Got in from LHR, was the only person in line for the non EU passport, I thought I was lucky. Nek minute, I’m sitting in the waiting area whilst an officer goes through my phone to see if she can find any information on my travels because she didn’t believe me when I said that I was a tourist and visiting a dance company. It didn’t help that I hadn’t booked my outbound flight from Ireland and the company had organised my accomodation for most of my time here. She found the schedule for the company’s days and assumed that i lied to her and was working and performing at the Abbey Theatre in Swan Lake. She was talking so fast, mostly at me rather than to me, assuming the worst and making me feel really intimidated. She made me feel like I had committed a crime and she was trying to get something out of me which I didn’t know how to convey to her that I was innocent. She worked me up so much that i nearly cried, so I asked to talk to someone else. Even when this happened she was so defensive and kept asking me why I wanted to talk to someone else and seemed so pissed off that she couldn’t get something out of me, it was bazar.
Eventually I got to talk to a more understanding officer, who actually talked to me like an adult rather than a child. I made the mistake of telling him that she was being difficult because he said that she wasn’t difficult, she was his colleague. And I was just thinking like come on, she’s a bitch or she’s clearly in a mood today! It was such a strange situation, I hadn’t expected it at all, especially being so excited about spending time with Michael and having a little routine for a couple of weeks. At one point she said that if I kept giving her attitude, she’d send me right back to Australia. And i believed that I was potentially going all the way back that night.. It was like I was on border control!
From there, when I finally got my suite case, I got my ticket to get on the bus into town. I got off and planned to catch the tram, so i walked to the street that it left from, but they weren’t running anymore of course, because it was already 12:30am. I ended up having to walk 20 minutes to the hostel, it was a little scary because no one was really around, and I didn’t really know where I was- again without internet or the ability to contact anyone. But it was a straight forward walk so with persistence, I got to the hostel. Luckily it wasn’t too cold. I got to the hostel and they took so long to find my booking, classic. Eventually got up to my room and everyone was asleep, it was pitch black and I was smelly, wanting to having a shower. Decided it would be too difficult so I slowly climbed my way up into my (unmade) bed in the darkness. Oh what a night! I was so exhausted, but I didn’t get to sleep for so long because of the craziness in series of events before reaching a safe warm place to sleep! Goodness me, I can’t wait to do some washing/ move into this AirBnb in general. And do some yoga with friendly people. And share movement, and create movement.
Whenever I hear a female Irish accent, I’m thinking of that cranky officer. I’m so confused.. One of the security officers in the shopping centre today wouldn’t even let me charge my phone in the toilet corridor when the lady at the information desk told me I could. Then when I informed her that I was told off, she got all defensive and seemed so unhelpful all of a sudden.
Been sitting in the restaurant/ bar of the hostel for some time now, recounting all my events and emailing people and eating rye crackers with peanut butter, rocket and cherry tomatoes. The bar tender has so kindly offered my some cutlery, water and to eat my own food here as well as giving me some nice things to do tomorrow, so it’s good to know there are some in Ireland that aren’t as bad as “Borderbitch”. Just like Bella told me, the classic hostel charmers.