I Made It!!!

Well here I am in my new home in Ireland. I'm not sure how much patience I have to write in here. This keyboard likes to stick on most of the keys! I haven't slept since I left Portland about....25 hours ago. I think I might take a nap so that I can go to the local pub, Gibley's, with the other volunteers later tonight.

I guess I could start from the beginning. (A very good place to start, according to Julie Andrews.) My parents, Katie, and I left Salem at 4am to head to the Portland Airport. We had time for a doughnut and coffee before I had to go through security. After a short line and a LOT of waves goodbye, I was off on my journey alone. I arrived in Seattle not long after that. It was a very small plane, and everyone was half asleep, so it was quiet. I made my way to the next flight headed to New Jersey. I tried to sleep, but it wasn't easy. The people were very quiet on that entire flight as well. I really enjoyed my window seat, as we landed in Newark. I had a clear view of Manhattan, which was really fun to see. As soon as I got off the plane there, I had to figure out how to get all the way to the other side of the airport, which wasn't as complicated as the three (yes...three...) employees made it seem. I even had time for a meal (I honestly don't know if it would be considered lunch or dinner....my time is WAY screwed up!) and a quick call to my family.

I settled in to my seat on my last flight that took me straight to Dublin. I was ready to read some of my book and maybe enjoy some of the free flight entertainment. A guy about my age sat next to me and introduced himself as Mike. I smiled and said hello, but went back to my book. I was so tired! But then I noticed a rosary around his wrist and I couldn't resist the question: Are you Catholic? Little did I know that this question would lead to a conversation that extended almost the entire 7 hours of the flight! I was pleasantly surprised by this. He is headed on a two week trip around Ireland with some of his friends from the college he works for in campus ministry. His presence definitely made the flight seem much shorter and more bearable! It really is a small little Catholic world sometimes. :P

When I got to Dublin, I was SO excited! Even though my body was so tired and my eyes were so red, I couldn't even feel the exhaustion because of the adrenaline rush! My buzz was almost instantly killed at the customs desk. The lady almost didn't let me through because I supposedly didn't have proper proof of my purpose here. She was quite rude and I almost lost it right then and there. After a lot of talk (I won't go into it...) she let me through. I rushed to the baggage claim to make sure that the woman who came to pick me up would still be there for me! Kathleen welcomed me with open arms and my anxiety melted away. It's amazing what a hug can do for a person. She later spoke with the woman from customs and gave her a good talking-to. :)

Kathleen is a part time employee for CASA. She drove me around the neighborhood, and took me by the ocean. It's only a 20 minute walk from my house! Yay! We then made it to the house where all of the volunteers were still sleeping! It was 8am for them! One by one they came down the stairs, a little groggy, but happy to greet me. Two of them will be leaving within the month. It seems like people are always coming and going here. Which leads me to believe that I won't be the newbie for too long!

After a shower, a lot of paperwork, and several cups of coffee, the volunteers and I walked over to the little town area for some breakfast. They showed me the pub that they like to go to, the library, and some of the other little nearby shops. They are all doing their own thing now. I am off to get a tiny bit of sleep before I collapse!

If any of you are actually still reading this long post, I miss you!! I'll take pictures as soon as I can and I'm sure I'll be on here again soon.

Love,
Claire