Walking the walk...

The past few entries have been one's that I transcribed from my notebook. This is the first live entry I've made thus far whilst in Ireland. My outlet adapters were in my checked bags, so I couldn't boot up my computer until they came into Limerick. So when they did, I was excited to get started on this blog. Unfortunately, as soon as I plugged the adapter in the wall, my laptop charger - which had already been on the fritz - blew out. It wasn't until today that I was able to replace it. But all is well. The mac is intact.

Yesterday was a strange day. It was our first day of class abroad and it was the 4th of July. We made the most of it though. In the evening we were hosted by a Limerick professor, who made a table full of fried food for us. The taste wasn't quite on, but the effort was incredible and immeasurably appreciated by our group. To top it off he had a great home and a wonderful family. It almost felt like being home. Plus they'd bought these weird straight Miller cans. Not MGD, not Miller Light, just Miller. Couldn't really taste a difference. I'm just glad it wasn't Bud.

Limerick continues to be a joy. We left class and got directly on the bus to head downtown for some exploring and shopping. Downtown Limerick is much bigger than any of us had expected. To top that off, there are plenty of pubs and a lot of shops. There are a lot of modern structures going in around the relatively old flats and architecture. It makes for an interesting look and evidences a forward-looking city. We took a detour and stopped off along the River Shannon to have a quick photo and enjoy the view.

We then walked to a well-established pub near the outdoor shopping district, called Charlie Chaplin's. I'll let you guess the theme. After a pint of Guinness, we headed back to do some more shopping before heading home.

Now that I've been here and I have the time to do so, I'll give you my take on Ireland so far:

Yes, the weather is pretty dreary. In fact I've been wet and cold pretty much since the moment we landed. It's actually a little absurd. We're forced to bring layers everywhere we go. I've gotten used to wearing a t-shirt, with a jacket over it, and bringing along an anorak for the rain. And on any given day I'll spend and equal amount of time wearing each. I'm not kidding. The temperature can change 30 degrees over the course of a half hour. And a dark gray sky will be pushed off by bright sun and blue skies in a matter of minutes. The clouds move extremely fast bringing constant climate changes. It sucks for the most part. But, as Professor Davis told me yesterday, "There's a reason why Ireland is so green". And he's right. I've never seen anything like it. Hopefully the picture from the plane gives you some kind of idea. You should see it in the sunlight. The colors are much more vibrant. It's breathtaking.

Yes, the Irish love their alcohol. But it isn't in the drunken brawl, headbutting, fooooootball hooligan way that they are portrayed in our culture. Instead, it's a social affair. They get drunk with friends, on occassions, and as a celebration. Granted, I still saw some old men drinking at the pubs in the middle of the day. But that's not something you won't see at a bar in the states. By no means are there stumbling drunks walking around downtown.

I'm sure I'll have more observations once I've had more time to soak in the culture.

But in short, I'm very happy, I'm healthy, and I'm enjoying every minute of being here.

Currently "In the Morning" by The Coral is stuck in my head and is becoming the first of the songs on my Europe Soundtrack. More to come...

Sean and I were the only ones that decided to participate in the softball tournament. And by 5am on the day before the tournament started, we were registered through the Irish Softball Association to play with the Marley Martyrs of Dublin. Our teammates were solid softball players - something I hadn't expected when I heard that they played softball here. There were some differences here and there, but all in all, the game is played exactly the same as it is back home. The one welcomed difference, however, is that the teams seem to have a good repore with one another and are constantly joking around with one another during the middle of play. It's all playful, and it made the games much more entertaining.

I hadn't realized that it had been a long time since I'd swung a bat when I was talking about all my baseball experience to the Dubliners on the night we were recruited to play. Over the course of the 12 games we played during the weekend, I only managed to get the ball out of the infield twice. It was extremely embarassing, considering that these Irish players who were new to the sport were crushing the ball. Even the girls on the squad outhit me. This made for some good jokes about my "legal bunting" abilities (it was illegal to bunt in the rules). I also managed to strike out. So all in all it was a bad experience at the plate.

The weather was absolutely dreadful while we played. There were only two rain delays over the course of the whole weekend. Which wouldn't seem so bad, but it rained pretty much the entire weekend. The constant rain was broken up by well placed and much needed patches of sun that had all the fair-skinned Irish folks running to their bags for sunscreen. It was hilarious.

Sean, played extremely well. And all the other teams fell in love with his Texas accent and his demeanor. He was very popular on the sidelines and added to the joking during the games. We ended up becoming good friends with the team that hosted us and shared quite a few beers with them in the evenings. Best of all, we won the tournament. It was a surreal experience, but one was totally welcomed. We felt at home in Ireland with our teammates, we had a group of friends to hang out with at the pubs, and we were given an opportunity to feel the glory of winning a championship before we'd even unpacked our luggage (which was waiting for us when we arrived home - Thank God). And I had a complete blast, despite a performance that honestly made me question my masculinity.

Unbelievable...We've just had a really great night. We took a bus downtown and went to Downtown bar called Smyth’s. Good music. Fantastic crowd. Enough Smithwick’s to get a camel drunk. I feel almost at home. On the way back to the apartment we met some Irishmen who are in a softball tournament here in Limerick and needed players. Suddenly we went from no-name Americans to ringers. We stayed up and drank with them until 4 in the morning. I’m absolutely loving life right now. Could be the chance encounter, could be the fact that I'm a bit tight right now. Tomorrow we wake up at 9, get ready to play, and spend the rest of the day playing a familiar game in a foreign country. I can’t contain my excitement. Best of all, we’ve overcome our jetlag and are ready to really be a part of our experience here. I couldn’t be happier.

We’re here. Nick, Sean, and I have been up for over 24 hours with no more than a few hours of sleep. The trip was an absolute nightmare. We were delayed out of Kansas City, then delayed out of Reagan in D.C., and when we got to Boston our checked bags were nowhere to be found. After we waited four hours in the baggage claim, checking the belts for all the U.S. Airways flights that had come into Logan from D.C. – no luck. The splendidly helpful guy at the luggage counter told us we probably wouldn’t see them before we left and that he wouldn’t be able to get them to us by the time we arrived in Shannon because it was out of the country and, hence, out of his realm of control. Needless to say, we’re all a little hot about it. I feel bad for Sean though. He didn’t pack a stitch of clothing in his carry-on luggage, so he’s stuck with what he’s wearing until we can get the bags. To make matters worse, we don’t have any solid means of communication. So even if they wanted to get a hold of us, they couldn’t do it directly. Add to this situation a pretty serious case of jetlag on all of our parts and you can see how we might be a bit frustrated.

But enough about the bad. Limerick is beautiful. The shades of green in the country here are utterly breathtaking. The scenery is so beautiful, in fact, that it overshadows the soggy, dark weather which hasn’t let up since we landed this morning. The people have been extremely kind so far, and more accommodating than I had expected the Irish to be toward Americans (especially when you’re traveling with a hard core Texan – cowboy hat, belt buckle, and all). We drove through downtown Limerick on the way to our apartment complex and it seems like a pretty nice little town. The center of which is dominated by a castle – one of three we’ve seen in the short distance between Shannon Airport and Limerick. The area where our apartments are located is mostly student living, and the three universities in town bring in students from all over Europe. Tonight we’ll be heading into town to have some pints with the locals. More to come...