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.

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