Adventure Update #2

<-- My Roommate Kati and I.

Hello all,

Eeeek!!! There are far too many things to update you on, but I will try to do my best. Things have been completely insane since I've been here in Dublin, but even moreso over the past week.

Lisbon Debate: I debated against the Lisbon Treaty in class last Friday. It was insanely intense, since the whole class was vehemently voting YES on the Lisbon Treaty. I was literally the only one in the class who was interested in taking the NO side. The debate was scheduled on the day of the vote, which also allowed for a certain hostility against the NO side. I was able to get the other two on my team to research the topic with me and debate with me. We we pitted against a few very active members of pro-lisbon parties, who had been working on YES to Lisbon stuff for the past year and a half. Eeek! And here my team was, preparing in less than a weeks time. I did know however, that no matter the outcome of the debate, I would be gaining a tremendous amount of experience, since I was debating outside of my comfort zone (in the US) and trying to convince the other side I was right! The debate was intense and extremely heated, but that is where I feel alive. I love debate and I love the banter. Gosh, I wish I had it on tape because it was intense, but also hilarious! My team WON to a great degree!!! We had the facts on our side and the arguments were all backed up by these facts. What a tremendous experience and a beautiful triumph. But, with every great triumph comes a fall....

The Lisbon Vote and the Count: In Ireland, the voting system is much different from the US. Everything is a written in pencil on the ballot by the voter and then counted out in front of the general public at the Official Count (the day following the vote). I was able to get a ticket and attended it with a few of my friends. We arrived early on Saturday morning and they were already opening the boxes from the various counties. I was able to freely walk through the Pavillion and watch as each part of each county was poured out and then counted. In some parts of the Country the NO votes were extremely high, but then in other places, the NO's barely even made an appearance. Gah! It was extremely intense and even an hour into the count, we were able to see which way the count was going. The YES side ended up winning by a huge majority (69%) this time around. This still begs the question... is this Democracy? Last year, the NO vote won by huge majority and then the government pushed for another vote last week.... In my opinion, among the many reasons people should've voted NO, the main reason is because this vote was completely undemocratic, in so many ways.

After the count: Everyone was completely crushed as we left the count on Saturday morning.... so we decided to do something entertaining.... anything would've been grand, really. We first went for Breakfast and then ended up at a lovely Pub. We sat in the Pub (no joke) for 7 hours straight! Haha! I think we were all completely numb from the thought of things, we couldn't move. In case you are unaware, EVERYTHING happens in a Pub here. Business meetings, sometimes classes (I've already spent one class period in a Pub with my Professor and whole class), organization meetings, etc. It's a lovely event, actually. So... while we were in the Pub (after the Lisbon count) we decided to throw a party to celebrate a good campaign. We rushed to buy some groceries and headed over to my friends' house. We watched X-Factor (UK version of American Idol) and then the party began. We were able to celebrate a good campaign and already start talking about what the next steps would be to take a stand against Lisbon, other policies, etc. God is good and blesses us through all things.

The past few days:
My internship with the Senate here hasn't started yet... so we we were given a few days off from our program studies. Yay! But, on Monday I was sick (I claimed to have Lisbon Flu), Tuesday I spent most of the day at the Garda station getting my Immigration papers sorted out (and it's all sorted... I am legally allowed to stay here in Ireland for at least another year, YAY!), and then yesterday my whole class met at Leinster House and was given a tour of Parliment and the Senate! Eeeek! It was so amazing!!! We had a blast walking around. We were given official badges with our picture on it, so we can run freely through the House for the rest of the school year. Yay! Then, our Program Chair organizated a reception for us to meet each of the Senators that we may be working with.

Prior to us going to Leinster House, we were asked to submit a 'personal statement' of sorts to the list of Senators that we may be serving in our internship. We were supposed to write about our past, where we attended College, what we are interested in, why we chose to study Political Communications and Public Affairs, etc. As I sat down to write it, I had a bit of a struggle... how much do you say and not say? What do you highlight and what do you leave out? Throughout my life, I have had many people tell me to "stay off topics that may be offensive to someone or a topic that someone may not agree with me on"... well, if you know me, I have always listened to these people but, apparently, I don't hear them!!! I love to debate and I strive to be honest, so as I wrote my 'personal statement' I decided to be brutally honest and tell them everything and exactly where my interests lie. This is exactly what it said:
___________________________________________
To whom it may concern,

I am currently a graduate student at the Dublin Institute of Technology. I am studying for a Master’s in Public Affairs and Political Communication. Throughout my life I have been extremely interested in what goes on in the political realm, especially in regards to issues of morality and ethics.

I graduated from Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio in 2007, with a Bachelor’s in Liberal Arts and Theology. It was through my study at FUS that I found my passion for politics, debate, morals, ethics, etc. Throughout my college career, I held numerous positions in various political activist groups, including President of Students for Life; which had a huge influence on the political issues that I became interested in. Along with pro-life issues, I have also been greatly interested in marriage and family issues, issues effecting youth (including education, chastity education, etc), human rights issues, and literally all other issues included within morals and ethics.

It is of great concern to me that people throughout the world are becoming apathetic in regards to politics. I hope to become a political analyst, that I may challenge the administration when necessary, while also giving a strong voice to the people that may not be heard otherwise. I feel that no matter what, this internship and this program will prepare me in great measure to go above and beyond my dream.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Kate Bryan
____________________________________________

The reason that I am posting this and am even telling you this is actually of great importance. I originally wrote this letter because I thought that it would 'weed out' the Senators/Party affiliations that I didn't agree with, but in fact it did the opposite! At the reception, I became the 'hot topic' and the person that the Senators were seeking out with tremendous determination! Yikes. It was hilarious actually. There were Senators all throughout the room and every one of them came over to me with specific things they wanted to speak to be about in regards to my interests and my letter. Can you believe it?!?! Never in my life have I been so rewarded for being blunt and direct and talking about the issues. God is good!!!

Overall, the tour and the Reception with the Senators went amazing (we kept calling the evening, 'Speed-dating with the Senators' because that's exactly how it felt). I find out tomorrow which Senator I will be assigned to for the year, but there is one that I am really hoping and praying for. Pray for me and pray for God's will to be done in this situation. I'll keep you posted on who I get!!! Wooo!!!

Last notes: Tomorrow should be fun. I am writing Press Releases in one of my classes all day. In my other class, there will be a debate on NAMA (which is the Irish version of the Bank Bailout)... so that will be interesting.

This weekend, my roommates and I are hosting a Mexican Fiesta at our new little flat, so that will also be great craic!! Can't wait! Which reminds me, I'm starving for Mexican Food. I wanted Taco Bell today, but to no avail. I will write more later, but this is a little to tide you over.

God bless you all! You are all in my prayers!!!

Note: I still don't have internet in my flat, but once I do, my correspondance will be much better. I promise!