So it's official, I'm obsessed with cats. I think I always have been, but since starting at the DSPCA and not having owned a pet in a few years, the obsession has become apparent. Today was such a magical day, I spent the afternoon showering the shelter cats with love in between cleaning pods or doing other cleaning tasks. I made it my personal goal to get some of the shyer cats to fall in love with me by the end of the day and I succeeded for the most part. There was one little kitten that was especially immune to my lovins, but the other ones fell under my spell and frankly, me under theirs as well.
I am almost certain when I move back home I will have to avoid doing volunteering with animal shelters because I know I'll be sucked in to adopting hundreds of animals. I literally found myself wanting to give them kisses but I wasn't sure what the policies were on that so I stuck to repeated scratchies and cuddling. People say that cats aren't as loving as dogs but honestly, spend an afternoon with shelter cats and you'll see them in a new light. They are so appreciative of human contact and stare longingly out of their pods attempting to lure you in for the cuddles they desire. Even those who had recently had surgeries and had every reason to be miserable were so sweet and loving. I just love them :D I did however notice today that I am in a position to burn out which kind of scares me. Ask anyone I know back home and they'll tell you I'm a bit of a busy body. I like to be doing things all the time which usually puts me in the position where something else that's important suffers. Usually it's my relationships that suffer as I put so much into working that I barely make time for friends and while here in Dublin, it seems that I'm guilty of doing the exact same thing. I work 5 nights a week at my job, I work the other two nights at the hostel I live at, and volunteer as well. Essentially, I have absolutely no time to do anything that I should be here doing. I'm afraid that by the time I go back to Canada, I will have seen nothing in Ireland except for Dublin. I'll have my trips across Europe of course which are the lights at the end of the tunnel in this case. 4 days off to sight see, be alone, and just do what I want to do, but in between those trips, I'm burning the candle from both ends so to speak. I am aware this is happening and yet I continue to power through it instead of scaling back. Why the fuck do I do this? I'm honestly hoping that this knowledge of burning myself out will at some point inspire me to slow the frick down but I feel like it will be the actual burnout that does it to me. I'll be heading back to Canada with absolutely no Ireland experience and no pets either lol bummer. HAPPY VEG
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Yesterday was probably the longest day of my life but because it was my first shift at the DSPCA, it was all worth it. Let me tell you guys, I couldn't think of anything more valuable to do with my lack of spare time than what I had the pleasure of doing yesterday.
When I arrived, that typical nervous feeling hit because I didn't really know what I was up against but that quickly dissipated when I made my way into the cattery department of the DSPCA. Arriving for the afternoon shift, I met with a couple of volunteers who gave me a quick rundown of what happens on the different shifts and what I can expect to be doing. The day shift is responsible for cleaning out all of the cat pods thoroughly and setting them back up with food, water, litter, and toys. The afternoon shift you ask? Cat companion. You heard that right guys, my job was literally to open the cages, get to know the cats, and pet / love them. Our goal is to give the cats affection and continue their progress with human interaction. Quite literally, petting, playing, cuddling, and loving cats. I was immediately elated because guys, this is something I am extremely good at. I made my way through the cattery taking note of the different cats / kittens available and trying to get a feel for their personalities just by looking at them which was super easy for me. Cats are funny to me because I've always had a good connection with them, even the ones that people say are super shy or testy, not with me they're not lol So my first task was meeting the cattery's only kitten as the kittens typically adopt quickly. I ripped that beautiful kitten out of its pod and cradled it right away. As my heart melted, I couldn't help but notice that a lot of the cats had the, "I found a home" sign meaning they were already adopted, which was a wonderful feeling. I was especially happy because there was this grumpy looking beautiful boy that had a touch of the cat flu and was between 8 and 10 years old which unfortunately, works against his odds of being adopted, and I saw the sign on his pod too. It always warms my heart to see even the hardest sells for adoption en route to a new home. He was my favourite to cuddle, he seemed so appreciative of human interaction despite his illness and grumpy appearance. Ultimately, this was one of the best days I could've asked for. I had to do a little cleaning, a few litters, a pod or two to tear down in preparation for a new arrival, but for the most part I cuddled cats. Can you imagine anything better than this? I am going to work up the courage to move to the dog department. I wouldn't say I was as scared of dogs as I was years ago especially after my sister and her gigantic, terrifying (on first impression) dog moved in with us. I was so scared of him until I got to meet him and realized he was a gigantic sucky baby who loved belly rubs and kisses which I smothered him with regularly. My only hesitation is my lack of experience as our tasks include walking the dogs and I have very little experience with that. My fear is that one of the larger ones will pull away from me but I have to stop letting anxiety interfere with my goal of helping animals. I'm determined to do this but for now, I'll continue smothering cats with lovins ;) HAPPY VEG Oh guys, this has been a rough couple of days. I decided to go out Saturday night and things got extremely messy to the point of embarrassment. I have always had a hard time telling myself when to stop and unfortunately I allowed myself to get to the point of intoxication which resulted in some cuts, a bump on my head, and losing my phone. Worst part is, I woke up with a horrible fever followed by nonstop vomiting and I was unable to make it to the airport for my flight to Valencia.
In all honesty, I think I'm more upset over losing my phone. I mean, I have lots more trips coming up so losing out on Spain was brutal but I know there's more to come. I also probably couldn't have gone anyways because without a phone I had no google maps and no way to take pics which would have really put a damper on things. I'll admit, I spent a large portion of yesterday feeling incredibly down about missing my trip mixed with embarrassment over my actions the previous night. I really need to learn how to take things easy when I go out for my sake and everyone else's too! I'll now be spending the next 4 days wishing I was in Spain with a phone I pretty much hate but didn't want to spend a lot of money. Ugh, life is crazy isn't it? On the plus side, I start my volunteering job at the DSPCA this Thursday and I can't wait to go and spend some time with the cats. Animals are a big part of my life and I've been missing having an animal around for companionship since my cat died years ago. She was my angel and I had her for 19 years despite the last couple not being so great. She was such a big part of my life but it also makes me realize I'm definitely ready to start being around animals more often. I think it will be even better because I'll be around them to help them which I just know will be a rewarding experience. Have you guys ever had one of those nights where you wake up the next day disappointed in yourself? They sure do suck but it's important to use it as a learning experience for sure and make sure that this sort of thing doesn't happen again. :) Happy Monday! HAPPY VEG I've officially been in Dublin now for 4 months and I find myself both excited at how much time I have left and excited to go back home. 4 months is a long time to be without your family and friends and despite having met some pretty wicked people here, I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again. There's also a lot of other things I'm looking forward to getting back to like my recipes most of all. I miss being creative in the kitchen and I know I have so much more to accomplish before I decide to go fully vegan but that is most certainly inevitable. Buying free range eggs doesn't make up for the atrocities committed in the dairy / egg industry but I still have much to accomplish before I switch over.
What have I learned so far of Dublin? I've learned that it is quite a lively city in that the pubs are often busy regardless of the day of the week. I've learned that the city cares about cleanliness but that the people here don't seem to share the same sentiment. The city is out every morning power washing the sidewalks and collecting trash and by nightfall, it looks like nothing has been done. I've learned that there are so many different cultures here that it's much like my city of Windsor in that it is a melting pot of traditions and cultures. I've learned that just as many people you see on the street that are locals, there are that many more that are tourists. I've learned that there is always somewhere to eat that is open which is a welcome difference from Windsor. With the exception of greasy Chinese food, most places close by the time that late night onset of munchies hits back home but here, there's always something available at any time. It's wonderful! I've learned that the people here are fed up at the rental crisis and have witnessed some pretty large demonstrations and protests calling for more affordable rentals. I've also learned that I don't think I could live here on the type of jobs I enjoy unless I committed to forever living with people when at this point, I crave my own space. Personally, I've learned that I can totally see myself travelling throughout my life, alone or with a special someone :P I really love seeing new places and being excited about trips and such. There's something so exhilarating about being in a new place surrounded by so much new to discover, something that I think I'll probably crave the rest of my life. And most of all, I've learned just how much I love my friends and family. I already pretty much knew this but for the future, I want to live close enough that I can visit on a whim and not worry constantly that I'm missing out on their existence. So there's tat! Here's to another 8 months of new experiences <3 HAPPY VEG Oh my goodness guys, I'm basically dying. This is the second horrible cold / virus I've had since I arrived in Ireland. What's curious to me is that I went several years back home without even so much as a cold to now where I appear to get sick at the blink of an eye. I know it is likely attributed to my living and working situation being different. I live with like, 12 people consistently and there are constantly people coming and going, all of which could have cold coodies. Secondly, my job at the hostel has me interacting with hundreds of different people every day so I'm definitely coming into contact with so many more people now than ever.
Another factor that I'm almost certain is to blame is my diet since coming here. I mean, back home I was drinking smoothies every day, cooking lots of fresh and delicious food, eating vegan more often, and overall lead a healthier lifestyle. Since I've been here, I've tried to eat as healthy as possible but I've found myself snacking on cookies and chocolates at work which I rarely did before. I've also noticed my eating isn't as consistent. Sometimes I eat at work and nothing prior or after which is leaving me lacking in the vitamin and mineral department. I can almost entirely blame my repeated sickness on my poor diet since being here. You know, it's much harder to keep up with any kind of routine here because nothing here is my own space. Sure, there's a kitchen but I have one cupboard for dry food and one shelf in one of the fridges for food. I'm limited in what I can have at all times and also, I don't have my blender or goodies that I'm adding to my smoothies every day. Things like chia seeds, flax, baobab and acai powders etc., these were all pumping additional nutrients and antioxidants into my system every day and I'm not getting that anymore. There is one thing that I'm proud of since arriving here, I've completely cut out pop altogether. I haven't had any form of pop in like, 4 months. I don't feel any differently because of it or anything but it's a feeling of reassurance because I know that pop is literally liquid poison and I was enjoying it periodically back home. Days like today as I sit here typing this, I miss being home. I miss working at the vegan restaurant and eating a lot cleaner. I miss being at home and constantly cooking scratch made, delicious food. I miss drinking my smoothies every day and actually feeling like my body was in tip top shape. Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying my time here of course but being sick hit me like a ton of bricks and I definitely crave my old life today lol HAPPY VEG |
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