Sometimes one can feel lost while traveling. Unsure of the future and rather unstable when it comes to social and financial aspects.
I don't want to go home although I miss the people back in Sydney terribly. I love traveling even though there are obviously good and bad times, just like everything else. I have now been away from home for almost six months.
Coming to Dublin has just made me realise just how comfortable I feel in London. Even though it's shit. How do I explain what I mean? Hahaha. Well my old housemate who now lives in there (Umba) said this the other day - "London is horrible. I feel right at home." :D
Not that I don't like Dublin - quite the contrary. It is more like coming to Dublin feels like TRAVELING whereas being in London made me feel like I should be working and settled. I felt comfortable finding my way around and going about day to day life.
Apart from anything else and as strange as it might seem, being in London for a month - I felt at home. Although I do miss Australian people, blue skies, beaches and sunshine, and it is a VERY expensive and overcrowded city - I have mates in London...public transport is fantastic, the city is small and there is just SO much to see and do. Pros and cons as with anywhere.
I'm wondering if I will be drawn to move there after my trip to the U.S.
Even so...I still feel like my life is on hold sometimes. I'm a positive person, but I can't help but wonder what the hell I will do when my money runs out and I have to settle down somewhere. This is going to be VERY hard in the present climate of world economics. Especially in London of all places. Jobs are scarce and I've never LIKED working in general (HA!) I'm sure that if I DO move there, the only job I 'll be able to get will be awfully menial and probably minimum wage.
My travels are going well at the moment though. Dublin is a lovely city and I've really been enjoying the change in environment from London. Its been great to see Heather again. I'm so grateful for her hospitality as I'm sure it's not easy having a house guest for two whole weeks. Heathers housemates Eion and Connor, are lovely guys who've made me feel right at home and been a great laugh.
The only annoying thing here is the climate! I don't mind the cold but its made my car accident injuries play up. My back has been hurting more than usual and my legs and knees are often very stiff after going out for walks in the cold. Yesterday the rain and wind was so freezing that our hands were stiff and red for ages once we got back inside to the warmth. It's even colder than London here and it only just started getting warmer there before I left! Having said that I have noticed more and more SPRING blooms around the place - daffodils, snowdrops and bluebells. Lovely. :)
The history of Dublin is extra interesting. Today Heather and I went on Sinn Féin's Walking Tour of 'Rebel' Dublin. This is a tour run by the Irish Republican party, Sinn Féin.
The tour guide was very well spoken and as we walked around Parnell Square and O'Connell Street we were told of the history of the Republican, Nationalist and Union movements here in Dublin as well as stories of the 1916 Easter Rising and The 1798 Rebellion. The guide pointed out buildings used by important figures such as James Connolly, Theobald Wolfe Tone and Kevin Barry.
It was an enthralling tour and its certainly given me much more of an interest in Irish history; something I know little about.
Yesterday was another historial walking tour - we spent the late afternoon walking around St. Stephen's Green and Merrion Square. Merrion Square are the four streets that surround Merrion Square Park where there many historically significant buildings - including the house where The Duke of Wellington was born and the 1855 to 1878 home of Oscar Wilde.
The large Georgian terraces with their tall windows, colorful grand doorways and cast Iron Boot Scraper hold so much history that it's quite possible to picture exactly what it wouldn't been like in 19th century Dublin. It's indcredable to be walking the same streets (although now with added tarmac) that were walked by James Joyce, W.B. Yeats, Oscar Wilde and other fascinating historical figures.
Tomorrow I'm thinking of going to the Ireland Film Center and perhaps the Dublin Arts and History Museum. Surely it will be another lovely day in Dublin, although hopefully it'll be a tad warmer. :)
