So THIS is the Irish weather they were talking about...

Well, I've been here for what... almost 2 weeks now with not more than an "intense mist", and all of a sudden, boom. Oh well, I'm not dealing with a bi-polar Iowa winter for the next two months, so I'll knock off the complaining. So far, the rain here is very soothing, and if it were not for my modest packing and lack of dry clothes, I'd walk around in it all day. Ireland has to be the only country in the world where you can be staring at a palm tree while seeing your breath at night.

I've got a lot to cover in this post, but won't get that into it. Yes, the Irish pub culture is huge here, what you read/heard is true. They can drink a lot. Yes, the scenery is beautiful, and yes, there are cathedrals everywhere. The streets are small, the cars are small (but fast), and Cork, although gargantuan compared to Ames, is small. The pints are great, the food's alright, but the people and the atmosphere are unbelievable.

After spending around 24 hours (with the time-jump) in the air or in airport terminals, Garrett and I flew into Cork about 3 hours before the New Year arrived. Of course, the airline forgot to give us our bags so we took our carry-on, called a cab and hit the pubs within an hour. The pints of Guinness here have confirmed to me that there probably is a God. After going around to a few different bars and striking up conversation with a few Irishmen, we decided to end the night in a smaller, cozier pub. Little did we know that by midnight we'd be swaying back and forth with a circle of people old enough to be our parents, pretending we knew the words to Auld Lang Syne. Everyone in the entire place exchanged hugs, handshakes, and friendly conversation for a while after the clocked tolled midnight. It was like getting hit by speeding train, only if the train was a horde of polite, generous Irish people. Garrett and I, overwhelmed by jetlag and "the craic", knew that we were going to have the time of our lives over the next semester.

Before going out for New Years, I was dropped off at my flat by a taxi that we had taken from the airport. I seriously think that the Imagineers at Disney World should throw together some sort of ride for this experience on the Ireland stop at Epcot. The guy who drove us had to have been going at least 60, weaving in and out around cars, jetting around corners and accelerating downhill. I was in the back holding on for life, due to the fact that the driver was on the wrong side of the road/wrong side of the car. Just another new experience. Anyways, there were some (very attractive, about 9/10 are) girls outside in the parking lot that walked me to reception where I met my security warden, who let me in and informed me that my place is located right across from the City Centre (pubs, shopping etc) and that I could "fall" home on New Years Eve if I wanted.

Well, that covers about my first day here... already getting "into it" too much with the descriptions. I'll write more later tonight, but for now I'm off to learn about Traditional Irish Music.

Slainte!