February 15-18th, 2006
 

Having to leave the hostel

As you know, I have been living in a hostel in Westport Ireland.  It was quite an adjustment in the way that during the mid week (Tue-Thurs afternoon) the place was a ghost town.  Myself and one worker, either Alfia or Hannah would be cleaning and I would help when requested to.  I had lots of time to do as I pleased, walk the town, go to eat or eat in the common room, read, type, and pray for something more permanent.
  The other part of the week, Thursday through Tuesday AM is a different matter all together.  People start arriving on Thursday AM, they kind of trickle in.  Usually the private rooms go first- the room next to me.  I have to hear them bang up the stairs and fall into the room.  The walls are no thicker then paper and you hear EVERYHING.  Luckily I have never had to hear sex- THANK GOD!  But I hear laughing and talking – usually in languages that I have no idea what is being said.  I am usually in my PJ’s on the computer or reading a book.  The toilet (I hate that term) is right at the bottom of my feet.  It does have a wall, but I can hear like it is in the room with me!  I have heard many strangers pee.  I could really do without this experience…  One thing that happens each and every time new people stay in the room next to me…. They walk into my room!  I don’t have a lock on my door and boy- that piss’s me off!  The first time it happened, I mentioned it to Alfia to tell them that it is a staff room and do not enter. But these people must be thick!  They always walk in.  I do put a bag in front of the door to at least wake me up or warn me when the door is opened- but it doesn’t stop these people.  I sleep with earplugs, so I can’t hear things really clearly- and they scare the shit out of me!  One American guy thought it was where the shower was. Another French guy just opened the door and apologized, but this one night- a German couple got the room.  They were laughing and carrying on until I coughed to let them know that someone was there- and if they could hear a cough, imagine what I could hear.  They usually quite down after that.  Usually we don’t have people that go out and get drunk- but on this night, it was all the bullshit rolled into one.  The carried on until 10PM and then they went out.  They must of pee’d 10x’s before they left. I had peace until 2:30AM when then returned, ran up the stairs and pee’d, banged around then left again. Which is odd, because in Ireland they stop serving at 11:30PM and you have to be out at 12:30AM.  I have no idea where they went to 2:30AM
   Alfia had gently said to me that it was getting busier and she was going to need to have my room available.  I knew it was coming and yet it was devastating to hear.  I neither held nor hold any ill feelings- she has been a Godsend to me in the last few weeks since I have been in Westport.  I love this woman.  But since she had made this statement, I was propelled into another tailspin; I didn’t know what I would do.  I talked to poor sick Noeline and told her my dilemma, and she said that the room was available for me at her home, but was not the best situation- being that I would be too far from anywhere to get a job or go for interviews or anything.  But that didn’t concern me as much as having a bed to sleep on. She herself was still sick and had no plans to pick me up until the weekend.

  The next day after Alfia told me I had to move on, I had met with a woman that I met through Noeline.  Her name is Pip; she is an Englishmen as is her husband.  They are both retired, I don’t know what she did but he is a retired dentist.  They live in a beautiful home up the hill from Noeline and he makes beer and she has a wonderful garden and pond.  Pip is involved in Westport society and she was going to introduce me around at the Towne Hall where they have a market type day.  An assortment of woman brings in their homemade items to sell to the public.  There is a wool weaver (Judy), she raises her own sheep, shears their wool, spins it and dyes it.  She then knits wonderful hats, scarfs, vests and funny gloves that have no fingertips. (Perfect for Ireland- still have mobility but keep most of the hands warm)  When I get a job, I will buy a pair.  They have a mosaic mirror person. 
   I met Dolly; she has a booth that has blank greeting cards with scanned photos.  We have an eye for the same kind of things.  She uses this little digital camera and gets lovely shots.  Then they have a booth that sells plants and herbs and stone paves.  Bea and Cindy, sell fresh brown eggs and jams and cheese. And a few booths of bakers with an amazing variety of baked goods. 
     I met Shirley who has a booth of Organic bakery and she carries Hummus!  I didn’t have the funds, but I will get me some of that hummus some day.  She is very much into the environment (as is Pip) and their group (don’t know the name) is responsible for offering the public classes and talks on all kinds of subjects on organic foods, and willow basket making and even building dry stone walls.  They are having a man that is on the BBC come into give a lively lecture on his travels around Ireland.  He has written a book and it sounds great.  I hope to attend, but we will see where I am at the time.
  My time with Pip was short but it did lead to meeting a few people around town and at this point networking is so important.  I did leave my card with a few women and I let them know what I was looking for in the way of accommodations and work.
 But I returned to the hostel without a clear contact and was feeling more defeated then I had anticipated.  Alfia asked if anything came out of it and I kind of showed my worry.  I didn’t intend to have my voice quiver or to look so bad, which made her feel bad.  I asked her what date should I be out by and she was upset that I felt that she would throw me out!  She said, that she wouldn’t ever do that, and I shouldn’t feel so bad.  She tried to lighten the mood with in invite to go to a waterfall the next day with Tom the new worker.
 Oh, I have to tell you about Tom.  Tom is a guy about 25 years old.  He is from Italy and he has traveled all around Europe over the last few years.  He works in Italy in a restraint and saves everything he can to go on his next adventure.  Some times he goes by himself (as this one) and other times he goes with friends.  He was last in Ireland last December with a group of friends and they stayed in hostels all along the Northern area of Dongel.  But the Westport area seemed to hold a special place in his heart.
  Well, Tom decided a few weeks ago to come to Ireland and stay for 5-6 months.  He wants to learn English and he had no chance of that where he lived.  So he felt he could come to Ireland and get a job and be forced to speak English all the time.  I thought he was pretty good – much better then I would if I was in Italy trying to speak that!  But he is just so cute with his little English dictionary and his desire to know what everything means.
  Tom came in the Cork area first and didn’t have any luck for finding work. Cork is a big city and it didn’t embrace the feeling that he was looking for to live.  So he wrote a letter to all the hostels in Ireland, offering to work (for money and board).  He didn’t get but one response and it was from Alfia (I told you she was a God-send) and she showed interest.
   Alfia has been sleeping at the hostel every week (a few days per) for the last 4 years.  She would really like to sleep in her own bed for 7 days straight!  So Tom gave her an opportunity to maybe do that.  So she told him to come into meet her.  Alfia is a gut person, she trusts her gut to tell her things and she would wait till she met Tom to decide what was up.  Tom took the bus up from Cork – which took hours!  He said it was terrible (which is what I heard about the bus here) and he was quite glad to arrive.  He met with Alfia and her gut approved him right away. When Alfia mentioned Tom to me earlier in the day, I was deflated.  It was the writing on the wall.  If she was paying a guy to run the hostel at night and to sleep here, she really had no use for me (the next day is when she told me about needing the room)
 Well, Tom arrived and he was a sweetheart.  My gut told me the same thing, even if I didn’t want to like him.  Tom would be living in the staff quarters, which is just a room on the first level with a bed, odds and ends furniture and a washer and dryer and a shower.  Not the homiest place, but it would do.  He’s a guy and they seem to need less then us woman!  I was in my usual room upstairs to the staff room, but I would be needing to use the shower in his room (and the other people in the room next to me too) so it wasn’t the best place to make a home in…. plus all the ins and outs of the day staff that used the room to do all the washing.  So on Tom’s day’s off- he couldn’t hang out in his room to read or sleep late.  It really wasn’t the best place, but time will tell…