The Start of Class

I started classes Monday. These are the real classes with real Irish (and other types of European) students. I was excited for the actual semester to start. The clubs I signed up for would kick into gear and I would see more than old tourists from the States visiting their ancestors' homeland.

My anticipation had started last week during Freshers' Week. It's the week before classes is when the 1^st years show up on campus at Trinity, just like it is at American schools. There are parties, activities fairs, and bank representatives setting up college checking accounts for wide-eyed 18 year olds and their parents. I actually missed most of Freshers’ Week while I was in Paris, but got back in time to take part on Thursday and Friday.

Here is the way it works: In Front Square (the cobbled area you see on all the postcards), every single club sits down at a table and heckles passers-by until they pay a few Euro to join their club. “Hey – do you want to be part of the Indian Student Society?” “Excuse me, do you want to read books to invalid cats on Monday nights?” I was looking forward to joining a few clubs; it should be a good way to meet some like-minded Irish students and get a footing in Ireland.

I skipped the Indian Student Society and the invalid cats club, but found others that I liked better. Most clubs come with discounts to restaurants and cafes around campus and good number of events (usually with liquid confidence). Furthermore, there are two societies that are a big deal - the Phil and the Hist. Both are debating societies that have large spaces in the same building on campus. They boast over 1000 members and depending on when you date their beginnings, are the oldest undergraduate student societies in the world (or at least one of them is). They are rivals in the sense that they compete for the time of their members and bicker over who is older, but a lot of people are members of both. Each week, the groups have a debate on some major topic. Last night was the Lisbon Treaty, week before was whether or not marriage was a dated institution (it was a comedy debate, so while one side said that marriage was gay, the other said that marriage was not gay enough).

I joined both the Hist and the Phil. I have already gone to a debate workshop with the Hist and attended their Lisbon Treaty debate, featuring a former Prime Minister of Ireland, a couple newspaper columnists, and a crazy Danish man who hates the EU. I entered into the Maiden's Debate next week. It's for people who have not done British Parliamentary-style debating before (which includes me, even though I am two years older than most of the competition...shhh!). I will be promoting the legalization of ecstasy in Ireland. What has 2 thumbs and needs some good luck? This guy (points to himself with thumbs)!

I also joined the Environmental Society. This Saturday I will be either working on a community garden or clearing invasive non-native species of plants outside Dublin with them. I am also a member of the Food and Drink club. They put on events related to food each week (although they are falling behind already, because I have not heard anything about this week yet) and finagle sweet deals on restaurant food in the City Centre.

That was a really long digression from talking about classes. Well then.

I will be taking either 3 or 4 classes. Locked in are the Economics of Less Developed Countries and Irish Politics. Economics, etc. is taught by an engaging professor who sounds like he's English, but grew up in one of the exotic places that the English terrorized - I mean colonized. It will be a fun class that has a little more depth than a typical Econ class. Irish Politics is taught by a columnist from the Irish Times who specializes in political corruption. Good thing she is here in a Catholic country, because we all know that Protestant countries don't have as much corruption.

The other classes I am looking at taking, but have not committed to yet are European Economy and Democracy & Development. There hasn't been a lecture for the latter, and the former involved a lot of work, so it is teetering on the edge of falling off of my schedule.

Today I decided I was going to take a few pictures of rather mundane things that I see every day. Actually, I think they're kinda cool, but you probably won't.

This is a walkway above part of the library at TCD. It's like their saying, "Hey, Louvre! We can do it too!"

I walk up this street most days to campus. There is a lot of money to be spent on this street. Expensive cocktail bars and Michelin stars line the avenue.

St Stephen's Green in the fall is beautiful.

A station for a sweet bike sharing program. If I only had a utility bill to prove that I "live here" I could be on campus in like 6 minutes every day.

Where I cross the train tracks for the Luas on the way to campus. My goal for while I am here is to get suction cups on my hands and feet and jump on the Luas train as it went by to avoid paying fare.

This sign is really fucking huge. Like a story and a half. It also calls their opponents crazy.

See how big it is? That is a full sized umbrella that goes over a table.