Limerick, I have come!

So, I finally got internet. I actually already arrived on Monday, but the campus here had some issues concerning a switch which was used for the Internet, so here is a somewhat later update.

The morning before departure:

So, let's start with the morning of departure. I had to get up at 4 AM, as we were leaving half an hour after that. I hardly slept at all, but still enough to keep going. Then at 4.30, we left. After every object we passed in Eibergen, I kept thinking "I won't see that for another 4 months...". It actually felt like saying goodbye forever.

At Schiphol:

So, after approximately 2 hours we arrived at Schiphol. Basically, we were 3 hours before my actual departure, where we had planned to be a mere 2 hours early. Oh well, it did mean I had plenty of time to say goodbye to my parents, accompanied by a lovely cup of coffee from the starbucks! We hung around here and there after that, exploring the airport, but then it was really time to say goodbye. I was actually surprised that my mother did not burst into tears right there! (hehe, sorry mum, I really thought you would!) After that I checked up with Kelly at gate D-16 (where we were to get our luggage checked and board our plane)

My first flight:

That fateful Monday was actually also the day I'd take my first flight by plane. I was a bit anxious to be honest; I had no idea of what it'd be like! A few people actually told me it'd feel a bit like being in a rollercoaster, whilst others told me there was really nothing to it. I have to say that the second was true; there really was nothing to it, if it is comparable to a rollercoaster ride, then they were problably talking about those suitable for 5 year olds. It was quite a cloudy day, which ensured a couple of sweet pictures after we went through the cloud cover. After a while, we started the landing sequence, which allowed me to take some scenic pictures of the Irish landscape near Cork. The landing part was also not all too exciting, but probably the most exciting part of the flight.

From Cork to the City Campus at Limerick:

So there we (Kelly and I) were, arrived at Cork, Ireland. The first I stepped I took in Ireland the following thought ran through my head "This is a small step for (a) man, but a large step for Roy" =D, sorry guys, just couldn't resist... After having retrieved our bags ( I was actually getting nervous here as it took a bit before my bag turned up) Kelly and I took the bus to Limerick. This was about a two hour ride in which there no real events to tell you anything about (except perhaps for me falling asleep a couple of times). Now, when we arrived in Limerick, things got a bit more interesting. Kelly fortunately had printed a small map of Limerick. Here, it was shown where the location of the City Campus would be. Unfortunately, the map was not completely accurate, which made us walk around a bit. After a short search with our heavy bags (Kelly actually had one of those bags with wheels attached to them, I envied that at that moment) we managed to find it. Irony would have it that we arrived during lunch time. We were therefore asked to kindly come back in half an hour, but already did receive our keys. We were able to leave our bags there though! Kelly and I decided to get our lunch somewhere in the city centre. We ended up in a place called "Cappucino" where we both bought a sandwich. After walking around a bit, we decided to go back and be shown around.

The Irish tour with a Dutch flavour to it:

Now, for our short tour around the City Campus, our stuff was picked up by a man, named Ron, who came to the administration centre with a van. After listening to his pronunciation on the phone, Kelly and I both concluded that he had a strong Dutch accent! Thus, when we had arrived at Kelly's building (we live a short 30 meters away from each other), I asked him where he was originally from and what do you know; he was Dutch! The rest of the information was given to us in Dutch (though it was obvious he was quite used to speaking English, as he was sometimes switching languages). He showed me and Kelly both around the places. What was remarkable was how the Irish apparently have a system which only heats your water and fills a tank with it. You actually have to start this sequence manually and if the warm water is out, you'll have to restart the sequence again. The place I got is actually not that big. It is pretty comparable to my place in Nijmegen, but looks much nicer! The living area / kitchen looks great too, even though it is quite cheaply built. We have two bathrooms with each having a shower in it as well. Eventually, I will have four roommates, which is already 12 less than I'm used to.

The Campus and the Ghetto:

Ron did tell us one quite troubling item; From one of my to-be-roomies, you can look over a place ruled by gangs. He already warned me not to enter that area (southhill) as it was quite comparable to the Bronx in some ways. This area actually stops right behind the Campus, which made it extra troubling! You can guess; I was quite worried when I heard this. However, be reassured that the City Campus is a safe spot. There are fences about two floors high (i live on a third floor, by the way) made of concrete and there are cameras everywhere. In order to enter the area, you need an appartment key. The key actually works with a chip, rather than a lock. Also, the main road, which links up with the Campus, is guarded by unmarked police cars. Having been around town already a couple of times, I do feel reassured now.

My stays on Monday and Tuesday:

The main activity which kept me busy the last two days was shopping, trying to get internet, cooking and cleaning. Especially shopping his been quite a task. There's actually a Lidl here in Limerick, not too far from the City Campus. Kelly and I went there on Monday to get some groceries and cleaning products. I actually managed to spend €55,93 on it!! The real challenge was to take all those groceries back to the City Campus again. We actually had to take breaks on our way back as the bags were really heavy! I also got myself some beddin on Monday. Tuesday was my lazy day; I slept in till 12.30 and after that I made myself a couple of egg sandwiches. Late in the afternoon I got myself a mobile phone with an Irish number, an alarm clock and some other miscellaneous items which are quite useful for my place / our kitchen

And finally:

Today I actually met my first roommate! He's named Pat (after Patrick) and comes from Australia. Quite a nice guy really. Accompanied by Kelly, I took him to the Lidl (yes, I had to do more groceries!) and we decided we'd go to a pub tonight.

That's it so far, I'm really looking forward to the next couple of days!

Ps. wouw, that was quite a long blog

Pps. I will put some pictures up here soon