Weekend in the colorful town of Kinsale ☀️
Argitaratu: 23.01.2019
Harpidetu Buletinera
Last weekend I stayed with Julie and her last host family in the beautiful small town of Kinsale.
(Small warning: Lots of photos!!)
The journey to the south of Ireland took me about 5 hours with 3 buses and a taxi, but it was worth it. Kinsale is a port town located on the coast of the Celtic Sea, with only about 5000 inhabitants, and it is probably the most colorful and 'Irish' town I have seen so far. I really enjoyed my time there, as it was nice to see such a small and cozy town surrounded by so much beautiful and easily accessible nature, which is not the case in Dublin and Galway.
After I arrived, Julie showed me the harbor and we walked to James Fort (the ruins of a fort from 1601).
Then we went to a very cute cafe called 'The Poets Corner', where they also sold used books for a low price or you could exchange a book for two books you brought with you - a great concept in my opinion!
In the evening, Julie's host mother picked us up because their house is located a bit outside the city - actually in the middle of nature. I was very warmly welcomed by the 4-member family and the father cooked three different curries for dinner. Later, we had pancakes after we let the kids convince us to jump on the trampoline with them (a bad idea after a meal!) :).
The weather on Sunday couldn't have been more perfect! Blue sky and sunshine... a rarity in Ireland, especially in January! It felt like spring, with the birds chirping loudly ;). We wanted to go for a walk, but Brendan (Julie's host father) only allowed us to go if we wore reflective vests. The cars drive on the narrow roads at least 70 km/h, even when there could be oncoming traffic and there is actually no space for it because of the narrow roads... Yes, sitting in a car with Irish people can be nerve-wracking sometimes.
Later, Julie showed me around Kinsale, which is a very pretty and not yet so touristy town (except for an Asian lady who kept crossing our path with her selfie stick, always looking for the best light).
Julie is already back in Cottbus now, so it was nice to spend another weekend with her host family and for her to meet my family here last week :).
Unfortunately, I'm dealing with a bit of homesickness at the moment... But it's a good thing that I finally started my volunteer work this week! From now on, I will be helping in a home for people with dementia on three mornings a week :). It started on Monday after I had already visited the home last year, my application finally went through the national security check, and I had an introductory seminar last Friday. There are many things to consider when dealing with people with dementia, and I already know that it won't always be easy, but on Monday, it already brought me so much joy to work with the people! If you want me to write a whole blog post about it, please let me know.. Then I can go into more detail about my future tasks and experiences :).
I don't know how much Brexit is being discussed in Germany, but here it seems to be the only topic in the news lately, and it is often discussed in my host family as well... The risk of establishing a border between Ireland and Northern Ireland is unfortunately becoming more likely (even though my host mother firmly believes that a solution will still be found and that Brexit will not happen), and people here are naturally concerned about what will happen. In Derry, a car recently exploded, which is very likely related to the current Brexit negotiations. I really hope that Ireland doesn't have to establish a border again, as it would revive the border conflict... My host family is glad not to live in one of the counties near the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.
Best regards, Hanna ❤️
Harpidetu Buletinera
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