nadine: Alone in dublin

This is the day, 2 june 2014, where i was alone in Dublin & my family flew off to Milan. I lost my passport & only realised just when we were about to enter the departure gate. It was a v sad moment as everyone searched my luggage & bagpack thoroughly to find my passport. Furthermore, i had no place to stay & my borther had to quickly book a random hostel for me as most of em were fully booked. This is one extremely painful lesson i learnt to always check to see if my passport is w me before heading off to another location. I was sooo looking forward to Milan. I tried my best to hold back my tears as my mum & bro accompanied me down the escalator. Right before momsie put me in a cab she gave me cash to spend for myself to eat. Whats worse was tt the clothes i had in my hand carry luggage were all bareback rompers. I had no warm clothes whatsoever. I had to buy warm clothes for myself & i was wearing sandals. I left my boots in Cork. I was in the worst situation ever. Momsie texted me everyday. So did Shu Xia, Uncle Ian, Hazel & R. The tany's helped me by ensuring i got my temp passport done within the extended 5 days i was in Dublin. Everyone told me to turn the situation ard by making the best out it & learning to be independent.

Being independent was what scared me to death. I'm the sort of person who needs companionship all the time. I can never eat alone in fear tt ppl wld stare & i will feel awkward. Even gg from place to place within SG i alr had such a big problem! I constantly got help from loved ones & friends & thus, i grew up becoming v dependant on others to help me. So this trip was a big slap in my face to tell me, "Hey, u are 22yo! Grow some balls & learn to be on your own. Find your own direction. Learn how to read a map!" I told myself i was gna make it worth & find my own adventure since there's literally nothing i can do about it. I cried on the first 2 nights im not gna lie. I was scared to death. More so, i was extremely lonely. But the days got better but every night, i had trouble sleeping. I am so used to sleeping alone tt i cannot sleep w anyone else in the room. Let alne a hostel!! I was in a mixed dorm w 9 other ppl! YES NINE!! It was crazy. I felt so insecure. The twins texted me telling me to open up & talk to my room mates. I only did so on the 3rd day. It took me awhile to warm up to others.

Anw,w tt being said, i was forced to read a map & find my way back to the hostel or to any other place i wanted to go on my own. I was forced to eat on my own. I was forced to ask for help when i got lost & i was forced to talk to my room mates all because it was a learning experience for me. I made my own decisions during these 5 days in Dublin alone.

Below, are a series of pictures i took on my phone over the next 5 days. I went on the Cliffs of Moher tour which i will blog about in a separate post because tt very day deserves an entry on its own! (:

I am tho, very thankful to the kind ppl i met along the way in Dublin who learnt abt my situation & helped me heaps on getting my way ard Dublin. Irish are extremely friendly ppl.

Abraham House Hostel

82-83 Lower Gardiner Street, Dublin 1, Ireland
+353 1 855 0600

This is where i slept from 6.30am-12pm.

Usually u dont get to choose your beds. They are assigned to u. But this hostel, they allow u to choose. So i chose the one next to the window! (:

My first breakfast where the waitor was really kind to me. I think the petrified look on my face gave me away. Hahaha he kept asking if i was okay & if i wanted more food or tea. Such a lovely old man.

Shopping to keep me calm & happy.

Best guiness stout beef pie ever!!

If you come across this shop "The Eager Beaver", go inside!! The owner is a lovely man who used to work in SG in the Navy. He loves Singapore. He was super kind to me & showed me on the map places i shld go & stuff. He even wrote down the address of his shop in case i got lost if i ever needed helo w anything. I purchased 2 skirts from him which are absolutely lovely! It's a printed skirt in & out which means i can wear it 2 ways w 2 different patterns!

This man! He is really nice!

It started to rain as u can see the grey skies.. It was mad cold!!!! But i rmbr walking pass this bridge & i saw several seagulls & i told my mum i wanna g over to take photos. She told me no as we were rushing. So this time, i was all alone now, & i plucked up the courage to go up to the homeless man feeding the seagulls, stood in the cold rain, & asked the guy if i cld feed the birds too. He was so kind & gave me a entire packet. He even taught me a lil about seagulls. I was happy. Even in the rain when my fingers were numb & my face so cold, i was happy feeding the seagulls w this homeless man.

As the rain died down, i bid farewell to the homeless man & ran across the bridge for a cup of hot chocolate. Then i thought of the homeless man in the rain, & bought him a sandwich to go w the cup of hot chocolate to keep him warm. I walked over the same place he was at & handed it to him, telling him to keep warm. He look up at me & smiled & thanked me several times. I felt good tt day helping someone out.

Temple bar.

If u ever come across this pink building, go inside, & visit Lucy's vintage shop! ITS THE BEST! I went back on the last day to do some last min shopping.

Almost every night i ate a bar of twix cause it was mad cheap there!!!

Every busker, sounded amazing! Keywest, an upcoming band trying to make it big in Dublin. I am v sure they will. They were sellin their own CDs. They write their own songs & they are really good! I regret not buying a CD now.

This is where i sat every single night to watch my tv shows. Wifi connection from my room which is right at the highest level is bad. And i had to walk up the numerous flight of stairs every single day...

This is the Singapore Honorary consult for singaporeans who lose their passport. Just rmbr this green door, & it is located right at the back on the long stretch of road. They only see ppl on appointments. So rmbr to either email them first or call. This is just in case anyone loses their passport.

Address:

2 Ely Place Upper

Dublin 2. Ireland

Tel:

001- (353) -1-669 1700

Fax:

001- (353) -1-669 1710

Email:

ron.bolger@ely.ie