming on it
• grocery stores may close at 7:00 p.m.
• restaurants (off season and mid week) may close at 8:00 p.m.
• somehow the US has bred all of the flavor out of chicken
• do not assume that just because Fulbright has deposited funds into you Irish bank account that you will be able to access said funds
• if the sun is shining when you leave the apartment, you should still take a raincoat
• just because the oven looks clean doesn't mean that you shouldn't lift the aluminum foil to check underneath before you fire up the oven
• Leprechauns are real - - I know this because they designed the appliance placement in the kitchen (the oven and microwave are 10" off the floor - - do you know how hard it is to read the directions down there with tri-focals???)
• "one euro" stores are VERY helpful when setting up a household
• it is challenging to stock a kitchen from scratch when you'll only be somewhere for four months
• it is necessary to empty the "condensation receptacle" on the dryer, which caused Mark to ask "where do they drain the washing machine that it couldn't accept the dryer water??"
• it is mischievously fun to read the Indy news updates and realize that Mark is not on the "ice rink" that is I-65 outside of Lafayette
• walking everywhere is really fun
• there is always something fun to do in Dublin
• TGIF
• I'll post some pictures next week
• Cheers!