Irish memories

The 9th of February i decided to go on a new adventure again. Ireland would be the place start. Dublin the place to be!
Jacobs inn a huge hostel, who i didn't fancy that much. But looking back now, it's not the worst either. Because it was really hard to meet individual travellers in the hostel, i joined a backpackerpubcrawl the first evening.
I had no shame to ask a group of friends, if i could join them. The first group were american students, i soon found out that i had nothing in common with them, so i joined a group of English girls, who were happy to adopt me for the evening. I had a good time wandering around the city, following the pubcrawl people from one bar to another. Eventually i got out of a sort of club/pub and i had no sense of directions anymore. I had to ask the security men, where the river was. It was a long walk home. 40 minutes to be exact. The following days i didn't do much exciting, then eating out and having a drink at Dark Kelly's. My favourite bar so far in Dublin; good music, recognition from the staff, cheaper drinks and suitable for all ages and lifestyles.

I did go on a tour to the Giants Causeaway. The tour started at 06.30am and i was back at 18.45pm. It was a beautiful day up north, what was i lucky with the weather that day. Sadly the early morning, the day started with heavy wind, somthe famous rope bridge was closed and in Belfast i joined the black taxi tour, who i found very interesting.
Ridicilious that they still have a wall there to seperate Catholics and Protestans. There's even a gate that still closes every night at 22.00pm and the other gate closes at 19.00pm and will not open on sundays at all. Religions don't make the world a better place, it's only making place for excuses.

The 15th of February i took the bus to Limerick. My friend Claire picked me up and we drove to her place in Knocklong. This would be my home for the next 4 weeks. Claire and Richard took me in their home if it was the most natural thing to do. They both have a busy working life. Claire as an accountant, and Richard works for DLL and drives around south and west Ireland to see customers. His car is his office and otherwise it's the kitchen. Besides his job, he is also a farmer. He buys calves, feed them and in 2 years they should be big enough to be sold to the meatfactory. I tell you, that you wouldn't believe me that it's possible to grow in 2 years that big, enormous and ugly looking! Would they know, they are going to face dead in 2 years?

DLL by the way is a Dutch company that falls under the Rabobank; De Lage Landen.

Besides work they both participate in sports.
Monday: pilates/swimming Tuesday: satdancing Thursday: fitness
Friday: soccer night. On weekends, they are normally fully booked with friends and family events. Usually they don't eat dinner together. They both drive a lot for their work and are a lot on the phone aswell. They have a life, i wish i'll not have. If this is marriage; not eating together, always looking after the animals, no time to chill out. Pfffffffff Claire and Richard seem to be happy in it though.

The first week i joined Claire with satdancing and fitness class. The Irish dance was fun and i got to dance with the teacher. Private dance lessons as what they said. If you would miss a lesson, it wouldn't matter, you will dance yiur way through it, guided by some other dancer. On thursday i joined Claire with her fitness class. That was a nice excercise, but with my work on the farm and dinnertime, i found it a rush to join the next time.

So me working on a farm, you would think twice right?
Well i helped Richard's brother and his wife Carmel out with feeding the new born calves, on their dairy farm. My first day i even see a calf being born. First the legs, then the head and then the rest of the body. They come out big and slimy.

For feeding the new born calves i had to put my fingers in their mouths, the smell was and still is disgusting. I also had to held up the head, and they were not allowed to run away, so keep that in mind. It sounds really easy, but it's hard work.

The calves who are 2 days old, drink from a 10 feeder, but you need to keep an eye on them. They all have to drink from a fake tit at the same time, but they are not use to it, so that was hard work. They are very strong and especially when they are hungry. Claire borrowed me her new farm jumpsuit, jogging trousers, long socks, long sleeve shirts and jumper for underneath the overall, plus her purple wellies, who i fit with 2 pair of socks.

The calfs from Richard are older and need to grow big in 2 years time. For his calves he uses calf feeders machines. So one by one they have to go in this animal feeder box, the tag they have in their ear, will be noticed by the machine, so Richard will know which calf drinks the best and which one need to drink more. But of course the machine didn't work the way it should, so Claire and I had to catch them one by one and push them in the feeder. They were so hungry and for that really agressive. They search where they can drink from, so my bum and my genital organs were attacked and hard, and they licked every where. Claire's jumpsuit was getting stinky and dirty in a minute bleeeeeh
Another day I had to chase the calves, holding them by their tale, but they were too smart and at the same time very dumb. Because if i wouldn't catch them they would starve. I fell on my face quite a few times. After 3 hours, Claire and i had captured the 50 calves, so lunch time!! 5 hours later i had to push Claire to go back to the calf shed and look if they had been drinking by them self. She called me a slave driver!! She woke up Richard and with the 3 of us, we had to do the morning shift all over again. " stupid sheeps!!" 21.30pm dinner time and 23.00pm bedtime.

A week before i would go travelling again, i got sick. I still don't know why or how exactly, but i got really sick. It lasted till i finally went to the doctor on tuesday. I got an injection and medicine against vomitting and nauces. Since that friday i couldn't drink or eat. I was living on air. I kept my window open day and night. By that time i had no idea, how freezing cold it was outside. I was so warm, couldn't handle any smell, no heaters and i slept, and slept and slept, being disturbed by vomitting and diarrhoea.

Richard and Claire took good care of me. Claire called me every day from work, being my supervisor. I hadn't lost my sense of humor, but i missed being myself and eat whatever i wanted. I maybe even missed the "5" well-known as the 5 kids from Carmel and Patrick. They brought me hot chocolate, but by that time it was only bleeeeeeh to me.

Well people this is it for now, my other memories of Ireland will be written in my next story. At the moment i'm in Slovenia, but in 2 days I'll be in Croatia again. Plitvice lakes is the next spot!

See you!