Galway... Wow! What a place!

Wow... well i'm leaving Gallway today and it has been quite the 3 days here... I can't even believe this place. It has a pedestrian walkway that you can just shop the shit out of... the clothing here is so unique... it's really a beautiful place, but not much to see.

The first night I was here we we out & Jake won Oxygen tickets and gave them to Ben.

Woke up yesterday and walked all of Gallway and saw everything there was to see here...

Kyle and I were hanging out quite a bit and then met up with Ben later in the common room at the hostel. Everyone I kept bumping into I just asked them if they wanted to come out. Almost everyone said yes! So, by 8:45 (our scheduled meeting time) we had a group of 13. Well! That was so fun! Putting to use my teacher-head-countin g skills... we successfully kept all 13 people together while heading in and out of 3 pubs or so...

All night we were together and it was AWESOME. The night life here is like no place on this earth (at least that I've been). We have the best group shot...

So, this kid Ben and I really clicked instantaniously. I know we will be friends for many years to come. Our conversations were so amazing and we really complimented each other. There was also this kid Chris (From the army in texas) and he was a character! An awesome person (both of these guys got bracelets if that tells you anything) but a little lost at times. Just now, I just went to say goodbye to him and he JUST decided to leave the army telling Ben and I that we changed his life. I hope he does, but we'll see. I think he wants to come live in Ireland. Great move... I wish I could live here. Oh! forgot to tell you about Fusako... wonderful little girl from Japan and the FUNNIEST person on the face of the earth! WOW

OK... back to the story... So, that night, we decided to go to Canamarah (sp?) for the day and see that. The only real way to do it without a car was a bus tour so the 3 of us got up in the morning and got on the bus... BIG MISTAKE (Please note that this day did not have a good start... or should I say, a good vibe... I should have known something would happen)... So, the bus ride was horrible as it was bumpy and rocky. The driver didn't stop talking the entire time and it was just awful. Ben and I sat and played music for each other on our ipods and that was definately good. There was a family from Mass on the bus and they were just wonderful. The little 5 year old kept throwing up from motion sickness though. So, the gardens and the castle were just wonderful, but, in essence, we spent the entire day on the bus and all we wanted to do was walk/hike/anything but sit.

So, it was really not good, but we made the best of it. The family was curious about the hostel so we brought them to barnacles and showed them around a bit... the kids loved it and the little girl gave me a big hug when they left.

so, we decided, due to the crazy day, that we would eat out for 6€ which isn't bad at all... great vegetarian sandwhich. mmmmmmm food is so appreciated here. OK... so then the boys were going (4 of them) to the Floggy Molly concert so I went back to the hostel and checked in on the flowers that Kyle pressed for us (I picked them at the gardens and kyle pressed them)... guess it was pretty hard, but they look great. So, we all decided to go out again and this time, we had 11... almost the same people as the night before, but we picked up a ''new arrival'' named Mike. (remember him for the previously referenced later story). So we went to a pub and watched live music and had such a wonderful time. Gus (Genoa, Italy) & I taught each other sign languages... his Italian, mine English. Fusako was learning the signs too... it was so funny. So, this guy named Neil came up and introduced himself and became very annoying hanging all over Fusako and not leaving us alone. Not wanting to be rude (Note: I should have ma, I know) we didn't say anything and just ignored him. While in the 2nd bar, just following a car bomb signifying Kyle's last night in Ireland after 2 months, I took out the bracelets to give to Chris and Ben.

I returned the bracelets to my bag, set it down by my leg, brought out my book to make sure I had Chris's information and looked down one second later and it was gone. My stomach sank, I told the guys, ran outside, spun in a circle and just knew it was gone. I have been so fuckin' careful this whole trip and then, boom... so, of course, Neil had taken it as his annoying presence ceased the second I noticed my bag was gone... when I say split second, i mean split second. so, we looked around as Kyle and Ben took on the caretaking roles as I knew they would the second it happened. They were so wonderful to me... knew exactly the right thing to say, do and what not to. I couldn't have been with better people. So, without going into detail... everything important was in the bag. The most important (irreplaceable) things were my camera and my journal and LUCKILY my camera was around my shoulder and my journal was on the bar. I DID not lose those... but everything else I did. So, I will spend the next couple days replacing everything and I'll be ok (just to clarify, this was my daypack that was stolen, NOT my big bag with all of my clothing, shampoo, etc in it, but still all the other things that have been saviors to me were in there).

So, we went back to the hostel and called the Guard (police)... they came and we all realized that we were a picture taking group and checked our cameras... Mike had one... a still posed picture of Neil. He was a local that frequented the bar and i have NO DOUBT they will be able to locate him... not my stuff, but him. So, as my suitemate jen said, Karma will get him.

I'm a bit down today, but I'll be alright. Thanks ma for the great time on the phone last night and Jon... can't even explain how good that 50 minute conversation was with you at my 4am!!!!! Thank you thank you. Chris, Jake, Mike, Ben, Fusako (you know why), Jean-Luc, Frank & Gus... you are all the best... thanks for taking care of me. I will miss you all so much...

So, now... this morning I had a bagel with Ben and Chris and then we came to the internet cafe and Fusako comes running in yelling... "Jessica, Jessica!!!! Jonathan!!!! Yuval!!!!" Hysterical... so, guess who was outside... so happy to see them, especially after last night. I have to go see the Guard today and file some paperwork and then I'm taking the train to Dublin, but I think i JUST (yes, while sitting here) decided to stay in Gallway one more night. I am a bit unsettled right now and think it would be the best for me. I'll head to Dublin very early tomorrow and hang out with Kris :) and then fly to London ...

Alright all... thanks for listening and, again, thanks to all of you for your help last night.

Talk to you soon :) Jess

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