Today was a great day, probably in large part because I made it more than two blocks away from my apartment. I unfortunately had to get up at 6:30am, which is absolutely awful on a Saturday, especially since I still haven't completely adjusted to the time difference and so had trouble falling asleep last night. Why was I up at such an ungodly hour, you ask? Well, on a whim about a month ago, I had registered to take the Foreign Service Exam. It's only offered once a year, and today was the only test date. I had planned ahead and registered to take it at the US Embassy in Dublin. For those of you whom I work with, don't be concerned that I'm abandoning you--a) the application process to work in the Foreign Service can take up to two years, b) the application process is absurdly difficult to pass, and c) I have no idea what's next for me, but switching jobs definitely isn't on the horizon anytime soon.
Anyway, the exam was actually a fun way to start off my Saturday, probably because I'm completely masochistic in a trivia-loving kind of way. The test is broken up into four parts: general/job knowledge, essay, biographical, and English expression. The general section asks all sorts of trivia about Constitutional amendments, geography, history, culture, etc.; the essay is an essay, obviously; the biographical section makes you answer all sorts of questions about yourself; and the English expression section is similar to most standardized English exams. I think that I rocked the geography, at least--all those hours spent making my own little geography reports in Ukraine really helped me. Even now, more than a decade later, I can pick most African countries out on a map. If you're interested in trying, go to http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/index.html; I got a 140 out of 162 possible points on the Africa quiz, in case you'd like a bit of friendly competition.
Unfortunately, geography was a small component of what they tested, and the rest of the test was difficult. But, I managed to end early, and even better, I managed to leave during a break in the cyclical rain showers that were occasionally dousing Dublin today. Best of all, though, I secured an invite to a party at the Marine House on Good Friday. This is key because a) all bars and pubs are closed on Good Friday and b) drinks are only 2.50 euros, which is absurdly cheap for Dublin. I haven't decided if I'll go yet, but it could be fun to meet people whom I don't work with, so we'll have to see.
Anyway, after the exam, I met Irish Matt (who, obviously, is Irish and is back here rather than still in India) for a very late lunch. That turned into several hours of hanging out. He v. briefly showed me Trinity College, which he graduated from a few years ago, and which is home to the Book of Kells and an apparently-beautiful library that I will have to check out at a later point. Then, we stopped at a pub for my first pint (well, to be honest, first two pints) of Guinness. I must say that I like Guinness, even if it hasn't been transformed into the deliciously-potent Irish Car Bomb (which I will have to remember not to order here, judging by the look that Matt gave me when I mentioned them to him). I then caught a taxi home around 8:30, since he was having dinner with some friends, and I enjoyed the pleasant aftereffects of two pints of Guinness by eating leftover Indian food and reading a book in bed for awhile. A few years ago, I never would have dreamed that the day would come when I would be completely satisfied by 32 ounces of beer and a puddle of reheated curry, but stranger things have happened.
Tomorrow, I'll have to go back to the main area of Dublin and check out the shops--particularly the bookstores, of course, even though they are v. dangerous for me. Luckily, the stores aren't open long on Sundays, which will naturally curtail my acquisitive tendencies. Now, though, it's time to curl up in bed and dream of pleasant things. Perhaps I'll dream of leprechauns--I haven't seen any here yet, and I'm really disappointed. I've seen a few people who look like soccer hooligans, but that's as close as I've come. Hopefully some trips to the countryside will rectify this situation.
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