Well I guess the first thing I have to say is it that I officially believe in "jet lag!' Friday after what seemed like the longest day of my life, turned out to be exactly that. I went to bed at 10:30 and woke up shortly later at 12:30. After hours of trying to fall back into slumber I eventually gave up and decided to watch Gone Girl. (Great Film!) When the sun finally came up my roommates and I met up at the gates of the college for our first tour of downtown Dublin. The city is absolutely brilliant! Hundreds of people walking around everywhere.
The buildings in Dublin are stunning and everyone has its own character. Ireland so far is mind-blowing, to think that we live so differently amazes me. America is nothing like what I have seen here this far. I am beyond grateful to be here and just craving to see more. As we walked around for six or seven hours Olwyn, our wonderful guide and house mama enlightened us on all there is to know about the city. Just walking around and looking at all the people you can tell that everyone is different. They all have their own styles and trends. I learned quite a bit yesterday in Dublin including: look left and then right when crossing the road, to wear wool socks when walking around, always have a jacket/gloves, how to ride on a double decker, navigation, history, culture, and most of all that YOU DO TIP IN IRELAND!! I heard by many people in America that it is rude to tip the service but that is not true. A 10% tip usually is whats normal around here and I am officially changing the status of that for all Americans.
After a long long walk we ended up at Penny's for a few shopping necessities. The store was huge and there were people everywhere. I bought a pillow cover for 4 euro and a blanket for 6 euro. The whole store is jaw-droppingly cheap and as I as walking around in there I couldn't help thinking man would my grandpa love it here! After everyone finished paying, we ended our tour with a nice dinner at a local burger place. When we got back to the college everyone had about a half hour to get ready and meet back at the gate to head to the pubs. We started at a local pub down ten minutes down the street for a pint of Guinness. Then we walked another 12 minutes to downtown where the night life was everywhere! Ed Sheeran was playing for free at this little pub that we walked by! The tickets were already gone and there was no way of slipping past those huge bouncers. We listened outside for a few minutes and walked back to the college to hopefully get some rest. It was just my second day here and I am already in love with this country.
[For more pictures go to the journey abroad tab]
After a long long walk we ended up at Penny's for a few shopping necessities. The store was huge and there were people everywhere. I bought a pillow cover for 4 euro and a blanket for 6 euro. The whole store is jaw-droppingly cheap and as I as walking around in there I couldn't help thinking man would my grandpa love it here! After everyone finished paying, we ended our tour with a nice dinner at a local burger place. When we got back to the college everyone had about a half hour to get ready and meet back at the gate to head to the pubs. We started at a local pub down ten minutes down the street for a pint of Guinness. Then we walked another 12 minutes to downtown where the night life was everywhere! Ed Sheeran was playing for free at this little pub that we walked by! The tickets were already gone and there was no way of slipping past those huge bouncers. We listened outside for a few minutes and walked back to the college to hopefully get some rest. It was just my second day here and I am already in love with this country.
[For more pictures go to the journey abroad tab]
