Proteus.

I have a strange feeling that I have both been here forever and also just got here. Dublin so far is incredibly easy to navigate and feels like a small town more than a giant cosmopolitan city. The first day we were here--which at this point feels like weeks ago as well as yesterday--our group went to eat at an Italian restaurant and spent the evening dealing with lack of sleep in our hostel. Our group is split into two rooms, one with 4 people and one with 9 people. I am, unfortunately or fortunately, in the room with 9 people. We have our own bathroom and a
kitchenette in the bedroom as well as a living area space we've been using as a classroom for discussion. All in all, it is quite the luxury hostel suite--though I am worried about 9 girls sharing a bathroom, most of us with long hair.

Our second day we spent walking around the city, starting at the James Joyce Center in northern Dublin. This museum was centered around James Joyce and had a number of videos and computers with information as well as a mock-up bedroom he would have composed his masterpieces in. Apparently he and I are both incredibly cluttered and live in

very small spaces--though I am no master of the english language. It amazes me that a man of such genius can write the masterpieces he has on the Irish culture from a tiny, cluttered bedroom in Switzerland. After the museum we walked around the city a bit, taking in Temple Bar and the fun pup culture of the city. The city itself has amazing music culture, with musicians playing in bars or on the street everywhere. You can hear anything from traditional Celtic pipes to John Lennon covers or Pink Floyd. Strange and entertaining.

Today, the head of the James Joyce Museum, which is at the Martello tower in which Stephen Dedalus lived in the first episode, led us on a tour of the Wandering Rocks episode. We walked through Temple Bar and part of downtown, past the castle, and he read aloud to us a number of scenes from this episode. Personally, I am just starting this chapter and hope that after seeing these places in real life it will help put a picture in my head. While as someone who has studied modern literature I appreciate the stylistic liberties Joyce employs, but it sure does make it hard to get through the novel. Every few pages I turn back, trying gain my bearings on a picture in my head or a few plot points. But actually seeing the buildings is so interesting. Many of the buildings have changed but have the same look to them and the neighborhoods are still pretty similar to what they were in Joyce's time.

Tomorrow, we head to the Tower and the beach. Pretty exciting, though I have a feeling it will not be warm. :-)