Ok...lots to tell

So. Lets see. I started looking for apartments on Wednesday. Between Wednesday and Friday I looked at about 10 places walking all over the city. It was nuts. Each place kept getting better and better as I learned what to look for and what I wanted. Taylor and I were staying in a hostel and on Friday night they had no more rooms. I had met a girl who was going to rent us her apartment starting Friday night until I found a place but she lived way out of the city and it was going to mean taking all of my stuff on a bus about an hour away. I had scheduled to see one last place before catching the bus on Friday afternoon. As it turns out, it was just across the street from the hostel. The girl who lives there is also 25, from Dublin, works at the Dublin Fire Brigade. She said that she is still in school but I am not sure what for yet. We didn't have too much time to talk as she was going out of town in about an hour and a half and had to go back to work before leaving. After about 15 minutes talking about the apartment I knew this was what I was looking for. It is about 1/2 a mile from my school and right at the center of the city. It is huge (for Dublin standards) and I would have my own room which is about twice as big as all the other rooms I saw and the kitchen and living room are also about twice as big as the other places too. I'm really excited. Its on the top floor of the building, which makes me feel right at home and its completely furnished and nice but not too nice making it really comfortable and cozy. She actually thought that Taylor and I were both going to be living there and she was really cool with that so that was also a plus as she seems really easy going and cool, someone I could very much get a long with. Oh, and she goes home most weekends so she said I would have the place to myself a lot. Also, there is definitely room on the couch for anyone who wants to come visit and my room, as I said, is totally big enough for sleepovers as well. Yay!

So of course, it can't be all perfect right? yes, you're right. Here are the negatives: there is quite a bit of street noise since its so close to the city center and its also on a street where most of the buses in the city stop (which could also be good for getting around eh?) Its more expensive (but still within my budget) and there were other places that were cheaper where I would have my own bathroom or were newer but were also farther away. So that's pretty much it. So very happy to have that out of the way. There's no lease either so if anything does come up then I can get out of it. And with all the people I met I think I made at least one potential friend who likes theater too and we are making plans to go to to a play together in September before school starts! He's a lawyer, knows the city, and had a very nice apartment too so he's offered his place as a backup. All-in-all, it was a good experience and definitely jump-started my ability to get around the city.

Saturday I will call a recovery day. Slept in super late and then went shopping for bed linens. Then what else do you do Saturday night in Dublin...go out and drink Guinness!!! Four pubs later I was back at home in my new apartment and super happy. Today, went saw Christ Church, went to the Guinness Storehouse, and then to catch up on a little 1916 Irish Revolutionary History at the National Museum before heading out again. :) Its been a great week. Next week, we will be heading out of the city. First to see a family friend of Taylor's in Kildare and then over to the west coast for a little bit of surfing and horseback riding I hope!

I hope you are all doing well and leave me a comment so I know you're thinking of me. ;)
Miss you!