off island: ireland

Before I recount my tales of the land that is Ireland, let me tell you about the epiphany I had while returning to London. Ready? Okay: I live in London.

It's been two months and it's finally settled in. All these days of walking in downtown London in awe, the streets more like some movie set I've happened to walk on, maybe I finally get it. Back in the London Gatwick airport, I smoothly make my way to the train ticket window, where I calmly ask for a ticket to London Bridge via Thameslink. 'Do you need to use the Underground once you get there?' asks the ticket man. 'Why, no,' I may or may not have said, 'I have an Oyster card.' (This means I am a regular.) Then, I very knowledgeably and calmly caught all the right trains and as the final one pulled in next to Sainsbury's Grocery Store, I thought, 'It's nice to be home.' It's nice to be home! New Cross, London? Myhomethisis! (5 points if you thought of Yoda, because I just did.)

Of course, the negative result of being 'home,' so to speak, is the inevitable funk that comes with returning home after a trip.

This trip was to Cork, Ireland, to visit some Good Friends. Let me recount a few brief highlights because nobody likes to read paragraphs and since I've been writing an essay, I don't like to write them:
- The pub Sin E (which is of course pronounced Sheen-Ay) with its pear cider and Irish fiddle music.
- Cooking stuffed green peppers, cookies, curry, and kneading homemade dough for homemade pizzas.
- Getting caught in a rain storm in Blarney.
- Natanya pretending to be an archer at every single window in Blarney Castle. 'Oooh, look at my archer boots!' she would say.
- Kissing the wrong stone that was not the Blarney Stone and the guy yelling 'NEXT!'
- The Saturday trip to Kinsale.
- PUPS, the black lab puppy who became our friend for about 45 minutes on the hike towards Charles Fort.
- Irish people who pronounce their 'th's like 't's. Like instead of 'three' they say 'tree.' So it's like they have a backward lisps and you can make fun of them.
- Watching TV again, especially the Aussie soap 'Home & Away' and 'American Idol.'
- London clothing stores with prices that are in Euros instead of Pounds.
- Speaking to my roomie again at night and in the morning. Awwwwww.
So don't worry, these kids have got a pretty good little set up. Cork is a smallish city, but it has a real nice set up and city centre the surrounding little towns are lovely. The Other Americans leave a bit to be desired, but when have we not?

Now that I'm back, I've had a pint and a half of Strongbow and a major stress meltdown. Cheers!