The Butcher, the Baker, and the Candlestick Maker

Nope, never mind. Just the Baker. That's me!

So, I arrived in Ireland on Tuesday morning. Got to the house here about 3 p.m. in the afternoon and was told to take the rest of Tuesday and all of Wednesday recovering and sleeping. Which I did, most gratefully.

Thursday morning rolled around though, and I was out of bed at 5 to get to the bakery by 6. Apparently, Thursday is the busiest day that the bakery has, with the most different kinds of things made. Nothing like leaping into the deep end! On Thursdays, the bakers are usually there until 12 noon, sometimes 1. I made soda bread, scones, banana bread, tea brack, scone mixes, coffee icing, and chocolate icing. I think. Amy, the other baker, was making cakes and I'm not sure what all else.

I knew Amy was leaving at 8 a.m. on Friday to go on vacation, so I was trying to learn as much as possible before she went! So far I've had help even though she's gone, but tomorrow I'll be all by myself. However, Tuesday would probably be the easiest day, so I'm not too worried yet.

All right, as promised, pictures of the store/bakery!

This is the sight that greets me in the morning. The sign for Jaybee's. Before you get excited about the gas prices, that's per liter.

And here's the front of the store. Actually, when I first get here in the morning, everything is closed up, since the store doesn't open until 8. 

 Just inside the store. The girl behind the counter is my lovely upstairs housemate, Rosalie.

 And the one you've been waiting for -- the bakery itself. We have three small ovens and two large, there on the left. Two big mixers, ample counter space, and a big sink and sterilizer in the corner. Lovely! I must say that this is how the space looked after an hour of cleaning this morning...in the midst of baking, there's no telling what you'll find stuck on the counters, stacked in the sink, or gritting beneath your feet on the floor!



Now, a quick(?) vocabulary/culture lesson before we move on. From now on, if I use a word that seems funny, refer back to here to see what I mean.

"Irish" words on the left, American words on the right:

queue = line
till = cash register
hob = stove top
cooker = oven
trolley = cart
petrol = fuel or gas
biscuit = cookie
chips = fries
crisps = chips
take away = take out (food)
shop = store
charity shop = thrift store
sultanas = raisins
rubbish = trash or garbage
rubbish bin = trash can
ice creams = ice cream
notes = bills (like dollar bills)
post = letters or mail
holiday = vacation

If something is "grand" (if someone says "that's grand"or "you're grand" or just "grand!") it means fine, or sometimes thank you.
I've heard a lot of "how are ye?" for some reason. Don't know where that comes from. :) Also, "thanks a million."
And lots of rhetorical questions like, to a customer, "I'll just grab a bag for you, won't I?"

Today, we had what is known as a "bank holiday." There's nothing special that it commemorates. It's just a day off (except if you work in a bakery, and everyone wants scones and cakes for their holiday!). There are several of these throughout the year.

The money is in euros and the fractional amounts are cents. €3.50 could be read as three euro and fifty cents or just three euro fifty. So far I have seen euro notes for 5, 10, 20, and 50 euro. I don't think there's a 1 euro note. However, they have coins for 2 euro, 1 euro, 50 cents, 20 cents, 10 cents, 5 cents, and 1 cent.

Speed limits are in kilometers/hr, instead of miles/hr.

Almost all the cars are manual! I guess I'll have to learn!

We measure some dry ingredients in the bakery by grams, on a scale, rather than cups. I love it, because it's easier and more accurate!

Temperature is in Celsius. I'm still getting used to this one. "What do you mean the scones bake at 220?!"

Jugs of milk come by the liter or 2 liters, not by the gallon.

So far the butter I've worked with comes in a package of 454 grams. So, basically a "stick" of butter is a tiny bit bigger than a pound of butter in the States (picture all four sticks as one big one).

The shower is electric. There's no faucet handle to turn. You use the bottom dial on the white box, and turn it to the number corresponding to the temperature of water you want, and it comes out the shower head! Nifty!

Well, that's all I can think of for now. My readers from Ireland will have to tell me if I've got things right in this post! 

Thanks for reading! I don't know when or what the next post will be. Let me know what you want to see/read, and I'll do my best! 

"Twenty years from now..."

“...you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

Welcome to a tour of my new life in Ireland! I'll give a bit of an overview of my last few days, but this post will be mostly pictures. Enjoy!

This is the front of my lovely house. I'm living in the downstairs apartment. The window on the left side of the door is right in front of my bedroom. I'll be sharing the downstairs with one of the school teachers. She's away until July, so for now, I'm on my own. 

The sitting room that has a bunch of lovely windows. The sun just streams in during the afternoon. I'm told that the kitchen table normally goes here, but was moved for the summer.

My kitchen. See my little refrigerator and oven? Through the door, my tiny dryer sits next to an equally small washer. About 4 dresses per load. Makes laundry take a long time!

The resident feline, Patty. I was elected to take care of her, because the other girls don't like her. She's a sweetie. :)


 Friday afternoon, after my shift at the bakery, several girls asked if I'd like to join them in swimming at a cove near their house. I said I'd love to go along, although I wasn't too keen on swimming (I thought maybe, just maybe the water would be cold). I ended up walking part of the way, because they weren't ready to leave yet. Here are some pictures I captured there and along the way.

The bright yellow flowers are gorse. When it's not in bloom, it's a dull green prickly plant. It grows everywhere here!

 This was a view I had coming up over a ridge. It took my breath away.

 At the cove. I'm sorry, I really don't have a decent picture of the cove. This will have to do until I take another.
The sun was so bright and intense, I actually got a sunburn, but, as I predicted, the water was freezing! I walked on the sand and let the waves cover my feet, and before long, they were numb! I'm really glad I didn't actually go in the water.

After swimming, we lounged about on the rocks and pried limpets off. The medium sized white one on the right is Herbert, and Sally is the big brown one on the left. I orchestrated their meeting. Someday, I may tell you their story. It's touching. 

Jaybee's is the convenience store and gas station that the Mennonite community here runs, and the bakery operates out of the back. Every Saturday, Jaybee's sets up a stand in Waterford at the market to sell our bread and cakes. To the left of the stand is Hannah, and inside the stand is Victoria. We had a lot of fun that day. We took turns running the stand so the others could have a break and find a place inside to get warm. Victoria took me on a tour of the city's thrift stores.

Just a view of the street and all the commotion. 

I know I promised you pictures of the bakery, but for some reason, both mornings I've forgotten to take them. Tomorrow! And my story of how the first few days went. :) 

Thank you for your interest! Check back soon!

Coming next: Pictures of the bakery and a vocabulary lesson from Ireland -- “If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.” – James Michener

"It's a dangerous business going out your door." -Tolkien

Hello! Welcome to my blog. Most likely you found me because you're hoping to keep up with my adventure in Ireland. For your sake, I will do my best to post regularly and be interesting. :)

I suppose some of you might be wondering how this happened at all...me going to Ireland. After all, I spent two years training to be a teacher, and two years teaching at the small private school that my church runs.

I guess my whole last year can be summed up as stressful. And I was well on my way to burned out. So I started looking for something else, and I couldn't help but remember how much I enjoyed Ireland when I was there two years ago for my friends' wedding. I thought briefly about contacting somebody to see if they (the Amish-Mennonite church here in Dunmore East) needed a teacher, and even told my parents that if they did need a volunteer, I'd rather work in the bakery than teach! But it seemed like a rather big dream, and I didn't pursue it. In the meantime, my school back home offered me a slightly different position, working with older students, and I knew I'd enjoy that. However, Something kept me from giving them my answer right away.

Then, maybe two weeks later, I got a text from my mom, telling me that an email was circulating that the bakery in Ireland desperately needed a volunteer for the bakery, starting in May! I asked if they were going to respond (as the email was addressed to my dad), and she seemed surprised. She said she didn't know why she felt she needed to tell me, as she thought I'd be teaching again. I met with my parents and described my fervent longing to respond to the email and see how things played out. :) Before long, they were excited (but cautious) as well, and my dad composed an email and the waiting began.

It wasn't a long wait, but much praying fits into a short time when something so life-changing is on the brink of happening. I didn't even know for sure what I wanted the answer to be. I just told God that if He wanted me in Ireland, He would have to make it very clear, because I can be exceedingly dense! We got an email the next day, I think, saying that I was one of several applicants, and could my dad please advise them of my qualifications. Oh boy. More waiting. More praying. No more fingernails. :)

Just over a week from the first email, I was told I was in, provided that my references came back positive! Wow! Suddenly, I wondered what I had done! Thinking of buying a one way ticket to Europe sure has a way of putting life in perspective!

Suddenly, my whole existence was a blur of getting school wrapped up, getting my documents in order, and packing up my room. There were some things about coming here that I simply had to take care of before school was out, but everything that could wait, did. I forced myself to join my students in the end-of-school countdown, and didn't think about my days of preparation dwindling!

Before I knew it, school was out, I had spent my time there wrapping up permanent records and end-of-year reports, and I was home, packing. And meeting with friends. And just sitting in a daze on my bed looking around me at the mess!

This last Monday...travel day. My sister Sarah, her husband Michael, their sons, Isaiah and Gabriel, and my other sister, Hannah, all took me to the airport in Pittsburgh. We left early so we'd have time to go out to lunch and browse the IKEA. At the airport, I got checked in and sent my (overweight) bag off through the mystic portal. We said our sad goodbyes and I went through security with no problem. I found my gate and then re-traced my steps to find some dinner.

When it was time to board, they sent us out on the tarmac to what I first thought was a crop-duster! It's the Canada Air "Jazz" class. More like the "you not makin' it alive, foo'!" class. Despite my misgivings, the kite plane got all 20 of us to Toronto safely. Customs in Toronto took 2.4 seconds (approximately), and I was on my way through the rather stark and unfriendly airport to find my next gate.

My plane to Dublin was easily 4-5 times bigger than the first, much to my relief. It was a nice flight (again with Air Canada) but I must say I'm partial to Aer Lingus. It took 6.5 hours, after about 45 minutes of maintenance before we took off.

Customs in Dublin took a little longer, maybe 5 minutes, but then I was off to collect my bag (good grief, who put rocks in it??) and meet Regina, the lovely lady that rode all the way up on the bus, just to turn around and ride back with me. I was nervous about finding the right bus and getting off at the right stop, so this was such a blessing.

The bus ride to Waterford took about 3.5 hours, and then we drove from Waterford to Passage East, where she dropped me off at my apartment, showed me around, introduced me to the other bakery girl, then commanded me to get some sleep!

Coming next: Pictures of the apartment, bakery, and details about my first day at the bakery (which was today).

"No one can get inner peace by pouncing on it."

Quote by Harry Emerson Fosdick

I've been thinking for a while now that it's time to update this blog of mine. Several weeks ago, I tried to write a post about how we categorize people based on age, occupation, socioeconomic standing, etc, and how that categorization then develops our identity, whether we realize it or not. But the words just didn't come easily and I figured out that you can't rush inspiration. So that post is on the back burner, and I'm attempting to write something else.

Sunday is a day of rest. We Mennonites are supposed to go to church, sit for 3 or 4 hours listening to wise people expound on the Scriptures, then go home and eat a big dinner with our families. All this eating of big dinners makes us sleepy, and so we nap for several hours. Sunday evenings could potentially be a time of families bonding over board games and popcorn.

Did God mean for us to all conform to the same standard of rest? Does He expect us to literally not lift a finger in work? If we say that we cannot ride our bicycles on Sunday, because it is work, are we better than the Pharisees who made fastidious rules about how far a person could walk on the Sabbath? Please, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that we should do what we feel is restful to us (My, that sounds New Age-y...). We know ourselves. What relaxes us? What gets us in touch with God? I think I understand about God's day being holy, and I don't think we should abandon church services. Please don't hear me saying that. But maybe it's not all about the schedule. Maybe a bike ride is exactly what you need to forget the cares of the week, clear your mind, and focus on God. Or maybe it's a walk through the Meadville cemetery, like my good friend, Becca.

I just know that sometimes sitting in a warm church building, on hard benches, surrounded by people I only see once a week, is NOT my idea of restful, nor does it help me hear God (and other times it is and does). Maybe it's my fault. Perhaps I don't prepare my heart well enough, or I have deluded myself with imagined judgments from the people around me.

Let me present to you what I'm doing today, and I'll let you judge whether or not I "kept the Sabbath holy."

I slept in a little this morning. Not much, but a few hours more than I would have if I was heading off to school. I've been sitting in my room, praying and pondering life. Around 11, I'm going to pick up my darling nephew and bring him back here. We're going to clean up the house, then get out his construction zone rug and crash cement mixers with our dump trucks for a while. Then we're going to bake a chocolate cake with Auntie Hannah.

Before evening darkens the sky in preparation for the night, my family will sit down with our special meal of steak, corn-on-the-cob, and chocolate cake, in celebration of life in general, I guess. We will laugh and talk and enjoy the camaraderie that the name "Rolan" brings to our small group.

And tonight, I will fall into bed, happy with the day; happy with life. I will try not to remember that school begins tomorrow morning with a relentless and ferocious intensity that I hadn't expected. But I will be hopeful that the week will bring peace and wisdom in double measures. Because this is my life. And I'm happy with where it's taken me. And I know that God has promised to be with me, wherever He leads me.

I hope all of you had an extremely restful day of rest.

Of Trifles, Bells, and Being Asked Out

I must admit that the last few weeks of work (at Wal*Mart, in the bakery, in case some of you don't know) have not been easy. I've been scheduled primarily for closing, which includes all of the pan-up (pulling all the boxes out of the freezer and getting everything ready for the next day's baking) and all of the cleaning. There is little to no interaction with other people, since the other bakery people escape by mid-afternoon.

I thrive on human interaction. It was not always this way, but it is now. So, I've been feeling more and more burned out as I work each evening in solitude. As I was putting the Italian bread dough on the pans tonight, I prayed these words to Whomever cared to be listening to my griping: "God, I can't take this for very much longer! Please do something."

And He did, although I didn't put the pieces together until a little later. Sit back and let me tell you about the three separate incidents that put a smile on my face.

1. A man called the bakery phone tonight, and I picked up, thinking that he wanted to place a cake order. Well, he thought he'd reached the bank, and so while we were chuckling about the mistake and I was rummaging about for the correct number to give him, he decided to make a move. "So, what do you do in the bakery?" I told him I bake bread and I answer phones. He laughed. Then he lowered his voice to what he apparently believes to be a seductive tone and said "What are you doing when you get off work tonight?" Now, I could have taken this the wrong way and gotten offended, but quite honestly, it cracked me up. I told him that I was going to go home and eat supper with my family. "Oh, you have a family?" There is acute disappointment ringing in his voice, and I realize he's assumed I meant my husband and children, but I just cheerfully respond that I do, in fact, have a family. "Well," he says, undeterred, "You should invite me over for dinner sometime. I'll even make the meal. I will wine and dine you!" I just laughed and said that sounded like fun, gave him the number he needed for the bank, wished him a fine evening, and hung up before I lost it completely. I was laughing so hard that tears were rolling down my face, but it sure improved my evening! (Come to think of it, does it count as being asked out if the guy invites himself over? Oh well, I don't feel like changing the title of the post.)

2. I am doing something in the backroom, trying to get everything done before it's time to go, and I hear the bell ring on the counter out front. I walk to the doorway to see what the customer needs and no one is there. I'm a bit confused, but I can't rule out that I'd simply imagined the bell, so I go back to my work. Soon, I hear it again. I poke my head out the door, and this time I see a young boy, probably about 10 or 11, standing across the room looking at me. He waves and then darts off to follow his mother. I just shake my head and laugh, and get back to work. Before too long, there's another *ding* and I go to investigate. There he is again, but he motions me over and starts nervously mumbling and gesturing towards our display of pies and cookies. As I'm trying to make sense of his words, I watch his face, and I notice that he is absolutely beautiful. I think he's Indian. He has flawless dark skin, shiny black curls, and gorgeous brown eyes. I realize that he's asking if we have cookies to give as free samples (as we often do) and I say, teasingly "Oh! You want cookies!" He breaks into this huge, relieved grin and nods vigorously. Well, he got his cookies while his mother gives me an embarrassed, apologetic look over his head. She had nothing to be embarrassed or apologetic about. :) Kids will be kids.

3. A woman came along and asked if we had any angel food cake in the back, since there was none left on the shelf. Digging through the freezer for an elusive box of cake was just about the last thing for which I had time, but I looked anyway. And sure enough, I found a box or two in the farthest stack of boxes. I brought some out to her. "Bless your heart! You're a life-saver! I'm making trifles and I really needed these."
I could tell she was in the mood to chat, and I needed a break anyway, so I said "Oh? I'm making trifles later this month too!" (For those of you who don't know, trifles are a yummy dessert with layered cake pieces, pudding, whipped cream, and usually a fruit). We ended up chattering away for about 5 minutes about the different recipes we were planning on making, and the benefits of using brownies instead of cake pieces, or raspberries in place of cherries. It was wonderful.

I will never cease to be amazed at what God does for us. It was such a little detail to attend to; unnecessary in the grand scheme of things, but He still reached down and placed those people in my evening to cheer me up.
How often to do I overlook these moments, or just attribute them to normal life?

How often do I miss the chance to laugh?

Nature Speaks of God

I heard the moon sing last night.

Silver and paper thin;

Tangled in the trees.

Each note whispered to my soul -

Delivering peace,

Easing pain.

I heard the moon sing last night.

Drawings

Several of my friends encouraged me to share my drawings with the world. In fact, they said I was being selfish to keep them to myself. For two years, I ignored their advice because it felt too vulnerable to share my untrained artwork. I know that there are artists out there whose work would make mine look like chicken scratch. I know that all I do is pencil sketches. The worlds of color, paint, ink, etc are all unexplored. However, I have come to a conclusion: even if it's not selfish, per se, to keep them to myself, it is an act of pride to keep them hidden. So. Here they are for your perusal. Any talent you find, I credit to God.

Siberian tiger - drawn in 2008 for a friend's birthday

"The Prancing Pony" (you know, like the inn from LOTR?) Drawn in 2005 or 2006 because I was crazy about horses

Old nag - 2005 or 2006

Another horse - 2005 or 2006Snowman - 2008 My dad commented that this snowman is a cannibal, since he's catching a snowflake on his tongue. *sigh* Haha. Megamind! ~ Incredibly handsome criminal genius and master of all villiany - 2011 Seriously awesome movie! Vash the Stampede - 2008 Character from a Japanese TV show. Drawn for a friend's birthday.

Grand Chase - 2008 Character from a computer game called Grand Chase. Drawn for a friend's birthdayFairy - Drawn in 2008 or 2009 because I became intrigued with mythical creatures. I have a centaur that I never finished...

Parrot - 2007 Don't ask me why I suddenly began drawing birds, because I'm not sure I have an answer.

Cockatoo - 2008

Toucan - 2007 Saw a picture of a toucan in a Central American guidebook that I was given after having traveled there.

Bald Eagle - 2008 Because what bird drawing collection is complete without an eagle?