First Day in Dublin

A very easy flight to Dublin. No delays, and the tailwind was so strong that we got in an hour ahead of time. When we got into the taxi, I opened the driver's door and tried getting in, initially unaware that the steering wheel is on the other side of the car. The driver told me I could drive, but I refused. He then told us his life story, which included his life as a devout Marxist which then turned into a narrative of his four years in captivity as a political prisoner to the British in the 1970's. At the end of the ride I shook his hand and told him that he was an extremely interesting man, which he was.

After we got settled in the apartment, I took an hour and a half jet-lag nap while Brad, my apartment-mate, took a four hour nap. We have to heat the water in the shower before we use it, and it runs out quickly. If you know my bathroom habits then it won't surprise you that I used up all the hot water, and Brad had to take a cold shower. So now I need to train myself to take less than my normal 30-minute shower. It might be my greatest challenge, but we'll see. Maybe when Elijah comes back (yes, that's a Jew joke). But we are all settled in now. The apartment is a very comfortable size.

We met most of the other people on the program tonight at a bar called The Barge, a really cool place that's on three levels, made of brick behind Christmas lights. And it's true what they say: Guinness in Ireland is not even remotely comparable to Guinness in America. From the creamy froth that crowns the top of the glass to the thickness of the beer itself, nobody does Guinness better than the Irish. Our program is approximately a 1:7 male to female ratio. Tonight at the bar was a great time and I met a lot of interesting people. Then we came back to the apartment and had a frozen-food party with another apartment of girls on the program. We made french fries and pizza, setting off the fire alarm and successfully disarming its battery in the process. Great meal though. So for a day wrought with jet-lag and name memorization it's been quite good.