Random thoughts and observations:

28 aug to 1 sept:

Terminology:
· Dodgy = unsafe/unsavory
· Bit = stretch
· Done up = prepared
· Half 6 = 6:30
· Electric = sparks

Habitat:

· The volunteer concept is an oddity here as building and the trades go, with terminology like “volunteer professional”, “volunteer amateur” and just plain “volunteer” entering printed and shared commentaries ….a reminder of how tenuous language and terminology can be…
· Several security concerns continue to be raised relative to the worksites due to the areas they’re in. Mindful of the inherent and steady progress to a safer environ as groups like HFH partner with Dublin City Council to change the prevailing culture of the areas we and future folks will be working in here. Cool.

· The Dublin City Council currently works to commandeer a well intended 25-30,000 government subsidized dwellings without clear community development programs in place to support them…add in a government mandate that 20% of new construction be socially directed…lots of political implications, push/pull, grievances, agendas. They are beginning to build alliances to reduce renters’ handholding posture/dependence on DCC while alleviating and improving the housing situation overall. Enter HFH as one of a growing number of “trial” partnerships (HFH being unusual in its approach as a volunteer non-profit org), and one captures the importance of creating a precedent for not only decent affordable housing, but the construct of a mechanism to get folks in those houses. Humbling and exciting to be a part of that process.
· Ballyfermot project viewed in person for the first time, a study in spray paint grafitti, broken glass and eclectic smatterings of garbage throughout (along with some colorful original decorating), but largely sound and imminently doable as a primarily volunteer project. Cool. Every visit and view to a site here adds to the Sheila-bank of Irish building quirks and codes. Cool.

Curiosities…
· digital kiosks along the main roads into DCC telling how many parking spaces are available….walk signals that are distinctly auditory….get your heart racing as they flip to “walk” …intentional effort to hustle you across??
· Finding that I notice more details, and sometimes wonder how much is actually different versus my simply being more aware as I seek to learn this new environment …
· Buses are amusing, inexpensive, and occasionally time consuming….sometimes faster just to walk!!
· Advertisement: Your seat and feet thank you for binning your gum when you’re done!

Weather:
Spectacular cloud formations east over the harbor and as storms blow in...definitely can experience four seasons a day, from seeing your breathe in the morning to shirtsleeves in the afternoon, sun to rain…sound familiar, WA friends and family?? Dublin Harbor lies about 5miles east of where I live….sunrise still beautiful… very active water between England/IE/ Scotland…stands to reason the skies would partner in splendor…


Culture:
· Kids tend to be bold, scrappy, irreverent, independent and lively to talk with…
· Cell phones and iPod type devices run rampant; it’s the odd one out who isn’t sporting one or the other or both…
· Baseball cap are not indigenous to Ireland, rather, they’re a sign that you’re either from the US or have visited there…
· Dual language signs ****

Buildings:
· Very few single family detached homes
· Even the most formal brick/stucco fronted homes are often brightly painted
· Thatched roof home discovered enroute to airport, with decorative work from peak…very cool….
· Did you know that “ensuite” means there’s a bath attached?????
· Wire bundled "bales" of stone at toll areas are set like exterior wall faces for highway patrol/garda (police) type offices…very interesting…
· Bridge spans…from stone to new age curved metal…
· A city center building under construction has a full face façade that looks like the finished product in the interim (building in the center below)…safe, easy on the eye and quite convincing on a cursory glance!

Etc….
Notice the change in date presentation? Like baseball caps, a telltale indicator that you’re not of Ireland or the European Union is in recording the date by month/date/year (e.g. 9-4-06), versus date/month/year (e.g., 4 sept 06). The origin of yours truly was deduced this way in Safe Pass class this way. Who knew?