But awareness of the problem doesn't cause it to stink any less.
After the excitenment about the "new-ness" of a place begins to wear off, you are hit with the realization that you are alone. You are no longer a tourist; however, walking along the streets, you still feel like an outsider. Like you don't belong. You realize that you are in a major cosmopolitan city filled with thousands of people, and yet, no one here would care if you disappeared.
Whether you move to a new town or a new country, it takes time to make new friends. I'm actually far ahead of most people - I have an incredible, amazing roommate who immediately shared a bond with me, I have wonderful, awesome coworkers who are willing to hangout after work, and I already had dinner with a family friend. I have a call in to a local football (soccer) league too, so hopefully I can join a team and meet people there. These are all excellent starts to wonderful friendships....but every relationship is still new, and sometimes it gets tiring.
Most friendships need much longer than one week to form. I know it takes a long time to get a network of people going. And yet, it's very easy to feel intensely lonely and homesick. You begin to miss the comfortable feeling of old friends.
It's one thing to be alone by choice because you want quiet time. It's a different feeling when you are alone because you have no one else to be with.
I have Mondays off since I work during the weekend, so today I was all by myself. I decided to take the day to chill out and do normal, mundane things, like laundry and grocery shopping at my local M&S (not to be confused with S&M!).
I took a walk through Phoenix Park, the largest city park in Europe. The place was massive with fields stretching for miles. It is where most Dublin recreation takes place - a perfect spot for jogging, bike riding, and picnicing. It's right next to the Guinness Factory too so, if you wanted, you could really make a day of it.
I, however, decided to only tour the park and leave the Guiness for another day. I just kept walking, figuring that I would go as far as my feet would carry me. I discovered that Phoenix Park is home to Dublin's Zoo, a few monuments, and the President.
I actually walked past the President of Ireland's house at first, and I didn't realize it. A tour bus stopped and I heard the guide muffle something through the speakers so I decided to investigate. That's when I found the plaque. The Irish "white house" has been in the park ever since Ireland became an independent nation. The American ambassador is the only other person to share the grounds, an honor reserved for the US since America was the first country to recognize Ireland's independence.
I continued walking for about a mile, but I suddently stopped short and stared. I had come across a huge herd of deer! The males were passing the time by ramming their antlers together while the femals passively looked on with disinterest. So, the park is home to the President and a random crazy herd of wild deer. Interesting.
I was so busy staring at the deer that I didn't realize that I had just stepped into a big pile of horse poop. (I guess manure is a hazard of polo. I don't know the rules to polo. Do you get extra points if the horse goes to the bathroom during a game?) This was basically the highlight of my day. If horse poop is the most exciting thing that happens, then you can see why it was easy for me to feel lonely today.
Luckily, I go back to work tomorrow. I do not relish waking up in the morning, but it's nice to do be doing something fun and to have a place to go. I'm happy that I'll be around other people for the rest of the week.
The infamous deer....no poop in sight, but it's there....I know it's there.
The President's house...no joke, I waited in front for 10 minutes before the wind finally blew the flag open.
The pope gave a sermon here.
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