Ireland 04/05
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Ireland is a country that's always worth to go to!
When one looks back in history when Christianity was spread allover europe it was done by many Irish monks or monks that have been in Ireland for a while and strengthened their believe there. I don't want compare myself with a monk, but when I've been the first time in Ireland and was working on that millwheel in Thomastown, I made up my mind to study mechanical engineering. Cause I think to design and build something with that one can generate heat or electricity from renewable sources is one of the most important things to make this world a livable place.
This time I deepened this idea even more. It's not only important to get your energy from renewables. If you want to do it sustainable, it is important that you decentralize the whole energy production. To bring the power to the people!
But let me start from the beginning:
I was standing once again in Thomastown and tried to find a place where I could do my work experience for the next half year. When we were all traveling through Ireland a week ago I thought already a nice place to stay this time would be Cork. So I drove down to the Sustainable Energy Center which is based just outside Cork and ask them weather and where are companies that do in renewable energy. The guy even remembered me from 3 years ago and was delighted that I'm back and gave me a whole list with all kind of companies. From my experience to find a job so far was to drop in with my application and talk to the people face to face. And so I did! I first started in Cork City but very soon I had to realize that this was not the way the companies do it in Ireland. Cause every time I came to a company, I could just talk to the Receptionist and she took my CV and that's it... For Fuck Sake! I spent a feckin fortune on Diesel to drive up and down the country from one company to the other and I couldn't even talk to someone who was half in charge. And as it had to come, I ran out of money, was living with Tim in his room and things didn't look too good... With the last ten Euro and 5 liters of diesel inside the tank I decided that I will just phone the people and if they say they need someone I'll make my way up there. So I did. The first company was Wind Water Solar Energy Systems just outside County Cork in Kerry.
And that was it. He said he needs someone, the next day I drove up there and the following week I started working with Gerry to install mostly Solarthermo Panels. And he is the man for the Power to the People. We drove up and down and all across the country to install big and small solar panels on roofs, or to install geothermal heat pumps in peoples frontgarden and so on. Most of the week we were staying in one part of the country and it was rather rare that I've seen my own bed in the house I rented with Thijs, Kirsi, John and later with baby Oiva... But I didn't care. Gerry and myself were always talking about the whole issue of energy and the future of it all. And so I realized how important and also satisfying it is to generate your own energy.
In Ireland there is e.g. lots of planning for big windparks like all over europe, but here the people even sabotage the new erected mills cause they don't see the point and the beauty in them. But if one community would have there own windmills and the money and electricity would come back to them straight away, and not into a fatass's pocket it would probably change their opinion about them. The same is with the whole issue of getting aware of energy consumption. If you have your your own little hydro turbine or windmill of a few kW, you really see how much you have and how much you can use. Also some people don't...
And in Ireland they generate a big part of the country's juice in one Coal power station on the west coast, that burns 9000t of coal every 24h to satisfy Dublin's energy hunger. So they loose lots of the energy by transmitting it through the whole country...
These are just a few reasons but if one thinks about it for a while one should see the point...
Anyway, this were just the week and working days and to switch off the head, it is best to meet up with old and make new friends. The more the merrier! From the first day we moved into our cottage the strawberry fields we wanted to have a good house warming party, but as things happened, there were too many parties and concerts on all around Cork that we didn't have the time to have a own party... But it didn't matter too much. We enjoyed ourselves a lot!
When the year came to an end, I went to Bosnia to see Julia again and we had a great time together for a month. Most of the time we were staying in Gracanica in the north where Julia was working but for one week we explored the country a bit, and so we also came to Sarajevo...
And I was really overwhelmed by this City... The whole country has this special flair that is not describable, probably a big big tribute is the history, the hatred that was going around here, that I can't feel, because the people are one of the most cheerful and friendly people I ever met in so big numbers... To imagine that they were once shooting against each other is impossible if you are among them. And Sarajevo has this open and friendly charme that immediately caught my heart. And I anyway had my doubts about the job I did in Ireland... I think my collage wouldn't really accept the work for my term, cause it was too much hands on.
And so I went the next day after our arrival to the GTZ in Sarajevo and asked them whether they know a german or english speaking company that works even maybe in renewable energies. And the guy there took me straight away into his car and we drove to a bosnian Gas research and development company where everyone speaks either german or english and the Director said I could start tomorrow... I love that way!
More about this you find under Sarajevo. The only part about it I didn't like was to cancel everything that just started in Ireland, but life was dragging me to another place again. So I really enjoyed the last remaining months in Ireland, flew with Gerry to Austria to visit a geothermal heat pump company and a renewable energy show and got a glimp of the austrian lifestyle. Which is mad, for their lunch they go skiing, which basically means they drive up a mountain, get pissed and ski down again and back to business...Wouw... And afterwards I could see my family briefly and sign the contracts for the work experience with my collage, everything was sorted when I came back to Ireland, worked for a last week and then we finally had a little party a fare well party in Dripsey...
So I packed my van once again and Tanja and Silke from Bremen picked me up and together we drove to Paris where I dropped them off to head always towards dawn to Sarajevo