It's a sunny day in Dublin town.

So it's going to be hard to stay in top of a blog. So. Seriously bug me about it! (If anyone reads this. (otherwise I'll have to think of some back to the future/inception situation to force myself to record my travels.)) I write this 1...2...+ drinks in from my first Irish-Asian (juicy contradiction) noodle bar (there are quite a few in Dublin; a "great noodle adventure" wouldn't last long).

Lesson number 1 of Dublin town: If you've got nowhere to be you can't be lost.

 

The other people in the program are all nice. It is very convenient to have a predetermined group of people to do things with that I might not otherwise do. It is especially nice having people to get lost on the bus system with. Without the all-knowing oracle in my pocket (Google doesn’t work without a data plan) it’s anyone’s guess at which bus to get on. I am quickly learning it’s a bit easier to ask before you get lost than after you’ve been lost for hours. (Lesson 1 subpart a.)

Irish phrase of the day: it was grand (everything is grand).

Monday:

Arrive at 9am(ish), meet others from the program, wait on buses, keep waiting. The bus was playing “Sweet Home Alabama” and Michael Jackson. Very traditional. Get to our apartments at UCD. They are nicer than I expected. We have a large kitchen and common area. I have my own bedroom. Short tour which is basically “up that road there’s a grocery, that way there is laundry, this is a bus stop, and up that way is city center.” So we decide to explore. Our group was quickly split after the first 3 of us to get on had change for the bus fare, but the next 3 did not, so they got left behind. The buses are double decker. Weird. Lots of walking. Randomly find the other half of our group. Saw The Great Gatsby. The theater had real curtains. Fancy. I only fell asleep twice. That night I sleep like the dead. Jetlag.

Tuesday: 

We had an orientation till noonish. More exploring city center. Ate at an Americanized pub and had a Guinness. A bit of shopping for the essentials. Drunk Irish man starts talking to us. “Where are you from, where are we all from?! All of us?! Originally?!” I said Africa. But he pointed up, said heaven, and stumbled a bit. “What more could I ask for? What MORE could I ask for...?! What?! It starts with a W!” Carli says “whiskey?” But he said he was done with that. That he could ask for wisdom.

Anywho.

Check my email back at the apartments. Guess what?! Your interview is tomorrow morning instead of Friday. Solution: I went to O’Neil’s to “practice”. It was a blast. Live music. Good food. It’s like a maze in there- tons of little nooks to tuck away in. I like it. It starts raining as we catch the last bus of the night.

Wednesday:

The interview was more of just a “meet the people you are working with”. They didn’t ask any of the questions I practiced for. More exploring. Fell in love with a huge bookstore that was also full of little nooks and rooms that made it feel cozy. Climbed a tree at Stephen’s Green. Totally allowed. (not.) Saw street dancers. That night we had an event at the Merry Ploughboy. It was a little bit cheesy but I had a good time. I especially liked that the band played the Irish pub songs I know. It was one of those- This is real life!- moments.

Thursday:

We did the bus tour. Saw the sights. Ended up back at O’Neil’s. Then to Temple Bar area.

Friday:

Internship workshop with EUSA. More of the bus tour. Hopped off at the Old Jameson distillery. Lots of Whiskey. Risky. On to the Stag’s Head for Rebecca’s 21^st birthday. (She’s had a couple 21^st birthdays before.) We eat. Drink. And are Merry. Run into several stag parties (bachelor parties). A guy grabs my Guinness and gives me a full one in return because he can’t drink any more but doesn’t want his friends to know. I cross my fingers and hope there is nothing in it besides beer. Warn my companions. We have baby Guinnesses. Yum. First round of the trip provided by Alexandria. On to the pub that’s in the hotel U2 owns. It’s way too nice for our crowd so we try not to be too obnoxious and leave after a round of baby Guinesses and ask the bartender where to go next. I get the next round. I get antsy staying with the group the whole time. So I head off for adventures on my own (I wish I had have my adventure buddy). I find the noodle place. Start writing. (I’m now writing Saturday morning since I couldn’t write all this at the noodle place.) I find this place- Porterhouse Brewing co. It was a really cool crowd (the trade off is that it was very crowded). I had a high quality Irish red beer. There is a rock band with an Irish flare. I cross the Liffey. Over a bridge, though they really shouldn’t have put those tempting stairs down to the water. Find Pantibar. Haha interesting place. I meet a nice older couple and Myra played pool with me. I miss the last bus and take a taxi home.

 

Saturday:

The group for the most part is taking off for the long weekend. But I’m going to hang back for solo adventures. I spent the morning enjoying the sun and reading “On the Road” in the grass.

“But then they danced down the streets like dingledodies, and I shambled after as I’ve been doing all my life after people who interest me, because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everyone goes ‘Awww!’”

So I’m off to find these kind of mad Irish people.

Cheers!