JonathanByrne.net

I studied French for 6 years and unfortunately never got to visit France during these years.  As with anything you learn, if you don’t put it into practice you will forget it very quickly.  Such is the dilemma I found myself in as soon as I arrived in Morocco.

It is an Arabic speaking country but 90% of the people here also speak French.  I never got to go on a student exchange to France because the year my class were supposed to go Foot and Mouth struck Ireland and that cancelled all travel plans.  The result of this means I struggle every morning asking the Taxi driver to take me to work.  Its worse if he understands my initial request because I then have to heed his chit chat and explain to him that I don’t speak french….just a few select lines that my iPhone gave me.

So I’ve downloaded iPhone apps and consulted a French friend for some tips, I can at least order a coffee!  Expect a separate blog on the quality of coffee and tea in Morocco soon. For those few minutes when I order a coffee, I actually blend into Moroccan society and don’t stand out as a ‘possible American’.  This seems to be the impression a lot of Moroccan Taxi drivers get when the see me.  They seem to relax a bit when I say ‘Je suis de Irlandais’.

I’m rambling a bit here so I shall sum up by saying why the fuck were we not sent to France when we studied it for 6 years?  After 6 years I was able to write French essays!  It should be mandatory in every school that at least once a year, for every language you learn you must visit the country or something similar.  Even a few weeks a year where you were forced to speak a different language like the Gealteachts.

I’ll continue learning french will I’m here, it would be nice to have another language, it could open up more job opportunities in the future and then I could have a lovely chat with the Moroccan Taxi drivers.

Its been a while since my last post so a quick update is in order..

• Finished the second year of my Masters.  Again was under immense pressure to get reports and labs completed and had little time to study for exams.  I just hope I passed!
• I went to Stockholm for a quick trip for work, it was very interesting and I finally got to see the main headquarters.  Stockholm is a fantastic city, I was very impressed but the cost of living there is quite high.
• I’m now working in Rabat, Morocco.  I’ve been here for nearly a week now and only 4 weeks left to go, I’m counting down the days.  Its not that I dont like the place the project is extremely laborious and I hate being dropped in the middle of projects were you are expected to start running from a standstill.  To make matters worse I’m doing work I have not been assigned to do, to say the least I’m angry about this.  It happens and I’m expected to deal with it but it is a horrible way to work.
• I was planning on taking part in SoFoMoBo seeing as I was in a foreign country and all but its proving impossible to take photos while I’m here.  I might get a day sometime before I leave and try get all the photos I need but I can’t do a photo a day deal.

Right thats the end of the updates lets get onto something less depressing.  A very good friend of mine got a tattoo yesterday and I think its really cool.

While its not the most original tattoo in the world (I know a good few girls that have a star tattoo) it is a very cool tattoo and the only tattoo thats acceptable on a girl.  Made me think what would I get and where?  Its difficult to get a tattoo if your a guy cause its very easy to get a tattoo then one day your in your 40s with a hairy chest and a stupid tattoo of your favorite football club on your arm or something.

Guys can’t have cool tattoos, guys with emo tattoos are gonna look stupid when they turn 40…..what am I saying they look stupid now.  I remember contemplating getting a Metallica tattoo but there is no originality in that.  It would be nice to have a tattoo that showed I’ve lived a little.  I mean I travel a lot but I’m not coming back changed and trolling on about my experiences abroad, clearly I have none  MaybeI should get a Henna tattoo or something while I’m here…..

So Reader! What tattoo would you get and where?  Answers on a post card addressed to Rabat or post a comment to forgo the millions of stamps required to reach this place!

While I was rummaging through the stacks of paper and wires that is my room I discovered an envelope and there was a letter in said envelope.  Now I remember receiving the letter and thinking wow a letter that is so 1900 but now I’m looking at it and I’m fascinated by it.  Emails have taken away the touch and feel of letters they are so impersonal.  There is no joy in sending and receiving emails, its a routine task…..quite sad.

I want to send letters to people and I’m going to start sending letters to a few friends very soon.  If you are reading this and would like a letter too let me know, I’m bringing letters back, one at a time

This year is turning out to be back to basics…

————-

In other news, I’ve been asked to go back to work in Newbury.  I’m a little disappointed as I had been told I might be going to China.  Its clearly not meant to be so I’ll have to enjoy my time in Newbury, at least its a quick flight back to Ireland.
I went to Galway recently, I would put up a blog about it but this link explains the weekend better than I could – WhiteRabbitNI

I was prepared to go to Johannesburg but my contract fell through so I ended up going to Dusseldorf.  “Happy days, I get to go back to Germany” I though but alas all I did while I was there was college reports and work.  I tried some Gluhwein while I was there and that stuff is lethal, its far too easy to drink.  I also learned a valuable lesson ‘mit’ means with and ‘ohno’ means without; very helpful when trying to get some alcohol laden Gluhwein.

I think Gluhwein could really take off in Ireland, its ridiculously cold here and a hot alcoholic beverage would be a nice change.  I can’t understand why we all crowd into a packed pub to drink ice cold beer when we could be outside with coats and scarfs with Gluhwein.  It also means you don’t have to throw coats into the cloakroom *Recession buster tip right there*

Here is a nice recipe for Gluhwein if you want to try it

I’m swamped with college work again (I have 2 reports to complete over christmas and an exam to prepare for) so blogging has suffered badly.
I’m heading back to Dusseldorf for the first week in January, if I’m lucky I might get to go to Sweden soon after, bit worried about potential announcements at work regarding redundancies etc.  Hopefully there will be no announcements.  In the meantime I have to pass this semester!

So I finished working in Manchester and straight away was asked to work in London. Not the worst place in the world and it’s good work here too, the only issue is the hours.

I’ve been doing 14 – 16 hr days everyday for the last 3 weeks, it’s strangely okay until Friday. It catches up with me and I fall asleep anywhere. On the underground, on planes, on buses and almost while standing.

I flew back to Dublin to see kevin smith in vicar street. What a show and what a guy, he was enjoying the crowd so much he went past 11pm and continued on for another hour! Take that vicar street and your “rules”!

I’m in London city airport at the moment and I’m surrounded by suits….on a Saturday. Strange airport seems to only attract people in suits and me. I stand out here in my t-shirt. That’s how I roll, take that London business people with your “suits”!

No real news to blog but I have bought an iPhone (fuckit it’s nearly my birthday) so I’ll try blog more often on my travels, it would be really handy if I could find a wordpress application that is not rubbish, I could post more pics then.

….maybe I should write an app

Again I must pimp the following blog

whiterabbitni.blogspot.com

————-EDIT————–
Just figured out how to post pics with this application no need to code anymore

This is where I am working, across from the O2

I’m shattered!

I’ve been working every day for the last 2 weeks and I am so fed up with the project I’m on.  The work is good and I’m learning alot but the problem remains to be the politics and red tape that is evident everywhere on this project.
Problems are recognised but paperwork must be done before any change is implemented, problems are found and ‘the blame game’ begins.  Its such a shame and its probably the worst run project I’ve been on so far…
I finish this project next week and return to Ireland, it will be nice to be back for a while.  College is starting up again so I have to get stuck into that again and I need to achieve CCNA status quickly.

I’ve been getting on well with the people I’m working with and I’ve discovered problems and fixed issues.  However the other day  I made a mistake, without getting too technical the node I was using was creating a conflict…..this in turn caused a routing issue.  Luckily it was an easy fix but I wish I noticed it before saying it was not my node’s problem.  Mistakes will be made I’m only human but its a stark reminder that I need to tripple check issues.

Next week I’ve got a house party to go to on Friday, so I shall be celebrating the end of the project.  Who knows I may even have a drink or two………..probably way more!

I have a flight back to Manchester in 6 hrs time, so I have to get a bus to the airport in 4 hours time.  Every week I do this you would think I’d have learned by now!  Anyways, I have an important day tomorrow, the node I have been working on is getting inspected and tested so I have been up studying and fixing a jumpstart server in case things go not so well.  I’m confident but better safe than sorry.

Moleskins

All these trips to the airport has developed a fetish for moleskin journals.  I now have one for work, one for a diary and one just to fill with what ever nonsense is in my head.  I highly recommend these journals.  They are great to use on a plane and serve as a good information backup.  Computers can’t always be trusted.  I can’t believe in 4 hrs  time I will be in the airport, sipping a Caramel Machiato and writing in my journals while most people shall be sound asleep.

Lucky gits!