I was a calm, relaxing, quite uneventful Sunday here in Galway. I even went to St. Nicholas church for a service - I didn't hear much of anything because I was just simply blown away by the church itself. It is delightfully funny how the Irish are just as dedicated to Sunday church as they are to hitting the pubs the night before - or even later on Sunday night after church! That was at least what I saw. On a whim I decided to go out onto Quay Street late on Sunday night. A bit nervous for being by myself (and thinking I was a bit of a loser for going out to check out the pubs alone, but hey...) I just walked into a couple of bars, checking out the walls and feeling a bit like a retarded tourist. Just as I was about to give up hope, I found a small bar that was playing live 'trad' (traditional) Irish music - so I decided I wouldn't look too stupid for just checking out the band - but right when I walked in, I did that whole eye contact thing and someone said hello to me. He was a guy from north Wales (right near Colwyn Bay - the place where my great uncle was born) and was traveling with a bunch of buddies - whom he all introduced me to. They were from all over - Dublin, London, and even New Zealand. They were just here for the night, and were celebrating the fact they they could all get together as friends and have a good time - and fortunately for me they took me under their wing and let me hang with them! They were so cool, treated me just like I was one of the old friends. They bought me a Guiness (and taught me how to drink it) and joked around all while listening to the fiddle and guitar play in the background. I was feeling very Irish indeed. Before I knew it we were all singing and dancing until late hours of the night! Now THAT was definitely Irish of me! At least great pub experience. So to all of you back home - you've got some expectations for when I go out to the bars with you in 4 months! hehe!

Added note: One Dublin guy (actually he was a born in Dublin, but lived in London) told me that there are 4 irrevocable things in life: the spoken word, time, a bullet, and missed opportunity - any thoughts on that?

As you can imagine, today has been quite leisurely and there is not much to report. I found a grocery store and spent like an hour just looking at all the stuff. I also met two girls from Finland who are also studying here at NUI Galway. They gave me some black licorice - it was super yukky but I ate it and told them it was great anyways. They just got in today and want to go grab a guiness at the pub...will it be another night like last?! We'll find out!

until next time!

xoxoxxoxoxo