Following My Bliss

This is going to be really, really long because these stories require as many details as I can remember to make them legit. And also, we just did a load of stuff in Galway.

Friday, February 26, 2010

So ended up having all of the day off (no sense in coming in for just an hour to work). Slept in, took a shower, finished getting packed, and all that jazz. Met up with Garrett and headed off to the city. Had to go to an ATM, hit up the €2 store, and finally got to McDonald’s. Ate a quick lunch, with Elizabeth getting there from work as well, and then went off to the bus station

Bus Éireann was running a discount for students where you sign up online and get a €10 voucher emailed to you. So obviously we all did this. I had trouble printing mine at work so Elizabeth tried at her place. Well she couldn’t get the picture of the voucher to show up so she still printed the email to show I had it. Well the lady at the ticket window refused to accept this. She just HAD to see the picture of the voucher on the paper or no discount. So despite the fact that the email said my name, said ‘here’s a voucher’ with a space for a picture, and was identical to Elizabeth & Garrett’s emails, she wouldn’t give me the discount. This is called being a bitch in my book.

Well despite this we got on our bus almost immediately. It was one of the nicer buses we’d ever been on and off we went. The scenery on the way was absolutely gorgeous; true Irish countryside with hills. Got to watch the sunset on the way which was so cool. Because it’s a really long journey we had to change buses in Limerick. So we went in to the bus/train station to freshen up and grab a snack. Coolest station ever! Just looked awesome and had a vibe about it. After a few minutes, we got on to our second bus and off we went towards Galway.

Both of our bus drivers turned out to be crazy men because they definitely got us to Galway at least a solid hour ahead of schedule. No complaints. Upon arrival, the quest for our bed & breakfast began. We asked where a certain road was, thought we understood the directions, and off we went. Turns out we didn’t understand the directions. Definitely ended up walking around for about a half hour, having to ask again for information, before finally finding our way up to our B&B. Got checked in and LOVED IT. Cute little room with a queen bed & single bed. Nice bathroom with a legit shower. We even had nook!!! It was grand.

Decided to go out and get some food and then explore. Hit up Supermac’s (it’s supermacular afterall!) before venturing off in to Galway. From the start it was pretty clear they had a real night life going on. We walked around a lot in to the city centre, which is the biggest and best of any of the cities thus far. Eventually made a decision and headed in to a bar called Taffe’s. Turns out in the back was an Irish band. It was really crowded but we stuck around. The fife player was also an Irish dancer so in between playing notes, and sometimes while playing notes, there was stepping and high kicks. Pretty freaking awesome.

The band definitely played ‘The Fields of Athenry’ and this is definitely #2 in my life to hearing ‘The Green Fields of France’ live at a pub in Ireland. Irish music, let’s be BFF4L kay?

Eventually the too-cramped atmosphere got to me and I requested we leave. Seeing as Garrett was still wearing his ‘track pants’ (and Ireland actually has dress codes for some bars/clubs) we were denied a few places. None of the places we could get in to actually made us happy either. So we ended up trucking it back to the B&B so he could change in to jeans. And off we went again.

Found our way in to a bar called Coyotes. Guess what kinda bar this was? An American bar. Yea, you read that right. The first part was based on Coyote Ugly (complete with dancing on the bar & a singing bartender), the back part had a Scarface theme (the pool table area as well), the downstairs dance floor was meant to be glammed up Hollywood like, and then in the back was a mechanical bull to ride.

The Americans WOULD find the American themed bar in Ireland. facepalm. Though I will say it was kinda nice in a way to see license plates on the wall from back home and empty cans of Milwaukee’s Best and Colt 45 along the top of the bar.

Well it was nearing 2 or so at this point so we decided to stick around because it was still open and a lot of the other places would be closed. We mingled, walked around, and people watched quite a bit. Talked with some boys and then talked with some others.

Met the owner of the bar. We happened to sit at the table he had left his drink at. Got to talking to him a bit. He bought us a round of shots because they “love Americans”. Apparently on St. Paddy’s day they do an American themed celebration. WTF? In Ireland, they do an American celebration for an Irish holiday? I still find this information really bizarre and not easy to comprehend.

Anyways, one guy at some point was very insistent I dance with him when he came back from a smoke and I gave in. So Elizabeth & I headed to the dance floor. The music they play in Irish clubs KILLS ME. Total 90s flashbacks. Too funny. Definitely recall dancing to Wham, Britney Spears, House of Pain, and other really random old-school and new-school jams. Hilarious each and every time.

Eventually lost my original dance partner only to find a cuter one. Elizabeth went between some boys, and one was rather drunk and weird and stalking her, so it was a game to keep him away. After a good solid half-hour of shaking it and bouncing around (in a hoodie) I was sweaty and tired. My dance buddy asked to buy me a drink so we headed back upstairs.

To this moment, I do not know how the following happened because for the life of me 60% of the time I could not understand what this boy was saying to me. (Side note: The Irish are always saying how different parts have different accents and up until now we didn’t notice it. In Galway, we noticed. And damn were they hard to follow sometimes!) Anyways, said dance partner ended up kissing me. He called it ‘Irish kissing’ and wanted to know if it was better than American, which he said was too aggressive/intense. Oookkk…kinda see where he was going with it and kinda don’t, but I just played along. After some solid kissing for a few minutes finally got that drink (yea, no shame!).

Ended up talking with him for a bit. He was really funny and sweet. Told me I had a good personality and was really pretty. Apparently Americans have a rep for being kinda bitchy, and he was surprised how not that I was. Well gee, I just try oh so gosh darn hard! For the parts of his talking that I understood, he was funny and sweet as well. And cute. Did I mention cute?

This following funny story needs to have a back-story first. Right now in Europe there’s these twins called Jedward that were on some talent show. They sing a mash up of Queen & Vanilla Ice, complete with bad choreography, and even though they’re really not that good, they’re famous. Like, selling out stadiums famous. In their music video, Vanilla Ice makes an appearance. It’s weird, I don’t get it, but hey, that’s Europe.

So anyways while at the bar talking to the cute make-out dance partner boy this Jedward song comes on. Well there are twins at the bar, blonde like the real band, and they decided to get on the bar and put on a show. Like, dancing around, taking off their shirts, and trying to ‘be’ Jedward. It was awkward to say the least because they were cute but not that cute. The guy I was with was all 'Doesn’t bother me if you look’ and I was all ‘I don’t want to look at those weirdos’. It was funny on some levels and just dumb on others.

It became obvious that it was getting late (like past 3AM, which is super weird because places have last call at 2AM usually) and I needed to find Garrett & Elizabeth. Went outside to Garrett who was having a smoke and we decided to call it a night. Went back inside to track down Elizabeth who was back on the dance floor with some cute boy who was wearing her jacket. Really funny. Told her we wanted to head out soon and went back upstairs.

Garrett and I are standing around upstairs waiting for her and suddenly FIIIIIGGGHHHHTTT!!! The owner has some guy in a reverse headlock and is trying to escort him from the bar. A glass in broken in the fray and other security guards are required to get this drunk guy out of there. Intense moment. So we head outside so he can have a final cigg and finally Elizabeth makes an appearance.

As we’re about to leave a fight restarts with the drunk guy. There’s a girl, a friend of the drunk guy or his sister (still don’t know which), trying to get him out of the situation and she ends up getting punched in the side. So Elizabeth and then I rush to check on her while Garrett kinda meanders over to the guys to help out if he can. So we’re talking with her a bit, as she’s really upset over all this, and the drunk guy just can’t leave well enough alone.

He ends up instigating the security guards as well as other people around. Another friend of his tries to get him in a cab, and after a lot of bullshit, does. But within moments the cab stops a few feet away and the drunk guy gets out. Wonderful. The girl, LuLu, is still trying to talk him down and keep some way of peace in the area but it’s just not happening.

The drunk guy starts instigating a HUGE guy across the street. (We eventually nicknamed this guy Sloth, like from the Goonies, and it was for a reason.) So drunk guy goes across the street and is all up in Sloth’s face and swings at him. At first Sloth doesn’t react but then he goes all Hulk and just SNAPS. He’s trying to get to the drunk guy who is now being shoved back by his friend for safety. Garrett and others (including security guards) runs across the street because this is about to get BAD. They’re holding back Sloth and others are shoving drunk guy further away. Sloth is like roaring and grunting and punching the buildings and windows. Next thing Elizabeth & I see is LuLu on the ground against the buildings because she got in the middle of drunk guy and her friend so we run over as well.

We help her get back up and get her shoes on. Drunk guy is now in a fight with his friend (Sloth is being contained by others further down the road). Drunk guy is instigating his friend, trying to get him to throw a punch, and his friend is holding back for the most part because he doesn’t want this shit right now. Garrett is trying to keep them a part a bit and we’re trying to keep LuLu from getting in the middle again. Well this doesn’t work and suddenly the friend is kicking the utter shit out of the drunk guy. He gets him on the ground in the middle of the road and lands legit kicks to his face. We HEARD the kicks connect.

Garrett gets the friend away and Elizabeth & I run to drunk guy because LuLu is FREAKING OUT. We try to get his attention and he finally comes around and snaps at us to ‘stop touching him’. We back up before he gets violent, because we had no doubts he would swing on us (and not only would Elizabeth or I swing back, so would Garrett). So eventually he gets himself up off the road and Garrett & others get him to one side. His friend who he just fought actually listened to us and kept his distance from this point. LuLu uses one of our phones to call someone to come pick up the drunk guy.

Well we get them all walking away from the bar and from the scene and here comes the Garda. Fabulous. The Garda instantly go to the drunk guy and start talking with him. I get LuLu to calm down a bit before going to talk with them because as I explained to her, she doesn’t want to go to jail with him no matter how much she loves him. So she goes over to talk with the Garda and my phone rings for her. I give it to her and it turns out it’s her Dad who’s on his way, within moments. The Garda are good with this and just talk with them till her dad gets there. The drunk guy gets even more pissy and ends up ripping off his shirt and throwing it in the road before getting in the car (still don’t understand why that was necessary). 

Once we see they’re all in the car we head off back to our B&B, officially exhausted, sober, and wishing we didn’t have good hearts to care for people.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Woke up and got a bit ready for the day. Headed out to the dining area for our Irish breakfast. Puuummmpppppeeeddd. There was toast, tea, juice and then the main meal. Sunny-side up egg, pork&beans, 3 types of sausage (black & red pudding (yea, it’s meat with seeds in it) then just regular fat links), and a slice of ham. YUMMY. The black & red pudding were odd for sure, and the black definitely didn’t win the taste test competition but I ate it all anyways because it was a full Irish breakfast for €5 and I was hungry.

After getting fully dressed & ready we headed off in to Galway City. There was a market going on that morning so we went off in search of it. It was more of a farmer’s market with food but there were some crafts & odds/ends for sale. I actually ended up buying my mom a necklace here which is super pretty and handmade by the guy.

We stumbled upon a historical site during this time. It’s a stone wall with a window where some man actually hung his own son out of because his son had committed a crime (I think murder?). It was kinda bizarre to be like ‘I’m standing where a dead man hung’. Also bizarre because it’s in the middle of random buildings & roads. History is legit everywhere in this country.

Seeing as we had minimal real plans for the day we just walked and stumbled upon stuff. Watched a man perform as a living statue (he was really good at it!). Went in to a few stores. Ended up at the waterfront and it was GORGEOUS. We sat with our fair-trade coffee & tea from a cute little cafe and enjoyed the moment. While we were sitting there we realized we were in front of the Spanish Arch. Oh hey, Arch, way to not stand out. We walked down the stairs on to the stones and stood at the water for a bit just taking in it. Such a beautiful day.

Behind us was a museum and Elizabeth was determined to get a picture of a statue in a museum and wanted to see if it was that one. Turns out, it was. The statue was right there. Cool thing about Irish museums: Free Entry. Take note America, you should want everyone and anyone to be able to take part in learning and culture; and not take their money to do so!

Walking around the museum was pretty cool. Learned a bit about Galway and it’s incredible art history. Learned about ‘skin boats’. Went through an art exhibit of graffiti art which was just amazing. I was seriously in awe of the work and how insanely great it looked. I wanted to live in that exhibit. We ended the museum by going through an exhibit on Ireland’s history of wars. Intense, enlightening, and eye-opening. All in all, a great museum.

Decided to head over to the Galway Cathedral. Amazingly gorgeous. High domed ceiling, stained glass, huuuuge inside. Loved it. Felt very at peace inside. Walked around for at least a half hour in it. Unfortunately the church store was closed for lunch at the time. So we headed outside for a bit to walk around the water before going back. Bought some souvenirs for family members before heading out.

Elizabeth wanted to stop in a clothing store to see if she could find a dress to wear out that night. No dice. However I did notice behind us a Spanish restaurant and we decided to go for lunch. Any place that advertises having ‘gringo’ food is a go for me. Turns out, the food was KICK ASS. Not only was it delicious, it was huge. Those Irish ladies knew their Mexican/Spanish.

After stuffing ourselves, decided to walk back through town and then over to Claddagh. Guess what? It’s just a normal residential town. So after not finding anything interesting (or cheap rings) we headed back in to the city centre of Galway. Did some shopping; lots of souvenirs for our friends & family. You’re welcome.

Took a walk down along the river to the area we hadn’t been before. Ending up walking the whole river side, and out on to the walkway which takes you out to some fort or something. IT WAS GORGEOUS. The views were incredible. Water, mountains, sunset… Amazing. Just breathtaking really. Galway definitely wins Most Beautiful Views.

Ended up heading back to the B&B exhausted from our day out. Took a nap before getting up and getting ready to go out.

We killed a bottle of Huzzar by doing shots & also mixing it with orange and pineapple juice. When we finally headed out, we were all feeling pretty good. I was wearing my Drunk Dress as I call it (I have never worn said dress and stayed sober). I deeefinitely kept the tradition going.

So this is the part where if you still want to view me as a good kid you should stop reading because I get sloppy, and it gets ugly.

Anyways, we head out to the bars. Garrett decides he wants to go in to one he had been denied the night before due to his track pants. So we go right in. Order a beer each and a shot of some apple something or another (shots were on special). Continue to drink a bit and somehow meet two guys.

Next thing you know drinks are being bought all around. I somehow end up taking more shots. I pass off the whiskey to Garrett and end up with a beer. The guys we met, Dave and John, turn out to be 20-something and 30-something respectively. They’re apparently fisherman who were supposed to go out on a trip that night but due to weather the trip was postponed. Lucky us.

So at some point we go outside for cigarettes and fresh air. John, Garrett, and myself get back in but Dave and Elizabeth get shut out. WTF? We have no idea either. So the three of us continue on in the bar while the other two head down to Coyotes.

I told Garrett earlier in the night that if we were to finds guys to buy us drinks, we’d make them buy him drinks too out of fairness. And who stuck to it? Me. I totally pulled it off by playing coy & sweet and saying I couldn’t leave my friend out of our talking/drinking. John ended up buying Garrett more Guiness than he knew what to do with. So they chat & drink and I stand around being pretty.

I started to feel the alcohol at this point. I know it’s not good. I excuse myself to go outside. And surely, I begin to spit up a bit. The funny part is there’s some guy out there who in between my mini-vomming decides to start a conversation with me! It’s like “Hi are you ok?"’ [spits on ground] “I’m grand.” “Oh, you’re from America?” [a little vomming] “Yep, New York.” His friend appeared at this point and the first guy tried to take me off with them for food. Now I may have been DRUNK but I’m not dumb. I promptly said no thanks and my friends were coming out.

Things get really, really fuzzy here. I do know John & Garrett appeared moments later. I know I told them I wasn't OK. I know I was hammered beyond comprehension.

And that’s all folks.

Somehow I ended up in an alleyway. Laying on the ground, not really conscious. Elizabeth & David came back (after frantic phone calls from Garrett) to my rescue. I ended up passed out on the sidewalk next. Elizabeth peed in the alleyway before laying down with me. Apparently I couldn’t breath/knew I was in a bad, bad way and requested an ambulance. Elizabeth tried to count 1,2,3 with me to calm me down but no dice. David called for assistance. Apparently I had already been down for the count for about an hour a this point. John kept referring to me as 'sunshine' and even in my trashed & scattered state I hated it (crappy nickname, seriously).

The next thing I actually do remember is my arm being ripped at by the Garda going ‘Get up or I’m arresting you!’. I ripped my arm back from him and yelled ‘Don’t fucking touch me!’. I was told later that David got in said Garda’s face and told him to not touch me like that and such. Everyone hauled me up and decided to get a taxi.

I remember getting in the taxi and the driver going ‘She’s not going to throw up in here!’ and me going ‘I’m not gonna puke in your fucking cab!’. Yea, oops. We got barely up the hill when I felt it coming on. I grabbed at the handle going ‘Stop, stop, I’m gonna puke!’ and the taxi driver slammed the car to a stop just as I got the door open and stumbled out (I literally just missed falling out of moving car). I ran across the road and to the half stone wall thing and proceeded to puke over it.

Elizabeth joined me, kneeling in front of me (WTF?) and even in my state I told her ‘I’m gonna puke on you down there!’ so she moved her legs a bit. Awesome. Finally Garrett guided me back to the B&B with Elizabeth opening the doors before we got there.

I immediately headed to the bathroom and plopped on the floor. It’s a small bathroom, so my legs were in the shower, while I cradled a trash can (why I did that, I don’t know). Garrett came in after a few minutes of being back and puked in the toilet behind me, while I puked in the trash can.

Garrett & I now refer to these moments of simultaneous vomiting as our “bonding experience”. That’s what being in rough shape after a night out in Galway is like. It was only a matter of time, Ireland.

I passed out in the bathroom around this time I’ll assume. Elizabeth assures me it was hilarious, what with me half in the shower and half out. What can I say, I'm a classy broad. I don’t know for how long I was out but at some point I woke up. I changed my clothes, took out my earrings, and crawled in to bed with Elizabeth.

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Woke up to the sounds of someone opening & closing our room door.

…whaaa? …where am I…? Who the eff is in bed with me!?!? Oh...hey, Elizabeth. Garrett. What up guys!

Turns out it was past 11. Gonna guess we were supposed to be long gone by then? Also missed breakfast (but still had to pay for it). Our bad.

I felt eh, all right upon waking up. Definitellllyyyy tired. Recounted some of the night’s tales with everyone. Shared quite a few good laughs and ‘I did WHAT’ moments. Shit. I was apparently quite the sight to behold. Ah, well, can’t go back now.

Started to try & get up and get ready. Um, yea, apparently I was worse off than I thought. Literally had to do one task at a time with breaks of laying back down in between. At one point I crawled on the floor across the room because standing wasn’t an option. I also passed back out on the bed, toothbrush & toothpaste in hand.

That’s where shots of apple whatchamuhcallit will get you. Feck you Huzzar!!!

Around this time I realized my wristlet wallet was missing. My camera was in the room, but my wallet wasn’t. This held my IDs, credit cards, cash, and phone. Shit shit shit!!! After tearing the room apart, it’s not there. Then Elizabeth remembers that after the taxi and after I was over the half-wall getting ill, I was given my wristlet. I asked who the fuck gives the drunk girl her wallet! They said I was asking for it! Still, you do NOT give the drunk girl valuable things to carry whilst drunk! Anyways, Garrett took a walk down there and by some miracle (or sheer effin’ Irish luck) he returns with my wallet, everything intact. That’s my pot o’ gold, right there.

Finally, after more sulking and dragging of my entire body, at 1PM we were off. They wanted food so we went to Supermac's. I pretty much passed out there, being barely conscious laying on my bookbag. I felt like I was going to throw up on multiple occasions, prompting me to find bathrooms very quickly, but it never happened. Elizabeth & Garrett needed to pick up some last minute souvenirs so I decided to seek refuge in McD’s and attempt to eat.

It took me (no joke) one hour to eat 6 chicken nuggets, some fries, and drink a Coke. I literally had to choke down every bite, amidst Elizabeth telling me ‘Eating will help’.

David (from the night before) called Elizabeth and ended up coming down to McD’s to say goodbye. Upon seeing me he declared ‘Jesus, you look rough’. Yea, no shit Sherlock. I didn’t say much but they talked a bit. John (who I found out was actually the skipper of the boat and apparently makes him kinda a big deal) ended up calling him and asked to talk with me on the phone. He too came down, even though we only had a few minutes before we had to head out.

Who felt awkward, hungover, and disgusting? This girl right here. Thankfully they held none of the prior night's actions against me, and even still seemed to like my company after the fact. Good guys. They tried to get us to go share a drink with them but we definitely had mere minutes till the bus. So we had to say our goodbyes and head off. They did however promise to take us out fishing if/when we came back to Galway, so that’s a plus.

Headed off to the bus. Took my motion sickness medicine and said a prayer to every higher being I could think of. Got on and settled. And off we went towards Limerick and eventually Waterford.

But no, the story doesn’t end with a ‘And we rode off in to the sunset and made it back safe & sound’ because this is Ireland dammit and I had a hangover!

Instead, the story continues with after about an hour, me getting sick. Really sick. And did I mention there was a hole in the bag I was vomiting in? Who ended up with her own vom on her legs, seat, and floor? Me. I did.

IT SUCKED.

After expelling the McD’s (yea Elizabeth, eating wasn’t such a good idea!) I probably looked really pathetic. Actually I know I looked really pathetic because I felt really pathetic. Garrett graciously offered his white T-shirt for me to clean up a bit with. I asked Elizabeth to hold up my jacket as a curtain while I changed in to my sweat pants. Put the nasty clothes in one of my bags, sat in the other seat, and tried to not think about it.

Finally arrived at Limerick bus station. Thankfully got off the puke bus. Got a chance to go to the bathroom to just wash my mouth out. Got a couple small snacks and liquids at the store before heading out to our other bus.

Had no trouble on the next bus back. Rested a bit actually. My body was pretty much just worn out to the extreme so it couldn’t even get sick again if it wanted to probably. Got back to Waterford. We were standing around outside the bus getting situated when the nice bus driver offered to take us over to our building instead of us walking. Hallelujah small favors!

Back to Manor Village we went. Took a shower, cleaned the clothes a bit in the sink, and went to bed happy I survived.

All in all, Galway, you were an experience, and definitely a story to be told in mixed company. Thanks for playing along.

Love,

Dana

Yes, this is a tad late. My bad. It's been sitting in my drafts and I forgot to publish it.

Friday, 2-5-10:
Hopped a bus to Cork. I really like night bus rides. But what really needs to be said is the following:
Dear Kwells,
You.Are.The.Best. I love you. I love you. I LOVE YOU!!!!
Love,
Me
(Kwells would be the motion sickness medicine that I now won't let out of my sight. Brilliant medicine. Simply amazing).

Anyways, rolled in to the bus station in Cork. Immediately was greeted by a stray dog. Said dog got lots of love and attention from us. (For those of you who ever met the two labs I used to have, this dog was literally Tinker Belle reincarnated. Sweetest personality ever.) This stray actually followed us all the way to our hostel (about a ten minute walk up a hill) and in to said hostel (Shelia's Hostel to be exact) where the lady at reception was like 'Um, yours?' and we were like 'Nope, followed us'. Thankfully this woman was simply grand and promised to call someone to take care of the pup for us.

So we got checked in and went up to our room. Bunk beds!!! The room was just one long, narrow space with two sets of beds on one wall, then the bathroom on that wall, and then two more beds in a back area. Interesting set-up, but it held it's own. We acted silly and got a bit settled in before setting off to explore Cork.

We began to walk along the river towards the city centre. I'm just walking along next to Kate when suddenly she screams and jumps around a bit. I feel something on my foot. I look down and a freaking RAT is running across my feet. I screamed and ran with Kate a few steps a head of me. Everyone else just laughed. Apparently she had felt it and kicked it right in to me. Ew street rat (not the same as Jezebel by any means). Definitely skeeved out by it.

Anyways, walked about the city for a bit seeing what stores they had and such. Lots and lots of stores, be they food, clothing, or anything in-between. There's the main road and tons of side-street/allies along the way with even more places along them. It's truly amazing how many buildings there are. Mostly all were closed being that it was like 11PM on a Friday night. Found an outside restaurant area down one alley that had a WATERFALL. Wicked awesome. We went to McD's for a late night bite before heading over to Shelbourne Bar where we given 15% off drinks through a deal with the hostel we were staying at. Due to the motion sickness meds I couldn't drink and that was totally fine by me.

After they had a round we headed back to the hostel being wiped out and needing to get sleep for the following day.

Saturday, 2-6-10:
Woke up decently early. Everyone got up and around and dressed. Headed down to the bus station only to find out the bus we needed to Blarney wouldn't be there for approximately another hour. (This is where I should probably mention I really should stop being the one looking up buses as I'm not exactly batting 100 on them.)

To kill time we headed back to a bakery we had passed the night before. When they eventually opened we went in. Kate was the most excited for it and got some type of bread. Jenn got this garlic&cheese bap which I said reminded me of the taste of the clam sauce when my grandma makes spaghetti & clam sauce. They did not like this description nor did anyone agree with it. Whatever. It was delicious and I was happy to help her eat it.

So the one guy working in said bakery turned to us after hearing us talk and goes 'So you're all from New York?'. We all literally went 'Uh...whoa...yea'. Turns out his family is from Buffalo, as in his grandmother lives right near Ralph Wilson Stadium. WTF??? How do we keep finding people from back home in these random Irish cities?? He was pretty cool and we enjoyed chatting with him for a bit.

It is truly, without a doubt, a small world.

After we ate we headed back to the bus stop and got on our bus to go to Blarney. Wasn't a long ride until we pulled in to a quaint little town. A few steps away and we were on the Castle grounds.

Instead of going right to the Castle we decided to go see other sights on the grounds. These included Dolmen, Wishing Steps, Witches Kitchen, Druids Circle, Sacrificial Alter, and Fairy Glade. They are all these places where this or that is to be believed happened in the past. All pretty cool. We spent a good time doing this, just enjoying the grounds. It was in fact a gorgeous day and all the greenery and trees was really nice to be around.

Next we headed to the Castle itself. Kate and I ended up split from Garrett and Elizabeth (we had lost Jenn much earlier in the excursion) so her and I began to climb up the 100 stairs to the top.

So I should probably note I'm a bit scared of heights, but I never let myself not do something because of this. I do get a fast heart rate and a bit shaky, but I have never backed out of anything because I'm a tad scared.

That being said, Blarney Castle, you almost got one on me.

The staircase you went up was very, very narrow. It was a spiral, stone staircase the whole way up. It was beyond old looking. And something that should be noted about all these old buildings we've explored; the stairs are ridiculously thin. Like, a few inches thick. I have NO IDEA how they have held up over time.

I eventually made it to the top with Kate. I proceeded to have the most ridiculous grip ever on the metal railing that went along the inside of the Castle, so much so that I actually cut off circulation at one point to my own hand. If you could see the pictures you'd understand why. It was uneven, old, and only a couple foot wide walkway around the very, very open center.

We made our way to the actual Blarney Stone where another group clearly of friends were just doing the kissing thing. Two of the girls were pretty freaked out doing it. You have to lay on your back and a nice man named Dennis holds your midsection while sliding you backwards. You bend backwards over the edge, holding two railings, and you see all the way down to the ground while trying to kiss a stone in front of you.

No thanks.

Kate did in fact brave it and kiss the stone. Hilarious pictures from this as she was a tad freaked hanging over the edge herself. They tried to talk me in to it but I got out of it pretty easily. Thank God. At least some people understand peer pressure isn't cool.

We heard Garrett and Elizabeth beneath us so we opted to wait for them to get to the top. Kate was really enjoying being up so high and the view it provided. I did too, but only looking straight out across. I was not looking down to the ground below. Eventually I got tired of waiting for Garrett and Elizabeth to make their way around (they were stopping to read each info plaque which is good but I was not OK being up so high) so Kate and I went down.

Going down was much better than going up, if only because the staircase didn't seem as deteriorated as the other one.

When we made it back to the lobby we found Jenn. We did a little souvenir shopping before going back out on to the grounds. We walked around a bit more, exploring a cave, a dungeon, and the area around the Castle. Finally after a bit we decided to head out.

We stopped for lunch at a little cafe in town. I got a really good toasted sandwich (ham, cheese, tomatoes, onions) and the others got other really good foods. It was a nice little place and it was good food for cheap. After eating we got back on the bus and headed back to Cork City Centre.

Decided to do a bit of shopping. Kate and Jenn got split from Garrett, Elizabeth, and myself. The three of us ended up exploring the entire city it seemed. We went in to a ton of different stores, walked a farmer's market of sorts, went in to the free Crawford Art Gallery (where an exhibition called 'Terror and the Sublime: Art in an Age of Anxiety' was being put on), and just generally explored the area. It's a really pretty place; gorgeous buildings and no limit on things to go in to. I found a chocolate store and got the most amazing hot chocolate, truffle, and tiramisu EVER. Freaking amazing on all levels. We finished the night by sitting and listening to the best street musicians of the day; a guitar, a violin, and some singing. Beautiful.

My favorite pictures I took are from this night. City views as night falls. I can't wait to share them (hopefully sooner rather than later).

Headed back to the hostel to get ready to go out to dinner and such. Stopped to talk to the receptionist about the pup that followed us back. Turns out she took it home with her. Apparently the pound destroys dogs if they're not claimed in 5 days and this one was just way too sweet to let that happen. Her own dog, a big ol' Sheepdog, was a bit weary of the new dog at first but she said they ended up sleeping together and her dog would bring toys to the new dog trying to engage it in play. Too precious.

When we got back to our room we were informed someone else was staying with us. We had booked a six person room and we figured we wouldn't have anyone staying in the sixth bed. We figured wrong. Apparently a French boy was going to be stuck with us. He apparently came in while Kate was sleeping and an awkward/hilarious situation ensued of 'WTF? Who are you?' and realization a stranger was sleeping with us.

After lounging around a bit and getting pretty we headed out to dinner. Split the group once again with Kate & I going for Chinese and the rest going to a modern restaurant we had found earlier in the day. Kate and I split sweet & sour chicken and I got a side of fried rice as well. It was so good. A big difference between here and home is the lack of grease used in cooking food. It makes the other flavors come out that much more. It was a tad pricey but for a good Chinese meal (my first here) I was willing to spend it.

Ended up finishing before the others so we went over to their restaurant and met them there while they finished up. Sat outside for a bit while they finished their drinks and had a smoke. Took pictures that looked wicked cool due to the glow of the heat lamps (something all bars seem to have on their small outdoor patio areas. How nice of them!). Apparently some people Jenn met had mentioned a couple good bars so off we went.

First stop was Old Oak Bar. It was apparently the place to be. Upon getting our drinks and walking to the back we realized why. The bar is HUGE. As in, there's actually like 3 or 4 actual bars in the entire place. It just keeps going and going. We had a couple drinks (they had a couple, I only had 1) and talked for a bit. It became rather apparent that the bar crowd was more late 20s, early 30s; not exactly our scene. So we left.

Kate and I decided to head back to the hostel and the Jenn, Elizabeth, and Garrett headed off to another bar. Back at the hostel we got ready for bed and eventually fell asleep. I think the others got back like 230AM or so.

Sunday, 2-7-09:
Got up and got ready for the day. Checked out of the hostel and we headed off to the bus station. By asking other drivers we found out what bus we needed to get to the old Cork City Gaol (that's said jail by the way). The actual driver of the bus that went towards the Gaol was wicked, wicked helpful. He at first was a little confused by where we wanted to go but eventually understood and took us on. When it came time for our stop he went on the bus' overhead speaker to tell us (hence the title of this entry). Super hilarious.

We had been told the Cork Gaol would be just up the hill. Um, try like three hills. My legs were unamused. But eventually, a good 20 minute walk later, we reached the old, imposing building.

It wasn't what we thought it would be but was fun all the same. Only one wing was open to us. They gave you a tape player and headphones to listen to a tour explaining the history of the gaol as well as about different people that inhabited it. This went along with the various wax figures they had set-up throughout supposedly being these people. We spent maybe a couple hours at most wandering around and such.

Headed back to the bus terminal in Cork City. There we hopped the bus that was meant to take us back to Waterford. Elizabeth talked with the driver and got him to agree to let us off in Midleton (even though he wasn't supposed to). So Garrett, Elizabeth, and myself got off in Midleton while Kate and Jenn headed back to Waterford.

Upon getting off the bus I discovered a Polish store across the street. Um, yea, I might have gotten a tad too excited. After their cigarette break, they indulged me and let me go over. I found pierogi (pierogi z mięsem pilzneńskie to be exact)!!! Like, legit, real, true Polish pierogi!! Of course I bought some! (I ate those morsels of meaty goodness within three days. I wish I could find good meat pierogis in America.)

Then it was off to the real reason we were in Midleton: The Jameson Distillery. We got to take a tour of the grounds, which is actually the old distillery. They no longer produce any of the liquor there, but instead in a new distillery just beside the old grounds. It was pretty cool though going through the old buildings and having the whiskey process explained to us while looking at real equipment used.

At the end the tour guide asked for volunteers for a taste testing. Originally we believed Elizabeth, myself, and Garrett had all been chosen but someone went up that shouldn't have and thus Garrett got left out. Totally unfair and crappy. But off we went back to the bar.

Everyone was given a ticket for a free Jameson drink so he went and got his while we sat at a table with a few other people. In front of us were three small shots of Scotch, American Whiskey (Jack Daniel's, obviously), and Irish Whiskey (Jameson, obviously). Scotch does in fact have a camp fire taste to it. Did not like, at all. Jack Daniels will always have a little extra 'wha-bam!' on my taste buds (don't ask me why).

I liked the Jameson the best. Yea, I'll say it again: Jameson is better than Jack Daniel's!!! In fact, my Jameson and Coke was so smooth I could have drank them all night. Too bad Jameson is a tad expensive in the USA or it'd become my new favorite drink of all time.

After drinks we headed in to the gift shop. I ended up calling Dave to see what he'd rather get for a birthday present and picked that up, as well as a gift for Al. I also got myself a new hoodie (black and super soft on the inside). I wear it too much already. Probably the best souvenir I've gotten thus far to be honest.

We left the Distillery, sad to say goodbye. However, because it was only 5:30 we went back in to the Polish store so I could get a drink. I got apple juice which actually has a bit of a candy cane taste to it. Garrett and Elizabeth didn't quite know what to make of it, but I chugged it down happily.

Hopped back on the bus and headed home. G & E fell asleep in the back row, all sprawled out while I cat-napped in my seat with my headphones in. Arrived back in Waterford feeling happy and successful over our weekend adventure to Cork.

Past Adventures:

The title of this is a little jingle Kate & Garrett made up to Supermac’s, the fake McDonald’s of Ireland. As in, they were sued by McDonald’s for infringement but won the case and thus still are doing business.

We gave them a try Tuesday night seeing as they were the ONLY place open past 7PM (and I wish that was a joke. Even McD’s was closed. Stupid move on their part). The burger was good, the fries were great. I ordered a medium Coke and was given a can of Coke to pour in to a provided cup with ice. Really guys? Really?

This whole no-24 hour stores and everything closing by 7PM deal is in no way easy to adjust to. America, I miss your overindulgent personality.

I still say we should market the theme song to them though. I wanted it to be ‘supermactacular’ but they voted me down due to too many syllables. Whatever. I think it’s a good make-believe word.

Internship:

I have requested to get a new one. Monday will be my last day and Tuesday the search will commence.

I have a conscience and hate letting people down or upsetting people, so these last two days have been hard for me there. Niamh (the director) asks me how I’m doing each day and I have to scramble to tell her how I’ve learned about this or that. The girls have been super helpful, asking me if I have any questions about ABA process and are willing to explain everything and anything to me.

Tomorrow I have to tell Miriam (the supervisor) that I’m taking the weekend to consider if I’ll continue (though I know I’m leaving on Monday). Niamh doesn’t work Fridays (something that I blanked on) so she’s in for a shock come Monday when she comes in and is told by Miriam that I’m planning on leaving.

The reason it’s going down Monday is because that is when Joe has a meeting with myself and Niamh/Miriam to discuss how things are going and how we feel about me being at their school. We actually set up this meeting on this past Monday (my first day) because it’s better to know progress potential sooner rather than later. In my case, it’s not much potential.

I guess Monday will be good and bad. I just hope they don’t take me leaving badly and/or I don’t say something rude/offensive in explaining my reasons for not wanting to be there.

It’s not them; it’s me.

I respect the heck out of what they do; it’s just not for me on a lot of levels. Too structured, too small, too education major and not enough social work major.

While waiting for the bus today (because it was late, shocker) I talked with a girl from Slievrue whose best friend used to work at TJP. When I told her I wasn’t feeling it so much, so said her friend loved it. I said it didn’t fit me as I’m in social work and she asked wtf I was doing there because it’s definitely for education majors.

Just another sign that I’m not crazy or overreacting I guess. But I know that deep down I’m neither because I know myself and I know when things need to change, and this needs to change.

I did have fun today though shadowing (the first day I wasn’t bored to tears at multiple points). I even was talked in to trying out the slide on the playground. It’s not a normal slide. It’s simply two railings, spaced about 1 1/2 feet apart. You set one leg over each bar and slide down on your thighs. It’s actually really fast and the landing is a beeyotch (sooo much pressure on your ankles). It was wicked fun tho, I have to admit. Gives any other slide I’ve ever been on a poor rating by comparison. (I tried Googling for an image of what it looks like, but I’ve had no luck finding anything.)

One last good thing from work today: one of the boys keeps messing up my name and calling me Dane-yuh. One of the boys back at ASI definitely every time calls me the exact same thing. Made me miss home and made me laugh as well.

Differences:

And now it’s time for an Irish English lesson (things I learned from the girls at work today).

Rubber=eraser. You do not erase something, you rub it out. (Anyone else think of sex and the Mafia immediately? Only me? …OK.)

Full stop=period. This was a fun one to learn as neither of us had ever heard of the other’s term for ending a sentence before. We found each other’s both weird and funny. .=full stop=period (Somewhere one of my high school English teachers is rolling their eyes.)

Tipp-Ex=Wite Out (Ah, a battle of the most popular brand names in their respected countries.)

At the weekend=on the weekend

In the playground=on the playground

(Seriously, we really need to just change the directives? And why does America love the word ‘on’ so much?)

Programmes=shows (be they television or radio).

Crisps=potato chips (I refuse to say it their way).

Chips=French fries (I refuse to say this too).

Pitch=field (and while we’re on football=soccer terms, kit=uniform).

They also say the ‘th’ realllyyyy weird on their words. Bathroom sounds like batroom and thirty sounds like tirty. It’s like the ‘h’ doesn’t even exist. I honestly giggle on the inside each time.

One last thing on the language differences: what is up with the random ‘u’s in words and making ‘er’ turn in to ‘re’? Pretty sure it’s centER not centRE when you pronounce it. And making favorite in to favourite is seriously not  much cooler.

I’m just saying. :P hahaha…

Future Plans:

This weekend will be spent exploring Waterford’s sites and history. Originally we had planned on a weekend in Cork but the hostel is full so that will happen next weekend. Instead we are going to track down the (supposed)Waterford Castle and do some site-seeing around here. Maybe find an ice cream shop or a Chinese restaurant? (I miss you 716, I miss you.)

Next weekend in Cork will be killer though. Blarney is nearby so we’re obviously traveling to the Castle and to see the stone. Also nearby are other legit castles and even a fort!! Pretty pumped to see some good ol’ European history. (Why wasn’t class ever this fun in school? I would have actually liked history if I could have walked through a castle every weekend, seriously.)

Due to the fact that I have yet to have an entirely 100% good experience on a bus, I’m terrified for the 2 1/2 hour drive to Cork. Thus I’m looking in to motion sickness medicine. Apparently Dramamine was taken off the market in Ireland. Fantastic. Tomorrow on my way home from work I’m going to stop in at a pharmacy and get the names of the drugs they do have and give them to mom to look in to.

An alternative that Elizabeth found out about is this bracelet made of metal that apparently uses a pressure point in your wrist and eliminates the nausea. I’m not one that’s all for hippie methods of healing (AKA hand me the medicine and be quiet) but it’s something to think about.

Side not: I have never in my life until I turned 21 experienced motion sickness. I noticed it last fall a few times when I would ride in the backseats of cars but thought nothing of it. Apparently I should have because now busses and planes are not my friends anymore. And that really bites because I love traveling! Oh well. I will remedy it someway, somehow. This will not stop me.

Randomness:

I ride a bus made by Mercedes-Benz to and from work. Can you say you take a Benz to work every day? :)

I’m trying to upload pictures to a Photobucket or Flickr account so you all can see SOME evidence of what I’ve been up to, but with this awful internet connection, it’s going to take quite some time. I’ll let you know when it happens (like four months from now when I’m back in the USA lol).

There are a TON of round abouts in Ireland.

Factoid: I L-O-V-E roond aboots (you have to say it in a bad Canadian accent or else it loses a certain something). Thus, Ireland and I are cool.

One of the girls at TJP is from Niagara Falls, Ontario (I keep forgetting to ask her how she ended up here because it seems she’s been in Ireland for years.) We agreed Canada wins when it comes to NF. The American side is just sad at this point.

We may have found a nearby coin laundry place to use instead of being charged 10 euros per small load here at our apartments. (It’s definitely a way to scam money from the international students as 99% of the Irish kids go home each weekend and can do their laundry there. Oh,and it’s also BS and we’re not happy about it.) If I’m here for four months with limited clothes I am not paying a ridiculous amount to wash them like every other week.

We had pork chops and French fries (or I’m sorry, chips) for dinner. We've totally got this group cooking dinner thing down to a T.

I miss you all!!! Stop having so much fun without me lol

Shout outs to all who read and leave me comments (be there here or Facebook). Feel free to leave more. I love hearing from you all.

I’m done.

El fin.

Supermactacular,

Dana

I survived.

Bloodied, exhausted, and overwhelmed. But I lived. (The blood would be the awful blister on the back of my foot compliments of new shoes, the exhaustion is due to the fact I didn’t sleep, and the overwhelming feeling is just because it is in fact a whole new world for me).

Considering I barely slept, I still got up on time, got ready (wore nice pants, nice top, did my make-up) and met up with Elizabeth to begin this journey for real this time.

Joe dropped her off first at her place and then took me to mine (about a five minute drive apart in Slieverue).

The Jonah Project.

It is located in an old, old pink building without even a sign marking it. They don’t keep the heat on during the weekends so Monday is the coldest (let’s just say I kept all three layers plus my coat on the entire day), though I have a feeling the rest of the week won’t be much warmer because like I said, old building (and Ireland just seems to be COLD all the time). It’ll be better when I’m not in flats but in my boots with socks (keeping my feet warm in this country is proving impossible however).

The director and supervisor were very nice to me upon meeting me. We decided I’d spend the week observing and getting my bearings. We have another meeting on Monday with Joe to check on comfort/fit of me being there, and then from there, things will get real. My objectives and goals for this internship will be set, and we’ll be off to the races on completing my Bachelor’s degree. Essentially it seems I’ll be working towards actually executing being a ‘tutor’ (more on this below).

I spent today in the room of the younger three kids. They’re ‘tutors’ (also known as teachers) were all super friendly with me and answered my questions as they came. Now, when I say tutor/teacher, I mean they are fully TEACHERS. They work on math, reading, vocabulary, listening skills, life skills, vocational activities, occupational activities, etc..

These tutor/teachers do it all, quite literally. And they don’t just work with one child all the time either. They have a child they work with 3 days, and then another they work for 2. Or in some cases, 2 days, 2 days, and then 1 day (it depends on people’s attendance/availability). A far cry from having a strict one-on-one at ASI. I see the upside to their method (as they are a tiny school and knowing each child can be easy) but I also see the upside to the method I’m used to back home (familiarity and consistency).

Also, a few of their kids are partially integrated at local schools (spending the morning only on some days). This makes me very happy because it shows that early intervention works (in my opinion at least). I have a feeling if these kids weren’t receiving the services they were at TJP they would not be able to be at ‘normal’ schools in any capacity. I know if some of my kids back home had had early intervention services, they would be further along then they are now (as in, all of the kids at TJP are at least partially verbal; none are completely non-verbal).

Something to note is that at TJP they truly practice ABA (applied behavior analysis). Constant reinforcements (mainly food & tokens towards desired activities/items) within a highly structured schedule. There’s no ‘do as you feel’ here. It is very intense, very involved, and rather fast-paced. The students have goals, and these goals are constantly being worked towards. Each student has a schedule, and this schedule is followed without question. The overwhelming part for me is that these tutors are responsible for it all. And they track EVERYTHING. There are sheets and charts to monitor progress in all areas of learning for these children. That may be the craziest part for me; the constant documentation.

Did I mention they don’t practice SCIP? Yea, apparently physical interventions are rather hard to get approved in Ireland. However, none of their kids are quite as aggressive as the ones I’ve worked with, so there’s really no reason to know how to do a three-person supine anyways. The first child I met they said may pinch and/or bite, and when they told me that’s the worst he does, I almost felt relieved(?). Their way of dealing with any aggressive behavior is essentially planned ignoring. It’s amazing/baffling to me in many ways. Although, it may be safe to say from what I saw today their children simply do not have the same severity of autism that some of the kids back home do, and thus are simply less aggressive by nature. It may be nice to not come home with bruises every day. (None of the kids appear to display bolting behavior either and so my incredibly amazing sprinting capabilities may be taken down a notch or two. Boo.)

It’s actually going to be hard for me to adjust to the tininess of the place I think. They have two classrooms, and barely use the old kitchen at all. The kids are split between the rooms (younger & older, making it 3 and 4 respectively in each). There’s no speech rooms, no OT or PT, no gym or art or music (which, honestly, thank God for because I really hated music at ASI) and there’s definitely not any sensory rooms (which I may be more sad about than anyone. I’ll miss you red/yellow comfy chair!).

The only complaint I have is that I have to take the bus (two actually; one to get from home to the waterfront, then one to my internship).

Joe was so sure for Elizabeth & I (the two with placements the furthest away) someone would offer us a ride from the agency. For Elizabeth, this is true. For me, not so much, as everyone lives in the opposite direction of where I need to go apparently.

I’m quite ticked off about this bus situation as it means I’ll have to spend (supposedly) some 3 Euros per day on it. And seeing as I’m the only one who has to do this, it makes me even more mad. I’m going to talk to Joe about it as I find it just plain unfair. I don’t mind taking the bus (though I’ve yet to have a non-nausea experience on one), it’s the fact that I have to spend my own money for it that bothers me. I wish the college would reimburse me, but I think we can all agree no matter what country you’re in, that’s just wishful thinking.

I honestly don’t know how I liked my first day. It was a first day. I went in to something I knew nothing about; I can’t make judgments on it quite yet. I do know I didn’t hate it so much I never want to step foot there again. I just am not sure if I’ll love it as much as back home. I want to, I really do, but I might not be cut out for ABA/tiny agencies (to be determined at a later date).

None of the kids here seem as cuddly as some of the kids at ASI. This girl is really gonna miss her hugs & sitting on laps. (And from that one lil cute boy, kisses on the cheek.)

Like I said, it was the first day of many.

Who knows how I'll feel in a week, let alone ten.

Know what I really wish though? That I had a TV in my bedroom and we didn’t share one in the common room. I really just wanna lay in bed and watch crappy MTV shows right now, but not happening. Also, not having hockey/football is seriously getting hard. Spooorrrtttsss!!!!

TV shows and movies are weeks behind the US here so I’ll be able to catch up on Grey’s and finally see ‘Youth in Revolt’ soon. :P

Trying to upload pictures to Facebook for everyone is proving impossible. Beginning to become clear to me that it’s my room that’s crappy for electronics, as apparently according to Elizabeth my cell phone cuts out a lot when we’re talking as well. My room may or may not actually be a nuclear bomb shelter.

On one level it’s been nice to be disconnected but on the other, I like to know the current happenings in my world. Toss up.

I think I’ve babbled enough.

Love,

Dana