Routine and Processing

Life here has fallen into a routine. I still love the baking (good thing!). Today I was asked if I could make a dozen cheesecakes for a conference our church is hosting at the beginning of August. I'm looking forward to using the well-equipped bakery to do those, instead of doing them two at a time at my house like I did last Christmas! 

Some of you know that I had been pretty burned-out for the last year or so at home. I had a lot of work and not much processing time. I'm really feeling the change here. There's work, yes, but a lot of time on my own, thinking about life. I've been forcing myself to do creative things, like sketching and writing (both fiction and stream-of-consciousness journaling), for two reasons. The first is to get back in practice because I haven't worked on my projects in so long. The second is that I know from experience that these things will put my brain in a mode that will deal with issues instead of keeping them filed away for later processing. 

I hate when people talk about issues they're dealing with but are vague enough that you imagine the worst possible scenarios, so I'll try to fill you in a little. One is my feelings towards a person from my past. I thought I processed this one already, but my reactions would seem to show otherwise. One is my teaching. I went to school for two years to train to be a teacher and I burned out in two years. Did I do the wrong thing, or follow the wrong dream? Also, what does it mean for my future? Another has to do with what I believe about God, and my current relationship with Him. 

I would appreciate your thoughts and prayers in the coming weeks and months as I get some heavy-duty processing out of the way! 

Thank you for reading that slightly-on-the-side-of-awkward-and-overly-personal account of my current life. To ease the feelings you're probably experiencing about why you clicked on this link, here are some pictures and words about an adventure I had the other day. 

 This beautiful place is easily within walking distance of my house. It's called Ballygunner Temple. The grass is long and ripples like waves in the sea, and the foxglove is blooming brilliantly. I went with a lovely group of girls this last time, and had fun exploring, but I can't wait to go again by myself and take my journal.

 A cross stands silently amid the purple grass.

 It is a dignified and serene place despite that it is in ruins and is covered with ivy.

One last look past the wall -- old gravestones, blue flowers (type unknown), and the rolling green hills of my magical Ireland. 

Thanks for reading!

Food Review: Tayto® Milk Chocolate Bar with Cheese & Onion Crisps

I'm sorry I've been neglecting this review that I promised quite a while ago. In all honesty, I was scared to try the candy bar! It's been sitting on my coffee table just waiting ominously.

Anyway, I finally tried it! Here's what I think:

Smell: Has a chocolate-y scent...maybe more sweet than rich. Confused by an undertone of something savory.

Texture: Chocolate was smooth, but cheese and onion crisps are crispy - like potato chips. Could almost be gritty while chewing.

Taste: A good chocolate taste - decent quality (not Lindt, but not Palmer's either)
Aftertaste: Slight onion

If you like chocolate-covered potato chips, you'd probably like this candy bar. The cheese and onion add a bit of a new element to the salty addition of plain potato chips, but neither taste is overwhelming.

I'm giving this candy bar a rating of 6.

My scale from 1-10
1 - Kill it! Kill it with fire!
2 - Ew!
3 - Pretty gross
4 - Eh, wouldn't get it again
5 - Not sure
6 - Might buy again, if there was nothing else available
7 - Good
8 - Could see myself craving that
9 - Delicious
10 - Must. Have. More. NOW!

Thanks for reading!

Driving and a New Idea!

As you probably know, in Ireland (and other parts of Europe), the steering wheel in a car is on the right side, and you drive on the left side of the road.

You might not know that, in Ireland, your name has to be on insurance for a vehicle before you can drive it yourself.

All that to say, my name is finally on the insurance for the only automatic vehicle at the mission -- a mini-van. Tuesday was my first day driving.

First reaction: It feels *good* to drive again! I've missed it.
Second reaction: Wow, it feels really weird to drive on the wrong side of the car. I think I could easily get used to wrong side of the road, but wrong side of the car is odd.

I've only driven the mile and a half between the house and the shop so far, but after my 5th trip, I'm feeling more confident. I had to relearn how much space my vehicle takes up in relation to where I am on the road, but so far, so good!


Okay, so I had an idea for my blog, since I've already introduced you to the house and the shop, and I haven't been anywhere yet to see any new scenery.

I'd like to take you on a visual and textual tour through the foods found here that are unavailable in the States.

First up: TAYTO® Milk Chocolate Bar with Cheese & Onion Crisps -- Love it or loathe it? Check back soon!

Failures and Successes

Thursday is the biggest day in the bakery. Other days, we're done by 10 or even before. Thursday, it's noon or 1. So I'm pretty wiped out right now, and my feet hurt from standing. And my glasses are smudged from the spray we use to grease the pans. And my fingers are wrinkly from washing dishes. And I'm tired because I didn't sleep well last night and you know, the whole getting up at 5 a.m. thing.

Today, I made a batch of pie dough that flopped. I have no idea what I did wrong, but it came out dry and stiff. It was nasty, and we had to throw it out and start again. I also rolled the cinnamon rolls too loosely and had to pinch them together after I'd cut them.

BUT! I love this "job." Not even sure if I want to call it that. Every day, being in the bakery and working with the ingredients rejuvenates my dream of someday owning my own bakery. I find myself keeping a mental list of what ideas to implement, and which procedures to improve.

Today, I changed the cinnamon roll icing recipe, and, in my opinion, improved it with a little salt.  And the scones were soft inside, with just the right amount of crusty sugar on the outside.

And I looked out the window, and I saw the green rolling hills and the fields separated by hedges, and I heard the customers' lilting accents, and I wondered if I should pinch myself to see if I was dreaming. Am I really doing what I love best in a place I love dearly?

I know there will be days when the tiredness and the throbbing feet and the flopped pie dough will feel bigger than the warm fuzzies I feel about bread and a good icing recipe. But for right now, I'm enjoying the enjoyment.


(By the way, do you know what I said when the pie pastry was ruined? "D'oh!") Sorry! Couldn't resist!

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).