JakeONeill.com

Update.

2011-09-16T16:45:00.001+01:00

Coming soon.

Professional Profile

2011-07-07T17:43:00.001+01:00

My name is Jacob O'Neill and I am a recent graduate of the Daniels College of Business a part of the University of Denver. I received my Bachelors of Science in Business Administration focused in International Business and Finance. I chose a major in International Business because I was able to take a wide breadth of classes across many schools in the Daniels College of Business. I took classes in Marketing, Management, Business Law, and International Studies. This has given me a well rounded knowledge base with which to draw on in everyday experiences. After taking a Finance class sophomore year I realized it was a field I was interested in so I decided to pursue a minor in Finance. This gives me the strong acumen to work with numbers and the analytical skills to interpret data.

During my time at the University of Denver I completed a four month semester abroad in Dublin, Ireland at the Quinn School of Business. I chose this program because it was one of very few that offered business classes in another culture and learning environment. While in Ireland I took classes in Finance, Management, and Business Development. Through my time at the Quinn School of Business I gained the experience to adapt to different situations and I developed the ability to respond well to challenges that arise in a proactive, positive way. Beyond the classroom I was able to travel all over Europe to places like Frankfurt where I attended the largest Auto Show on the planet. I went to rural Western Ireland where I hiked the Cliffs of Moher. My favorite trips were to Copenhagen and Prague. The experience instilled in me a strong appreciation for other cultures and a desire to travel and see more of the world.

I have also gained much experience from the groups I participated in and the jobs I have held in recent years. As a new freshman at the University of Denver I knew nobody. Instead of letting this get me down I embraced it and set out to find people that shared common interests with me. My first quarter at the University I joined the professional business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi. I have been involved with this organization ever since. The organization is great because it seeks to give students business experience while they are still in school. We accomplish this through panels with professionals and corporate dinners. Later as an upper class men I wanted to help new students at the University experience this as well. In September of 2010 I took it upon myself to help lead the pledge education process. That quarter we initiated all pledges that were seeking induction.

More recently I have been working at AMI Wellness a home health care agency. I work in their administrative office which manages the many CNA's, Nurses, and Therapists that work in the field. When I began there I mainly worked in the medical records department doing filing. As my time progressed I was given more responsibility and I now have many responsibilities. I am responsible for ensuring accurate data entry of over 1,800 visit notes every week. I also work in HR helping with payroll and employment eligibility verification. In medical records I now am responsible for chart audits and continue to ensure proper filing protocol for all medical information. My time at AMI has allowed me to strengthen my analytical skills when evaluating discrepancies in medical charts and through this I have refined my problem solving skills.

I also spent six months working at a retail location for Verizon Wireless. While there I was responsible for providing the best in costumer service and I assisted a team of representatives in selling new products and services. I learned a lot about dealing with difficult customers and I developed strong communication skills. All of these experiences have provided me with the well rounded background that I can draw on to solve problems and evaluate challenges. My strong academic record illustrates my strong written communication skills. My initiative in everything I do indicates my strong drive and my goal oriented personality. I am a strong candidate that can provide leadership and effect positive change in any environment.

Please feel free to contact me through my contact page. I am actively seeking employment and I have a strong desire to build a rewarding career for myself with an organization over the long term. A copy of my resume may be viewed here.

Jacob O'Neill

Resume | Contact

Updated July 7th, 2011

Snow Camping

2010-04-30T22:49:00.004+01:00

Last weekend a few friends and I were crazy enough to think that it was a good idea to go camping. So, we loaded all our gear in my Jeep and headed north. About two and a half hours later we finally reached our destination. We had to go so far away because most camp grounds were still closed and we quickly figured out why. There was eight inches of snow on the ground! It was a brisk 35 degrees and the temperature was dropping.

There was no going back. We decided to stick it out and have a good time, plus we had plenty of alcohol to keep us warm. We got the tent up, started a fire, ate a few hot dogs, and opened some brewskies. By the time the sun went down it was in the low twenties. Thankfully we had plenty of firewood and beer which actually turned out to be a good combination.

It was a great time we saw a bald eagle, met some fishermen, and cooked up some pretty good smores. Then the next morning we drove back to Denver. I can't wait to go camping again this summer, maybe when it is a little warmer.

-jake

Aston Martin

2010-04-11T00:59:00.005+01:00

I was driving down Colorado Blvd. the other day when I spotted one of my favorite cars. This car was just cruising down the street so I got my phone out really quick to take a picture. Not the best pictures but pretty cool none the less.

This seems to be a pretty good area to spot nice cars. A few months back I saw an Audi R8 close to where this picture was taken. Sadly, I could not get a picture in time.

-jake

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Now playing: The Black Keys - All You Ever Wanted

Sunrise

2010-04-03T22:07:00.003+01:00

When driving out to Denver with my dad a few months back we got this great picture in Utah. The sun is rising in the distance over the mountains. We then proceeded to drive through that fog for over an hour.

-jake

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Now playing: Fruit Bats - The Ruminant Band

Denver Love

2010-03-30T22:14:00.004+01:00

Another reminder of why I love Denver so much! Don't get me wrong, Portland is the best city on earth, but Denver is pretty legit. Consider that it's summertime here today (I have started building my Summer 2010 playlist) but only five days ago this was the view out of my window:

At least we got a snow day out of it...

-jake

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Now playing: Rascal Flatts - Summer Nights

Go DU!

2010-03-25T23:32:00.002Z

Hmm, apparently my school didn't get the memo about the recession going on across the country; somebody should let them know. Oh, and in case you are wondering the wind turbine would cost $900,000 or about 19.5 DU students.

-jake

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Now playing: Rilo Kiley - Silver Lining

Winter Quarter

2010-03-24T04:13:00.003Z

Denver,

Well, it has been a few months since I have written anything here. My mom said that I have to keep posting; so here it goes.

Lets see, I have been in Denver for about three months now. I am already done with winter quarter, spring break is over, and I only have ten weeks until summer break! Life is going by crazy fast. I spent winter quarter doing the usual. Skiing on the weekends and spending the week trying to get to make it to the weekend, haha.

I went up to Aspen for the X-Games one weekend and up to winter park another. I'm so lucky to go to school in Colorado. Although, as I write this we are experience our obligatory march blizzard. I'm thinking class will be canceled tomorrow though, so I am alright with it.

This quarter I am taking some really cool classes. I'm taking Investments, Politics of Rights, International Business Law, and, my favorite, Business Contracts Law. It might be a heavy work load for spring quarter but I should be able to handle it.

That's about it in my life right now. Hopefully mom is happy, I will post again sometime soon...

-jake

I'm Back

2010-01-12T00:52:00.004Z

5:53 PM; Denver,

It has been awhile since my last post and I apologize for that, but so much has been going on. I ended my stay in Dublin, traveled back to Portland (two days later than expected), and drove out to Denver to start school. It was only 21 days ago that I was in Dublin, it seems like it has been a year.

Anyways, after my trip to Copenhagen I finished up my finals and packed my entire life into two suitcases to head back to Portland on the morning of the 19th in December. I get up early say goodbye to friends and catch a ride to the airport with my friend Julie. I am flying Delta and she is flying another airline so we say our goodbyes and I make my way to the Delta desk. That is when I see my friend Bill who informs me that my flight to New York is canceled. Canceled?! I couldn't believe it. There I was with all my luggage and set for the 25 hour journey home and here I am looking at the board, sure enough my flight was canceled. So I got into the line for them to find me another flight. Two hours later I get to the desk.

The lady tells me that I have been booked to flight out Monday the 21st (two days later) through Atlanta to Portland. She prints my boarding pass and waves up the next person, not a minute after I stepped up to the desk. There I was in the Dublin airport, my flight wasn't departing for another 48 hours and I could not go back to the Dorms because they were closed for the winter break. I booked a hotel and made my way back to the city to wait out the last two days of my trip abroad. Lucky for me they turned out to be some of the most fun.

My friend Amanda was staying in Dublin with her family for Christmas so she invited me to go sightseeing and out to dinner with them. We went to a really good Japanese place in the city center and I had the spicy tuna roll, which was excellent. Then on Sunday I went around to the Cathedrals and the parks with Amanda and her dad, then we made a stop at O'Neill's for a pint of Guinness. Then we said goodbye and I headed back to my hotel for a quiet night before my trip out the next morning.

Well my adventure wasn't quite over. I got a call from Amanda telling me that her mom was sick and that they had an extra ticket to see Paul McCartney at the O2 in Dublin that night. How could I turn that down? The show was really good. Paul played for almost three hours and his voiced seemed as strong as ever. It was a blast and probably the best way to end my trip in Dublin.

The next morning I headed back out to the airport and was lucky enough to get upgraded to business class on my flight out to Atlanta. Several hours later I landed in Portland and was on my way home. While my trip abroad was a once in a lifetime experience it was good to be home. The best was my mom's food, I think I gained five pounds in the ten short days that I was home. Christmas was good, I saw the family and friends and got a crock pot and George Foreman grill for Christmas. Just what I wanted.

My dad and I drove out to Denver on the 31st. We spent New Years Eve in a small town in Utah that did not even have a bar. I turned in around eleven and slept through the New Year. The next morning we drove through Eastern Utah and Western Colorado. Dad kept pulling over so I could take pictures of the mountains. I just wanted to get to the house and out of the jeep. We eventually made it and headed to the bar to watch the Buckeyes beat the Ducks.

This was the first day that I had seen the house that I will be living in until June. While it is a little far from campus it is a great house and I am really impressed with it for how much the rent is. The weekend was spent buying essentials for the house and getting tv and internet set up. Then on Monday, the 4th, I started classes at DU. It was a quick turnaround from Dublin to Denver. But I have settled into some kind of routine. I must mention that the classes are much better here, everything is less expensive (especially the beer), and I love having a car to get me around.

That was my journey home and out to Denver. I think I'm done traveling for a while; at least until I payoff my credit card. It was quite an adventure but it is good to be back in the States. Thank you for reading over the past few months and I hope you enjoyed my commentary and the pictures. I'm not sure what I will do with this site now. I might just update every so often with stuff that is going on in my life. Check back.

-jake

Copenhagen

2009-12-16T18:28:00.002Z

6:27 PM; Dublin,

I spent the past weekend in Copenhagen, Denmark. My old roommate from last year is studying there and living with a Danish family. They invited me to stay with them for the weekend and I just could not pass it up. I arrived in the afternoon on Friday and it was already past sunset, at 4:00 PM! We immediately headed to Tivoli which is a small market and amusement park in the middle of the city next to central station. Ryan and I rode the roller coaster at least 10 times and a ride called Vertigo, which spins you around quickly and really high in the air. It was a blast. We ate traditional Danish Christmas food and drank hot chocolate.

Tivoli closed at 11 PM and we headed to his host family’s house which is in Roskilde, a small suburb town about a 30 minute train ride from Copenhagen. They had a beautiful home that was like walking into a show room for Ikea. We ate some dinner then headed to bed. The next morning, Saturday, we headed into the city to see the sights of Copenhagen after a wonderful, Danish breakfast of morning bread (which is like rolls) with cheese and jam.

Ryan showed me the sights of Copenhagen. We saw the Royal Copenhagen Porcelain Company, A giant climate day protest with 40,000 people, the harbor, the parliament, palace, opera house, Nyhaven, and even the statue of the Little Mermaid. Then we headed to Christiania. This is a “free” place ran by hippies and based on communal living. It is very hippy-ish but also has a pretty nice Christmas market. However, in order to get to Christiania we had to cross a street that was occupied by the 40,000 protester marching to the other side of town. So, we did the only thing we could do, we joined in the protest and made our way through the crowd. I think we were protesting the polar bears or something, haha, I don’t think most of the protesters knew what they were protesting anyways.

That evening we headed back to the house to have dinner with the host parents. I ate so well in Copenhagen and it was really nice to have a home cooked meal which I had been missing since August. That night we had salad, a cold pasta salad with chicken, some sort of beef roast, and potatoes. It was excellent and made even better by the wine. After dinner we headed into the city to hit up some of the bars. We actually found a place with some pretty well priced beer, which is quite remarkable considering that Copenhagen is one of the most expensive cities in the world. The top tax rate there is 60% and then there is a 20% sales tax on everything else. Also, cars are heavily taxed to the point that they are 3 times the cost of what you would pay for a car in the United States.

We made it back to the house sometime the next morning and decided to sleep in on Sunday. When I got up I just had to try some Danish food. I had a traditional Danish pastry, or what we would call a Danish in the US. I also tried sild which is pickled herring on bread with onions. It was actually ok. I then tried liverpostej, this is liver paste on bread with cucumbers. That actually was quite good. Later that day Ryan showed me around Roskilde. I saw the harbor and the cathedral where all the kings and queens in the history of Denmark are buried.

That night we watched some Danish television. And I was actually watching the news live when they were having a climate debate and one of the debaters had trouble with his pacemaker. You may have seen it on the news. Later we watched Transformers, which was actually in English thankfully. It was sort of weird to sit on a couch and watch television; I haven’t done this in awhile.

Monday morning I woke up early and headed to the airport to catch my flight back to Dublin. My time in Copenhagen was a lot of fun. It was great to stay with a Danish family and really get into their culture and experience it. Ryan was having a blast there as well and does not want to head back to Denver in a few weeks. I can understand why. Now I’m finishing up my finals and heading back to Portland on Saturday morning. I will post pictures from my trip as soon as I find the time. See you soon.

-jake

Prague

2009-12-08T19:02:00.002Z

7:01 PM; Dublin,

Wednesday of last week a couple of friends and I were off to Prague, Czech Republic. We left early in the morning and got into Prague around 11 or so. We set off from the airport to the city center, taking the metro line. When we emerged from the underground tunnel I was immediately blown away by the city. Prague has remained relatively untouched by war and destruction. Many of the buildings are centuries old. It is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and, perhaps, the world.

Again, we rented an apartment for the three nights we would be staying in the city. This is so much better than staying in a hostel and relatively close to the same price. It cost us 65 Euro each for the three nights. The apartment was perfect, right in the middle of old town and only two blocks from the Charles Bridge. It even came with a giant flat screen tv complete with HBO dubbed into Czech. The first day was spent exploring the city. We got some lunch, checked into the apartment, and then headed up towards the Prague castle.

The castle was beautiful. It was situated on top of a hill overlooking the river and the city. It was quite large as well and contained a cathedral within its walls. Quite a remarkable sight to see and the views of the city were spectacular. We headed down from the castle and stopped at a café from some hot wine and a pastry. Hot wine is a spiced red wine that is heated up and is quite popular in Prague. Every café and restaurant had their own version of hot wine (also known as mulled wine). It was quite good, and considering that the city is quite cold in the winter it helped to warm us up.

It gets dark by 4:00, so by the time 6 or 7 rolls around it feels as though it could be midnight. We went to bed relatively early that night. However, before going to bed we set out to Prague’s Christmas markets. This is the highlight of Prague if you happen to be there during the holiday season. There was a giant Christmas tree in the center of Old Town Square, much like the tree in Portland. They then set up all kinds of stands selling everything from handmade Czech crafts to the best kebabs I have ever had in my life (which only cost about five American dollars). The food was the best part and we ate dinner almost every night at the Christmas markets.

The next day was also spent exploring other parts of Prague. We started out with a big breakfast. I had bacon, eggs, and a croissant. Julie and Kate had omelets’. Then we finished breakfast off with a complementary shot of alcohol. It was an interesting way to end a breakfast; our server also gave Julie and Kate each a yellow rose. Then we headed over to Jostefov and took the tour of the Jewish Museum. This was the location of Prague’s Jewish ghetto during the Second World War. The synagogues were beautiful and the Jewish cemetery was unlike any I have ever seen before. I learned a lot about the Jewish faith. To be honest, I had never been in a Synagogue before. We ended the day with dinner at the Christmas market and drinks at a local wine bar.

Friday, we decided to head out to Terezin. This was the location of the Jewish ghetto in World War Two. This was town that the Nazi’s converted into a transfer camp for tens of thousands of Jews. During the war about 185,000 Jewish people went through Terezin, when before this was a town of about 3,000 people. Of those people about 142,000 Jews died either in Terezin or at the concentration camps they were transferred to. The town was about a one hour bus ride. Just getting to the bus station was an experience. We took the metro a ways from the center of Prague. In this area of the city it is quite evident that only 20 years ago this was a communist country. The poverty is pervasive and depressing. In fact the average income in the Czech Republic is around 700 Euro per month.

Terezin was even worse. This was the most lifeless and depressing town I have ever been to in my life. It was as if we were the only ones walking through the streets. No one was around and on top of that we were touring through museums that explained the sheer scale and destruction of the Nazis in World War Two. There was one memorial next to the river where the Nazis had dumped the ashes from over 50,000 urns into the river prior to the international Red Cross visiting the town. It was a depressing day but very important to see and experience and I am happy that we did it. That night we had a traditional Czech dinner in Terezin before heading back to the welcoming lights of Prague.

Saturday was our final day in the city. One thing to note about Prague is that 90% of its GDP comes from tourism. Despite the fact that we were there in the low season this was quite evident on Saturday. The city was packed with mostly European tourists. I cannot imagine how busy it would be in the summer. I spent the day seeing more the sights, and then it was off to the airport and back to Dublin.

My experience in Prague was everything I had hoped it would be and then some. I knew it was one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and I was not disappointed when I arrived there. I learned a lot during the weekend and saw some of the most amazing architecture that was older than I can comprehend. The food was pretty good and the hot wine even better. Christmas was everywhere in the city and the cold made it even more evident that we are just days away from Christmas. The city was beautiful and definitely a place I will go back to at some point in my life.

-jake

Give Thanks

2009-11-26T14:45:00.004Z

2:45 PM; Dublin,

In the spirit of thanksgiving I thought I would share what I am thankful for, all the way from Dublin.

- Family: They will always be there for you no matter what.

- Good Food: Spending thanksgiving in Ireland makes me appreciate a good home cooked meal that much more. I will be missing the family feast tonight.

- American Music: When travelling abroad about 75% of the music you hear is American. It makes you realize how bad music in this world would be without America.

- Football: New York Giants vs. Denver Broncos, tonight... 'nuff said.

- Pumpkin Pie: Yes, I will be having some this evening.

- Skype: Making video communication across the entire planet free and instant; who wouldn't love that?

- My iPod: Lifesaver for those long walks to campus.

- Starbucks: It is everywhere in Europe, you can usually find a Starbucks before you will find a McDonalds.

- Old friends and new friends: The best part about studying abroad.

I wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving and I will be missing you from Ireland. Save a slice of pie for me!

-jake

Scotland & back to Ireland

2009-11-20T20:16:00.004Z

8:17 PM; Dublin,

Sorry, I have been very busy this week with getting back to school and have not found the time, until now, to update my blog. I left off right in the middle of my trip to Edinburgh so that is where I will pick up from.

The rest of the weekend was a lot of fun. On Saturday night Amanda and I went to dinner at an American Pizza restaurant. The pizza (peperoni) was excellent and it actually reminded of some pizza places back home. We then went back to the apartment and met up with some friends for the night. We spent the night out at some local Scottish pubs.

Sunday, I slept in pretty late. I brought my computer with me for the weekend so that I could get some homework done that I needed to before our flight back to Ireland. I know, working on vacation is the most enjoyable but it was required of me, none the less. So, I spent much of Sunday working on my paper on global currencies for my Globalisation class. I wanted to watch some American Football but that wasn't going to happen. I did see a little bit of rugby but I had no idea what was going on. It just wasn't the same.

Anyways, Sunday was a rather sober night. We headed out to a Scottish dinner with the other kids from our school. I got the Salmon Filet. It was actually really good. I think I do prefer Pacific Northwest Salmon though. Then we spent a relaxing evening in the apartment, our last night there.

Monday was another easy going day. We had to check out of our apartment around 11 AM and our flight back wasn't until 7 PM. This meant we had to carry our bags around all day. So, we decided to head over to a cafe called Always Sunday and get some breakfast. We ended up spending most of the day there. I read a book, drank coffee, and enjoyed staying out of the rain. Then it was off to the airport for some dinner and our flight back to Ireland.

The rest of the week was quite stressful. I was up and at school by 8 AM every morning. But, I powered through my three projects and two presentations and got all of my work done. Lets just hope I got the grades...

Here are the pictures from my trip. I will post some more when I get them from my friends.

-jake

Scotland

2009-11-14T18:50:00.006Z

6:50 PM; Edinburgh,

I have now been in the wonderful country of Scotland for three days. We awoke Thursday morning at a very early 3:30 AM and set off for the airport. In total, there are some 20 kids from Dublin that have all traveled to Edinburgh for the weekend. The flight was a quick 50 minutes, just a tad longer then flying to Seattle from Portland. By the time we arrived in Scotland it was 8:00 AM, but we had been awake for five hours.

A few of us, Michelle and Amanda and I, set off for a cafe and then lunch at a Scottish restaurant while touring through the city. Of course I went for a pint of Scottish beer and the local favorite, Haggis. If you don't know what haggis is then you can read about it here; but be warned, it does not sound that appetizing. I am happy to report that it tastes pretty good and I enjoyed my entire plate which was served with neeps (mashed turnip) and tatties (mashed potatoes).

Then we set off to check into the apartment we hired (rented) for the weekend. Great choice on the apartment. It is a refurbished two bedroom with a full kitchen, a hot shower, and best of all: it's not a hostel. Probably the best decision of the weekend was getting the apartment with a few friends over staying in a giant ten bedroom hostel with strangers. We love it. The window outside the kitchen looks right out at Edinburgh castle.

That night we set out to dinner in the frigid cold air of Scotland. Our restaurant of choice was the Elephant House, the very place where J. K. Rowling wrote much of Harry Potter. It was a really cool cafe type restaurant that had good wine which was made even better by the great company. Afterwords, we set out to some local bars then made our way back to the apartment.

Thursday was such a long day but a lot of fun and Friday was even better. We toured Edinburgh castle, walked through new town, had an amazing dinner (I went for the fish and chips), and enjoyed a wonderful evening in the city. Our original plan was to do a ghost tour of Edinburgh, after all it was Friday the 13th and Edinburgh is supposed to be one of the most haunted cities in Europe. However, it started raining really hard so Amanda and I checked into a bar for the night and enjoyed a few drinks out of the elements. Then we ended the night with pizza and chips (french fries) at 3 in the morning.

Today was very relaxing. I slept in, had a great Scottish breakfast, and now am blogging about the great time I have been having. The city is beautiful; I am looking forward to my two days remaining in Scotland. I will post later with more of the pictures I have taken.

Me, Michelle, Amanda, and Collin (we all got the apt. together)

Edinburgh

New Town Edinburgh (Still older than the oldest buildings in Portland)

-jake

The Neolithic Tombs at Newgrange

2009-11-09T00:49:00.005Z

12:48 AM; Dublin,

Yesterday was another overcast, raining, and cold day in Dublin. I didn't let the poor weather stop me from heading up to one of Ireland's heritage sites; about an hour north of Dublin. Here, you will find what looks like a small hill or mound of dirt with a rock wall around on side. Not exactly something spectacular but the story behind it is a little more interesting.

The tomb or cave that was built by these people in the Stone Age is perfectly aligned to allow the sun shine through the entrance on the winter Solstice. This is when the sun reaches its Southern most declination or the shortest day of the year for us in the Northern hemisphere. What is remarkable about the site is the genius put into its design. Without any modern technology or machinery they positioned stones larger than my truck with the up-most precision.

The engineering capabilities of these people is also interesting. The site was built out of rocks and dirt and the interior tomb has a ten meter stepped vault sealing with four meters of dirt on top of that. For over 4,000 years it never collapsed or so much as leaked water into the inner chamber. Quite remarkable.

However, in person you aren't readily impressed. The interior is just bigger than my dorm room and the entire mound is not bigger than my home. Still, you have to be a little impressed to be standing inside a man made structure that is older than the pyramids. A great way to spend a Saturday.

Unfortunately, I couldn't take pictures of the interior.

-jake

Swimming in the Ocean

2009-11-06T23:39:00.004Z

11:37 PM; Dublin,

I woke up a few mornings ago to a text from a friend telling me that we should go swimming. Still in a semi sleepy state it took me a while to figure out what exactly she was talking about. She was talking about swimming at sea point in the Atlantic Ocean or, more specifically, Dublin Bay. Of course I was down for that and at this point I was already awake.

We got there and it took me a few moments before I jumped in. The water was freezing cold. I swam out a ways were some older ladies were swimming around. They said that they thought the water would have been colder! I think if it was any colder there would have been a danger of hypothermia. It was nice to go swimming and I did end up going in twice. Then we headed out for a delicious breakfast in Blackrock. A pretty good day had by all.

-jake

Photos From the Weekend

2009-10-29T15:01:00.010Z

3:04 PM; Dublin,

I took some really nice photos this weekend in Doolin and Galway. Here are a few of them for your viewing pleasure (click to see a bigger size):

Pointing to America.

Thatched roof house.

Sitting on the edge, 700 feet above water and rocks.

A castle in the Irish countryside with the sun shining through the clouds.

Low tide in Galway.

O'Brien's castle in the background.

The Cliffs of Moher.

Standing on the Cliffs.

Galway.

-jake

My Weekend in the West

2009-10-26T20:37:00.006Z

7:40 PM; Dublin,

I have returned safely from a wonderful weekend spent traversing the West Coast of Ireland. I traveled, with my friends Bill and Chris (both from the US), by bus out to the Cliffs of Moher. These cliffs are a spectacular sight to see, the pictures do them no justice. They look out over the Atlantic and one cannot help but think about the great expanse of sea that lies between Ireland and North America. The water is endless from that point until you wash up on the shore of the US or Canada.

The visitors center at the cliffs gives you a quick glimpse of how amazing this natural wonder is. To see the real Cliffs of Moher you need to walk down the trail that leads past the sign which reads, "please do not go beyond this point." Don't worry, the park ranger said that private property laws in Ireland are non-existent; plus there is no second amendment in Ireland. The scenery down this trail was beautiful. We hiked all the way down the cliffs along a trail 700 feet above sharp rocks and the ocean. I have some great pictures of me standing right on the edge, it was exhilarating.

Sitting on the edge with the cliffs in the background.

We made it back to the visitors center and realized there were no buses back to Doolin, the town we were staying in for the two nights. It was a few miles away and we were a bit tired from the long walk down the cliffs. So, we headed out to the main road and stuck our thumbs out. Not even three minutes later the first car to come by pulled off for us, he was a young Scottish guy in a BMW 5 series! As Americans we were quite amazed at how easy it was to hitch a ride in the Irish countryside. It was a good experience.

The hostel we stayed at was called the Aille River House. It was perfect. Voted the best hostel in all of Ireland last year. We walked in and were greeted by Karl, a hippy wannabe living the simple life. He informed us of some good pubs to go to and the best place to get real fish and chips. We got cleaned up and headed out to experience the Doolin nightlife (population: 200).

The hostel in Doolin.

The food was amazing, expensive but great. I got the fish and chips, it tastes even better in Ireland. Some locals played traditional music. The food was great, the Guinness better, and the music beautiful. The next morning we had planned to head out to the Aran Islands and then take a cruise around the base of the Cliffs. That did not really work out. We woke to gale force winds and the boats decided not to risk it. Instead we headed out to the beach and then took a hike around the countryside.

The farms and houses of the Irish countryside were simple yet splendid. A random castle rose out of the ground up on a hill and at the end of a long gravel driveway stood a small thatched roof house. It was what one would picture the Irish countryside to look like. The only thing missing was a rainbow. We headed back to the hostel to wait out the oncoming rain storm. I sat by the fire and read a book while it rained for a bit, it reminded me just a little of raining days back home. We played some board games, I taught Bill checkers and Chris chess. Then we headed out to another pub for more food, Guinness, and Irish music.

A castle in the Irish countryside.

Sunday was another day of travel. It took us about half of the day before we realized that all of Ireland had moved their clocks back one hour for daylight savings time. We made it to the bust though and were on our way to Galway. A lot more people from UCD were up in Galway for the weekend and did a separate tour down to the cliffs from there. I stayed in the Hostel with them while Bill and Chris stayed in a different hostel. Galway is a nice sized fishing village on Ireland's West Coast. It reminds me of Newport Bay on Oregon's coast.

We saw the sights then I went off to meet up with my other friends and get the evening going. We ate dinner at the hostel where my friend Amanda managed to spill half the pasta sauce all over the floor of the kitchen. Then we headed out to a small pub for Guinness and more music. This pub featured a Texan playing some tunes and then afterwards a local group played some traditional Irish music. The night was wonderful; I even managed to get some sleep at my hostel, aptly named Snoozles.

By the time I awoke this morning, the last of my weekend adventure, most people had gone. Amanda and I set out for some breakfast. The receptionist at the hostel, a charming french guy, suggested we try Mister Waffle for a good breakfast. I managed to get us lost in a town not much bigger than Milwaukie and when we did get to Mister Waffles it was closed. Instead we had some really good breakfast crepes at a small cafe. Afterward, we walked down along the river and walked around inside the Galway Cathedral.

I have been to a lot of churches in my life but this place was in a class all it's own. The organ was the size of a Dublin city bus and the altar was made out of solid marble. We were in awe of the architecture and sheer size of the building. It was the perfect ending to the long weekend.

A four hour bus ride later brought us back to the other side of the country. As Amanda and I walked up the small streets to the dorm it started raining, this was how Ireland was bringing us back to the reality of school and life. I could have spent another week on the West Coast of Ireland. There is so much to see and so much traditional music that I have not yet heard. No doubt I will be back some day soon.

-jake

Rain

2009-10-21T16:51:00.002+01:00

4:50 PM; Dublin,

I just looked at the 10 day forecast for Dublin. Only two days with a chance of seeing the sun. Bring it on.

Weather.com

-jake

My Coffee Fix

2009-10-17T18:24:00.002+01:00

6:30 PM; Dublin,

I have been missing my coffee as of late so I did the only thing that seems logical. I went out and bought myself a coffee maker. For only 18 Euro I now have the ability to brew my own coffee, American style, right in my room every morning. Considering that an average cup of Joe runs 2 to 3 euro here, I think it was a financially wise decision on my part. Also, getting coffee at the local supermarket isn’t too expensive. It is the best way to start the day.

On another note, the weather in Dublin has been amazing. I have been here for over a month and there has been very little rain. I had prepared myself for a lot of rain, which is all you hear about Ireland. It rains here, a lot. Well there might be something to this whole Global Warming thing… I mean I am enjoying the weather.

It is going to be tough to go home in December.

-jake

Visit to Dublin

2009-10-16T22:26:00.003+01:00

10:25 PM; Dublin,

My cousin, Kelsy, is in Dublin for the weekend with some of her friends. They are all studying at a university a few hours from London. I met them down in the city centre for lunch and then we did some touring of Dublin. We went up to St. Stephens Green, a really cool park in the heart of Dublin. We walked over to St. Patrick's Cathedral and saw one of the wells that St. Patrick used to baptize thousands of Irish people.

Then, of course, it was off to O'Neill's for dinner and pints of Guinness, I was the only one who went for the Guinness (a meal in and of itself). Then they headed back to the hotel because they are getting up to go to Galway for the day tomorrow. We were talking and came to the conclusion that the last time we had seen each other was nine years ago at my dad's 40th birthday party. Most of his family came out to Oregon to celebrate. Then, when I went to Ohio a few years ago Kelsy was off at school so I didn't see her then.

We were able to reunite in Ireland, of all places, and catch up a little bit. On Sunday we are planning to do the tour of the Guinness factory and then they are going to do some more sightseeing in Ireland.

Kelsy and I on the O'Connell Bridge over the Liffey River.

-jake

Glendalough

2009-10-09T21:39:00.002+01:00

9:38 PM; Dublin,

It has been a long week and I am finally getting around to posting on my blog, sorry for the delay. Last weekend I went hiking in Glandalough. This is an old monastery (I'm talking 6th century) that has been around for hundreds of years. Apparently some hermit started it centuries ago and at one point it was the most populace area in Ireland, housing 2,000 people in its village. The main part of the tour focused around the church and cemetery which are still used today. The old stone bell tower is still standing. The buildings were really old and the scenery was quite beautiful. It was a nice visit. After the hike and tour everyone was so exhausted that the bus ride back was silent, everyone was asleep.

This weekend I am staying in Dublin. I have some work to do for school. A few papers to write and I need to study up for my midterm in International Trade Economics. So, it will be a low key weekend. Here are some pictures from Glendalough (pronounced Glen-da-lock). The first few pictures are from a hike I went on at Howth the day before. There was also an old church and cemetery there.

-jake

Travel Must Haves: Quality Headphones

2009-10-05T11:00:00.000+01:00

11:27 AM; Dublin,

I want to fill you in on a travel tip of mine. Before embarking on any long journey get yourself a nice set of quality headphones to compliment your iPod. This is an absolute necessity. While traveling to Dublin I spent over ten hours aboard the plane and several more hours in the airport. These headphones saved my life.

I knew I wanted some premium headphones for my trip so I went down to the Bose store in Woodburn to check them out. Yeah, they were nice but they cost $300! That was a little crazy to me. I headed to Best Buy to check out their selection. I wanted a comfortable set, with good noise reduction, and one that didn't use a separate battery from my iPod. I opted for the Sony extra base headphones. They came with extra padding for comfort and worked well to block out noise. They were almost as quiet as the Bose headphones in my opinion. Also, they made my music sound really good, much better than the earbuds you get with your iPod. The best part, they only cost around $75.

I have used them through five iPod charges and I even use them to listen to music or watch TV on my computer. The sound is really good and it is probably one of the best purchases I made for my trip. It is worth the extra space it will take up in your bag, trust me on this one!

-jake

IAA Videos

2009-09-29T09:50:00.002+01:00

9:32 PM; Dublin,

While at the auto show over the past weekend I took a few videos of the BMW and Mercedes Benz halls. The Mercedes Benz hall was the biggest and they had a really cool lighting display around the entire hall. BMW was my favorite. They had an indoor racetrack where they showed off all of their new cars and a few of there old ones. It was a great time and you can get a little taste of how cool the show was from the videos. Enjoy!

The Mercedes Benz Showroom.

The Indoor Racetrack

Cool Old BMW

-jake

The Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung (Auto Show)

2009-09-27T22:58:00.004+01:00

11:05 PM; Dublin,

I made it safely back to Dublin. What a few days it has been. The show in Frankfurt was truly amazing. I cannot believe how enormous the show was. Imagine eleven different PDX Convention Centers all spread out over a huge campus, that was how big it was. I spent roughly ten hours at the convention. I have no idea how many cars I looked at. I took about 400 pictures before the battery in my camera died. Let me just run through what the last two days entailed for me.

Yesterday morning I woke up early to get the day started quickly. I took a shower and took advantage of the free breakfast offered by the hostel (if you could call it breakfast). After some hard-boiled eggs, bread, yogurt and a few cups of coffee I was ready to head up to the show. It was only about a half mile from the hostel so I walked. I already had bought my ticket online (which turned out to not be necessary) and walked into the entrance to the convention. The show was split up into eleven huge halls. Some halls would only house one brand (like the Mercedes hall). I made my way to the nearest hall which turned out to be Ford, Mazda, Volvo, and Kia. Not a lot was going on in this hall. Ford did not even have a Mustang on display. They did, however, have the new Focus RS which is actually an alright looking car for the price. I only spent about thirty minutes in that hall then headed down to Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, and Volkswagen.

The first thing I noticed now was the crowd. Massive amounts of people as soon as you walk in. This would be the norm for the day. I walked around to all the halls and the crowds just got bigger and bigger as the day progressed. At one point the crowd was so thick in the Porsche, Aston Martin, Jaguar, etc hall that I felt like I was at a really popular concert where everyone is pushing you forward and you just need to get some air. So I went outside to where they had beer stands set up all over the giant courtyard. Yes, beer at 11:00 in the morning. I settled for some Coke and later had some pizza for lunch. It was quite funny whenever I would order something while at a restaurant in Frankfurt the person taking my order would immediately switch to english. I did not meet one person while in Germany that did not speek english. And many of them probably spoke better English than me.

The show was a great success. The highlight for me was the indoor racetrack that BMW set up in their hall. They had cars zooming overhead and around the hall; it was really cool. The best car was the new Mercedes Benz SLS AMG Gullwing. What an amazing piece of art. If I owned it I would park it in the living room of my house in place of the television. Then, instead of watching some crappy TV show I would just stare at the car. Some other great cars were the Lamborghini Reventon, the Aston Martin Rapide, and the BMW Efficient Dynamics Concept. All drool worthy cars. I spent about ten hours at the show and probably walked ten miles. At about seven I headed back to the hostel where I had a couple of beers and went to bed. I was so tired from the long day.

Today, I got up and checked out then went to the Starbucks across the street to get some homework done. Then it was off to the bus station for the ride to the airport, then the flight back to Dublin. I had a few hours to kill while at the airport so I perused through the duty free shop and had to pick up some alcohol because it was so chleap compared to Dublin. I got some Captain Morgan and I would say it was about half what it would have cost me in Dublin (that is what you get with a VAT). The plane ride was good and quick. Again, I was amazed at how efficient the airline was. The plane we were taking to Dublin spent only about thirty minutes on the ground between landing and take off.

It was an amazing weekend and I cannot wait for my next trip. I think I will be going to Glendalough next weekend. I have posted a bunch of the pictures from the auto show below and will upload the videos I took in another post. I hope you like them.

-jake

Made it to Frankfurt

2009-09-25T20:01:00.002+01:00

9:02 PM; Frankfurt,

It has been a long day of traveling and sightseeing. I have rested down for the night in the Frankfurt Hostel to do some blogging while I enjoy a few beers. I woke up this morning at 4 AM Dublin time to catch the bus to the airport. While I was waiting at the bus stop a taxi pulled up and offered to give me a ride to the airport for the same price, only 8 euro! Perfect. He picked up some cute Irish girls that were going to Vegas, baby! So, we talked a little bit about the States and how excited they were to go to Las Vegas. I got to the airport way early thanks to the cab ride, so I made my way through the security line (same as the US except I didn't have to take off my shoes!!) and got some breakfast. There was no free wifi in the airport, which was a bummer (I have come to expect it nowadays). But, I must comment that the planes seem to board much more efficiently and depart on time often (as compared to my experiences in the US). In the period of an hour and a half the gate I left out of boarded three flights.

I flew Ryanair which is a discount airline (even more than Southwest). However, my experience was great. The plain was about 2/3rds full and I guess I looked scary this morning or something because no one sat in my row. Only downside of the flight was that the seats did not recline. Wasn't too bad because we were only in the air for one and a half hours. Due to the nature of the discount airline we flew into some podunk airport 2 hours from Frankfurt. I took a bus for 12 euro into the city which dropped me off five minutes walk from my hostel. Even though the airport was far out and I had to take the bus I still saved a bunch of money by not flying directly into Frankfurt; I think it was worth it. I checked into the Hostel but they were all out of lockers so that meant I was going to be hauling my pack through my tour of the city. I dumped some of the non-valuables in the room to lighten the load and I headed out to see the city.

The first thing I noticed was how similar Frankfurt felt to Portland. Maybe it was just me looking for the connection but Frankfurt has a small central area where the downtown skyscrapers are focused and it has a river going through it with lots of bridges. I actually like it a little better, there was no interstate running down the middle of it! (don't get me wrong I love the 5 ;). I took a bunch of pictures, had wiener schnitzel (sp?) for lunch/dinner, and took in the sights. It is a beautiful city. Frankfurt feels much more capitalistic and industry driven as opposed to Dublin (this might just be the nature of Germany). I really liked the vibe I was getting from the city. Most people speak English here too; so, language has not been a great barrier. I have included a slideshow of all the pictures I took today, I think this will work better than a huge post of picture after picture.

I walked down to the Romer Square which is the oldest part of Frankfurt; there I saw some really amazing architecture. Then I headed down to the waterfront which is really similar to the waterfront in P-Town. Watch out for the bikers! It made me miss home, just a little bit. After that I headed up through the shopping district then down through the park. The park runs through the city like the park blocks run through Portland. The city is beautiful and easy to get around in; it was a cool 65 degrees here today. After all of that I headed back to the hostel and met some of the people I will be sharing my 8-bed room with for the next two nights. There are people from the US, Argentina, Australia, China, Spain, Germany, and all over the world just in my one room. It is actually really neat.

Tomorrow is the auto show. I cannot describe how excited I am for this event. The biggest show in the world is all mine for ten hours tomorrow. Lets hope I can stay on my feet the whole time and expierence the whole thing (shouldn't be a problem). I'm loving Frankfurt, even more than Dublin. I wish I was here for longer than just three days. Below is a bunch of the pictures I took from today. I do not know much about what I saw because everything here is in German (even my guide book). I stopped at a pharmacy and had to ask the clerk if the bottle I was holding was toothpaste, thankfully it was and she laughed when she realized I had no idea what I was doing. I will try and post tomorrow night about my experience at the show, stay tuned.

-jake

I Survived Immigration

2009-09-22T22:45:00.002+01:00

10:45 PM; Dublin,

What a day! Due to the fact that I will be residing in Ireland for longer than 90 days I was required to register with the Garda National Immigration Bureau. I was in for a treat. Imagine your worse experience at DMV and then multiply that by 10. I woke up this morning around 7 AM. Took a shower and set off for the Bureau which opened at 8 AM. I got there around 8:15 and I see a huge line stretching around the side of the building. Apparently, they do not start serving students until 9 AM. Damn, I thought to myself this is going to take awhile. At that point, I had no idea.

Luckily, some friends of mine were about halfway back in the line so I snuck up with them. About an hour later the line starts moving and it is moving pretty quickly. We get up to the front and the lady hands us each a number and tells us to come back at 11 AM. Great, another two hours. My one class for the day was scheduled at 11 AM. I head off to get some coffee and breakfast and make my way back to the Garda around 11. I walk in and they are up to serving number 64. I am number 157. At this point I realize I should have gone to class and come back afterwards. Oh well, I'm deep into it now.

I find a corner in the sweltering, overcrowded waiting area and take out my iPod to try and pass the time. One hour goes by, then the second and the third. I lose all track of time as I watch the numbers slowly click up getting closer and closer to 157. Finally, after hours of sitting in my semi-sick state listening to music over the dull roar of the crowd, my number is called. I make my way up to the counter. Take out my passport, school ID card, proof of medical insurance, proof of finances, proof of residence, and proof of student status. At least I was prepared and had all the necessary paperwork. The immigration officer spends ten minutes typing things into the computer, then takes my picture, then I pay 150 Euro, then he tells me to wait a few more minutes to get my passport back.

I go sit down again. Luckily, ten minutes later they call my name. I get my passport back and my green card. I am now officially legal for the duration of my stay in Ireland. What an experience. The waiting and waiting for the 25 minutes of paper work. Oh well, I guess I should be happy it is over with. By the end of it I was mentally exhausted and felt totally used. Tips for other students traveling to Ireland. Go to the Garda as soon as you can. Most students are stamped for thirty days from there arrival. This means that by the end of September it will be extremely busy and a pain to get your green Card. I learned that the hard way.

-jake

Time Flies

2009-09-17T18:25:00.003+01:00

6:25 PM; Dublin,

How does the saying go? Time flies when you are having fun. I cannot believe I have already been here over two weeks! I have really be enjoying myself and maybe even learning a little bit. I am taking five classes. They are: Globalization, Irish History, Cross-Cultural Management, Corporate Finance, and International Trade Economics. For the most part the classes do not seem too difficult. I do have to put a little extra time into my economics class to grasp all of the concepts and understand all of the graphs. It is actually quite different than the two economics classes I took in Denver. Overall I would say the teaching style and level of work required for these classes is not a huge difference from what it is in the US. That is a relief seeing as I really had no idea how it was going to be here.

I've got so much to do in such a short amount of time. Besides classes I need to travel and see some of Europe. Next weekend, the 25th, I am going to Frankfurt to see the Frankfurt International Auto Show. I am really looking forward to this. I think almost every new car in the world will be showcased inside this giant convention center. I booked my ticket through RyanAir and will be flying into an airport two hours outside of the city. Then, I will take the bus into the city and find my hostel. It will be a great trip. Beyond that, I am going to Belfast sometime in October to get a tour of the city and learn more about Northern Ireland. Also, some friends and I are planning a weekend trip to Gallway which is on the west coast of Ireland.

Being in Dublin is fun. I have met people from all over the world. I hope time doesn't fly the rest of the time I am here but December 19th is going to be here much too quickly.

-jake

Trip to Howth

2009-09-13T16:08:00.007+01:00

4:08 PM; Dublin,

Yesterday was a long day full of traveling and sight seeing then out to the pubs last night. A huge group of us to the Dart (similar to the light rail) out to Howth. This is the end of the peninsula that juts out to form one side of the Dublin Harbour. There is a small touristy town here with a marina and a light house (it somewhat reminded me of Depot Bay on the Oregon Coast). The really cool part of the trip was hiking up on top of the cliffs that run straight down in to the sea. We got fish and chips, ice cream and enjoyed perfect weather. The weather has actually been really nice here. It has not rained in five days or so and has consistently been 65 degrees or warmer. Let's hope the nice weather keeps up.

-jake

My Dorm

2009-09-10T21:38:00.007+01:00

9:37 PM; Dublin,

I finally have some pictures of my dorm room for you all to see. It isn't much but I think it should do for the semester. One thing though, the walls are the most heinous peach color I have ever seen. I wish I could paint over them.

My Desk and closet on the left.

My closet with a full length mirror. Very stylish!

I have a sink in my room which is actually pretty nice.

And my bed, my really small bed!

That is my living arrangements for the next few months. Not too bad. You can't expect the same arrangements from DU when you come over here. Don't you love the paint color as well?

-jake

Night Out

2009-09-08T20:56:00.003+01:00

8:56 PM; Dublin,

One of my new friends here in Dublin had her 21st birthday last night so we had to celebrate it American style! This meant shots of tequila and trip out to the local pub. Thankfully, I only had class at 11:00 AM today. On that note, classes are going quite well. I have been to four of my five classes now and, honestly, they seem easier than classes back in Denver. That is except for my Cross Cultural Management class. I have never been a big fan of management courses though. I feel a strong disconnect between what is taught in class and how you would actually apply it in the real world. In my experience management classes just involved learning different management theories and memorizing them so that you can regurgitate that information onto the test at the end of the quarter. It sounds like that is how this class will be as well. Anyways, here are a few photos from last night.

Jim from the US.

Out at the bar.

Me and the Birthday Girl.

I have a busy day of classes tomorrow so I am going to try and get some rest tonight. But, a bunch of people are going out to the pubs again so we will see what happens.

-Jake

Walking Tour of Dublin

2009-09-06T20:29:00.003+01:00

8:24 PM; Dublin,

I took a quick tour of Dublin today which was organised by our cultural programme here in Dublin. We didn't get to see much because of the rain but I did get a few good pictures around the city.

St. Stephen's Green Park

Walking through the park.

A monument to those that perished in the Potato Famine.

Random Statue of an Englishman.

A Dublin Street.

The Clubs

2009-09-06T19:25:00.000+01:00

6:55 PM; Dublin,

I went out clubbing with some friends last night. It was a pretty good time, but way to expensive. A bottle of Corona cost 5.20 Euro, which right now would convert to $7.41 American. This is crazy! Oh well, I still had a few drinks anyways. We took the bus down and then the taxi back to Blackrock. A taxi ride is 20 Euro, so you need make sure to have lots of people with you when traveling home.

The music was horrible (think a really bad dj at a cheesy high school dance) but I think I will get that a lot in Europe. Only the French girls agreed with me that the music was pretty bad, everyone else thought it was pretty good. Classes start tomorrow so I do not think I will go out tonight (plus most pubs aren't really open tonight). I am still severely jet lagged. I have no sense of time here and my sleeping patterns are erratic. Maybe getting home from the clubs at 3 AM doesn't help out much either...

-jake

Blackrock

2009-09-05T15:49:00.000+01:00

3:07 PM; Dublin,

Yesterday I headed out with Julie and Kate to the local shopping centre. We were on a mission to get plates, pots and pans, cutlery, and other random kitchen necessities. I have been told that Blackrock is one of the nicest places to live in Dublin. Here are some pictures taken around Blackrock.

Main entrance into Blackrock campus.

A home close to my dorm. Every lot here is surround by walls and hedges. Even the campus is entirely surrounded by a wall.

Large open areas are hard to come by in Dublin outside of the parks and campus.

I have been told that homes like this go for 1.2 million Euro in this neighborhood.

Ivy Covered home.

Your typical view walking down the street.

The street right outside of campus.

This the building I live in. I believe it was once an Abbey.

Another view of my dorm.

There are a few pictures from around Blackrock. It is a beautiful place to live.

-jake

Privilege

2009-09-04T02:10:00.000+01:00

1:49 AM; Dublin,

Today we had orientation for all of the study abroad students from America. The morning started with all of us attending a lecture about UCD and life in Ireland. In total there are about 200 students from the US studying at UCD. We then went on campus tours and had some lunch at the Arts Cafe. I had a ceasar salad, salt and vinegar potato chips, and a Coke (which is made with real sugar instead of corn syrup). The fun part came in the evening. The international office staff through a special meet and greet for American students at the restaurant on campus. We had food and lots of wine. It was really interesting though. As an American study abroad student I felt as though we got special treatment just because we were Americans. The food and wine was only open to the Americans and any international students from other countries around the world were not welcome at the event. It was fully catered, had a live irish band playing irish music, and the vice president from the Universty gave a speech about how similar Ireland and America are.

It is interesting to see how infused American culture is in the Irish culture and how interested/fascinated people are with America. Naturally, I felt put off for getting special treatment just because I am an American. However, we still drank lots of wine and had a good time. Afterwards, we headed back to Blackrock. I wanted to go to the pharmacy to get some shampoo but it closed at 18:00 (6:00PM)! Where are the 24 hour Walgreens? So, instead I stopped into a convenience store and bought a bottle of wine. The cheapest was a Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa (8.99 Euro). It is wierd to not get carded when buying alcohol. Anyways, tomorrow I have orientation at the business school then I'm off to find some pots and pans for the kitchen, oh and a wine glass to drink the wine I bought.

-jake

Day 2

2009-09-03T01:58:00.000+01:00

1:40 AM; Dublin,

I am getting settled in to my new life in Dublin. The jet lag is still killing me though. I woke up today at 1:00PM and was still tired! Anyways, we figured out how to make it to the main campus (after I dashed into McDonalds for some desperately needed food). Then my friends and I headed to the city centre for dinner and drinks. Apparantly, most places in Dublin stop serving food at 7:00PM. We eventually found a place. I had penne pasta with chicken, tomatoes, pesto, and spinach. The pasta was good but the chicken was really dry. They also have Corona in Dublin! So, that is what I had with dinner (I know, not very European but I like it). Afterwards, we headed out to a pub for some drinks. I had Guinness, which is much better in Ireland than it is in the States. I seriously think it is an entirely different beer. Here is a picture of me and my friend Kate at the pub. The bartender was hilarious (he knew right away that we were Americans) and they had live music.

The quickest thing I learned is that you need to carry change here! The lowest paper money denomination is 5 Euro and the bus costs 1.80 Euro. They do not take paper money and you need exact change. I am so used to just putting my change in the little trays at the stores when I get it and not bothering to keep it. Here I am actively seeking out places to get change, crazy! On top of that I also learned that everything is really expensive! Dinner was about 15 Euro and it wasn't a really fancy place. I would equate it to a CPK which runs about $15 American for dinner, but you also have to remember that there is not tipping here. A bus pass for 30 days is 75 Euro plus you need to buy a 15 Euro student card. Gone are the days of cheap public transportation. One nice thing is that the drinks were not expensive. They were about the same you would expect to pay in the States at a bar.

Oh, another interesting tidbit: If someone calls another person a "fruitcake" in Dublin it does not mean they are calling them gay. It is, actually, another word for crazy or nutcase. I found that out today.

-jake

Arrival

2009-09-02T00:20:00.000+01:00

12:01 AM Dublin,

I have made it safely to my destination. The most dreaded part of the trip (getting there) is over. And what a day it was. I left Portland at 6:30 in the morning, spending over five hours in the air before finally arriving at New York's JFK airport. Then came the four hour layover. I search and failed to find a wifi hotspot to get on the internet (this should not happen in 2009). Next stop was the duty free shop where I was able to keep myself from spending anything on alcohol. Finally, my friend Kate arrived at the airport. It just so happened that we were on the same flight to Dublin.

We were called to board the plane and prepare for the last leg of the trip. However, there was a weight issue with the plane which turned out to only be a paperwork issue which meant that we sat parked on the tarmac for two hours unable to depart. As it turns out, we had a nice tail wind and we arrived in Dublin 30 minutes early. So early in fact that there was no gate available for our plane. You guessed it, more waiting on the tarmac. At this point I was counting on immigration taking several hours. Luckily we breezed right through it and once we had our bags, customs consisted of walking through a doorway. Then came the taxi ride. Normally a 25 Euro expense turned into 55 Euro with the early morning traffic. In the end, I made it to Dublin a mere twenty two hours after departing. All in all I averaged an impressive 212 mph. The end result is the view in the picture above taken looking out my dorm room.

-jake

Off to Ireland

2009-08-31T00:40:00.000+01:00

Hey there. Welcome to my webpage! I am off to Dublin, Ireland tomorrow morning; I can't wait to get there and see the city. I created this little website so that all my friends and family and anyone else can see pictures and read about my travels around Europe. You will be able to travel vicariously through me (almost as good as the real thing).

The Plan. I depart Portland tomorrow morning at 6:30AM Pacific. I arrive in Dublin at 8:00AM Dublin Time Tuesday morning. Then it is off to my school where, hopefully, I have a room waiting for me. I still have to finish packing and have my last home cooked meal for a few months. I'm going to miss my steak.

I hope you enjoy reading my blog. I will try to post as often as I can. You can also find me on facebook, twitter, e-mail, and skype.

-jake

Header Images

2009-08-27T22:49:00.001+01:00

I created a header that rotates a bunch of really cool pictures every time you refresh the blog. I do want to give credit for these images; they are listed below.

From Dieselstation.

Portland, Oregon: From Flickr.

Portland, Oreogn: From Flickr.

Me at Howth: Taken by Me

Galway, Ireland: Taken by Me.

The code I used to create this cool feature can be found here. Enjoy!

-jake

Contact Me

2009-08-06T20:21:00.006+01:00

There are several ways of contacting me.

E-mail: jake8955 [at] gmail [dot] com

E-mail: jake.oneill [at] du [dot] edu

Skype: jakeoneill1

Twitter: @jake_oneill

Facebook: Jake O'Neill

LinkedIn: Jacob O'Neill

Google+: Jacob O'Neill

-jake