May 2006

I got to my new hostel today which is near the bus station and I can easily walk there to catch my bus to Cork County tomorrow morning at 8am...

The new hostel has not one english speaking person, I swear.... It took me 5 minutes to get across my point when I stupidly stated "It's hot in here, eh?" to a German girl. She looked at me blankly and the next 5 minutes were spent explaining with frantic hand motions and waving my arms wildly around my head until finally, " Oh... HOTTTT. Jah!" Or something like that.

So I guess tonight I'll actually have some down time and chill or read a book or something. Boring! I know!

Mom and I before I go on the plane!

So I board the plane to Ireland which smells like booze and find my seat. A few minutes later a couple of yellow-teethed, middle aged, drunk Irishmen sit down. I'm seat A and they're C & D. If you know planes that means the seat next to me is vacant... So anyways, the first gentleman sits down (or rather, falls) and the second sits beside me to which is friend says "Mate, your seat is over here" and his friend says "Shuttup, I waont tew sait he-yah"... These guys turn out to be hilarious and we're talking for awhile when I ask them if they're travelling together and Petig says "Yeah, but we're not gay, you know." HAhh... boys are boys everywhere I guess, always confirming their masculinity A couple minutes later Petig tells me he's a butcher and then asks me if I like horses... I answer "Yeah, why?" He says... "Cuz I kill em" and starts laughing...

This morning two guys from my hostel and I walked to the Oscar Wilde Monument which features Oscar Wilde spread out on a rock looking all.. for lack of a better word, sensual O.0 .... So Ben climbs up on the statue and lays across Oscar Wilde's lap just as a bus full of teenage Asian girls is passing through and they're all giggling and covering their mouths, probably saying "Wakachi yang ka fong yo!" or some other interpretation of "Look! Oscar Wilde is spanking some American boy's bum!!!" Bet that tour guide was at a loss of words explaining the statue of Oscar Wilde.

BEFORE he flipped over into the bum UP position!

So Ben saw the tour bus watching him and began blowing kisses and winking at the girls, with them all pointing at him, giggling and blowing kisses back. I guess girls will be girls everywhere... Heh..

Hello! It is sooo exciting here...

I arrived Wednesday morning to a pouring city and arrived frazzled and with frizzy hair to my hostel like 2 hours later. ANYONE that knows me knows that I am super stupid when it comes to directions and generally too proud to ask for directions. So I didn't. Until an hour later after walking many street multiple times. The streets here are CRAZY. They all change into different names along the same road like 5 times within 3 blocks......

I've only got 8 minutes left on this computer so I'm typing like mad.... ignore spelling mistakes or I shall probably put an irish curse on you. I'm kidding, I don't know any irish curses.....

I do know one cool story though....
I went to Dublin castle today and went on a guided tour with a girl and two guys I met from my hostel (americans! BLECK! haha). So anyway, we went on a guided tour (cheesy, I know) through the huge amazing castle and the tour guide pointed out this insane huge carved and decorated table that took this Irish prisoner 7 years to make. Supposedly prisoners sometimes would make gifts for the English queen and if she liked the gift she would keep it and grant the prisoners a royal pardon....

So he presented it and she didn't like it... In the 1800's Ireland was going through a spiritual exploration phase, hypnotism and etc.... The queen assumed that a spiral in the middle of the table was supposed to hypnotize her into freeing the prisoner so she refused the gift and granted the prisoner 4 more years in gaol...

Ick, eh?

Well my time is about to run out... More later today, or tomorrow!

PS: IRELAND IS AMAZING!

Pictures to come.....

This is basically a test entry. Don't get too excited, my spectacular adventures aren't showcased here yet. Unless you consider Kitchener spectacular, like I do of course.

Basically, I head out on Tuesday May 16, 2006 from Buffalo Airport. I'm flying Buffalo to JFK (New York) and then I fly to Ireland and arrive there on the 17th.

From there I'll hit up Amsterdam, Egypt, Jordan, Israel and Australia. Here's my rough itinerary for all my shaznazzles like family and friends that I know will be checking daily to see if I'm still alive (or else I'll shun you). Yes, Yes ... I know... We Mennonites play a serious game of hardball.

Ireland: May 17 -May 22
Amsterdam: May 22 -May 31
Egypt: June 1 - June 8
Jordan: June 8 - July 24
Israel: July 24 - August 8
Australia: August 8- Sept 6

Initially this trip only included my dig (for Uni credit) in Jordan. Then I thought screw it, I'm over here anyway... why not hit up Ireland, Amsterdam, Egypt, Israel and Australia too?