GOOD OLD (IRISH) TIMES

It's been almost 5 months now.

I boarded the Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Zurich on september 30th and left the Emerald Isle for good. I haven't gone back since.

I was barely 20 years old when I took on a job at 'Hertz' in Swords, Co. Dublin and had just turned 22 when I quit to go back to Switzerland.

I had already spent a half a year in Ireland from january until july 2006 when I was the Au Pair of a lovely Irish family from Ratoath, Co. Meath. So altogether I spent 2 years and 8 months in Ireland and therewith most of my time as an adult.

It's funny how we only start to truly appreciate things when we don't have them anymore.

I think back to my time in Ireland a lot. Every night before I fall asleep. Well okay, not the nights I return home late and completely drunk. The only thing I worry about then is how to find my bed and whether we have some Aspirin in the house wich I can take in the morning to make my head feel a bit lighter... ;o)

There are so many things I'm missing. Too many to remember all of them right now.

Simple things like talking in English. Or having drunken conversations with crazy Irishmen! :-D Or let's take the Cineworld on Parnell Street as an example. I've always enjoyed getting up early on days off to take the bus into town (-->Dublin) and watch a movie (or two) at 10 a.m. The other seats were mostly unoccupied so I could watch the film in peace. And I miss the bakery section at Marks & Spencer on Henry Street. I still have that particular yummy taste of their cookies and muffins in my mouth. Totally different from the slightly nasty odour I could smell every time I passed by St. James's Gate at the Guinness Brewery. But I didn't mind it at all.

I miss the Premier Division football games in Inchicore (St. Patrick's Athletic) and Tallaght (Shamrock Rovers). Surely Ireland has more ecxiting events to offer than a football match between two average Irish teams. Yet I've always enjoyed being part of their fan crowds.

Many times have I walked from O'Connell Street to Sandymount, where I strolled along the beach and looked at one of Dublin's landmarks: The famous Poolbeg Chimneys. I always made a stop at the construction site of the 'Aviva Stadium'. It will open in august this year; on the exact same spot where the old 'Lansdowne Road' used to be. The Aviva Stadium will mostly be used for games of the national football team (which unfortunately won't take part at the Worldcup in South Africa this summer -- thanks to the cheating French basterd Thierry "Thievery" Henry). With its capacity of approx. 55'000 people it will be much smaller than 'Croke Park' (approx. 85'000). Croke Park is the official stadium of the GAA; that's the Gaelic Athletic Association which includes the traditional Irish sports of Hurling, Camogie, Gaelic football and others. I sometimes watched the construction workers doing their job for up to an hour and didn't get bored. It's great to see how something giant is built by human beings. Aviva Stadium will look awesome when it's finished.

I miss the summer night concerts in Phoenix Park or on the grounds of Malahide Castle. Or the nights out at the Old Boro in Swords and the tasty pints there. The many times we danced the night away at Wright's afterwards until the lights went on and we got thrown out by the staff at 3 or 4 in the morning.

I miss the evenings when I went delivering Pizza with my first housemate Adeel, who used to work for DOMINO'S back then. We sat in his old and tiny red Nissan Micra, "cruised" through Swords and surroundings whilst listening to 'Rammstein' or other bands whose music was suitable for (slow) headbanging! :-D

And the time I spent with my latest housemate Carolin from Hamburg. Sunny days were spent on the beaches of County Dublin's coastline. We ate ice cream, chatted for hours and read books. Rainy days were spent in town with shopping, going for a delicious lunch and watching a movie at one of the many cinemas.

I think of all the lovely and extremely funny Irish people I got to know. Those wich had so many stories to tell. The guys with their cute accents... I could have listened to them talking forever! ;o)

Last but not least I have to admit that I even enjoyed the weekends when I had to got to work. The building was quiet and almost empty. No queues on the toilets for a change. The few of us who were there had so much fun! Sitting at our desks in track suits or other very, very casual clothes did we often decide to order food from a local Take Away. Preferably the biiiiiiig 'Wagon Wheel Pizza' from Mizzoni's; cut into 8 huge slices. The men from security down at the entrance/reception had such a laugh every time I passed them by to meet the delivery guy and get the food. Because when I held the Wagon Wheel in my hands I didn't fit through the door anymore, so that the security guys had to let me back in through a "special" entrance.... :-D

I went for dinner with a good friend lately and she asked me a couple of questions about my life in Ireland. She doesn't understand what if feels like to be in love with a place you've left behind. She said: "I'm just back from holidays in Thailand. I had such a great time and wish I could have stayed a little longer. Everything seemed so easy down there. I hate being back to everyday life. But hey, I'll get over it. And so will you!" What's wrong with her?!? She compared a 2-week beach holiday in a 5***** all-inclusive hotel with living abroad for over two years. I worked in Ireland. Made a living there. Learnt to speak English. Went to the pub 3 times a week. Swam in the Irish sea and walked along the beautiful beaches of Malahide and Portmarnock which I could reach by foot in a couple of minutes after stepping out of my apartment. I had Irish neighbours. Went grocery shopping. Adapted an Irish accent. I voted in general elections. Wore the Irish flag with pride. I was part of the society. And definitely not on a holiday!! I will never get over it. Ireland is too precious. And I hope the memories will last forever, and ever, and ever.....