Sal's Birthday - Hibachi style

29th September, 2011

Tonight we went to the local Asian restaurant for Sal's birthday. We went to the hibachi part, where the chef cooks in front of you. It was really cool. I'd never been to one before. There is a whole show that the chef does. He throws knives up the air, squirts sake into your mouth and lights a tower of onions on fire. The food was very good as well. I got steak and tuna. It's definitely a fun nights entertainment and a great way to spend, not only Sal's birthday, but my last night in Long Island.

I've had a good time here. It is a very nice place. I do miss the city though as there is not that much going on around here. The quiet was nice for a while, however.

I leave at 6am tomorrow for JFK airport where I will go to Minneapolis again. Hopefully this time I'll be there more permanently. As I have found out so far though, there are no guarantees in America. America is all about uncertainty and taking chances. I don't know if I'm really suited to it but I'll give it one last go.

Finding a place to stay

28th September, 2011

Since I have already booked my flights to Minneapolis, I have decided to stay there for at least a month. Hopefully the banking job will be approved but if it is not, I will try to enjoy myself in the Twin Cities for a month anyway (and will search for other jobs).

I will be living somewhere in the above area. I have arranged a number of appointments so hopefully one of them will be suitable. I will try to live close to the light rail. That way I can get to Minneapolis and the airport/mall of america fairly quickly and there is a good bus network from the light rail to St. Paul and where I will (hopefully) be working. There are plenty of parks and lakes around as well that I can enjoy.

I will be viewing the houses on Friday and hope to move in by Saturday.

Some calm

27th September, 2011

After yesterday's stress at finding out that my job in Minneapolis may not be approved, I really needed a calm and relaxing day. I decided to go to my favorite place around here, the bird sanctuary. It was very quiet which was nice. I walked on the wooded paths while listening to chants. I also sat by the lake and read Francis de Sales. The above is a great recipe for relaxation.

I was able to de-stress and have a new perspective on my move to Minneapolis. If the job is approved, great. If not, I will find things to do over the month or two. I might try volunteering join a group and do some travelling. It will be nice to experience a real winter as well. There will be lots of snow.

The priest said an interesting thing at Mass today. He was talking about tolerance of immigrants and he recalled hearing about "NINA" signs from his parents. The sign stands for "No Irish Need Apply" and was common in the 19th Century during the Irish immigration. So it seems that it was always difficult for Irish to get jobs in America.

Red Tape

26th September, 2011

Today I didn't do much as I spent most of the day stressing out about getting a job here. While I have been told that I have a job with Wells Fargo in Minneapolis, my sponsoring group said that there are only certain jobs that I can do and certain ways of searching. I used a recruiter and they said that this isn't allowed (even though nowhere is it anywhere on their entire website or their documents that I received). You'd think that someone would have mentioned this at some point.

I am getting increasingly frustrated with the red tape here. Being an immigrant in the US is terrible. I am wondering is it worth all this hassle. There are problems with everything.

1. Social Security
It takes up to 4 weeks but after 6 weeks,I still haven't received anything. You can't find out anything online or by phone. I had to call into them and queue up on 3 separate occasions.

2. Opening up a bank account
I still havan't opened up a bank account because I need my social security number for that, which I don;t yet have.

3. Getting a job
I was told I had to fly to MN for an interview and fill out forms (all of which I could have easily done through email). It wasn;t a proper interview at all. I need my social security number in order to work for them (even though I should be able to work without it).

4. Approving the job
When I locate a job, I have to get it approved by the sponsoring organization before I start, which could take two weeks. They have rules that are not written anywhere but which they enforce.

I have had problems with everything so far. It has been almost 6 weeks and basically nothing has changed. There are too many organizations involved in everything that I am doing.

An alternative to societies' day

26th September, 2011

I didn't make UCC's Society Day for the first time in many years. However this time I had my own little Societies' Day experience. After Mass in the local parish, all of the organizations in the parish had their stands in the parish hall, trying to get people to join their groups. It was not as busy as Societies' Day but they had an impressive array of groups for just one parish. I didn't sign up to anything as I won;t be in the parish for much longer. I did consider joining the Knights of Columbus. It would be pretty cool to be a knight.

Christi-Marie and Concepta (above) were at the religious education stand trying to get volunteers to teach catechetics to youngsters.

House hunting

24th September, 2011

I will be flying out to Minnesota on Friday to move there for the foreseeable future. I will be starting work with Wells Fargo over the next week or two. Today I intensified the house searching process. It is turning out to be quite difficult. I don't have a car yet so I will need to be close to some bus lines to take me to work so I am a little picky about the location. I have also been looking for furnished bedrooms or apartments, which is proving very difficult. It's not that common here. There is no point in furnishing an entire apartment for the sake of a few months but I have conceded that I will probably have to get a room that isn't furnished. There is an ikea in Minneapolis though, so I will probably just get all I need there.

The best website for jobs (and almost anything) is craigslist.org. It looks very primitive but for some reason it has become the number 1 place to rent rooms and apartments.  

Boldly go to the Social Security Office

23rd September, 2011

Today was my third visit to the Riverhead Social Security Office. I went there the day after I arrived like I was supposed to. They said that I would receive my social security card in 4 weeks but that I could work in the meantime. The company that said they would give me a job, however, needed to have a copy of my social security card. This meant that I had to return to Long Island for a while.

After arriving back to Long Island, I rang up the Social Security Office to inquire about the status of my application. They said that they could not give me any information over the phone. I had to call into the office. I had to cycle for an hour each way and wait 90 minutes for someone to talk to me. She then informed me that nothing had gone through (this was over 3 weeks later). It's a good thing that I stopped by as they wouldn't have told me anything otherwise. They said that I would have to wait another 10 days.

10 days later, I still haven't received the card. I ring up the woman in the office and she said that it just went through and that it should take another 10 days. She has the number but can't give it to me over the phone.
This leads to my fourth visit to the office. This was a relatively pain-free visit. I was finally able to get my social security number. I will have to wait another few days for the card.

After all that hassle, I rang up the company that wanted it before I start the job with them and in the end, they don't even need it now. They will need it when I get there alright though.

I can see why Americans love capitalism so much. It's because their public sector is even worse that Europe's.

Port Jeff

22nd September, 2011

Today, Sal was going to Port Jefferson for work so I decided to go along and see a new place. Port Jeff is on the North Shore of Long Island. You can take a ferry to Connecticut from there. The day was a bit dull (though quite warm). I got an ice-cream and sat by the marina. It was supposed to be 'home-made gelato' but it paled in comparison to any gelato I had in Italy.

I walked around the town, which is fairly touristy in summer. Now, however, there are a lot of empty touristy shops. It reminded me a little of Kinsale. It's about the same size and is full of yachts. Kinsale is a far nicer town however.

Watching Movies

21st September, 2011

I have become increasingly lazy and have discovered a number of movie channels on the TV. I spent a lot of today watching movies. I watched a little bit of "Bloody Sunday", the Michael Moore documentary "Capitalism: A Love Story" (above) and "Outsourced".

"Capitalism" A Love Story" was typical of a Michael Moore film, in that it was painful to watch. The film was well-made but unbelievably one-sided. He takes quotes completely out of context and deceivingly uses statistics. This is combined with individual stories that are meant to represent the majority. Apparently, before President Reagan, America was a wonderful place to live (he didn't mention the double digit inflation that preceded Reagan and which he reduced). He made it seem like Americans on low incomes can no longer afford houses. However house ownership has risen massively among all groups since the 60s, which Moore thinks was the best decade ever. I could go on but I would only become angrier

This day's gone to the dogs

20th September, 2011

Today it was raining on and off so I thought it best not to go for a cycle. Instead I wasted away the day on the couch watching movies.

I was the only one in the house for most of the day, except for the dogs (see above). The two dogs are Leo and Jack. I am not the biggest fan of dogs and these dogs are a little annoying. Every time I come in the door, they start barking and run up to me. Every time I eat, Leo just hangs around me with his mouth open for my entire meal. He will literally eat anything. They sleep down in the basement with me (though there is a little area cornered off for them so they don't bother me). Almost every night though, just as I'm about to go to sleep, they bust out and go upstairs. I have a difficult time trying to get them to go back to bed.

Jack was a bit sick today. He was barking a bit but he often barks so I took no notice. It turns out he wanted to go outside to vomit. Since I didn't open the door, he vomited in the corner of the living room.

Feast of San Gennaro

19th September, 2011

Today I left New Jersey in the morning. I arrived in Penn Station around 12.30pm. I had the day to spend in Manhetten. I decided to explore the downtown area. I walked everywhere and glad I did as I came across neighbourhoods and sights that I wouldn't have if I took the subway. I went through East Village (which is a cool neighbourhood) and continued down south towards Little Italy and Chinatown. While I was in Little Italy, the Feast of San Gennaro was taking place. A few days earlier, Sal told me that this Feast is only celebrated in America (they don't celebrate in Italy at all). Like St. Patrick's Day celebrations, it was started by immigrants. Th town was nicely decorated and there were lots of stalls. It didn't seem all that Italian. They had a lot of carnival games, hot dogs and beer stands. There was some gelato but it definately wasn't the gelato of Italy. There was lots of canoli, which I have never tried in Italy.

Afterwards, I made my way down to Ground Zero 8 days after the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. I saw the museum about the museum that they will be building for next year. I didn't have a ticket for the memorial. I walked towards Wall St. and I saw a protest on a square. people were chanting "Every day, every week, occupy Wall St". Since I was going there anyway, I followed them to Wall St. Then I realised the time and I had to walk 4.5 miles back to Penn Station in just over an hour. I got the train and got back to Hampton Bays at 10.45pm.

A day in Lawrenceville

18th September, 2011

Today, I went with Will to his local church. He sings in the 'Mass Band' at the 12.30 Mass. We went a bit early because he had to rehearse. The Mass Band plays more contemporary music and has a kind of a folksy feel. During the rehearsal, I met a woman from Tyrone, who now lives in England. She was visiting her son in NJ. I sat with her during the Mass and she had some very interesting views on the Church in England. The band played some very nice songs.

After Mass, we rushed back to Will's place to make a skype meeting with Brendan, Tim, Peter, Mattie and Eric. After a quick chat, we headed back to the church for a BBQ to celebrate the Parish Priest being made a Monsignor. I had a tasty burger and a got a tour of Will's primary school. We went back to the house and relaxed for a while and chatted to Edmond on skype. I had dinner with Will's family and after dinner, we went to a cafe in Princeton. We had pumpkin lattes and had a nice chat. The cafe had a nice vibe. It was full of Princeton students studying or discussing various things. I felt like an Arts student again discussing life, philosophy etc.

In the evening we just watched some American Football with Will's brothers and then we finished off a film we were watching the previous day called "The Men who Stare at Goats". It is an okay film.

The Princeton Tigers

17th September, 2011

This morning, I woke up at 5am to watch Ireland play Australia in the Rugby World Cup. Ireland played very well and won. It was definitely worth getting up so early for.

Today, myself and Will went to the local park and had a walk around. Despite being the most densely populated state, there is still quite a lot of woodland and parks.

We then went to a fundraising event that Will and his friend, Mike, were singing at. They were asked by a couple from the church to sing at the fundraiser and they agreed without knowing what it was for. I was expecting a larger event but there were not too many people there. Will and Mike sang three songs very well. It really seemed like a political fundraiser so I was very curious as to who they were supporting. They had a sign outside the side but they were local candidates so I didn't know them. They also didn't have a party name. I just looked up the names and discovered that they were Democratic Party candidates for local senatorial and house seats. I would have actually guessed Republican, due to the number of old, white men there.

We visited Princeton town and university afterwards. Princeton is only about 10 minuted from Will's house. The university is very nice. They have a lot of old enough building and other building that are meant to look old. The campus looks like it was influenced by the architecture of Oxford and Cambridge. While we were on campus, the marching band were playing the Princeton song (as well as some others). I liked their outfits (see photo above). They are called the Tigers. They had a joke element to the band which was quite amusing as well.

We then went to dinner with Will's grandparents, who were celebrating their 61st wedding anniversary. I had actually met them before as they visited Ireland when Will was there. We had a very nice meal and I got to know Will's family a little better. Me and Will's two brothers (in case you don't know, Will and his brothers are triplets) went out with a few friends of their from college. We went to a nice enough bar with a good beer collection (though they didn't pour Guinness correctly). Everyone was extremely tired (and some of us had been up since 5am) so we went home relatively early (though New Brunswick is a little far away).

Uptown

16th September, 2011

Today I made arrangements to go to New Jersey to visit Will Crane. Will was studying in UCC in 2009 and I hadn't seen him since he left. I had a bit of time in New York so I decided to wander around a bit. I looked up a few things online but found a lot more on the way.

The photo above is from St. Paul's Church. It was purely accidental that I happened to be walking past this church. I am glad I found it though because it is beautiful (one of the nicest I have seen in the States). It is so colorful. There were some other temporary art pieces as well (most of which I didn't understand). There was one of Jesus in the tomb with dinosaur fossils. They also had part of the Bible from St. John's University. I recognised it immediately.

Next I wandered further uptown to Fordham University. It was getting a bit late so I didn't go in. But there was no obvious place that tourists would visit that I saw anyway. I popped into a biblical museum that I saw online. It was okay but was really the history of the King James bible so the oldest bibles they had were only from the 16th century. I would be more interested if they had some ancient manuscripts (like they have in the Chester Beatty museum in Dublin). I thought the exhibit in the Chester Beatty museum is better.

Before I went to the city, I also looked up the top cafes in NYC. One that came up was the Skylight Diner. I went here for lunch. It won some award for New York's best diner (though that was in 2005). It was nice though and quite cheap so I was happy.

I walked back to Penn Station to take the train to New Jersey. I was walking during rush hour and the footpaths were so crowded. It took me ages. The number of people was really overwhelming and I decided that I did not ever want to live in NYC. I took the train and met Will in Hamilton Station.

Homecoming

15th September, 2011

Homecoming is something that I had heard from American TV. I never actually knew what it meant though. The first game that the school football team plays at home is their homecoming game. Before the first home game of the year, there are a lot of events and my cousins school. They call the week Spirit week". It's a week dedicated to raising school spirit (presumably in preparation for the homecoming game). They have themed days, where you dress up, such as "Twins Day", "Western Day" and "Decades Day". On homecoming day, final year students wear togas to class. This all seems very strange to someone who had to wear a school uniform throughout his schooling.

The night before the game, there is a bonfire (see above). It is very controlled with firefighters present at all times. I went along as I was curious and I heard that Caraiosa was performing with the cheerleaders. The weather was terrible so they didn't perform. Before the bonfire, I watched a bit of a soccer game that the school was involved in. Apparently they have a good soccer team because most of the players are Brazilian, Spanish or Italian. The other team consisted of mostly Mexicans. I thought that it must be very confusing for them because there were three different coloured markings on the field - red, yellow and white. One was for football, one for soccer and one for something else (maybe lacrosse). The soccer players all had a mohawke hairstyle. Maybe this was to raise team spirit as well. Besides the football/soccer pitch, they had a nice training pitch, a baseball pitch, basketball courts and 8 tennis courts. Compare this to our one crappy gaelic football pitch in school.

Cyclists are invisible to American drivers

14th September, 2011

America is built for cars. People's houses are very spread out. Shops in towns are very spread out (so they can have car parks for each place. Drive-throughs are very popular. They even have drive-through banks. People drive automatics so they can do more in their cars, such as eat a meal, chat on the phone, change the radio station every 5 mins etc. I think it probably stems from the fact that there was so much land when settlers came here so people claimed a lot of land for themselves and so had a land buffer between them and their neighbours. In many European countries, people lived in towns (often around a religious community).

Anyway, it means that people don't cycle or walk anywhere. They only exercise for recreation (not to go somewhere). I think this is kind of unnatural. For me, if something is within walking distance, it makes sense to walk there. Here people might drive 1/4 mile and then do an intensive run later.

It seems that only immigrants cycle or walk places. My aunt said that her sister (my other aunt) was walking for about 5 minutes down the road and she got a lot of stares. People thought there was something wrong when a well-dressed white person walked down the road (maybe her car broke down). After hearing this story, I realise why I got so many stares when I was carrying my three bags down the street for 40 mins at 5am in a poor Minneapolis neighbourhood. Public transportation is also not very good because not many people use it. Although the transport in cities is not too bad. Inter-city transport is terrible (or non-existent).

Since I don't have a car here, I have joined the other (mostly Latin American) immigrants by cycling everywhere. The roads are actually not too bad for cycling. Because the roads are so good, they all have hard shoulders, which are convenient for cyclists. When you come to a junction, however, the hard shoulder disappears for a while and you are in no man's land. If I obey the regular rules, it would be very dangerous as there is not much room in the car lanes and they go quite fast. If I go in the right lane, when going straight, I get beeped at. In towns, cars are parked on what I would use as a cycle lane. I often just cycle on the footpath because it is safer than risk cars coming too close to me or running into parked car doors opening.

Cyclists seem to be invisible to drivers here. They come way too close to you and if they are turning, they won't wait for you to pass (even though you might have the right of way). Today, I was amazed when as I was cycling on a road, a driver just turned into an entrance I was passing. I had to pull on the brakes and she didn't even acknowledge that I was there. So many cars have overtaken me just before they were turning right so would immediately go in front of me (where again if I didn't stop, they would hit me). I miss the cycling in Amsterdam.

Pizza a la Salvatore

13th September, 2011

This post is about food. Luckily in Long Island, I am living with Sal (short for Salvatore). He is Italian so really appreciates good food. He is always making little dressings and dishes that he makes up as he's going. A few days ago, we had, what he called, 'Potto de Pollo a la Salvatore'. He just came up with is as he was cooking and it was excellent. Tonight he made pizza (very good again). He has an obsession with lemons. He adds lemon to everything. Sometimes he does overdo it on the lemon, but mostly it does add a lot to salads and chicken dishes.

He also appreciates good coffee. We have had a number of conversations about how Americans don't know how to make good coffee. If you order an espresso, they will give you a double (but watered-down version) so it seems like you are getting your money's worth. Italian espresso only fill the cup half-way but it tastes amazing. A funny thing here is that they have MASSIVE mugs. They make huge quantities of coffee but the quality is not that great (though not as bad as our instant coffee). Luckily for me, Sal has two mocha kettles for making espresso. Most afternoons, I make myself a little espresso (a short).

I noticed that the shops are full of Italian ingredients here - bread, cheese, pasta, biscuits - the most popular versions of everything seem to be Italian. Every second restaurant is also Italian and they have a few Italian shops (such as the Italian pork shop down the road). The house here is full of Italian ingredients such as Italian bread, parmesan, mozzerella, oregano (and it is pronounced correctly by Americans according to Sal), rucola (rocket, which I also pronounced wrong when I was in Italy), olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lavazza coffee etc.

My favourite food is Italian food so this is great for me. A great thing about the US is that because there are so many different nationalities, there is also a huge selection of international produce to choose from in the stores. If you feel like German, French or Irish food, you will be able to get whatever you need usually.

Trip to the city

12th September, 2011

Today I went to one of the largest towns on Long Island. Riverhead is about 10 miles away. I had to go to the Social Security office today to find out about my social security card. For some reason, they couldn't tell me anything about it over the phone so I had to go to the office. I decided to cycle in as it was a nice day and they had a cycle lane most of the way. I had to wait over 90 minutes before I could speak to someone. The woman told me that in the last 3 weeks, nothing had progressed regarding my social security number. They had some problem with their system. Of course, they didn't think to contact me at all. I can see why so many Americans hate the public sector. The public sector is awful here. She said that it would take another 2 weeks. Since the company in Minneapolis that I will probably be working for need my social security number before I work, I will be in Long Island for at least another 2 weeks.

Riverhead has a small town centre but it is very spread out. It is pretty ugly, except for a very nice little park. On my cycle back, I stopped off at a country park. The place was quite big with loads of camping and picnic facilities. However on a weekday in September, I was the only person there. I think you need to have a pass to visit the park but I wasn't checked so I cycled on in. I got there just before the very early closing time of 4pm. I also passed through a little place called Flanders on the way to Riverhead. It is famous for having a giant duck on the side of the road (which houses a little tourist office). The duck is called a historical site, which says a lot about America's historical heritage. It's no Rome. Colosseum V Giant Duck.

September 11th, 2011

I didn't take any photos today. Maybe it is appropriate that there is no image on the day that it is. As you all know, it is the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. Living in New York state, the people here were affected directly by the attacks, with most knowing people that died. At the end of Mass this morning, the congregation all sang "America the beautiful". Many people had tears in their eyes.

Right now, I am watching a repeat of the commemoration from New York earlier today. I was going to go to the city today to attend some of the commemoration events but it's probably better that I didn't go in. While I would like to attend some events, I would feel out of place there because this tragedy really didn't affect me to the same extent as most of those attending.

May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

9/11 memorial

10th September, 2011

Tomorrow I was going to go to Manhetten and attend some of the 9/11 commemorations. However with the latest terror threat, I thought that it would be better if I stayed put. Even if nothing happened, the trains might be shut down as a precaution and I would have no way of getting home.

So tonight I attended a small memorial concert in the local parish church. It was a very nice concert, with a range of sacred and "patriotic" American songs. It was organised by the Director of Music in the parish. He performed some pieces that he wrote himself, as well as some modern and classical pieces. He also read out some poetry that I think he wrote himself. Finally there was an army colonel who spoke for a few minutes.

A lot of people in this parish would have known people who died in the attacks. And there was one local parishioner who was a firefighter and died on the day. So it clearly affected the parish greatly.

I pledge allegiance to the flag

9th September, 2011

Today I noticed more American flags than usual on my 2 mile cycle into the town. I presume it is to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The photo above has the flag flying half-mast. It got me thinking about the American flag in general.

Anyone who has visited the U.S. will have noticed that the number of flags flying in the States in far greater than, probably, any other country. In most countries, they are outside or on public buildings. In the US, you can find flags flying on commercial buildings and on many private homes. Many people have bumper stickers of the flag on their cars. I have also noticed that if there is any flag flying on any building, there is usually an American flag as well (and it is always higher). So down the road from me is a Portuguese restaurant and there is a Portuguese flag and above it a larger US flag.

I looked up "US flag" on Wikipedia and learned some interesting things (a lot of which apply to any national lags). It is not illegal to burn the flag and in fact, according to the flag code, a flag that is tattered must be retired in a dignified way, for example by burning. A flag cannot lie on the ground. It can't have any other images on it. The flag can't be on apparel (t-shirts etc.) - this one is obviously not adhered to by many people. It should never be used for advertising purposes (though it seems that this is probably its most common use). It should not be used as part of a costume or athletic uniform. In contradiction of the flag policy of the Portuguese restaurant, if two national flags are flying, they should actually be the same height and on different poles and they have to be risen together. The flag has to be illuminated at night. There are lots of other specific rules in the flag code.

The flag is almost a sacred symbol in the US. It is an aspect of American patriotism and Americans are more patriotic than most. In a country which is so culturally diverse, patriotism is a very effective way of ensuring national unity. And in such a politically divided country with a political President, the flag seems to be the main symbol of unity.

Over the next few days, we will see lots of American flags flying. It is important to not worship the flag for its own sake, but to recognize what it represents. It symbolizes unity in a country of many different peoples, where everyone is equal. So instead of just flying the flag, I think that it would be better to live out the values that the flag represents.

End of sermon :)

Go Westhampton Beach!

8th September, 2011

Today I did very little again. The weather was better so I did get a bike ride in. In the evening, I had a nice dinner with everyone in the evening. Both of my cousins just restarted high school. Caraiosa (above) is on the cheer-leading team. She starts cheering on Saturday for the first game of the year. Cheer-leading always seemed like a very strange thing to me but it's very common here. Every school has a football team and cheer-leaders to cheer them on. Christi-Marie is on the sign language committee in the school. They seem to have a lot of extra-curricular activities in American schools. In my school, if you didn't play gaelic football or hurling (non-Irish games weren't allowed), there was nothing else for you to do after school.

A Rainy Day

7th September 2011

Today it rained on and off for most of the day so I spent most of the day around the house. When the rain did stop temporarily, I did take a photo of the new looking pool (see above). You might remember a photo of the pool from a previous post. Irene turned the pool green.

I have a bit of free time while I am here. I don't usually read fiction but I have decided to read a bit more since I have the time and have lots of them on my kindle. I started reading Don Quixote today.

As you can see, today was a slow news day.

Hampton Bays (after Irene)

6th September, 2011

I flew back to NY today and will be here for a little while until I get my social security number and will (hopefully) get offered the job in Minnesota. I am staying again in Hampton Bays with my aunt, Concepta. Since I was here last, hurricane Irene hit Long Island. The tree you see above is just across the street. It was covering the street for days and the area was without power. Overall though, it wasn't as bad as expected. There was some flooding in the area but nothing on the apocalyptic scale that they were talking about before I left.

It was raining when I arrived and it is quite cool (jumper weather for the first time). It's good to be back in Concepta's again. I have a permanent place to stay, rather than moving around constantly.

American fast food

5th September, 2011

Today I went for a walk around the immediate neighborhood from where I was staying. I went for lunch in Arby's. There were a number of fast food chains in a row. I saw roast beef sandwich advertised. It looked good. I wish I saw a photo of the sandwiches. It was probably the worst sandwich I have ever eaten. As I was exit-ing, I saw a bell (see above), which said "If your service was GREAT, please ring this bell". I didn't ring it. My sandwich was basically a massive pile of cheap meat and easy singles (in other words, plastic) cheese. It came with (what they called) potatoes. I don't know if there was any trace of a potato there at all.

Most of the American fast food chains are terrible quality (of course, we have a lot of these in Ireland). What is generally good, however, is the diners/waffle houses (fast food with service). These are way tastier and not much more expensive.





 

The Vineyard

4th September, 2011

Today I invited Starke, Breanna and Breanna's cousin and wife to come with me to 'The Local' (an Irish bar) to watch the hurling final. They had never seen a hurling match before so they thought it might be fun to come along. I think they enjoyed it. Breanna's cousin loves Kilkenny beer so he was supporting Kilkenny (and had a Kilkenny beer at 9.30am). We had to pay to watch the match but you get a free buffet breakfast with entrance. There were a lot of Tip fans there but I didn;t talk to any of them.

After the match, Starke and Breanna were going to their church so they invited me along. It was a vineyard church (see above). This is a new evangelical movement. The service consists of rock music, a long sermon (with bits of scripture reading) and a one on one prayer meeting at the end if you want. It was in a warehouse. You first walk into a cafe-type place. Then you can bring your coffee into the church. The first thing that struck me about the church was that there was not one cross in the room. There was a stage with electric guitars, a drumkit and microphones. There are two flat screen TVs so you can sing along to the songs. It really isn't my type of music. But the people there loved it. It was mostly young people (so much so that instead of youth ministry, they have 'way over 35' ministry). People were clapping, dancing and putting their hands in the air.

After the music came the announcements (almost the opposite of most churches). And they have quite a lot going on. Then came the preacher, introduced by his wife. He was wearing jeans and a short-sleeved shirt. He had ppt slides with his sermon. He started the sermon. Then halfway through, he read a letter from St. Paul, then he continued with the sermon. He didn't really say much. I have read that this movement generally stays away from divisive and controversial issues. He must have talked for about 30 mins.

Then there was more music and singing. While this was on, people were free to take some communion bread as they wished. After a few more songs, a few members of the church stood by the stage and people went up to them individually to ask them to prayer for them. These seemed like very emotional moments. Almost everyone was crying. This was the end of the service.

The service definitely has an emotional impact on people. It might be a good starting point for people who don't know anything about Christianity because it is quite similar to everyday life (with rock music and language of the day). Because there is very little scripture, there is a danger that you might lose focus. All in all, the community were a bunch of friendly young people who are thinking more deeply about their lives. It is a very welcoming and open place.

I decided to go around Minneapolis for the rest of the day. It was a Sunday so lots of things were closed. I don't think that there is much for me in Minneapolis anyway. It has a lot of bars and theatres but for history and architecture, St Paul is your place. St. Paul has a more of a chilled out vibe as well, which I prefer. Since the bus I was planning on getting back wasn't running today, I walked back. It took about 1hr 45 mins.

In the evening, we went to Starke's friends house for dinner. He is from North Carolina ans has a great Southern accent. He has a really funny way of speaking. He has visited Ireland so we had some things to chat about. He is doing his PhD on monkeys and is a big fan. He had a monkey t-shirt and lots of photos of monkeys all over the house.

L'Etoile du Nord

3rd September, 2011

Today my hosts were having a garage sale. It went pretty well. Some of the stuff was so cheap. I wish that I had a place to put stuff because I might have bought some stuff. It was really funny seeing an woman haggling to get 25 cents off something.

I went to St. Paul today. St. Paul is the capital of Minnesota. After a brief look into the little French church, I went to the Capitol (see above). They have a free tour every hour. While I was waiting with another couple for the tour, the woman said that her family is from Londonderry. I knew immediately which side she is descended from. People always ask me where in Ireland I am from. But if their family isn't from Cork, they have either never heard of Cork or lose interest in talking with me. In the Capitol, they have a world map, where you can put a pin on your city. I was the first Irishman this month (which doesn't say much because it's only the 3rd).

The tour guide was pretty good. The current building is the third state capitol. It was built in 1905. The architect was a huge fan of Italian architecture, which you can see in a lot of the rooms. The dome is self supporting, which apparently is rare enough. Minnesota means 'water with the colour of the clouds/sky' in the language of the Dakota people who were in the area before the west. It was the 34th state. And before Alaska, it had the most northerly point in the US (hence the name 'the north star'). Minnesota has a part-time  congress and senate. We saw the where the senate, congress and justices sit, as well as the govenor's office (which is very nice).

Next I went to the history museum. I only saw the temporary exhibitions though because I didn't have much time. There were exhibits on Minnesota weather, grain, famous Minnesota people, post-great  depression/WW2 and an exhibit on underwear. The exhibits were done very well - very interactive.

I had lunch in the museum cafe. It wasn't that great and just like everywhere else in the States, you pay $7-8 for a sandwich. I don't know why Americans complain that Ireland is expensive. The museum itself was $12 (this would be free or heavily subsidised in Ireland). (I'll definately have a separate blog post about the cost of living - I'll argue that even with the current exchange rate, it is still cheaper to holiday in Ireland and most of Europe than America).

Next I went to St. Paul's Cathedral. This is an impressive-looking building not too far from the capitol (indeed you have a good view of one from the other). It is a very nice church commissioned by Archbishop John Ireland from county Kilkenny. They have a baldachino that is modelled on St. Peter's Basilica. At the back, they have 6 chapels, representing different communites - Italian, French, German, Irish, Slavic (and some other community I forget). They have statues of Saints. Patrick, Brigid and Columba (just like the ones at the west side of the Honan Chapel).

Then I went for a wander around the town. I explored a good percentage of the city. I wanted to go to evening Mass in the French church. I couldn't find it but luckily as I was looking, I saw people walking into another church for Mass at the same time. The Church of the Assumption was built for German Catholics. It seems that each community had their own church. It was modelled after Ludwigkirche in Munich.

I decided to walk back to the house as it was a nice evening. I saw that there was a lake that I could pass if I went a slightly different way. So I walked to Lake Como through a bit of a sketchy neighbourhood (but nothing too bad). I got very lost in a park next to Lake Como so it took me a while to get back but I figured it out in the end. I made it back just after it got dark. Everyone was shocked when I told them I walked back from St. Paul. But it was only 90 mins (or it would have been if I didn't get lost).

Vietnamese Mass in St. Columba's

This is an extra post about a strange experience I had last night. I looked up churches in the area where I am now (halfway between St. Paul ans Minneapolis). I saw that there was a St. Columba's church relativey close-by (about a 30 or 40min walk). St. Columba being an Irish saint, who established a monastery at Iona, I was quite intrigued to find out about its history. I looked up their website and saw that they had Mass  at 7pm each night.

So I left the state fair and went to find this church. It took me a while because I didn;t know exactly where it was and my map was not the best. I walked down a very residential road. I was sure that I must be on the wrong road but just as I was about to give up, I noticed the unusual-looking church (see above). I recognised it from the website.

I then saw people going in the side entrance so I presumed this is where the Mass was on. They went into a little chapel. The Blessed Sacrament was exposed. I noticed that everybody there was Asian, except me. After a while, someone starting chanting something. I soon realised it was the rosary in Vietnamese. I knew that they had Masses in Vietnamese from the website. I felt really awkward being the only non-Vietnamese person there, with everyone in this small chapel praying the rosary in Vietnamese.

I was wondering why the Mass hadn't started yet because it was 7.15pm. So I left because I really wanted to explore the church. The church was very interesting. It was indeed commissioned by an Irish priest. There is a statue of St. Columba and also one of St. Patrick (written Naomh Padraig). I also read that the priest wanted an Irish-looking round tower, even though the architect didn't. He got his wish, though the tower isn't particularly Irish-looking.

From reading the noticeboard, I saw that on this night and the next night, there will be 6-hour vigils in chapel from 7pm to 1am, with Mass at 7.30pm. I returned to the chapel just before the start of Mass. A Vietnamese priest wearing green vestments with a Celtic cross was the celebrant. The whole Mass was in Vietnamese. Luckily the day before I just figured out how to put the Mass readings for each day on my kindle so I took out my kindle. I must have seemed really technologically-advanced or very rude and disrespectful. Nearly all of the Mass is chanted but it is quite a different chant from any Western chant. When it came to the offer of peace, I wasn't sure of the etiquitte. Do they shake hands? Do I shake hands with women? What is 'peace be with you' in Vietnamese? So I observed while they all offered eachother signs of peace. They spoke to me in English. I thought that it was a bit presumptive of them, assuming I couldn't speak Vietnamese. Maybe the red hair gave it away. During communion, again I was wondering what the priest would say to me. He spoke to me in English and everyone else in Vietnamese.

After the Mass, I was going to ask the priest about the history of the church but they had a full schedule of confessions, benediction etc. so I didn't want to disturb him. As I left though, a few things were going through my mind. 1. Where did all the Irish go? Surely the great grandchildren of the Irish community should still be around. 2. How come there are so many Vietnamese Catholics in this area? 3. I was wondering how much of the history of the church does the present community know about. Do they know who St. Columba is? Do they know what a round tower or a Celtic cross is? Do they know what Naomh Padraig means?

It was definately a very strange experience, but a very positive one as well. Here is a church that was built by and for Irish immigrants in St. Paul. Now it is the church of a new group of immigrants. So in a way, the church still fulfills its original purpose. The only priest in the parish and most of the parish are Vietnamese. They are very devout, probably like the Irish that were here over a hundred years ago. So in one way, St. Columba's church may have changed far less than most other churches.  

Minnesota State Fair (on a stick)

Today I went to the Minnesota State Fair (or the Minnesota annual get-together as they call it apparently). It is huge (one of the biggest in the country). I am lucky where I am staying as my hosts' house in just across the road from the venue. It is kind of like all the local country fairs in Ireland but on a much larger scale.

1. They love things on sticks at the fair.  It is like a theme. You can get almost anything on a stick, including beer. I didn't have anything on a stick but I did have plenty of disgusting food, such as an Elvis sandwich (peanut butter and banana), a massive portion of chips/fries(medium size) and a deep fried apple pie (cleverly called minniapple pie - like Minneapolis).

They had plenty of animal shows but most of them would be similar to shows in Ireland, except the rodeo so that is what I went to see. It was quite fun. It was mostly kids taking part. I saw them try to put the rope around the calf's neck and try to stay on a bucking horse. You can tell that everyone involved was of a particular political persuasion. The NRA were one of the sponsors of the event, there was a little prayer at the beginning and the American flag and veterans were held in very high regard. There was also a rodeo clown that made fun of people in unions (when a horse stopped bucking after the buzzer, he said that he was a union horse because as soon as the belll goes, he stops working), people who wear their pants really low and the current political establishment in DC (calling them clowns).

I liked the international bazaar and the heritage area. I heard a good band in the evening called 'Boiled in Lead'. They played a lot of Irish music (but they weren't Irish). There was a large Irish presence at the Fair. There was an Irish pub, where I asked them if they were showing the Ireland soccer match (and they had no idea what I was talking about. There was also an Irish merchandise store.

Surfing on a couch

1st September, 2011

Today and for the next few days, I will be couchsurfing on the couch on Starke and Breanna. They are a newly married couple and I am their first couchsurfing host. When I was paying $150 for a hotel room, I totally forgot about couchsurfing (it has been so long since I have done it). While I am still waiting (impatiently!) to find out about the outcome of my job application, I thought it best to stay in the Twin Cities. If I need to go somewhere in a hurry, I can do so more easily.

The house I am staying in is about halfway between Minneapolis and St. Paul. I was able to take buses to their house (though it took me a while). Their house is very colourful with differently coloured dishes and walls and artwork from all over the world, including St. Francis (playing guitar?) over the fireplace (see above). I have my own room, which is nice and I can take the spare set of keys so I can come and go as I please.

Starke and Breanna have been wonderful hosts so far. Starke is a recently graduated vet (hence the patron Saint of animals in his living room) and Breanna teaches in a school for Mexican immigrants. I have had some nice chats with them both. They have both travelled widely so we have a lot to talk about.

Today was a very hot day (95 degrees). I definately felt it as I carried my rucksack, suitcase and laptop bag while walking to the house. After I arrived, I had lunch with Starke and then we went to the mall. I bought a belt (and the guy looked strangely at my hand-made Tuscan belt from Pienza). Then we went shopping, which takes me ages because there is so much stuff to choose from. We then cooked a very nice dinner and chatted for the rest of the evening. Everyone was tired though (probably because of the heat).