Myth: It's not easy being green

(Okay really corny but I kept thinking it). At least it's a myth in Dublin on St. Patrick's Day weekend when the airport, Guinness factory, government buildings and people are sporting the color all weekend. After many more hours of traveling than I would have liked to take (a train to a bus to a plane to a bus to sprinting across the airport to another plane to another bus), I finally made it to Dublin! By the grace of God, my roommate Annie and I were able to meet at the perfect time: her flight (from Italy) was delayed a few hours, and I originally told her I was landing a few hours before I actually was (because I forgot about my layover)...but it's all for a reason, right? I was also very grateful for the free wi-fi in Dublin International Airport. They really know how to cater to poor, traveling American college students whose vital forms of communication are WhatsApp and Facebook.

Sand sculpting on Grafton Street

I felt welcomed to the city as soon as I landed and saw the balloons festively decorating the airport for the holiday weekend. Annie, her abroad friends, and I took a cab to her school's campus and I was again welcomed by one of the many friendly taxi drivers in the city. As Annie pointed out, there isn't that much to "see" in Dublin in terms of landmarks, but I was just so happy to be spending the weekend with my roommate and to get a taste of another part of the world. I made myself a rule that wherever I travel to throughout my semester, I'm not allowing myself to get any Italian food outside of Italy. Really all I wanted in Ireland was a burger and a good beer. Fortunately, I had easy access to both.

I was surprised by how "American" everything seemed in Dublin. Of course, it's probably more true to say that we've adopted more of Europe's traditions, and I was just surprised to see everything written in English, but still. Annie and I spent some time wandering around St. Stephen's Green, Grafton Street (the main street in Dublin to go shopping and see street performers/artists), St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Guinness Factory (which was enormous and really interesting to learn about how Guinness is made), and various pubs. I was disappointed at first that my actual St. Patrick's Day had to consist of 12 hours of traveling instead of going to the parades, but it was cold and rainy when I left Sunday morning and I had such a great time the rest of my weekend I couldn't complain.

Porterhouse with friends from home

It was fun walking around that weekend and running into about 8 people I knew: BC students not studying in Dublin, old neighbors, one of my roommate's friends from home, etc. It really is a small world! I also love the laid back pub atmosphere with jolly Irishmen and live music. At this pub called Porterhouse on my last night in Dublin, I also got to see three friends from home who are studying at the same university as my roommate.

The most memorable souvenir I brought back from Ireland was my fifth ear piercing. Annie and I had been wanting to get this matching piercing since freshman year, but we weren't presented with the opportune time until now. We finally just went for it! We found what seemed like a reputable place, paid, and went into the piercing room. I sat down first and was expecting the woman to use a piercing gun like what I was used to seeing. Instead, she used a special needle and then put the earring in. Now, needles have not become one of my favorite things over the last few years and, like I indicated on my form before my piercing, I have a tendency to become dizzy or pass out. I think you see where this is going.

After my earring was in and I was sitting up on the table, I said very nonchalantly, "I'm feeling a little lightheaded..." And I fainted. Once I came to, the very patient woman was consoling me (I'm sure she's used to this) and asked me the last time I ate. As I was thinking of the answer, I fainted again. (It's okay, you can laugh). When I woke up (again) poor Annie was paler than I was from watching what I'm sure was a frightening scenario. I was laughing because I knew this would happen once I started getting dizzy, and I've learned how to recover from this. But I didn't want the same thing to happen to Annie, so it may be a little while before we have matching piercings.