Being a tourist is easy; being a resident...not so much

My third day in Dublin actually involved something I was required to be there for, orientation with SWAP (the company that arranged my work permit).  I showed up to an orientation group of 7 people, 5 of whom were Canadian...guess I'm not as original as I thought.  It was useful, if somewhat overwhelming, information.  This is kind of how it went: "Ok, you need to get a GNIB card and then you'll need to get your PPSE card and then you'll need to open a bank account, fill out this form once you have a job and then just fill out this other form and this other form and then you're done.  Oh wait, there's this other form also.  Oh, and did we mention that for all of this you need a proof of residence letter? You're not living anywhere yet? Hmmm, well, no worries, just sort it out at some point before you get a job."  Now, for anyone who knows me, just "sorting it out at some point" doesn't really cut it.  But I'm practicing my very best "chillaxing" skills and trying to trust that with God's help, it'll all get sorted at the right time.  And as usual, I'm probably worrying more than needed.  In an attempt to get the GNIB card figured out before I left Dublin, I was up at 4am this morning to try and get to the Immigration office before the crowds descended.  The office opens at 8am but it's rumored that anyone actually showing up at 8 is usually 350th in line or something crazy like that because people line up before the office opens.  I thought I'd be there in plenty of time, but arriving at 5:15am found me at the back of a line of about 50 people.  After waiting for 2 hours in the cold, I found that I was now at the back of a 100 person line because, yes, people save spots for their 3-4 friends to come and join them in line.  Bah!  I'm not a fan of budders.  I realized there was no way I was getting in there before my bus left for Galway so I headed back to the hostel.  I can get the GNIB card here in the west, it's just not quite as simple as in Dublin.  Oh well, guess I should have gotten there at 3am or something like that. 

On the plus side of yesterday, I headed out to Kilmainham Jail for a tour around the ancient and now closed prison.  This was definitely one of the best historical sites I saw, amazingly well done as far as the restoration and museum section and a passionate tour guide.  Again, I left feeling educated and somewhat distraught after learning what prisoners there had to endure for as little as not revealing their "sources".  If you're into history, check out the story of Ann Devlin.  From the little I learned about her, she was a braver woman than I could ever hope to be.  And a tragic love story, if that's more your speed...Grace Gifford and Joseph Plunkett, secretly married in the prison chapel 3 hours before he was to be executed.  After the actual ceremony, Grace was invited back to Joseph's cell for a 10 minute visit and the entire 10 minutes they were surrounded by guards and officials.  My heart ached for her and for so many other people that suffered in that prison.  As you can probably tell, I really get excited when someone can make history more personal.  So, if you're ever in Dublin, put Kilmainham Jail on your list of things to see.