Immigratio, rejection, over ambitions and a sterile library

Hi Everyone

So the internet is still horrid it was supposed to be fixed last week which means that it probably should be fixed this week but so far nothing. I'm giving it until wednesday before I go out and buy some otherwise writing my first Irish term paper is going to be a disaster if I cannot upload it to the website. For whatever reason the internet seems to like facebook but hates my school needed webpages. And anytime I do anything productive like look up russian words in a dictionary it locks up on me. I don't know why but it seems to think I must really want to be on facebook all the time and I don't. I know internet here is going to be slower but I find it frustrating when all I want to do is read about the Munster plantation for a paper.

Moving on-I should tell you something about my experience with immigration last Wednesday. Or perhaps give you the intro to it first. So on orientation day which was back on the 2 of Sept or the 3rd I can't remember they changed it too many times, which is a common thing here to change the dates constantly. I have no idea why. Classes don't meet in the same room each day either so I think it must have something to do with needing something different each day. During orientation the Garda (Irish police) came up to tell us about immigration and the head of immigration went up to the podium and gave his speech. I don't like to speak ill of people but my first impression of this man was how much of an ego can you fit up on that stage right now? I wondered if this was a regular thing to be the head alpha male and exert his more or less holier than thou prerogative or just to freak us out before we went to the immigration office? Either way I was not pleased to be talked down to as if I was planning on disobeying the law and not planning on registering or as if I was not going to accept the appointment handed to me to get this taken care of since the Garda doesn't offer appointments to anyone. I learned during this speech that half of the documentation I possessed was not going to be suitable. Why no one bothered to give the specifics before baffled me if you didn't want an online bank statement print out but rather a real one with the bank's fancy watermarked paper then why didn't you say so? I quickly phoned home once it was a decent hour and the day or two before I was given my appointment I received my papers.

Last Wednesday I got up bright and early at 7am and went off to my appointment at 8:30am at the Garda Immigration office over the river and through the woods. I'm not making a pun about that last part it really was over the river and through the woods of the forest park. I arrived early and the 6 or so students who had appointments before me were no where to be seen. Meanwhile a few families were sitting there probably since 7am waiting to get taken care of not noticing the signs posted saying the next few days were dedicated for student appointments only. I felt bad for them because some had little children who looked so unhappy to be sitting there. I was called up and who do you suppose got to do my paper work? The same man who could play god with my immigration papers. The same man who seemed to really enjoy living it up on his high horse. However I did not back down I was willing to work things out in a cordial manner but also hold my ground. I dressed in my diamond checkered sweater with glasses figuring the more clean cut, good natured, intelligent college woman would prove I was taking things seriously. And imagine that the man was as kind as could be almost chummy to me. He glanced for about a total of 10 seconds at my paperwork which didn't please me for all the hassle my poor parents went through, but it passed the test. Ten minutes later after having a security camera take my photo (the worst one ever), a red scanner take my fingerprints and print off the ID I was almost out the door on my way home. Alas I was stopped by my roommate Claire she needed me to loan her my credit card or money since her card wasn't working with the card reader. I graciously handed it to her and after she forged my signature she was done 20 minutes later. Apparently she had a bit of a time explaining some of her paperwork and didn't get through it as quickly. Though I found it really strange of all places they told her to forge my signature so they could get her out of the door when only the week before if they caught us forging things we were in deep trouble. Ironic to be sure. I'm certain my parents are either cringing at the thought but I figured I'd share since I found it amusing after all of the hassle. Why Claire keeps getting held up in immigration at the air port or in Ireland I have no idea. Perhaps they sense nervousness or she happens to be that one they just pick. Whatever the reason it always happens to her.

Today I went into the archives set on volunteering a few hours of my time each week to the betterment of the archives. I was willing to offer up those hours to any sort of work they needed even if it was to them just slave labor of moving boxes or counting pages or books anything. The head archivist was out on leave until christmas, I was hoping he was out researching and not ill. The second archivist instructed me that since he was not there it wasn't her place to hand out such tasks and since I was only going to be there a semester she didn't want me starting something and not finishing it. I explained that if anything needed doing I'd do it even if it meant not working with a collection and she kindly refused me but thanked me all the same. To top it off she added that she thought I was too ambitious to volunteer my time when I was only here a short time and that with classes and traveling I would be taking on too much. I almost burst out laughing because being too ambitious is something I always do. Whether it is a bad thing or not I have yet to find out. Nevertheless, I almost laughed because I know at home I have a huge list of ambitions some which I know I'll never reach others I can if the right opportunity passes by. Many of my advisors (official and unofficial alike) have seen or know of such ambitions and could tell you of them. They understand/understood I'm willing to do almost anything that strikes my fancy and being too ambitious is like telling me I can't multi task. It's a load of rubbish I can multi task and I love having loads of things to do. It's how I keep that machine called my brain working it loves having something to do. I kindly thanked her and said I'd be back to browse through things for a few classes and left. I wasn't heart broken in any way, I was sort of bummed and I understood her situation.

I realized that the library here is nothing like the one in Beloit or in most places I've been. The library here is a very sterile environment with no nooks or crannies to go hide and study or read in. It doesn't have people sitting at the reference desk more than willing to aid you while giving you some neat insight to something else of your fancy. It doesn't have a staff/crew of people who become a giant and completely dysfunctional amazing family. There aren't student workers there or any volunteers to induct into said family. No one checks the books out to you, instead you push a few buttons on a machine and be on your way. No one has exhibits set up of archival material with different themes during homecoming. Heck they don't even have homecoming here. Here is the kicker my dears-the library here is smaller if not the same size as the Beloit library. This library is supposed to serve a population about 10 times the size of Beloit! And it is practically useless in terms of books on any reading list a professor hands out. Unless they request the book in the library and put it on reserve the library will never own it. You can only keep a book one week at a time and you can only take out a max of 5. I understand this is a university but I would think if you are going to be a university wouldn't you want more books or at least enough to serve the population you have? They have plenty of room for more books and yes it is a recession so getting books is not going to go so well. I have a mid term paper due Oct 13 with over 80 people in my class. We do not have any books on reserve and I looked up every book to cover that class/topic so far and there are about 10 maybe 15 books that cover it in some way shape or form. 15 books for 80 people does not appear to be going well to me. I went today and over half of them are already gone. It's a fight to the death for books. This is an experience to be sure, but I do not see how anyone manages to write a really good solid paper with such a lack of materials on hand. Yes there is interlibrary loan but that is even worse you get the book for about 2 days. So my only other option? Buy them on my Kindle or at another bookstore take the hit price wise and worship the gods of JSTOR.

That being said though I already appreciate the Beloit library and it's amazing people I now feel the need to make you a few dozen chocolate chip cookies because you make this library look useless. I never thought I'd admit such a thing (that any library could be useless that is) but there you have it. Then again it makes sense with how the social life goes around here considering Galway has the highest drop out rate in the entire country. Perhaps taking that into account the library thought that with all these students partying they will never want to get a pile full of books.

One last note before I go- The story of King Arthur is Welsh in origin not English. (chew on that before I tell you more next time) I shall also next time introduce you to a little friend of mine named The Juice. And once I get better internet more photos will be posted. I miss you all and I miss home but I love it here so very dearly. So much so that I'm seriously considering doing graduate school here......or living here. That though requires money that at the present I do not have.