Phones need to shower too

One week after departing for Ireland, I have more memories than I can remember.  It all started when I left DIA on Sunday afternoon.  Mom and I watched the first half of the Broncos game at the airport, and I was told there would be TV's on the flight to watch the second half.  What a filthy lie...the plane was from the 18th century and smelled like a dead cat.  Thankfully the Broncos destroyed the Patriots so I wasn't missing much.

The second flight (from Washington DC to Dublin) was much more relaxing as I got the whole row to myself and got to sleep/watch 'We're the Millers'.  Landing in Dublin was unbelievably surreal...while I was immediately anxious yet upset about leaving home, I was excited as hell the second I landed.  Meeting up with my fellow abroad-mates was nerve-racking, but turns out they're an alright group and we have some fun together. 

At first I thought jet-lag was a myth, but about 3:00 in the afternoon changed my mind.  Pat, Cam, and I (3 of 5 Denison students here this semester) did everything we could to stay awake...and we did a damn good job.  We made it all the way to 6:30pm but by 6:31 the whole room was passed out.  The next few days consisted of orientation, alcohol, and more jetlag. 

Nothing too exceptional happened during that time with the exception of alcohol.  It's the second night that we're in Dublin and we're ready to rage.  The whole group headed to the bars to order a few pints of Guinness (which is fantastic here).  I'd like to think that I'm not the biggest lightweight on the planet, but Tuesday night was borderline insane.  After maybe 4-5 drinks I was feeling good, but nowhere beyond my limits.  Next thing I knew it was 7am the next day.  My clothes were still on, my bed was SOAKED from the top to bottom, I was drenched in some liquid, and my phone was lying broken on the bed.  Original thought was that I peed the bed...minor issues with that are: none of the sheets were stained, it didn't smell, and the amount of urine needed to produce that much liquid is physically impossible.  Therefore, I must've tried to either swim in the River Shannon or take a shower while talking on the phone.  Either way, the night was a complete disaster. 

Needless to say orientation was hell the next day.  I had to sit in the front row and almost threw up on the program leader.  I managed not to do that, but I did leave my orientation pack (with my ID, acceptance letters, valuable things) on the bus and had to call him at 10pm to track down the bus.

We're all getting settled in here at the University of Limerick.  This place is 10x nicer than Denison and costs about half...something is wrong with that.  I have my own bedroom with a queen sized bed, shower, and bathroom.  It's a little different than the triple-stacked bunk beds in beaver hall with one bathroom for 6 guys, and I enjoy it. My Irish roommates are absolutely hilarious. There's 3 girls that seriously know how to drink.  More posts to come about them soon.

That's about it here. It's going to be one heck of a semester and I can't wait for what's to come.  Enjoy the freezing cold temperatures and feet of snow that you all are getting back in the states.