And so on to Dublin.
I am typing this in the Dublin airport after Katy and Tara left me to go back to America. I am being brave and strong, I swear. I'm killing some time before my flight leaves for Berlin and so am updating this because realistically, what else am I really going to do?
So we arrived in Dublin midday on New Years Eve. All the stars oddly aligned for us. We got the early bus that we wanted to get, we managed to get dinner reservations the day of NYE, and we got tickets to a nightclub, also day-of (much more on this later). On our way to dinner (this is not a stars-aligning story, this is a "this is weird" story) we were stopped by a man on the street who asked us if we smoked. When we said no, we thought he'd just let us go, like he was looking for a lighter or something. However, then this exchange occurred:
man: ah, from the States, huh? Whereabouts?
(we all tell him. He seems confused.)
man: How do you all know each other?
us: we went to college together.
man: ah! Where?
(at this point we're starting to think this is a little too personal, but we also didn't really know how to end the conversation. So we kept going.)
us: Notre Dame.
man: Oh! Indiana!
us: ...yes.
man: What did you study?
This was becoming not only oddly personal, but we were going to miss our dinner reservation. So I turned to Katy and said, "Do you remember the name of the restaurant?" in hopes of dropping a hint.
man: Oh, don't worry. I mean no harm. What did you all study?
me: English.
Katy: political science
Tara: pre-medicine.
man (to Tara): Now, you have a quite exotic look to you. How did that happen?
My jaw actually dropped at this point. I mean... really?
Tara: both my parents were born in India.
man: Wow. I really don't know what to say about that.
Okay, two things here. One, you probably don't need to say anything because it's not any of your business and also you shouldn't have even asked in the first place. Two, what in God's name were you expecting her to say? "Oh, my parents are blond Germans?" No. I mean, use your head. Come on.
Anyway. We finally broke free of him and had a really delicious dinner - if you are ever in Dublin and craving Italian, we would all three highly recommend Il Baccaro - and headed off to our nightclub.
Oh. My. God.
Club M.
There is no way to completely explain this nightclub. We all agreed it was never going to translate - you totally had to be there. The best way we can explain it - and this is not doing the hilariousness of the situation justice - is that it was sort of like Club Fever (MICHIANA'S HOTTEST DANCECLUB!) transported to Dublin. But that doesn't really capture Club M. It was... hilariously awful. It was dark and there were smoke machines and we kept running into these same three girls from County Meath and it was the kind of place the stars of The Jersey Shore might frequent... I honestly cannot explain it. At some point we decided to just embrace how bad the club was and we ended up having a riot, mostly because we were laughing at the place. But... if you're ever in Dublin, it is TOTALLY an experience.
We left Club M basically at midnight because after the New Year struck, we lost any mild interest we may have had in being there. We went to the Mint Bar, which was in the basement of our hotel and is actually my new favorite place. We met these three Americans who were lovely (sidebar: I've actually decided that I really like some - key word SOME - Americans abroad because if you meet the right kind they aren't obnoxious jerks and you can bond over your shared Americanness) and we hung out in the Mint Bar until it closed. Then Katy said probably the most clever thing she has ever said. We got back to our room and she was gchatting with someone back in America - I want to say it was roughly 10:30 where this person was - and he said something like, "I wonder what 2011 will be like." Katy's response? "Well, speaking as someone from the future, I can tell you that it's a lot like 2010." It was hilarious.
New Years Day was devoted to some sightseeing. We went to Dublin Castle, tried to go to Kilmainham Jail, walked around the city, etc. We also went to the Guinness Storehouse which was borderline the most intense experience any of us have ever had. First of all, it was awesome, but all these overwhelming things kept happening. We were accosted by a jester on the way in who made us drink fake rubber Guinness with him and then made us take a picture. I know that's a really weird sentence, but it's actually the only way to explain what happened. Tara has pictures of it I trust she will put on facebook.
So now into the factory. The first thing you do in the factory is have this orientation on the ground floor. This really cheerful and upbeat woman named Liz gave us ours, and at one point she said something like, "and on the 5th floor, we have a quiz where you can see how much you know about how your body reacts to alcohol." I thought she was going to keep talking, so I said to Katy and Tara, "ha. Mine reacts negatively." However, Liz did NOT keep talking, so I said this out loud into silence to this large tour group. After orientation, you are turned loose into a self-guided tour of the factory. Liz showed up on every floor that we were on, and every single time, she changed her shirt. It was totally weird. Each time, it was this striped polo that said, "STAFF," on the back, but each floor she was wearing a different color. At one point, Katy remarked how comforting this was that her shirt was marked, "STAFF," because it made her feel like she was at summer camp and would be able to locate a staff member in case she was ever lost or afraid. Which, to be honest, sort of happened a lot. The Guinness factory is totally overwhelming, but in a really good way. Definitely go - it's just huge sensory overload and a lot is constantly going on at once.
That night we went out with my roommate Siobhan (she goes to NUIG with me but is originally from Dublin and was home for the holidays) and she showed us this really cool unnamed bar that is trying really hard and really consciously to be super hip but was still really fun. The next day we did some more cultural sightseeing stuff and ended our trip with a lovely extended session in a pub. I am now in the airport waiting for my flight and they have left and I am really sad. It was the best week ever. I am so lucky to have such incredible friends.
I'm also really glad I'm going to Germany because I think if I had to go to Galway right now I'd be depressed out of my mind. I'm glad I'm going somewhere and doing something. (FYI I'm going to Berlin, to visit my cousin Jay in Heidelberg, then onto Munich and Prague). I start classes on the 17th.
Honestly, also, now that Katy and Tara have come, I feel like I want visitors constantly. Alana (NYC roommate) is coming, my friend Kyle is coming, and my friend Kiel is coming, but if you are not one of those three people, please book your flight ASAP. K thanks.
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