Friendly Faces :)

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Cassandra and Theresa got here on Saturday to visit me for a few days before they made their way all the way back to the good 'ol US of A. Both groups were nervous about how well the transition of their arrival would go- being that we hadn't actually made contact with each other in weeks, so we were both just hoping the other would be there when their flight arrived in Dublin. I made a sign using borrowed airport paper and sharpie (and made the sign at a car rental desk which I successfully stained when the sharpie bled through the paper... the Dublin Airport Hertz counter now has "2 Pretty Am..." till I realized what was happening. whoops). Regardless, they arrived reasonably on time, and it was apparent they were glad I was in obvious sight when they walked through the gates.

It's been really good having them here, introducing them to all the people that I've met while over here and getting to show them the different places that I like to go in the city, or share the little medial things that I've been thinking about in my head since I've been here but hadn't shared with anyone for whatever reason. I also have realized how refreshing inside jokes are with your good friends :). Glad not much has changed with them! Although, I think I'm going to strangle Cassandra the next time she brings up "Italia," the weather in Dublin, or how expensive everything is here... Jesus, I'm glad you had a great time, I know it always rains and is cold (note my lovely pasty complexion), and I TOLD YOU IT'S EXPENSIVE, but I still have to be here for another month... I don't need the depressing reminder (I've come to terms with it!). Just kidding, I won't strangle you... maybe just slap you around a little ;).

We went out with all of my friends the first night, introducing them to everyone and took them to one of the Porterhouse locations for drinks and dancing. We were all tired though so called it a fairly early night (and by "we" I mean Theresa Leigh... she was practically falling asleep wherever we went, or whatever we did her entire visit... It made me feel really good about myself and the entertainment I provided). jerk. :o). The next night I had to work, but we went to the Dublin Zoo in the afternoon!!! I was soooooo excited. It was actually a pretty decent day, minus the one downpour when we were about halfway through. I got to see otters though (Asian short clawed otters to be exact!) and in another country, so I think it is pretty apparent my day was made! Theresa got excited about the elephants, including two little baby elephants ("little" is a relative term of course) that were wrastlin' when we were there. But even though the Dublin Zoo was relatively nice and well kept, it just made me appreciate how well the Seattle Zoo is run and how much space they give the animals in relativity to a majority of the other zoos in the world.

Work was frustrating and I got off late, but after Theresa and Cassandra got done shopping (they were supposed to go to Dublin Castle, but apparently the tours were "full" so they went shopping instead. Oooh Theresa Leigh.) they stopped into the pub and got dinner, then ended up staying to listen to the live music and waited till I got off. Monday we went to the Bodies Exhibit that's in Dublin now, I missed it in Seattle, so I was really glad that we were able to go. It made me miss Kristi a lot though because I know how much she would have loved to be there with us especially. I could just imagine her going from exhibit to exhibit getting excited about the random crap she already knew from her nursing stuff. After that I had to go to a meeting with the EUSA director to talk about work stuff, then we headed to the Guinness Storehouse in the afternoon (again... I'll be going there again when my brother and sister are here... woooooo).

Tuesday we headed to a little town along the coastline called Bray to get a bit out of the city. We took one of the three major public transportation options in Dublin, the DART which took us from the city center to along the coast where a lot of the commuter suburbs are. Bray is the last stop along the track, so it was about the furthest from the city we could get on a budget. There is a fair that goes on for the majority summer in Bray, with baby roller coasters, bumper cars, etc. The three of us got on the Ferris wheel, and although it was pretty windy towards the top, it was one of the nicest days weather and sun-wise since I've been here... meaning it was like 68 and partly cloudy. Regardless, you could see pretty far at the top of the wheel, and I think Cassandra and Theresa were at least able to see a bit of the "country" part of Ireland. I told them how frustrating it can be in Dublin, because there are so many tourists and foreigners adding to the hustle and bustle of the city, that it really isn't till you get outside of the city that you're able to appreciate the beauty of Ireland. Don't get me wrong, I love Dublin, but it really isn't the prettiest of cities. Everything is pretty much the same height, all the buildings look at least somewhat similar, and as hard as they try to keep it clean, it's still just kind of a big dirty city. But then you spend an afternoon in a place that's a short commute from the city center, and sit on some rocks along the beach to stare into the Irish Sea, or the green hills along the coast... you're reminded of how gorgeous Ireland is.

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