... but don't worry mom, I've only had two drinks! I got judged for getting a rum and coke while everyone else got beer and guinness, so then I went for a baileys with ice at the next pub. I guess the beer drinker in me is yet to come out... but I'm still patiently waiting!!
Today started with me waking up and lugging my two huge suitcases downstairs for Arcadia to take to Galway. Then two of my roommates got in around 9ish so I chatted with them... both are extremely sweet. Around noon we went to lunch with everyone in the Arcadia program, and I just happened to end up sitting at a large table with people going to Galway. I've met a bunch of really cool girls, which makes me happy because I was, and still am, nervous about meeting people.
Afterwards we were set free for the rest of the day, so we decided to watch the soccer-esque sport that was happening (apparently it's a big deal in Ireland... some rivalry... I don't know, I'm not a sports person). We went to a pub that seemed relatively empty so we could chat, and then of course ended up next to these extremely boisterous irish men and one Portuguese woman who were all out drinking together. They had been there for two hours, and they were absolutely hilarious. After some fun chats with them, they went home to sober up, and we went to another pub down the road. The next pub called The Quay, I think, was so much fun. There was a woman playing a violin or a fiddle, I wasn't sure, and a man playing a guitar, and they played Irish and American songs. They played break even by the script!! I filmed it. I couldn't stop smiling, and throughout their whole set everyone was singing along and bursting out into dances. Then we went to Temple Bar, a famous bar in Dublin, which has a beer garden where we sat and drank and chatted with some more people we ran into from the program.
I've decided that I'm not a huge fan of the modern aspects of Dublin - the parts where there are busy streets, crosswalks, etc... but the side streets are absolutely charming. Full of pubs, shops, colorful storefronts, and street performers. From what I've been told, Galway seems to fit that description exactly, more of a college smaller city as opposed to the mix of side streets and city aspects that Dublin has.
Regardless, I am extremely happy here and I will definitely be visiting Dublin again after we leave on Wednesday. Tonight I will be getting dinner with the same girls I've been wandering around Dublin with, and then meeting up with Jen, a friend from GW who is studying at Trinity this semester.
Sure, we can imagine more interesting people commenting here, but I'm your mother and no one can stop me.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to hear you're there, happy, and meeting people! Your description of the musical pub made me nostalgic -- I remember afternoons and nights in Irish pubs that were exactly like that -- spontaneous singing, playing, dancing.
I think the sport you have in mind is rugby, but of course your mother isn't very sporty either.